Comments

Ok. My sister is trying to figure out how to leave a comment. This is my instruction. See if some of you can follow it, and see if she is a good student and can do so as well. Then we can see what kind of instructions I can write!

On my blog, at least, you will not confront the crazy letters. Thank goodness. First, you take your mouse and you left click on the notation "comments" at the bottom of the post. (FYI: You left click with your index finger as you hold the mouse in your right hand. )You remove your hand from the mouse and wait a moment for the computer to comply with your command! On the page that is revealed to you, a blinking line should be in the box on the right hand part of the page with a space for your comment, which you should proceed to write. When you are finished, take the mouse and, if you have a blog, you would sign in with that information or not, as you please. If you do not have a blog, you would point your mouse arrow at either the little round dot before the word anonymous or the word other, proceed as directed, then publish your comment. I will be overjoyed! Come on troops... just do it. Fran, the ball is in your court.

Which brings me to tennis. Both Fran and I are rabid fans of tennis. She now has cable and can watch all the tennis from Wimbledon. I am filled with envy. But I hang in there and tape the games on the networks that I must miss because of commitments in our big town celebration. I have been known to feign illness just to be sure to see a favorite player. This year is the last time for Andre Agassi. He is a wonder. It's been fun to watch him mature, seemingly right before our eyes. He's become an example of how to mature in the right way, albeit with many little detours along the way. I wonder how the next chapters of his life will go.

Okay. I'll be waiting for comments. Be good to me, now.

Potpouri

I have lots of different stuff bubbling up to the top of my consciousness this morning. One thing is a total irritation about those screwy letters they have to prove that you are a person and not just a computer generated comment. That would be fine if I could read those letters. The g's look like q's, the m's and w's are sometimes confusing, etc., etc., and I often do not get my comments printed because I cannot correctly transcribe the distorted letters. Or are my comments so offensive that they are not allowable? I don't think so. I'm generally rather a mild mannered sort. Oh, well. I will survive.

Yesterday at book club we had a great time. The Knute Nelson establishment has an inordinate number of halls leading hither and thither, however. I finally was able to negotiate one particular route to retrieve my forgotten book bag from the patio, but I felt a bit like one of the great explorers in doing so.

The get together was fabulous. Donna is doing great after her joint replacement and was busy traversing the multitude of hallways with a most ingenious walker that she propelled while resting her arms on a padded surface. In that way she could stand erect and not lean over. She had distorted her whole frame resting on a four pronged cane for lo these many months. Now, the idea is to get her back to an erect posture. It seems to be going very well. She also still has her effervescent personality and is looking forward to returning home today.

We all agreed that the book was outstanding and one that we wanted to continue to read, dipping into it occasionally for inspiration. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Fabulous. We all highly recommend it.

After book club we went to downtown Alexandria for a shopping spree. We were very encouraged by finding fun shops and great sale prices. Can anything be better? Alexandria has done so well by their downtown while also generating a great mall. Now with the advent of several huge discount stores, I hope the antique and funky clothes shops will continue to prosper, as well as the mall. Do we have enough population to support them all? Time will tell.

Well, off to Battle Lake to sit the gallery. Hopefully we will sell tons of art. Right. Take care.

Singing Bird

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come."
Chinese Proverb.

This was the framing I was doing night before last when I cut my finger with the razor blade. It is a collage with mixed media, 14 inches by 8 inches.
There was a spot at the Coffeehouse Art Center display that needed a small painting this size, so Gwen said I should paint one. Abracadabra. I pruned this from a larger painting I had already done that didn't quite jell. Fun.

Today is our book club meeting. We are meeting at a recuperative center in Alexandria this morning (The Knute Nelson Home). One of our members just had knee replacement surgery and is not yet at home. Our get-together is always fun. And this venue will be a new experience for us. We have just read "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson. This is the kind of book that takes a long time to read. There is a ponderable moment on almost every page. It won the Pulitzer Prize. Wonderful reading. I loved it, as you can tell.

Off to my day. Have a good one! Hope we have a singing bird in our hearts today!

Art storage THINGAMAJIG

That seems to be a good title for this piece of equipment. THINGAMAJIG. It stores paintings and large sheets of watercolor paper. I am already at work in the art room, cleaning and arranging. Last night I got down to it and was cutting a painting to frame it. The frame already had a painting in it that I was sick of, so I was using a single edged razorblade to remove the paper from the back of the frame to get the old painting out, when the razor blade slipped and I sliced my left index finger. At first I thought it was just a knick but then it turned into a small slice and bled like crazy. Four bandaids later, I finally got it to stop bleeding and this morning I removed the plethora of bandaids and was able to replace four with one only. It's amazing how sharp these small instruments can be. Today, I am no worse for wear, however, which is good news.

