In process. It looks lighter in color than it actually is due, I suppose, to the light coming in from the kitchen door. More tweaking today before I add the background color.
And the rain continues. It rained during the night, was raining when I woke up (way too early, by the way) and then turned torrential for about 45 minutes. Thunderstorms are predicted for later in the day. And this same weather forecast could be repeated for most days in the next week. Also flash flood advisories and warnings everywhere. I don’t remember the last time we had this much rain.
We are fairly positive people, but this endless rain is bringing me down. Don’s a bit better with it, but not much. Lord knows how long the grass will be by the time this is finished!
In the midst of the torrential rain, there was mama robin, patiently sitting on her eggs. She is amazing.
I cleaned a lot yesterday and washed the sheets. Then I rewarded myself with a session at the easel. I always feel calmer after painting. It centers me. It’s the result of my entire focus being on one thing. The rest of the world goes away and I can feel my tension and worries melting away. It may be only temporary, but it’s lovely, nonetheless.
Oh, for a little stone house with pale blue shutters in Provence. I will transport myself there in my daydreams and smell the lavender and wander little streets in very old towns, visiting the markets and buying fresh flowers and french soap.
It works for me!
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
Are you going to paint your little dream house in Provence? I bet it would be lovely.
That’s an interesting idea, Jan! I’ll think about it.
Stay safe!
until you get that house in provence, i hope you paint yourself one.
when i saw the photo of your painting today, i thought, “she got it!” … and you did!
i love painting (and miss running) for the reasons you described … it is very freeing. need more of that.
good job and carry on, mrs. robin … hopefully with a break in the rain for you and your family.
happy, safe monday to all.
kathy in iowa
Thanks so much, Kathy.
Stay safe!
Claudia — so much appreciate your talents painting these lovely pictures– looking forward to seeing the next phase — thank you for sharing with all of us. pls don’t wish for the rain to stop/go away–I always say could be worse, although it does get to be annoying. hope you/Don stay safe, healthy.
Of course I wish for the rain to go away – it’s dangerous around here, with flash flood warnings, flood watches, and property damage. This kind of relentless rain, plus a hurricane that impacted us last week, is very hard on the residents of the Hudson Valley. If it was just annoying it would be fine. But it’s far more than that.
Stay safe, Linda.
I once owned a 1920s-era small white cottage with pitched “Norman” (French) roof and lovely light-blue/pale-ocean-blue shutters at the windows, so I felt tears spring to my eyes when I just read about your daydream (which WILL transport me, too, because I’m fortunate enough to remember Provence from my much-younger ‘girlhood’ and I can see the delicate wildflowers in the hills in latest May of the year [as we drew further inland from the beautiful-blue Mediterranean sea], a warm and pleasant afternoon breeze in the quiet of the day with hardly any people, sitting under a shady olive tree and sipping my Orangina (I still have the bottle from 45 years ago; I use it as a vase for tiny flowers from our meadow patch); the drawbridge over a small river and cobblestone streets of storybook villages, the warmth and the light and the colors [oh, that bougainvillea!] of the landscape; the BEAUTY of the south of France [unbelievable, but I really-truly did see a lone guy on a bike with a beret on his head, a loaf of bread in the bike basket {the bread in the paper bag, unwrapped; the long baguette-style which is of course the quintessential French bread, its end part peeking out of the bag}]; so grateful to have experienced such things, although it was a long, long time ago).
A total aside: Is it just me, or isn’t it a bit early for articles on the web appearing already that have to do with winter squash? And 25 recipes to cook which utilize pumpkin? I don’t have any “Fall” cravings yet; for Pete’s sake, we just finished 4th of July! I feel like summer just started. I’m not a fan of summer anywhere at this stage of my life, but why rush the seasons? (My husband would say I’m falling victim to a first-world complaint [I know there are bigger problems!!])
Yes. I wish people could just stay in the season they’re in!
xo
Oh, to be there right now. I follow a couple of people who moved from the States to Provence/France and their feeds are beautiful.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Oh my, Vicki and Claudia, it’s been 9 long years since I’ve been able to visit my in-laws in the ‘Sud.’ We used to go as a family almost every year since my daughter was 2 yrs old. I miss them terribly. Also certain my fluency has dropped – so disappointed in that aspect also. DH says we will spend time in retirement in our house there, but it’s been steadily rented for years now and his retirement date moves out farther and farther. Sorry, didn’t mean to get so caught up in this.
The very fact that you have a house in France fills me with envy, Martha!
I bet you miss your family, Martha. I hope you can back there soon.
Stay safe.
Your newest art work looks lovely!! I agree with the others, that your description of the little cottage is one I hope you someday put to paper and paint.
I am sorry for your over-abundance of rain. I know it is good to fill the rivers and the reservoirs, but sometimes our soul needs some days of sunshine. We keep getting the predictions of much rain, but it doesn’t come except in 5 minute showers here and there. Now our hopes are on Wed and Thurs with more being forecast.
So sorry about your waking up so early. That certainly doesn’t help your mood, either. So here is to a good night’s sleep and some sunshine ahead for you and Don!!
We desperately need some sun, there’s been none at all for several days and it’s getting me down.
Thanks so much, Chris.
Stay safe.
Sorry about all the rain. It gets to me after a few days too. I remember one year in northern Maine when it rained every day in June.
I am happy that you are enjoying painting.
Very hard when it rains that much, Kay!
Are you still in Michigan?
Stay safe.
Yes we are in Michigan until the end of the month then heading to Maine. My husband’s Mother turns 100 in August.
Wow! That’s something to celebrate, Kay!
xo