a diversion

  

 I saw something similar to this on Facebook. I see a lot of clever and artsy things on there, people can be so creative. Apparently, there wasn't enough room in my personality for that quality or playing a musical instrument. Can't sing or dance either but that doesn't stop me from trying. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I decided to imitate what I had seen. All I needed was a few rocks or stones. So, I took a drive around town to locate some. Found a big pile in the new construction site and figured they wouldn't miss them.

 Earlier this year I had made a model of the fireplace that was in my childhood home. The base of that model is an actual brick from that fireplace. I used a tea candle for the fire and had chiseled the brick away to make a spot for that. This time however it was stone. Not being a geologist, I have no idea what kind of stone it really is. It's a gray stone and really hard. I tried chipping at it with a hammer like they made the pyramids but wasn't making a lot of progress. I reached for my rotary tool! I did have a diamond cut off wheel and found it cut into the stone quite well. It had been used and so wore out rather quickly. No problem, this is the 21st century in America, we have Amazon! I placed my order for a complete set of diamond rotary cutters. Arriving the next day, they worked faster than those slaves in Egypt. I was able to carve out a place for the tea candle to rest securely. Selecting a couple of smaller stones all I had to do was put those faces on them. I'm not very artistic but I managed that. 

 Had a Facebook friend named Tim Reilly. My mom used to work for his mom many years ago and that was our connection, along with growing up in the same town. He being a bit older than myself we were never in person friends; you know six years is a big difference when you are in school. But anyway, he told me he was a stone mason. I have seen a few photographs of his work, and it was impressive. Saw a few other projects he had made, and it was obvious he had more artistic talents than I. I thought of him as I ground away at that stone. I wonder how he would have accomplished that task. 

 I can take no credit for thinking any of that up. As I said, saw it on Facebook. I certainly don't think of myself as any sort of artist. I see a good number of folks making such claims these days after taking a few classes or going to a seminar. In a general sense we call it crafting when an amateur imitates what a professional may be doing. Some folks think of themselves as professional hobbyists. All art is subjective. The proof of that hangs on the walls of museums around the world. A good deal of that I wouldn't hang in my garage, but that's my taste. I don't think any of what I do as crafting, a hobby or anything else. It is just a distraction to me, something to occupy my time. That is what all of that started out to be in my opinion. It only became professional when others were willing to pay you for that. It is great when you can get paid for doing what you love. I haven't been that lucky. 

 I made those little stones by a fire with my granddaughter in mind. I thought she might get a laugh out of that. I like it so much I just might keep it for myself. There are a few other things around that I have made over the years for amusement or for a practical purpose. There is a little step stool that is at least twenty-five years old now. It's a sort of fixture in the house. And that was also in my mind as I made that stone project. I'm thinking that perhaps it will find its' way on a shelf or in a small corner somewhere in the kids or grandkids homes. A little knick-knack, a conversation starter. I like the thought of that. If I can't overwhelm you with quality, maybe quantity will work. No plans to make more of them, to go professional and attempt to sell them, nothing like that. It was an interesting diversion. Just something about working with your hands. I do use power tools though, let's not get carried away.