I remember an occasion when I was cutting fabric with one of the rolling blades. I cut off the tip of a finger with that blade and had to go to get a stitch to stop the bleeding. Hmm. Perhaps I should stick to using an exacto knife and forget these other razor type instruments. On the other hand, live dangerously. That is obviously my motto. The saga continues.

It is very quiet around here today. Just the two old folks. No very busy son and peripatetic grandson. The evidence of their visit is all around us and cheers us on our way, but we miss their actual physical presence. Hope their trip is going well.

kitchen cabinets reborn

These are rather disappointing pictures of the spanking clean kitchen cabinets. I am so thrilled with them as they are beautiful and newly exciting. I wonder how long it will be before I will take them for granted and no longer notice their splendor? It would be like those folks who have a marvelous mountain view out the window and never notice it because of its familiarity. Or those who live at the lake and never glance out the window. Hmmm. I do love the kitchen cabinets, though, and think I will be less stressed day by day because of the wonderful soothing color.

We miss John and Matthew and Piper, the dog. They did so much to enhance our quality of life while they were here. We wish them well on the rest of their trip out to their new home in Virginia. Beth is with them now, so they are happy campers! Bon voyage.

Our whole town is gearing up to celebrate the 4th of July. It is the 125th anniversary of the founding of our fair city, so a special hoopla is in order. All kinds of fun stuff is planned. I will try to keep you somewhat posted on the most exciting of the events. For now I am going back to my recliner for a short nap. I've been waking up at 4 lately, so a nap is in order. I will try to post this blog more often. In the next blog I will include a picture of the art stanchion that John built me. There should be a better descriptive word for it, and perhaps I will know it by tomorrow. Have a good day!

Transformation!!!

Remember that wonderfully decorative scorch (actually, burn is more accurate) mark that enhanced our kitchen cabinet door? This is the same door after it has been transformed by the artistry of our son, John. He is a magician. I'm crazy about the color, and the workmanship is top notch. His visit is drawing to a close, but the wonderful work he has done in helping to upgrade our home is inestimable. What a boon.

He, his son, dog, truck and boat are departing on Friday. They will pick up his wife in Minneapolis and continue their cross country oddysey. Wow. He and his family are about to commence a new chapter in their family story. We are going to miss them, but it is time for them to go to their new home. It is an exciting adventure.

Watching basketball together is something that John and I like to do. We used to do it with considerable passion, but our interest is less intense with our aging. These last games have been very interesting, not the least of the interest being generated by the childish antics of the Maverick owner. He thinks he has so much money that he can do anything and then just pay the fine. Hmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder if he knows how bad he makes himself look?

Have a great day. I will take more pictures of some of the cool stuff that John has done and let you see that at a future date.

Happy Father's Day!

The weather is simply glorious! Very windy, but the heavy humidity is gone and the air is breathable. What a difference it makes in one's outlook and mood.

Our silent auction and bake sale at the Coffeehouse Art Center raised some money, but we were a bit disappointed at the turn out. As we continue with our efforts, we hope people will become more and more accustomed to supporting the arts in our community. That is the goal!

I contributed a painting to the silent auction and I was very glad that one of my friends got it. I don't know how much she contributed, but whatever it was - I'm glad I know where the painting is. They do seem always to have a connection to you.

Off to have chicken and pizza at the Melby Outpost. Yum.

Happy Father's Day!

More rain

We've had a bit of rain every day this last week. Nothing punishing, just something nourishing. John and Matthew and I went to the movies last night. They went to XMan three and I went to the Prairie Home Companion. George isn't feeling so great, so he stayed home. I liked the movie. It is a very strange conglomeration of stuff, just as is the radio show. But having Garrison Keiller (sp?) on film is a wonderful service to the world. The rest of the cast is great, but we have most of them already recorded for us. GK is new to celluloid, I believe, and is a great addition. (Celluloid: now there's an old idea!) I will have to get the DVD when it comes out so I can savor his singing.

We are having a silent auction down at the Art Center. Some great stuff including an original painting of mine. We are trying to raise money for aircondioning and furnace. We'll see how it goes. It is like pulling teeth to get people to come to things. Why? Anyone got an idea? It is rather discouraging to see the lack of foresight sometimes. Even avarice doesn't seem to do the trick. We'll see. I will try to keep my hopes up.

The cabinets are coming right along. They are so great. I love the color. I always forget how much the colors around me affect my mood.

Take care and have a great day!

Wowee

The size of the font today is HUGE. I didn't change anything that I know of, but the machine must have all of a sudden realized it was dealing with a senior citizen. My goodness. I don't know how to adjust it! Oops, I just figured it out. Now.... which one do I like best. The large was kind of fun... well, there are even larger letters like these available. I suppose it is for things you want to emphasise or something. I think this is called normal, and it was the one that I originally thought was so huge. The theory of relativity!

