Tantivy

I can't really show you today's biggest thing - the A/C is being installed. They won't finish tonight but our bedroom has cool air! Pat, the A/C man, hopes to have it all finished by tomorrow evening. I can't even find words to tell you how happy that makes me feel. A good night's sleep!!! I can't really show you the next "big" thing either. Thursday morning I got up to answer a early phone call (from Pat, see above) and either tripped over Jackson or stepped over him before I had my other foot firmly on the floor. I doesn't matter which it was because I sat down, quickly and quite firmly on the floor. No lasting injury but a colorful behind , a tender bump on the head, and a shoulder that I can feel. All on the right side. As for the third thing, I can't show that either. I stuck my head in the car that Alex (son-in-law) was driving to give something to Dean, who was in the front seat. Alex, thinking I was in, took his foot off the brake ...

There is a wonderful small children's book called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day , written by Judith Viorst. It should be required reading for everyone. Alexander has a bad day and keeps saying that he thinks he will move to Australia. At the end he decides that some days are just like that - even in Australia. The phrase has become a family favorite. Well, a few days seem to have been like that recently. I have found it so difficult to sit down and blog, even though I wanted to. Actually, things are going well. The drywall has been installed and will be sanded tomorrow night.  Looking from dining room toward back door and laundry area  The place for Dean's desk and the door to the hall toward our room.   Looking toward the pantry on the  left and the back door.   The opening in the pantry wall enables the light from outside to shine into the area.   I will be so glad when the washer and dry...

Today was one of those busy days. The house was like an anthill with people working everywhere. I like days when much is getting done. I like them a lot.   The painters sprayed the porch to get rid of any mildew before they paint. They put all the "stuff" in the yard. It looked as though we were being evicted! They are gong to paint the porch ceiling blue, which is known to keep mosquitos away. I am not sure just who knows that, but it is the accepted thing to do in the south. The concrete caps on the walls will be painted the tannish color of the siding. The porch floor is already green and will be painted green again.   Here is the newest painting. I am looking forward to hearing Sandy's  critique tomorrow. I didn't really mean to make a cat but I did. I think of it as Still Life. I actually saw the "cat" as a crooked vase.  Not all the stuff from the front porch was put back there. This big bundle of insulation was put in the garage. Un...

Isn't August supposed to be hot? I am trying not to complain but we have had a whole week or more of rainy, humid and cool days. I guess it beats the heat but I am beginning to feel mildewy. Since our a/c still isn't repaired/replaced or whatever they are going to do, we have no way to dehumidify the house. We keep fans going to keep the air moving but it is a little chilly to have one blowing on you. I know, wah, waah, waaah ( not even spellcheck likes that!)  So what have I been doing? Well, I am a master at wasting time. So I watched TV and played with crayons and pens. Trying to fill the page took a while but it was fun. Dean has carried a table that Jenny and he made up to the studio and I have rearranged my tool chests. Dean thought that I didn't realize how big the table is but I wanted all that space to put large paper, paints, brushes and other stuff around while I am painting. The table is on locking casters so I can move it around or keep it still. I put ...

Don't we all wish for quiet days? Today (well, actually Wednesday - it is now Thursday morning)  I went to art class. It was, as usual, informative and challenging. Sandy and I talked over my last three works and she pointed out their weaknesses and made suggestions about how I could deal with them. One needs a darker corner, one needs some more darks, one needs some lights. Some of that I knew, but it is hard to remember everything when you are learning and I sometimes forget about corners at all. When I came home I stretched out on the bed to rest a minute, fell asleep and slept for hours , so I haven't finished a single painting. I will show them later although you may be getting tired of seeing them. The painters were here today, the HVAC man came and talked to Dean, the carpenters are finishing up the trim work. Not much that would make an interesting picture. So...  Here is a woman who looks so stiff that she could break if she had to smile. Unfortunately, she has ...

And the news for today is that my stitches are out, the doctor thinks the patch is healing well, the lumpiness and bumpiness should go away and the margins were clear - all the cancer is gone. I see him again in six weeks.  so I have gone from this to this.  The photo emphasizes the red just a little. In a few days I will be able to wear make-up and that should help a lot. My worst problem now is that my glasses rest on a tender place and after a while they begin to bother me. (so I take them off). The painters started on the house today and Dustin and Chris are just finishing up. Inspections have been made and the electric rough-in as well as the framing has been approved. ( The plumbing wasn't inspected but the drain is doing its drain thing and Dean cleaned up all the mess) I have been working in the studio on the paintings I showed you recently. #1 has gone from   this to  this, to this   I have stopped here, having learned...

The things we do, whether for love or not. The sink in the downstairs bathroom has been draining ever more slowly and, as you know, we have no kitchen sink right now. Yesterday it took nearly an hour for the water from washing my hands to drain and I told Dean that something had to be done NOW. "Okay, " said Dean," I will cut a hole in the closet in our room and check the pipes". "Wait", said I, "Didn't you tell me that there is a clean out in the basement?Why not check that first." So putting aside his hats as airline pilot, attorney,  contractor and chef, Dean put on his plumbing hat and tackled the clean-out. I forgot my roles as artist, sewist, and became assist-ant to the plumber. Scene I, the basement. Ugh. Dean checks the clean-out and finds no clog there. Scene II, the bathroom. The snake is not budging any clogs.     C: What about a coat hanger?     D: That won't be strong enough.     C: Just a minute.   (I get a coat h...

Yesterday I went to the plastic surgeon to have the lesion that was basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose.  He was kind enough to prescribe some Valium before hand because I had been to him when I broke my nose and I knew that injections in your nose are very uncomfortable. In fact, they hurt. A lot. Dean went with me, hoping that he could watch and he was allowed to. It turns out that he and the doctor are both ex-Air Force and that Dr Vizer was a flight surgeon so they had lots to talk about. I entered the conversation once or twice but mostly listened. Yes, I was awake the whole time my imagination going full speed. I asked the nurse for a blanket.  I wasn't cold, but with your face partially covered and you body not (I  had on my clothes) I felt strangely vulnerable-like I might float away. The security blanket helped a lot, just the weight of it. Weird. After the lesion was removed they ran it over to the hospital lab  which is just across the...

I have made choices for the kitchen.  The floor will be a marmoleum called Bleeker Street . The cabinets will be painted a warm grey called Sharkey Grey or Whetstone , (some might differ from others) the countertops will be W arm Soapstone Corian, the island will be Sea Salt Corian and the wall will be Pink Sea Salt. All the colors are warm and comfy and that is how I want my kitchen to feel. The appliances are stainless and the apron sink will be white. Here is a little video of the kitchen in all its bareness. Sara said that it was hard to tell what was what just looking at the photographs. Maybe this will be better.  i never got this to work.  sorry..  i can't get rid of it either!!  On a completely different subject, I found this little mouse family that I made and gave to my mother many years ago. There was a baby mouse in a little white dress but somehow she has been lost. I will have to make another since there are three of us. I am oldest,...

I haven't done much quilting lately and when I got back to it I realized that the work I had done last fall (or whenever it was) was full of mistakes, so I spent much time "reverse sewing" - also known as "ripping out". These are such simple pieces and they are easily put together but if you sew on the wrong side of the little sandwich of pieces you have a larger piece that is just wrong !  The pieces should go together like this, with verticals on the upper left corner.   but if you pick this up the wrong way and sew it on the wrong side ...  You get this - with horizontals on the upper left corner.   Then if you sew then to another square you get this below   instead of this. How many did I do wrong last year? More than I should have and more than I want to admit and enough to keep me busy ripping  reverse sewing for a long time this afternoon.   Here is the little bit that is done properly. It...