The Durrells in Corfu

The past few weeks I've been watching a series on Amazon Video called The Durrells in Corfu.  There are four seasons and I absolutely inhaled each and every episode.  One of the most beautifully filmed series I have ever watched and I have to tell you I'm toying with watching it over again.  It was on PBS a few years ago, 2016-19.  The fabulous scenery and the characters were such fun to watch.  Something to take your mind off of life and transport you to another world and time.

I have been so taken with the family stories that I can't stop thinking about it.  It was based loosely on the books by the youngest, Gerry (Gerald) Durrell, as the family moved from England to Corfu in the 1930's.

I've actually purchased the above book and in paperback it's 757 pages.  I plan on reading it this summer and savoring every page.  The second book by Michael Haag is a more accurate accounting of the family and where they came from and where they ended up, more historically correct.  I've already started this one. 

If you truly want to escape and enjoy some beauty check out the series. 

Life in June and Beyond

Oh gosh, what can I say, "I'VE BEEN BUSY," and that's the reason I have 

been AWOL here on Jill of All Trades. 

Of course I have been painting with this sweet little one finished finally last week.  It's The Hubby's cousin's son's daughter, 2nd or 3rd or 4th cousin, something like that.  Anyway, he has a small family so we are all kind of close.  The girl is named Lillian and I so totally missed making her a baby blanket and the sweetie is 3 I think and now they're going to have a son.  CRAP...so I decided to paint her picture and send a baby blanket for him.  They don't know yet so MUM's the word!

Also, while painting the extensive realist topiary painting I have to take a break to create some of these with my watercolors, pens, and markers.  Such fun and a huge hit.  Hmmmmm, thinking of changing my focus, really I am...

Oh, and last Monday I had a physical and boy was I scared.  For the past 2-3 years now, since I have been on blood pressure meds my BP has been high when I go in.  Makes me even more anxious to know that it's going to happen.  Usually it goes down when we chat and especially when we talk about the art.  Well, this time he said it was FREAKING FANTASTIC!  I was so over the moon happy.  I guess the eating differently has really made the difference.  Kind of fallen off the wagon this past month and have GOT to get back in the game but I think it is showing in this picture, don't you! 

On top of birthday partying this month I also attended a Friday bash for the classes of 1970-1979.  It was actually hosted by my brothers class of 1976.  It was fun plus my class had a cookout which was kind of mehhhh.  My heart was not into that one for sure. 

Also, on the calendar was a sweet backyard wedding of our old good good dear friends son.  I knew them before they even got married and now their youngest was getting hitched.  He had a scare a couple of weeks before when after, AFTER the big bike race, Tulsa Tough, when he and his then fiance' were riding their bikes home down 15th street and stopped alongside the road, later in the evening, he was run down by a hit and run driver.  Poor Sarah was there, saw it and thought he was dead.  Luckily a bunch of bruises, cuts, stitches, a couple broken bones but nothing life threatening.  STUPID DRIVER!!!! 

I've also been a reading fool yet again.  Well, there's nothing on television during the summer so I have my nose deep in my books.  I'm already up to I think 38 or 39 since January 1.  Check out my read list to the right.  I've read some good ones lately.  Elin Hilderbrand's latest is great along with Mary Kay Andrews.  

Voting was also on the agenda for the month of June.  I VOTED and was proud to be the first in my precinct.  

So now onward to July and looking forward to the youngest to come back for a visit along with her guy.  Then next up will be EEEEKKKKKK our trip to Rome!  Can't lie, I'm a bit nervous and excited.  Just need to get the world to stop being bad and naughty please.

My Busy Week In Review

My week in review:

Well, either Monday or Tuesday, totally forget which as days swim together, I came home and made a killer veggie soup for the week.  It was so dang good.  Also added to the mix was a huge bag of spinach...YUMMY!  

Tuesday I painted with my lovely friends and finally, FINALLY finished this sweet one.  I call it 

"A Girl and Her Cowboy"

16x16 oil on gallery wrapped canvas. 

The name Cowboy is the horses name and the horse belongs to her other papa.  The painting is going to live in his house.  He loves it.

Also, last week was the completion of cleaning out my space, my room, my sanctuary.  In the purging I ended up with a garage full of CRAP to get rid of so B and I decided to set up at the flea market.  Oh my gosh, her car was full of her stuff and my car was so full I could barely get into the drivers seat to drive. 

I had hoards and hoards of books to get rid of and I probably sold 20 of them, not enough. 

B had fabric, clothes, vintage fabric and trim.  I had teapots and a few dishes. 

The Hubby decided to get in on the action and brought this lighted picture and lamps.  They brought tons of lookers and interest but did not sell. 

All in all I think we made our booth fee with a tad left over that I gave it to B so they could go to Blue Dome and have some munchies last night. 

