gosh--it's been a week!

I can't even say we've been that busy!  I'm getting used to my cute little splint, but I have a hunch the surgeon won't let me keep it. Wehad it off today, and there is potential for a pressure area over the last  joint of my finger.  They really want to force the end joint back as far as it'll go, but I don't want to compromise the use of my hand any more than we have to.  They had wanted to put a splint on the front of the finger, but I talked them into letting me keep the ones I got at Urgent Care, that fit on the back. 

I've been working on the piece for the next exhibition, which has a deadline of June 30th.  It's almost finished, and not quite what I had envisioned.  It's probably quite fine, but I've just been too close to it for too long.

Today we are sure that we are in the "big melt".  The temperature has been up and down like a yo-yo lately, and I'm getting quite tired of taking the lining in and out of my parka.  I had planned to attend an event celebrating International Women's Day today, but it was quite a mob scene, and I didn't last long. They were set up in a relatively small area.  There were lots of refreshments, and several immigrant women in their national dress, demonstrating and teaching their traditional crafts ( and being well paid for it, I know).  A very worthwhile concept, from the viewpoint of awareness and acceptance by WASP women, a demonstration of  respect and interest in the crafts, and in getting these women out into the community, even to the point of generating income.  But a quiet spoken, gentle mannered woman will always have difficulty teaching a craft to a group of 16 other women 9and men) in a crowded, noisy room.  Especially when it is a very fine craft that must been demonstrated and seen for understanding.

The one craft that I actually tried to do, failing miserably, was a method of basket making, using the very fine dried, hair-like, roots of hemp.  While I was struggling with the terribly fine work, that need 3 hands to work, not 1 1/2, my mind was wondering why anyone would put themselves through the agony involved. But the more I thought about it, I came to realize that, for many of these women, survival has depended on making use of every single resource available to them. And finding or creating beauty while doing so is very important to their state of mind.

So, for today, I'm very grateful for the lifestyle I enjoy.  Recently, I read an article that said that people who are able to verbalize those things that make them happy or grateful are generally happier than others, and that training yourself to develop a habit of doing so, can elevate your mood.