Out of Order

I wish I were a bit more ambidextrous.  I've  grasped the hammer in my left hand and employed  my left arm to pound and texture metal, but I'm totally uncoordinated when I try that.  Even when I tilt my head to the left, I'm bound to bring the hammer down a bit too close to my thumb for comfort.  I don't have the same amount of strength in my left hand as I do in my right and the light-handed force of the hammer blows are not getting the job done!  It's now time to give my elbow a well-deserved rest.  It's still hurting from all the pounding and forging I did over the past several weeks and I suspect a bit of tendonitis lurks there.  The hammer I wielded was a lot heavier than the one I usually use and the combined weight and force of blows were just more than my arm and elbow were happy with.   The remedy:  I  am taking time away from the jeweler's bench and giving it a chance to heal.  Perhaps it's nature's way of telling me to get off the " work treadmill" for a while and read a few books.  I have several on my shelf that I haven't had time to delve into...like "Foldforming" by Charles Lewton-Brain and "Jewelry Design Challenge:  Ten Materials, Thirty Artists, Thirty Spectacular Projects".  Technical books are usually my choice for bedtime reading,..hoping that the information will sink into my brain while I sleep!  Of course, reading those books will probably just make we want to head back into the studio and begin working!  Plan B:  I  have stacks of fashion magazines in need of reading before the current trends fling to fast forward - perhaps that should be my plan of attack.   Or, come to think of it,  I don't know when I last read a really great "just can't put it down"  novel - I think that may have occurred on the beach while vacationing on a tropical island long ago.  At any rate, I'm in dire need of some quality R&R and now is the time to get it!  So it may be a while before I post photos of new works, but you're welcome to peruse the many photos stored in my archives.