Some Days the Grass Doesn't Grow

Pacific Western Traders perched on a hill in Old Folsom

My raven or crow rosettes

Have mucked around with a couple of beading projects for about a month now. It seems when I got an idea pieced together I'd get something drastically wrong and would have to begin again.

As happens, I spent maybe three evenings trying to thread a needle. Yes, so help me, three days! Finally it dawned on me, 'uh... isn't this supposed to be the easy bit?'. Dawned on me the ten year old thread I used is too old and the multiple fibers of the strand were not holding together. Silly fibers refused to obediently funnel through the eye of the needle, and there were always a few strands darted to the side to keep everything - interesting.

Bighead Dancer & Maiden

Time for new thread! This afternoon I headed to my favorite supply store for beading thread and it really isn't a sewing shop at all, it's the Pacific Western Traders, which has all sorts of cultural materials for Native American Indian Arts, as well as books, fetishes, cedar and sagebrush for smudging. I headed over to Old Folsom, and was soon happily perusing the beading section in the rear of the store, chatting merrily with the sales lady. Then she did it. She dropped the bomb - Pacific Western Traders is closing inside of 30 days from now! I was gob smacked. NO! Where am I going to get my suede bits for sewing, new beading needles and the occasional wicked cool Native American artifact? There are other places to get suede, but let's face it - Tandy leathers is not the cultural experience I've come to expect & love.

Turns out the owner of Pacific Western Traders has passed on and his daughters aren't going to keep the shop going. I guess I'm selfish thinking only of myself, when those girls are having to find their paths on their own now. Life is that way sometimes.

I took longer than usual at the store this afternoon. Perusing the books and such which are all on sale and several of which are calling my name, but I'm not in the time of my life that I'm collecting possessions - not even the beautifully carved stone beaver or the small Inuit walrus carving with real walrus tusks. I'm sure someone will give them a home.

The colorful beads, needles and small looms at the back of the store

Books and lots of artwork always on display - but not for much longer