My shuddering, travel dreams...and Ebay
We went up to Shavers Creek with our homeschool group. Great time and beautiful trees and though it has not been as rainy, it was still green. The forest ground felt really dry and crunchy and there is a no fire ban going one because it looks like a drought is upon us.
I am typing this with a cat (Kiwi) sitting directly in front of the screen. I guess she thinks if I'm staring at the screen all day, there must be something good about it. Sigh... This has inspired me to do a painting of a cat in front of a computer screen...oh, Kiwi...
New stuff on ebay as well
I did a load of clean up today. I (shudder) cleaned up the 3rd floor where my "studio" is. I have 75% of my art stuff up there but most of it is in the living room where I teach art classes. The 3rd floor is more of a haven for my four cats. I had left Jon to be in charge of cleaning the cat boxes but lets just say he's been slack. I found piles of ______stuff and spent an hour cleaning. It looks all right now but still messy as heck. Anyway, I must admit the cats were being really well behaved considering. Poor guys. So, I cleaned that up. Then I kept at it and did 5-6 loads of laundry, washed half the dishes (there were a lot), vacuumed the bedrooms, and there is STILL a heck of a lot of stuff to do. WHEN WILL IT END???
***********Brain pause*************
I want to have some of my artwork exhibited in a local store and need to go through a box of work I had displayed at the library about two (?) years ago. Time flies.
There is a cool store in State College that sells vegetarian and vegan food, called Stone Soup. I love the name and the message. Very nice place, actually. I wanted to go to the May Day festival they had this weekend but was just overwhelmed with activity. I think next year I would like to get more into this May day celebration. They actually had a pole where kids would wrap the strings around it...very sweet, actually.
Sunday we went to a friends house. It's a really neat house right next to two creeks. We saw a garden snake (the second time I've seen a snake!). This one was really cute with a red flickering tongue and the markings of a grass snake.
The kids had a great time and I felt like I had walked onto the set of a movie/play...interesting and stuff was being worked on and just active. I like that feeling.
Afterwards, we went over to Jon's parents for dinner and I fell asleep for two hours. I was really tired, I guess. Feels like this weekend was VERY full. Plus, on Saturday I got all my art pieces framed/ready to go and got that off my mind. I was stressing out about this but in the end, the framing came out beautifully. And I was pleased that when Jon dropped it off, the women who collected the art oohed and ahhed over my painting. So that in itself was rewarding.
I can't wait till next year as I want to enter at least two other juried art shows. This has been a long time dream of mine...so, I'm very excited.
The only down part of the art show is it falls on a rather busy weekend. There is a rummage sale we're doing for the Unitarian group on Saturday and on Sunday we're cleaning adopted creeks. So, it's going to be a busy weekend.
**********back to complaining**********
Just realized I missed the farm tour today. Darn it. I would have been too tired to do anything, anyway. Oh, well.
I mentioned going to Shavers Creek. I think I want to live there. I love the discovery house...so cool and so many animals to look at. I was watching the kids (there were homeschoolers and public schoolers there). The older public schoolers were in groups, I guess as I noticed about seven of them walking in lines (there were no true lines or anything...they just walked in lines). I thought that was odd. All the other kids were shouting and investigating and having a blast. Very nice energy, actually. For some reason, I liked it. Then I looked around the bookstore and found a great mushroom identification book. Jon loved it...I do too as there are some fantastic photos (for future paintings).
I've got to be more proactive about the local Stitch and Bitch. I was late last time by 25 minutes (not my fault...Jon's new schedule has him coming home an hour later then usual). So, that was a disappointment. Still, I put up a presence though I got some snide remarks from people passing by saying "If only I had so much time." Whatever...you make time for what you want! That sort of comment annoyed me. Plus, there are a bunch of young people that look like they stepped off the set of some film/show and either ignore me (like I'm a fuddy old lady with her knits) or laugh out right...geez, it's just knitting! I didn't realize knitting was still looked upon like a great-aunt sort of thing. ANNOYING!
So, that was Thursday. Then in-between and all through this my two raccoons, I mean daughters, tested my patience to no end. Let's just say, I've finally wised up and put all the finger paint in the mud room. Sometimes, it takes me a little longer to get the idea about removing temptation out of sight.
Also, it is not a good idea to leave your dog outside with a bag of garbage two feet away. Actually, this was Tuesday and there was trash as far as the eye could see. Horrible. Then when I came back to the house, I could her my 2.5 year old saying, "Hide, Lydia, hide! Mommy's coming!" I had already decided I would not get angry but I confess I was passive aggressive and may have roughly moved them off of the stools as they had been "washing" the dishes and everything else in sight before I came in.
