Hmmmmmmmmmm.

I won't be able to make it to the last belly dancing class as we are motoring (how do you like that archaic phraseology?) to Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon. I can't belly dance worth a hot darn anyway, but I do like the scarf I found on Tuesday, so I thought I would cheat a little and have Barb take my photo. All those tents of sweet Araby will have to do without this hot mama. Don't you think all that eye surgery was worth it? Yeah, right. It's the rest of my anatomy that protests, not my eyes.

I forgot I had book club today and was summoned from the gym. We discussed the book and talked up a storm. A good time was had by all. The book was "The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters" by Elisabeth Robinson. Carol had a nice lunch topped off by deviled eggs as an homage to our erstwhile bookclub member Fran, and the day was benefitted by the attendance of our new member, another Carol. We are four, and we roar. Whatever.

I wasn't too crazy about the book, but it did elicit lots of good discussion.

How do you like the new color for my postings? I decided that the black was sometimes difficult to see, so I would try the green for awhile. Let me know which you prefer. I really chose the black because I thought it was such a good background for the paintings. I will withhold my judgment. So far I do enjoy the green.

I'll get back to you when I return from our short trip. Have some good springtime fun this weekend. This weather is unbelievably nice.

2nd blog for today!

I have had quite a day. Meandered to Alex and found a fantastic sale on natural fiber clothes. 50% of 50% off for today. In other words, 75% off. Wow. I even found a scarf for belly dancing class. However, I may not make the class as I have a feeling we're heading to Mpls on Thursday. Stay tuned for the latest news. If I do leave the neighborhood ahead of time, we will have to stage a picture so that I can keep my word, right, Karen?

I misused a word in my earlier post today. I said we could mow with no impunity. I meant with no penalty. Impunity means exemption from punishment, so I - in effect - said with no no penalty. the no is redundant. Am I right? All you wordsmiths out there, what about it? Check it out. Whaddya think? Can I continue writing my blog with impunity? Well, that's an entirely different matter. Take it easy on this marvelous spring day.

The Martins have come!

This is one of the biggest days of the year in the Larson household. The martins have arrived. For the last several days we have been anxiously awaiting their arrival. Should we clean their house, have they all been killed, what's happened to them? They were about four days or more later than usual. While they were not here, the sparrows have been busily nesting in the martin house. When the martins come, they kick the sparrows out. It's interesting that they don't kick all of the sparrows out, though, only enough so that they have the required number of houses for themselves. Then they remain friendly (relatively friendly) through the summer. I wonder if the hurricanes had some effect on their turntable. Just think... they fly all the way from South America to nest here in the summer. Poor things. I bet they're exhausted.

This is an exciting time of year. When you get to be our age, you are always thrilled that you're getting to see it one more time. The earth looks nice and black and ready for something to be planted. The grass is bright green again and soon ready to be mowed. What is it with us that we love to mow grass? Why not grow it and get some goats or something. Oh, no, we must manicure it, meanwhile polluting the atmosphere with our mowers. Crazy. We'd get into major trouble with our neighbors, not to mention the law, if we indulged ourselves in goats or sheep. Double crazy. But we can mow with no impunity. And each of us owning our own mower. Think of the money spent when we could have a joint ownership of a mower and save a bundle. There are those who hire someone to mow their lawn, but that shows you're either too feeble to do it yourself or you're putting on airs. C'mon. It's the American Way to manicure your own lawn with the huskiest machine possible.

Well, enough of the ranting and raving. Off to the gym.

Saturday

This is a great day for me. I have managed to do most of the things I have promised to do. I went to Poetry Night instead of to belly dancing. Our Evansville Arts Coalition has held this event for 9 years and I have gone to every one, I think. Next year will be the big 10 so we will have to try to do something spectacular to mark the event. It is so much fun and is well attended by people from the whole area. The arts is so important for our society's advancement. We need the emphasis as the schools seem to cut the arts the first pinch of money woes. Not good. It is the arts that keep us all human. We can have different religions, but our insistance on the soul is what keeps us human. Making money is not the be all and the end all of life. No. Appreciation for the arts is IT. It keeps us real and human.

