*** 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

~~ Here's a quick wish for everyone in the U.S. - A very Happy and safe Memorial Day to you ~ !! ~

We are mostly basically and for real doing absolutely nothing today - well, 'cept some laundry, but that doesn't seem to count as "work" around the house - I had considered doing something like running the vacuum cleaner, but decided not to - what with the humidity hovering up near 70% and it not being 11 in the morning, I just couldn't justify gettin' all damp an' cranky messin' with the carpet ~ ! ~

So it's doin' some sketching with my little pencils, filling in some color with watercolor pencils on a piece on the work table, and then maybe cutting some papers for use in another project that's in the works too. The heat is lingering just a bit - near 90 something in the next few hours...with that in the back of my mind, it may just be time to kick up the air conditioner this afternoon...seems like a good idea, yes? I don't like to see the electric bill after a few days of this heat & humidity, but I also really don't like to be uncomfortable in my own house ~ !! ~

So we'll watch our pennies for the next few days, so we'll be able to pay that electric bill...an' drink some nice herbal ice tea (blueberry today!) an' watch all the weekenders zip around the neighborhood...they all drive so fast, an' on this teeny little dirt road, I'm waiting for somebody to go sliding off the side of the road into the ditch - either that, or they'll zing onto the opposite road, go flying off of that past the stop sign, and go splashing in the water at the bottom of the little hill...that's gonna be an expensive "My Bad" ~ !! ~

'course not drinkin' an' drivin' always helps too, but whatta I know??

but for now I gotta go hang up laundry..perfect weather to dry everything in a flash!!

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

"Fish Where They Swim" - 2010 -


Spring Bay Studio


Here's the other piece that I mentioned yesterday - It has a little more color with it - can you see the glitter that I sprinkled around and all about it?

I had fun with this, and Tom wondered just what got into me when he saw me cutting these little fish one afternoon - I'd thot about telling him that I was cutting up fish...but then he'd probably think that I'd gone fishing, but that wasn't the case. I mean, I'd LOVE to go fishing, but since we haven't finished paying the yearly fees for our property assessments, I can't use any of the neighborhood docks to go fishing on...stinks, don't it? - I keep wanting to buy my yearly fishing license, but then I have to hike off somewhere and find a place to actually GO fishing..

But anyway ~

I just did some layering of paints on some inexpensive drawing paper that I bought for a song about a year ago - it gives me spits and fits if I try to use a brush on it, but using my fingers, sponges or whatever else may be lurking on the table, well, that paper just acts like it's havin' a good time...so it's like playing and making a mess, which my high school art teacher always ALWAYS frowned on.

HA ! ~ HA ! ~ to her !! > Now I can make all the mess I WANT - an' who's gonna care? -

I mean, I do clean it all up...
Eventually.....

Just not right today, or right away today, 'cause I spent a good chunk of the morning drivin' me & noah all over creation, so now it's finally time to sit down and get something to eat. I think I ate a breakfast...Cocoa Roo-iees or something, blast, I can't even remember...so now my stomach is letting me know it's WAY past time to have lunch (it is after 1:30...) so it's TIME...

Jus' hopin' there is something to eat...
Hmmmmm....le's see...


So with that -

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


Lady of The Tulips

"Fish Right Here" - 2010 - Spring Bay Studio ~

I KNOW I've been chattering and making all kinds of noise about some of the work that has been over on the little table..so now I decided that it's time to SHOW that yes, I DO actually have something to SHOW YOU for all that noise...

I did a clever little trick..an' it makes me feel like such a dumb cluck...

I'd wanted some fabric pieces for what seems like for-EVAH..but at over $8.00 a yard, it just didn't seem like that kind of purchase was gonna happen any time soon..'specially since I need close to 10 or more yards of different shades of blue, green, prints, batiks...

