"Untitled" -- 2009 Spring Bay Studio

>> Here's the latest little batch of fun I finished just yesterday <<

The fishie are something I put toGether the othEr day whiLe watchIng a BaSebAll gamE --one of The LaSt Spring TraiNing games from Florida..SOO naturAlly, looking at hOW nice it WaS doWn there..it All soRtaa fermented in mE little heAd...an Voila!! -- now If I CaN just get a namE for them, then it's all goNNa Be finE --

I've got a Canvas DryIng on The taBle right now -- it's got 3 coAts of PainT an' some goodies, so IT's gonna be A gooD DaY or So befoRe it's gonNa be dRy Enuf to meSS with...I'm lookinG forWard to GetTiNG it workED out...maybe just a LitTle mORe paInt..aN' a cOUple exTrA's..yess...then it's GoNna be good. I've got some SkEtcHes on the table Too -- HA!! -- thEre muCh different thAn somE of the StuFF I've been doIN -- so Do Let me KNow what ya ThiNk --

TomoRRow The Husband & I are goiNg to the dR's office -- tom HAS to gEt his bLood PreSSure CheCked..an' my oTHer EaR is BothERing me...it's BeEn weIrd for a couPle weekS, but I coulDn't bE thInKin' aboUt goiNg to the Dr. offIce, when theRe's been sUch liTTle work...a DaY off for ToM right now would BE BaD..since they'Ve haD so few Full 10 hoUR days -- maYbe 5 wEEks ouT of tHe pAst 4 moNtHs have been 40 hOUrs...no FreigHt comINg from overSeAs...tha'S not GoOd. And no AnSwer in siGHt...blast...SOO -- what All tHat sEz..is I wIll geT mY heAriNg checkED again...sigh...an' pRoBabLy morE dropz...no tElLing whAt aLL I'l be loaDed doWn with..wheee....

> Must go AndD check my CaNvaS -- it's supOsSed to bE dryIng with No cRacKs in it..WhEn it'S dowNLoAded, I'll shoW why thAt's iMpoRtant...<<


Lady of The Tulips

>>> Well <<< This is probably going to be a short post, 'cause I'm in the process of getting the camera to BEhAVE iTself an' get the last blob of paint on a canvas...then finish my blouse...then get some stitching done on another blouse...my, my -- how do people jus' siT around And Do Nothing all day?


The weekend was quiet, so we had the chance to just sit on the deck an' have a nice salad on Sunday Afternoon -- Tom made it just so, with cheese on top, raisins, mushrooms, 2 different lettuce blends, it probably had too many calories in it, but since it was basically the biggest meal of the day, then it wasN't so Bad! -- I took the opportunity on Sunday Afternoon to throw seedZ all over the garden spots along the FrOnt of the HouSe -- marigolds that I've kept -- they got thickly PlaNtEd under some small trees..along with CoSmoS -- NasTurTiums...It was such a niCe DaY!! --

It made up for a WeIrd DiscoVery -- someone, I guess on SaTurday NiGht, came around our corNer too faSt, aNd droVe their Car into the Ditch that runZ alongsiDe the driVeway...HumPH!!..the NeRve!! -- big ol' tiremarks, all down in the mud. WHa' ThE??!! -- Dolt. It made ME somewhat UpSet, butThankful thAt we slept threw the whoLe thing. I also threw some sunflower seeds in a spoT neAr the kiTchen winDow -- finGers are CrosSEd that they'll come In -- that'll be cool!!

Tom had the BRAINSTORM -- of the year -- when we had to go An buy soMe stuFF at the stoRe -- alWays thingS at the HardWaRE store are fAr too overPriced, so he SeZ to me --"You still got that Gift Card from Christmas?" -- uhhh..."Yeah" --- POP!! -- so he chEcks the balance on it, an' lo & Behold, we had $50 !!! SCORE -- so, with that little tidbit happIlY in my pocket, off we went -- got some hardWAre for my old Dresser That NoAh is refinishing..went an' got a sandwich drink and snaCks at SubWay (YUM!!) got a VeRy Cool Sun/Star windcHiMe @ BigLots..then finally used our checking AccOunt to get foodies...Whatta Day!! We saved $20 on top of it using a different sToRE for our WeeKlyFood-stuff..I'd buDgEted for neArly $100 -- but WiTh sales An' coupons...$82 for theWEEK!! --

We weRenT quiTe danCing in The PArkIng lot, But we SuRE were close!! HA!!

So Now it's Waiting Time for the weAther to warM baCk up -- we had tornado watches & WaRninGs most oF the Day yesTerday -- I CouLd heAR the TornAdo SirEn off In Town, but whatever it WAz, it blew pAst us..SHWOO -- so now it's chilly (It'Z been In The 70's) -- an' tonIGht it's to be in the 30'S -- NNNOOOOO -- so the BaByplants in The BedRoom Window will NOTbe set outside till laTer in The WeEk...don' wan' 'em to GeT brown An' baddd...No!! Got 'maters seeded in poTS yesTerday..pepPers too!! - Yeeehhhaww - so h0peFully thoSe'll come up Soon! YES!!

Must go an' get WORK done..no morE mesSin' aroun' !! It's a SuNNy day so I may Do SoME work outDoorS!! WEeE...


Lady of The Tulips

Since my carmera..no..make that CAMERA is acting up, I'm still working on getting it to behave..

In the meantime, here's a shot of a W.I.P. -- it's a little rough in this picture, but it's coming together nicely. I don't think all the texture I made along the right side and bottom show's up as well on here as I'd like -- but it IS there.. Next time I add some texture, I'll use a little something different. This was something of an experiment, so tha's why it's not quite as thickly painted as I'd like.

There are some more little friends waiting over on my table this morning..oopz...make that this afternoon -- Noah pulled a project on me earlier, that made me sneeze dust, make big and even BIGGER piles of trash..

I FINALLY cleaned out a dresser that's been in the house for about EVAH -- it'd stored some of my art stuff in Norf., an' got packed down here, but I still hadn't cleaned it out. I'd stored all kindz of JUNK -- some old cardstock that I ABSOLUTELY hated..but never got around to throwing out. I can't stand using some of the cardstock that's out there..makes my last good nerve go completely on EDGE..And there was also little bags of old stencil paintings that REALLY sucked...I mean REALLY -- looked like some of the work my kids did 20 years ago...for real..

AND -- I had bags of beads..bags and bags..WHAT THE??!! -- just sitting in a drawer -- I'm STILL confused as to why I plopped 'em all in there..I mean, I've got storage containers for just that purpose..storing beads. But NO -- I haul off an' stick 'em into all these old grocery bags. Somebody PLEEZE tell me WHY?? -- man -- so out all that went. Well-- the beads are where their supossed to be...some decent paper is stored in a file folder like it SHOULD be..an' some old old $^"&$&*)_+ that I couldn't even figure out where it came from? -- In the TRASH -- ahh..now tom's gonna bellyache about "What's all this junk in the trash pile?!" -- uhhmmm..ya think it's TRASH?? Honest -- we have these kind of conversations...

See why my hair is Not Quite the color it needs to be??

But anyway -- so now I'm over to my little work table..I've got to order some fabric for another blouse I've got in the closet...gotta nice batch of patterns not too long ago...99 CENTS each!! --- yeah buddy -- tha's what I'M talkin' about...I mean, I KNOW corporate america is hurting an' all...BUT -- DAYUM -- $14.95 for a PATTERN??!!

Not this Girl!! -- 99 CENTS -- tha's MY kinda price!!

So -- off I go -- an' need to see what Ms. Sara is up to...Noah just said -- "Dog In Flight!!" -- so the dog must've moved from one part of the front room floor to another...sigh...

Lady of The Tulips

WELL NOW!

Aint that interesting!! --this computer is acting up again..freezing up...acting like it's ready for the junk pile over at the landfill..and then it just goes black..What Fun!!

ButI DID try to post a shot of the blouse I'm working on..I think it did get online somehow...but don' quote me on that. The picture probably is blurry again..noah's done something with the camera and I've got to dig out my little book that's stored away -- check out all the little "How To!!" pages and hopefully fix what ever it is that's ailing the thing. Never A Dull Moment Here!!

However..I am going to try and get a shot of the latest canvas..it's still in the working-out stage, but it's soo close to being done!! --- So that'll be here tomorrow -- I've got a couple other sketches in the works too--so those can be ssssssseeeen later. I got some paint drying over on the table.and it looks ok!!

