Wha's up?

I am finishing reading "Ahab's Wife" so this picture seems rather appropriate. Another book which is a tour de force. An author taking a character from an old book (Moby Dick) and breathing life into him in a new dimension. That is what I love so much about the Laurie R. King books about Sherlock Holmes. It is a very difficult job, and one which is done admirably in the Ahab book. Of course, I adore the Laurie R. King books the most.

It is the time of year to be watching tennis. Wimbledon is at it again. Tomorrow I will watch at 10 am. I don't have cable so it is great that they are showing it on one of the regular network stations (NBC).

There are no American men in the men's side of things, but the Williams sisters are still on the women's side. Time will tell how it goes.

Take care and have a nice 4th of July week.

Why?

I have been pondering why a person writes a blog. There are probably as many reasons as there are bloggers... or a combination of reasons.

It would seem to be to communicate your thoughts to others. I think it is a little bit of that, but also the mere fun of expression. To have a place to mull over things. I love it. Hmmm?

I had the thrill last night to have a phone call from a relative I had not spoken to for a couple of years. She had looked at my blog and wanted to contact me about my paintings. I hadn't thought much about that aspect of my blog, but she said almost 100 people had perused my paintings. Wow. She remembered way back when I was first married and she was a little girl and George had given me oil paints and I was doing a painting of the little barn in the back of my in-laws' house. What memories. She was amazed at the evolution of my paintings - as well she might be! Anyway, it was great to hear from her.

I will have to ask Naomi to show me how to add paintings to the Flicker deal. I have not been able to figure it out on my own.

The weather is finally HOT. Wahoo. Take care.

Where to start?

I have so much news I don't know where to start.

As to ears: They have been adjusted to try to keep the loud treble sounds from sending me into orbit. So far so good. With the fans on I do hear lots of background noise, but that is probably unavoidable. The ear guy is going fishing next week, so it will be two weeks until i go back to get it adjusted again. Seems to be going well, though. I should say 'hi' to his mom who is reading this blog. Your son is great.

As to dog: We will soon be taking him back to his mistress. She is back from Spain after an horrendous trip. They got stuck in Newark airport because of bad weather so she had to begin teaching immediately after they finally got here. I am sure she is rather discombobulated with the drastic change. I'll see her soon and get a full report.

As to eyes: My glasses are pinching my nose. I keep thinking I will get "toughened in," but it doesn't seem to be working that way. Sigh. I can watch television without glasses, so I will try to give my nose a rest.

KW and I went out to lunch on Tuesday to celebrate our birthdays. We went to Clara's Place on the outskirts of Alexandria. It is a place that has all kinds of stuff for sale in Clara's Barn, and then a little luncheon place. It is on a country lake with the concomitant peaceful view. We love it. Check it out. It's on the way to the Winery.

KW let me off at Cherry Street Books in downtown Alex. I love that place. The outside of it is darling, and the inside is filled with books (surprise, surprise!) and other colorful stuff. I wallowed around reading a bit here and there in this book and then that book. Paradise. When George was done with his errands he stopped in and picked me up for the ride home.

Take care and keep in touch!

"Ye that have ears...."

I took my new ears out for a test drive today. It's amazing the things you hear that you didn't know were making noise. For example, the keys on this keyboard are clicking away when i always thought they were silent! The car is much more noise-filled as well, and I can hear the floor creak under my feet in the kitchen. George reading the newspaper and shaking it to get it to suit his desires is so loud it almost makes me want to cry out in pain!

I took my new ears to the gym today and they seemed to be ok. I am quite a gal now with new eyes and new ears. Wahoo. Several of the gals oooohed and aaaahed at how small and inconspicuous they are. So far, I am very pleased. Time will tell.

I will be the most parsimonious of people for the next year as I will be paying for this miraculous acquisition of hearing. The aids are not inexpensive, but I believe they will be well worth their cost. As time goes on, I will continue to report to you. My equilibrium also seems to be better.

Take care.

Walking Poles

At this moment, this is the matriarch of our tribe. We should all be so active! Naomi uses this type of walking stick in Spain, so perhaps she will be just as frisky when she gets to this age! Wahoo. Way to go! The walking in Montana is either up a hill or down a hill, so the sticks really help.

