Trying To Get Organized Again

Here's a photo I took this afternoon. It's a succulent with a string of holiday lights tossed over it. I'm not sure why they're all in a heap to one side. Last night when I walked by that group of plants they were all nicely lit up with lights. But I guess the occupants of the studio have decided to take them off now that December Nights are over. Aside from this jumble of lights, everything was clean and tidy this morning when I arrived. Last night probably a thousand people passed through our patio, some lingering to look around. But today there was hardly anybody. It was more like a week day than a weekend.

I spent the day working on a necklace made with green and red garnets. But really, I'm not sure where the day went. I spent time talking to some of the artists, but I'm not sure I can account for all my time. It seemed I'd hardly been there for long when Andy, the glassblower in the next studio, said it was 3:00 p.m. We close at 4:00, so the day was nearly gone.

I admit that I have a tendency to dread December Nights because of the long hours that it means for those of us in studios and also for the folks who set up in the main patio. But I enjoyed talking to people last night, ones who came by to look and stopped to talk. One little boy told me about eating a chocolate covered worm. His mother confirmed that they had, in fact, eaten worms, that they were kind of crunchy. Other people talked about how long the lines were to buy food and to park their cars. Jon wound up driving part way here and then going back home and walking to the Village. He said it took him 50 minutes, but he thought it would take him longer if he waited to park. But despite the long lines, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I took three of my lamps outside from my studio to light my outside worktable. As a result, my studio looks like the jumble of Christmas lights on the succulent. I've got piles of electrical cords that I need to wind up and put away. And night before last when I came into my studio to get a bag for a bracelet, I knocked a box of beads on the floor. I need to clean those up tomorrow.

In fact, aside from doing Spanish Village business, tomorrow is going to be a clean up and get organized day. I feel embarrassed when my studio gets too messy, but various people have assured me that I shouldn't feel that way. My student said she thinks my studio is very nice and that the disheveled look adds to its charm. One of the other artists said she thinks people really enjoy seeing work in progress and studios with lots of tools and equipment sitting around. I suppose that's true. I certain enjoy her studio and it looks that way. But I do want to put away my own heaps of cords.