Epic Decision Made

Over the years I have had many incarnations of hair styles, from curled with curlers or rags to a Toni perm right in the front and long in the back, the first mullet. 

Even short, short, to long, long by the time I graduated high school.

Then came the age of Farrah Fawcett bangs and as my aunt tried to do "painting" it but ended up bleaching my whole head of long long hair blonde. 

Next up was frosting, frosting caps and hooks...OUCH...and I have never gone back... 

well, maybe back and forth between the blonde to a bit darker but I've pretty much always had my hair bleached or dyed.

About a year ago I decided to let it grow long again.  I missed the braids, ponytails, or as Snicklefritz calls them "pony-pony's".  It is slow going unlike how it used to grow but it is getting longer which I am quite happy with.  

NOW...I have made an epic decision to...

GO GREY!!!

There is still a LOT of blonde going on on the ends, actually most of it but I probably have 2 inches that is grown out silver grey and I am embracing it.  I'm done with that chemical stuff.  I am going to embrace my age, sort of. 

Birthdays Birthdays Everywhere

Yesterday The Hubby celebrated yet another wonderful year of life, 61 years!  This year it was extremely low key since last year I blew his party out with a HUGE BASH!  He went dancing as usual, which is what he wanted to do which was just fine as I had a meeting I had to go to.  I did fix him one of his favorite meals, stuffed peppers.  The night before we went to a pizza place in the East Village called Bohemian Pizza with the entire crew.  The entire crew was my GIRLS and their respective guys and Snicklefritz.  Yes our youngest and her guy are in town for a week to visit.  Nick, her guy had a jazz gig across the street at Hodges Bend later in the evening that we wanted to listen too.  I LOVE that area the way it has been built up.  We had a great evening. Oh, and we celebrated The Hubby's birthday that night.  

Today is my best friend of 30 years birthday!  She has beat cancer so I'm very bad to be able to celebrate birthday's with her.  

Last week was my bestie from high school's birthday...so that is a friendship of 42 years, with a little break in between.  Happy birthday to my dearest friends!

My World Lately

Good morning bloggyland!  Yes, I am still around.  It has been a crazy few weeks.  I've had to be at the office a good part of my life this past week which I don't mind yet I do because I can't be at my easel when I like.  Yes I have an easel there but it is getting harder and harder to paint there with a nearly 4 year old in the mix, you just can't get in the zone.  I've been painting a couple of birds for a friend that has commissioned them but not just real happy with the red-headed woodpecker.  There is just something WRONG with it.  I may have to start all over.  I actually hate it.  I've painted one before but am struggling with it.  I had it here then as I looked at it DELETED it, it is just plain UGLY.  The cardinal I'm happy with...onward. 

This week I had tons of my paintings framed for a couple of shows and let me tell you THAT WAS EXPENSIVE, even with a 1/2 off sale.  But it has to be done for the shows coming up.  One show I can have 4, the other 7, but probably less on that one because of the size of my Topiary, framed, it is HUGE!  Framing it makes it impressive for sure.

Well, our youngest is in town from California for a two week visit and her guy arrives on Monday to finish out the visit.  We haven't seen him in a couple of years.  He will be performing at Hodges Bend on Monday evening and we will go then he is teaching a master class at NSU in Tahlequah the next day.  The Hodges Bend thing he doesn't start performing till about 9 pm....EEK...I will have to get a nap that day.  Their visit will be the visiting of relatives and friends with a final day here with The Hubby's side of he family.  The tricky side of them here is that they have turned vegan.  My house, my diet, my food is definitely not vegan but I can make it happen a lot. 

Good news last evening as my good friend Harri and Jimbo have become grandparents to sweet Caleb.  So very excited for them.  Everyone around them had grandbabies and they were a bit jealous I think, now they are among us.  

I've also been gathering my stuff to ready for our trip to Europe.  In the next few months we will take a Mediterranean cruise around Italy and France.  We are going with three other couples of which the wives and I paint together.  We want to take photos, photos, photos for painting.  I'm nervous but ready.  My brother right now is in Poland with his church praise and worship band.  He plays guitar in the group.  He has only been to Mexico so this was a big deal and he is having a grand time, and eating his way across Poland!  

Photo Finish

I was lucky enough this past weekend to boogie away on Thursday afternoon to my favorite place, our cabin.  The weather was just perfect for an August weekend so most of my time was on our screened porch with this view.  

I even got the camera set up for some closeup snapshots and I think I was on target for some more painting photos. 

Friday morning I hopped on the golf cart, coffee and camera and headed to the creek to find a bush covered with butterflies.  SCORE!  I've painted a couple of butterflies but they aren't my favorite.  They are dang hard to paint.   

