Evie Blog Entry

Beth and I were busy little bees yesterday and today. Saturday we spent 7 hours and Sunday 5 hours working with copper in the VPA building. While the kilns were heating, both of us were sawing, filing, sanding, and hammering getting pieces ready to be enameled. When the kilns were hot, Beth started enameling while I continued with the other tasks. We have a lot of things in various stages of completion; but we did complete three bowls and two leaf pendants. We both get excited about the finished product. It is a lot of hard work, but it is a great stress reliever and brings pleasure to both of us. Biggest problem for me is the pain from the bone spurs in my neck. I slather on the BioFreeze, but there comes a point when I just have to give up. We would have had another bowl finished, but I was trying a new design and didn’t drill the holes big enough at the end of the petals. Beth already had one coat of enamel on one side, so we drilled the holes larger using a flex shaft with a diamond bit. Because of the heat generated, we must hold the part to be drilled in water while using the diamond bit. I won’t make that mistake again. I HATE drilling through enamel. Beth is a good teacher and a great partner in crime. Come on lottery. I would love to do this full time.

Many people have asked Beth and I how we can spend so much time together without killing each other. Mothers and daughters are not always as fortunate as we have been in our relationship. It’s not all a bed of roses. We each have quirks that bug the other. I think we choose not to make those an issue, and we don’t dwell on them because there is a bigger issue at stake. I believe we choose to make it work and are sensitive to each other’s feelings. We share the load when one of us is down. We say we are sorry when we take the other for granted or inadvertently hurt the others feelings. The positive characteristics of my daughter far outweigh her shortcomings. I hope she feels the same about me. I know I can be a real challenge to her patience.

Friends have asked us to tell them about the things that bug us about each other or show that the relationship isn’t always as great as it might seem. I’m not sure that is wise. Of course, writing about it will reinforce how silly little things can upset the old apple cart and put a kink in relationships. In all fairness, we should also do a section on our positive attributes. I know, not as good reading material.

Beth

· At work she is very organized, detail oriented, etc. In her home, she doesn’t put things where they belong, making it difficult to locate items (for example, the catch-all back bedroom).

· She doesn’t like yard work but wants a nice looking yard. Some how I always get caught up in her grand landscaping schemes, which involve an awful lot of digging.

· I converted half of my garage into our workshop. When she is finished making glass beads, she doesn’t put her glass rods, reference books or tools away.

· She has great design concept but sometimes forgets to measure. Not everyone has a Barbie’s or Twiggy’s neck. Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

· If she waits long enough, she knows I will dip the mandrels in “mud” for beadmaking.

· If she waits long enough, she knows I will clean the bead holes with the Dremel.

· She has been on the Dean’s list forever, which is admirable. However, she gets herself so tied up in knots about tests, papers, and projects, she can drive me absolutely crazy.

· Her class projects are never simple. She comes up with elaborate, very detailed projects. For class projects she needs to simplify, simplify…

· If Beth had her way, all our beads would be dumped all together in one container, and she would sift through them to find enough of what she is looking for. I like beads separated by color for easy identification and selection. Which is worse?

· She has painted her accent wall in the living room and the guest bathroom months ago, but hasn’t put the switch plates back up.

· She doesn’t like reading instructions; she would rather just “fiddle” with it until she gets it to work.

· In some things, excellence is not good enough. She strives for perfection. I don’t want her to miss the journey, when her destination is so narrow in scope.