*******pathetic travel dreams************
Sometimes, sometimes I just want to fly off to some interesting country and take a four day nap, eat lots of prepared just for me foods and ride a beautiful white horse after visiting a few flea markets. Yes, that would be nice...
*******reality and appreciation**********
At least I've gotten my allergies mostly under control. I still get mild headaches but they are MILD! A miracle, I must admit. I have to get weekly shots, but I don't care. It helps and I know they are helping.
*********back to complaints (there's a lot of 'em)*************
I'm trying to teach my kids to ask me for permission before they do it. Such things as using finger paint (which I have removed from their eye sight), turning on the bathroom sink and flooding the bathroom (definite no and I still haven't told Jon this one), putting toys in the toilet and flushing, sitting in the bath tub and waiting for a bath without telling me (yes, it's true), walking around the house naked, feeding Mr. Nelson 50 dog cookies, feeding the rats by opening the frig and giving them various foods I planned on using for dinner, exploring my art boxes, opening the back door to water the plants without me, letting Mr. Nelson go for a walk by himself (Jon caught him), letting the rats out, going into the basement, pulling out all the videos in the cupboard and using them as a foot path (Norrie does this, I don't know why), playing with the computer (found programs running I didn't even know we had), playing with the oven (yes, it was bad and thank goodness Mr. Nelson barked like crazy or who knows what. He got extra treats, believe me), waking up after only seven hours of sleeping, and standing on the upright piano to get things off the top. This is just a tiny bit of what they do. There is the no stop talking and the tantrums, as well. It's normal stuff and sometimes I can see the humor of it and other times I wish I was in France.
At least now I know that I'll have earned the gray hairs and the wrinkles. There was a funny moment the other day. I looked into the mirror and I saw white at the base of my hair line. I thought, ah, it's happening...I'm finally getting gray. Ah, well good-bye youth. I was fine with it. I actually thought it looked kind of cool. I washed my face and went to look for the gray/white and it was gone! I thought, water really hides the gray and then I saw this feather floating in front of my half blind eyes. It wasn't gray but a feather from the comforter. This is what happens when you're still asleep and aren't wearing your glasses. I did find two silver strands later on, so I'm not entirely wrong...
We're still waiting for rain. I hope it rains soon and we won't have to resort to what China did. I think the article also says it's acid rain...yuck! Jon mentioned the butterfly effect...so that stinks as well.
Also, I want to apologize for any typos. I try to catch them but I'm too tired to go over this a third time. Sorry.
what I should be doing right now...
I am typing this with a cat (Kiwi) sitting directly in front of the screen. I guess she thinks if I'm staring at the screen all day, there must be something good about it. Sigh... This has inspired me to do a painting of a cat in front of a computer screen...oh, Kiwi...
New stuff on ebay as well
I did a load of clean up today. I (shudder) cleaned up the 3rd floor where my "studio" is. I have 75% of my art stuff up there but most of it is in the living room where I teach art classes. The 3rd floor is more of a haven for my four cats. I had left Jon to be in charge of cleaning the cat boxes but lets just say he's been slack. I found piles of ______stuff and spent an hour cleaning. It looks all right now but still messy as heck. Anyway, I must admit the cats were being really well behaved considering. Poor guys. So, I cleaned that up. Then I kept at it and did 5-6 loads of laundry, washed half the dishes (there were a lot), vacuumed the bedrooms, and there is STILL a heck of a lot of stuff to do. WHEN WILL IT END???
***********Brain pause*************
I want to have some of my artwork exhibited in a local store and need to go through a box of work I had displayed at the library about two (?) years ago. Time flies.
There is a cool store in State College that sells vegetarian and vegan food, called Stone Soup. I love the name and the message. Very nice place, actually. I wanted to go to the May Day festival they had this weekend but was just overwhelmed with activity. I think next year I would like to get more into this May day celebration. They actually had a pole where kids would wrap the strings around it...very sweet, actually.
Sunday we went to a friends house. It's a really neat house right next to two creeks. We saw a garden snake (the second time I've seen a snake!). This one was really cute with a red flickering tongue and the markings of a grass snake.
The kids had a great time and I felt like I had walked onto the set of a movie/play...interesting and stuff was being worked on and just active. I like that feeling.
Afterwards, we went over to Jon's parents for dinner and I fell asleep for two hours. I was really tired, I guess. Feels like this weekend was VERY full. Plus, on Saturday I got all my art pieces framed/ready to go and got that off my mind. I was stressing out about this but in the end, the framing came out beautifully. And I was pleased that when Jon dropped it off, the women who collected the art oohed and ahhed over my painting. So that in itself was rewarding.
I can't wait till next year as I want to enter at least two other juried art shows. This has been a long time dream of mine...so, I'm very excited.