You get the idea --

So, I decided to use small pieces of paper that have a similar print or color to them, and used THEM to have as background color -And save myself a WHOLE LOTTA $$$ -- An' like I said, I felt like such a dumb cluck when it dawned on me that I could do the colors this way, than buying all that fabric.

Even tho buying fabric can be so much fun...an' looking online at all that eye-candy..yuummm...some fabu prints that make me want to hop on a plane an' go off to some far-far away island..batiks that just seem to melt into the Sea..

So I went cheap instead. -- my conscience feels much better too - now I don't have to stand and stare at the dining room floor, while I TRY to explain to The Husband why I spent $56.00 on FABRIC..for cryin' out loud...

Otherwise you'd hear his VERY loud noise, I'm jus' about sure.

Man, can that guy QUACK...

But anyway - tomorrow I'll show the other piece that's all Beachy an' swimming-ly nifty...That's all the hints about THAT piece that you're gonna get from me this afternoon.

Besides I'm about flat wore out from drivin' Noah all over creation and BACK today - I've logged over 20 miles in less than 2 hours - goin' from one place to another, and back again - and no, I have nothing to show for it one little bit.

'Cept a headache tryin' to come along..an' some nerves that are just about at the twiingy stage..I feel sorry if some jerk from some corporation decides to try an' tell me some line of #% right now..he's really going to regret making that phone call, 'cause I'm hot, tired, an' altogether cranky.

Must be time to lay down, have a glass of nice ice tea (herbal fruit blend w/ honey...devine!!) an' do NOTHING ~ !! ~

So, yup - tha's exactly what I'm gonna go do!!

I'm Gone ~


Lady of The Tulips

I'm not sure if the brickwork shows up or not, but there are some right at the end of the gravel pathway that the original owners put in some years back.

What I wish I could see, across the dirt road, is whether or not the nest for the thrasher is there, or in one of the little bushes to the right of this gravel path.

I noticed the birds last week..and they were ever so busy, taking teeny branches from underneath the trees, and some of the dried grass from where Noah mowed the lawn..so busy, so busy. And it looked like they were building a nest in our yard...but wait.

Then it looked like they were starting to do something across the dirt road.

Can they have 2?

Is one in fact, their vacation home for the summer??

Anyway...........

This time of year brings the weekenders down to the Shore..some of the little cabins are starting to get new life, now that the "First" weekend of summer is nearly here. Some of the places haven't looked this good since last year..an' some of them may as well just start over...like, they've not had anything done with them in WAY longer than a year.

But still, the weekenders come, and enjoy their time away from wherever they live. I just ride my bike around the neighborhood and feel good that there are people who haven't given up on the little area. Some have sold their weekend homes, an' it looks sad, some of them all empty, an' looking neglected - seems like a waste of a perfectly good home to me.

But with the odd-ball economic times that we have right now, there's no telling what will happen to a little area like we have here. Surrounded by old, old farms, with crops growing...

And then there's the area where we live...with some shoreline homes in the millions of dollars...then way, way, down the socio-economic ladder to a little cabin like ours.

A vast difference between spots, but it all seems to work out.

But I still wonder about the little birds in the yard...and hope that the neighbors cat doesn't decide to make dinner out of either one of them. That would make me so terribly sad. Besides, I like to hear the birds with their faint, gentle singing to each other, while they search around the cabin, for worms, bugs, and whatever else they eat.

And I like having neighbors who don't cause problems!!

But now noah is in the house, and making quite a lot of racket out in the kitchen...great mercy, I better go see what all this is about...

I'm Gone ~~


Lady of The Tulips

SO - I know that I should probably be doing something else besides messin' around with my Bus, but today is the first day where we haven't had rain, rain, and more rain, and Tom fit in my Grateful Dead tapestry on my seat in the Bus..an' the flowers along the front of the cabin were calling my name...

