Well, it seems this week is almost a complete wash, writing-wise. Yesterday, I had oral surgery for an abscessed tooth. The tooth had been crowned about four or five years ago, but it still had a large cavity above the root of the tooth in my jaw. As a child, I’d fallen on the edge of a concrete slab and actually bit a large chunk out of it. One of my front teeth had been pushed clear back up into my gums, there by creating  a cavity. Anyway, the tissue in the cavity was badly infected and they had to drill through my top jaw to get to it and remove all the infected tissue.

Surgery went well and I was sent home with instructions not to lift my lip up to look at the surgery spot; not to brush my teeth and not to smile. It’s the last one that’s been the hardest. Dh went further: he took yesterday and today off to take care of me and to make sure I didn’t try to do any work.

I’ve been good–this post is the only writing I’ve done in the last couple of days. Instead, I’ve been working at what I hope to make a second job at some point: making chain maille jewelry. The pictures to the right are of a bracelet I got to finish yesterday. The design is from the book Chain Maille Jewelry Workshop, by Karen Karon. The clasp is all my own design. I didn’t like the giant lobster claw clasp the book’s model uses. I don’t really like the lobster claw-type clasps in general, particularly for bracelets, which you’re having to close with one hand. I tried making an “S” clasp, but that seemed too big or too fine and delicate, depending on the gauge of wire. So, while playing around with 16 gauge wire, I realized that  I could use just one half of the “S” on one end, then a large jump ring on the other side.

This is just my first  piece, I’m still gripping the pliers too tightly, so I’m leaving some marks on the rings, but it’s a start. The right-hand photo is pretty true to color. It’s a shiny copper. I’m hoping that when my rock tumbler gets here, I can polish it enough to get rid of most of the marks. Right now, I’m still in the learning stages, but I’m trying to find my own “voice” in jewelry, as well as writing. Once  I do, I’m hoping to sell my work through galleries.

I’m finding the two “careers” complement each other greatly. When I’m letting the subconscious work on a writing idea, or when I get writer’s block,  I have something else I can turn to until inspiration strikes.

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