When the day was done we loaded all of it back into our respective cars.  She headed home, The Hubby took his goodies back to storage at the shop and I made a bee-line to Goodwill to drop off.  Nothing was going back to my house.  What I was faced with was a full parking lot and no more carts to put stuff in.  I gave them what they had room for but the two huge boxes of books are still in my car....GRRRrrr.  Not a problem though as I will head back Monday morning to drop off.  Again, nothing is coming back into my house.  I feel so good about purging what I have and after my art function will continue with the guest room closet.  It is stuffed with Christmas, games, art note cards, yarn for my crochet projects, record albums, family history, CRAP yet again.  

What is good is that today I have nothing to do, absolutely nothing but a date with my new found easel.  I have several projects I need to get started on and I am PAINTING!  So toodles for now I've got to play in paint.

The GREAT Clean OUT

A couple of weeks ago I started to clean out "MY ROOM," my space, my inner sanctum.  You have to note that the rest of my house is NOT like this room.  It is orderly and neat but my space....

I started around my chair as that was starting to crowd me.  I began making piles and soon realized that I had created more of a mess than I had before.  You have to understand that I am the keeper of family history, my high school class crap, my crafts, my books, my family pictures, paper (love clean paper and empty journals, obsessively), more books...AND MY ART stuff like canvas', paints, cleaners, brushes...

This is not the first time I've had to clean out my room but honestly, it's the worst it has ever been and I was a bit ashamed and extremely overwhelmed. 

I put the S.O.S. out to my oldest, B and she dropped everything and flew over to assist as I was about to give up but I HAD to do this.  

What happened kind of created more of a mess than I thought and it spilled out down the hallway into the guest bedroom.  I had to get the art stuff organized and we moved all of it to the guest room.  Guess what, I CAN'T get into that room now!  EEK!!!!  It has been this way for a couple of weeks not, dodging the piles down the hall but on Thursday I got busy.  I purged probably 100-150 books so far.  I'm a book whore, what can I say.  See those cabinets that are closed, well they were full, FULL I SAY of books that I could not even get to.  One side is empty now, the other has art magazines, so far. 

Look, you can see actual floor, not floor in the hall or guest room, but floor. 

I also have a collection of Stuart Woods books.  I've collected everything he has written and even though his recent stuff is kind of crap, it is a collection and I am dedicated to it.  So instead of filling up my book alcove in the living room

I'm moving all to the top shelf in my room then moving hard backs and old books to the alcove.  Paperbacks that I have not read yet will be put in a side bookshelf that has NO DOORS.  When it is shut away, it is forgotten.  

Today I will tackle the closet that isn't quite as bad as before and I think I'll be able to purge a lot out of there too.  I HAVE to have this done by June 7 as I'm hosting Daniel Keys and the workshop art students here for dinner and an evening of visiting and I have to have my home studio in tip-top shape.

Hoarder

Yes, I'm back again to chitter-chatter this very early AM, 5:40 to be exact.  Yesterday the plan was that I DID NOT have to leave the house all day long so I was going to paint.  But walking into "my room" and seeing the huge mess it was just was not conducive to painting.  I've been planning on reorganizing before May but had could not get it together to make it happen.  I started around my chair which took me over an hour and ended making more piles but tossing a lot out.  Then it started getting overwhelming.  Really, my room looked like a hoarders house but contained in one room.  Piles and piles of books, financial stuff, art supplies, canvases, magazines, the crap I had accumulated was too much for me to handle.  I was almost in a panic to just shove it all back in the corners till another day.  I totally understand how hoarders can feel and I don't have the sometimes emotional issues they have.  It can be so overwhelming so I sent a text to my oldest and she came to my rescue.  Granted we have piles down the hall waiting to be put back but hey, I'm seeing floor now, actual floor and a huge bag full of books to sell.  Yes, giving away some of the books I have a hard time with, I LOVE books, all books and that is difficult.  We haven't even gotten to one of the cabinets of books.  The ones I can't get rid of are the ones that were my momma's and mine from childhood.  The sad thing is I haven't even read these books.  I cannot buy anymore.  I have to admit I am a kind of hoarder but it's all good.  Eventually the easel and art supplies will move to my studio at the shop but I have to have an easel here for the urge to create.  

I will soon have this space all straightened up to enjoy again, I promise.  

On My Reading List

Thought I would share a couple of books/authors that I have been reading lately.  This morning I had to spend about 30 minutes finishing a book that I just could not finish last night as the Sandman interrupted.  If you have not found the author Kristen Hannah I suggest you find her and soon.  Man she is good.  I started her latest, The Nightingale and kind of took my time getting into it but this weekend at about 43% through I could not put it down.  It's about the French Resistance basically and the women involved in helping during WWII.  Oh, absolutely heartbreaking and beautifully written.  I also recommend her book Winter Garden.  That one stayed with me for a long time as will this recent book.  A fantastic author.  

