"Untitled" - 2010 Spring Bay Studio

One of the pieces that I'd mentioned last week..been playing with the background and finally when it looked like what I wanted, then I got the fish and other pieces dug out of the file folder - There was some deciding on whether or not to add some elements to the bottom, but for now, it seems ok to me as it is - I may add something over the texture, but for now this be it.

I've got another larger piece that's not quite like my other canvases - well, wait - it's sorta-kinda-like some work I did not too long ago..somewhere during last winter I think. I had started in one direction, but as the texture on it started to change shape, then it took on a life of it's own. And even The Husband liked it - so that's quite a thing for me!!

I've got to order some new canvases, as the last ones that I bought at that "Mart" place were really a nightmare to work with. I have no idea of what kind of material they were manufactured out of, but they were quite the box of rocks, let me tell you. I fought with those things an' very nearly threw them away. But with lots and lots of gesso added, they finally got used. Nearly wore me slam out, but I made it!! I need a couple paks of things, so on payday Tom may be somewhat suprised to see what I'm ordering. He'll get over it..that's what he always says to me when I get all a-tither over something.."You'll get over it..." - makes me feel like a dump truck just ran over me..but that's a whole other story...

So I'm getting some papers added to a canvas on the work table right now...the color's are not anything I remember using before, so it's quite bright - No, I'm not going to give you any clues as to what they are..just something different..NO! ~ No purple or orange, so there!! ~ You jus' gotta wait!! ~ Tee Hee ~ !!!! ~

So, while it's still cool (we finally had rain last night & this morning..much much better w/temps @75Degrees!!) I'm going to get some work done, so it'll be dry in a New York Minute ~ !! ~ Whooo..............


Lady of The Tulips

Ok -

So, Here's what NOT to do when running the dishwasher in the kitchen...

See, Noah tries to "save" money by using regular dish liquid in the little dispenser portion in the door of the dishwasher...figures that it saves some $$, an' in his words, "Works jus' fine, it's ok.."

Well, here is a picture that shows what happens when Le Ma tries to do the same thing...uhhhmmm...

I guess what Noah does is something entirely different than what I did, when I wa trying to use dish liquid instead of DISHWASHER liquid in the dispenser ditty in the door...I thot jus' a tad bit would get the dishes ever so clean, an' everybody would say, Oh, aren't you wonderful for doing such a nice job..

Ha!

Well, I did a nice job of making a MESS - what for me was jus' a little tad was way WAY too much for the machine to handle - an' the results went on like this for some time...What Noah neglected to tell me, was that he just sprinkles a little bit of dish washing liquid sorta over an' around the dishes, then starts the machine up.

See...he sorta/kinda/never did tell me that...'course 'till way after all this charming mess happened...

But let me tell you how clean that kitchen floor was ~ !! ~ Whoo - Boy-Howdy!!! That sucker couldn't stand itself, let me tell you.

But I'm going to stick with the CORRECT liquid for the machine from now on, you can totally believe that.

I had planned on showing the 2 new canvases I finished just this week, but Noah hauled off an' took the batteries out of the camera, an' put 'em to use in the remote mouse for the computer..an' naturally didn't tell me BEFORE I'd gotten my canvases all set up to take pictures of out in the dining room..it kinda freaked me out, 'cause I'd gotten the stuff all ready, got the light just right in the room, an' when I went to puch the "On" button on the camera....

Absolutely nothing happened.

So, being the mechanically inclined person that I am, I pushed the button again...

And absolutely nothing happened - AGAIN -

Tha's when it hit me, that the batteries were off doing their thing in another space and time, an' here I was waiting for my ship to come in..or something like that.

So tomorrow when I gotta run errands an' do my waiting for the 1 "Customer Service" person at our bank ( bad enuf you gotta wait for one lousy person to help ya out, an' then adding insult to injury, the woman is one of the most arrogant, demeaning people I've had to do business with for a long, long time. Maybe she's changed banks, an' I won't have to see her ~ ! ~ ) - I can't use the tellers at the windows, or use the drive-in part...I gotta go inside, an' wait for this one person to help me out.