And all kinds of other things were telling me to get out of the studio and do something else besides sit with matte medium all over my hands..an' try to ignore all the paint that seems to be lurking under my fingernails, and GET OUTSIDE ~

So who am I to say no to playing a little bit in my own yard? - Or is that driveway (in the case of the Bus, I guess it would be...) ~~ So, here's what's growing, and a pretty nice look at how tom fixed the grateful dead "deady-Bears" for me in the Bus.

After watching the rain for the last 5 days, it felt sooo good to go out and jus' sorta absorb the quiet in the yard, look at the daylilies along the stone path to the front porch, an' just "excape" for a teeny bit. Far better than hearing some jerk at our bank, yelling at me (He didnt want to get away from the script that he's trained to keep reading, when he didn't know the answer to my question...) an' giving me fits and spits over something that could have been answered in - what - 2 minutes?

So looking over the flowers, feeling the sun on my back, and listening to one of the tiny little woodpeckers way, way up in the pine tree..ahh...that helped much more than I thot it would. And all I can do for somebody like the Banking Fool, is jus' feel sorry for them - they have to keep their script always always perfect so they get their .20 cents per call...they can't let another person help them, 'cause that keeps them from making their commission (or whatever term the corporations use) - an' it just makes me nearly ill, because instead of being a help, I'm discovering more an' more that "Customer Service" is becoming something of a nightmare - an' it really shouldn't. So I feel bad for those people, all closed up in a giant room, smooshed into a little cubicle..being trained to yell at people, and not seeing that there is something else out there besides letting a Worldwide Corporation rule what you say and do...

Sad
Sad
Sad...

So with that, I took the time to enjoy the birds in the woods...listen to something far off out in the Sound..somebody going out fishing/crabbing/doing whatever it is they do for the day...an' breathe in the peacefulness of where I am.

An' say once again...thank you Heavenly Father for giving me this time in our little neck of the woods.

But for now........

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

No picture today, but I am considering taking some, 'cause today is just one of those wonderful Spring days, where the temperatures are beyond compare, and the color of the sky nearly takes your breath away.

Not to mention that the wrens are so darn cute out in their nest on the front porch ~ !! ~ I keep thinking that maybe they'll go away and find another place to keep house, but then I see what must be the female, darting in to and out of her nest, which is all buried under a canopy of leaves of the plant..Then I just can't help but smile, and wonder about what mysteries there are in nature. The male, naturally, has to perch himself on one of the posts of the railing surrounding the porch, and sing his little songs...I've no idea what, if anything, they "mean", tho I guess somewhere there is an ornitholigist ( rotten spelling, but close enuf...) who could tell me in DETAIL..but suffice to say that the male wren just sings away at any moment in the day.

Kind of startles me when out of the blue, here's this LOUD song, just out of nowhere. At least the entire neighborhood knows there's a wren nearby...

And then, the neighbors cat has decided that he just has to stop by on his ramblings around the neighborhood..to stop and meeeoooowwww at me..rub his skinny self along my ankles, and generally try to let me know that he's probably going to die at any minute if I don't give him something to eat RIGHT NOW!!!....although I doubt he's going to FAMISH immediately. He still has to let me know he's gonna be a gonner in just a matter of minutes, tho.........

So that's how today has been so far...an' now we have a resident reptile that has taken up a garden bed just outside our bedroom windows...as long as the thing keeps to itself, an' does its thing without any "help" from me, then we'll all get along jus' fine...tom an' noah both had to tell me "HEYYY MAAAAAA.."

As if I'm gonna do anything to it....

But for now, I gotta check on some watercolor paper on the work table..

An' also appologise (well, I can't spell today worth a lick...) for the blurry picture yesterday of my latest canvas..I even tried to hold my breath..braced my hands against my knees...took my right hand an' held it as steady as can BE..

An' the blasted picture came out blurry anyway...

NEXT TIME..I will certainly try to do much better..

But ---

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


Lady of The Tulips

"Express Your Bliss" - 2010 - Spring Bay Studio


Here's the piece that I've been talkin' about the last couple dayz...it took a little longer to finish some of the pen & ink than I thot it would..mainly 'cause the original pen that I've had for for-EVAH, hauled off and ran out of ink.

