Mattie

Here is Mattie...she is camera shy.

Mattie has a vet appointment tomorrow because today she had only one stool (usually she has at least 4 per day) and it had blood in it. I cried on the way home from our walk. But maybe it is something not serious. She is 13 years old. I am worried but don't want to think about it. Other than that she is still acting the same. So...

up before the sun

I've been up since 5 a.m., made some tea and cruised the web. The sky is just starting to lighten to a purplish blue. Still there is snow on the ground. It is cold. Wonder what today will bring?

I've been reading (over and over again) "My Lord Loves a Pure Heart" by Swami Chidvilasananda. Underlining passages and writing down sentences I like. All my books save just a couple are still boxed away from the move. How I miss my books! Maybe today I could get a new one.

We have yet to get our new license plates. We have been here 2 months now. And still when we go out shopping or to eat...I look around and feel as if I am in another world. Everyone is SO "Midwestern".
Just say'in....

I don't want to loose what I have learned while living south. And already I can feel twinges of wanting to fit in here...

sick of being sick...

Still fighting this thing...I may go to the Dr. this afternoon.

Across the tracks from the condo.

I haven't walked Mattie for a couple/3 days. And I miss not taking her outside. Plus just being cooped up is really getting to me. So, I think I will start a new painting today. Take some indoors pictures and sew.

We are supposed to get some snow today...

Roses in winter

see the snow...

Yes, I know it is always of this same tree and fenceline. That is the view from the condo...always the same. But see today it is snowing!

Little Jacques sleeping.

This is what I have been coloring the past couple of days. It reminds me of springtime so far. And Valentines Day...
Concert tonight so I better get my shower and dress...the roads are slippery.
Yellow Moon!

It is lightly snowing...

feeling a little under-the-weather today.

Just playing around with photos tonight...

messy desk

I like the way the light plays on the pencils...

little bear in sunlight...

comfy empty bed...

These were waiting for me after work...

notice that I put them next to the bed.

And my sweetheart brought THESE home at dinnertime.

The story on the tickets goes like this:

We were walking downtown with C (Hubby's daughter) on her birthday weekend. And we walked past the Theater. I remarked how much I loved the Neville Brother's and Aaron Neville's voice.
Without my knowledge he has been inquiring about getting some tickets. Unfortunately they have been sold out for weeks. So he just happened to mention it to an acquaintance of his who owns an art gallery in town. The gallery owner said that the gallery was having a private reception for the Neville Brothers and that they were supposed to get some free tickets. And offered any free tickets that came his way to my hubby. And so today Hubby gets a call from the gallery owner that he has 2 tickets if we still want them!!! And that is how these tickets became ours!

We are blessed to have each other. (I'm the one who is blessed)

Stains...

I keep spilling my hot tea on this off white carpet at the condo!!! Shit man, who in the hell wants white carpet? I've tried everything...and you can still see it.

OK here are a couple of idea to try...ammonia/water mix and Windex. Oh and soda
water.

I know the photo doesn't go with the post topic. But it was taken today while walking Mattie. Everything is melting and there is standing water all over. Thought it was kind of pretty...better go...making some chicken and rice.

A weekend with the boys

They had a good time and made some new friends!

I love the graffiti...

This building was damaged in the flood of last year. It is student housing.

The weekend was great!

taking a little break

Sitting here with my tea waiting for hubster to get home. He is bringing with him his teenage son and one of his son's friends for the weekend. So I just finished cleaning up the bathroom they will share. And doing some laundry and dishes...lots of fun stuff...huh? I will have some alone time this weekend because they will all be doing "guy" things and having some male bonding time.

It feels good to be working again. I was expecting too much too quickly right after the move. Now it is all falling into place.

I'm about half finished reading the story of Ada Blackjack. It is a quick read.

So the desk is full with things that need to be mailed. So I will spend some time doing that tomorrow. Hopefully the boys will sleep in some.

