They’re coming! My beautiful coneflowers have buds, but this is the first bloom to show a hint of the color. I cannot wait to see them all in bloom. It will take a while for the coneflowers on the side of the house to bloom because some of them have been eaten by the deer. Grrrr! I sprayed everything with the deer concoction yesterday afternoon after spending a long time outside pruning, pulling poison ivy, and weed whacking.
Don had a wonderful birthday. He had a gig in the afternoon and the audience was wonderful and 6 of his friends showed up, so he was very happy. Singing and playing for an audience on his birthday? Perfect. I’d already given him one of his gifts – a desperately needed new pair of jeans – earlier in the month. After dinner, I put candles in a rich and dense chocolate cake (purchased at a local store) and sang Happy Birthday to him. He opened up a gift from a friend, then my card, then a new journal that he really needed, and then this:
As I explained on Instagram, I haven’t painted in oils for a few years, and – as you know – in the midst of this process I was sure I was going to have to throw in the towel. At first, I was going to paint the shed in winter, and I still want to, but snow is a tricky thing and so I stopped. (I’ll work on it again later.) Then I thought of the cottage. Don love this place, especially in the spring and summer. Since I can’t paint a straight line to save my life, I decided that ‘impressionism’ was the way to go. And I sort of like painting this way. I wanted to show everything lush, and green, and in bloom. I used a photograph I took a while back as the inspiration, but I added lots of extras.
This is always my favorite view of the house, which looks very different from the front. I love our big old maple tree and the big garden bed, and the porch. So does Don. I was going for an almost magical feel.
Anyway, I was very nervous about it. Very insecure. But, he loves it! He went on and on about how much he loves it and he’s a real lover of Impressionism, so I think it was successful!
Until it totally dries, it’s on the piano, but eventually, Don wants to have it framed.
Hurrah, we had a lovely day.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
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