Tears and Welding

The tears dry slowly on my cheeks as I type. I have cried a lot in the past few days. There have been tears of overwhelming love, tears of loss, tears of leaving, and tears pulled from beautiful writing about the best of the human spirit in Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom. Right now the tears are drying to the song "If It's the Beaches" by the Avett Brothers--the latest sensory input that pulls emotion from me like water from a tap.

We are home from Montana, and I cried as I drove to the airport because I didn't want to go. But unlike previous times when I left Montana (for Atlanta), when I got home this time (to Austin) I was glad to be here. It's good to have two places you really love to be. I also cried at the wedding of my Uncle Ed and new Aunt Susan. I cried during Ed's speech when he mentioned all the people who knew him and Susan and who died before being able to celebrate their day with them. One of the people who missed the day was my mother. and how I wish she could have been there! I was living in Arizona for my uncle's first marriage, and my Mom came to stay with me for the wedding. I don't remember why, but I was late getting us on the road for the wedding and we missed the first of the ceremony. My mother was so mad that I made her mother miss (at least the beginning of) her brother's wedding!

But I didn't only cry for loss at the wedding, I cried for love. My heart was full to bursting, as we say, as I listened to their vows. They have been together longer than Dave and I have been married, and to see them formalize their commitment was so life and love affirming. Watching my adorable little cousin Charlotte the flower girl (the daughter of Ed's son Andrew and his wife Rachel) scamper around during the service provided a pivot point for my feelings of continuity in life and family and love.

But enough of tears. Tonight I started another class at the Contemporary--this time in wood and steel with Zaga my friend next door. Tonight's demo/hands on tool introduction included mig welding. Next week we learn welding, cutting, and hot-forming metal with an oxy-acetylene torch. I think I'm in love. My project for this class is a desk from one of the big blue pine slabs with tubular steel legs and maybe some other steel and glass details (floating shelving, back stop, etc.). The instructor is up for us learning and using a variety of big tools including a planer, jointer, and table saw for wood; a bender, miter chop saw, and the two varieties of welders for metal; and an angle grinder for both. It's going to be an interesting few weeks.

My music has morphed into Darius Rucker's (the original--he wrote it) version of Wagon Wheel. I love that song too so I'm going to add it to the post--two songs for the post of one! Take a listen--they're worth it.