Today is overcast and looks vaguely ominous. The kitchen cabinets are well on their way to completion. I tried my paper mache stuff with my grandson yesterday. It was a complete and utter disaster. He just kept muttering, "this is disgusting." It really was. scraps of paper and glue over everything and on everything. Luckily we were out in the screened in tent so the pieces of paper and glue were outside and not on the carpet. My idea was not good. It was to use the shredded paper from our shredder with wallpaper paste to make snazzy paper mache. Nothing snazzy about it. It's hard for me to give up my dream, though. I keep thinking about things I could do to make it work. Then I think, just forget it and throw the blame stuff away! Which will win? Stay tuned.

Well, I better get on with my day. I hope it will be fun and I live to see another day. If not, see ya in heaven. where life will be grand

Rainy Day

It isn't pouring rain. It is drip-dropping rain. Perfect for the garden, but rather dampening to the spirits. Neither fish nor fowl. (Now there is an odd expression.) So it is hard to plan our day. The painting and fixing of the cabinets will still be possible, but other "play" type stuff outside will not. Or Golf. It is giving such a poor imitation of a real rain that it might cease and desist any moment. Then life will be easier for both the 82 year old and the 4 year old. And if life is easier for them, it's easier for all of us.

George has caught a cold, worse luck. Right now when we have all the great company. Bummer. Hopefully it will not be a debilitating illness and he will still be able to golf and do other stuff. Stay tuned!

I went to a meeting last night up at Art of the Lakes in Battle Lake. My friend Carol and I drove up together. It was fun and we saw some art brought by people for critique. We hadn't realized that was part of the deal so didn't bring anything, but those who knew brought some pottery, some wooden objects and some colored pencil art. All were awesome, in my estimation. Then we spent the time learning to etch using plexiglass. My attempt was a total failure, but Nadine Peters had wonderful success, even with her first attempt. Right on, Nadine. It is always fun to get together and meet with art friends. The event was an outreach by the New York Mills group. Our (AOTL) regular meeting will be next Tuesday night at 7.

Tonight is guest night at our church ladies group. Missionaries from Tanzania will be there. It is the first time I have met our missionaries, and to hear them tell us about it will be a special treat for me as our daughter and her husband are hoping to go to Tanzania in October to spend four months teaching at a girls' school. I will get a glimpse of the place ahead of time. Great.

Take care and have a great day. Hi ho to Izzy and Ashlee, Fran and Bud and Elaine, and any one else who wanders onto this page. by for now.

Painting of a different sort

Our son is busy helping us redo our kitchen cabinets. They don't really need it. Right. As you can see, I inflicted great bodily harm on one of the doors at Christmas time. I was so intent on lighting one of the advent wreath's candles that I forgot about the candle that was already lit on the opposite (back) side of said wreath. It didn't even set off the smoke alarm, but it was a bit of a jolt. Oofta. Luckily, I saw the problem almost immediately and removed the source of the flame at once.

We (The "we" I mention is our son, his son, my husband and me) are presently removing and cleaning all of the cabinet doors and the drawers. Then we are going to prime and paint. I will update this account as we progress. We're bound to have some humorous or not so humorous problems along the way.

"The boys" went fishing last evening and brought back a catch of sunfish. The four and a half year old was as ecstatic at catching them as the 82 year old was at seeing him catch them. The 40 year old kept them safe and sound. Really exciting times here in mid Minnesota. Work hard all day and then, go fishin'. Or golfin. Life is good.

The weather is glorious again today. I was afraid it would be cold while our boys were home, but it is turning out just perfect. The corn is growing by inches every night while I seep, and the rest of the stuff is just amazing. My view from the keyboard is all marvelous shades of green as contrasted to the dark brown of rich earth. Fab. Have a good day.

Today is Awesome, too

I hit the wrong button or something on that last posting. So everything evaporated. The reason it is an awesome time is that our son and his son and their dog are here for an extended visit. Today is more awesome because our daughter and her husband are also coming today. We have three birthdays in June between us, so we are going to do a big huzzah today. Great. Yup. I think that qualifies as awesome.

I don't have much time for an extended post, but I just wanted to explain what happened with the last one. My brain isn't completely fried, just slightly poached. More as the days progress and I get my brain back... IF I get my brain back. At this advanced age, who knows? (The Shadow knows what evil lurks in the hearts of man.) You youngsters won't remember that radio show, but I grew up listening to that sentence said in a sepulchral tone. Any of you remember the sinister laugh that went with it? Or was that somewhere else? We used to race home from school to listen to radio programs. Jack Armstrong - The All American Boy, The Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, and The Shadow. There were others, too. Orphan Annie was one. The radio was a big cabinet one, and I would lay on the carpet glued to every word. Such fun. We would save up cereal box tops and send for decoder rings from Dick Tracy.

