Daily Inconsequentials

Thank you for your kind words on "Boathouse".  By now I think everyone is so tired of it that no one dared say something particular needed attention.  Before the weekend is over I hope to begin work on another painting.  This one I plan to start differently; I'll experiment with a new-to-me technique.  I may show you the start, but then I plan not to give you my weekly report on the painting.  I think you may be suffering from over-exposure. Certainly "Boathouse" took a very long time, and you probably got to the point where you were being asked to look at infinitesimal advances.  So since both my Crazy Quilt block and my wool work are starting up again, I may switch to being tedious about those activities.

 

There's really nothing to report today.  After my hair cut this morning, I spent most of my time working about the house.  I prepared a little for a class that I'm taking Monday which I really should not take at all.  I seem to be sliding back into taking class after class without having time to complete the projects.  The one on Monday is an art quilt class that features some techniques I want to learn which is why I signed up for it.  Ah well, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

 

The rest of the day was spent cutting fabrics which gave me a chance to think about my next hand-piecing project.  I now have the fabric choices made and an idea for the applique block, but I haven't sketched that yet.  It needs a little more time to "cook" in my brain.

 

Tonight I couldn't find anything on television to watch, my book didn't interest me, and I wasn't in the right frame of mind for hand work.  So I worked on a jigsaw puzzle.  How's that for avoidance?

 

I hope your day was both more enjoyable and productive!

"Boathouse" Painting Finished

There's really not a great to say except that I finished the Boathouse painting this morning.  It pleases me, and I hope you like it, too.  If you look back to the beginning, you'll see how the painting has evolved from what I thought I wanted (a misty morning in a very subdued palette) to a quiet day on the lake.  A boathouse but no boats.

 

 

 

Do let me know what you think - what you like and what you don't understand.

$$$ Drug Prescriptions $$$ Woes

How on earth do people manage who do not have good health coverage that includes some help on prescriptions?  Today I had to sit back and take a deep breath when I was told the prescription I wanted to have filled would cost me $801.82!!!

 

Okay.  Let me step back a piece and give you a bit more information.  The prescription was written by my doctor for a ninety day supply of two doses a day.  So that's 180 doses at $4.85 a dose or $8.91 a day.  That doesn't seem too terribly bad in the grand scheme of things, but a one year supply would cost me $3207.28! Ouch.

 

This prescription is not for some life saving drug or something that will alleviate great pain or make me a better person.  This is for eye drops to solve my dry eye problem.  Dry eyes.  They are painful and make bright lights no fun at all but really?  After the third person to whom I spoke told me that it didn't matter that I'd never had to pay that much for any drug ever and I was going to have to cough up the shekels, I told her to cancel the order.

 

Then I called my insurance company.  She barely let me finish telling her my problem before she told me she couldn't help me.  My prescription insurance is handled by the company who fills my prescriptions (to whom I had just had several conversations and who denied knowing anything about anything). 

 

So I called the company-who-fills-my-prescriptions-and-who-handles-my-Rx-insurance-but-doesn't-know-anything-about-it.  Again.  Finally I got lucky and was connected a woman who had worked for the company for 25 years and didn't care if she was not supposed to stay on the phone with one customer for 2.37 minutes (yes, I made that number up, but you know what I mean).  She listened to my tale, took one look at my file, told me I was being asked to pay 100% of the cost and that it was ridiculous, and said she was going to get to the bottom of the issue.

 

Right now my case is in the hands of the Customer Service Team, and I should have an outcome tomorrow.

 

What did I learn?

1. just because you've never had problems with a company doesn't mean you never will
2. mergers of one company with another can cause those problems
3. when companies merge they merge their computer files which may create those problems
4. customer service representatives are only supposed to stay on the phone with one customer for a very short time - even if they haven't solved a problem
5. drugs are even more expensive than I thought possible
6. silly ailments can be costly
7. if you have a problem, do your due diligence
8. be persistent
9. don't accept "I don't know" as an answer - ask for someone who does
10. keep your humor and your temper but let people know you mean business and they should, too

But can you imagine if I accepted their initial statements as accurate?  So what so people do if they don't know how to advocate for themselves (and, trust me, I'm not a shining example- you should meet Esther!)?  What do they do if they need a drug that they can't afford?  I know there are people out there to help, but what if I didn't know how to help myself and also didn't know how to get help? 

 

Here's my bottom line.  I won't give up and I won't pay that absurd amount.  There are other drugs that should take care of my problem without costing me over $3000 a year!

Making Room for the Important

Today the class in Young Adult Literature met, but I had to miss it.  Disappointing but necessary.   As executor of his dad's estate, D had to meet with the lawyer today, take care of some loose ends, and meet with the former housekeeper.  He asked me to go with him, and I decided that request was more important than my class.

 

The situation made me think of a decision I think I've made about the piano.  If you've been reading this blog for a while you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the piano since last spring/early summer.  That's when the pace of our lives truly began to pick up just with normal activities (only more of them).  Then D's dad began to fail, and the snowball syndrome became the order of the day. 

 

In November when things began to settle down with the estate, I picked up the pace with my painting, my quilting activities, and my determination to be sure certain quilts and other homemade gifts were completed in time for the holidays.  Now January is well under way, and life is pretty much back to normal.

 

However, everyday I walk past my piano and give it a speculative eye.  Sometimes I even sit down and play a little.  Somewhere along the way, I had become aware that the absence of my Friday piano lessons from our calendar freed up time for other activities and possibilities.  It was a day without having to be somewhere at a particular time.  The morning was more relaxed.  We didn't have to negotiate the use of our one car or construct how we could handle being in different places at the same time and who would wait for whom.  Then there is the extra hour everyday that had been piano practice time that is now - whatever we want it to be.

