Magic of One Kind and Another
I am no good at downtime. In my downtime, I do this.
They make me happy. They are little witch-gnomes. They are actually a deep purple felt with the lighter colors. I did a little each day last week.
I usually take my photos outdoors. But that's not possible with this ankle injury. No finding nice nooks under the trees when I am on crutches. Besides, I want to streamline photos for our crafts and Etsy listings for Forest Fairy Crafts. I want to post during winter when the weather gets erratic. So I researched light boxes and photography supplies. Nothing inspired me, so I investigated homemade photo studios.
And I thought of a crazy, simple solution. I found a bright spot with generous window-light. I pinned a large white paper with a binder clip to my quilter's measuring board. And, ta-da! A photo studio. I plan to tweak it a little more, but these were great first images. I feel so... Professional :)
I posted this gnome on Etsy. I will get the other two up soon. And I have a knitted gnome to add, too. Even when I'm resting, I'm busy.
The trouble is that I woke up with scary symptoms this morning. I have been relying on one crutch more and more so I can carry things. Which means that my poor left wrist and hand have been supporting a lot of weight. And this morning I woke up with my fingers curled. When I opened them, they resisted, then 'popped' straight. They didn't hurt, and it was my middle and ring finger mostly. The same thing happened when I bent them into a fist, tight, then a 'pop' into a curled position. Like the muscles weren't supporting the joints, or... I honestly don't know. I will investigate. I assume that my hand is overworked and stressed. The muscles are fatigued. It lasted a few curls, then returned to normal. Thank goodness!
I wore my wrist-brace for the rest of the day. Still dealing with numbness, but I am used to that.
Moments like this open that window in my fragile future. My skills are shaky at best, but the scary thing is they can go away. Just. Like. That.
CMT websites may talk about slow progression, but I suspect many of us have a moment where we saw ourselves crumble. Sometimes, we can pick up the pieces again. Other times, we learn new accommodations, find new tools. My life has changed so much in the past ten years. Twenty years. Change is constant.
On the sunshine-side, I am finding awesome new friendships thanks to CMT awareness month. Today I connected with Christine, an artist and CMTer who shares her stories on her blog. Hurrah!
I have an interview in my inbox that I can't wait to share. And Artist's World Magazine is out with my first published photo. More on that soon :)
I am thankful for this month. Thankful for the inspiration. For the ideas. For the connections. For our community. Thank you.
PS- quick Internet research found Trigger Finger. Lovely (not). And the treatment is rest. Any day now :). I hope they don't freeze up again on me tonight. Please.