Well.. so much for my walk down memory lane. Have a GREAT Saturday.

Awesome Day

Happiness is.....

I am so excited. I got 2 big boxes from Fed Ex or UPS or one of those guys. It was the new art supplies that I ordered after the workshop. Wow. 2 new kinds of paper of just the right sort. A snazzy new brush that should make all the difference in my painting! (right) and some new paints. I let myself get talked into getting Yarka Russian water color paints. We'll see now if it does any good at all in how my paintings turn out. Stay tuned.

But we don't go far from our childhood exultation at getting something new. Who can forget the thrill of new shoes? And the agony of having to wear them on the carpet for a bit to see if they fit. If they didn't fit, the carpet would leave the soles in good shape so that they could be returned. I couldn't seem to get the idea that if they didn't fit, I could go on looking until I DID find a pair that fit. That returning them didn't mean that I would have no new shoes at all. I sometimes lied and said they were fine when they actually weren't. I had to pay the piper later with sore toes. But new art supplies is just PURE joy. Yeah. Pure joy.

Now I'll have to do some painting. Maybe tonight. Maybe.

Quilts

You remember back when I was talking about doing the quilts for my nephew's kids. Well, they're totally completed so I thought I would try to get a picture of one of them. It was cloudy outside just coming on a storm, so I laid them on the grass and snapped away. This picture will give you a feel for what they're like, and I will include another of the blue quilt another day. I am looking forward to seeing them soon as they travel to their new home in Nebraska, and I am SO glad that I managed to get these quilts done. The yellow triangle at the top is just a peek at the quilt's reverse color.

I spent a couple of days with my sister this weekend and we talked up a storm. We have to be sure to sleep in different rooms or we would never stop talking! We were trying to make up for lost time as for five years she lived up the hill from me and we could get together whenever we wanted to, but now the hours are limited and precious that we can be together. We talk on the phone and are on e-mail, but being together is the best. In our family there were three siblings, my sister, my brother and me. I am the baby! At 75, I am STILL the baby. We are so fortunate that we are all still alive and more or less OK. It gives us a special enjoyment of each other and the lives which we are still able to lead. God has been very good to us. We had a wonderful home life with parents who nurtured us and insisted that we be educated. We've all three had exceptionally fulfilling lives. Now, we'll see if my siblings agree with me after they read this glowing account!

We need to cherish our times with each other, all of us with our loved ones. Those days can come to a screeching halt at any time. Enjoy your life one day at a time. Yes.

Inspiration

This is one of the pix from the workshop. The workshop did much more for me than inspire paintings... It got me energized. I have a million ideas for more art, and I have cleaned like a whirling dervish today to get my space more organized. Huzzah. (Some of my friends actually have some figurines of whirling dervishes!)

Izzy asked me how I got started painting. As a girl I always fooled around with sketching, but never ever took any art courses in school. I don't even know if they were offered.. Certainly not in my small town school where we had 14 members in our class. Later in the big city school where there were 400 in my class, maybe. I just never paid attention to them if they were offered. However, I find little sketches in diaries, etc.

Soon after we were married, George gave me an oil painting set, so I must have exhibited some interest. I got extremely frustrated at trying to paint water. It always looked like varnish. But I did a few things. Barns and ash cans and still lifes. When we were packing to go to Brazil, most of those early attempts were thrown in the trash fire by my brother-in-law. He suffered from manic depression and was in bad shape, so I don't think it was a malicious burning. I would love to have some of those now to evaluate my progress!

When we returned to the states 30 years ago, I occasionally took a public education offering in the arts. Sketching and painting. Then, when I taught Spanish, my classroom was next to the art room. Spanish was only part-time teaching, so when I wasn't teaching I would "rubber neck" on what they were doing in the art room. I did a bit of ceramics. And then I had the brilliant idea that I was soon going to retire so I better find something to do that would fascinate me. At 65 I started to take lessons from Steve Henning, a local artist. Every Monday afternoon, three of us women would collect in his studio and give him a hard time. We had great fun, and by the time I retired at 67, I was hooked on art.

I have taken myriad workshops and tried almost every medium. I have collected a wonderful assortment of tools of the trade. Whatever occurs to me to try, I can try it.

So for a while I did not take workshops as I felt I should use what I know and get going with it. But the workshops get the juices flowing and the energy building. And they're lots of fun and fellowship as well.

So that's my story, Izzy. Anyone who wants to get started, I can certainly start them. I can give a few informal lessons to you when you get back. For now, start some sketching. Just a few lines on a small pad of unlined paper. Keep trying to sketch a chair, a hand, etc., you can just keep on, good or not. There is a great book called Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain. I think that's the name. That will get you started in an informal way. It would seem you have plenty on your plate, now, but that's a way you can start if you want to.

Have a wonderful June.