 

As much as I enjoyed the piano and being involved in music, I think I am going to give it up.  I don't play well and never will but the lessons made me improve.  It's a hard thing to do - giving up something you love.  But sometimes something just has to go to make room for other pleasures.  More time to paint.  More time to sew. 

 

More time to be with D and go with him when he wants my company.  It's really all about what is important, isn't it.

Too Much

Have you ever scheduled things without looking carefully at your calendar?Oh, wait a second; I know to whom I'm writing so of course you do! If the day on the calendar is blank, you cheerfully write down whatever it is you need to schedule.  If you are like me, you do NOT look carefully at the days around the blank one.  You do NOT look to see if you've scheduled 15 three hour sessions with your personal trainer in a row (not happening on my calendar).  You just book another because, hey, the day is available.

 

Today is Friday and for most of the day I thought it was Monday (which is why I'm writing an entry on a day there's usually no entry).  Today was my third day this week at the same quilt shop, and I will be there on Sunday, too.  Who did this to me?  Little old me.  Two of the three classes/clubs I participat in are monthly occurrences (which don't always happen in the same week - figure that out!).  The third was a class I'd been closed out of at least twice so I wanted to grab it while I could.  Sunday is the once a month class I teach/facilitate. 

 

Monday I got all my materials ready for painting in the morning and CZQ in the afternoon.  That means that in both classes I neglected to pack something I could have used during the class.  Naturally I tried to create what I needed and was marginally successful.  Oh, and I forgot to pack a lunch.  But Tuesday I did accomplish quite a bit. 

 

All day last Wednesday (except for the running errands time) I prepared for Thursday's class.  Fortunately D was out of the house so he wasn't able to object that I spent at least eight hour preparing for a 4-hour class.  Okay, it wasn't the instructor's fault.  I actually prepared for the entire project instead of the tiny bit that would be the focus of the class.  Hey, you never know when you might be asked to get something out, and you wouldn't want to be embarrassed now, would you?  The class on Thursday was a success, and I was able to complete all the steps the instructor had planned for us to do.  Now I feel confident about continuing on my own without making avoidable mistakes - at least not all of them!

 

Thursday night I gathered my wool, found a new project to work on, did the requisite tracing of pattern, tracked down my collection of Valdani Perle cotton embroidery thread, and packed a bag.  I was too tired to cut out all the pieces of wool, but I was able to spend time doing that during class.  Since I'd had a good night's sleep, I didn't have to re-cut anything!

 

Tonight I started stamping fabric for my new hand-piecing project that I will need to have with me for Sunday's hand-piecing club.  It wouldn't do for the teacher to show up with no hand work to do!  Some time tomorrow, I hope to sew on the borders of the completed project so I can take it in to show, but maybe I'll let myself have a day off.

 

If I take a day off, does that mean I'll have an empty calendar day that has to be filled?

Crazy Quilt Block and Painting

Well, after some lack of ambition, I finally took some photographs.  And the first ones to show you are of the crazy quilt.  The inner portion of that quilt will be made up of blocks with photographs of women in my family who have passed on their knowledge (especially of sewing and embroidery) and love to me.  The block below is intended to be in one of the outer rows/areas of the whole; it's to be the "here's what you have given me" proof. 

 

The "whimsy" you see on the right hand side - the carrots and  radish (tomato?) - was a purchased item.  Although I can't remember when or why I bought it, I like it for its unexpected and homely appearance in a crazy quilt. 

This fireworks fabric is one I chose from which I had a bow tie made for D.  I have started embellishing it with french knots and fireworks.  More will be done with that.  At the left hand edge of this particular bit of fabric you can see the multicolored stitches joining it to the next piece of fabric.  The stitches are supposed to look like fireworks, too.

 

In my stash of odd things, I found a card wrapped with silver rick rack.  It must have come packaged in with something else I bought at some time for some project.  Until recently I never used rick rack.  I liked it all right, but didn't have the right use for it.  This seems to be the perfect place!  The orange Perle cotton (and pale yellow which you can hardly see on the rickrack) serves both to keep the edges secure but to bridge the exuberant orange peony above to the sedate silver silky material below.

 

That's all I managed to accomplish Tuesday, but I also decided what my major embroidered element will be on this block.  You'll have to wait to see it because it will take time!

 

And here's the Boat House painting.

 

 

This was worked on on Tuesday also (painting in the morning, CZQ in the afternoon).  As I think I said recently, this is close to being finished.  I have some minor work to do here and there and a more lengthy job to do to finish up the trees.   I am feeling happy about this painting now maybe happier than you might feel is warranted.  But you see, I know what I plan to do.  You have to take it at face value, and that's hard.

 

So that's what has been happening in these areas of my life.  What's happening in yours?



Using my Indoor Voice

Today was a busy day.  Haven't slept well for the last two nights - probably because of too much sleep during my cold.  Up at 5:30 a.m. to drive D to the train station for a NYC business trip.  Errands and work on getting ready for taking a quilt class tomorrow.  Now I'm too tired to write a coherent entry.  I will really try to make up for it tomorrow.

 

The above was said in my sleepy, slightly ashamed, indoor voice.

Painting and Crazy Quilting

Great day in my world; how was yours?  Were you able to do something that makes your heart sing?  Something that makes you relax?  I hope so because I was able to do two things that make me happy. 