OH CRAP -- this thing is making odd noises again..I'm SKEERED that's it's gonna die on me again...

So I'll run now while this thing is still in one piece..Do computers actually explode if they get too old?? Do little pieces go flying in the air and impale themselves indiscriminately in the walls??

Just Checking..

Lady of The Tulips

This picture was taken by noah one day
last week -- I have no idea where it was taken,
or for that matter, why noah took my camera in
the first place..but there ya go...



I only have a couple minutes to pop a quick note on here, and my computer is acting so weird right now, it's beyond me just what the $^"#
*"@ it's doing -- but I'm working on some fabric -- got it all ready to cut for a collage -- there is also some new fabric that got here this afternoon -- yyyaaaa -- for a new blouse --

So things are moving along spiffy -- if this dumb computer would just BEHAVE FOR ME --

Lady of The Tulips --

>> "Here In Our World" << 2009

Here's one of the canvases I finished just this week -- I think it was on monday. I got the rest of the paint on it, got it all cleaned up an' here 'tis

The other canvas I have is drying as we speak..uhm...write? -- well, anyway, it's just over THERE -- on the table, minding it's own business. Which is more than I can say for The Dog -- she's been a little BRAT today -- every time there is some noise from the navy experimental station across one of the peninsula (sp) she absolutely throws a coniption fit...starts acting like IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD..all that. Drives my nerves to their breaking point..

Now, where was I? --

Oh Yeah -- the canvas is drying over yonder, and some of the fabric I've chosen for it is getting set too - some greens, pale turquoise, and soft blues are all over on the table, looking not too bad. The hardest thing this last week, is to try and concentrate on Summer-Type work. The colors that I chose are a good thing to take my mind away from the lousy weather..rainy, rain-sloppy-glop outside. I mean, it's hard to think something like "We've Been Havin' Fun All Summer Long" -- when it's 43 Degrees, rain is falling, the clouds are skirting along the treetops, the Dog doesn't even want to go outside, and my little heater in the studio is not, I mean NOT keeping the room warm enuf so that my fingers can move the way they SHOULD!! --

That was a wayy tad too rant-ish, now, wasn't it? -- But tho I've digressed A LOT -- I just am TRYING VERY HARD to say I'm painting, painting..cutting fabric...and inbetween all this, watching a little bit of Spring Training Baseball from the warm..WARM state's of Florida and Arizona...

Maybe that's why it's so hard to concentrate on making Summer Looking Canvases, when it's WARM SOMEWHERE ELSE...and here my thermometer is barely out of the 40's...

When I least expect it, the temps are gonna shoot thru the roof, an' I'm gonna be suprised like there's no tomorrow.

But >> There IS gonna be a tomorrow -- my fabric that I ordered on Monday got cut in the warehouse on Tuesday, and was shipped out yesterday. So, in THEORY it should be here by Wed. of next week -- I've got another peasant blouse pattern all picked out..very loose and dreamy looking. And -- I might add -- much much less to make than the "SALE" price of one of the largest dept. stores across the country. Theirs is "ON SALE!" for $19.00 -- mine, which is the same pattern...$8.99 for the fabric...HA!! -- I love saving money!!

Must go an' get some dishes finished -- it's starting to rain again, so I need to make sure some potting soil is not too flooded. It's gonna be used this weekend to pot up some tomoatoes, peppers and some additional flowers.

Even tho we had a HERD OF DEER in the side yard this morning (there they are!! Meandering around like they own the place...sheesh) And now tom just called an' said that he's on his way home..an' do I have something for dinner??! -- the fun never endz...

Lady of The Tulips

~~ OOOhhh Keeeyyy ~~~

So, there I was the other morning, minding my own business, when I realize I can hear a bird stuck in our stovepipe for the woodstove. I walked into the laundry room, grabbed up the broom, and banged a couple times on the stovepipe. I'd heard/read/absorbed somewhere, that when you bang on the stovepipe to scare away a bird, it "Always Works" -- HA!! fat chance, and all that...

SO -- I keep hearing the noise off and on through out the day,and then I just sorta ignored it. Didn't hear anything for some time, 'till I went into the kitchen to rinse my paintbrush out, and get a glass of ice-water. I didn't hear the scratch-scratching in the stove pipe, tho...but I COUD hear a little birdie...seeming REALLY close by -- like in a vent..or SOMETHING..singing it's little song..."Taawwhheettt...Tahhhwweeeett"

I stood still...listened again..

And figured it was the bird that had earlier been stuck in the stovepipe...said, Hmphh...an' went on with my business...

And heard the singing again..but a little louder..

I was next to the kitchen window, standing next to the air conditioner, and figured the bird was sitting on top of the air conditioner..

Wrong --- What happened waz...I opened the door to the woodstove, threw in some trash that had come in the mail ("You Can Have Our Credit Card!! With a Low, LOW Interest Rate!" -- yup..that kind of mail deserves to end up in the woodstove...) and when the papers hit the bottom of the woodstove..I see something HOP off to the right of the pile of papers...

WHAT THE %"*&{$#") !!!

So, I closed the door REALLY fast..caught my breath...an' opened the door RRREEAAALLLLYYYY slowly.

And saw a teeny little bird, wayyy in the back of the stove..staring at me.


The bird had somehow gotten all the way down the stovepipe, and ended up smack dab in the middle of the woodstove.

Thank Heavens it was too warm to use the stove. .that poor little babiee..

So-- I looked at him, while he( or she..) stared at me..I realized I needed to get him out OUT of there, so I grabbed up a kitchen towel, and VERY carefully, reached in the stove, and gently put the towel around the bird. This was after I MADE SURE to throw Sara out the back door, so she wouldn't be in the way. But, there was a glitch in the whole works.

While I was gently carrying the little teeny bird, and trying to keep him calm, I got alll the way to the back door, holding this tiny BLUEBIRD (of all things!) in my hands, and in the instant that I went to open the back storm door, I yelled at The Dog to get out of the way, and took my right hand off of the bird.

Do you have any idea of how fast a bird can fly around inside of 3 rooms of a house? I figured it was flying into the dining room, and kitchen in all of about .0034 seconds...

All I could do was run after it, saying over and over.."OOHH NNNOOOO!!!Oh! Little Baby!! NNOOO!!!" And SMACK..SMACK..the little thing would fly straight to a window, and slam itself into the screen.

Over and Over...

I finally got the kitchen towel in my right hand again, and started to kind of direct the little bluebird toward the laundry room..it somehow realized that the towel was keeping it from going back into the other rooms...it flew straight toward the window in the laundry room...bounced off of that..and stopped on a dresser to the right of the window. And honestlt stood still, and while it stood and looked at me, I could see it's little sides, going in and out REALLY FAST -- the poor thing was totally out of breath!! AAKK!!

So, it went back to the window again, and STOPPED...I took the opportunity to put the towel around the little dear again, and gently talked to the thing...and opened the storm door VERY GENTLY, so I wouldn't scare the poor dear again.

Finally I got the bird, and ME out on the deck, an' as carefully as I could, I walked down the steps, and opened up my hands and the towel...and released the bird..

OOOHHHMMMMYYY WWWOORRRDDDDD


The little thing took off like a SHOT -- and as it sang it's little song, it went straight up into one of our biig trees... And I never saw it again.

It'z a wonder I don't drink heavily...one six pack of beer lasts me anywhere from a week & a half to 2 weeks...bnt after a day like THAT...no, I didn't go hog wild with a 6-pack of beer.

But it REALLY CROSSED MY MIND...


Lady of The Tulips

>> No picture today, as Noah has done something with the camera, an' now I gotta figure out how to switch some of my shots to another file..or some weird ThaNg..<<

I've got a canvas finally done...got some papers cut for a current canvas, an' have a nice little sketch ready to paint..it's waiting over on my table for me. An' here I am sittin' around doin' nothing with my Art...'cept lookin' around at what other people are doin' --

I try not to feel discouraged with how I see other work being done...It makes me feel like I'm only a kid again, tryin' to do what everybody else is doing, but my work looks horrid. Something like what I did for a show when Iwas in elementary school. I painted a nice little building..a house, I think. It got entered into the show...got all nicely placed on a display table..and one of the teachers came along, an' tells me, "Well, isn't that nice! When you get up into at least the 3rd grade, I bet you can really start to make some good things!!"

I was in the 4th grade...