Ever so Convienent ~ !! ~ or however tha's spelled...

So - anyway, tha's what's gonna happen tomorrow..OH ~ !! ~

I nearly forgot - Whoo - Noah got a part time job down Ocean Highway, working at a warehouse - I'm not sure how many days it's gonna be, but at least it's SOMETHING ~ !! ~ An' he seemed pretty jazzed about it - Unfortunately the weather is going to be another scorcher today, so I hope they have lots and lots of fans inside the building - most warehouses don't have air conditioning inside, so it's always scary to think of how hot it get's in them. But noah's been working in the heat all week, an' doesn't seem to mind it..

Where I jus' about fall over an' make a puddle of myself...

So - I gotta run an' check some papers - It's so nice now inside...jus' started up the air conditioning...shweeooooo - whatta difference. 11:00 in the morning, an' it's already 90 Degrees.an' no, I'm too chicken to see how high the humidity is ~ !! ~ Tee Hee......

I'm Gone -

Lady of The Tulips

*** Just a quick post while a canvas does it's last drying thang ***

I'm glad to say that the weekend went really well..it started off kinda lousy, but then our oldest suggested we come up to see his new condo, an' have some bbq at the same time..

Now...

Do you think for one-half-of-one MINUTE that I paused before accepting that invitation??? I mean, FREE FOOD..an' a chance to see my son's first purchased home? -- Jumped all over that, an' even made sure that The Husband was wearing something at least reasonably clean to go up to the City in.

I don' mean to say that he's necessarily a slob...he just doesn't always wear a straight-from-the-washer/dryer shirt all the time. -- what was tha' old song about wearing a somewhat clean dirty shirt? - wish I could remember all the words to that one...

But anyway - off we went to the city..not too much traffic, an' showed up jus' in time to check out the new place (well, new to our son..) - an' watch a bit of baseball. Then got fed a wonderful STEAK..with macaroni salad...chips...YUM..All those things I'm not remotely supposed to have.

I ate those things like there wasn't going to be any tomorrow...Yes Sir, an' Yes Ma'am...

'Course now I'm sure my cholestrol is probably starting to look like the oil Tom drained out of his car so he could put in clean oil. Oops. Jus' don' tell my Dr., 'k???

But now, speaking of Tom - he jus' called to say he was on his way home early - gotta get up a little later than usual, 'cause he's got to drive up near the Maryland border, to a warehouse for the Mennonite Co-Op that distributes chicken. The box of frozen chicken is going to somewhere in Iraq for our troops..he's been picking up a lot of it lately, an' he's feelin' pretty good that he can do his part for those people over there.

So I gotta go start some stuff for dinner earlier than I thot I would...maybe some thing light, as today the heat index & temp is over 100 Degrees...yee-haw...an' it's early for this intense type of heat, too. Yee Gads, what's the rest of the summer going to be like?? -

I'm gonna stay indoors for the rest of the day, you can believe that!!

But for now -

I'm gone..........


Lady of The Tulips

"Thinking of You Faraway" - 2010 Spring Bay Studio

Here's the other piece that I mentioned was in progress over on the work table...it was fun messin' around with the papers - And there just is a little something about these papers from 7 Gypsies - Don't know what it is, but they all coordinate with so many others that it makes it a lot of fun to grab a file folder full of papers and get to work playing with all of them.

I have a piece that's drying now on my table, so that's going to get a picture in the morning. Right now it's getting a little steamy and since Noah is on this kick of not using the air conditioning in the house, it's not all that fun to trapse around in the studio hunting for odds and ends for a piece. I started to dig out some canvases, but thot about it - like, maybe it's going to be Tomorrow before I go scrounging around in the bottom of that closet for those canvases. Too humid to test whether or not I'm goin' to get dizzy from the heat.

Been there, done that.

And had to pay extra for the ambulance, 'cause at the time Tom was in the navy, and the military wouldn't pay the fee. Long story, an' I'll go into it another time. Still makes me raving mad about the whole deal.

