Just One of Those Days ... when nothing went according to plan

I have found to keep squirrel chasing at a minimum and to focus on priorities, a plan for the day helps.  My plan for this day was to solder some components, finish a pair of earrings, polish several chains, photograph new pieces, and complete an application for a gallery. 

I was behind at the get-go because I overslept, sort of.  I wasn’t late for a meeting or appointment.  But I had planned on getting up earlier than I did, therefore, I overslept. Oversleeping was not in the plan.

I was sipping my coffee when my husband handed me a mauled tarnish barrier zip bag containing the pendant I had finished the day before. 

The bag was a collection of rips and holes.

The pendant - which I was so very proud of because I had screwed-up so many things making it and it still turned out to be very pretty – had teeth divots on the back, the outer edge of the back plate was pooched in several places with bites, and part of the bezel was pulled from the stone.  OMG!

We have three dogs.  By the size of the teeth marks (and her reputation) the culprit was obviously Lily, the Jack Russell.  Lily is my baby dog child. When we rescued her, she was terrified of everyone and everything.  Five years later, she sleeps with me and is my snuggle buddy.

To say I was pissed is an understatement.  Not at Lily (well, maybe a little) but at myself.  I knew she was a sneaky snatcher, taking hold of a thing and gnawing on it till it was ripped to pieces so small you had difficulty identifying what it was prior to the mutilation.  “What is Lily chewing on” is a phrase oft heard in our house. She typically goes for plastic - pens, straws, a c-pap hose.  I knew she could, and would, raze with relish.

In my defense, I had put the bagged pendant in the basket where I stored finished inventory.  That little brat had to jump to grab it.   

Add zip bags to her victim list.

I looked at the damaged pendant with a “how can I fix this” eye.  I could straighten the bumps on the edge and file the back.  Maybe.  Maybe not.

The biggest issue was the mangled bezel. A section had been tooth-snagged from the stone and flattened tight against the decorative wire around the bezel. It wouldn’t move. Bezel pusher, flat nose pliers, kitchen knife.  I tried with several tools, several times.  Can we say work hardened?  And the bezel had a Lily tooth size puncture.  Good grief (use your imagination for what I really said).

I could spend hours on this piece, and it would still have major flaws. I could not fix this. I had to scrap it.

Lily, the 20-pound snuggle buddy, was out chasing squirrels in the yard while I spent the rest of the day chasing squirrels inside - dog proofing my studio. 

The best laid plan is ignored when it is just one of those days.