March TIF challenge
9:19 AM Posted In agricultural environmental contamination , beaded beads , beads , Take it Further Challenge Edit This 4 Comments »
Sharon's theme for the month of March is ironically pertinent to my current living situation! Here's what she wrote for the challenge: "Do you ever notice the little things, the small moments, the details in life? This month's challenge is to do just that, pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger."
Boy, Have I been paying attention to the tiny details! Details like, what is living in my water? And these small things really are emblematic of something larger. Our tiny neighborhood is currently suffering the consequences of American Agricultural choices. We are dealing with the fallout of an enormous industry that most people don't even pause to think about. I mean, what's so dangerous about a bunch of cows? Milk is supposed to be good for you, right? How many people actually know where their milk comes from, what conditions the cows exist under, where their waste goes and how they are fed? For most people the answers to those questions are: Milk comes from from cows raised in a CAFO. The cows are crammed in a barn all day, every day of their lives. Their waste goes onto the ground in the form of liquid manure, which can be smelled for dozens of miles in every direction when it is stirred or spread and from there it may possibly go into the local aquifer and fresh water rivers, lakes and streams. The cows are fed special dairy cow feed and lots of drugs which may include dead cows, antibiotics, Bovine Growth Hormone, genetically modified grains and/or mystery compounds from China.
Details, details, details. Did you know that the milk and eggs from
CAFO raised cows and hens are higher in bad cholesterol and lower in nutrition and Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids than milk and eggs from grass fed, free ranging animals? Man. It's time to go buy a cow.I feel that this is a good illustration of how small details, added together can become something worth a great deal of consideration.
For my challenge entry this month, I chose to make a beaded bead - a small object filled with tiny details. I anticipated making a whole series of them and even had a kit put together so that I could work on my beads anywhere my water disaster happened to take me. Needless to say, keeping the family fed and clean and entertained at other people's houses all month long really made it difficult to keep up with my project. I got one bead done. Here are the colors I used:
I used size 11 rose gold AB beads and metallic gold beads to form the main bead shape and then embellished with some Myuki size 15 taupe, gunmetal and metallic green AB beads. The pattern is a modification of Wonder Beads as taught by Sue Jackson and Wendy Hubick of Hummingbeads in the April 2001 issue of Bead and Button magazine. If you like the idea of beaded beads, Beadwork put out a teeny book of Beaded Beads in 2003. I got mine through a special offer for Beading daily subscribers, you may also be able to get it through Amazon, I know I've seen it there. The book has lots of different styles of beaded beads, many of which I wanted to try this month. Guess they will have to go on my growing to do list!
4 comments:
Your bead is really neat, Virginia. I hope you are able to do more of them.
So sorry to learn about your water disaster. It's terrible. I know what you mean about cows and milk. I had occasion to visit a dairy farm a few years ago and was appalled to learn how the cows are treated and overused and that the meat from the used-up dairy cows is sold to fast food restaurants. No more eating a McD's for me.
Anyway, I hope it gets cleared up soon for you and that you are able to get some kind of compensation for all your trouble and worry.
your beads are beautiful, I'm glad you got some done for the TIF. Sorry to hear about your water problems, but I did notice that the problem has been solved for now, that's good news.
This is lovely - do you need a magnifying glass to work that tiny?
Helen - well, I don't use a magnifying glass yet, but I'm considering purchasing one. My glasses prescription just got updated and the optomitrist said "I'm not going to put you into bi-focals yet..." I try to use very bright lighting and always wear my glasses when I bead.
Thanks to everyone who has wished me luck with our water issues. Problem is mostly solved but we have discovered that the ceramic filters clog up pretty quickly. We may have to install more pre-filters in front of it.
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