Stewart Creations

Sylvia, the artist-in-residence at the Curley School Art Colony, does a lot of metal work, and I commissioned her for some Day of the Dead dolls hangers that turned out so great!
She held seminars in welding and cutting torch, cutting up some huge bunch of bikes and getting a multi-hedron ball of triangles. It looks vaguely geodesic-dome. but completely round.
She has all the equipment, like any welding cable you might need. It’s just too hot right now for an outdoor workshop.

No Comments | In: Ajo, art gallery, crafts | | #

I got sunburned driving to and from Rocky Point the other day without AC. I have a nice nut-brown left shoulder and arm. If I’d gone to a sunless tanning booth I’s be a lot more even, but now what I need to concentrate on is to be the passenger on some long trip with the windows down.
No, I should pass on that one, it actually burns. My sweetie ordered some new stuff for the AC that will work in place of the stuff they don’t make any more.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

I have a couple of opportunities to make a wage coming up. The guy who bought the imitation-rock camera-hider wants another, that’s $50.00 more dollars in my pocket if I can keep interested in it; I’m bisque-firing a prototype soon. And a friend is moving across the state and wants to hire me to drive one of his rigs. We’ll see how that works, he’s got a lot of cars and I’ve got a lot of time.
At least nobody has commissioned me to build any metal buildings, but like I advised the rock guy, if they did, I would advise them to buy their shed online.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

Our little girl is married and has changed her name. It was such a beautiful wedding, I’ll post more pic soon. This one is the last dance, and lots of people are already gone.

The happy couple is honey-mooning in the Bahamas by now, after a couple of days in the Big Apple and a little cruise, I hope Sammie gets to the water feature on Paradise Island.
Dave is still building bikes to pay for it, he visits sites such as Tourmaster Transition scouring for parts, decals, advice. One more bike and he’ll be done paying for the wedding. It was a really nice party, though.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

It’s finally getting hot here, perfect weather to make you love your prescription sunglasses from GreatEyeglasses.com. This is the season that separates the desert rats from the snowbirds.
Well it’s not too bad in the shade, but Karen and I went to Rocky Point yesterday, yes we had fun.

We went to a Mexican grocery store and had a nice lunch on the beach at Gamma’s, if you know where that is, right next to the Plaza Las Glorias. They always feed me well.
But the point is, we did it all in a non-air-conditioned car. The Miata needs to be charged and the stuff it takes is no longer made, so Dave is figuring out a solution.
It was mighty hot by the time we got back home.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

We are lucky to have friends who love our dogs. Dogs aren’t hard, but they can tell if you love them, and our dogs treat Mike and Karen like family, which is why I feel so comfy leaving the house and dogs.
This is a freedom that we haven’t had in years, to get away.
I am going to shop for all the stuff you can’t get here, like wolverine boots, for one, but I also need other kinds of shoes, and I need buckets from Home Depot for ceramics. I should get a trip to the Asian market for sesame oil.
Lots to do, but Paris and I are going to hang out all day Friday while Dave does the rehearsal and such.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

We are getting geared up for Sammie’s wedding, making lists like mad, I think Dave should have a very good time, so I’m being real careful of my manners for him. I’ll be glad when it’s over, but to see Sammie settling into her own home is a beautiful thing. And she gets a kick-ass vacation, too.
She’s a very remarkable person, and has always been very firm in believing in herself and her decisions. I only ever saw her lose her self-confidence once, and there was good reason for that.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that Sammie knows what she wants, and I hope she always gets it, because what Sammie wants is only the good things, the honorable and decent parts of life.
You go, Girl!

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

NYTimes has an article that illustrates some of Mom’s symptoms. look here http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/health/a-rare-form-of-dementia-tests-a-vow-of-for-better-for-worse.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig to read the article.
My friend, Xtina, has a sister who exhibits a lot of this type of behavior, too. It’s really sad, but at least Winnie is calm. It’s an eerie, quiet, compliant, calm, but we take what we can get, and at least she seems happy.
I don’t know how we are going to get her to the eye doctor to rid her of the cataracts, but we will somehow.
We are going to do that right after the wedding.
We have a friend in Mexico, Chiao, an old friend of Mom’s who wants to come north for awhile and make some money. Or at least that’s what Beto and Winnie say. She would be the perfect solution, so Dave is going to take a trip down there and see if he can facilitate the crossing papers. I guess it takes a $100 in the bank in her name before the U.S. will let her in, and we can do that. The sooner the better, but that will wait until after the wedding, too.