The only down part of the art show is it falls on a rather busy weekend. There is a rummage sale we're doing for the Unitarian group on Saturday and on Sunday we're cleaning adopted creeks. So, it's going to be a busy weekend.
**********back to complaining**********
Just realized I missed the farm tour today. Darn it. I would have been too tired to do anything, anyway. Oh, well.
I mentioned going to Shavers Creek. I think I want to live there. I love the discovery house...so cool and so many animals to look at. I was watching the kids (there were homeschoolers and public schoolers there). The older public schoolers were in groups, I guess as I noticed about seven of them walking in lines (there were no true lines or anything...they just walked in lines). I thought that was odd. All the other kids were shouting and investigating and having a blast. Very nice energy, actually. For some reason, I liked it. Then I looked around the bookstore and found a great mushroom identification book. Jon loved it...I do too as there are some fantastic photos (for future paintings).
I've got to be more proactive about the local Stitch and Bitch. I was late last time by 25 minutes (not my fault...Jon's new schedule has him coming home an hour later then usual). So, that was a disappointment. Still, I put up a presence though I got some snide remarks from people passing by saying "If only I had so much time." Whatever...you make time for what you want! That sort of comment annoyed me. Plus, there are a bunch of young people that look like they stepped off the set of some film/show and either ignore me (like I'm a fuddy old lady with her knits) or laugh out right...geez, it's just knitting! I didn't realize knitting was still looked upon like a great-aunt sort of thing. ANNOYING!
So, that was Thursday. Then in-between and all through this my two raccoons, I mean daughters, tested my patience to no end. Let's just say, I've finally wised up and put all the finger paint in the mud room. Sometimes, it takes me a little longer to get the idea about removing temptation out of sight.
Also, it is not a good idea to leave your dog outside with a bag of garbage two feet away. Actually, this was Tuesday and there was trash as far as the eye could see. Horrible. Then when I came back to the house, I could her my 2.5 year old saying, "Hide, Lydia, hide! Mommy's coming!" I had already decided I would not get angry but I confess I was passive aggressive and may have roughly moved them off of the stools as they had been "washing" the dishes and everything else in sight before I came in.
*******pathetic travel dreams************
Sometimes, sometimes I just want to fly off to some interesting country and take a four day nap, eat lots of prepared just for me foods and ride a beautiful white horse after visiting a few flea markets. Yes, that would be nice...
*******reality and appreciation**********
At least I've gotten my allergies mostly under control. I still get mild headaches but they are MILD! A miracle, I must admit. I have to get weekly shots, but I don't care. It helps and I know they are helping.
*********back to complaints (there's a lot of 'em)*************
I'm trying to teach my kids to ask me for permission before they do it. Such things as using finger paint (which I have removed from their eye sight), turning on the bathroom sink and flooding the bathroom (definite no and I still haven't told Jon this one), putting toys in the toilet and flushing, sitting in the bath tub and waiting for a bath without telling me (yes, it's true), walking around the house naked, feeding Mr. Nelson 50 dog cookies, feeding the rats by opening the frig and giving them various foods I planned on using for dinner, exploring my art boxes, opening the back door to water the plants without me, letting Mr. Nelson go for a walk by himself (Jon caught him), letting the rats out, going into the basement, pulling out all the videos in the cupboard and using them as a foot path (Norrie does this, I don't know why), playing with the computer (found programs running I didn't even know we had), playing with the oven (yes, it was bad and thank goodness Mr. Nelson barked like crazy or who knows what. He got extra treats, believe me), waking up after only seven hours of sleeping, and standing on the upright piano to get things off the top. This is just a tiny bit of what they do. There is the no stop talking and the tantrums, as well. It's normal stuff and sometimes I can see the humor of it and other times I wish I was in France.
At least now I know that I'll have earned the gray hairs and the wrinkles. There was a funny moment the other day. I looked into the mirror and I saw white at the base of my hair line. I thought, ah, it's happening...I'm finally getting gray. Ah, well good-bye youth. I was fine with it. I actually thought it looked kind of cool. I washed my face and went to look for the gray/white and it was gone! I thought, water really hides the gray and then I saw this feather floating in front of my half blind eyes. It wasn't gray but a feather from the comforter. This is what happens when you're still asleep and aren't wearing your glasses. I did find two silver strands later on, so I'm not entirely wrong...
We're still waiting for rain. I hope it rains soon and we won't have to resort to what China did. I think the article also says it's acid rain...yuck! Jon mentioned the butterfly effect...so that stinks as well.
Also, I want to apologize for any typos. I try to catch them but I'm too tired to go over this a third time. Sorry.
what I should be doing right now...
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