Needless to say, that was one of many comments made to me about my Art -- not much to look at, but, hey, it "Looks Nice" -- but let's not bet the house on it. That kinda thing.

So, I'm workin' thru all that Negative -- throwing it out the window.

So what If my work isn't like somebody elses?? -- I'm Certainly NOT like anybody else, an' Thank the Stars in Heaven. I'd hate it if I HAD to be a copycat...

But there are days where I want to BE like everybody else...making fabulous ART that takes your breath away...but I guess it's just all "In the Works.." -- the art is gettin' close, but not quite there.

Or maybe it IZ there, but just not quite...something...Kinda like half a bubble off.

Well -- onward to the painting,..my watercolours are sittin' waiting patiently.

And tomorrow I'll tell ya about the little bird that was in the stovepipe..an' how he came to see me...for real..


Lady of The Tulips

~~ Ok, I admit this little guy is sorta/really..REALLY blurry --

BUT!!

I've been hearing some sorta scratching noise in our stovepipe all morning long, and it dawned on me that there must actually BE something in said stovepipe to make the noise...

And by the looks of this guy, I thot maybe it was him...I mean, look at HIM --- standing there all proud and arrougant...or however that word is spelled.

But I digress -- or actually I haven't said FLIP yet at all...SO --- we are much releaveed -- no, Re-leafed...NO --RELIEVED that Tom is back working this week. He said yesterday that the drivers were looking like they got the manager to be a Nice Guy for a change and keep Tom with the company. The oddball--weird--pisses-me-off thing about the "safety Manager" who DEMANDED tom be fired...WELL -- seems that he is ALSO employed not only by the Insurance Company who insures the trucking company, BUT -- he is also AN EMPLOYEE of said trucking company...in other words, he has 2 incomes from one place.

Now -- I ask you -- does this strike you as SOMETHING like a CONFLICT OF INTEREST??!! -- Well --- apparently it does to a lot of the drivers of the company, as THAT is one of the Big Beefs they had with the Manager of the office. Some schmow who A) Doesn't drive a truck, and B) -- has no idea of what goes on inside a truck, of Anything Else Close...has the power to make one lose their job. Combine all of that with Tom's incident, and there are a LOT of drivers very very angry right about now. I nearly fell over when I was told these little incidents. But -- big money is getting so out of control these dayz, that somethings are just left unanswered.

Makes ya REALLY sick of these fat cats just continually plowing over the little guy...I just hope I'm not around when it all comes back and smacks them upside the head...

So Tom spent the day with one of the other managers..they had a very nice time, and the manager couldn't understand why the dude in the Corporate Office was being such a #}^(+@! -- but who knowz...Tom sez he will be getting a new phone/blackberry type item sometime in the next week or so, as with all the other drivers..this will enable them to process their trucks and freight much faster and let them get additional loads of freight a much sooner than they are now. A win-win situation for everybody...

With all the Fun & Games with tom and his pals...I've been somewhat behind in my ART -- and to top it off, Noah took my camera last week, and I haven't seen it since..No --I did see it on the kitchen bar this morning just before Mutt & Jeff left for work...and I wanted to download my latest canvas on HERE -- but noah took the camera with him..(???!!) in his backback, so I'm left with just this little dude on the top of the page, looking like an old GRUMP -- my last good nerve left town somewhere in the middle of the night, leaving me with a Willy Nelson song stuck in my head..

"It's a Bloody Mary Morning, baby left me without warning
Sometime in the niiiight...."

That's it from here..I'm gonna go check on the dog an' have another cup of coffee...

Lady of The Tulips

>> Finally!! <<

We've gotten thru this rancid week!! -- I'm telling you WHAT -- there were moments where it seemed like something was going to swallow me up an' spit me into the Albemarle Sound...honest and for real!

Tom talked with his Boss yesterday morning, and the manager had a change of heart!! WOW!! le' me say that again...WOW~~!! We are sooo relieved, it's unreal.

We'd gotten a call on Thursday night from one of tom's driver co-workers, and he said that the other drivers were pretty much up in arms about Tom not coming back to work for the remainder of the week. He said the Manager had a Staff Meeting, (which is nothing more than a 45 minutes Rant on All Things Trucking..) but didn't say anything about Tom coming back to work. That really made some of the drivers Pissed Off-- in the words of our friend, "Tom's the most reliable guy we've got, an' the management wants to lay him OFF??!!"

There were other rants from the drivers, too, but they won't be printed here..

What tipped the scales in Tom's favor, is that the Corporate Office was, yes, totally going on the DOLLARS of the incident. They have no idea of who tom is, what his work ethic is, how he comes in early, drives out of state, gives other drivers help and directions when they need it...Nope. It was all totally based on Economics. Made both Tom & I have that warm, fuzzy feeling...NOT!! But the deciding factor, had to be decided my tom's boss, and he just couldn't make himself put tom out the door. He knows that his hands are tied a LOT of times when he needs somebody to drive out of state for the day. Tom's never hesitated. Most guys come up with the Most LOUSY excuses..none of which are worth the effort to type out here...So, he went with how he sees tom work on a daily basis.

We are now left wondering what's going to happen on Monday -- the Boss has only said, "I gotta plan for ya.." --- ANYBODY have any clue what the #%}^}! that's supossed to MEAN??!! No wonder my nerves are twitching these dayz...

But we ARE SO GRATEFUL that tom still has a job...we read in the local paper about the unemployment numbers for this area...our county is at 12% --- one of the counties on the Outer Banks is 17%..not like there's a chance to find Suitable Employment in this region...

Shwoo...

So, needless to say, the Art has been somewhat shoved off the end of the table for the last couple days...but I wanna get a shot of my latest canvas on here probably Monday. Today I have to get some fabric, clean the kitchen, vacuum the floors, make a salad for the monthly Pot Luck Dinner at the "Clubhouse" -- (it's just a big ol' building where there are meetings..tho the title makes it sound Rather Grand..) AND plant up some pepper seeds, 'maters, and squash in my teeny ittle potts...

What's it like to sit around the house an' do nothing??!!

I WANNA KNOW!!

Must run an' get Stuff Done...

Lady of The Tulips

A very quick post will bee this one...I do apologize for not getting a picture on here yesterday or today, but there has something of a fly in the ointment, as it were, as far as thing go around our little cabin..

Yesterday while I had just gotten to the computer an' started to get online, Tom suddenly came walking in the house. MoST UnexPected!! To say the least..Ihadn't heard from him since about the middle of the day, so when I discovered him waltzing in the house @4:30 in the AfterNoon, I was somewhat startled..an' it didn't get any Better whEn he said,"Wait a minute an' I tell you what happened..."

ThaT Is NEVER something you want to hear if a family member is involved in the trucking industry...

Nd it only went downhill from there --- He had an accident yesterday, tho nobody was hurt, or fortunately, killed. He was driving at about 10 miles an hour, when the frozen load of chicken suddenly shifted in the container, and tho he'd checked the hook-up apparatus for the container, it had not been secured completely, and with just a tiny move of no more than15 feet, the entire container lurched to the right, and toppled to the ground. He wasn't injured, his truck is fine. But the container suffered some damage. And THAT is what is the largest problem. And it may cost him his job.

His boss came down to the Port where the incident occured..took a look at Tom, who was in shock over the whole deal (he's been driving a tractor trailer for over 13 years..) and simply said, "I have no sympathy for you.." and proceeded to walk away. That's a very, very BAD thing to hear.

So, now the company Insurance Manager said, "FIRE HIM", and somebody else in charge of MONEY said the same thing..but it's all up to the Boss of the drivers..and he won't say a word till tomorrow..

So we are making it our best to get thru today..I haven't slept too good..for obvious reasons...I feel beat, still somewhat, no, make that still ReallY shell-shocked, and don't know HOW to feel...can't make any kind of plans till we hear from the Boss...can't even figure out WHERE to look for work...what , where..when///nothing.

I'm not sure how to even THINK --

So, I'm going to go and try to keep myself occupied with SOMETHING, just so I wont think about the accident. Lord Willing it'll all turn out --- but it aint lookin' so good..

LAdy of The TUlips

Noah went outside the other day an' took a picture of the wonderful tree we have alongside the dirt road that runs past our little cabin. I'm not too sure what type tree it is, but I think it's a Tulip Tree. The University I attended in Calif., had a long walkway past the main cafeteria and bookstore, with several of these trees planted alongside. It was so fabulous to walk to class in the spring, and look at the color, an' also smell the unreal blooms of a wisteria vine that also grew along an arbor overhead closest to the cafeteria. I sometimes wonder what happened to all of those plants, as the University system came along and remodeled all of the area. Makes me sad to think something as beautiful as this tree would be torn out. But whatta I know?

