On air!

Today, I bid in my first real life auction. I've never even bought something on e-bay, let alone in a real life auction with the auctioneer rambling on 500 beats per minute.

This auction has a story. It starts with an ad received for an auction to be held for the school system and an interview. I was interviewing with the principal and he mentioned how the school used to own quite a few looms but had been in storage for decades and were now to be purged in the pending sale. After conformation through my sources, I knew they would be at the sale.

Today was the day.

I could hardly sleep last night. And I woke up super early this morning. Sleeping is one of my fortes so not be able to do so is quite strange.

When we finally finished the days work, it was off to the auction. My boss, the younger, briefing me on all the tips and rules of the trade when going to battle at the auction block.

We approached to sorry rows of rejected materials. Ripped out sinks, rusty weight equipment, counter tops, overly padded office chairs, things that feel quite familiar and were possibly part of my elementary education.

And I saw it. I knew it was love. One beautiful dark wood four harness floor loom. Just perfect. I drooled. My heart started to pound a little.

We got the number. 124.

To our shock the auctioneer declared that loom row would be first. Good golly. I was told to be right up front - maintain eye contact with the auctioneer.

Some frame looms came up. Sold to us. Okay, that was just the warm-up. Next the big one.

Golly.

It was a blurr. Only one other bidder. SOLD! $45.00

And then we picked up a table top loom for the fun.

I thought my heart would pump out of my chest.

With the help of a kind man, who so graciously volunteered his truck when he saw that the loom was going to be quite a pickle to get into the Boss's jeep, all the looms came home with us. Plus, I got to chat with him a bit. His daughter and I were schoolmates and I quite remember how he and his wife shared their experience of adopting said classmate from Korea.

Now there is a pile of looms just waiting for me to put them all together and wipe away the layer of dust.

What a good day!

Oh, What A Sunny Sunday.

A weekend back, dear Kendall was in town to visit. She stayed for three nights. It was quite wonderful. On Sunday, we took the day to drive up to visit at Cranbrook. The grounds were completely wonderful. It would have been quite lovely to camp on the small island on the edge of the pond - but we were not prepared. But neither of us are "campers" so we continued on our walk. We drove home with only the aid of the atlas as the sun was setting over the hills, farms, and small towns of Michigan. What a great day.

Sense of Place.

In high school I had an alarm clock that would wake me up to a CD. For the longest time the CD I had in it was the All-American Rejects. Every morning the first thing I heard was "please just don't play with me, my paper heart will bleed."

This evening my music shuffle hit that song as I'm sitting here in my little living room above the garage. And, I remember all those mornings...

I would wake up and get dressed to this music. It is connected to a sense of place. A sense of place that I have had a rocky relationship with for the past four years. I grasped it for about three days in France (then we left). It was a fleeting moment with my wonderful friends senior year. Now I am sitting on my couch with Stella by my side. This is my place.

The other day, boss the elder asked when I would be leaving - the first of the year? he inquired. I looked at him and stated I had no such plans. He doesn't see what this place would have to offer me.

Sense of place is a constantly shifting idea. It changes as we change. Right now, my sense of place is completed when I'm sitting in the living room with my family - my youngest brother resting on me and has just fallen asleep, Lewis cracking a joke and Dad laughing uproariously. That is my place. It's the car rides home from Nappanee with the high school two and the impromptu dance parties in the living room before their guests arrive.

I feel it in the fields. They are so different everyday. It is as if these back-roads and I were destined to be together for a very long time.

So ready.

I've got everything ready. I feel like I have been stock-piling and collecting for the past four month in preparation for making. Now I'm ready. The weather is just getting about right and I feel ready to stretch my creative muscles.

Now all I need to compose are a few extra hours in the day.

Quick, Quickly.

Yesterday, I started in on a new little side job. I'm the assistant someone-er-other for the high school's drama department. Which means, I guess, I am in charge of making sure the sets get done and look really good. There is the director, and the assistant director, and the student director, and the shop class builds them. The students paint them - I guess I'm just the back-up, detail brains. The overall is there, I implement.

So far, it has been fun and interesting. I've been going to the rehearsals and watching. Tonight I did some sketching of the part that is finished and browsed through the books I have/could find to reference the time period. The play is Arsenic and Old Lace.

I would have to say, though I do enjoy the chance to flex my sketch and research skills, the best part about it is getting to spend a few hours with my youngest two brothers. The car rides home are my favorite.

The day surely does go quickly with this new bit of time taken up. The play opens in two weeks. Not much time.

Hungry?

Lately, I have been looking at the various classes/programs/degrees that the local universities have to offer. I would like to obtain my Masters degree at some point...though I have resolved to wait at least one year in contemplation for as to what I will study. I don't know. I've started making a list of things I want to know/learn.

On some levels I have a great desire for a more formal educational experience. I do know that math and science I have little interest in studying - so I would rather not have that formal of an experience.

My quest for knowledge is not quelled. Some things I would like to know are completely impractical. Like Latin. I would like to learn Latin, and Russian, and a healthier grasp on French. And possibly Japanese and perhaps another language. Oh, Hebrew. Dad said that is fun language.

Plus, there are all these other processes in the art world, the creative realm, I would like to have as a skill. Printmaking. I want to know more on that subject. I would also like to study more in Art History. And History in general. I want to be able to weave better and to sew properly. As well as shear sheep.

I guess when it boils down to it these are all things I need to pursue in life. Retaining the quest for knowledge is part of life. I've been taught that through my the people around me. That is important to remember.

I don't want my mind to soften.

SUNNY SATURDAYS.

Though it is bitterly cold outside, it was quite wonderful to have the sun shine today after a week of cold rain.

I painted/stained the tee-pee in the new town park this morning. This week was the big build and now it is all finished. I can't wait to play on it. Seriously.

After finishing up with that I loaded Zachary, Mom, Myself and Josiah (yay he is home on fall break until Tuesday) into my car. We headed to Goshen. Picked up some stuff at Maple City Market and headed over to the Salvation Army store. It turned out to be dollar clothing day. The best ever. I absolutely love thrift shopping with my family. Mom is the best at finding neat stuff and the brothers will go for the most ridiculous suggestions and implement them into daily wardrobe. Found some fun stuff and much needed winter items. I quickly realized that I lack lounging clothing. I don't wear sweats...ever. But now that it is cold here I have come to realize that is necessary sleepwear. So I've got my customary pair and a couple of big read Indiana sweatshirts (sans hood).

Getting more ready for winter.