Then back home on Sunday morning after a visit to Daddy I settled in to do a bit of sketching.  No, NO NO NO I did not snap this photo.  It is from the organization Wild Heart Ranch in northeastern Oklahoma.  It is a State and Federally licensed rehab facility for all species of wildlife needing orphan support, injury treatment or disease recovery.  Annette Tucker is the founder and this is her photo or rather theirs.  I am going to try and paint it, auction or sell to the highest bidder/price I can get and donate all proceeds from the sale to the organization.   

Topiary

Topiary

I know I have shared at the beginning of this painting some photos of the process but now it is FINALLY finished and here we are...

"TOPIARY"

30 x 24

oil on linen canvas 

It all started with a trip to Marlsgate Plantation outside of Little Rock, Arkansas.  The home was full of photo worthy stuff and possible paintings and I hope to do several.

Then a good drawing had to be done to get it started.

Then the painting started and it took me several weeks, hours to get it done.

Until....TA DA

It's done.  It was a great project to get me to slow down and take my time in a painting.  I hope to have it in a show in October with several other paintings.  I will keep you posted. 

Clayton

Our sweet boy, Clayton.  This weekend we hosted a dinner at our cabin and Sunday morning this little face was hurting.  I don't know exactly what happened but it was brought to my attention that a guest shoved him off of the couch after he jumped up on it.  He woke up Sunday morning unable to use his little leg, a leg that is already compromised because he was born with it a bit deformed, shortened.  He was only using three legs, hopping to go outside, eat, pee.  Luckily he didn't seem to be hurting, so to speak, because we could palpate it and rub on what seemed a inflammation in the shoulder area.  It seemed jammed or just knotted.  I don't know if that is what happened but I am a bit...no a LOT upset with this guest and if I see it happen I will say something.  Clayton is absolutely defenseless and so loving and sweet it makes me sick.  

This was him all day long yesterday.  He was not well at all with the leg.  This morning he is definitely better, thank goodness.  

Sweet little boy. 

Eli's Story

I am just going to ramble here and I DON'T care who reads it.  

I think I've posted that my niece has had her troubles but she seems to finally found her way out of the dark hole she has been in.  She is in California, has a job, a place to live and still on the countdown for days sober of 126.  When she left town she left a cat, Eli, at her parents house that already had a cat and three dogs.  Sweet Eli was left in a house where he was not wanted, not loved and lived on a tightrope threat of being dumped any day.  As you also may have read if you are a follower my sister and her family are really not very good animal people, not dedicated to them, i.e. previous dumping of Maggie the Cat.  

I got wind of Eli's predicament at a lunch with Sis.  I asked if she had called Street Cats and her response was that they cost money.  Okay, money versus the LIFE OF A DEFENSELESS ANIMAL!  Here we go again.  I immediately called B as she is on the  board of Street Cats and told her I would pay the intake fee (she actually did) and wanted to get Eli out of the desperate situation he was in.  B made it happen!  She also went and picked him up and saw the deplorable conditions he was living in.  He once was a sweet cuddly kitten but was terrified and scared half to death when they finally got him to foster care.  Eli was so traumatized he spent 2 months in foster care when he finally was put into the main Street Cats population ready for adoption.  We were really afraid he was going to spend the entire rest of his life in foster care or the Street Cats facility because of his debilitating fear.  Eli was LUCKY!  After only 2 weeks in the system he has found a forever home with a guy of all things as that is one of his fears...didn't used to be...hmmmmmmm.  This guy came in and fell in love with Eli.

The other part of the story is that Eli was not Sis's cat, it was her daughter's and she was in rehab getting well.  All of this happened over two months ago and Sis FINALLY told her daughter on Tuesday about him being gone.  TUESDAY!  B called the niece on Wednesday to talk to her and was forced with the responsibility of filling her in on all of the horrid story.  Of course she is broken-hearted but understands that Eli is in a much better place.  

I have to tell you my sister is just not a reliable pet owner and her history backs this up.  When she was young and first divorced, living back with my parents she brought a cat home.  That cat lived in the dark windowless garage for a very long time.  I don't even know what happened to him.  Then she moved out on her own and adopted two beautiful cats named Miss Emmy and Sapphire.  Miss Emmy was a case for sure but Sapphire was a jewel (no pun intended).  She was so very sweet.  She had them for several years then got married and pregnant with my niece.  My niece was born at 4 something pounds and was in the NICU for a few weeks but when she was to come home Sis called the vet to come and get the cats, her pets, her friends for several years and have them euthanized.  I could not believe it.  Luckily Sapphire was adopted by the vets son who fell in love with her.  I guess Miss Emmy was put down.  So sad.  Then the story of sweet Maggie the Cat who had been adopted from Street Cats.  She had issues but Sis DID NOT take her to the vet to address the health issues and her total fear of everything and everyone, instead the decided to DUMP her on the hottest day of the year in a neighborhood that was just being built.  Smart move IDIOTS!  That cat was scared of her own shadow, no one would be able to adopt her.  