I have book club today and we will be talking about the book, "Neither Wolf nor Dog" by Kent Nerburn. I found the book absolutely fascinating. I have a hunch that people will either love it or hate it, or a little of both. The author lives in Minnesota and we hope to have him talk at the Art Center next year.

So far I have had a "sit in the recliner" week. Hopefully I will have more oomph as the week goes on. I get a start on my new ears tomorrow. That should be a fascinating experience and hopefully will help me remove the "barrel" feeling from around my head. Yippee skippee.

Take care.

banana

Well, ok. This picture is cute but it arrived here by sheer ineptitude. It has the title banana. I wanted to see it because i couldn't imagine what it was. I clicked on it and it immediately was uploaded to the blog... Good night what a cute boy! And he has the banana game I found for him for Christmas in his hand. It's a letter tile deal that I got over at Cherry Street Books. The tiles are contained in a zip bag that looks like a banana. Thus the title "banana."

It is such a beautiful day after a stormy night. Lots of lightning, thunder, wind and rain. Just the kind of night I love as long as it doesn't get too wild. Much to George's dismay, the garden is getting lots of weeds because he can't get out to weed as it is too muddy.

Fran has all of her stuff in her new digs and now has the fun of getting all organized. I have never known anyone who loves to arrange and rearrange as much as she does! More power to her! Naomi will be back in Minnesota (si Deus quizer) in less than 10 days. The summer is starting to whiz by in its inevitable way. Pay attention to each day. Wow. Take care.

Spring has Sprung

I am looking out my window at two bunnies hopping around in the garden. They are really cute, but now that it is Spring and the plants are up - corn, tomatoes, onions, potatoes on our side and oodles of more exotic plants in our neighbor's plantings - bunnies change from being cute to being menacing. They don't seem to be nibbling the produce, yet, though.

The thrill of green grass is hard to exagerate. After a hard Minnesota winter, spring is a feast to the eyes. Now that I have my new eyes, the greens are even brighter!

Fran and I talked on the phone. She is beginning to become acclimated to her new environs. Her furniture will be arriving on Monday. Not to speak about her fabric collection, books, dvds and tapes, etc., etc. Then she will have the "fun" of setting it all up. Actually, she loves doing that so it should be relatively painless.

Naomi is living through her adventure in Spain. Her knee hasn't blown yet, and she will certainly have a tale to tell us. I hope she is taking plenty of pictures.

I am happy to report that our "It Figures" gym is up and running. How would we exist without our exercising buddies? The exercise is good for us, of course, but the fun is in the socializing. We do have a good time. I will report from time to time on how it is going.

Remember the furor we had about the spiders? Well, we have pretty well put that controversy to rest. We (Freddy) decided that it was phobia that made the spiders so big. At the moment, that is where our research remains. The spiders exercise, too, however, so they may just be waiting to launch an attack in a pumped up version. The mystery may reappear at any moment. (Exit with spooky music.) Take care.

Whirlwind

My mind is in a whirl. The last week has been filled with so many images and ideas. It was great to get the family together before Fran moved to Helena. We talked and talked. And then it was over. All of us is coping with some ailment or other, but we're still alive and kicking! Thanks to the next generation, we had this opportunity to get together. I salute you, Jeff and Sherry.

Then on Sunday we drove to Buffalo to pick up Naomi's pooch from Bed and Bone. The barking there is unbelievable. Luckily the establishment is out in the country or the neighbors would definitely have a reason to complain. He was his usual urbane self and we headed to I94 at Monticello and then on up to Evansville. A few miles north of Monticello it started to rain and we noticed an ominoous cloud to the South. I mentioned it looked just like the wall cloud Fran and I drove through a few years ago. We drove on home with no particular difficulty and then heard on the news that we had just missed a tremendous hail storm and tornadoes. Oofta. I hope Bed and Bone weathered the storm ok. Hugo had a tremendous tornado touchdown with a small child killed. Hugo is just north of the Twin Cities. Coon Rapids also suffered some and Parkersburg in Iowa had 7 deaths.

