Painted Cigar Boxes

A still life from my Garden I hope to paint...
I can't seem to keep up with the cigar boxes! I either sell them or give them as gifts so I painted a few yesterday. Also, I cooked my first squash from the garden - yummmm - can't wait for the tomatoes to get ripe. I also picked a bouquet from the garden and set up a still life to paint. I love my flowers and would like to plant a whole garden of them. I guess I get that from my grandmother Green who had a "field" of Shasta Daisies - my favorite. It's off to the vet today for Matilda's yearly shots. She won't be happy so I'll have to get her a special toy! It's nice and cool this morning but they say it's gonna get "Hot" again! But we sure are enjoying our attic fan at night - the fresh cool air - love it. I don't have any idea why I am up this early -woke up at 9:30 so I'll be sleepy around 4 pm! Gotta get going so happy hump day!

Weekend Over

Someone PLAY with me now!!!

My pretty flowers ooooooh

My Little Garden

mmmmmmm - tomatoes

St. Augustine Jug and Fruit

Another weekend at Beluga over and tired but we had a good one. Great crowds both nights. Today we did the yard work - I love having a freshly mowed lawn and I also picked 2 more yellow squash from my garden. I found tiny cucumbers and lots of green tomatoes! Yeah I can't wait. We have to pick up all of Matilda's toys in the yard when we mow and if you put them in the Garden under the deck she brings them back out in the yard!! Tatiana stands in the door watching but she does not like the noise. After we were thru we came in and I made Kenny a grape snow cone - the very best $2.00 I have spent lately - at the Goodwill -for a brand new Pampered Chef Ice Shaver with a recipe book! I have always wanted a Snow Cone maker and this is fantastic! I made my grape syrup and I'm going to make some Orange this week. I LOVE Snow Cones! It's off to Art Class tomorrow and I have to take Matilda to the Vet for her shots. Then it's to Columbus on Thursday so it's going to be a very quick week. I really had hoped to paint some this week too so I hope I can find the time. I finished a still life (the one I set up in the studio) and a couple of cigar boxes too. I gave my pear box away for a birthday and had to paint me another one - now I've got another birthday person this weekend! I really need to get a stock pile going. Time Time Time - never enough of it! But the air is cool (we have on the attic fan), the garden is growing, and Matilda and Tatiana had a bath so we're all doing fine!!!!!

Trixie and Bonnie Blue Bell

"There's No Place Like Home" - is so much better than "You can never go Home again" - even though they both are true. This is one of the good ones. I drove to SC on Monday - tired from the weekend - and walked in my house which is always "Home". Daddy is so tired these days - of course at 95 I would be too - but to walk in and kiss him is something I cannot bear to think of not being able to do. Of course, Mother was in the kitchen cooking up a wonderful dinner and the puppies were doing the "Happy Dance" on the floor while the kitties scattered upstairs. So we had a nice visit together. After dinner, Mother (amazing at 82) and I got "Trixie" out of the van and got Bonnie Blue Bell out of the shop and pumped up the tires! These are our 3 wheel tricycles! We put Tatiana in one basket and Matilda in another and off we went! The breeze was wonderful and I was taken back to about 10 years old with the wind in my face and my legs pedaling so fast (well, not so fast now). It is amazing where a feeling like that can take you. But this time something special happened too. My mother was right beside me and we were the same age! Two 10 year old girls on their Trikes. We were best friends giggling and making figure 8's in the driveway. As the cars drove by I commented they probably laughed and said look at those 2 old women riding Trikes and my mother is the one who said no they are saying look at those 2 little fat "girls" on Trikes!!! That's what made me realize you can go back - be 10 and be your mother's best friend. Wow, what a feeling. Of course, then she said - oooh - one of those little fat girls lit a cigarette! To top this off a 9 year old neighbor boy came by (he had been hitting baseballs with his Dad in the field) - now THAT will really take you back - and we talked a bit and we asked what he thought about the two old ladies riding their trikes - he said well, you girls are sisters - right? What a revelation! So I guess it really can happen - a 57 year old and an 82 year old can be sisters. I loved the feeling, I loved the laughter, I loved the love. Then as always we sat outside until after midnight in the cool breeze. Went inside and had that piece of poundcake and strawberries for a late night snack. My Daddy always says what are you two doing out there so late - just living!!! The next day was busy and my cousin Karen joined us for lunch. We rode the "Trikes" with her that night and she could not believe how great it was! She kept saying this is just like when we were kids! Hung around all day on Wednesday, washed the cars, spent some time with Daddy and yes, took one last ride on the Trikes before heading to Atlanta. I left "Trixie" at home so we will have them there (and Karen can come and ride) and I so look forward to going home again and riding with my best friend - my Mother.....

Off to SC

I'm actually up before 10 am and headed to SC for a few days to spend with Mother and Daddy. We got back last night tired of course from Columbus and I unpacked and re-packed. I can't get online there so I'll have to post when I get back. It's going to be a hot one today too - 93 - so me and the girls will ride in the cool!

