On Display

Saturday, June 22, 2024

I recently began selling jewelry in the department store where I work part-time. Yesterday, I discovered that coworkers had placed bets on how long it would be before I purchased a piece of jewelry. They were laughing while I was settling a deal for my shiny new ring.

I gain new intentions upon learning, and to me, quality becomes irresistible. Although I needed a ring like a hole in my head, I felt that my finger, flashing quality, could enhance my jewelry sales role (or some such rationale).

All logical rationale aside, jewelry simply attracts attention and admiration, especially pieces that host superior craftsmanship, intricate designs, precious metals, and gemstones. Attraction to high-quality jewelry varies among individuals. Some people become attracted by aesthetic appeal, others by investment potential, and for most, by fine jewelry’s emotional triggerings.

My jewelry choices reflect elements of personal style, taste, and creativity. For example, my new ring is conservative, high-quality, has good gemstones, and its design reflects my preferences. Eventually, I might wish for a more prominent ring. That could happen after I understand more about gemstones—their sparkle, shine, precious metals, and “sensing qualities” of feel and aesthetic appeal.

Dear Friends: The allure of high-quality jewelry extends beyond mere aesthetics. Diana

A “Strawberry” Team

Friday, June 21, 2024

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, the year’s longest day when twenty-four hours split to share equally the daylight and darkness. It marks the end of slowly increasing daylight and starts us anticipating a dark season’s gradual arrival.

The evening light lingered and illuminated us Moon-Chasers. We donned our uniforms, took a camera, and headed to an appropriate place near the airport on the city’s east side. We intended to capture this month’s almost full “Strawberry” Moon. We were going for that “nearly full” moon because commitments prevented us from chasing June’s fullest moon, happening tonight.

In lots of lingering daylight, we watched the rising moon. At first, it appeared very dimly, hovering almost invisibly over the tall trees and ridge of peaks that were our horizon. The barely visible Strawberry made us unsure we could capture it adequately, but in elevating the moon became clearer and eventually very beautiful.

Photos of that moon capture the eastern countryside’s dark sky. The darkness was a significant contrast to a lighter sky west and toward the city.

Susie and I did lots of moon and airspace shooting. We quickly recognized that we were in an area that invited playing, and we did that, too.

We love our Team Uniform!

Dear Friends: Ode to an interlude of beauty, fun, and friendship. Diana

Chinatown

Thursday, June 20, 2024

On this date in 1974, Paramount Pictures released its movie, “Chinatown.” The screenplay was inspired by early Twentieth-Century California water wars and the Los Angeles interest in securing water rights in California’s Owens Valley. At the 1975 Academy Awards, Chinatown was nominated for eleven awards, receiving only one for Robert Towne’s screenplay.

Many rank Chinatown as one of the greatest films ever. It’s the last picture Roman Polanski directed in America and features many elements of film noir. The multi-layered story is part mystery and part psychological drama, perfectly interpreted by superb actors.

In 1975, Chinatown’s Oscar competition, The Godfather Part II, won for Best Picture and Best Director. Since then, I’ve wondered why Godfather won over Chinatown. Certainly, both films have had a lasting impact.

I think the Godfather’s wins were related to cultural impact. Audiences found its story easier to absorb than Chinatown’s.

Back then, The Godfather saga’s exploration of the American immigrant experience and the dark side of the American Dream probably resonated more deeply with audiences and critics. That suggests “cultural relevance” was significant in the Academy’s decision.

Today, deciding which film is best might have a different outcome. It’s important to remember that awards are subjective; contemporary choices are influenced by various factors, e.g., personal preferences, industry trends, and campaign strategies.

To me, “Chinatown” is a masterpiece of filmmaking. It forces viewers to explore some innermost and perhaps conflicting perceptions. Unquestionably, “The Godfather Part II” is also a fine movie, with similar storytelling ambition, technical excellence, and powerful performances.

Differences in perceiving them means thinking back to the 19970s. Godfather’s resonance was easier to comprehend and more comfortably relatable. Today’s populations are better informed, generally wiser about psychology, and often consider Chinatown the best picture.

Dear Friends: This anniversary of that excellent film’s debut is a cause for celebration. Diana

Profound Connections

Wednesday, June 18, 2024

Happy Juneteenth!

In today’s header photo, my fifteen-year-old hen, Welsummer, is attentive to something. There’s no telling what because her eyesight is seriously failing. She’s no longer able to judge distance, is having trouble finding her food, and more than ever she settles into a “resting state.”

When I started noticing all that, my impulse was to begin feeding her by hand. After crushing the yellow of a boiled egg and diluting it with warm water, I filled a chicken syringe. I had to hold Welsummer while trying to open her beak to insert nourishment. She wasn’t cooperative but did enjoy the few drops I got into her beak. I often tried that way of feeding, hoping she’d learn, but the process never enough improved.