That made me dig around in my antique hutch to uncover another pen I had..only to discover that it has > as in the words of The Husband.."Issues..."

The thing won't work right..as in, it runs the ink jus' as nice as can be, then jus' decides that it doesn't want to work anymore..so I have to go over areas that I've already set ink on...an' then the thing starts to work right...then stop...then...


So you get the idea..something that should have gone in a flash, took like, 3 days longer than I planned. So goes "Planning" - But I got thru, an' here the new little girl is..she is jus' a tad different than my earlier "girls", but she's kinda fun.

I've got some other work over on the table that I'm jus' itchin' to get finished, so I gotta make this quick. Plus Noah is lurking in the kitchen, an' I've got this feeling that he wants me to go somewhere an' do errands for him. I can't even think of the miles I've driven in the last week...no wonder this piece seemed to take so long to get done...I worked on it inbetween driving all OVAH..an' out here in the country, where the closest "store" is 5 miles...well, you can imagine how nerve racking it is, when The Husband leaves me his car, saying..."Oh!, it's got plenty of gas for you to drive around in..." - YEAH..if I was going down the street an' comin' right back ~ ! ~ toad....so it's been one of those weird weeks...plus some guy screaming at me about a bill...an' come to find out I was directed to the wrong department...

An' I STILL don't drink...wha's up with THAT?? ~~ after 3 days of odd-ball companies screaming at me (again, wrong departments...) an' Tom sayin' that he's not sure if there will be overtime for the rest of this month (so much for payin' extra on bills..) I'm not sure if my brain will stand this STUFF...

Did I mention we have a wren nest in the plant out on the front porch?? ~ well, more on that later..I gotta get over to the work table 'fore Noah comes in an' starts quackin' about goin' somewhere...


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


Lady of The Tulips

So, if you don't look at the tears in the headliner, the interior of the Bus isn't lookin' too shabby these days. I keep sayin' I'm finished with fixin' up inside of there, but then I discover something else that would coordinate with the curtains, pillow an' other beads...

So then it's back to messin' around some more.

But not this week, 'cause I have this project that is ready to get extree paint on it..I've got I think 3 shades of Blue ready for it, so it should be breezy feelin' once I get it all slammed together.


I
am very happy to say that Mothers Day was not only a nice sunny, tho a bit chilly, day. I'd thot that danny would have been working some baseball games, but I guess with their new director, the decision was to have the day off this year. Which gave Danny the time to come down and visit. AND he also grilled some burgers for us ~ !! ~ How 'bout That?? ~ I had been home from church 'bout 35 minutes when he called to say he was comin' down. Gabriel couldn't make it, 'cause he had practice w/ his band, and they were also starting to do some recording, so that tied up his afternoon. Plus, he's got a job ( ~ !!! ~ ) now, an' he had to get to that after all the other things he was doin' in the afternoon.


Makes me tired jus' thinkin' 'bout all that runnin' around.

An' I've been runnin' around this morning too - noah had - had to get to the store to get some coke's and other stuff..plus some gas for the chainsaw..plus a stop to the car parts store..by the time I was all done with THAT, I felt wore out! But I got home to work on one of the last pieces for the canvas on the table..an' wouldn't ya know it..a different pen did just what I feared it would do...the ink ran the minute I hit it with a teeny-tiny bit of water from some watercolor paint I was using...so that piece had to be redone..

So here we are, 45 minutes later, an' I'm suddenly realizing that my stomach is growling, an' it's already time to have LUNCH ~ !! ~ man!, how'd it get so late already?

So I guess I better get the 1st coat of paint on the canvas..then probably see if there are some kind of left-overs in the 'fridge...

