AGING

This week I read an article in the paper.  I can't even remember what it was about, probably because midway through I received shocking information.  I am elderly...that's right, me, a person who still listens to country music, loves make up and clothes, has her hair highlighted, and thinks of herself as middle aged is ELDERLY.  I do remember that the article referred to an elderly 68 year old man who had been in an accident.  I am 68 and I have never, not once thought of myself as elderly, but obviously other people do.  I wonder what makes people decide when we are elderly?  Is it our age, or the way we look or dress?  What age group considers 68 year old people elderly?  Are they teenagers, thirty somethings?  I remember when I was young I thought my grandmothers were old and they were in their sixties, but they kind of acted old.  They dressed matronly, they were kind of serious, but their lives were a lot harder than mine is.
I'm not loving this getting older thing, but it is what it is. I try really hard to stay up with things...thanks to my kids who keep me technically informed.  I can accept the fact that I'm getting older, I'll be 70 in 2 years.......but journalists and everyone else, don't rub it in. Okay?  You can say I'm aging, you can say my age, just don't be calling me elderly. It  makes me kind of cranky.

LITTLE PROGRESS ON SOME THINGS

Well, I haven't started the quilt yet, even though my intentions were good.  I did, however, clean my studio.  Wow was that a job!  When you are a beadmaker there is just a certain amount of mess involved.  Little pieces of glass pop off the rods as you are heating them.  The kiln wash that you put on the mandrels to keep the glass from sticking to them seems to flake off everywhere.  Then there is the whole frit thing.  Frits are ground up pieces of glass that are about the size of coarse salt.  It is used to decorate the beads. Beads are often rolled in frit and then it is melted into the glass.  When you pour frit out into a small container to be used  on your workbench it seems to want to go everywhere.  It spills, it overflows, and never stays where you put it. Same with the enamels, which require careful use because they are a powdered form of glass, and very bad for the lungs.  You need to wear a respirator when working with enamels.  That makes you feel awkward in the first place,  Then the enamels tend to stay in clumps,. so when you pour them, they all decide to come out of the jar at once.
I will be the first to admit that I'm not a neat beadmaker, but I do clean off my workbench every night when I am done for the day.  However the stuff on the floor is left to accumulate...and it does.  So I spent a good 5 days cleaning everything up.  This included my jewelry making table where hundreds of seed beads waited to be returned to their original containers.  I nixed that idea and introduced them to the waste basket.  Sometimes I am just ruthless :).....maybe lazy would be a better term.   I did get some beads made this week and right now these beads are on ebay.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I'm on Prednisone again so I'm hoping to get all my dresser drawers and closets cleaned out this week!.......and a slew of beads made!