I haven't even addressed the dogs, which she has a bit more affinity too.  A story for another day.

81 Years Young

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY

81 years old  YOUNG today

Just A Little Painting

Last week seems so far away as I look back and realize I have not posted anything since last Wednesday.  Wow, a full 7 days later and here I am again. 

Last Monday I was at work twiddling my thumbs when I decided to go upstairs to my office studio to pass the time while waiting for the phone to ring.  I was going through my photos on my IPad and found this little gem from my day trip to P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain Farm.  I thought the view was lovely and would be a great painting, so...

I made it a painting.  I think it needs more flowers though.  

I Miss You

I miss you Momma...10 years ago today I watched you take your last breath.  I love you and miss you terribly.

Loss of a Friend

 

My dear sweet Daddy had some very sad news yesterday.  On Sunday's about 10:30 in the morning, every Sunday, he gets in his little car and drives out to his oldest friends house to visit.  He and Jay were best buds in high school and Jay has a twin sister, Kay, he goes to visit Jay but Kay comes to bring them lunch and to give Daddy his kiss!  Jay is married to Helen.  Jay and Helen were also dear friends of my Momma and Daddy.  Anyway, Helen had a massive heart attack yesterday about the time that Daddy goes to visit.  I don't know if he was there because I only had a message from him.  I didn't call back because he can't hear but will today.  He called all three of us, Bro, Sis and me but only talked to Sis and she said what happened.  You could tell on the message that he is torn up for a lot of reasons but one is because tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of Momma passing.  Breaks my heart for him and Jay and their family.

NOTE:  Edited this after I just talked to him...yes he was there but said there was nothing he could do.  So sad and hard on him and Jay.

Sunshine, Painting and Friends

Good morning all.  A beautiful Sunday morning it is.  I could have slept in but alas that was not to be.  I was up and awake at five this morning.  It is frustrating to not be able to sleep in anymore but the good thing is that I am a morning person now.  Had a visitor outside the bathroom window peeking in at me.  He's still a baby.

We headed to the cabin Friday afternoon for an evening of chitter-chatter with friends and a good meal.  Up Saturday and a quick gab session and coffee with Harri next door but back in town for The Hubby.  His dance people were bringing in a professional for some extra lessons and he didn't want to miss out on that.  I was fine with it and spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the backyard in my air-chair, a good book and cold glass of iced tea.  Life is grand!  

Friday evening was dinner at Clancy's of which consisted of yummy BBQ!  It was a nice easy evening of visiting, a few gin and tonics and a wonderful snapshot of shadows and beauty in her cabin.  I think I will have to try and paint this one for sure.  I've already painted one from a snapshot I took from her kitchen window.  Her cabin is just darling and has been featured in one of Charles Faudree's decorating books a few years ago, since he designed the inside.

Art has been fun lately as I'm working on a very intense realism topiary from a photo I took on the trip to Moss Mountain Farm and Marlsgate Plantation a month ago.  It has been so much fun but to loosen up I've also been doing some mixed media with watercolor, pen and markers.  Fun stuff and selling a bit too.  If you notice on the right side of my blog there is a link to Daily Paintworks.  I've been a member of that website for over a year but had not been able to navigate or find the time to navigate it to add my paintings to sell.  Well, this past week I finally did it and now have an avenue for people to see some of my work and SELL!  It's cool because I can link it to Facebook and the third day they actually picked one of mine to feature on their page!!!!  So very excited about that.  I haven't sold any yet on the page but I'm sure I will.  I definitely get a lot of traffic on my page now!  

Tuesday evening was also a night out with friends, Bev and Kelly.  We have season tickets to the Broadway show at the PAC with them now and makes a nice evening of dinner and a show with friends.  It was 42nd Street which The Hubby was not too much of a fan of.  I loved it.  We had dinner at Wild Fork and of course I had to snap a photo of the table.  

Always looking for a painting aren't I.  

Summer is going by way too fast for me.  I know everyone is HATING the heat but I LOVE IT!!! I love the sunshine, the warmth the warm glow that I see when I am out there.  I love summer and I'm sorry we are having a heat wave but hey, IT'S SUMMER!  I go outside and sit and just soak up the heat.  It's healing for me.  

Have a great day, week!