 

First, it's Tuesday.  That means it's painting day at the studio,  and the painting went well.  Finally, the sun (just coming over the horizon in the painting) is gone.  If I had kept it, the shadows would have destroyed my composition, and the colors would have had to be changed.  Of course, I intensified the colors, anyway, but no one said creativity should be completely logical.  While the painting remains close to being finished there are still things that need to be done.  You'll see.

 

One valuable lesson learned today?  If you need a new palette, prepare it the night before class.  Otherwise you lose almost half an hour (tubes don't always open easily and one has to use pliers very cautiously so the tube isn't twisted or broken which results in loss of expensive paint and/or holes in tube leading to hardening of paint aka loss of expensive paint).  Once it's set up, the colors one intends to use have to be mixed.  Oops, didn't bring that color?  Too bad.  What else might work?  How about this?  Ugh, no.  That?  Well, in a pinch.  This one?  Okay . . .  It takes time.  I'll make sure to check my palette Monday nights from now on. 

 

The second great event of the day was the Crazy Quilt Club/Class.  It's been a very long time since I touched this project.  My eyesight and the holidays were my excuses, but there was also the reality that inertia had set in.  I would look at a block and think, "Hmm.  Don't know what to do.  Don't know where to start.  Better find something else to work on."  It's an easy way out.

 

Today I looked at the block, picked up my needle and thread, and began.  It was wonderful!  Not what I did, but the doing of it.  One of these days I'll follow my own advice and do some kind of hand-sewing every day.  It is such a restful, soothing occupation!

 

P.S.  Let me apologize for having no photographs to show you today. I simply forgot to take any. Check in tomorrow to see photos of today's activities.

The Importance of a Thank You

The quilts that were made this year for the children of a niece and a nephew have been the subjects of several entries, and they are present, albeit indirectly, yet again in this entry. 

 

Many of you will recognize the feeling of anxiety that accompanies the sending of a precious package.  First, there is the expected sense of loss.  Something that has been worked on for a long time is being almost literally flung to the four winds.  Where exactly is it at any given moment?  Is it lying, neglected, in a corner?  Has it bounced out of a truck and landed at the feet of a hungry omnivore?  Was it sent to the correct address?  Next, there is the fear that it might not be welcomed.  What if they were merely being polite, and they hate whatever art form you have sent?  What if the colors/shapes were all wrong? 

 

Then the days may pass without a word, and the fears become almost visible and audible.  You picture the gift lying amid crumbled tissue paper still in its box at the back of the junk closet.  You can hear the polite argument, "It's your relative.  You figure out what to write.  Heaven knows, I can't!" 

 

Then the mailman comes, and there is an envelope with familiar handwriting and/or a familiar return address.  You may hesitate to open it because maybe your fears were right and it's one of those, "Umm, ahh, thank you, mumble mumble" ones.  Open it!  There is nothing as sweet as a well written thank you note.  Unless they are thank you "notes" like the two I received.

 

First one to arrive was from my niece.  H and her husband own a catamaran and teach people how to dive and take them out on diving adventures in the beautiful waters around Florida.  For their son I made Liquid Assets on the Loose.  When the mailman dropped off a package from H, I was a little confused; it wasn't quite what I expected, and I had a moment of panic.  Did she think she had to send me a gift?

 

Upon opening the package, I found a cigar box.  A beautiful wooden cigar box complete with real hinges and clasp!  First, I have to explain that my grandfather always had cigar boxes around his work area.  For one of my birthdays, he painted a cigar box with a picture of a rose.  For me, an awkward, chubby, buck-toothed kid.  Then, this year in my painting class, we noticed that our teacher had a number of gorgeous cigar boxes.  Each one held neatly organized art supplies - pastels or fountain pens or water colors in tubes.  For a gift, she gave us each one.  Cigar boxes are awesome.

 

Anyway, I opened the cigar box from H and found it packed tightly with red tissue paper.  Knowing that meant I should take care, I gently removed layer after layer.  Here's what I found:

 

 

The note you see is from H and it's a lovely thank you note.  Behind that note is a another one in which H wrote that the shells were some favorites from her son.  Wow, what a treasure!  Thank you, H, C, and G!

 

Now I have to admit that I did what I consider a terrible thing.  It seemed as though a lot of time had passed, and I hadn't heard from my nephew's family so I e-mailed him (gasp!) to inquire if they had indeed received the package (yes, UPS had delivered it, but maybe a passer-by thought, "Hey, Christmas goodies!" and had absconded with it).  Poor A emailed me very quickly to reassure me.  The package made it (even though I think I had the wrong address after all).

 

Not too long afterward, I received an envelope from K, his wife.  In it were two photos, one of each little girl on her own quilt (one had both girls) and a DVD disk with a brief thank you written on one side and instructions on the other side.  Bless their hearts, they had filmed their older daughter unwrapping her quilt.  What a delight!!!  The part I liked best was when she dragged the quilt off to her room at the end.  Everyone in the family was there as this was filmed, and we could hear them all and their comments very clearly.  Whew, how original and how very meaningful to us! 

 

It makes me sad to think that many people today think an e-mail thank you is enough or a card with one or two sentences (sometimes without specifically mentioning the gift!) will do the job.  Those people don't realize the gifts my family sent me.  Those people should see how many times I have looked at those special seashells that my great nephew probably picked up on the beach himself and chose to send to me.  Or how many times I have smiled at and touched the two photographs of my great nieces.  Or read H's note.  Or watched the DVD.  Or smiled at the cigar box. 

 

Now those were genuine thank you notes! 