The feeding failures became frustrating, and I began questioning all the worrying and struggling against losing a very old hen. One reality is my fondness for her; another is that she’s seriously failing from natural causes.

Years ago, I worked hard to keep a failing hen alive. That bird was much younger than Welsummer is now. A veterinarian had said her condition couldn’t be improved. However, she was receptive to syringe-feeding, and for weeks it seemed she was improving. However, that wasn’t so; she quit accepting nutrition, the inevitable happened.

Losing that hen saddened me and illustrated that when a “chicken’s time” arrives, there’s likely little chance of successfully reversing the reality. These days, with Welsummer, I am thinking about my earlier experience and learning.

Here’s the upshot: Welsummer is healthy but old and failing from natural causes introduced to me by her eyesight loss. Syringe feeding wouldn’t help enough. She might learn to accept a syringe but will pass in her own time. I must work at rearranging my thinking and be willing for reality simply to happen.

Dear Friends: The deeper the bonds with pets, the deeper the grief of losing them. Diana

Stretching

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

I have two days off! I don’t see tree limbs blowing outside, so the weather might be lovely. I’m so ready for warm and windless days. Get this: Two evenings ago, before going outside to feed my horses, I selected from my closet a long woolen coat to wear against the insistent, freezing winds. It’s mid-June!” Although the summer solstice is around the corner, I still am using inside space heaters.

Today, my first obligation is handling some waiting chores. Then I might take the dogs to the Badlands and give them a good run. That’ll also get me hiking, much needed after a couple of learning days of learning in a new workspace.

By the way, my learning there, so far, is less about selling jewelry than about handling department-critical routines in the openings and closings. Some tasks are physical and require lifting and bending that my back resists. Thankfully, my friend Susie recently demonstrated some stretching routines, which I’ve begun using. I hope stretching will increase my overall flexibility, and meanwhile, it’s boosting my self-confidence; I’m more willing to take on physical tasks.

Selling jewelry is a different animal. Selling an expensive luxury item requires technical knowledge about its design, structure, and worthiness. A jewelry seller starts by articulating specifics that address an item’s value while teaching a consumer. I’ve been listening as my mentor Marie sells. She has fantastic product knowledge and is highly sensitive to customers. I understand now that ahead my path is very challenging. While learning how to sell jewelry, I must also be searching to find my footing in that complex role.

Dear Friends: I enjoy learning challenges, and now, I’ve found a doozy. Diana

Bejeweled

Monday, June 17, 2024

After my first day in Jewelry, Wow! There were, and still are, many elements to learn about working in a fine jewelry department. A primary responsibility is keeping an ongoing accurate count of items for sale and unarguable accounting for everything on record. One carries keys and opens display cases holding jewelry, one at a time, and relocks a case immediately after showing an object. Then, there are safes with absolute procedures for what goes in and out and when.

That’s not all. There are iPads and internet searches, training materials, record-keeping, lists of customers for each salesperson, and, at the end of each day, protecting jewelry by hefting a series of awkward Kevlar coverings onto display cases.

With much more ahead to learn and remember, oy vey.

In retrospect, while not as romantic as becoming surrounded by jewelry, my former role of rehanging dresses and putting away bras was way less stressful.

During a pause, Marie (my trainer in Jewelry) spoke of her history as a jewel creator, adding that she used to operate her own shop in town. Listening as she explained her background and stone sourcing, it struck me suddenly that Marie and I had met many years ago.

I was a newcomer to town; I spotted a sign for her shop and stopped in. My curiosity turned into interest as she described her stones, their sources, and those she chose to design and craft into jewelry. Captured by her story and sensing its reality, I purchased a ring of her design and creation.

The ring highlights an emerald (my birthstone). Marie explained finding that stone in Brazil and considering it special. She had lived in Brazil as a fully Certified Gemologist and there had discovered unique gemstones. She could visualize a raw stone as being cut, could do the cutting herself, and craft cut pieces into fine jewels. She sold her creations worldwide.

I’ve not been much of “a jewelry person” and rarely have worn the lovely emerald. Today I’ll take “Marie’s ring” to work for her to see and recall.

Dear Friends: It’s said, “What goes around comes around,” and often that’s so. Diana

Dear Dad

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Happy Father’s Day!

I was a month old when my father died in a highway auto accident; we never really knew each other. That loss has been a lifelong sadness. Vague yearnings and missing him tag me, especially when, like now, we are appreciating the men in our lives. I will be imagining my dad today.

I will also begin my new role selling in the Fine Jewelry Department, similar to my father, a successful owner of a jewelry store at the time of his death, I grew up hearing stories about his extensive retail knowledge, product expertise, and sales skills. I’ve imagined myself having inherited DNA from him optimal in those business areas.

