I Can Work With This

One of the previous owners - most probably the same one who brought in dump truck loads of rock - hid a whole bunch of broken concrete behind the fence at the bottom of the yard. People walking along the trails could see it but no one from the house. It was ugly....

... especially with the tarps underneath and the weeds in-between. Now that I've taken down the fence and am not replacing it, I wanted to clean up that area only there is no way I'm hauling away loads of concrete so instead I am using it to support the small wall I put up at the back of the yard (for raising the dirt level when I dig out under the patio) and to support other, more decorative, rocks for show.

 

I've only completed this one section so far. Walking from right to left across the back and coming up the path, you'd see the image on the left and walking from left to right, you'd pass the tree and then see the image on the right. In that picture, you can also see the small wall, the fence line in that image, and the first row of concrete slabs that I've already placed.

One of the neighbours walks along this path every morning and on Saturday, we were discussing what I was doing and how at one time I'd have looked at the broken concrete and seen junk. Now I think to myself, I can work with this.

I didn't have that ability before. It has come directly from problem solving in my studio for so many years and from responding to my favourite questions of how can I and what if. I love how it has transferred to all areas of life. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd bought some dishcloths when in reality I had bought tea towels.

 

Since they had the waffle weave of the dishcloths I like, I cut each towel in half and serged in one go around with a square start and stop and three curved corners. Now I have twelve dishcloths. I didn't bother taking the towels back and trying to replace them as I would have done years ago since I already knew the store didn't have anything else. Instead, I thought, I can work with this.

What have you learned in your studio that has transferred to other areas of your life?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - fresh dishcloths