 

 

 

  

Pillowcases

It's funny how things turn out sometimes, isn't it?  Here I was all set to write a blog on a totally different subject, but on my way upstairs, all I could think about was the pillowcases I made today.

After feeling like wet mud for the last six days, today I felt like myself (and nothing like mud at all!).  It may not seem like a very big thing, and indeed, it isn't in the grand scheme of things, but in the small everyday scheme of my things?  It was large.   It's a good thing that I did feel well as today is laundry day, and it did get done, hallelujah.  Even though I painted yesterday (more on that in another entry), that was only 2 - 3 hours, and after that I was feeling quite run down. 

Today, I had energy all day and that meant tackling a new sewing project.  I knew enough to take on a very do-able, small project and not thwart my ambitions with a king-sized quilt or something similarly grandiose.  Pillowcases, especially sewing them in the new tube way (I hope you've tried that; it's incredible!), are fast, easy, and almost fool-proof.  Thanks to Mardi who shared a little about the pillowcases we all made for the Newtown survivors, that activity was in the forefront of my brain.  Also, having made a pair for our bed for Christmas helped.

My plan was to make a pair of winter cases, but the fabric for the second pair of holiday-themed ones was on top of the pile so that's what I made.

Here is the first set I made before Christmas:

The print for the body of the pillowcase is the addresses for envelopes with stamps and the cuff is a gathering of writing materials for the holidays.

The second pair I made today are these:

 

The body for this pair is white (not cream) percale which has such a lovely hand.  Since the cuff fabric was not as wide as I like, I added the same red I used for the piping ( Fusion fabric for these cases) to the bottom of the cuff.  It looks quite festive, don't you think?

 

So, okay, what's the big deal?  If you are currently feeling under the weather with the kind of cold I (and ME) had, you may feel that you will never get your stamina back.  Or, even worse, you may feel it's age that is making you so unable to do even the simplest task.  Well, okay, so maybe age does have something, a very small something, to do with it.  But the point is, you will be feeling better soon.  You will be able to get your "groove" back.  Illness does not last forever for the majority of us.  So sit back, relax, let family and friends do for you what you usually do for them.  Enjoy it as much as you can.  Soon enough you will be doing what you love best just as I painted and sewed.  Sometimes we lose sight of that while in the throes of illness, sorrow, pain, job, worries . . .

 

You will find your zest for life as big and wonderful as it ever was eventually.

Left-over Chocolate

Sounds impossible, doesn't it?  Left-over chocolate?  Like that's possible?

 

Believe it or not, after my chocolate candy making frenzy just before Christmas, I wound up with two small Pyrex bowls of melted chocolate.  Into the refrigerator they went with a "think about you later" kiss.  Today turned out to be the "later" when D turned to me and asked if I was going to do something with that chocolate.

 

"Oh yes," I replied.  "Indeed, I planned to take care of that today."  Okay, so it was a little white lie.  I had planned to do something with the chocolate, and I did plan to do something today.  I just hadn't put those two thoughts into the same sentence at the same time in the same breath.  Until he asked, of course.

 

So I turned on the oven, gathered my baking tools, and searched for all the ingredients I thought I might use.  Then I stood and stared at those two Pyrex bowls of solid chocolate lakes.  Have you ever tried to remove re-solidified chocolate from a container without breaking the container?  I wouldn't have minded losing a Pyrex bowl or two (they don't fit in our new dishwasher and 9 times out of 10 they roll onto their backs and collect twice their capacity in water which I invariably spill down my front when I unload said dishwasher), but D likes those bowls.  Anyway, there are easier ways to do it, but I did get the chocolate out with even a crack in either bowl.  I added the Toll House morsels that were still in recognizable state and went on from there.

 

Cutting this story short, we wound up with tasty chocolate cranberry cookies.  They are chewy the way we like cookies and the taste is quite nice.  Their appearance, however, leaves something to be desired.  First the chocolate.  The cookies look more chocolate streaked than your typical chocolate chip cookies.  Second, I had softened the dried cranberries with hot water (I hate dried fruit - don't even think about raisins! - in cookies because it simply gets harder during the baking).  While that made the cranberries soft, it took away their recognizable shape (raisins do hold on to their wrinkled shape even after my hot water treatment though they do lose their teeth-breaking edge, thank goodness).  Cranberries are by nature a more yielding fruit, I guess.

 

Anyway, the cookies are tasty but not pretty.  There is a use for left-over melted chocolate, after all - but you knew that all the time, didn't you!

Snow: Birds and Landscapes

This morning I managed to do some de-cluttering in the vicinity of my desk.  That led to going through more magazines and tearing out what I thought was promising and throwing away the rest.  And that led to cutting old computer print-outs (printed on one side only) into quarters for our home-made notepads (bound with rubber bands - some recycled from vegetables).  I don't win any stars for recycling as much as I should, but I do try to do as much as we can tolerate.  That little bit tired me out; it's terrible how much a simple cold can lay one flat!  If I were still working, of course I would be going in to school (and spreading germs all over with abandon), but since I don't have to, I find myself giving in and allowing myself to take it easy.

 

As I was occupied with taking it easy, I thought of the many things I had planned to do these first few weeks of January.  My hand-pieced churn dash sampler blocks have been machine sewn together and are waiting for a few simple borders.  They continue to wait.  A project started aeons ago that I call Beach Cabanas needs only one more simple block before it can be sewn together.  It continues to wait.  Four new pillowcases for which the material has been washed are waiting to be made.  We will continue to live without them.  My pen and ink snow sketches that I wanted to work on and possibly learn how to draw snow?  They sit idly in my mind.

