is it August already?

Yipes. Time flies.
This summer has not yielded all the fruits I had hoped for. I have to face that, seeing as I’m back in classes as of this coming Tuesday, I will not accomplish all my summer goals. Since the boat had its maiden voyage, all successful work has ceased around the yard, the plans for a full year at work (to lessen my work load come the fall term) and idle projects I intended to do just for me, have all come to a screeching halt. But the boat trips have been plentiful and relished with blissful bobbing in and about the lake. A trip to the library began a new adventure with new books I hope to find time to get through, and life changes are bringing new people in and old people out of my life at such a rate, I can hardly breathe some days. Time is flying.
I have been keeping to my regular reading list of blogs, leisurely perusing my favorites. This one, I am delighted to report has the most delightful BBQ recipes most days! And I mostly find it amusing to note because, although I grew up the daughter of teachers, and work with teachers in my regular job, I sometimes forget that they are people too. Sometimes the blogs I enjoy through Edu-sources are so jam packed with great EDUCATION advice, commentaries, links…I forget that they are written by PEOPLE. So I’ve enjoyed the BBQ recipes.  Like a stalker, I fish through all my feeds and came across this one posted by past-prof, Alec. Tragically beautiful.  The Moss-Free Stone offered this post this week. I am so grateful for the link to the Audio book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. After downloading it, I blast it in my yard while I paint my fence. My neighbours think I’m a nut bar already, so it came as a surprise to find a number of them suddenly out about in their own yards. I paused the book for a mad dash to the mail box one morning and when I returned, my one neighbour asked if I could start it over from the 3rd chapter. Sheesh.  I have been using up scraps of material and excess amounts of flax to make these darling things I found on the Spool sewing blog. I can’t even get one completely made before my cats are stealing and carrying them to parts unknown. I will find them (I hope) before fall, when mice find their flaxy-content. Don’t know what I’ll use them for yet, but visions of the first day of class in a sparkling new classroom came to mind. My mother always had a nifty “welcome” to her classroom each year - “Mrs. D’s grade 3 Smartees” one year, her future students’ names plastered to enormous smartee boxes and greeting them at the door to their new room … or “Mrs. D’s grade 2 shining stars!” and gold spackled shimmering stars gracing the door and ushering new students into a new year of learning. “Mrs. D’s grade 4 little angels”, lovingly created toole-angels holding the names of future students proudly in a cotton ball heaven affixed to the hallway bulletin board…That’s what I think of when I make these little birdies…my first classroom.  “Ms. D’s ‘tweet new students…” or something equally as hokey. We’ll see. That’s so far away…
I think today is a painting day. Provided the weather stays decent, I have a dog house roof to stain and some screen frames to second coat. Once the neighbourhood wakes, I may even take up the Dremil again and get more done on my horse. Check out this sweet project in the making:

1. My horse, in all it’s festive gold-tinted glory. Gifted to me by an avid garage-saler, he thought I could, and I quote, “do something with it”. He got it for a nickel, but it came in 22 pieces. Once reassembled, it is in pretty bad shape, but it’s a diamond in the rough.

2. Detail of the painstakingly awful layers of grief this mahogany jewel is coated in. Underneath the paint job is a thick and goopy layer of plaster, beneath the plaster, stain, beneath the stain, such beautiful soft wood, you can’t even imagine! Look at the crazy red-eye and gold leafing…ugh, I suppose in another lifetime, this horse was a magnificent piece.

3. Using a commercial stripper to remove the first 3 layers of gunk. Too toxic to do it for too long. It can’t penetrate the stain. An antique-restorer friend suggests a brand that costs more than my Jimmy. I can’t remortgage the house for a hobby horse. I will ask around for more advice.

4. 3rd coat of stripper, and note the horse’s bangs. Awful. Those will be the first to go. Gaw.

5. Gold peeled off the Bridle parts by the ear and took the other 3 layers with it, exposed the raw wood, and made me go - hmmmmm - maybe this horse could be free from all bindings? The crazy saddle and frills would disappear as well.

6. Anxious to be on with it, a little bit wild with my wood carving implements. I sat back after 2 hours of solid chipping away and noticed my butchery. I will be more careful with this treasure from now on. Oh yah, and I decided the etched mane would disappear too.

7. My brother from BC was remarking on my progress and asked what I was using. Elbow grease and sharp things, I replied. He pointed to my Dremil - hello? Oh my, what a difference electric tools make!! The head nears completion, the rest is coming.

8. Detail of the mouth - after sanding down, they will get finer detail. They once had actual “teeth grooves” I’d like to bring back. They will come. The mouth was just CAKED in disgusting layer after layer of plaster-paint-stain concoction. So I’m grateful to see wood again.

So there’s the rest of my August, hopefully. At LEAST 2 more weeks before it sees sand paper, at any rate.
Beyond that, I am still working out some retreats here for the high school I work with. Has anyone done anything interesting with HANDS - a unit, a reflection, a science lesson??? I am creating a “Service” retreat for grade 10 students and want the focus to be hands…but I’m struggling. Anything?
Till next time,

Je Pense.