I've also posted a shot of the apron that I put together last week. It has several different pieces that needed to all come together Just Right, in order for the pattern to become one full apron. That's not so bad, but some of the sewing included "On a Diagonal, stitch #9 piece including the edging.." and this was more than once. For Those of You with wonderful math skills, figuring out a diagonal is a piece of cake. But for somebody like me, who looks at a ruler an STILL has trouble figuring out inches, well, this little "Easy" bit of sewing nearly drove me off the deep end. In the end, tho, I finally got it put together, and stitched up the long ties that go around the waist, and added the smaller ties around the neck.

Needless to say, that's probably the hardest pattern I've ever, EVAH put together. I still need another apron, but the extra pattern I bought needs more fabric than Ihave in my stash, so that one isn't gonna get put together for a while. $$ being tight the way they are with EVERYBODY, we are no exception. BUT -- next week should be a tad better, an' then I can order some fabric online.

The other project that needs finishing is a canvas that's just about ready for it's matte medium. I thot about workin' out one that I have had on the table for a couple weeks..but it just isn't jellin' for me, so that one got put away in the hutch, an' is keeping the other canvases company. This newer one should be much easier for me. That's what I'm HOPING...

Sara went an' done DID a DUMMY-Thing last night. Well, actually it's tom's fault.

I'd been tellin' tom to take the trash to the dump, as we don't have trash pickup here in the county. He'd been sayin' all day on Saturday, "I'm workin' on it.." an' would go off an' do something else. Same thing all day yesterday.

I'd say to him, "You need to take the trash to the dump, 'cause when sara goes outside, she's gonna try an' get in that stuff..."

An' Tom would say to me, "I'm workin' on it..."

And nothing would happen...

EXCEPT -- when he let the dog outside last night, right when I was in the middle of putting together a nice fish chowder. While I as cutting onions, potatoes and fish, he let sara out, an' I naturally had no idea. Sooo..when the cat's away, the mice will play, as the saying goes...

The little BRAT got in the trash, an' by the time Tom went outside to let he come in the house, she was standing in a pile of SOMETHING, that she was eating, very pleased with herself, and altogether having a wonderful time.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, when I realized that she was A) Outside, and B) that she was outside LONG ENOUGH to get into said trash...

I yelled something at tom, which I Won't print here, but it WAS quite good at the time. He in turn, yelled at The Dog to get out of the trash, and while she was turning around to walk away from the pile she had made, tom realized she'd been eating SOMETHING...

I threw a TOTAL fit...he said it looked like she'd gotten into some old pork bones that had been in the bottom of the trash bag, but he wasn't sure...she may have eaten some old chickenbones, too. Either way I was a Complete Wreck. All I could think was that her stomach was going to end up like swiss cheese, with the little-razor-blades-pieces of bones slicing their way down inside of her.

Tom said it was "Nothing to Worry About..." an' proceeded to let me know that I was being a Complete Idiot for worrying about the dog...

I went to bed before 8 p.m. --

BUT THE GOOD NEWS -- is that SAra is quite fine today...whatever it WAS that she ate, went thru her, an' she doesn't seem the worse for wear. As for ME -- I slept about as lousy as a person could TRY an' "sleep" -- kept waking up from some HORRENDOUS nightmares...but that's all another story.

Sara is Good Today..well, I mean, she is Still a Spoiled LittE Girl/Doggie, but that's much better than any other outcome, under the circumstances.

AND -- with that I need to go -- It's lunchtime, an' tom is suppossed to call & let me know if the drivers will actually have a FULL DAY OF WORK -- last week they did, for the first time since the year started..it's been REALLLY slow...no freight at ALL -- not sure what this means for the summer season, but from the Port side of things. it looks pretty slim...

Lady of The Tulips

>>> ok <<

I jus' posted a nice little bit, an' it disapeared out into the Computer World..who knowS where...

Jus' wanted to say that I've been finishing up my apron PattErn -- I'll try & RemEMber to get a pic. of it on here hopefully tomorrow...

It is FREEZING here -- on monday I'd said it was over, get that -- OVER 80 DegRees..now it's a whopping 40 or something like that...lawwdyy mamma..WHEN will WinTer go away??!! NOW!!

Got some fabric to try an' find for a blouse I'm workin' on -- dug out the pattern from a box that 'd been in StoRage..WHOOPiEE -- got it now, an' wanna make something quick...one blouse from each package should get me a good stash of stuFF to wear All SuMMEr...yess!!

Gotts to run an' get kitchen cleaned, dishes washed, an' dinner at least StarTed..no wonder I'm feelin' tired!!

Lady of The Tulips --

>>There is a bit of breeze this afternoon, an' it feelz absolutely DEVINE!!<<

The temps outside have been in the upper 70's all day, and when I looked at the thermometer in the laundry room, it was reading 80 just over an hour ago!! That's just so weird, after all the COLD we had most of the last 4 weeks. It's kinda freakin' me out, 'cause whenever it gets like this, then we have the most horrific thunderstorms. High, high winds, tornadoes, all those fun and groovy stuff. I just hope that the weather doesn't turn nasty tonight. So, for now I'm enjoyin' the warm weather!

~~ On to other things ~~ I found some of my dried flowers that I brought down from the city. Ihad 2 stuffed zip-lock bags of dried marigold flowers, that I wanted to get the seeds from. I'm so glad I found all of those. I spent the morning on Saturday cleaning out the seeds, and getting them all put in a nice big jar. Once I get the 2nd bad cleaned out, I'm gonna start shaking the seeds all around the yard, so we'll have a nice batch of color in the different flower beds. I also spent part of this morning puttin' some seeds in my plastic pots. There 3 1/2 " pots, just the right size for starting plants in. I bought those some 8 - o - 9 years ago, an' they've really held up pretty well. They were pretty cheap -- something like 50 pots for $15.00 -- maybe less $$. I think by the end of this spring I'll have to break down and buy some new pots, 'cause of transplanting so many veges, and flowers over the years, the walls of the pots have gotten pretty cracked an' beat up. I found some similiar pots for just under $8.00, for I think 25 pots. Can't remember how many, but the PRICE is just right!! That order will go out this weekend. I set up 4'O'Clocks, nasturtiums, hollyhocks and something else that I just went blank on. We have some GREAT windows in the master bedroom, that get a TON of afternoon light, so the seeds should pop in within the week or so. At least that;s what I'm HOPING!! this warm weather has me all a-buzz with optimisim for SPRING PLANTING!!!

Got some tomato seeds in the mail last week, but those won't get planted till maybe the last of the month. The weather is juuust a little too unpredictable for me to try an' start them quite this early. Well, I could plant them now indoors, but I wouldn't set them outside till at LEAST the middle of April. We DO have some cold storms that come blasting outta Somewhere during that part of April. An' sometimes in May, too. Those UnWordly Storms that come sweeping outta who knows WHERE..swooshing all the plants in the garden into little blobs of mush. Frozen and horrid looking. Ick, Ick, Ick. So -- the 'maters will wait till I'm SURE it aint gonna do THAT!!

Must go -- The Dog is making some weird sounds in the hallway...I think. She may be in the laundry room, trying to sneak out the back door...tha' little creep...sheesh..


Lady of The Tulips

>> A fast and speedy note this will be <<

This morning I've been duly routed away from Tom -- ok, that sounds much much worse than it is. BUT -- it is the $%@^&"*thing, let me tell you..

Sara has become an EXTREMELY jealous Dog!! And -- to top it off, it I try to sit in the front room, not EVEN near tom, she immediately comes into the room, starts to butt her head against me, trying to move me away from tom, then walks over to the couch tom's laying on, while watching tv., then the dog lays down on the floor, so I don't have a way to walk over and sit on that particular couch...

A Dog, mind you. Jealous as the day is long...

I've never seen the likes of it -- EVAH..

So, I'm in the studio, pouting because Tom just thinks the whole thing is a hoot. He probably likes to see bees stinging somebody, too. No, scratch that thot. He doesn't really like to see things like that. But since I'm in a somewhat Black Mood, that thot just sorta popped up in my head.