 

But I do have a few photos to share from the heavy snow we had last week.

 

Looking into the woods past a birdhouse and D's hop poles (on the right).

Looking at how the snow covers the tops of the branches pulling them down and how the needle fan out like a tapestry.  Against a white background of more snow, how do you draw that?

Such graceful branches with whippets of branches leaping back as if to avoid the cold or show off their youthful suppleness.  See how the snow covers some parts of the branches while leaving some other sections bare?  Again, how can I portray the weight of the snow that bows some branches while showing the dusting on the facing edge of the upright twiglets?

 

This is a photo I love although I know it's not very good; a professional would have know how to capture this scene of cardinal on the ground and the squirrel on the park bench.  If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see the gleam in the squirrel's eye that shows where he is.

 

Cardinal, house finch, and two squirrels looking for dropped seeds beneath the bird feeders.

 

Cardinal in the forsythia bush; who can resist that splash of color in a winter landscape?

 

Red-tailed hawk on the ground under the spruce trees at the back of our property.  He caught some little critter and was enjoying his meal.  It's his nature so I didn't disturb him (the critter was already dead) and took this picture from inside the house through the window.

Happy 2013!

I said I would return with the new year, and although I am writing, it won't be a long entry.  With the new year came a new cold, and I am feeling logy and stuffed up.

So as a lift to my spirits, I am going to post a catalogue of the gifts I made for this Christmas - some of which I could not show you.

First the quilts:

Night in the Fairy Garden

Day in the Fairy Garden

Liquid Assets on the Loose

 

Rebecca's "Josephine's Knot" (which was a total surprise - she had no idea she would receive a quilt;  I talked so much about all the others I was making and she just thought - "Oh well, not this year!)

 

Then the "smalls" with pillows first:

Nancy's "Naples Tea Party"

Alice's "Park Bench" (she told me she'd like a pillow with one of my winter photographs)

 

And finally, the garments:



David's flannel nightshirt

Jean's holiday apron

 

Next year?  Will I be making gifts for Christmas?  No, absolutely none, nada, zilch.

 

Well . . . 



Happy Holidays!

Somehow last night came and went without a blog entry.  For that I apologize; it surprised even me when I realized it this morning.  However, it does tell me that I need to take a holiday break as, like every one of you, too much is happening and is going to happen from now until 2013.

 

So, I have said in a series of holiday cards:

 

From our house to yours -

 

 

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

 

I'll be back in 2013.

Another Day with the Boathouse

Great day at the studio today!  We celebrated both the holidays and our friendship as you will see in the photos.  But we did not forget why we were there and after some refreshments, wonderful tea, and laughter, we each got back to our work.  Here's the wonder of this studio, Johanna is working with watercolor, Arlene is sketching in pencil, Lena is working in pastels, and I am dabbling in oils.  We admire, encourage, and envy the work each other does, but we each grow in our own way at our own pace.  It's a very supportive group and Sharon is a joy as a teacher.

Arlene, Johanna, Lena, and Moi

Sharon in the front

 

Today I worked on some of the things I talked about last week.  The color of the rocks closest to the boathouse now reflect "atmospheric perspective" (simply put their colors are more subdued because they are farther away from the rocks in the immediate foreground).  The evergreen behind the boathouse is less garish though still not finished, and the ramp from the boathouse to the water is not only nearly done, but its reflection is in the water.  And that's the funny part - that reflection seems to hang there in the lake attached to nothing.  When the reflection of the boathouse becomes more substantial, all will be well.  I hope.  You may remember that the original reflection of the B'house was originally merely sketched in to "hold its place" in the painting. 

 

To me, adding that ramp really did the job of tying the composition together as a whole.  Still quite a bit to work on, but once the holiday sewing is over (and the holidays, too!) progress should pick up. 

 

A Visit to See Ann

After several attempts to come up with a workable date, D and I were able to go see my sister-in-law Ann who lives about 2 hours from us.  She recently needed to have a pacemaker put in to regulate her heart beat, and we decided that we have to get to see her more frequently.

 

In lovely weather the drive is a nice one.  Today wasn't lovely, but we also didn't have the winter weather we would have encountered in a normal year.  It was just a gray, damp day.  We listened to some old radio shows, and as we weren't expected until lunch time and were early, we made a stop to poke around in some shops.  Then we went on our way.

 

Ann is about fifteen years older than I am, but that was never an issue in our friendship even early on when it could have been.  What makes this a noteworthy enough visit to share is that now she is beginning to show signs of dementia. 

 

I don't know if today was a good day or if the pacemaker has improved her mental state or whether it was a combination of the above (probably the latter).  Whatever it was, the visit was enjoyable, but I found myself mentally ticking off behaviors that made me think, "Yes, this is not Ann-like; this must be a sign of the onset of dementia."

 

On our way home, I thought about that - the mental check list - and initially felt ashamed of it.  But then I thought, "Wait a minute.  I've stopped denying that her mental capacities may be floundering.  That's a good thing.  By recognizing the changes, I will be able to deal with them and accept them as they appear.  I won't get impatient and expect her to be as she was; rather, I'll accept her as she is now."

 

It sounds good, and I think it is.  But I know it isn't fool proof.  Even though I don't live with her, there may be times when I want to throw up my hands and walk away.   Yet, in the long run, knowing some of what to expect will make it easier to plan more frequent trips.  It will be easier to spend time with a dearly loved sister as she is now and not spend  the visits regretting that she isn't the vivacious woman she once was.