El Perro is doing fine. He is quite mellow and seems to be resting after his arduous time with all the other dogs. Naomi and Amy are having a great time in Spain. It is a tremendously challenging adventure as they walk many miles each day over very rough terrain. They start out early in the morning and walk up to 20 miles until early in the afternoon. They settle into a place that I suppose is like a hostel, and then find a place to check into the Internet if possible. We have heard almost every day from them via e-mail which is a great comfort. Nay has had a bad knee and Amy has had a killer cold, but they are soldiering on and hope to make the walk in the prescribed time period... so they can catch their flight to Madrid. (At least that is how I understand it!)

I will soon have new glasses and two hearing aids. Watch out world! Take care.

A man is beside me!

Jeff is sitting beside me but his mother, Fran, is in the other room talking up a storm. I am trying to show Jeff how the magic of blogging operates.

Of course, as you all know, my long suit is showing everyone what to do!!!

Take care.

The new me

I have had quite a week. I will soon be all remade and be able, not only to see, but also to hear! I have ordered new "stylin'" eyeglasses with the help of KW. I have also ordered hearing aids for both ears.

George went with me and we met with the ear guy. He explained that I didn't suddenly lose so much hearing but that the coping skills I had developed finally had reached their limit to make sense of what I was hearing. So we will see how it goes. He said I could probably hear vowel sounds but not distinguish the consonants. I know that when I watch "Wheel of Fortune" I don't know what letter has been said until Vanna puts it on the board.

My family will be overjoyed now if it turns out I don't have to have the TV on so loud! John has cat-like hearing and the loudness hurts his ears I am sure. The reason I am sure is that he heaved a sigh of relief when I told him I was getting hearing aids! I am excited!

I am trying to get ready for our family get-together. It will be such a wonderful time!

Take care.

Hi Ho

I find that I begin my e-mails (in the subject slot) with hi ho. I didn't realize how annoying that was until I tried to find a specific sent e-mail, and there they were... hundreds (well, not hundreds - but many) of e-mails where the only specification was hi ho. Good luck finding any specific information.

I keep waiting for more comments on the last blog, but I guess the proverbial "when hell freezes over" covers the chances for more comments. I also like to have a picture to go with my blog and I can't decide what to include. Perhaps you could give me ideas of the kind of pictures I could use. As you all know, I aim to please.

I am anticipating our mini family reunion soon. My sister and her son and my brother, his wife and their daughter will soon be here. I am all aflutter. What a thrilling occasion. Hopefully we will be up to the marathon talking that will be taking place. My sister, brother and I are inveterate talkers and all others just have to listen to us. Wahoo. Should be fun for us... I don't know about the others.

Naomi is busy walking in Spain. I hope her legs hold up. If they can actually achieve their goals (and I am sure they will) they will be in awesome shape when they return.

Take care.

Wow times two!

How about that for taking your ease! We came back to Naomi's apartment to find JYY taking his ease in the bed. How cute is that?

Today is the day N starts on her trip to Spain. Oofta. I just got a call from her and she is already to go but is at loose ends as she doesn't need to go for another hour! Talk about efficiency! JYY is off to Bed and Bone for a couple of weeks, after which George and I will have him.

By the way, Fran, after your discription of my painting I wonder if the rule of double negatives applies? Two negatives make a positive. If that is true you must really love the painting and I know now what to give you for your birthday! Lucky you!

I am catching a cold, so I will follow my usual rule and hit the deck for a couple of days. Drink lots of liquids and take lots of vitamin C. I seem to be existing on the deck now, so I don't know if the rule really applies. My lack of energy is the pits. Ah, well, spring will soon have sprung and summer is a great energy booster!

Take care.

wadya think?

Well, folks. ... which do you prefer? Rotten Pears or this version, called Putrid Pears. I await your votes!

The weather today is beautiful. Sunny and mild breezes. I took a meander up to Battle Lake and everything is springing up! Wahoo.

Take care.

Well, finally....

The sun is shining brightly.

This is the rotten pear picture as I found it. I have since done a bit to it so you will have a chance to comment on which version you prefer. (or none?)