So instead of wasting time trying to shove that big ol' heavy dog outta the way so I can sit with tom in the front room, I've decided to make my time USEFUL -- an' am getting my papers set on the canvas I showed on here yesterday. We aren't goin' up to the city this weekend -- Danny has a couple baseball games to umpire (!! -- ALREADY!! YEAH SPRING BASEBALL!!) so he's bizzy for the weekend. And his girlfriend is coming down from the capital to visit, so that sorta keeps US outta the picture. S o oo on to the paper cutting and matte medium and ALL those things!!


I've got some other papers to measure, so for now tha's it -- an' to top it off, I think I can hear The Dog snoring out in the front room....ohhhh my nerves...

Lady of The Tulips

W.I.P. -- Here's one of the latest projects that I slapped together this last week. I can't, for whatever reason, preview it without it getting erased today...there is something amiss with my computer and blogger. I guess they are having an arguement an' my poor little fishies are stuck in the middle of the situation.

The Boat shown is one that Tom nearly bought. I mean, there was one that was close to this color, and some years ago it seemed like a really good idea. At the time. Fortunately there was some SENSE brought about, and the boat and the person trying to sell it were never seen or heard from again. Thank the Stars in the sky. We DID however, have a spiffy little 14 ft. boat that we'd take up on the local lake and have a great time. Sometimes we even caught fish!! How About That??!!

Well. It seemed pretty neat then.

>> And on to other news << Oh Blast!! There's that squirrel again!! Where does that little creature live, anyway? Near my house??!! Everytime I turn around, there that thing is!! Yikes.

Ok -- sorry about the distraction...le's see -- OH!! -- if I can get some little pieces of fabric sewed on to my apron, then I'll get a picture of that to post on here. I got the body of the apron done, some pockets, a clever little piece for a yoke, and a nice floaty flounce along the bottom. I hand-stitched the flounce on yesterday while I was watching some house-remodel program on t.v. -- got the sewing done, but wasn't impressed with the remodel the people did on their house. One outta two things goin' good aint bad!! I've got another pattern for an apron that's sitting on the work table, but I haven't decided which fabric to use for that one. I've got some fabric that a friend gave me nearly 20 years ago. For Real. An' I haven't ever EVAH used it. This new pattern may be just the one to use the fabric with. The friend had brought some 5 or more boxes of fabric with her when she moved down from Ill., and it had belonged to her mother. Well -- the mother didn't want it after all, and the friend didn't know what to do with it. So, Taa-Daa!! - I got some of the stuff, an' have been usin' bits and pieces of different fabrics ever since. EXCEPT for the one that I have on my mind. It's a cotton, very floaty and loaded with flowers. Cute without being OVERLY cute. If that makes any sense..(An believe me, lottsa these days I have a hard time making senze...) SO -- that's what's in the Works...

I gotta run an' check on the dog -- Noah isn't working today, 'cept in the garden!! YES!! It's WARM here today -- the thermometer on the Deck sez 68 DEGREES!! SAY WHAT??!! yup an' for Real. So, Noah checked the soil earlier today, to make sure it wasn't still Frozen. It REALLY had been earlier in the week, what with that Lovely Plunge in the temps -- so once he decided it was soft enuf, he went outside this morning, an' started turning under some of the mulch and leaves he piled on the garden earlier in the Fall -- it looks Wonderful!! Really and For True. I LOVE the smell of a fresh dug garden. Ahhh..something about it just brings me back to my childhood w/my dad. He LOVED to garden! -- Plum Trees were REALLY big after he planted them!! -- An' tropical Palms!! -- Oh Boy!! -- he had a couple that got HUGE!! -- But that was in San Diego, so that kind of climate should make ANYTHING grow good!!

So -- we're starting to get the soil ready for planting...got SEEDS yesterday!! -- an' then some more mulch an' STUFF on the garden an' by time it's warm enuf to plant, the soil will be REALLY GOOD!! -- Now...as long as the bunnies don't EAT EVERYTHING!!! -- I'll fix them...!!

Lady of The Tulips

>> I'm going to make this a Very Quick post, as I'm in the middle of some sewing and cleaning, and some painting AND getting firewood for tonight. Not that I want anybody to think that All I do is sit around the house all day and eat Bon-Bon's. I'd like to just sit around the house and do nothing, but that just isn't in my blood. Or Remotely Close to something I'd feel good about doing..or not doing, as the case may be..<<

There are some pictures that will becoming up tomorrow, but for right now, the computer is doing something that I'm not too sure about. That, and Tom is supossed to call me an' let me know when he & Noah are heading back down here. Noah had the day off today, so I guess he was jus' gonna bum around the city, then ride his bike back over to the truck terminal an' wait for his dad. Tom thot Noah was gonna be workin' at the same job that he was at last night, but I guess that's not the case. Something is Amiss, tho, as the Temp Agency called like 10 minutes ago, lookin' for Noah. I just hope nothing happened to him on the job site, an' I'm just now findin' out about it. Little things to drive me to the brink of Something Bad...

ANYWAY -- what waz I on a roll about??!! -- OH -- I've got some pictures that are ready for posting, but that'll wait till tomorrow. This computer is acting like it wantz to do Something Else besides behave itself...makin' all SORTS of HORRID noises, an' doing little Cute things like waiting till I type an entire sentence, then I suddenly can see the words on the screen. How Fun!! keeps me on my toes, that's what it doez... BUT -- the pictures (back to them..) will be worth the wait, I do Believe...

~~ Not much else to say here...it's been a MUCH warmer day today than it was yesterday ~~ The Weather People are saying that yesterday had the coldest daytime temperature on RECORD..I think the high for the area was a Balmy 28 or so...I kept thinking that it was me, just feeling uncomfortable, but it WAS REALLY COLD for this part of the country. I was NOT impressed. No matter what kind of record was set, it wasn't one that I'll be trying to remember in the coming months. I'm just trying to focus on the WARMTH that's suppossed to be here tomorrow. Well...something like warmth. High's to be in the 50's or so...HEY!! -- that's WARM compared to what we've had here. Just look at the newspaper!!

Must go outside an' get some wood for the evening. I didn't use as much today as I thot I'd burn, so that's a good thing. Means there's more for the rest of the week!! Whoo-Hoo!!

Lady of The Tulips

I named this photo "Moving Day Take Two" - Well, for obvious reasons.

This is part of the mess..no, make that THESE ARE THE TREASURES that we unpacked yesterday after getting boxes out of danny's apt. -- there is another photo, I'll see if it'll work...Hold the phone, here...THIS is a picture of the squirrel that happened to sit...sit..sit...SIT and SIT FOR OVER 1/2 an HOUR!! -- on the railing to our deck. It was something Noah just had to grab the camera for, an' take a picture of the little critter. NO -- don' ask me WHY noah had to take a picture of the SQUIRREL..he said he HAD TO. uhhhmmm...ok...

Le's see if I can get another shot of the STUFF in the studio...hmm..OKaayyyy..there is the shot of the piles all over the floor of the studio. Actually after this shot was taken I managed to put some of the odds and ends away. Got some of the reference magazines and books into the closet in the room, and got some of the bags that contained old bank statements and THAT kind of garbage into the hall closet. I DO keep those things for 7 years. Some people say 10 for the IRS, but I think 7 is the general rule. Besides, if they want to come an' dig thru my STUFF to see what we did or THINK we made LOTZ of extra money, let me TELL YOU -- I'd like to dig thru and FIND EXTRA MONEY!! -- fat chance...

So -- today I've been trying to get some more of the STUFF into little places where I'll be able to find them later on. I think Noah wantz to get the bookshelves done by this weekend. He won't be able to, of course, till be gets a skill saw. He never heard from the person who was selling the one over the weekend, so Noah went up to the city an' got a temp job for the day. Only problem is he can't get back here till tomorrow night. Today's job lasts 'till 10 p.m., so he's planning on riding the bus back to Danny's apt, stay the night, an' come home w/Tom tomorrow. THAT'S the plan..but we know what kind of mayhem can happen to the Best Laid Planz..personally I don't think the busses run past 10 p.m. up there, so who knows how Noah's gettin' from the Oceanfront clear back to Danny's apt. ~~ But that aint my problem. I got this STUFF, STUFF, STUFF all over the place in the studio. And waiting for a SAW to appear outta the blue. Or maybe the $$ to pay for one..whichever comes first. Yeah. That's the ticket...

