Here Comes The Rain Again

We haven't seen rain in so long we may not recognize it when it gets here. You could smell the moisture in the air last night. It's humid right now, but still sunny. To top it all off, tomorrow afternoon is supposed to be a doozy with thunderstorms and more cold wind. I'll keep you updated.

As for everything else, I'm still trying to adjust to the time change. It may take a couple of weeks. Yesterday was fairly productive, so I'm going to see if I can make today even more so. But you know what they say about the best laid plans . . .

It's Sproing!

That is what has happened here. SPROING! Everything is turning green and blooming, except for what little grass we have. My mom told me that my grandad always said when the mesquite trees start budding it's time to plant, so we did. She said it never failed him, so I'm crossing my fingers. The new garden (garden number 1) is full of mounds with seeds and tiny plants. My irises are in full bloom and the rose bushes are starting to fill out. The birds are even making nests.

I hate springing forward, by the way. I would love to not need to change my clocks twice a year. Did you know that the incidence of heart attacks spikes every spring when the clocks move forward? Yes, it's a fact. And the same incidences decrease in the fall when the clocks are moved back. And circadian rhythms are thrown all out of whack. Ugh. This is just not good for us. I envy my friends in Arizona who don't go through the changes!

Lots to do today. I've got more orders to take care of, more samples to stitch and some new patterns to tweak, and more work needs to be done on the web site. I really need two or three of me. I'm still waiting on that replicator!

Lazy Sunday

One garden is planted. Yippee! One down, three to go. We may have to start calling him Farmer Man (or Till-Man, as Chica says). He's determined to make me a country wife. Hmmm. We'll see. I'm content to go out there for about an hour and that's it. That's more than enough sun time for me, but I do love the smell of freshly turned dirt.


I got into another treasury. Everyone loves the Coral Reef Bracelet. Many thanks to Vickie at Happy Hound for putting it in her treasury.

My plans for today are to get some stitching done and maybe make some earrings. There are so many beads in the room that it's a bit overwhelming right now, kind of like a small tornado, and things are all muddied together so that I can't tell one from the other. Maybe the house will fall into Oz later and things will become colorfully clear!

Musings Of The Insomniac

I got no sleep last night. T-man got no sleep last night. He had to go to the office, but Bella and I are just sitting here on the sofa unable to get motivated. I didn't get up until 10:00, so half the day is wasted already. I need to (ugh) clean house today. That is NOT my favorite thing to do. Maybe I'll be distracted by some shiny things later. That's always a good excuse.

Have a great weekend! Bead something marvelous.

Bwa Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Web site updates (not much, but it's a start).

What Is An Artist?

The Websters-Merriam Dictionary provides us with this:

art·ist
Pronunciation: \ˈär-tist\
Function: noun
Date: circa 1507
1a: obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts
1b: archaic : physician
1c: archaic : artisan
2a: one who professes and practices an imaginative art
2b: a person skilled in one of the fine arts
3: a skilled performer ; especially : artiste
4: one who is adept at something (con artist) (strikeout artist)

The Oxford English Dictionary provides this definition:

artist
noun
1: a person who paints or draws as a profession or hobby.
2: a person who practises or performs any of the creative arts.
3: informal a habitual practitioner of a specified activity: a con artist.

And finally from Webster's New World College Dictionary we get:

art·ist (ärt′ist)
noun
1: a person who works in, or is skilled in the techniques of, any of the fine arts, esp. in painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.
2: a person who does anything very well, with imagination and a feeling for form, effect, etc.
3: a professional person in any of the performing arts

This is almost as thought provoking as the difference between art and craft, isn't it? When I tell someone that I am an artist the first question I usually get is "What do you paint?" Occasionally I get "What medium do you use?" And then "What type of artist?" Then I try to explain exactly what I do and with what. It is much simpler if I have something on my person to show them but that is not always possible. For instance, right now I have jewelry samples scattered all over the country and few to wear! But I digress. What is an artist? I love that phrases like "con artist" are included in the definitions above.

So, what makes me an artist? According to jury panels of several art shows, I am an artist because I am skilled in a technique considered a fine art and I work in mixed media. According to the New World Dictionary above, I'm an artist because I do something ". . . very well, with imagination and a feeling for form, effect, etc." Hmm, what is the "etc." I wonder? Websters-Merriam says "one who professes and practices an imaginative art". I can identify with that and I hope there are a few folk out there who identify me as that.

So your philosophical questions for the day are these. What makes an artist? Are you an artist? Do you fit any of the definitions above? Share. You know we like to find these things out about you.

Oh, and one last tidbit. My Coral Reef Bracelet got included in a treasury:
Many thanks to OVResident for including it in his Treasury.

EXHAUSTED!

Yes, I am. Carol must have had a great weekend of sales because I am plumb tuckered out! There were so very many people at this show that at times it was literally impossible to move in the booth. I got to see some old friends and got to make some new friends. I saw some gorgeous beaded jewelry being worn, and I saw some very unusual color on "gemstone" beads. Who knew rocks could be fuchsia or lime green?? But Carol's acrylic goodies were a big hit and I do believe I cut a mile of chain this past weekend.

Today, I'm going to work on the (cue the dramatic music here) WEB SITE! *gasp* "Did she say WEB SITE???" Yeppers, she did. We'll see how that goes, won't we? Tomorrow, I'll have a big philosophical question for you. What? You thought I was done with those? Hardly. After all, this is Bead-Mused so there must be regular musing.

Okay, my computer is in my lap and my feet are up and that is pretty much how I intend to stay today, beginning right after lunch! Happy Monday.