BUT - I AM glad to say that I found some trims and some papers that honestly, I forgot I had. Some days the little brain cells just don't want to work right..but yesterday they were chugging along on all 4 cylinders, an' lo ~ !! ~ There in a little box were some trims that I thot got stuck wa off somewhere else. Huh ~ ! ~ Boy, didn' I feel like a jerk..here I'd been close to throwing a hissy fit, an' makin' a SCENE..when there the box was, all along - no more than 3 feet away from my work table. Duhhhh...

So those, an' yes, some of my 7Gypsies papers will all get together an' have a little party ~ !! ~ Yee Haw ~ !! ~

After I cool down a little more, 'cause right now the "Feels Like" temp. is 92 Degrees..an' the storm clouds are startin' to get their act together...yeeeks...best go before it all cuts loose ~ !!! ~

I'm Gone ~~


Lady of The Tulips

"To The Sea" - 2010 Spring Bay Studio

Here's the other piece that I worked out over on the table just this last week - I got the idea of the crab from one of the pictures that I saw on an area website, that tells of all the different species of fish and shellfish along the shoreline and further out in the Atlantic.

I wish that I could get some FRESH crab, but I don't know who to contact for it, and the cost is probably something that would make me go into an absolute hysterical crying jag anyway..as in - the cost for one full bushel is probably like $65.00 or something. Not quite in my price range.

But anyway - there are a couple other pieces getting all fixed up over at the table as we speak - I'm thinking of adding some of my fibers and threads that usually just sit in the box and get bored. I want to go off and buy a bunch of new stuff, but that aint gonna happen - 'specially since I've got some already in a big ol' storage box that hasn't been opened in something like 3 months. I hate to waste things, so they need to get used and not take up excess real estate.

And speaking of real estate - there are some new neighbors moving in around us - I'm not sure which little cabin they have bought, but I keep seeing cars and trucks loaded down with goodies sticking out from every area that's possible - windows crammed to the brim with stuff - the back of the pickup bed just overflowing with stuff...

Me, I'd thin out as much as possible, but I know there are people who would just as soon go into mourning, wear black for 3 months and continually throw ashes on themselves, rather than throw things away.

But I'm not a packrat - mainly 'cause there just isn't that much space to store things in the cabin, so I have to learn how to make the best of the storage areas I've got.

Which brings me to the point of where I need to be starting this afternoon -

Tom has a much larger closet than I do, but I'm the one with the boxes of fabric that gets used for blouses, dresses and what-have-you. Said boxes are beginning to show signs that all is not well in Storage Land, and they are beginning to develop middle-age spread...in other words, the middle of the storage boxes are bulging in the center, and the lids aren't closing right, so the fabric is getting dust in and around it. And I also have to dance around said boxes, and have my laundry hamper somehow in the same space...

So = since Tom has the space, and I need to get some of my storage things into that space, I first have to throw out, or take to the thrift store, all the old clothes that tom refuses to wear anymore. Well - maybe that;s too harsh a word to say...he doesn't REFUSE to wear them...they just don't fit. Eeek...yup - he's gotten to big for 'em, so they aren't doin' any good taking up prime real estate for MY stuff...

Chances are he won't even notice their gone outta his closet.

It's such a mess in there, I'm thinkin' he doesn't even know what's in HALF of his closet...

So, maybe not in the dark of night, but pretty close to it - I'm gonna start gettin' stuff put into bags an' take 'em to the thrift store this weekend..THEN that prime real estate is MINE ! Whoo - Boy ~ !! ~

'K - I'm not really frothing at the mouth over this, but I'm considerin' gettin' pretty worked up over it...

So I guess I need to go in there...yeekkk...'k...here goes nothin'...Wish me luck.... ~ !! ~


I'm Gone


Lady of The Tulips

"Sweetheart" - 2010 - Spring Bay Studio

I didn't even have a name for my new friend...and I felt kinda bad about it - I mean, it's one thing to ? FORGET somebodys name..but at least they HAVE a name.

But this poor lil' dear didn't even have a name..so all I could think of was Sweetheart..An' to me she is rather a little sweetheart..all surrounded by her favorite flowers..and of course a heart from her boyfriend..

Ahhh...