Got another sketch in the works...an' got a canvas ready to put together. I had planned (not like other Best Laid Planz..) to paint up the existing canvas over on the work table an' slap together all kindza papers and stuff along with it..but got bizzy with takin' care of the heat in the house, washing far too many dishes, an' then seeing Tom come home EARLy-EARLY this afternoon. So, while I'm workin' on my painting, he's in over THERE sleeping...maybe tomorrow the canvas wil get done, an' the house will be warmer FASTER than today -- we're up to a balmy 30 out on the deck, so that's what's been keepin' me bizzy -- keeping the inside of the house above 65, an' tryin' to keep my fingers from freezing..Trick..I won't go into why tom'z home so early, I've discussed why he's been loosing hours before. More of the Same Stuff..drives me to distraction. I don' know how I don't drink..

Must go check on some ink I just put on a nice sheet of watercolour paper..if it's dry, then I can use my spiffy watercolour pencils (Ohh, I just love them!! Been usin' them for EVAH, I'm tellin' ya!!) an' get some Sails done. Tha's all I'm gonna say on THAT...

Lady of The Tulips

>> "SEA" << 2008 Spring Bay Studio


This another piece that I finished just the other day..I think last..no..yea, last week. It seemed to go together much easier than I thot it would. NOT like the previous one that absolutely gave me fits and spits. Something like my camera, but that's another story alltogether...

I HAVE been away for a couple dayz...we went back up to The City to get some more of our odds and ends out of Danny's apt. -- we also made an attempt to pick up a saw for Noah -- he looked online for one an' this guy SAID he had one for $15. So off we went early on Saturday morning..drove up this somewhat scary road, thru lots of swamps and farms. Noah had printed out a map that SAID where this guys house was. I will say right here and now, that WHOEVER it is that makes up some of the maps online, must be having something MUCH stronger than coffee with their early morning breakfast. BECAUSE let me tell you, that map was SO WRONG it must have been a bad day at the Map Office. We drove down another equally scary DIRT road, trying for 20 minutes to find this person's house. Noah even called the guy on the cell phone...no answer. I was VERY impressed with the whole situation by this time, so you must know that by the time we finally gave up and noah had called this jerk OOP..person FOUR TIMES and left messages for him to call on noah's cell phone..NOTHING. With tears in our eyes, dirt all over the Very Fine Automobile, and me sitting in the back seat, smelling residue from the bags of trash that had been in there earlier in the day...You can bet I was feelin' just my BEST about the whole situation...

BUT ~~ There was a Suprise !! ~~ waiting for us at Danny's apartment. GABRIEL was there!! WHOA!! he got kicked out of his apartment by the roomate that said he'd be able to stay there while looking for work...an' even tho Gabriel is giving guitar lessons and is making a tad bit of $$, it just looks like the guy was being a $^"*}! an' kicked him out anyway. Fortuntely another friend wanted to have somebody share his place, so for the weekend, Gabriel had to store his stuff at dannys, then this morning he'll take it all back OUT, and drag it all 4 blocks away and set it all up at his new place. MAN -- makes me tired just thinkin' about it all...Danny was so sweet to help out his brother, and it was Really Great to see gabe..he's still sskkkiinnnneeeeyyyy as can be, but he sez he's doin' fine. May have a couple gigs in the upcoming weeks, so that's a couple $$ more for him. We laughed, and joked about weird goings-on at different bars, an' generally had fun.

Now my studio is absolutely STUFFED with all the books, nick-knacks and what-have-you's that I've kept over the years. Noah was gonna build me a bookcase this week, if that JERK hadn't been such a dumb cluck an' SOLD noah the saw he needs...so for now, there is less space on the floor than there was last week. Wait till you see the picture's I've got for tomorrow. I'm just glad there's a closet for me to store some of the things that can go up on the shelves in there. Other wise it'd bee just a Little Tight. No..check that. It be REALLY tight..in here. Not so much as holding your breath when you walk around in the room to get inbetween piles of books..not that crowded. But Leaning in That Direction...

Must go an' see what's going on out in the laundry room...all of a sudden I'm hearin' something goin' on an' it don' sound good...STOP LOOKING AT MY GREY HAIR...thank you...an' we'll be talkin' to ya later...


Lady of The Tulips

>> "Paradise" <<

Here's the albeit blurry, but finished piece that I'd mentioned yesterday..or the day before..my lil' brain can't remember too good these days.

I've been trying to get the pictures NOT to come out blurry with my camera, but the one person who knows how to make it all better hasn't talked to me in a couple weeks, so I don't know how to make the shots look better. I DO APOLIGIZE for the grubby look these have...

There isn't too much else goin' on these days around here...I'm debating on whether or not to construct a cold frame outside, so I can start some of the lettuces and salad greens that I need to eat everyday. Tom sez yes, go ahead and build it (Notice HE didn't say HE'D build it, he just said ok on the project...) and at the same time, Noah sez NO!! -- don't do something like that. I'm so frustrated, I feel like a cat out on the porch with a bunch of people sittin' in rockin' chairs...can't tell which way to turn. So, even tho we have all the materials to build a cold frame -- FREE STUFF -- I've got no idea of how to start building anything. So, I may end up with a couple of broken fingers, BUT BY GOLLY, I'll end up with a cold frame for the garden come hell or highwater...

We also have some other FREE STUFF out in the shed...I discovered a couple frames that were sitting in a box along one of the walls -- I guess the dear older lady who lived here had bought them, but decided that she wasn't going to use them. It makes me sad that her disease robbed her of the opportunity to continue her art...The family didn't want anything to do with her things, so to the dump everything went. 'Cept the frames and some odds and ends buried in the shed. So, the FREE STUFF is now gettin' a look-see, and I should be done with repainting the frames in a couple dayz. That's the plan for now.

Must go an' see what the woodstove is doin' -- noah started a fire earlier this morning, but it's been awhile since it got some wood added. My fingers are pretty cold so that tells me that the fire may have gone out. Hmm..

Lady of The Tulips

>> Here it is another day..the wind is blowing just slightly, the Sun is shine-shine in the sky, and the Robins are back & frolicking in the yard <<

And with that Spring-Is-Near thot, I'd just like to say that I have 2 very Spring like pieces finished an' lookin' none too shabby. The Problem is, that my camera is once again, giving me Fits and Spits, and to make matters worse, the Guide Book that tells some sap like me, just What To Do with Said Camera...is somewhere in Hiding. I MEAN -- it's hiding so #^%"*(!@ good that I've got no idea of where to EVEN start looking. HEY!! -- Let's NOT stand there and COUNT MY GREY HAIRS, 'K!!?? thank you...

Where was I? -- Oh..the Camera...well, I will say that the one canvas that'd I'd titled "Paradise" is done..got some added colors to it..some other papers and slapped on some other tidbits, too. It WILL look just fine, once that DAYUM camera decides to behave for me >> I also got another collage finished. The 2nd one actually came together much faster than the paradise one. I just couldnt figure out what the hold up WAS with the paradise piece..maybe just the idea of BEING THERE was enuf to make my brain go into freeze mode >> It's REALLY telling me that I should BE somewhere that qualifies as Paradise, instead of here, messin' aroun' with the Woodstove and firewood, sweaters and sweatpants. Yup. Tha's my story, 'k?!

The other thing is that I've got my BooKS here in my little studio now!! -- after getting up to norfolk last weekend, we brought as much back in The Very Fine Automobile as we could STUFF -- Danny helped out too, an' came down here with his little car crammed as full as we could get it. Made for a very Tight Fit...But the books are here. An' now Noah sez he'll make me a new bookcase, as the one I'd had for EVAH has left the studio and ended up in HIS room...cute...so now he has to make me a new one!! HA!! -- Shows what I'll do to get my books fixed up right!!

I also got some of my art supplies back where They Belong...I'm waiting for some Matte Medium to dry then I can use some of my stamps that I'd been missing for MONTHS and MONTHS -- they will Just Add that Special Touch. Really, they will --

>> Must get out & check on the Woodstove << Noah is watching a soccer match on tv, so I know He's Not gonna remember to check the stove..'till it gets cold in the house, THEN he'll remember. HA!! Love when it gets to 60 Degrees inside the house..

