It is wonderful when you connect with an old work friend. A very old friend that
you have not heard from in mmmmm30 years. Better still, you find out you both work for the same company, on different coasts. He, however, stayed with them for 30 years and has a retirement package. I will have to work for them for another thirty years to be able to retire at 87. In his e-mail he asked if I still had the loom that he helped me move five zillion times. The loom...I started to laugh. When I thought about it I decided to share the story of the loom.
How did I get THE LOOM? It began in college. There was a boy named Byrd. He was an artist. He was tall, dashing, long hair, beard. He was a sculptor. His father was my dentist. His mother was my friend. She was a textile artist. She was fabulous. They were fabulous. BoyByrd moved to Phoenix after college. I was traveling to the west coast after college and stopped to visit him in Phoenix where he was working building Geodesic Domes. I fell in love. I came home to get my stuff and move to Phoenix. I got a call when I arrived home that there was no need to return....he had found Jesus and a commune (those were the days)
His mom went out to save him from saving himself and she was saved (confused yet). She came home and felt she needed to divest of material things...I got the loom.
I loved THE LOOM. Calvin, as I recall, hated THE LOOM. He moved THE LOOM, from LOOM ROOM to LOOM ROOM. I would look at THE LOOM and listen to Judy Collins singing "The Weaver"
She is a weaver
Through her hand the bright thread travels
Blue green water, willows weeping, silver stars
She is my sister, the baby born when I was older
Her hands are light, her hair is bright as the summer sun
I was the baby sister, weaving, weaving. The romantic visions that song conjured up. Creating woven masterpieces...in my mind.
In reality, I only ever looked at THE LOOM. Keeping in mind that this is not a table loom...it was a custom made 64" loom that literally took up its own room. It literally loomed over you wherever you were. My first house had a LOOM ROOM. I moved to Miami and had a LOOM ROOM.
I met Henry, we got married, bought a condo. I think that it took about a year for me to realize that I did not know where the loom was located. Henry had it moved to the Bentley's Luggage warehouse and then gave it to someone who worked there. That's it! My career as a weaver done! kaput! Huge fight....wah wah wah. Have not thought of THE LOOM until my eMail from Calvin.
Calvin, thanks so much for the reminder. I am thinking of buying a loom...I certainly have the room.
