Welcome to another Monday, dear reader. I had such a good weekend. My friends took me to Pittsburgh this weekend for a belated birthday celebration. We spent the day at the Pittsburgh Glass Center learning how to blow glass ornaments. Glass blowing is something I have a fascination with, and I have wanted to try it for many years now. It was as cool and interesting as I thought it would be. To add to the enjoyment, I spent the day with some of my favorite people and made a new friend.
I’m not sure what began my fascination with glass blowing; perhaps it is the lovely blown glass pumpkins that have been popular for the past several years. Anyhow, trying glass blowing made it onto my fifty fun things list. Remember the list I made when I turned fifty, lost, and then forgot most of what was on it? Yeah, glass-blowing made it on the list, and I remembered it. It was a very cool experience.
However, I was a bit disappointed at the lack of hands-on that was provided. I imagined I would take the steel rod, swirl it in the furnace filled with molten glass, then get to roll it and blow it. Sadly, I was given a paper straw and told when to blow the glass after the instructor got to play with the molten glass lava and rolled it out onto a cool steel slab. When I innocently reached for the steel rod in the melting furnace, I was told I didn’t get to touch anything…sigh. I suppose it is for safety and insurance purposes, but he ruined my glass-blowing experience. Well, not really. I was just a smidge disappointed. I get that people do dumb things, and they could get hurt. I’m not going to lie; it took all my willpower not to poke the molten glass with a steel rod. I know, I know, I’m why no one is permitted to play with molten glass.
Anyhow, I made a blown glass ornament in dark green with white spots. We could do a striped technique or a spotted technique, and I opted for the spotted. I also was not permitted to roll the molten glass in little colored glass beads…very disappointing. I was afraid if I reached for the steel rod again, I might get my fingers slapped…sigh. However, our instructor was a lovely man and laughed at our conversation about “super gonorrhea.” You’ve got to appreciate a man who can laugh over STD jokes with a group of women.
My ornament will be shipped in five days. The glass must cool down slowly so it doesn’t shatter, and then it must cure for a bit. I am looking forward to my ornament arriving. I plan to hang it in my dining room window rather than hang it on the tree. It is too lovely and filled with too many good memories not to enjoy it year-round.
On this lovely November morning, stay safe, be smart, do things to make good memories, enjoy the good people in your life, and keep washing your hands.