Lady of The Tulips

Here's a peek at what I've been doing the past couple dyas ~

The painted canvas has some tissue, some layers of paint, an' then I put on the little tidbits to keep the whole Island theme goin' ~~

The project isn't done yet, as I'm gettin' some more things added on.then some more paint will Also be added..probably some other Thangs..wh0 knows..It's been the one project that just does NOT want to Behave Itself..I lost track of how many papers I've layed out on that #@?>&<* canvas..then taken the things OFF -- then added something else BACK ON..I'm just glad I didnt try to throw the thing out the window..I was REEEAAALLLLLYYYY close to doin' just that...but then I realized that the temperature outside was a Balmy 35 Degrees, so havin' the Window Broken Out just didn't seem to make much sense..Well -- not that it ever really DOES..but especially when it's a wonderful 35 degreez...

I've been sewing some things, too -- another blouse is nearly ready for some topstitching..an apron has it's pockets stitched on, and the bottom seams are pinned. I'm takin' a break at the moment from all of those little things. I've also got another canvas in the works..some additional paint will be applied this afternoon..I'd thot about doin' that yesterday, but with the 2 sewing projects, an' then Tom coming home 5 hours early..well, that just threw everything to @"^}( in a Handbasket..

The Ports are in a Pain Mode these dayz...there just isn't that much freight comin' in right now..Slow is not the word, so Tom's boss has had to adjust everybodys schedule with a very clever hand. When everybody needs 40 hours, but something Clever like the freight train loaded with containers doesn't arrive in time..then there's no work. All the containers are sitting Somewhere Else..not where they should be..leaving all the 30 drivers with nothing to do, but go back home at 11:00 in the morning...Yup -- only 4 hours of work, an' nothin' to show for it. Makes for an Exciting Time,donchya think?? Sucks. That 's what it does. Just Sucks. An' all because of this Economic Slowdown...I've got some other Descriptive Phrases for the Mess, but I'll be polite and not write them here...

~~ Must go an' check on some Work...the temps are Better today outside..I'm only wearing a t-shirt under my sweatshirt today (!!) ~~ Usually I'm wearin' a long sleeve turtleneck under a sweater, with an additional sweater over THOSE...then 2 pairs of socks..an' sweatpants coverin' up me lil' legs...I look like I've gained 45 poundz..but it's all these layers that are keeping me warm...Tom sez he' got anothername for it...

Lady of The Tulips

>> Here's just a quick note for the day <<

I've got a couple pieces of paper that I've FINALLY figured out how to layout on a canvas -- actually it's the one that I posted on here last week. There are a couple other goodies that have to get set-up with some E-6000, then the piece will be ready to make it's debut!! Shwoo -- I have battled and battled with this one canvas for over a week. I've NO idea of what the $^#&**& problem has been with IT and ME -- wasn't there a full moon last week?! No ...maybe that was the week before. LOOK -- I'm TRYING to make some excuse as to WHY I can't seem to just plop some papers and paint together in less than 2 hours and have a FABULOUS collage just TAA-DAA..appear !! It's just one of those things. Yeah. That's what it iz.

~~ On to the Story of The Weekend ~~

Tom & I made it over to the shop @the Outer Banks...got to talk with the owner and had a great time discussing this and that. But as for having my Work on Sale...well, it's not good enuf. "There's a fine line between Crafts and Art..." -- uhh ohhh...So my "Art" isn't really Art in here eyes..it's sorta like something you'd see on sale at the Elementary School Yearly Fun Class. Construction paper and white glue. Cut outs of Trees and Birds. That kind of thing..And she sez, "Don't get me wrong!! I like your work..." -- SO WHAT THE $^^*$"$*)"%$"@$*"???? I'm thinking..

The Economy...

Poor Sales with Other Craft Items...

Other Painters Getting Axed, too...

Oil Paintings getting pulled off the shelves...

>> So I'm not the only one getting thrown out the window. The owner didn't know how she was gonna tell some of her longtime artists that she was gonna have to dump them, too.

~~ So in a way I'm not suprised...but it still really sank in yesterday, and totally Sucked. I hate that the last couple places that I've tried to have my Art 0n sale for, just totally kicked me in the face. As if I haven't had enuf of that in the last year...sheesh...

So in the meantime, I'm just revamping some of the canvases I've got done..sorta adding to them and making some more color choices with paint. Adding some extra tidbits to canvases I've been working on this last week. Adding here & there. Anything to make them Better Than Ever...and getting worn out in the process. I HAVE to stay optimistic, tho. I wrote last week that I was going to stay in the CALM mode..keep myself from getting too stressed out..keeping myself from going to the Dr's office more than I need to. Those kind of things.

And it seems to have begun to work -- I mean, I've come up with a couple extras on one canvas that I totally wasn't expecting...got some papers cut that I never would have thot about...adding them with some touches of paint, that totally changed a collage. Positive. Positive. That's what I have to feed on for Now...

~~Must go and get other papers cut..check on the woodstove. We're in a "Heat Wave" -- it's over 45 outside an' I'm just about beside myself.. Well, almost. I think actually I'm just gonna go sit in the sun that's coming into the laundry room an' sorta soak it up... Works for me...

Lady of The Tulips

W.I.P. -- Spring Bay Studio -- 2009

Here's the canvas I'd mentioned yesterday..or maybe the day before -- The colors haven't all been applied, so there is still some extra paint going to be added this afternoon. I think the blues have blended pretty well, so adding the papers won't be such a struggle. Sometimes the shades make me slow down even more, and give me some calm.


I've been thinking about Calm for the past couple days -- ever since I finally relented and accepted the fact that I must have medication to maintain my heart rate, it's given me a bit more perspective into how I need to release any pent up feelings of anger, stress, conversations that went nowhere. All the things that are weighing me down -- they have to be released to the wind, given a flight somewhere far, far away. In turn, I need to give myself some rest when yes, I do feel tired. And yes, I do need to stop the conversations that I feel burning up my memory, making me angry, or feel pain, or feel anything else but positive. Yes, it is turning toward the place where I need to be, in order to direct my full energy into my Art. The serene has to be completely enveloped around me, so that the stress and other related negative energy can be removed.

My goal is to allow the Art to remove the Negative, and in the following days, accept any Positive that will replace what has been weighing me down ~~ Giving me too much that is not where I need to be. So, the colors will remain within me, allowing me some freedom.

~~ I'm hoping that the freedom for being myself will transfer it's energy to you today ~~

Lady of The Tulips

>> Just a quick note to say I'm working on a couple projects today <<

This morning was spent sewing up some sleeves for a peasant blouse..got them attached to the front & back of the blouse. Then I worked on some tissue papers, trying to get just the right shade of blues ~~ It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get them to look the way I wanted them to. So, I did a compromise. Got some tissue paper painted one shade of blue, then after attaching pieces of that to a canvas board, I then added another shade of a paler turquoise blue. Then, watering it down a few more times, I then added plain white to the top of the canvas board. It's drying now, and in theory I'll post it tomorrow.

>>I think I said I'd post a picture of another project I did this last week...yesterday. But my pea brain can't remember what it was, or which canvas it was...or much else. Some days my brain just doesn't want to work correctly, and it drives me crazy. << I also had been worried about a friend of mine who lives in Arkansas. She is fine, and after all the terrible weather thru Oklahoma and Ark., she has the good fortune of not having any severe weather near her mobile home. How great is That??!! Shwoo..it really had me concerned. I've also tried to contact another friend who lives in Mo., but haven't gotten an answer on their phone yet...that's making me a little concerned, as they too, have had some severe weather...my fingers (and maybe toes) are crossed, that they have come thru the severe stuff ok.

Must go and check on some goodies in the kitchen. I may regret it, but I asked Tom if he & noah would pick up something for dinner tonight and tomorrow night, on their way home from work today. Last time it was a salad from Mickey D's...it tasted wonderful, but there must have been something amiss, as I woke up in the middle of the night, with some bAddd problems...hopefully there won't be a repeat tonight!

Lady of The Tulips

"What She Wanted" -- Spring Bay Studio 2009


~~ despite the effort on making my Self Esteem dive completely into the depths of He** -- I've finished this canvas just the other day -- Actually it was on Friday of last week. I'd painted the canvas some time ago, but couldn't get the other pieces "just right" -- for my tastes. So, here it iz...

I'm feeling somewhat better today than I did when Tom took me to the Dr. on Sunday -- the pain is finally subsiding and the swelling has all but gone away. The startling thing is that what the Dr. at the clinic called my infection, is "Swimmers Ear" -- Say WhAt?? -- she even asked if I'd BEEN swimming...to which I replied, "No -- But get me goin' to FlOriDA!! -- an' I'mTHeRE in a Heart Beat!!" -- she just laughed!! Whoa!! It IS a great idea to be further South during the cold dayz that we've been having!! ~~ But back to whatever it IS that is making my hearing Not happening...the drops are working much faster than the other ones Ihad last fall, SO -- YAAA!!! -- worth the 60 mile trip to see the Dr!