 

The slip-slide of mental faculties is dreadful to witness.  As long as my visits are pleasurable for her and help her care giver, and I can continue to be a patient, caring person, then I will find a way to bear witness to that disintegration.  Then possibly I can tell those who may have to do the same for me what they can expect - not from me - but from themselves and their own feelings. 

 

Passing on that knowledge to the next generation would be a fitting legacy for Ann, the woman, the mother, the teacher, the priest. 

What Can WE Do?

That's a question many of us have been asking after the horrific events of the past several days.  I certainly don't have any super answers.  But I can tell you what I've done.  I've signed petitions to urge our government to forget about politics long enough to pass some reasonable gun control bill that would include background checks.  With that, I urge them to make a commitment to help the mentally ill.  We have to do both. 

 

One of our local quilt shops is calling for pillowcases for the students who survived.  I have made a promise to myself to make as many as I can.

 

Also, I have promised myself that as opportunities arrive to help in some way, I will take advantage of them.  Some of the things I do may seem insignificant, but I don't believe they are.  Those little ones and the adults around them who survived need all kinds of different support, and while I can't reach out to give them hugs and whispers of reassurance, I can make one tiny bright spot in their week or month. 

 

And it makes me feel better, less powerless.  We all feel the need to do something, and I suggest that we all find some way we can contribute.

 

Don't forget that keeping busy helps.  I have spent today working on gifts, finding fabrics suitable for pillowcases, baking for an up-coming holiday celebration, and spending time with my family.  Life goes on, and that's one thing that will be hard for some to deal with.  Keeping busy helps.

 

Finally, I was lucky beyond measure that our daughter and grandson drove in on Saturday to spend the day.  We were able to hug our loved ones, and believe me, we took advantage of that.

 

Share with us what you are doing.  Have you heard of things being done with which others can help?  Share that information.  Send me a note, and I'll pass the information along as best I can.

Boathouse - Day 5

Part of me feels I should stop writing until after the holidays because I cannot post photos of my activities, yet.  My sewing machine has been whirring busily away, and after the gift exchanges are over, I will share the results of my work.

 

In the mean time, you will be subjected to whatever floats through my mind - as you've probably already noticed.  But today I do have this week's work on the Boathouse to show you.  It's amazing how little I seem to have painted in my two hours in the studio!

I just checked and this is the fifth day of painting for this work.  That's not a lot, it's just that it has taken longer by calendar than my usual paintings.  Well, it's a busy time of year.

 

So here's what I've done and decided.  I finally started back on the trees which my hand has been itching to do for some time now.  The background trees are quite sketchy, but at least you can see where they will be (if you click on the photo to enlarge it).  The birch in the front of the boathouse is on its way.  The dark brown "outlines" on either side of the trunk will be softened slightly and the upper portion is not even worth mentioning.  There is an evergreen above and behind the roof though the color is in transition. 

 

As I was painting, I realized that I really don't want it to be dawn because as my brother pointed out that would change the shape of all my shadows.  They would be pulled on the diagonal to the lower right which the composition most definitely can not  handle!  So I'm back to my non-specific time, maybe morning, sun not visible but shadows indicating where it might be.  Whew!  The colors of the rocks nearest the boathouse on the far right need to be muted, and I haven't gotten back to the wooden ramp from the boathouse to the water.  And there will be leaves, of course . . .   the distant shore . . .  

 

Much yet to do, and more paintings crowding my head asking to be let out onto canvas!

Comment for a Friend

Today I had several e-mails about recent entries; thank you to all of you who take the time to comment.  I know how much effort that takes! 

 

I've been avidly reading and enjoying the blog of a dear friend (who is in the midst of renovating sections of her wonderful home).  She's so pleased with her choice of paint color because the gray make her happy.  She is right when she also says, "Go with your gut" no matter what might be popular (coral is an "in" color, for example, that would not make me happy on my walls).  I can see her in a gray room.  Gray is the color of mist.  Mist is usually silent.  Mist and silence indicate the presence of a body of water.  Water means rhythym.  Rocking is soothing therefore gray equals tranquility.

 

Isn't is fun to let your mind follow a whisper of an idea to see where it leads you?

 

Anyway, I was going to say that while I have enjoyed reading her entries and poring over her photgraphs, I have not commented.  The right words aren't always ready, the time may not be available, distraction may set in - there are a hundred and one reasons for not commenting.  But when I find the moment, I try to grab it.

 

So, Karen, this entry is for you.  I am so happy when you write, and as I read, I always have an internal dialogue with you.  I admire you for keeping yourself active and for allowing yourself to find joy when it does come to you. 

Secret Delights in Making Holiday Gift

No, I'm not going to whine and complain about all the gifts I have yet to make.  Today I am going to celebrate something very lovely I have discovered about gift making.  Actually, we all know the basic feel good reactions: the nobility of making something for someone else, the pleasure of anticipating the pleasure of someone else, and the knowledge of making something useful that will be used.  There are other reasons you could probably list; these are just a few that popped into my mind.

 

Today I learned some other wonderful things about making gifts.  There are times when I am asked to make something, or times when I realize I know the perfect gift for someone even though they haven't asked for it.  There is a sense of secret delight that to me is different from the public one associated with gift giving.  It's that little hug you mentally give yourself as you prepare the "perfect" gift.  It's an earned pat on the back.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's a pleasure from start to finish.  That's one special joy.  It isn't really new, but verbalizing the way I feel is new.  Now I have a truer sense of why the rare "perfect" gift is so special to me as well as to the recipient.