In Columbus

We drove down last night in the "cool" and that was nice. We also had a little rain on the way which cooled things off even more. We both got a good night's sleep and it's hot but there is a little breeze so it's not bad out here on the deck. Pat brought me an envelope with money last night - whoopie - I sold two cigar boxes last week so I'm going to my favorite shoe store - Shoe Time - Christy - (out toward the hospital)!!!!! I'm determined to have a good week-end here - sometimes I don't like being here but I'm going to be nice - HA - and enjoy the nice people who come to see us. Why am I alergic to small towns and rednecks???? Maybe I can find something to take nice pictures of too. I'm headed to SC on Monday for 3 days and looking forward to spending time with Mother and Daddy. I'm off for an adventure today - new shoes makes you sing better!!!!

Thunderstorm

I waited all evening for this thunderstorm and boy now it's popping!!! We're getting some wonderful rain for my garden and flowers and hopefully it will cool things off. Tatiana does NOT like thunder so she is right beside me and shaking. Matilda is stretched out on the bed - nothing bothers her! I stayed home all day and worked in my studio. I worked on cigar boxes today and finished a couple of canvas paintings. I don't have pics yet but will soon. My toe is better and so is my little finger!! Although my finger is still crooked but at least it's not broken. Got to do the laundry tomorrow and pack for Columbus. Oh, I love thunderstorms - I would be out in the yard except that there is a LOT of lightning too - I don't think I need that much engery flowing thru my body!

Best of My Day - listening to the rolling thunder!!

Some Days ya pick to just do it.

I have been wanting to clean out the basement for a while. Lots of woodworking stuff, craft stuff and just junk. So now I have a more organized basement and a ton of trash to somehow get Kenny to remove!!! I love to clean out and organize but I also like to have "stuff" because you never know when you might need it. Point in case: I threw away some rubber stakes that and tonight Kenny said come see what I put around the trunk of the tree that we had to cut down. It was some plastic "Picket Fence" stuff that was in the garage and it had fallen on the van. I asked him if it would stay and he said all we need is some stakes - DUH - just threw them away! First of all, he NEVER decorates the yard - that's me that loves little stone animals - and second - I even looked at the stakes and thought hmmmmm - then, nah - toss 'em! Life is funny that way. Now I could dig thru the trash to find the stakes - maybe not.... I did get to cook a nice dinner and we sat down together and ate - that was great. Also, I had stumped my toe on the baby gate Sunday and today it decided to hurt like hell. Then, doing the dished I jammed my little finger (that I had jammed before) so now it's crooked and hurts like hell too. This is all kinda funny if everything didn't hurt - did I mention my knee is still swollen too....I really not in a bad mood - as I said I love to "clean out" but I think I will take something for the pain - DUH again and read my book in bed. Surely, I can't hurt myself that way - wait I might fall OUT of the bed!!!!! Oh, I need a bed time story!!!!

Visit to Deb, Maggie and little Adam

Proud new "Grandparents"

Tatiana says I'll play with you Adam

I'm not sure about this "boy" thing!

My dear friend Deb and Adam

Tired Tired

My Uncle Kenny is funny too!

My new Uncle Kenny

I said Play with me NOW

Every sick girl needs stuffed animals

My Favorite - Maggie and her Sunflowers

Two Monkeys and a Banana

Tug of War!!!

Sweet Maggie

My new Blue Elephant

Little Adam




One great thing that happened in Florida was we did go visit our friend Deb and met Maggie and Adam. Deb's precious Mellie went to the Rainbow Bridge in Feb and I encouraged her to get another Yorkie -it's OK to love again. So along came "Adam" - he's a darling little boy that loves to cuddle and give kisses (and nose nips). We have not seen Deb in a few years so this was wonderful to see her. We always email but a visit in person was what we all needed. And as soon as Maggie saw us up went her little arms for a hug - she is just a doll. She was sick but I've never seen a more "good" sick girl. So we had 2 nights and we just talked and ate and swam (mostly told Yorkie Stories). The girls and Adam played although Matilda squealed a lot at Adam. Surprisingly is was Tatiana who stuck her little butt in the air and played with him. We got toys for all and stuffed animals for Maggie so that was a lot of fun. Now we can't wait for them to visit us here in Atlanta in their "House on Wheels". As you can imagine my camera was clicking away and here are some of my favorites.

Painting with Emma

This was one of my favorite things I did while in Florida. Our great-niece Emma loves to paint and I wanted to paint with her and at the same time try to give a little instruction. We set up two easels and I talked all the way through it - imagine that!!! Really, I tried to explain why we started with the sky, then put the mountains (they are behind the trees). We painted for about 2 1/2 hours and she got tired but was a trooper. They are not masterpieces but I'm so proud of her and how she listened. I think we will have a great artist in Emma and I hope I'm just a tiny part of it.

Florida in Stages

I have to write this in stages because it's too long and a lot of people who were there already know all this stuff. We arrived home last night more exhausted than when we left and it's good to be home. Try to never plan a trip to Florida unless it's the dead of winter!!! I can't take that heat - I know it's hot in "HotAtlanta" but it's just different! That said, we loved seeing all the family even though there was a lot of Drama! We were going to celebrate Mom and Dad's 60th anniversary which is really not until Sept 5th but somehow got scheduled for May 31st. The day after we got there Dad (who has not been well) fell and broke his arm at the shoulder and his sugar was sky high (as the nurse put it - Holy Shit High - over 500) and had to be checked into the hospital for 2 nights. It was a blessing in that the Doc said if he had not gotten up and fell he would have died in his sleep from the high sugar. Kenny had to get him out of the floor - Mom could not get him up. So for 2 days it was hospitals and doctors. That's all for now - makes me tired just thinking about it.....To be continued.....