I've got some sewing to do today -- 2 weeks ago Tom took me to the fabric store down the blvd. from his terminal -- got patterns on SALE for $1.79 a piece!! How GOOD is THAT??!! -- 2 apron patterns (the last one I made just is not cuttin' it -- made it a size too small so..) that I've cut out an' am gettin' ready to transfer markings & StUff so I can start stitchin' 'em up!! -- Plus I got some fabric on SALE too -- 1/2 price, so the journey was well worth it. Tom seemed to enjoy the day -- it was sunny and cold, but we just ignored the weather an' made the best of the day.

~~ Must get working ~~ I've also got a canvas in the WoRKZ -- I will post that lil' bugger later this week. I'm going to go outside for a minute to enjoy some unseasonably WARM weather -- kinda freaks me out...makes me remember Tornadoes an' BAD-ness while living in Arkansas...uggghh...

Lady of The Tulips

" Escape The Ordinary" ~~ Spring Bay Studio 2009


This is one of the canvases I worked out not too long ago..it had a couple spots that I left open for papers and other goodies. Finally I got the piece back out of it's folder, and finished it one afternoon last week. Tom even said it was ok -- which for him is saying a lot. Soom of the fabrics make me want to take up Sailing Classes. But the last time I was on a sail boat, I nearly got rammed into a dock..had an elderly man yell at me & my friend (who was the one actually sailing the boat..I was clinging on for dear life...) while we zipped past his boat. All in All not a day to really remember fondly. 'Cept that at least the elderly man didn't call my parents an' yell at them, too.

I have another canvas I'll post tomorrow. Today I'm just kinda recuperating from yet another StUiped Ear Infection. It drives me crazy that I suddenly am getting ThEse things..the Dr. I saw yesterday was very nice, an actually had worked at my regular Dr's office some time ago. How weird iz that? ~~ Tom took me up to Va., to one of the Day-Clinics -- they have some KiNd of name.."Now Care" or some such thing. The good thing is they are open on weekends, the Ins. we have does cover the office visit, and I'm able to get medications at the clinic for whatever ails me. That was a big relief. And we only waited 'bout an hour. Woah! That doesn't even happen at my regular Dr. office!

I've got some mat board drying on my table, and I'll pop a canvas that I worked out last year into the mat board an' a frame. I posted the frame the other day. OHH!! ** AnD -- I have an appointment this Saturday at a shop over on the Outer Banks!! -- the owner wants me to bring some of my work for her to look at. She said it doesn't matter how many, just a batch so she can tell if there something that would sell or not. I am optimistic, and have moved and altered my Dream Board to Direct my energy into the new endeavor.

~~ The pieces I had over at the Gallery in town were given back to me ~~ I have no idea why -- the pieces I had for the Exhibit on Mixed Media I CAN understand..the show was over an' so that's that. But what I WASN'T expecting - was to have my other pieces added to them to be taken home. And they were all sitting on the floor in a little pile. No explaination. No note. No "Thanx for having these here." -- Nothing. I was too stunned to say anything -- I felt like crying hysterically, but the gallery was in the middle of some Something, and there were people all over the place. The lady who looked in some Official Looking Notebook just said, "Oh yes..here's your things."" -- an' walked away with a somewhat disgusted look on her face. I don't know why all my things were given back to me. No Nothing.

So I'm wondering just what to do now. My self esteem is somewhat shattered, and maybe taking some work over to the Outer Banks may be a bad idea. But I just have been getting this voice telling me "Outer Banks" -- so that's what I'm going to do. I told tom that it'd be nice if somebody from the Art League would have told me something. But hearing no word on having my work taken out of the gallery is just not something I'm happy about. ??? that's all I'm left with. And since it's a Very Small town, I don't want to call up and yell, romp, stomp, scream and Make A Scene, so I'm just sorta left with an empty feeling.

That being said -- I'm still working on My ART ~~ Not matter what. The day is absolutely Beautiful, an' so for a little while (while my mat board dries) I'm going to go sit on the deck an' look at our trees. Maybe that'll make me feel better...

Lady of The Tulips

Here's a couple shots of the frames I've worked on -- the one that's a lighter Sea Green, or Turquoise, is one that I've shown before..but it has been told to me that the color was jus' a little too much, so I've toned it down w/a touch more white. And the "Antiqued" frame, is one that I'd written about -- Noah brought it outta storage for me, an' I SWANNY but I can't remember for the LIFE of me where I got that thing..anyway I'm pretty happy with the results of it's "new" look. For a cheap-iee frame it made out ok!! An' I've included the little fish-iee too..he's part of an entire piece that's in the workz AS WE speak..or write, or however you wants to say.

We are Now in the afternoon..an' the temps aren't outta the 30's...we had tha' itty bitty bit of snow yesterday..an' when The Weather People said "more" to come today...uhhhmmm..no. It's SuNNY out, but it'z about as cold as it gets for this part of the world. Noah wAS gonna go outside an Cut some firewood, but it's too COlD to run the chainsaw!! Ha! How'z ThAT!! for a kick in the head?!!! he's kinda meandering aroun' the house today, 'cause there's not a lot for him to do..he's outta work an' is NoT HapPY about it!! YEeee GadZZZ...it jus' drives him crazy without something to do..so..he's been workin' like crazy aroun' the yard -- clearin' out bad dead trees...cleaning up leaves...storing firewood, fixin' stuff in the shed...wearz Me out jus' thinkin' 'bout what all he'z been Up To!!

>> I'll get a shot of the latest canvas tha's on my NEW TABLE!! ~~~ It's sooo much better than that little poor excuse of a table that'd I'd BeEN tryin' to use...tom jus' walks in an takes a look at the new table an' sez.."Man..that sure is better than that other P.O.S. you'd been tryin' to use..." ~~Ha~~ he EvEN admitted that old thing was about as useless as a frog in the bathtub...man..it was worth the saving an' saving up of my penniES NickLes and Dimes for that TaBle..!! YYAA!!! <<

Mus' go an ' get some Stuff done...can't be here playin' aroun' -- Work is CallinG ME!!

Lady of The Tulips

Well -- If it seems like I've been gone for just a little while, well here are some of the reasons that That has been the case!! --

I've gotten done with painting the Studio -- How About That Color??!!!

You would not believe the nahhhstie wall paper when I was pulling it down off and AWAY from the walls...there was so much old stale cig. smoke all over it..and it was just the WORST smell..UGH!! -- I did manage to get it all torn off, primered the walls, and NOAH was just the sweetest doll and PAINTED the studio for me!! How Cool is THAT??!!

I got all the trim done along the ceiling and floors..painted the closet doors and did some extra painting along the doorframe into the studio -- Noah doesn't like doing the trim work, so that was my little project.

The color difference has made it SO much more enjoyable to come into the studio now, the room just seems to be charged with a new energy that just wasn't there before. I can't explain it well enough, 'cept to say that the overbearing sadness that permeated the room has now gone. I don't know what the exact story was on the couple who lived here, but it has always seemed that there was a heavyness around them that had enveloped the house, and for whatever reason, this room in particular. I don't know what kind of work the husband did, 'cept that I think he was a Notary Public..and what ever that entailed, it must have been something of a heavy weight on him, and that in turn had really saturated into the Studio.

But now All Is Good!! -- and the little canvas that I got done just before the painting got underway is titled, "Circles, Squares; Dot's and Blots" -- 2009 Spring Bay Studio.

It was a piece that I'd worked on off and on while deciding how I wanted the Studio to come out...very fun and Energy !! made it all come together.

I've got another couple shots of some frames that I'd worked on, too. One I redid in order to get another canvas set into it...that I'll show tomorrow, along with a frame that had been in storage, and Noah had brought it down here along with the little metal corner shelf that's in the one picture of the studio. I've no idea of where the frame was bought, but it does look pretty cool...honest.

Must go & check the wood stove -- we have some DRY FIREWOOD today, an' I'm makin' sure that we are WARM -- we had a dusting of snow this morning, an' naturally the schools were closed..it didn't stop Tom from goin' to work, tho. He's over by Raleigh today...have no idea what it IZ he's doing, 'cept hauling freight...

KEEP WARM everybody!!

Lady of The Tulips