Patience, grasshopper

I have been practicing being patient for 50 years now.

I have seen some improvement.

One of my friends has the most amazing pineapple "plantation" in her front yard, harvesting 12-15 fruits every season, and I've been emulating her...for years!

Glory!!!

Baby pineapples galore!  FOUR, to be exact!

Only 4 more months before they ripen...

Patience, grasshopper.

I bought a new toy that also requires patience...

on many levels.

This ominous looking machine is a lapidary slab saw with a big diamond-edged blade inside.

I bought it, used, from the owners of Hogg Mine and while I was initially intimidated, it's actually relatively quiet and non-threatening.  They told me that the diamond blade won't cut your skin but will go right through your fingernail.  

No intention to test that theory.

Here's what I can do with this saw:

This is a very thin slice of a chunk of fossilized coral that I found in a local river.

Amazing, I know.

I am determined to earn back the cost of the saw through selling coral in some way, shape, or form.

I was a vendor at a tiny fossil show last weekend (shared a table so my cost was $0) and I'm proud to say I sold $11 worth of coral slices.

Hello, big money!!!

...patience, grasshopper...

I had the usual SolOpsArt fare for sale...

...and was happy to bag up a few of those, too.

My pineapple guru is also a master at reducing her impact on the planet

and she gave me a set of these cotton produce bags. They are light enough that they won't affect the weight of your goods and they are reusable, of course.

I felt like the coolest shopper in the store that day.

But I can't totally give up on plastic grocery bags.

I line my small trash cans with them and they have many creative applications when I'm in a pinch.

Witness impromptu scupper plugs for my kayak.

Those are my paddling gloves, tightly folded, and water-proofed with plastic shopping bags.

I loaded my yak waaaaay too heavy so it was either jettison cargo or get creative.

Ka-ching!

I know you're wondering...

...and yes, the pigeon peas are doing great!

Here's hoping for 4 more years of culinary bliss with this one shrub.

I've been patiently ignoring

 the crazed bougainvillea in my yard

but it was finally time to tame it or lose an eye trying to get around it.

They are beautiful, but why so mean?

The branches remind me of the sleeves of a calypso costume.

No?  Well, I guess you had to be there.

No flower will be forgotten!

I did it!  I finally devised a little arrangement out of cactus flowers. 

Bright as a calypso shirt!

And for a split second, I thought this looked fun:

and then the doubts crept in.

The more I studied it, the more it looked like a minor form of well-heeled torture.

FIVE people?! Such a small space for so many useless flower arrangements.  Much more practical to use that space for wine but...what about bathroom breaks?  I guess they're supposed to punt to the bank with that stick of bamboo.

I'll be meditating on this mess for days.

Have a great week!