Yee Gadzzz, wonder what the rest of the afternoon's gonna be like??
Tee Hee>>>>>


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


Lady of The Tulips

Jus' a fast - quick - jump - up an' run kinda post, as The Husband is due back here in a dash..so I gotta dash this message like Snap!! - an' then get goin'

There is a batch of new work over on the table, but tha's all I'm gonna say for now!! ~ Several different things have come out of the paintbrush and pen and inks, and I'm really suprised with how they've turned out!! ~ I think you'll see the difference in the work when I get all of it laid out on the canvases. I'm hope-hoping that I've got enuf matte medium to get all of the paper down the way I want. Other wise I may have to make a trip up to the city next weekend, an' I just do NOT want to do that. it wears me out thinkin' 'bout it as it IS...

The bus just keept cruisin' along...the reactions from people run the whole spectrum..some people really like to see it puttin' down the street, other people are just so rude and nasty it just about scares me to pieces. I mean, there have literally been people that have tried to sideswipe me, an' run me off the road..other people have come racing up behind me, and almost rear-ended me. The irony of some of those drivers, is that the people who come up behind me, are usually driving those extremely high-end vehicles, and I'm thinkin'..Are you DAFT??? ~ You're driving a $50,000 Mercedes Benz, an' your drivin' that thing like your a complete IDIOT ~ !!! ~ AND you wanna try an' make this Bus run FASTER???

It's either that thot, or maybe, "Well, you probably should NOT have had that second gin and tonic over at the clubhouse, 'cause now look how bad your drivin'..."

Either way, I just keep goin' on down the little country roads, listenin' to my Bluegrass an jus' doin' my thing. And lookin' at all the lush green growth of all the fields, woods and streams must have had a good effect on me, 'cause my work is definetly showin' it...

There..I gave you another tease on my work...but trust me, it is different for sure.

But with that, I gotta go - The Husband is due in like 2 minutes, n' he gets pretty cranky if I'm payin' attention to him. PLUS - he SAID he'd buy some steaks to grill out tonight for Mothers Day...so I wanna MAKE SURE he bought them suckers...

Or else you'll be able to hear me from where you are ONCE I LAY INTO HIM!!!

'k..

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


Lady of The Tulips

A little shot of the interior of the Bus - even after all the camping and mess we made the other week, it's suprising that all the beads and ribbons survived the drive ~ ! ~

I took this before the weather turned cloudy the other afternoon. I thot we for sure were getting some rain, but it only clouded up and irritated me to no end. And to make matters even more agrivating, the temperatures dropped like winter was snubbing it's nose at us, saying Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah~!!~

Nothing that get's under the skin than when it's all Warm and Springlike..then you literally get up the next day and it's 20 degrees COOLER..makes my last good nerve just twinge that much more.

I'll post some other interior shots either tomorrow or wednesday - right now I'm battling with some watercolor pencils..one shade of blue ended up having more grey undertones than I thought it did. So when I went to add some light blue for shading, it looked like it'd been sunk in the Sound for the last 14 years..not exactly what I had in mind. More of a floaty look, not something hit-rammed-and-sunk during some off the wall war 120 years ago.

So, with some white acrylic, a bit of adding of "Ultramarine Blue", the shading that I'm trying to get is slowly working out.

At least I think it is. Once the watercolor paper is dry, then I'll doublecheck, then add the other paints - fun - but there's always those weird little things that crop up to juuust bring you up short.

That's why it's better to say that it'll all work out, than to get flustered more than necessary. Expect the unexpected. Tha's the ticket ~ !! ~

We're waiting to see what kind of storms are rolling in - I know that Tenn. got hammered over the weekend, an' I'm really hoping everybody is doin' ok now - cleaning up after storms is not one of my favorite things, but Things can get replaced. People can't, so Everybody needs to listen to the Weather people when they say to avoid certain areas, don't get near streams and creeks if they look swollen, an' don't get near power lines that are down. Now we just keep an eye on the sky for the next couple hours, an' it'll be ok. Tom said that the wind is blowing really hard up where he called from in Virginia...70% humidity and climbing. yikes - and the temp. is over 84 - I think he's gonna be glad he left a rain jacket in the cab of his truck~ !! ~

Ack ~ ! ~ Speaking of which, I jus' remembered that I left the windows down in the Bus - I made a trip to the grocery store to get items that ran out over the weekend, then went to the Fishing Center to get Noah a root beer, an' never did roll up the windows.