How to be an early riser? This is the hardest thing of all for me to do.

why is it...

that whenever I look into a mirror I do a double take to see who it is that I'm looking at. I have begun wearing scarves and turtlenecks even when the weather doesn't quite call for it. This is the year I turn 50.

When I turned 30 I thought that I was "old"! Ha...little did I know. Some of the best memories I have were during my 30's. Mostly because my boys were young, sweet, loving and affectionate. And they needed mommy.

When I turned 40 I was single again, looking good and had a great job (well, a good paying one anyway). I just knew that my 40's would be the best time of my adult life! My sons were mostly grown. And I was free to do what I wanted and that's pretty much what happened.

My sisters and I with Meme (our Grandma...I'm the oldest).

Now that the 5th decade is upon me I feel clueless. There is no excitement or expectations. I have no major personal goals. Now when someone says that they did this or that ...or are going to do this or that...most times I think to myself..."been there, done that". What are the 50's going to be like? I don't have a clue except that I will continue to work, make things and see family as much as possible.

Oh and make some incredible scarves! ha...

Cheers...

We have heat...

the furnace guy came this morning and fixed the furnace! And we are supposed to get a heat wave this weekend into the 30's!! yayay

I've been stabbing my finger working on the monkey quilt. Three more squares and then the border and edging. The border will take some time because I will be working around the buttons and working the pattern in circles. You will just have to wait and see what it is I'm talking about.

Ok...almost bedtime. It comes early tonight. Have to get up early and out the door by 7ish.

May I be a blessing to others.

It is -2 outside and we have no heat!

Just finished a shower and there is no heat in the condo. Richie just left for work and I need to leave at about 9. It is cold in here. He is going to talk to the heating guy and get him out here this morning. I just pray that none of the water pipes leak!

And poor Mattie needs to go for a walk. But the past two days it has just been too cold to take her for a long walk.

Finished

I wish I could remember what was going through my head when I started this.

Going through my head when finishing this was...what does this mean?

A look at a painting in progress...

On the current desktop.

I have a huge industrial drafting table with the wide metal base. You can imagine some draftsman (and sorry but yes, it was almost exclusively men back then) from the 1950's hunched over the maple tabletop sticking his pins into the wood to center the paper, in an office with dozens of desks...all the same.

You can still see letters and numbers imprinted into the wood. Printed so skillfully that they look as uniform as if they were hammered with a steel stamp. The table is adjustable height and tilt wise. It has been cherished by me for at least 20 years now. My sons and first husband surprised me one birthday and bought it and had it all set up for me in the basement of our first house. So mostly it is the memory of them caring so much and making it all so nice for me. And it was a surprise. The boys were little then and I'm sure that keeping it a secret was very hard for them to do. But they kept it quiet and I was moved to tears.
So now the drawing table is dismantled and stuck in the back of the tiny one car garage that is serving as our storage unit. I have been thinking about selling it. I'm sure it is worth some money. And some artsy type would be a very proud owner and excited to set it up in their space.

I am finding that I don't really need the big table to make things. And space here is limited. The memories I have relating to the desk are the important thing. As long as I have the memories safe in my head (and maybe in one of my diaries) I think I will be able to find the drafting table a new home.

In progress

...I started this a long time ago and can't even remember why I wrote those words on there. But I will paint some more on it. Until I think it is finished.

The first day of Febuary...

and I pulled out an old watercolour pad. There was a small painting started. So I will work on it today.

Ever hear of or read the story of "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry.

We went ice skating yesterday. And Richie and I were doing better. It takes my legs a few times of sitting out before I can go without having to rest. And to think when my sisters and I were in elementary school we used to go all the time. We would have to wear baggies between our socks and ice skates. Our hands usually had old socks on them to keep them warm. Two pairs was a luxury. And we didn't feel out of place too much. We would get rosy cheeks and be out of breath by the time we got home. More often than not, our cheeks had gotten so cold that we had little white frost bit marks once we were warmed up again. AAAHhhh, the good ol' days!