 

Here's the one that's really a first for me.  I have made a few things this year that I wouldn't have done if they weren't intended as gifts.  On top of that, some were items I've never made before.  The personal thrill came from doing an excellent job, making something really special for someone, knowing that I can do it again, and knowing that possibly, just possibly, I would make it for myself.  It sounds selfish, but here's the thing.  All those feeling-special-about-me things means that I have been given the ability to do something that will make another person happy.  It means my time has been put to good use.

It means,"Stop complaining, Noel!" 

Grandson as Artist

Aren't the drawings of young children wonderful expressions of freedom.  Most of the time, I am lucky enough to be asked to admire drawings by children who aren't shy, who haven't been taught the "correct" colors of things, who don't care about perspective, and who draw simply because it's fun.  And their art is spontaneous with no thought of composition or all the other things so many of us think about the moment we take up our "art tools."

 

Here is a work of art done by our eight-year-old grandson, and I am so impressed!  Until recently, the only things he was interested in drawing were either flamingos or turtles.  He worked quite hard at this until something better came along, and he was tired of coloring-in the shirt anyway.

It is a portrait of me, and I am delighted with it.  I love the smile he gave me and adore my ears!  Very seriously he told me that he had some difficulty with my nose.  I told him I have trouble with it, too, especially when it runs!

 

I plan to take it back to him at Christmas time and request his signature.  One thing I will teach him is that every artist should sign her/his work!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

As you can tell from the title of this entry, I'm about to discuss a book I've read recently.  Before I begin, I should remind you that this book like others I've mentioned here, was one I read for my Young Adult literature course.  And I will also remind you that I am a champion of YA literature for adults as well as for the intended audience.  In previous entries I've talked about how these books are marketed, how the publisher often makes the decision about whether to publish a book as adult or young adult, and how too often worthy books are ignored by a reading public that might otherwise snatch up a YA book if it only were marketed for adults.  Enough said.

 

We started our year with historical fiction, and I found myself hoping to avoid the preponderance of WWI and WWII books usually on the list.  Too many of those books are wrenchingly hard to read due to their subject so I was thrilled to find books on medieval Wales, Tudor England, and early 20th century New York City to name a few.  There were also three about WWII (or at least I read three - I don't think there were others).

 

The first I read, Faraway Island by Annika Thor, was about Jewish sisters from Vienna who were relocated to Sweden and was quite good.  It covered a facet of the war (relocation of children at risk) that I hadn't seen covered before.  It was correctly labeled a YA book, and I recommend it for that audience. 

 

The second WWII novel, My Family for the War by Anne C.Voorhoeve, quickly became my favorite read from this year's choices in historical fiction.  It's a translation from the German, but I didn't notice any issues (some classmates did) because I was captured by the story of a girl who got out of harm's way on the Kindertransport* and wound up with a family in England.  Similar to Faraway Island?  Superficially, yes, but . . .  While this book is YA, I think adults would read and appreciate this story.  The protagonist in this book starts out as a young teen but is an adult by the end of the book.  It's very moving (check it out on Amazon or somewhere on-line that has plot summaries).

 

It was my favorite until I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, and then, oh my!  I am including a plot summary from Eva Pohler's review of

September 21, 2012 (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/416397564) because it is a very complex plot, and I don't want to give anything away.

This story, about two young women, a Scottish spy and an English pilot during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, pulled me in, yanked me around, and left me feeling breathless. The narrative begins in Queenie's point of view, as she writes to literally save her life as a prisoner of war in a French hotel that's been converted into a place of torture by the Nazis. Queenie oscillates between recalling what she knows of the wireless operators working for the Resistance and Ally forces--including their codes, locations, and activities--and details about her torment as a prisoner. As a once refined, upperclass student at Oxford, Queenie employs literary devices to dramatize her story for her captors, writing more than required. She also needs to write, to help her deal with her terrifying situation and to return to a time when she was still with her best friend, Maddie.

Maddie, the English pilot, is not refined. At a time when women were discouraged from flying--used only as a last resort--she just wanted the opportunity. Raised by grandparents who own a motorbike store, Maddie has her own motorbike (and independence) and quickly learns how to work on engines. Once her talents are recognized, she quickly becomes the go-to pilot for a French Resistance unit flying by moonlight on secret airfields getting people in and out of the country, not far from where her best friend is being held captive.

This book covers things that occurred during WWII that I didn't know about, and after reading books, granted only fictional ones, that cover that war, I thought I had a passing understanding of the period.  This novel proves to me the more you know the more there is to learn.  Anyway, I think this book will be (if it isn't already) short-listed for an award.  Indeed, the NYT's review (www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/books/review/code-name-verity-by-elizabeth-wein.html) hints that it could be a contender for the Prinz Award (aka "Michael L. Prinz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature").

 

Whew, what a book!  Do read the review which will explain more about why it's such a good book, and if you enjoy historical fiction (remember, this is fiction), try to get this one from your local library.  It's worth it.

 * The Kindertransport (children were taken by train - the transport) was a rescue mission mounted by Britain to save European children from death.  Before the war broke out, England managed to rescue 10,000 children who were placed with British families until the end of the war.  Unfortunately, the majority of those children were never reunited with their families because they had died in the war.   Again, if you're interested, look up "Kindertransport"; it's fascinating reading.

 

 

 

 

Christmas from Nancy

The day before yesterday we found a package on our front stoop addressed to D from his sister Nancy.  It was from White Flower Farm, a purveyor of plants and related goodies, so we put it in the garage to stay cool until yesterday when he had time to open his gift (knowing that it was probably plant material we knew we couldn't wait until Christmas).