We went to St. Paul to visit Naomi and had a fun time. I got a hair cut. We visited Fran. She got to see Naomi's apartment. I found the book we're reading in book club at a second hand book store. "Light a Penny Candle" by Maeve Binchy. I am just beginning to read it and it is very charming. All in all a fun time!

Now I am at home and trying to get up enough energy to go shopping for glasses. KW? When should we go? She promises me we can find me some cute ones. I want cheap but cute. Do you suppose that is possible? Or is cute always more expensive. We will see. I promise a picture when it is all accomplished.

Take care.

SNOW

Wow. I94 was closed from Moorhead to Alexandria for most of the day. This is the backyard. The box deal is a "green house" that our neighbor was about to fill with tomato plants and a glass top. Luckily he hadn't quite gotten to it. Give me a break.

Our trip to Mpls has been postponed for the present because of the blizzard. The change in weather seems to be affecting me more than it used to. Luckily, I don't have any particular thing I am responsible for doing as I find myself feeling definitely miserable.

Have to be down to my studio and stir up some more "jello." My reaction to seeing the two paintings was interesting. In the new painting there is some inner energy that is hard to describe. Both paintings were done with actual pears as "models." The first is more realistic, but the second has a sort of inner energy that I like. Different time of year, too, so they were different types of pears. After I had done the first painting, I forgot the pears until I came down to find them totally rotten. I painted two of them. You will see them in the next blog.

With anticipation, Take care.

First Take...

This is a picture of the first painting I did of five pears. Hmmmm. Interesting to see the changes from 2004 to now.

We are in the midst of a wild winter snow storm! Yesterday was springlike and today is raging blizzard. Go figure. One of the worst storms I have been in was on May 1 in Iowa many years ago. We were planning a trip to Minneapolis, even had our coats on, when we changed our mind. If we were hale and hearty it would be a lark, but now it could be a disaster. Sigh. I do love driving in terrible weather.

I'll take a picture tomorrow and put it in the next blog. Take care.

Variation on a Theme

When all else fails, return to the original name of this blog: "Two Pair and a Spare." Once again I am not getting the best photo of this masterpiece, but it will give you the idea.

I think it is the smell of change in the air that makes it difficult to type. My daughter going to Spain for her long walk; my sister moving to Montana; my eyesight much improved, but very strange; spring is springing; Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I really liked Bananafish's idea of writing about some of my favorite artists. I will mull a bit and get back to you. My mind is already furiously speeding around.... WHICH ONE TO START WITH. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Take care.

Mute? Me?

I know it is hard for my faithful readers to fathom, but I have nothing to say. Had book club this week. Went to poetry night. Have gone to the gym. All fun things, but I have nothing to say. Perhaps you can write a comment to grease the wheels of my mind and loosen my tongue (I suppose it should be "loosen my typing fingers." I await your nudges. Take care

Little Miss Two Eyes

This is how I watch television, Fran! The dark glasses are for wear outside, in the car, and anywhere there might be a danger for dust particles or whatever to get into the eyes because of wind or fans.

One side effect of being able to see without glasses is that I now notice I have very furry eyebrows. I couldn't see them before without my glasses, and with the glasses they were covered up. I will have to renew my expertise with a tweezer!

My poor husband is suffering with shingles. He has terrible pain in his left ear and is generally miserable. This year he has had bacterial pneumonia, a compressed disc in his back, emergency gall bladder surgery, acute bronchitis, breathlessness and a fainting spell, --- and now shingles. We are hoping that spring will bring relief from all his woes. Put a golf club in his hand and seeds into the garden and he will feel better.

Hope to see you soon! Take care.

All Right, already!

How about those shades? I'm trying to decide where I fit in in the dark glasses categories? Audrey Hepburn? (I should be so lucky!) No. An old lady who just had cataract surgery. That is preferable to a Britney Spears wanna be.

I feel so excited about being able to see again that I sort of forgot there were other issues... like putting one foot in front of the other. But i do feel much better.

Tonight is hoops night! I do love to watch basketball and the final dance of the final four... how much better can it get? Take care.