That'll guarentee a good soaking rain ~ !! ~

Most definetly gotta run ~ !!! ~

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


Lady of The Tulips

Just a quick post, as I've got to make a trip to the grocery store, then to one of those Dollar Stuff stores...seems that some pretty good name brand products are showing themselves more and more on the shelves of those stores. So, while I'm not a name brand junkie, I do like to buy some products that have a good label..and the plus..if I can get said products for a whole lot less than anywhere else. Even that World Mart chain..I've discovered that they have higher prices than the dollar places, so what's the point in going in the World Mart if you end up spending more?? ~ ! ~ Penny Pinching is an art unto itself, and if I can get any good at it, then I'm gonna KEEP TRYING no matter what!

I made a trip to one of the teeny little "stores" down the road..it's just a little knock-about place, probably been opened for the lat 30 years..if you dislike the smell of cigarettes, then you'll probably not want to go inside the place. And if you don't really want to hear the latest "gossip" - (or "Jus' discussin' thangs..") - then the place isn't for you either.

But it is a spot where Noah has to get his over-the-top-sugar coated Honey Donuts...glaze, cinnamon an' who knows what else all over the things. But he, unlike his mother, can burn off all those 1200 calories in probably 14 minutes. On the other hand, I'd be wearing those fat calories in less than 5 minutes, and they'd be stickin' around for the next 10years.

But anyway -

Tha's where I went earlier this morning, and now while I listen to the sound of the washing machine goin' into it's final spin cycle, I'm going to dry my jeans, get some of my mop of hair stuck in a rubber band, and then get some sodas for noah..plus bread, eggs, whatever else is on the list. ne of those grocery store trips where you pick up what you forgot to get when you did the shopping for the week 3 days ago.

At least I forget to pick up these things..or..what's worse, walk right past the isle where the things are, still looking at the grocery list, and keep on going in the totally opposite direction. Drives me right up the WALL ~ !! ~ But at least I used coupons on the big shopping trip, so that saved me some $$ - this trip will be pretty low cost, as all the things on noahs list (5 total) are all on sale.

Nickle - dime - stuff that has to be bought..or else The Wrath of The Other People in The House decends on me, an' then I get a headache.

Or else I jus' walk away, go sit out on the deck and suddenly have a sudden attack of Not Being Able to Hear...

Work's like a charm!!

But for now -

I'm Gone>>>>>>>>>>>


Lady of The Tulips

"Untitled" - Spring Bay Studio 2010

Here's the piece that I just got finished - well, the other day...I had another mess of a time gettin' the frame to come out just the right color. I couldn't decide if it should be a darker "aged" look or not, so finally after scrubbing and blobbing and dabbing paint paint and more paint, I finally said "ENOUGH!!" an' slammed it in the frame.

But it does look pretty cool, huh?

I've got some sketches that are gettin' some various colors added to them this morning. Actually it's pretty amazing that I'm even able to think about color right now...Noah woke me up wayy before 7 this morning, 'cause he absolutely positively HAD TO go to the paint store (forget wall-mart or lowes...) an' buy a can of spray paint to repaint the stove pipe up on the roof. No, no, he doesn't want to spent $3.97 or whatever at the larger hardware store...NO! ...he wants to haul off and spent nearly $7.00 on ONE CAN of spray paint...But I did, at the same time, get to order some paint for me..and yes, I'm really wondering how much those 2 cans of paint are going to come to...

All I can say, is I darn well hope that the paint going up on the stove pipe sings, dances and does the hootchie-koo, 'cause it BETTER do something more than just sit there and look pretty. I have never EVAH paid that much for a can of spray paint. An' the phone will probably fall out of it's wall socket when The Husband hears what I paid for that thing...

