Category: Random thoughts

Stephen came down Wednesday night and we had folks over for dinner on Thursday  and Friday. Oddly enough, we only ended up having dinner with half of each of the couples we had over. Chelle without Rick, then Walt without Robin. Still a good time. 

Saturday after Stephen left, I headed to Paddy’s for BBQ and  fireworks with his gang.

Fun stuff.

I’m tired. The good kind. The kind where you turn the lights out, fall asleep immediately and stay asleep as late as you want.  I know the weekend isn’t quite over, but it is for me. I am going to hang out at home and sweat or something on Sunday. Read. Watch movies. Talk on the phone. 

Sleep late. Very late. 

This week in jewelry class, we learned how to make jump rings and turn them into chains.  I won’t say how cool I thought that was, because you might think I am a nerd. 
Here is how it works. 

You take a dowel that is the size of the ring you need for your chain links and wrap wire around it until you have approximately as many loops as you need jump rings. 

  

This turns into a big metal spring. You slide it off the dowel, and saw the rings off the coil one by one. If you are lucky, you will manage it without sawing into your fingers.  If you are very lucky, they fall into a catch drawer. Often, they fall on the floor and you crawl around looking for them:

 

Once you have a pile of rings, you start connecting them together and then close all the loops with flat nosed pliers:

     

Then you make a clasp and you end up with a wearable chain!

  

It’s sort of like magic, only with saws, pliers, files and hammers instead of wands and incantations. 

I also learned that the nickname for the Byzantine chain pattern is Idiot’s Delight. I believe it is called that because you’d have to be an idiot to try to make that many jump rings in one night.  Or because attempting it results in idiocy. 

Or both. 

..when you are grateful, you are happy.
–Thich Nhat Hanh

Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.
–A.A. Milne/Winnie-the-Pooh

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