Wish SOMEBODY I know, who Shall Remain Nameless...but who resides in THIS SAME HOUSE would remember to get ANOTHER person a heart..

Flowers would be nice too...

A Card...

Ok..so you get the idea - The Husband isn't one for going all out on the Stuff business...

But just you wait my pretty..........

ANYWAY - I don' know about any o' the rest of you, but here in the south the HEAT is starting to get itself Going - the last I checked the weather info., the humidity was above 75%..Yummm..with the temp. hovering somewhere near 87 Degrees.... YUM!!

Anybody in for a quick sneak over to the pool??

Oh - Wait..I haven't paid for my yearly pool pass...

But it is getting into those Dog Days of Summer..just a tad bit early, it seems. But after the SNOW we had during the winter, it sorta all evens out. I went into town early this morning, 'cuse Noah absolutely-positively HAD TO have some paint for the shed...the shed, mind you. So we did the errands before it was all-together too hot to walk out and climb in the Very Fine Automobile..

Noah doesn't do riding in the Bus..so I have ta take the Very Fine instead...

An' get this - the paint for the shed is the shed that's falling slowly into the ground in the backyard...the one with the off the wall pink/red-faded SOMETHING paint job on it...

An' no - he's not painting the OUTSIDE..he's fixin' up the inside..But it needs it really bad. The elderly couple who lived here hadn't done a thing to the interior, so it was pretty scary...right down to the carcasses of passed away creatures..and other reptiles, which shall Remain Nameless...

Plus a shelf..way, way, WAY up near the ceiling of the shed..

Now, I wanna know - who the $%^#& puts a shelf up within 6" of the ceiling of a SHED??? -- I mean, what in the world, WORLD are you gonna put way, way up there??? A ladder won't fit..there is nothing else that can squeeze up there..'cept maybe the neighbors cat, an' that sucker got smart an' ran away from them..(They never did feed that poor lil' guy..)

So the Shelf remains a mystery -- actually I heard a bunch of hammering, so I gotta feeling that noah HAD IT an took the thing down..This was after he came in the cabin an' muttered a bunch, slammed a couple innocent things around in his room, an' then proceeded to march himself right back outside to the shed...again....

GHAWD - no wonder I'm tired today...plus I woke up at 4:30 this morning...an' for absolutely no good reason at all....

Which brings to mind something The Husband said jus' a while ago - "You might wanna have a cold one, 'cause the temp is climbing as we speak.."

Ahhh... aint he sweet? Always lookin' out for his lil' wifey-poo...

Either that or he's got some kinda bad news to tell me after he parks the truck at the terminal...

I SWEAR I feel grey hair growing on my head right now..I tell ya, I really do...........


I'm Gone ~~


Lady of The Tulips

Just a quick note - I'm not going to say too much, as one of my elderly friends from church passed away this week...I was worried about her earlier a week or so ago - her color didn't look good, and she seemed to be having difficulty standing.

But I felt that she'd get better - pull thru one more time (emphasima ) (sp) and just be there..smiling at church - o - being on her porch, waving as I went past on my bicycle.

But there are things that we just don't understand - and maybe never will. I will miss her, as she was always one of those people who you couldn't help but hug every time you'd see her. And she will be missed terribly.

The memorial service was just a little while ago - quite sweet, as she was sweet. There were many many tears, but there was laughter too - fun little things were shared..many happy memories. And that's what's important, I think - to keep the happy parts of every persons life in the front of you - 'specially when things get bad, sad, and you feel like there just isn't one more minute that you can stand it.

But now it's time to just pause - relish another day here on this glorious Earth. And believe that tomorrow will come around - and we'll all be better by and by..........


Lady of The Tulips

Wanted to sHare a shot of the pond where we camped at the bluegrass festival..

Now, I KNOW - your saying to yourselves (I knowe you are..) - "Why a picture from, like, a month ago??" -

WELL - 'cause this ties in with a place nearby where I ride my bike..

