time keeps on slippin'...

This summer is flying by...I just don't know where time goes anymore.  One of my customers said, 'it's called 'getting old'!'  Damn!  I think he may have been right.

But, no matter, we have to keep on moving and doing what we're doing, right?

As I mentioned some time ago, a friend of mine has been going through some chemo treatments.  She's funny and upbeat and she's been that way since the minute I first met her when she pretended to be offended by one of my anti-child comments (she has a couple kids, but they are high school age...one just graduated, actually).  At any rate, I was inspired to make a necklace for her.  Sort of a breast cancer awareness-type idea, but without being obvious.  

The tree is the perfect symbol: strong and grounded.

I am in love with this design, too!  I like how it turned out and will probably end up making more (got lots to do for the fair in November!).

Her partner (the friend who found her and brought her into our group...I know, at a certain age, people tend not to refer to their significant other as 'boyfriend/girlfriend'...I'm not sure where they stand.)...anyway, his father is having major medical issues as well.  The two of them have been going through so much lately...it breaks your heart sometimes to think about the pain your friends have to endure.  It has been a terrible year for this circle I'm in.  I am happy it is speeding by, quite frankly!

In happier news, I got to hang with one of my sisters and my brother this weekend.  We have a strange dynamic, in that I have spent little time with most of my family despite the number of years we've been on this Earth, and not so far apart.  I truly believe that you can't force a relationship, even if there is shared blood...there has to be a reason, in my opinion.  So now, our dad's old car has brought us together, and it makes me happy to have a common bond.

More agony...I have jury duty today and I am not looking forward to it.  I don't think it's fair to make a person drive an hour to get to the courthouse!  Aren't there people who live closer who can go?!  I mean, there are two other courthouses within 20-30 minutes of me (one of which I went to last time I had jury duty)...doesn't it make more sense for me to go to one of those?  I really hate the political machine/system...perhaps I'll start with that? :) [update: I drove an hour to get there, sat for an hour and a half before the judge came in to tell us there were 3 cases possibly going to jury and that in about 45 minutes he'd let us know; and, that some of us may get chosen for the jury.  Instead, about 30 minutes later, he came back in to let us know that everyone settled and we were all free to go.  Home by 11 am!]  I lose faith in the system each time I see some of the people who could possibly be on a jury, though.  Myself included!!  There was one girl I wanted to punch out, she was so annoying!!

And...I have more friends leaving the cape.  Last night I went out for a sort of 'girl's night' to celebrate our friend's promotion and probable transfer.  And, the reason for her transfer, her girlfriend's acceptance to Simmons College.  Another co-worker is transferring to our new Foxboro store. We were trying to plan a get-together for her too, but my jury duty and another friend's wedding were major wrenches (the stupid thing, of course, being that I am already done with my civic duty for the day!) And yet another friend has left altogether to concentrate on her other TWO jobs and her family.  It is like a mass exodus from our store. 

I'm just a little overwhelmed, I guess, with so much to do all of the sudden.  All of this, plus the car restore, plus my prep for the craft fair (and my etsy shop), plus all the house repairs I will probably have to do myself, and I'm still trying to workout most days.  I know I can do it all, but days like today, where I kind of feel like it's a free day (because I was expecting to be gone most of the day) I just want to veg...and not feel guilty about it!