Then I have done whatever writing people wanted me to do to contribute the book celebrating our 125th year of existence as a town. In July will be the celebration. Yippee.

I have started painting again. I had so much preparation for the presentation I gave on May Stevens that I had let my painting go. One cannot do painting because one should. One can paint when one has an idea about it. I am presently painting pears because I feel like painting pears and George happened to bring four beauties home the other day. When I have a painting done I will put a picture of it on this blog. What fun. Pears are sensuous creatures to me. I know they are not creatures, but they seem so to me.

Have a wonderful spring weekend. The weather is chilly but sunny. Yippee-kai-yai!

Still on the go

Today I am once more hustling into my clothes, but for a much less fun event. I just found out that an old friend has died and the funeral is today. Her name is Mitzi Saunders. We had lost touch with one another because of the pressures of life, and I didn't even get to say goodbye to her in her last illness. I feel let down about myself. I think I should be more careful to keep track of my buddies.

At one time we were very fond of each other and into every kind of silliness. We would meet and tell stories, play Scrabble (she was a fanatic player), take trips to Fargo to go to the King's Table for dinner and make a mandatory stop at Barnes and Noble, and meander out to her house boat place outside Dalton. She kept the place just for fishing. She loved to fish. She was diabetic and carried hot tobasco sauce with her to pour on all food to awaken her taste buds. Any illness she had was exacerbated from an exposure to Agent Orange during the Korean War. Because it wasn't during the Viet Nam War she never got any satisfaction from the government or much help with her ailments. But she kept on trucking. She was an inspirational figure to me. And a good friend. And then life conspired to keep us apart for awhile. I regret that. The lesson is to keep your friendships current.

May God bless her and keep her. I will miss her.

Zen anyone?

This is a painting I did inspired by a book about the zen of creative painting. I was to close my eyes and imagine an empty bench and wait to see who would come to sit on my bench. I proceeded to wait ... and wait .... and wait. And noone ever came.. so I called the picture "The Empty Bench!" Originality reigns supreme. I realize that it is rather sad, but I also find it rather hilarious. Go figure.

I am in seventh heaven because my speech went great and now I feel like I did after all my exams were over in college. Footloose and fancy free, or something. On to the next thing. Which is to hustle myself into clothes and go to the gym to exercise (lightly) and laugh (uproariously) with my exercise buddies. Life is good.

How to do it?

Now I'm embroiled in the preparation period of giving a speech about an artist. I will be giving a talk about May Stevens tomorrow at the Art of the Lakes meeting. I have done lots of study, but how to get the nugget of why I find her a fascinating artist over to the listeners. I am going to make reproductions of a few of her paintings. It will be hard to get across because her paintings are enormous. eight feet by 18 feet, some of them. I was so fortunate to hear her talk and visit her paintings at the Minneapolis Art Institute about a year ago. Then I bought a book which accompanied the art exhibit's travel to various venues. I was smitten.

How to pass my enthusiasm to my audience, that's the question. Well, I must get to work and make my plans. Guess I'll procrastinate and read a bit more in My Nero Wolfe mystery. I am a master at procrastination. Sigh.

Groan

Well, it's going to take quite a bit to transform this stocky Scandinavian into a lithe and sinuous mid-eastern belly dancer. All my preconceived notions were right on target. Being 75 years old with bad feet and knees doesn't help, either. I feel like a piece of tenderized steak this morning. That proves it is definitely good for me, but I at least don't feel like I missed my calling. After I got over feeling ridiculous (well, truth be told, I never did get over feeling ridiculous) I gave it my best shot. Not good enough, but I'm still willing to try some more. In spite of all the frou frou, it is a great way to stretch muscles I didn't even know I had. Whether I can make them rotate, now that's the question. Stay tuned for pictures and more info next week. Why, why do I let myself get into these strange situations. Curiosity, for one thing, and the lack of my weekly "no" pill. I have to be more religious in taking that medication. No, no, no, ho, ho, ho. right.

