Moody Monday: What am I thinking

 Several readers asked about the pieces I have the current community Art Gallery Show.  

The top piece is a sterling silver hollow construction.  It is a round box, about an inch tall, with a malachite oval bevel set on top. I started with a flat sheet of silver, and built it from there. 

The second piece is a large painting 30 by 40 inches, in colorful stripes. It was painted in 2020 in the dark days of lockdown. 

The third piece is a print of my favorite photo from last year, take mid-Atlantic last May. 

The last piece is metal inlay with cast silver features.  The body is brass and copper sheet, cut and inlaid. The head, shield and spear are lost wax silver castings.  

I should go back to doing metal work.  I really enjoyed it.  When you are in the middle of working on it, the rest of the world fades into the background.  

The weather has started to warm up a bit.  I have been out for a few nice long walks outside.  As much as I enjoy my treadmill time watching YouTube, walking outside allows me to get away in my mind. The think about what I want to think without reminders of the horrors going on around us.  I walked along the Potomac River along the north side of Alexandria, just down river from last month's airliner crash.  I couldn't stop myself from looking at the water, wondering what might be floating by. 

There is a call for the next art show, but I think I will pass on this one, among other things I will be unavailable when that show comes down, they want you to retrieve your art when the show ends. There I am thinking ahead. 

I have a couple of short articles to write before we leave in a little over a month for the next adventure.  What was I thinking when I said, yes I can do that? 

I am tackling things that need to be done that are within my control.  We filed for ETA permission to enter the United Kingdom, we need that for April. I filed on the App, Sweet Bear filed online. The application portal is still glitchy, for example, it won't process the credit card unless you enter the "state" and there is no designated line to enter the "State or Province.' Whoever wrote the code has never traveled outside of Britain.  Both of us were approved within a couple of minutes. I have done as much checking in for the cruise as I can. I am working on getting taxes done.  By the end of this week everything that needs to be done, should be done.  The got to do list, plus the current chaos have a low level anxiety simmering in my mind.  By tackling the things within my control, it becomes easier to live with the things I cannot control.  

Control what you can.  If you feel anxiety, you are not alone. Do what you can.  We will survive this. We must be here to rebuild when the dust settled and HWSNBN is a permanent resident on a golf course.