Ok, so I'm a cheapskate...but I MEAN, come ON now!! ~ SEVEN dollars for spray paint?? -

Well, the good thing is that it is made for high heat purposes, and does keep rust from happening on a surface that not only gets rain, wind and ice/snow on it, but the heat from the woodstove does a number on any pipes that are made for woodstoves. So, yes, it IS probably worth the extra cost...

But it's just not something that I was quite ready for.

BUT ~ ! ~ I am ready for showin' some of the work that I'm getting done on my latest piece...got some lettering done, and have some flowers that are kinda spiffy. Just hope that once their all put together that they look good. Sometimes it's hard to see what the final product will look like..then The Critic jumps out of the bushes in the front of the house an' screams "You think THAT looks good??! ~ Are you NUTZZ??"

So it's a never ending battle to create something that flows, that makes you want to go swimming in warm tropical waters, and not have to face something like a cranky mother-in-law on the shore...

So it's off to the work table..I'm also realizing that I most definetly need a cup of coffee..I didn't even get to finish my first, when Noah started pacing around the dining room.."patiently" waiting for me to finish my breakfast...

I'm tellin' ya, it's never a dull moment aroun' here..an' don' get me goin' on the ol' guy that was screaming around a corner, down a little bridge over one of the creeks, and driving IN MY LANE at the same time....an' there I am comin' in the opposite direction, right head-on toward this guy...

I guess I better check my automobile insurance policy, huh?

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


Lady of The Tulips

So, while the first couple dayz of the Bluegrass festival went really great, as far as the weather goes, then it just hauled off and turned completely upside down...

The picture shows just how far down the ____ everything turned...Saturday got worse, rain and wind..then more wind..but we stuck it out while people with motor homes with HEATERS INSIDE TO KEEP THEM WARM were bailing out of that campground like there was no tomorrow. We, who have No Heat in the Bus, stayed for all of the remaining concerts Sat. nite, and the picture is what the site looked like early on Sunday morning.

Plus is was colder than Saturday. We packed up the Bus, said goodbye to all the Fish in the pond, and made our way home. The route we took back here was the one I originally told tom to use, and we made it back here in less time that I want to think about..compared with the 5 hours that it took with the "short cut"...

Oh anyway..we got back here to some more sunshine, but the WIND ~ !!! ~ I kept feeling like at any minute we'd be upside down with the Wheels sticking up from the edge of the ditch. But Tom, being that he has to drive thru bad weather a lot of the time, was able to keep the Bus on the road..we didn't run off an' go ka-plooey into some poor guys wheat field..

An' now we're just sittin' back thinkin' about the next festival to go to - Gotts to save up some $$, but not as much as this first one.

And on a lighter note, tomorrow I'll post my just finished frame & piece..both are looking none to shabby, even if I don't mind saying so.

And there is some sketches I'll try and remember to post here as well - A bit differnt, but close to some work I did not too long ago. Fun, breezy an' jus' right now that Spring is finally trying to make itself at home.

Or shall I say, considering sticking around..as today we have strong winds an' it's 62 outside. BUT IT SHALL WARM UP ~ !! ~ Around here it's supossed to be up near 85 by the weekend...I'm tellin' ya, there's no tellin' what to expect with the Weather.

That's why it's better for me to say what the Art will be like, rather than the messin' around that the Weather People do day to day.

And they get PAID for it ~ ! ~

What am I doin' wrong? - Oh, heh heh,,yeah, I can't do math, an' Weather Predicting takes a WHOLE lotta that stuff...

Would it work If I took a flag outside to say that it might get windy?...uhmm...no, huh?

Fine.

Be that way......

I'll just go an' get a cold one an' tha's that.

Besides - I got some blue watercolor pencils that I wanna play with - Weeeeeee............


Lady of The Tulips