Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

April 2, 2013

Bead Brain


I've loved beads for as long as I can remember.  I know, huge shock right?  I don't know where the obsession started, but for a vague memory of going to the bead shop in Yonkers with my grandmother when I was about 4.  She worked there, sewing beads and sequins onto gowns that were sold in the boutiques in Manhattan.  At her apartment, she always had a couple of cookie tins full of beads and sequins, which I always begged to see and play with and she was only happy to oblige.

I have no memory of this, but my mom likes to tell the story of when I shoved a bunch of beads up my nose. I must've been 2 or 3.  One was stuck but good, up by the bridge of my nose.  Right then, the refuse company showed up to get the trash from our house.  The woman driving the truck had a whole passel of kids herself, so mom darted outside to ask for her help.  But all she could advise was to just keep working it down from the outside instead of trying to use tweezers up my nostril.  Mom said she finally got that bead out.

Many years later, when I was at Channel 56 in the late 80s, I went to see an allergist, who took a bunch of xrays of my sinuses.  He told me that one cause of my constant stuffy nostril on that side could be the small bone spur that was in my sinus.  I didn't think anything of it.  A few years later I mentioned it to Brian and he knew the story of the beads up my nose.  He wondered if it was possible that the bone spur was actually a bead that calcified over.  

I'd like to think that it is and that it's the source of my creativity.  

28 comments:

  1. Oh my, what if? Funny.

    I love beads too. In fact, in early adulthood, I'd save every necklace that broke and every leftover macrame bead. Then one day when my daughter wanted something to do, I pulled out my bead box and string and said have at it. She still remembers that as a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. what a wonderful story, Jojo! who knows, may be that tiny bead indeed made you so bead addicted and creative, yes :)
    anyway, I'm always happy to see your creations.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hahaha Jojo!! Imagine if you have a bead up your nose right now! That's so cute :D Imagine if you got it removed and it was your 'creative bone' and then you weren't creative anymore :o

    Thank you for your comment :) It's so fun to have got to know you since the last challenge a whole year ago :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. JoJo lol. How funny! What if it is? Still chuckling...we do the silliest stuff when we're kids.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm sorry, but that made me really laugh. So for me to get better at my jewelry making, shove a bead up my nose??? I'll consider it...LOL.


    Tina @ Life is Good
    Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
    @TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yikes! I am glad she got it out, but yeah, maybe TWO were up there ;)

    You can honestly say, you've got a "nose for beads" alright....

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just knew your B would be beads. You must get the creativity from your grandmother.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi JoJo .. I'd say the bead is still there - a tiny one .. how interesting ...

    I used to love beads and sequins as a kid .. but never had your knowledge and love of them - the bags on your A post are lovely ..

    Bead Brain - no I think there's some brains there too!! Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hopper from Blogging A to Z, started following you :)

    A Mom's Point Of View
    http://www.amomspointofview.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wouldn't it make a good short story about someone who had a calcified bead removed and lost all their ability to make crafts? lol *hinting to the writers out there*

    ReplyDelete
  11. How funny, JoJo!

    A few years ago, my son stuck a pearl bead far into his ear canal when the loud thunderstorms were getting too much for him...Two doctors could not remove it, we finally had to take him to have it removed under anesthesia in a surgery hospital...Most expensive bead I ever bought! LOL

    I agree, beads are addictive. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, I would have to GET IT OUT!!!

    I think there was a case ovr here years ago of a man who'd been sneezing for years, turned out he had a tiny piece of leather stuck up his nose since childhood.

    ReplyDelete
  14. omy what a wonderful story!!! sorry about the nose thing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hahaha! Great story.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a story. You never know you may still have a tiny bead in your nose that has turned into your creative bone.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

    ReplyDelete
  17. That is so funny, Jojo! My sister stuck a cotton ball up her nose and we didn't know about it until she started to smell--it got infected. Now she's a doctor. Maybe there is some connection there too? :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Cool story. It is one thing to love beads and another to inhale them. LOL It was a precursor of what was to come and how crafty you would one day become!

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. hahaha great story, Jojo. Interesting where our creativity and inspiration comes from....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Funny story! Does that mean you never lose your mojo, because your lucky bead is always with you?

    ReplyDelete
  21. My memorable trick was gum in the hair, which was a lot easier to see and remove than a bead up the nose! Thanks for sharing this funny story :-)

    Jenny at Choice City Native

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have a similar addiction to yarn. Never tried to stick it up my nose, though. I daresay I wouldn't have the same trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Lovely story! My sis once shoved a peanut up her nose cos her mouth was occupied with a feeding bottle ;)

    Damyanti @Daily(w)rite
    Co-host, A to Z Challenge 2013

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

    ReplyDelete
  24. A calcified bead in your nose. What a neat story!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think it's a fairly common thing for kids to stuff things up their noses!!! I used to be really good at Wheel of Fortune till I had a wisdom tooth pulled. I was no longer able to solve the puzzles after just 2 letters after that. I am convinced I lost my Wheelability when that tooth came out.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous9:18 AM

    Another fabulous collection.
    And what a great story ;)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Whenever I see beads now, I think of you. Teehee.

    Sonnia J. Kemmer

    ReplyDelete
  28. Holy crap! LOL! Ohmigosh, that's surreal - have you never asked a doc to dig deeper? (So to speak?)

    ReplyDelete