Another fav of mine is Elin Hilderbrand who wrote A Summer Affair which I loved.  I love the beach books and hers are much more than beach books.

So some of my favorite authors:

Stuart Woods - Chiefs and Palindrome (the early stuff, FANTASTIC)
Kristen Hannah
Elin Hilderbrand
Mary Kay Andrews
Julie Hyzy
Tatiana de Rosnay
Greg Iles
Chris Bohjalin
Harlan Coben

There, that should get you started!

Reading a Good Book

When I was a child one of my most favorite books to read was Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry.  While going through my Facebook feed yesterday morning I saw a report by PBS about the 90th year of the swim of the ponies of Chincoteague.  Then I saw a report from NBC about a sweet boy in Salt Lake City, Utah asking his mailperson for junk mail for him to read because he no way to get to a library or money to buy books.  His book shelves are now very full of books after the mailperson put out the plea.

These two stories reminded me of where my love of reading came from.  Reading was something my mother always insisted on.  She read to us and we read, read, read, all three of us.  The Misty book I still have and recently found again in a box from storage.  Granny and I read the book together and it made a huge impression on me.  I remember that book so very well even as a 59 year old woman it is a memory I cherish.  There are certain books I read as a child that are still a strong memory.  We used to go to the library a lot when we were young.  The shelves and shelves of books were intoxicating to me and I still love to own books and look at then.  Going to a book store is a dangerous place for me, and my credit card.  Books like The Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie, Helen Keller's biography, That Quail Robert, and many more.  I can NOT wait to share with Rio my love of reading.  She already goes to the library and we read books all the time.  Reading a good book is a wonderful pathway to the whole world.  

Tuesday Catch-Up Day

What a strange week it has been.  Of course work on Monday but I had already been in the office on Sunday so my desk was pretty clear.  I watched Rio most of the day and then home.  Tuesday I had planned on going to art class but with my favorite person/friend not being there it just wasn't going to be as fun so I opted to stay home and get some crap done.  I don't know if I have shared but I'm in the middle planning The Hubby's 60th birthday bash.  Every time we go to a social function he always asks if there will be dancing.  He is just eat up with dancing so, I am throwing him a Surprise Dance Party!  It's next month and I have the venue, food, guests and now music and slide show all ready.  He even delivered a handful of invites (in a brown paper wrapper) to a friend in his dance class to be handed out to the other dance geeks.  He had no idea.  Again I score.  Back to Tuesday.  In his computer he has the BEST dance playlists and I needed them for the party.  I ended up having to make discs, a lot of discs of his music to put in my laptop.  Well, when added to my ITunes it added as "Track 1, Track 2, Track 3...etc." I had to add all the info and make sure I didn't already have the songs which I had a lot.  So Tuesday I completed the task and now I have 9 hours of dance music and a slide show of that guy.  DONE.  

Another task taken care of was another clean out of unworn clothes from my closet.  New clothes in old clothes out and then a trip to Goodwill.  

Last but not least was a box that had been storage when we moved our offices.  The Hubby was getting ready to chunk this box until I opened it.  I found childhood books, a brick from the church I grew up in and has since burned down, sheet music, and this AWESOME T-shirt.  Absolutely thread bare this T-shirt was worn by Bro, Sis and myself at different times.  I am going to have it framed I think.  The books I found were cleaned and put on the shelf for Rio when she starts reading:  Huckleberry Finn, National Velvet, Encyclopedia Brown, Ramona (my girls)...

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to one and all.  I am not going to labor at all, in fact I think I will head home from the cabin today early to visit my Daddy and then home to paint, paint, paint!  It's been a fun weekend of lots of food (ugh) here at the cabin but the social time with friends makes up for it all.  I've rested a lot and read a lot.  I'm actually reading a rather difficult and deep book right now:  Behind The Beautiful Forevers:  Life, Death and  Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.  It's difficult to read because of the poverty, the way they have to live in the muck and I'm actually about 75% through it and have yet to find the Hope part.  I almost stopped reading it but I won't, I will finish!

 

I've also had some disturbing happenings going on with family on Facebook that I'm at odds with, in myself, what to do.  My niece (20 years old) and her life that is an open book on FB apparantely and hopefully not to my Daddy!  I haven't been able to make contact with my sister to see if all is well yet and that is disturbing.  She is hard to get hold of especially when her mode of contact changes.  It used to be email then it was FB and now it's texting but since there is no cell phone service here I haven't been able to make that contact. 

