Grades

4.0
I sat in my chair gazing intently at the computer for probably an hour or more. Soaking it all in.
4.0 GPA
All A's up there on there on the screen, all A's.
Wow. Not bad for a drop out failure in life.
The last 12 years have been hard. Dan and I fight a lot, and we are always struggling for money and  I am no business woman. Trying to work with my husband has been hard, and fraught with stress. Quarreling doesn't describe the full on scream fests of hate we directed at one another. I found myself dreading the shop, dreading the work. Our marriage has suffered because of it, all the arguing has aged me, crushed my heart, and hurt Dan too. We are still together, still partners, but I wish we could have NOT worked together. Two strong personalities who both have to win at all costs will never pull a plow together effectively..He is a good man, and I am grateful for his new career, because he deserves to be there, being appreciated for his skills and his talents as a historian and archaeologist. For the the first time in 12 years he is happy. I am grateful I can go to school full time, he won't let me take a job, but that will have to change, we need the extra money. He looks forward to work every day, and I thank the gods for his good fortune.

Little old Me? Being in college brings me more satisfaction than any handrail ever did; no amount of praise for my metalwork skills (awesome thought they be) is one ounce as fulfilling as seeing that GPA up on the computer screen: 4.0 I did that!! I did it!!! Me, the drop out, the one who couldn't finish high school, who could never get a good job, who always felt "stupid". ME! I am able to meet deadlines, I am able to study and write essays that earn a perfect score. Whoo hoooooo!!!!
I just want to go and scream it from the highest tower, look at me I did it.
This one is for you Gram, I put my mind to it, and I did it.Just like you said.

School

School has me in it's clutches, which is good.  I realize I am just not a devoted blogger.  The bummer is that all the interesting folks who's blogs I read don't read mine.  I admit to being jealous of people who have amazing lives, and that mine is duller than old milk paint on a fence. oh well, I m off to get my degree, forge a little, and lead my  life. Bye!

More railing..

The flowers have 6 steps in the process to becoming "done".

Stacks of flowers....Bunches of branches,leaves galore...
This project is eating me alive! Branches, vines, leaves, all of it has to be looked at and place in an aesthetically pleasing way..I can't just weld it on, it has to look right, and fill gaps.
I truly do not want a job this big again. Not with my back anymore, I can't do this work fast enough for clients..

Balcony Railing

Here Iam cutting out 200 leaves from 1x1 angle iron...this took one day. 8am until 5pmish..With breaks for tea, pee and stretching my back.
Nice boots huh?

Here is what they look like "raw", after they were cut out I took 4 hours to grind them clean of slag. Iam currently having a coffee break from forging/shaping them.They will then need to be welded to their pre-forged branches, and put onto this=
Yes, that IS Aragorn and Arwen..watching over the process..the balcony does look like it's for Rivendel...it's not, just a nice house where its headed.


It's honkin huge.

There is a deadline looming that I won't meet, and Iam dreading the fallout. It will be gorgeous, but once again many things conspired to delay this project..Most of which are my fault, either my back pain or chronic depression, inability to use time wisely, ADHD, family shit, or all in combination..More later when it's done. Coffee break over..

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Going to College in the Fall...

Most of you know I love archaeology and Viking age history. I am self taught in this area, and indeed spend too much time researching, reading and fretting over pre-Christian rituals, burials, and finds. Not just the Viking Age, but right on back to the paleo days. But this amateur flirting with archaeology isn't enough anymore, and I if I don't start my academic journey I shall burst. So off to college I go..Sure I'll be 50something when I get my masters, but who cares? I have to do this. I have enrolled in the local commnity college to get my pre req's out of the way, on the cheap. Then it's off to a four year. I don't know where this will lead me, but Iam excited about the adventure...


The Dragon Gates At Grieg Lodge

Road Trip

This year we took a road trip out to my Moms house, it's located in Nebraska, in the middle of the prairie. She and my Dad retired there, to his hometown, and built a cute house, yes, it is a little house on the prairie. The above pic is not their home, that's me standing in front of our cute little cabin in Jackson, Wyoming, as the snow started to fall. We split shortly after this, and headed out on the snowy road. The Snowy, blowy, icy, dangerous Hwy26. Oh, not long after we left the huge blizzard hit ...
Here it is, the road of certain doom. What you can't feel are the 60 mile an hour wind gusts, the -10 temps, or my heart pounding like a drum every time a semi truck drove past us and everything went white. A complete snowy wall of white, it blocked out everything. You couldn't see ahead of you, or if you were about to collide with another vehicle. It was madness. Dan deserves a medal of honor for driving us in it. It got so bad we had to stop hours short of our goal that day, it took 8hours to drive from Jackson to Casper . Usually we could have made it all the way to my parents. Noway this day. Semi trucks were jackknifing, people were in ditches. The roads in central Wyoming became near impassible, and they did close some sections down. Oh Ma, I hope you know how much I love you! So we hid in our hotel room, listening to the storm outside.
The next morning saw it 15 degrees, sunny, and the highway was a sheet of compacted snow. It looked like the Arctic, and I expected a parka clad Sir David Attenborough to step into view and narrate to us about the glorious winter landscape. It was gorgeous, but honestly, I was too worried that we would lose control of the truck to care about the scenery much..
While the storm was over, road conditions continued to be dangerous, so we took it slow. 40 on a road that usually calls for 75mph.Eventually we made it to the Nebraska border, where the storm seemed to have stopped. Nebraska's roads were dry, bare pavement, and the temps climed into the 40's. We were both relieved, Dan drove like heck to get us to Moms by nightfall...another 300 miles away...We made it that night at 8pm..road weary, and needing needing. It was wonderful to be with Mom, she was worried sick.



We arrived safe and sound, and the next day, Dan played bagpipes for Mom. It had an interesting effect on the neighbors herd of Angus.... Here they come!

They were on the other side of the pasture when the first notes from the pipes filled the air. Then they began to call back, mooing gently, heads raised in curiosity, when suddenly they all came a running! The bulls, the cows, calves, all of them. Dan played on. when they reached the fence line they stopped. Fell silent and listened to the pipes. It was as if they were enchanted.This went on for the 20 mins Dan played, then after he finished they all stood. Blinking. Waiting for either food, or more music. Eventually the lead cow wandered away, grazing. She was followed by the rest. Some of them would raise their heads and look back at the house hopefully...