Yesterday Pastor Irv went to the airport in Mpls/St. P to pick up Greta. After extended stays in Japan, and other such countries, she is back in Minnesota. Welcome! I followed her adventures on her pepyride website with great interest. Glad she got back safe and sound.
The kids nowadays (how is that for an old geezer's remark) do seem to travel far and wide. My own kids have been in Africa, Europe, Japan, Korea, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France (Oh, I guess that's Europe) and Bahrain. Goodness. On our 50th wedding anniversary year our kids sent us on a trip to Europe and we went to museums! Wahoo.

And we have made a yearly trek to Canada for fishing and camping trips. And we lived in Brazil for five years. Add Brazil to the kid's list above. Anyway, I think the mobility of today is amazing. It also spells danger with the easy travel of pestilence and plague. Isn't it strange how most positives have a negative lurking in the wings, and vice verse. Oh, well. (Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative and don't mess with Mr. in-between.)

Have a wonderful day. Sunny again here.

Today's the Day

Ok. From now on I will not only be "Still Kickin'," I will be "Still Dancin'." Yup. Tonight is my first Belly Dancing Class. I will be sure to give you a comprehensive report tomorrow, if I am still able to sit at the computer and type. I presume I will be even more able to proceed with my life after such an endeavor, but just in case - It's been good to know ya.

One of the problems that presents itself in the contemplation of the class is what to wear. Although that is often a concern, this time it is an unprecedented mystery. All of the scenes from the old movies of mid-east bistro belly dancers race into my mind and I have a vision of scarves and gold bangles and body piercings - long before piercings became common place in the US - even in backwater Minnesota. I am reassured by my compadres that all I need to wear is my usal garb - just something comfortable. So I believe jeans and a T-shirt are called for. Or????????? Who knows what sort of inspiration I will achieve by tonight. That, too, will be explained tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day. Sunshine reigns triumphant here today.

Camping

Camping is one of the things we do best. I had never gone camping in any real sense until I married George. I avow that he is the world's best camper. I just go along for the fun and do the cooking and clean-up. He puts up the tents and does all the other work that camping entails. We sleep in our van and have two screen tents. One for eating and cooking and the other for reading or painting. We have a love of camping places near to a lake. You might think that that is not difficult to find, but you would be wrong. Many camp spots are a little clearing surrounded by trees. Claustrophobic me does not like such spots and we steer clear of them. We have the absolutely most marvelous spot and are heading for it the first week in August. You can apply to come with us if you wish. We have to "vet" you before we give you permission to enter Eden with us. Yowsah. and Wahoo.

I don't know when I have enjoyed the coming of Spring as much as I have this year. It is such fun to see George doing his usual chores in the yard. He was very ill this winter, so the fact that he is so much better now is a joy. It makes us appreciate every little thing. A person should always live like that, but it takes a nice little scare to drive it home. Yowsah and Wahoo.

Have a wonderful day. Enjoy your friends and family.

Summertime, and the livin is easy...

I look out in the backyard and see my husband de thatching the lawn. He looks great. After some illness this winter it is such a relief to see him looking well and doing his usual stuff. When you get to be our age (OLD) you do not take any of this for granted, but thank God for each opportunity to do the usual stuff. It is not unusual for us to say, "If we live to see.... the springtime, or the garden, or whatever." All of it is a gift from God.

Yesterday was a meeting of our birthday club. We met for dinner, gifts to the honoree, and a trip to the live outdoor passion pageant put on at Zion Lutheran Church in Alexandria. It was a raw and windy day so I got chilled, but it was very well done and interesting. Very well attended, too, which was nice for them after the obviously busy time they had put in to get ready for this event. After I came home, I wrapped my self in a quilt that my mother made. It has wool batting which is very warm, and the memories of mother's love makes it even more comfy. It took me several hours to get over the chill. Today I am fine!

Naomi and Tony are planning a trip to Tanzania next winter to teach at a girls' school there. Naomi will teach English and Tony math. They are volunteers and will be looking for some donations to help finance their time there as well as their travel costs. I hope it will be a very fulfilling adventure for them as well as a help for the school. More details will follow as time goes on. Have a wonderful day, and notice all the small things. Don't take them for granted!