No Comments | In: Ajo | | #

Mom and I called Aunt Elaine today and talked at least an hour between us. I sure love her! Funny thing, Mom thought it was Elaine’s birthday, but it’s in May, not April. We talked about dogs awhile, I told her how excited I was to be going on our maiden voyage in the 5th wheel for Sammie’s wedding, which, coincidentally, will be right around actual Elaine’s birthday. Of course we talked about dogs, and she told me of a place where there were kennels for sale in case we needed some for the trip. I told her we are probably only taking one or two dogs with us, if any, this time, so we’re covered, but it made me think, maybe we should start shopping for crates right now for the summer trip which will be for a month at a time… and with all the dogs.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, australian cattle dogs | | #

We went to Cheto’s El Cobre Feed Store for dog food today, and our neighbor, Joaquin, was there buying chicken feed (of course). We talked a little about poultry, and he said he’s got 2 broody hens and we offered to buy some of the hatchlings for Beto’s chicken set-up. First the chicken house must be built, but that’s no probelem for Dave and Beto, they can build anything.
Remember those turkeys that Mom and Beto rescued last year? The tom died, but the hen is laying eggs. I talked about how lucky he was, because turkey eggs are wonderful! He agreed, and a little later when we were all home again, he came over with these beauties! I know what I’m having for dinner!

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

The tail is all that has the red on so far, but he’s adding swooshes on the sides. This kind of paper shrinks when you wet it (?) or there is a special liquid to paint on that shrinks the paper, whatever, the paper gets to be drum-tight, for wind resistance, I gather.
A new hobby is as good as walmart careers for beating the old-age retirement blues. Of course a job brings in more money than a hobby, there is that to consider.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, crafts | | #

The model plane the my sweetie is building is getting the paper covering, look how beautiful! tonight he puts on the red paper decoration and then the thin black pinstripe.

it’s not that expensive of a hobby, so he still could afford to buy gold if he had a mind to, it wouldn’t hurt a thing.
He has all the parts, I think, there’s this cute little internal combustion engine for it. That cracks me up, guys and their gasoline engines!

Comments Off | In: Ajo, crafts | | #

Today I trimmed and painted the little cups I threw yesterday. I have thirteen as of this moment, but in ceramics you don’t count them until they are delivered.
I lost a couple in trimming and I know I am not going to be happy with at least a couple of these trimmed and painted painted ones, then they have to survive in the dried-mud stage until they get bisque fired. I hope to get four matching out of this bunch.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, ceramics, crafts | | #

I’m glad we got Beto in to see the dentist, I don’t think he’s ever been, but it’s evident that he needs lots of work. When he first got out of the hospital the doctor told him that if he gains 7 pounds he needs to come back in right away, so off we went looking for scales. He’s all set up now, and taking fish oil pills morning and night, it will help him remember Winnie’s fish oil pills at the same time, the daily pill box isn’t big enough for four fish pills.

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

I am getting itchy to go shopping with my friend, Christina, for new clothes for Sammie’s wedding. She hasn’t answered my email requesting some of her time and expert fashion advice. We always find the bargains! And I am not afraid to look through the clearance racks of maternity clothes, because I have that old lady body that just fits nicely in some of those clothes. There are some cute things on those racks, you just have to look.
We always go to breakfast first and then walk it off in the malls.

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

I must be getting used to the trip, it didn’t wear me out so much yesterday as before. We (Paris, Mike and I) had lunch at Mellow Mushroom Pizzeria, it was delicious. I am going back again this week sometime to shop for clothes so I don’t look like a hobo at Sammie’s wedding. I was looking for a wedding gift and found this; look at this for life insurance, which is a really good idea for a young couple starting out. Nothing says “I love you” like added security.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, back to school at my age, School | | #

It’s great to see the high school students organizing flamingo campaign lawn signs to raise funds for field trips to colleges in Arizona.
Something like this takes some of the apprehension out of choosing college for them. Many of these kids have only been to the city on day trips, and have never seen a college campus. It can be daunting for city kids to make the change from high school to college, for rural kids, it’s hard to imagine that any of them make the leap.
So rock on, Ajo High!

