Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Painting

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We are at the end of our first week on the new blog posting schedule. It’s worked out very well for me. Though I loved the discipline of writing every day, having three days free at this point has been very nice indeed. I still have to write ‘Blog’ and ‘No Blog’ in my planner, but it will soon become habit.

So remember (if you somehow missed my post about the change) Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are the days I’ll be posting. I will not post on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

For the past three days, I’ve been working on a painting based on a photo I took of one of the roses in the memorial garden. I’m more pleased with it than I thought I would be! It’s still very much ‘in progress.’

Here’s what I have so far:

I’ve just sketched in the leaves as they were in the photo.

I find I love – just as I did with the Pottery series – the process of adding and subtracting and refining that comes with a little time away from the painting. I often discover that I’ve been looking at a portion of the subject the wrong way, that I’ve been missing a little detail.

A big bonus: I tend to lose myself in the process. I think there’s no better feeling than that.

I was going to paint upstairs in the office but it’s a bit too warm up there in the summertime and I find I like painting at the kitchen table. Don is usually around, often strumming his guitar, and I like knowing he’s there. There’s a shared creative energy in the space. Plus, the light is much better in the kitchen, which has windows on every wall.

I am a beginning explorer of this medium, someone who grew up feeling that my talents were focused elsewhere, that Dad and a couple of my siblings had the talent for this particular medium, not me. That was fine, because I knew I was a singer and an actor and that I would make my living in the theater someday. I knew I’d been blessed.

But I can’t help thinking how chuffed my dad would be to see me playing with paint. I often think of him during these sessions. I miss him.

And to add to that, we began watching another Nordic series last night and one of the lead actors looked so much like my brother that it momentarily took my breath away. He could be his twin.

I miss him, too.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Friday Catch-UP

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Lots of eastern swallowtails flitting around the flowers lately. A few groundhog sightings, mostly the adult groundhog who lives under the shed. We had rain yesterday but today is sunny and lovely.

There are so many flowers in bloom now! This is the time of year that makes so proud (if I might say so myself) of what I’ve created here on the property. There were a couple of plants here when we moved in and, of course, lots of trees. Everything in the six garden beds was planted, on a budget, slowly over the years. And now, almost 18 years since we moved here, we have such a lovely property. I was driving back from the library the other day and I was coming up to the house, preparing to turn in the driveway. I couldn’t believe how lovely it looked! And I had the thought that people driving by might just smile when they see it.

Anyway. It’s just beautiful out there today and I’m going to try to take it all in and appreciate it.

I went down to the mailbox on Wednesday to get the mail. Often, there are envelopes from SAG/AFTRA for Don. He gets residuals from his many appearances on television over the years. At this point, the checks are for very small amounts of money – sometimes, as little as two cents! I’ve been wondering if I would ever see an envelope addressed to me, since I qualify for residuals from Spoiler Alert. Well, I saw three SAG envelopes and as I quickly flicked through them, there was one with my name!! I couldn’t believe it! I walked back to the house and told Don. Honestly, he was more excited than me. Now, let me say the residual from Spoiler Alert  was modest – quite modest. But I didn’t care. It was just such a kick to get a residual for my little scene in the movie.

So Don isn’t the only one getting residuals.

I bought one of these dresses last year and I just purchased another one – one a year. They’re by The Pumpkin Belle, who lives in England, and they are simply exquisite. Magical! It arrived the other day and here are two of the girls modeling it;

Mabel, a pinky vision of loveliness. There’s a blue tulle petticoat which you can just barely see. Helen hand dyes her fabrics and the detail is simply stunning. There are three little bottoms at the bottom of the sleeves, as well.

And Harper. Isn’t the dress gorgeous? Helen does something to the fabric because the dress has the most beautiful scent. These dresses are a treat, of course, only for special occasions. And the girls are NOT to play in them.

I’m working on little painting of a flower. I’m not sure if I like it all, but this is the time to experiment, so I’ll keep tweaking it. I’ve also been watching a British series from a few years back: Landscape Painter of the Year. It’s fascinating. I know there’s also one for Portrait Painter of the Year. I like watching what the painters create in the four hours that are allotted to them. And how they use the paint.

And then I get overwhelmed and think, “What are you doing??? These  people have talent.”

But that’s normal. And, in the end, this is for me.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

“Elderly” Characters who Are Complex, Thank Goodness!

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I had to run outside when I saw these clouds last night. The colors were stunning.

Not long after I saw this, I saw what I’m pretty sure was a young fox trotting down our busy road. Not across it, as I’ve seen before, but on the road, headed somewhere. Very strange. And then, of course, I worried about him.

Very low key around here lately. Don has been resting from his very active weekend. I’ve been dealing with anxiety, reading a lot, listening to classical music, meditating. I sometimes listen to the app, Classic FM, which is London-based. It tends to calm me, as the music they play tends to be rather traditional. I like it. And I use the Calm app for meditating. Even though I’ve been railing a bit lately about tech and the dangers of too much tech, I have to admit I’m grateful for tech advances like these two apps as well as others that I use frequently. (By the way, I’m going to post more about AI soon. Now, it’s hitting Zoom, which I use for coaching. I may have to find an alternative.)

I’m loving The Man Who Died Twice, the second in Richard Osman’s series about elderly detectives. Though, nowadays, when I read the someone is ‘elderly’ at the age of 75, my first response is “Elderly? No!” But back to the series – a lot of you have already read these books. What a joy they are! They’re also extremely well-plotted mysteries with plot twists that often catch me by surprise. I am also impressed by Osman’s characterizations; full-blooded, complex human beings who, despite being of a certain age, have lived full lives and are still living full lives.

I remember being young and thinking of elderly people as sweet, but gray. I never thought about the entirety of their lives, what they’d done, experienced, and lived through. Ah, the arrogance of the young. Now, of course, the shoe is on the other foot, and I know otherwise.

Has evolution given us a gray-haired appearance as we age in order to fade into the background as we get nearer to the end of our time here on Earth? I often complain about my gray/white hair combined with the pale skin I’ve had all my life. I could have dyed my hair, of course, but I chose not to, so gray and pale is what I am nowadays. I miss the beautiful brown hair I had, which was full of all sorts of natural highlights. The other day, Don said to me, “Well, you could dye your hair. Nobody’s stopping you.” I am stopping me because I don’t have the patience for dying my hair or touching up roots. Besides, I’ve been gray for a number of years and reversing that would look silly. And obvious.

Anyway, kudos to Osman. It’s about time we have a novel with complicated, rich characters who happen to be in their later years – who are active despite their aches and pains, whose minds are sharp – and who make us laugh. Miss Marple for this century.

Hopefully, I’ll do some painting today. We also need to mow, but I’m so congested today that we’ll see.

See you on Friday!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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