Takin' it easy

These two are our guests this week! Chillin' out and having a rest. Great fun. Another friend took us out for smelt. Yes, you heard it - smelt. If you're from around here you know what I'm talking about. Little fish deep fried whole and dipped in wonderful tartar sauce as you eat the crispy little critters. It is definitely an acquired taste, but our friends have taken us each year until we finally agree that it is a delicacy. Of course, there's smelt and then there's smelt. Like everything else, some prepare it better than others. We went to the annual affair at Parker's Prairie which was absolutely yummy and is the best offering of smelt around here in my opinion.

Half way through the dinner I developed a killer nose bleed. Oofta. Naomi and I went out and applied cold compresses, etc., and finally got it under control. I think I better cut back a bit on my blood thinner!

I am stuffed from eating too much, so I think I will just go and chill out in my recliner. I'm going to take it easy.

Just one more pear!

This was a beautiful pear that I bought and photographed in California. I was going to paint it but didn't have the right kind of paint with me to do what I envisioned. If I get busy and do it now, I will include a foto of the painting. That should be kind of fun. Maybe not. Whatever. We'll have to wait to see how it turns out.

Naomi is home visiting which is always great. She is only here for a couple of days, but we take whatever we can get! She has her dog with her. A very smart Australian Blue Heeler. He's quite aggressive and wanting to herd all the people to do his bidding. She is having limited success training him, but each time we see him he has improved a lot.

Naomi, George and I are heading out for an adventure this afternoon. I have no idea what will finally happen, but we will go shopping, drink coffee and talk. Time will tell. More tomorrow.

Yippee!!

I know I've had this painting in the blog before, but I had to share some good news with you. I went to retrieve two paintings from the Waage Art Show and discovered I had received a Merit Award for this painting. I was very excited and glad. I soldier on with the art stuff wondering what in the world I'm doing, so a pat on the back is appreciated. Thank you Minnesota Community and Technical College, Fergus Falls, for the kudos. I had the killer sore throat so I wasn't able to go to the open house for this show.
The name of the painting is Evening Tide and I painted it to go with a poem by an Alexandria poet.

Izzy is reading a book entitled "The Namesake" and I was reminded of the mix up I have had with my name through the years. My nickname is Vicki. My real name is Delia Loretta. No one has ever called me Delia, so when I get the phone calls to best friend Delilah or DeLia or whatever, I realize it is someone who doesn't know me at all. My nuclear childhood family has always called me Loretta, but when I went off to college I realized that the comparison of my klutzy overweight self with the other Loretta, Loretta Young, was just downright bizarre. She would come floating in on a cloud of chiffon every week on her television show, and I would just trip and fall and break a toe. In response to this impetus, I took the nickname "Vicki" from my maiden name, "Vick." Every time someone would wonder what my last name was, they would say, "Vicki.... Ah, I don't remember your last name," and I would say "Vick," and they would feel foolish. It was great.

I had a go-around with it when I was out in California. John took me in to the day-care place and signed me in as Vicki Larson so I could pick Matt up. One of the days I went to pick him up they asked me for identification, so I gave them my driver's license and my pass, and both of them were in the name Delia L. Larson. It took half an hour for them to track Beth down and get her ok to let me pick up Matt. I was glad they were careful, however.... you can't be too careful these days.

The quilts that I have been telling you about have been quilted and are getting the binding sewn on. I will be finishing up the last little bit of stitching by hand, and they will be done. They are looking great. Cherie says she and the kids might be stopping by to pick them up later in the year, so that will be lots of fun. I'm sure I wouldn't recognize the kids as they have been growing by leaps and bounds. They are a great niece and nephew!

It is a beautiful sunny day. The wind is raw today, but just looking outside, it's great.

Sigh

Another day when the blog is refusing to put up a picture. Oh, well.