Several years ago, I began to journey into retail, feeling excited but quickly discovered a new reality. I was on a demanding learning curve that required adding hands-on experience. Today, and more than ever, I believe my inherited sales skills have facilitated this beginning to work in fine jewelry, and I’ll be good at it.

(I can’t leave DNA from my mom out of this story. Suddenly, on her own and despite making mistakes, she learned and achieved independently and successfully in many ways.)

Dear Friends: Celebrate the joy of having a dad; remember favorite moments together. Diana

Mind ‘n Matter

Saturday, June 15, 2024

My friend and neighbor Susie bicycled over and helped me handle some tasks that were too cumbersome or heavy for me alone. Besides being organized and kind, Susie can assume a leadership role. One of her interests is in maintaining good physical condition. After checking out my small workout assortment, she encouraged me to quit thinking about exercising and actually start doing it regularly. She’s right, and I’ll be on it.

Before feeding my critters, I will stretch this morning. My small rowing machine decently allows for a full-body workout, and Susie revived my neglected workout bench by demonstrating ways of stretching with weights. I must keep my head wrapped around exercising and stretching at least once daily.

Physically, I tend to slump, a lifelong and increasingly insistent problem. My spinal curvature makes it unlikely I’ll ever again stand straight, but yes, I could improve my posture. My resistance to exercising makes it critical that I work with my brain to “see workouts” as more than physical effort.

I intend to be mindful of the many benefits of daily stretching and working out that extend far beyond physical fitness. I need to feel involved with working out as being more in tune with my body and seeing its positive impact on my daily living. Working out routinely will bring the “stretch benefits” of mental and emotional well-being, personal growth, and social connections.

I recently acquired a cute journaling book and wondered how to use it. Problem solved: I’ll write notes daily about my workouts, feelings, perceptions, and all else associated with my efforts to gain physical strength and straightness.

Whew! There’s a plan, and it has key- and sub-goals.

It’s early to work today, and also my final shift as a roaming salesperson. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be a jewelry salesperson. As the newest person in the store’s Jewelry Department, I’ll be assigned to its late closing shifts. That will free my days’ early hours and make Susie’s observations timely. There will be adequate time for stretching, working out, and journaling.

Dear Friends: Healthy habits for stress relief and body straightening, just get going. Diana

Sparked

Friday, June 14, 2024

My news today is that after passing an extensive background check, I will start working in the Fine Jewelry Department on Sunday. I know little about high-end jewelry, but I am excited to be on the threshold of a challenging learning opportunity. Online research reveals the availability of serious education to become a certified gemologist, and I want to achieve that.

Gemology is a complicated field that requires more than identifying and categorizing stones. A fully trained Gemologist uses spatial and mathematical skills to assess raw stones, calculate their design possibilities, and cut stones to create attractive, unique jewels.

My early learning goals are to identify, categorize, and understand stone types and how they evolve. I hope to learn how to compare a stone’s attractiveness and value against similar stones. As for further learning, I’ll be challenged by Gemology’s spatial and mathematical portions that aren’t among my innate skills. However, maybe I will argue with my brain by attempting to learn more abstract skills.

The excitement of anticipating energizes and propels because new opportunities offer a sense that something new and maybe great could happen. For me, this feels transformative by stimulating my wishes to grow and change and also might be reviving old dreams.

Dear Friends: Opportunity is a spark that ignites passions and fuels ambitions. Diana

Getting A Handle

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Yesterday, I couldn’t start my new riding lawn mower. My neighbor Frank came to see why; he sat on the seat, pushed the brake pedal, turned the key, and boom! the motor roared. He said that lowering the brake pedal adequately needs legs longer than mine and pointed out that we could move the tractor seat forward. We corrected the seat position, and I started the tractor easily.

I took it for a spin. It’s smooth to drive and has horsepower equaling that of my old 2004 Poulan mower (out of commission right now). But the new machine is less powerful; it failed the test of pulling a drag around inside the horses’ dry lot. Its rear wheels spun whenever debris collected on the drag, adding weight. There are times when dragging calls for using a backup machine, and Old Pouland handled the work effectively.

Yesterday’s mowing test went smoothly. The new machine feels more balanced than the Pouland and its gears shift more easily. It makes me happy enough. The Pouland will be repaired and become a backup for heavier jobs.

Now that the challenges of mowing my place are under control, I may focus elsewhere. Waiting are routine maintenance chores, critters demanding attention, and gardens requiring refreshing or restarting. Plus, nearby are the great outdoors with opportunities like horseback, photography, and sports.

Dear Friends: I’m a pitifully short left-hander in a world of tall right-handers. Diana