Tossing and Turning

I found myself unable to sleep last night and, after a couple of hours of boring TV and internet, decided to brave the dark and work in my studio. I've mentioned that I live in the country; need I say there are no streetlights? There wasn't even much in the way of moonlight so I turned on the light in the kitchen window.

My cat Max was still in the bedroom, but I knew I couldn't simply shut the patio door. He learned long ago how to open it. There've been times we've forgotten to latch it before going to bed and found in the morning that he'd been playing free and easy with outdoor access. So last night, I made sure the screen was closed. He hasn't learned how to open that yet. (I don't know if that made things better or worse in the end.)


Around 4a., I felt I might be able to sleep so I shut off the studio lights and left for the house.There's a big difference going into the night from a semi-dark house and from a lighted studio. It was so dark outside I swear the night creatures needed flashlights! Still, I know the way. I just kinda had to follow the sidewalk, and I only wandered off a couple of times.

I was barely on the porch when Max started in. Omigosh, you'd have thought I was a night creature myself! I couldn't believe the hub slept through the ruckus. Max had opened the glass door about four inches, and he must have thought I was an intruder because the closer I came the louder he got, hissing and spitting and growling. I tried putting my hand down so he could smell me, but he got worse, like he was in the middle of a cat fight.

So-o-o, what does one do under such circumstances? I had a few options: I could return to the studio and try to sleep on the dinky little chair I have out there, or...my other two options required me to get to the front of the house, and I wouldn't have the light in the kitchen window to guide me.

As I rounded the side, I could make out the concrete flower bed edging so at least I was able to steer clear of the plantings. Thankfully, years ago the hub put up a key pad garage door opener, which has come in handy many times, but never more so than last night.

Max was still spitting when I came in the garage door but calmed down once he realized it was me. And still the hub slept on. (My last option was to ring the front doorbell, though I'm not sure he wouldn't have slept through that too! Thank God I didn't have to find out.)

So what did I do those hours in the studio?

Of course it involved buttons, and of course it included a shadowbox. 

These buttons are all mid-century. To me, they're works of art in themselves. Can you imagine a time where simply clothing closures could be so lovely?

Now I have to learn how to take pics of glass without a glare. Google search coming up!