I have a very busy day ahead of me. Lots of errands and meetings and fun during the day. In the evening we are meeting a group of friends for supper (dinner?) and then to a special presentation of the Gospel of Mark at the Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls. I will tell you the particulars of the presentation tomorrow.

It is so nice to feel well again. YES.

I am preparing a talk for the Art of the Lakes meeting on the 18th of April. I love giving talks about artists I am crazy about. This time it will be about May Stevens. I was fortunate enough to realize she was going to be at the Minneapolis Institute of Art last May with a speech and a show of her art. The title of her talk," The Water Remembers" caught my fancy when I saw it in the monthly magazine of the MIA, so I went to stay with Naomi and to the talk and the show. I was completely blown away by her and her paintings. She's 80 and still going strong. YES. I love the example. Now the trick is to give a talk that does her paintings justice and gives just a flavor of who the woman is. She is an activist, feminist and a painter. Does wonderful writing as well as very strong painting. If you're in New York, there is a lot of her work at the Mary Ryan Gallery there.

I will no doubt be giving you tidbits about the woman as the days go on, but I'll try not to do more than that! If you're in Battle Lake on the 18th, come to my talk. 1 pm. Yousah.

Well, off to my breakfast and my day. Izzy is reading a book by jhumpa lahiri. Is that an Indian name? And the title of the book is "The Namesake." Interesting. Talk to ya tomorrow.

Intrepid grandson

One has to get the correct protective wear to compete in life. I'm not sure I have what I need for my life, but I keep on trying. The spiritual armor I need to keep on keeping on must look as bizarre to some people as this outfit of Matthew's does to me. All this so he can ride on his scooter, I think. Or is it inline skates? I'm not sure. Anyway, he's prepared! Maybe he has some wheels in the heels of the shoes that he's wearing. I'm just not sure.

I went to the gym this morning, but I am woefully out of shape after my three week hiatus. I'll keep on truckin' and hope soon to be able to reach the level at which I can keep up. I have to be ready for my belly dancin' efforts. I will hope to include some awesome pictures from that adventure, so be sure to keep on checking this awesome blog! You bet.

I think I've figured out why sometimes I can't download (why not upload?) pix onto this site. It is when I've been checking some of the other blogs I read before I come here to do mine, ESPECIALLY Izzy's. Yeah, man, that video stuff is a drag. I do only have dial up, so that's probably why. Sigh. I love your blog, so don't abandon the pix that I can manage. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE. adios

Back to Normal

Today has been a wonderful day. I feel great. Was able to sing in the choir and didn't cough even once! Pastor Irv is back after a three month sabbatical. All's right with the world. Well, of course, that isn't true! But my world is much improved.

Izzy: I can't even download your blog because those blasted video things take up too much space. Advise me - how do I use them. They don't do anything, no matter which of those little arrows and things i click on. sob. sob.

We had a great trip to Fargo yesterday. Bought some books and ate some shrimp at Red Lobster. I love those biscuit things they give you. The Buffalo River was over its banks and we could see flooding in many fields. The highway and streets were fine, though.

We are contemplating going to the movies tonight. We are getting downright frisky. Right. Have a wonderful day.

Fools' Day

Well, I feel a little about this day the way I feel about Mother's Day and Father's Day. Every day should be dedicated to all the fools in the world. They need all the help they (we) can get! If we didn't have a little foolishness to decorate our hum drum existence we would be in a sorry state. I'm for dedicating every day to foolishness... at least a little foolishness.

I have decided I am not going to take paintings to Hawley. It is too long a haul and I was reading the instructions ( a little late, I admit) and realized I have to pick up the paintings next Sunday afternoon at 4. I am going to be meeting with the birthday club in Alex on that day, so I decided it was getting too complicated. Maybe next year.

So..... we are going to Fergus to pick up some paintings from the Waage exhibit, and then on to Fargo for an old folks' day out. Books and food, that's the ticket.

Hopefully there won't be enough flooding that it impedes our path. All the news brings back memories of the flood when John and Beth lived north of Moorhead on the river. Now that was flooding. Hopefully it is still in the infant stages and won't be bad. I will report later. God willing and the creek don't rise.