Back at work with a new workspace

The $10 desk.

At left, you see the humble beginning of the jewelry maker's workspace.  Desk drawers contain the jeweler's tools. Any craftsman can see that this is inadequate. It is already serving as the computer desk and entertainment center (for watching Hulu movies on the laptop with the $5 flea market speakers).

Incidentally, we highly recommend two free Hulu movies,  THE RULING CLASS (1976, Peter O'Toole, strange spoof of religion, the British ruling class, and paranoid schizophrenia) and WHITE PALACE (1990, James Spader & Susan Sarandon, a look at love between an economically privileged younger man and a lower class older woman.  Tremendous acting in both, we think.

The Old Man is back.

We are excited that we have gotten a space at the upcoming St. David's Monastery arts & crafts festival.  Last weekend, Cougina began to get ramped up for jewelry making.  As we drove around the block, headed for Home Depot, we discovered a discarded waterbed frame.  Solid aged hardwood from the waterbed, a 1x2 from Home Depot, and Abraham's saw were all Cougina needed to build the worktop you see above left.

Cougina, never known for moderation, has been busy, building eight pieces of jewelry in the last two days.

Nice and tidy.

He added the finishing (at least for now) touch to this work area today, when he drilled the hardwood 2x4 to make a tool rack.  Evidence of his anal-retentive streak (his words, not mine).

A really pleasant bit was when he announced that he was going outside to drill the wood.  (When he built the work surface last week, he did not look happy at all when I asked him to go outside to saw the wood in order to keep my new rug clean.) But don't you dare suggest that I am implying that he is trainable.

Cougina thinks that you are entertained by these little peaks into our existence.  I think it's awfully mundane, but hope you enjoy...

Jewelry photos here http://theoldmansjewels.blogspot.com/
Serious hermetic blog here http://covinahermiticia.ning.com/

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
AGGIE & COUGINA

For Cougina's Admirers Only

Ernest Hemingway

Cougina

Alphonse Louis Constant

I have wanted to put up this photo spread ever since one of our regular booth visitors pointed out similarities.
Blessed be,
Aggie

The Winter Garden

Our first garden box (tomato, lettuce, herbs).

The new winter garden, to be covered soon.

What is a home without a garden? Not complete, we think.  One of our first additions was the box in front of the house, shown at left.  Our landlords gave us this box, and we immediately filled it with a big tomato plant from Home Depot that already had two green tomatoes.  It was touch and go for awhile, but everything survived transplant, and the tomato plant has one more tomato and more blossoms have come and set... Not enough, however.  Cougina began planning his winter greenhouse.  Once again, our landlords presented us with a gift, the frame that a previous dweller had used for growing.  We piled up rocks lying in the yard against the sides for insulation, and will add plastic covering soon.  This one has tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers.

Cougina & Abraham

Aggie & Socorro

Here are our landlords, Abraham & Socorro, who we obviously like very much.  How often have you seen a photograph of Cougina with a smile on his face? It's almost impossible not to smile when Abraham is around, with his continual sense of humor.  Socorro has volunteered to teach Aggie Spanish, and has given her a page of homework.

THINK GREEN
BLESSED BE
AGGIE & COUGINA