I can't tell you...

how eager I am to get back to my workbench and start tinkering and twisting wire and hammering.  I haven't done any metalsmithing since I injured my elbow almost two months ago.  It's certainly taking a long time to heal and it still "barks" if I twist my arm the wrong way.  I think it will still be a while before I dare pick up a mallet.  Perhaps a good rest over the holidays is in order.  It seems that when I was younger, injuries healed in no time.  I'm finding that older bones and tendons just don't spring back like they used to!  Oh well, at least it isn't broken, and it isn't encased  in a cast.  It's just a minor inconvenience which forces me to seek other directions in my work.   The beading is coming along splendidly, but as we all know, there is no immediate gratification with seed beads aside from the pure pleasure of playing with these colorful sparkly little orbs!