 

On a good note, little miss snicklefritz is now officially 11 months old!  What, yes time flies when you're having fun watching a baby grow up before your very eyes.

The Color of Glass

The past few weeks I have been listening to Ayn Rand's, "The Fountainhead" in my car.  That dang thing is 26 CD disc's long and I'm on disc number 11 right now.  I am really enjoying it, especially to listen to the dialog.  An interesting description in the story caught my attention and as an artist it made me question the phrase.  I even Googled it to see what would pop up.  Seems there are a lot of references to bands and lyrics in music.  

Rand describes a woman in a dress, "the color of glass''.  Being that artist it stopped me and I had to turn the CD off for a bit because I was not listening to the words, being stuck on this idea of  ''the color of glass''.  How can that be, because glass has no color.  Actually, glass has many colors because it picks up every color that comes through it, if it is clear.  What if it's frosted or smoked.  What was the color of her dress?  Oh gosh, I could go on about this but it just stopped me in my tracks, "the color of glass.''  

It's amazing what can stump me in life.

Pat Conroy

Yes, I know I have been MIA but we are still in limbo (baby) and having a hard time with words lately.  On a good note, I was invited yesterday to go to the Tulsa Town Hall to listen to author Pat Conroy speak.  WONDERFUL!  I have never read his books, and I know that is odd because I read a lot, but it's true.  A couple of his books:  The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini. Hey, I know those movies, right.  In fact The Great Santini is one of The Hubby's favorites, and mine.  Pat said he just finished writing The Death of Santini a few days before so I will be on the lookout for that.  I didn't know they were autobiographical books about his life.  Wow, I have already ordered and downloaded a few of them to read.

The auditorium was packed yesterday at the PAC.  I never saw so many grey heads bobbing around but I also saw several empty seats and I say this with a reason.  My friend C, who tends to be late and I knew was coming to the program was left outside without a seat and two $75 tickets in her hand.  I called her to see what she thought of the speaker last night and she told me she didn't get in.  "They" told her there were no seats left.  I said to her that was a flat out lie, that we had seats around us.  She said there were several people left out in the lobby to watch a TV screen with tickets in their hand.  She was livid and I don't blame her but I think what may have happened is that, when he started, the policy is no one gets in in the middle to interrupt.  They offered to give her the money back but she told them she didn't want her money back she WANTED TO HEAR PAT CONROY SPEAK!  I don't know if she got the money back but she didn't get in.  Sad.

I am sorry for her but I had a wonderful time and I also got to spend time with a lady I am trying to begin a friendship with.  Bev is the friend and high school classmate that The Hubby hooked up with his best friend and they've now been married about 3 years.  The Hubby's bestie lost his wife Gail my bestie 6 years ago and I've written about it many times.  Yesterday was great.  We had great talks, listened to the speaker and a fabulous lunch at Stonehorse where I bought her lunch in appreciation of the invite to the morning.  She is now in my book club too, so the path to a long friendship has started.

Book Club...

Recently I started a book club.  We've had exactly one meeting and this week will be number two.  Our first book was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  It has been on best seller lists everywhere and it was one of a few books that we had NOT read.  This group of ladies seem to be very well read so finding one we had NOT read was a challenge.  It is a good thing.  This very first meeting, since we did not have a specific book to read, I decided to discuss Fifty Shades of Grey.  You need not have read that book to have an opinion, and opinions we had.  It was a great discussion group and got the ladies interacting when most of them did not know each other.  I have grouped a few ladies that are my friends but are not acquainted with each other, until now.  It's exciting and I'm hopeful we will continue for a very long time.

Back to Fifty...I have read the first two books in the series and have stumbled through the first third of the third book.  I have stopped, finally.  I am DONE!  They are not worth my time to read them, even for a discussion group.  I know, I know I am beating a dead horse here and this is my final say!

Addicted

I am addicted.  Yes, sadly I am addicted to buying books.  I thought getting my Kindle my addiction would slow down, I was wrong.  When the two local Border Bookstores closed down I just knew that would be the end of the addiction, I was so very, very wrong.  I seem to be buying more actual books and e-books on Amazon.  I don't know if I will ever be able to read all that I am buying.  

I love, love, love books.  I love real books but I love my Kindle too.  It's a scary addiction.  I'm reading as fast as I can but they publish so many books every, single day that I'm afraid I will miss out on something good.

I'm going to try,TRY very hard to stop, or at least stop unless I need to get one for my book club.  I can't borrow or check out at the library because I don't like to give them back.  I know it's a sickness.  I'm addicted to paper and words that are printed on it.  

One good thing is I actually took a huge pile to a used book store and sold them and I still have a pile in the garage that I'm offering to my book club members and the ones left will go to Goodwill.  That's good isn't it.  Maybe the addiction isn't too bad...