My Love for Gourds

Some years ago when we had just been in AR about 7 or 8 years we planted a gourd crop. Who knows why? We were not working with them at that time just got the urge! So we did and so did they. We had a very good crop. They dried great and since we did not know what to do with them  we bagged them up into two large green yard bags and stored them in the attic. There they lived (sad for being unused) for many years.

About 5 years ago a friend showed us a Thunder Gourd. It was the same friend that had shown us some home-made soap. (Should have known this was going to be trouble.) We made soap and bath products until I developed cancer at which time we had to give up the hobby and shows. Now when she showed us the Thunder Drum I was all better. We thought it was ok but then she shook it and out came this thundering sound. Carol screamed I got to have one! I being the voice of reason said we don’t need to buy it we have attic full of gourds.

So we made our first of hundreds of gourds and fell in love with everything about them. How if you look at one long enough it speaks to you. Tells you what it wanted to become when it grows up. We never had a lesson but bought every book we could fine on gourds and what to do with them. Soon we had so very many gourds we could not keep them all. So we gave some to friends and family.  God bless them as these were not our best work, after all we were still learning.

My painting got some better then I started taking art about three years ago after a long absence from my early dabbling in Pastels. As time passed with all the time I spent painting and gourding things got better. Meanwhile Carol started taking watercolor classes and also has a natural talent for painting she has a good eye.
So with no further delay I will add a few photos of some of our more recent Gourds

This bowl is stained with ink & Woven at the top

  Carved Wave Bowl  Carved and stippled and with insets

Thunder Drum Front Side

      These are just a few samples of our gourds.

 For those who serve.

Thank you for stopping by to visit.

   

I love tools!   I love everything about them, how they look, how they feel and sound and what  they do.  If I must sand by hand I am an unhappy camper.  I just want a tool to do it fast and efficiently.   Besides, it always does a better job than I could do by hand.

    Let me tell you about my first two tools.   For an unknown reason, back when I was a young lady of about 15, (oh my goodness 45 years ago), I was given a Dremel rotary tool for Christmas, I think from Santa, aka Dad.  I had two brothers but I must admit I was usually his “helper” in the garage.  Well, dressed in my Christmas jammies I put in a bit, (the biggest one a cutting wheel), plugged it in, fired it up, and …dropped it in my lap.  I think I felt the vibration when it came on and thought I was being electrocuted.  It caught in my pajamas and wound until it could wind no more.  It stopped but continued to buzz and I was afraid to move lest it start again.  I was rescued, untwisted and unharmed. 

    My second tool I bought myself.   It was a scroll saw that I watched a man use at the county fair.  I think I was 25 or so.  I was so intrigued at how skillfully he used it.   I absolutely had to have it!  It landed on my kitchen table in my itty bitty apartment and stayed there.  No more cooking for me!!  I made tons of stuff with it.  What a workhorse.  I must admit I abused it.   That poor tool cut 2x4s for me when I started making some bigger things.  It is still alive and still cherished today. 

A  small sample of Carols work with a jigsaw.

Carol's Bio

Well hey there!  My name is Carol and just in case you’re interested I thought I would share a little about myself here.  I’m originally from California, being born and raised in San Diego.  I must admit to having a pretty much carefree young life enjoying all the amenities of a small (back then SD was not so big), but growing city.   I had the ocean, a good solid family, lots of friends, wild imagination, great health, and enough energy to spend all day on the run. My early life was… well…just as it should be.   Of course, you can’t stay young forever and life had to get a bit more serious.  In high school, I enjoyed science and always thought I would be a doctor.  But when I learned how much school they required I quickly changed my goal and became a nurse.  This ended up being a good choice for me and I enjoyed my work).  My nursing career spanned more than 30 years.  I had no children and lived with a man for 20 years as my “common law”, so they say in California.  He eventually turned traitor so I was looking for a change when I met Misty online.  She was working in Iceland but retiring to the US.  We became good friends.  When it was time for her to move back to the states I asked where she was going to live.  She replied with “someplace where the pace is slower and money goes further”.  I sheepishly asked, “can I come along?”  She thought I was joking and said, “Sure”.   Long story short we ended up in Arkansas.  I continued to work as a nurse first private duty then home health.  I turned 60 in October this year and retired in Dec.  I finally have time to pursue my hobbies of woodworking, carving, painting, gardening and what not.  I love tinkering with tools, fixing things, and creating art for the sake of art or just because.  I hope to live a long healthy life, (so far so good) because I have a lot left to do.  I could start by organizing my workshop.    Yikes.      Later, more to come about the workshop.  😊

Alberta Orlove Better known as Misty

A little history.

Am 76 years old worked for Civil Service for some 28 years. Retired from Keflavik Iceland in 1999. Navy wanted me to continue on as a Management Analysts part time to trouble shoot for Quality of Life (Also known as MWR) who has problem or areas that needed correction. I did that for little over a year when a health convinced me to once again retire this time completely.  I loved my job and it left me with a large void to have to leave it altogether.

When I told my friend I what I was going to do, she asked my (can I come too) I chuckled and said I guess so. I had no idea she was not joking. Little did I know she was dead serious. I was soon to find out.

I won’t go into my childhood as it was not always the happiest time of my life. I prefer to not look back. I did have a loving mother and lost her at age 23 to cancer. My father who was in the Navy called home and told my mother he wanted a divorce when I was three. He was the love of my young life. It has been hard getting over that I must admit. I think maybe I am not yet over it.

Married and lost a husband and two children both boys. Lost the youngest in an auto accident when he was 29. I recently lost my oldest son at 60 this past Feb.

I retired because even though I really loved my job and the feeling that I helped improve the life of our Military members and their families. I was on call 24/7 and had just found out that my eldest had been given a life expectancy of 5 years. I wanted a chance to enjoy a life outside of work. I felt if I didn’t retire I would not have that opportunity. Ok I think that is more than enough to leave here.
Will tell you am happy as a lark here in Arkansas where life is easy going and I have time to pursue my passions, painting is first and after that gourd crafting, gardening, fishing and I think blogging might soon fall in next.

Dragonfly in oils.  By Misty Orlove

How we wound up in Arkansas is another story and I will let Carol tell you thank you for visiting.

Saw Dust and paint puddles

How did we come up with the name? Easy what we are two older ladies and between us we make one he-- of a dust pile. Carol, a very talented wood worker ( Her Passion) she also carves wood and paints lovely water colors. Carol makes some unusual and lovely gourds. Carol is the technical advisor and tool master for this team.

Misty (Me) carved wood until my hands came up with a stopper, carpel tunnel and it prevented me from continuing carving. My passion is painting and gourds. Mostly seven days a week I am painting something. Oils, Watercolors, Gourds which are in acrylics. I am the idea and creative end of the team coming up with ideas for some of the new pieces. Not as knowledgeable as Carol with the tools but can always call on her to help me find my way with them.

We work s a team and what one cannot do the other can. Many of our pieces are the effort of one, but many are also a combined effort as two old Dusty Ladies come up with the finished product.

We hope you will join us as we journey on our dusty road.

More to come a little later. Have a delightful life and live every minute of it to the fullest!

Dustyladies Well this is a new page for the two old dusty ladies. Wanted a name that described our hobbies and around here if it is now sawdust it is gourd dust. Always dust of some kind. Yes even a bit of house dust, sometimes even a little more than a little.