In the box, he found everything he needed for a terrarium, and I do mean everything.  I was too excited to take photos until he'd started planting, but here he is on his way.  First he laid down a layer of gravel and then some pellitized charcoal.  Next was soil that had been soaking up water while he completed the first steps.  At that point he unwrapped five plants and thought about how he would arrange them (yes, five plants!).

 

You can see he's on the fourth plant in the above picture.  You may notice that two of the plants have green and red coloration (and fern-like leaves), one has green leaves with white veining, there's a bromeliad in the center that is taller and has corn plant-like leaves, and the last plant is a "button"-leafed plant.  It's leaves are nicely rounded.  What a striking combination of plants!*

 



 

Gently pressing soil around the plant.  In the foreground of this photograph you can see the plant identifying sticks and the sheet of detailed, step-by-step instructions on the right and the top of the terrarium on the left.

Plant number five is being settled in place.  After this he was to put sand on the top of the soil for aesthetical reasons.  For those same reasons, he opted not to do that as he likes the more natural look of the dark, loamy soil (the sand was the color of curry powder).  I think the green of the plants against the backdrop of the soil is simply lovely.

 

Plant have been misted and encased in their new home.  D had a great time putting this together, and it was the first thing he checked this morning.  The glass had the hoped for light condensation on the interior, so we knew all was progressing as it should.

 

This was an inspired gift, Nancy!

 

*for those of you interested in plants, here are the "proper" names:

red and green plants: Selaginella sanguin erythropus 'Ruby Red Moss'

        the 2nd one's plant ID tag is missing, but I remember it, too, was a Selaginella

green leaf with white veining:  Fittonia (painted net leaf)

bromeliad: Bromelias Vriesea 'Kallisto'

button leaf: Pellaea rotundifolia 'Button Fern'

    

Quilts Ready for Mailing!

It's a Banner Day!  All three quilt labels have been sewn on, and the quilts are ready to go.  As I sewed, I thought about the labels I used to make.  They were hand-drawn with a motif appropriate for the quilt and hand lettered with great care (did you know that for art students there is actually a class called "Lettering" which is required for freshmen?  Or there used to be.  Not my finest hour!).  Anyway, those labels took almost as long to make as the quilt.  Which is why not all of my quilts have labels (even though I really, really think labels are important!).  This label fabric by Timeless Treasures is a life saver; do buy it and use it.

 

Since I am sending these quilts to youngsters, sending books to go with them is a no brainer for me.  The "Wonders of the Deep" special edition of Life magazine will go with "Liquid Assets on the Loose", of course.  The coloring book is for the younger of the two little girls who are receiving the fairy quilts (though she's just 18 months old, she has to get something), and the alphabet book is for her older sister.   

I believe children can grow into books just as they can grow into clothes.  Hopefully, the little ones will like their packages, but I think their parents will be more interested than they will.  After all, what's exciting about a blanket?

Doesn't matter.  I loved making these quilts and thinking of the three little ones snuggled under them wrapped in my love.

Words of Wisdom and Binding

You'd think I'd learn by now, but clearly, it has - once again - taken family and friends to knock (though quite gently, I must say) some sense into my little pea brain.  If you're wondering what I'm talking about, think for a minute what you would have said to me after reading yesterday's entry, and then, read the comments on that entry.  What wonderful people I know; to you who took the time to try to point out the obvious, thank you!

 

 The magic in those words made me float through the day, and I finished binding both fairy quilts!  It must have been because I felt more relaxed, and I realized that what gets done gets done and what doesn't doesn't.  It's not a big issue.  What is important is, as I have said before but needed reminding, family and friends.  Even my painting teacher wrote and said that she's stopped beating herself over the head because she isn't painting regularly.  She said she is busy making gifts and baking and both of those activities are definitely creative, too.  Same kind of message, different approach. 

 

No photos of the quilts because although I used the same technique as I did on "Liquid Assets on the Loose", the result isn't dramatic.  This time the binding was not a solid color; it was multi-colored swirls of purples with silver forming the curlicues.  The thread I had chosen matched the swirls so the decorative stitch I had thought to use simply got lost on the material.  I still used an "embroidery" stitch but a far more simple one.  It's pretty because of the binding not the stitch, and that's okay by me (besides the simpler stitch went faster).  Tonight I wrote on the labels (fabric printed with labels - another grand time saver!), tomorrow I will cut them out, and then hand stitch to the back of the quilts.  When that is done they will be ready to take to UPS. 

 

I think that will call for at least one glass of wine - maybe two.

My Holiday Frenzy - Again!

I'm back into my state of feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of work I need to complete before the holidays.  It seems that no sooner do I start to get a rhythm going than something unexpected comes along to shut down that music entirely.  Tonight I almost fretted myself into a real state.

 

Before I could completely hyperventilate, though, I got out my calendar, crossed a few things off, made a phone call, and sent an e-mail.  I've also decided, that no matter how enticing invitations might seem, I will not accept any until a certain amount of work is done.  After all, if all the bindings (today I discovered that the bindings for the fairy quilts are too short and had to cut two more lengths - thanks to the goddess of math-challenged quilters I have enough fabric!) and labels aren't sewn on none of them can be mailed.  I'd hate to have one part of the family feel overlooked! 

 

Another thing I will do is ask D to help out by fielding phone calls from charities asking for help and by trying to keep all similar interruptions to a minimum.  He's good at that since he knows how those same calls disrupt his work flow.

 

And here's the frustrating thing - I've enjoyed every one of both the unscheduled and scheduled side steps I've taken!  You know, it just comes down to that age old question:  Why can't I do everything?