See..there are all these litte streets that go along the edge of the Sound..actually bordering the 2 "small" rivers that flow into the Sound..and some of these streets have some access places that are somewhat dank, dark and dreary..sorta like something out of a Edgar Allen Poe type poem...and there are days, 'specially after a rain, that when the water gets flowin' like all He** and get out, it really sounds like it's time for the FLOOD and we all better get ready to kiss ourselves goodbye, and in a hurry, thank you very much...

But there is one place, where there is an old empty cabin, teeny and looking like it's ready to flop right on into the teeny inlet...where the trees - grass - bushes an' vines have made it look like something Tim Burton would have a hay - day with (no, I've never know just what a hay-day is either, but it's always sounded kinda fun to me...) -

But this little spot is always incredibly green, not unlike this part of the shoreline where the Pond is in this photo. There are always something's scurring about when I go past this spot on the paved road..I can hear little animals (LAWDY, I hope their animals..like sweet little bunnies...or chipmonks..) or whatever else is lurking in there..sometimes when I'd walk Sara Beth, she'd always want to go crashing into the tangle of vines that grew up the side of a dead tree stump..all I could think about when she'd try this trick, was,.."Oh pleeze Lord, don't let this be too expensive when it's all said and done..I know she's gonna get bit by some horrid creature in there..."

Fortunately despite my fears and trembling, The Dog and I would not be attacked by anything jumping out of this spot..and for most days I just keep on riding my bike - cruisin' along..and really hoping that whatever is living in there will just leave me alone..

But it's so incredibly pretty..If my brain decides to work right, I'm going to take my camera w/me on my next ride in the afternoon, and take a whole mess of pictures, jus' so you know what it's like around here.

And maybe see what really IS living in that clump of stuff just over on the other road...

But for now, I gotta run & get groceries..it's that time of week, an' the 'fridge is lookin' really slap pitiful..I MEAN...the bottom 2 shelves are totally empty..the crisper drawers haven't had anything in them for a week or more...

Look, I jus' haven't been into the whole Grocery Shopping Thang - 'k? - makes my last good nerve twitch some times...all those people all barreling down Isle 5...trying to be the first to grab the On Sale! jar of pickle relish ("Two for One ~ !! ~ Today Only ~ !! ~)..

As if buyin 2 stuiped jars of relish is REALLY going to make or break your whole week, for cryin' out loud...

Well anyway...

I'm Gone...............


Lady of The Tulips

So here's a look at how the studio work table is being horribly treated..stuff seems to happen to it, and it just sits there and lets it happen.

I know some people who would throw fits, demand an attorney, and other things too terrible to talk about.

But my little table just keeps me goin', an' even tho today is one of those days where it would be best to go find somebodys nice dock to jump off of, and go swimming in one of the cool streams..alas, it's not to be.

So I am working like a wild banshee, cutting and cutting and CUTTING pieces of paper..all types of colors, and various sizes..believe it or not, they actually WILL go together, and make for a very cool and breezy piece when it's all said and done. I really thot I'd gone off the deep end when I realized how much work it ended up taking, to put all those pieces of paper together on a canvas..but the ol' college cheer keep me goin' on - Well, actually not a cheer, but I felt that if I didn't get those pieces of paper slammed down on that canvas, then I'd just be in a funk for the rest of the day ~ !! ~

So that's all gonna get photo'd tomorrow...along with a little girl who just happened to stop by this last week...she is very polite, doesn't shout and make terrible noises. Has something of a sweet smile about her, and doesn't scream at neighbors who go zipping down our dirt road at speeds that are much too dangerous.

Where lots of times I feel like SCREAMING at the fools...but then, I figure, if they keep going at the rate of speed they seem to be driving, then they'll just come to the end of the road, and THEN won't THAT be interesting ~?~

So, that's all tomorrow..but for now I'm going to go stare in the 'fridge an' see if there's something in there to make me wanna do a happy dance for dinner...

Actually, I bought some pretty fresh mushrooms, have some onion, and tortillas...cheese...salsa.. ~ VIVA ~ !! ~ Looks like I'm havin' mexican tonight ~ !! ~ Along with a cold beverage..looks like I gotta go get cuttin' on the cutting board, now, don't it ~ ?? ~~ !! ~~

I'm Gone.......


Lady of The Tulips