Where is love?

Do you remember the song Where is love? from the musical Oliver!? It's been running though my head a lot lately.

Although things have been fabulous on the beady front, there has been a lot of turmoil in my personal life. Someone very close to me has been having some physical problems, and, while we are very hopeful that all will be well in the end, it's been very stressful. This person means a lot to me; I know where love is. I do not want to lose him.

This song, that question, is stuck in my head because of the words of two other people who mean a lot to me; one of them told me recently that, although she may not show it, she does love me. And the other one told me that she doesn't have to do anything to prove her love; that everyone knows how she feels and that's enough. Showing, proving; what you may ask, do they have to do with love?

I've always felt that love is a verb, not just a feeling. Without showing it, without proving it, it gives nothing to the one who is loved; it only benefits the lover. I think of love as the ultimate gift; it gives joy to the lover and the loved. Show it. Prove it. Every hour of every day.

Don't wait.

Even by my standards . . .

. . . this one is fiddly.

A lot of interesting things are going into it, and I will be breaking them apart and making additional projects for patterns. This is my practice piece, my place to go crazy and do whatever I want, no matter how insane it is to stitch. It's all going in there, and it's just too much to reconstruct for one pattern.

But I'm certain that there are plenty of things in here that are worth revisiting. So that's what I'll do; when this one is finished, I'll make up some new necklaces and perhaps a bracelet or two with all that I've learned while making this one. We'll get there.

One fiddly bit at a time.

How fiddly is too fiddly?

If you're a seed beader, it's pretty much a given that you like small, detailed work. But how small is too small? How detailed is too detailed? When does it cross the line from fun to just too fiddly?

I have to watch that one, because my answer is pretty much never. I love little beads; although I need a magnifying glass to see quite a lot of the work I do, I use it gladly. I like to work small. I'm also a big fan of little details. The more detailed the better; I don't care if it takes me hours to do an inch; if the results are cool, I'm so there.

I mention this, because I've started a project today that is definitely on the fiddly side. It's not that it's difficult; it's just one of those things where attention must be paid, and each stitch demands to be settled in the correct orientation before going on to the next. But the results are just so cool, I have to do it.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to write up a pattern for it; I'd have to put some sort of disclaimer in the description if I did. Yes, it's just that fiddly.

But cool. Oh, yes, it's very, very cool.

Garden notes

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden lately; you may remember that when we moved into our house a year and a half ago, the back yard was nothing but a field.

A half-acre field.

We've been steadily working out from the house, and this month has been retaining wall month. Chances are, next month will also be retaining wall month . . . we've got several changes of levels in our yard, and my husband is intent on taming them. Yes, he's building the walls. My job is to clear land, and plant after the walls have gone up.

I'm a demon weeder; I rip them from the ground with great force and speed. No finesse whatsoever; but when you're clearing a field, delicacy is not what you need. Brute force is.

We've settled into a routine; we're out after breakfast and we work in the garden until it gets too hot. Then it's time for beading for me; after supper, if we're not worn out, we're back out there until the sun goes down. It's fun seeing the transformation; our wild lot is becoming civilized.

It's been an amazing week

First, of course, was seeing my project in Bead & Button. There's no way to top that, right?

Well, maybe it doesn't top it, but it comes awfully close: I passed the 1,000 sales mark in my Etsy store last night. A big thank you to all of you who have purchased my patterns; you have made me feel incredible! I never, ever thought that my work would be in the hands of so many of you; it is such an amazing feeling to think of so many different people making my designs. I really can't put it into words; it's the best feeling, ever.

And third: I remembered the name of an Elvis song that I heard about 30 years ago and fell in love with. I've been searching for it ever since, and wouldn't you know, I remembered the title a few minutes ago, googled it, and found it.

So that's where I'll leave you. If you like Elvis, go listen to my favorite song:

It was a night; what a night it was, it really was such a night . . .