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

I have been putting personal experience to work learning sociology.
this teacher uses our own personal life to illustrate examples of sociology terms and theories. Here’s what I had to say about Ajo:
In my community there is no urban area, as I live in a very small town. The poverty I see here spans multiple generations and is rooted in the inability to move to another place because of tradition (American Indian Tribal lands, and Mexican extended familial ties spanning the border), and lack of educational opportunities among a large part of this population; these people will tell you that their people have always lived here and their ancestors are buried here, so they won’t move away to find work. Of course, that is all the more true now because there really isn’t much work anywhere else these days for the minimally educated.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, back to school at my age, School | | #

Today at the dog park I had a close call with Peanut. There were a lot of dogs there in addition to our five, Vinnie the Rottweiler, and Bart, another big pup, were playing and Peanut got in the middle, playing, too. Well, the first time he got stepped on he yipped and those two big pups set upon him like he was injured prey. I barely got him scooped up in time, and then the dogs’ owners had to keep them from jumping up to nip Peanut in my arms. What is it about dogs that make them do that ‘pack mentality’ thing? Well, they are animals, really, and we need to remember that. They aren’t natural wearing costumes or Women’s Hats, no matter how we dress them up. I haven’t decided if I will take him to the dog park again, he hates being left home, and it scares him to be left alone.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, australian cattle dogs | | #

I baked those pork ribs I’ve been saving, wishing my utilities weren’t so high. And then Dave barbequed pork ribs, using another source of energy, they were tasty, all right, but I like to look for energy alternatives where ever I can, like for instance connecticut energy, which is unavailable here in Ajo.
I invited Mom and Beto over. Actually, the ribs were the excuse, getting her over here was the main thing. We had a nice visit. I’m feeling tender for her these days, but she’s not a problem right now, I’m just enjoying her while it’s easy in these early stages. She has Beto and we just deal with it.
She called Aunt Nete, in Idaho, and talked a long time, I think she’s lonely, so I am going to get over there and help her call someone a couple of times a week.
Poor Mom, she’s kinda of losing it, at least it’s cute and she’s potty trained (thank heavens, or whatever superstition helps the most), at one point I looked out and saw her talking away with her hand up to her ear with her phone sitting open on the table. Beto and Dave asked her where was her phone, and she went to show them her empty hand. Luckily, Aunt Nete was still on the line. She looked confused, and it broke my heart, but she picked up the phone and went on, so it’s all good, I guess.

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

Somehow we missed planting time.Both Beto and Mom were not feeling well around February and March, and here it is April, and already too hot. I couldn’t get worked up about it when I thought of all the time we’ll be gone this summer. I have been thinking about a composter for what the chickens don’t eat. I like this set-up for a compost tumbler. Check it out.
I thought the chickens would eat the leftovers more thoroughly, or that they would eat the bugs the leftovers draw, at least, but I seem to have miscalculated.

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

The studio is going to feel so empty when everyone leaves. I talked to a guy this morning at the dog park who is leaving next week. He’s a golfer and was wearing a hat with golf ball logos on it, I asked. He loves the country club out here, but we both agreed that the Chinese place had the best and most consistent food in town.
The dogs were really playful this morning, and so was conversation. I’m glad we went.

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #

It didn’t bother me much when she couldn’t keep track of which pills she was taking and when, or even when she staunchly denied missing or doubling up in the face of evidence. That really didn’t bother me much, I forget things, too, and have my own pill organizer. No, what really got me was when she couldn’t remember the quilt I made for her a few years ago. Why did that bother me so much? I think because it was a special (and long) project.
It’s important for me to notice my feelings when it becomes about me more than about her. I thought of the quilt episode (she still doesn’t remember, even after I found it and put it on her bed) when she failed to recognize me at the clinic the other day, I thought it was good practice for what surely is to come.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, crafts | | #

I think I told you about the native clay melting on the kiln in the Curley School Ceramics Studio. I feel pretty responsible for that because I didn’t know native clay would do that. Evidently, it’s a low-fire clay. I could have guessed that because you only ever see it low-fired, but really, the subject never came up.
I feel bad about the decorative switch plate covers that one of the snowbirds had in there, they warped out of shape a little, probably from the excess heat caused by the native clay turning into lava. The best one, the one that stayed flat, had lava melted right on it. So sorry.

Comments Off | In: Ajo, ceramics | | #

It’s hot! The last two days have been uncomfortable. We don’t have a cooler hooked up, everything got torn down to make room for the fifth-wheel to pull through. We are waiting on the electrician to wire the house for the AC unit, and at that time My Dear will hook up the swamp cooler and the AC together.
I’m pretty excited about the wiring because I will (hopefully) get the 220 outlet I need for the kiln. Then the swamp and the AC unit will out of the back porch and my studio will be in!

Comments Off | In: Ajo | | #