Florida and Minnesota in July

We went to Florida for the 4th of July, it was hot, but great! One day we were able to go boating and it was just fabulous! I am a water baby for sure, always happiest when I am near the ocean. We also visited with family and friends; no rest for us that week. On the way home I caught a cold, probably on the plane, and haven’t fully recovered yet

This week our grandchildren are visiting with their Mom, it’s so much fun to share the farm with them. Everyday we’ve been picking fresh veggies from the garden, it helps city kids know that potatoes come from a garden, not just the grocery store. We’ve also walked in the flower gardens every day and they are fond of picking flowers. I’m just so happy that they like being in the gardens and enjoy the wonderful things they find. Hopefully these will be memories they carry with them as they grow up and that they too will get much pleasure from growing things!

Spike moves to his new home

Good news, Spike, one of the barn kittens that we have nurtured, has moved to his new home in Lakeland, Florida. He did perfectly on the flight there and is thrilled with his new kids and pets. He was a little tired upon arriving and immediately took a nap with Grant, he is definitely not shy about moving in! Reed and Quinn play with him, both day and night, though I hear he sleeps through the night now, good news for the boys. He defers to the established pets, but isn’t a complete push over and he is working his way into their hearts too.

We can’t save them all, but we can help. Another happy ending for us!

coincidences, yet again

We went to Rochester today to run a few errands, one of which was buying a small cat carrier, which means we went to one of the big box pet stores. Guess what today was? Adoption Day. Okay, I’m thinking, I’ve seen these before and there are a few kittens for adoption; sad but doable. My sister has even looked in the past for kittens and they had none available. In I go searching for the carrier isle, and there it is, with MANY cats in cages for adoption. My heart goes to my throat. I walk by and say hello to them and find yet another isle full of cats and kittens. This is too much. I get all chocked up and the tears are falling down my face as I read their names and learn a little about them. Most are 2 years and older and have been kicked to the curb, or outgrown their homes, if one wants to be politically correct (I don’t). It is so SAD. I’d adopt all of them, if I could, but realistically, who could handle that many? I start leaving without my carrier as my brain couldn’t even focus on the task at hand and then I see the donation cup. Fabulous, I can’t adopt any, but I can help feed them and give them more time for the right family to come along. Which is when I remembered the $50.00 I found on Tuesday (that is a story in and of itself!). For whatever reason I saw the bill blowing across the parking lot and asked my friend to stop, just in case it was larger than a one dollar bill. This is out of my character. First, why did I see it in the first place (I wear trifocals)? And why did I have the sense we should stop? I don’t know, but I’m thinking a coincidence has touched my life again. I was still very sad for all the cats up for adoption, but felt a little better as we dashed home so I could hug and kiss the barn kittens and cats that I am caring for.

On a happy note, Spike, one of our barn kittens, is going home to Florida next week with my nephews. I can’t save them all, but I can help one cat at a time.

And I never did get that carrier, but I am NOT going back there to look. It’ll have to be a different big box store!

Nesting, Containment, and Coincidences

I’ve been thinking a lot about nesting and containment and a new body of work which has been bouncing around in my head for quite a while. Containment has long been a subject of my work, especially since I was a potter for years; containment and pottery are two halves of a whole. Even my dress series fits into that category. But where to next? The dresses aren’t gone forever I just want to work smaller for a while. Schlepping work to and fro has some disadvantages. Which is why I have been considering new, SMALLER work. I like to consciously ponder a subject and then let my brain take over to see where it’ll lead me. When I least expect it something possible emerges. And my best thinking happens while I am walking (might as well multitask). This morning as I was finishing my walk in the heat and humidity, (yep, it is hot and muggy in Minnesota too), I stumbled, almost literally, upon this beautiful robin’s egg. And yes, I know it is illegal to have them, but why leave this beautiful object where it can be damaged and/or destroyed. Instead I will add it to my collection of natural elements and enjoy its beauty and the happenstance way that it came into my life; a tangible object for my creative musings.

I hope you have a creative day!

*(Please note, the egg is cracked with no contents left inside, it just looks whole in the photo.)

Coincidences and Influences

I read about an opening at The Pump House in La Crosse, Wisconsin with work by Katherine Johnson and decided to go as it seemed interesting. When I walked into the gallery I had a sense of familiarity, yet I know I had never met the artist or seen her work. Then when I saw the artist I said “I’ve seen her before.” Hmmm, how could this be? Here I am many states away from home in a place where I don’t know any other artists. Next I read her bio, maybe this will help. Yep, there it is. She too graduated from the University of Miami, but 10 years after me which means we couldn’t have crossed paths then. Hmmm, again. So I approached her and then it hit me, she did the eulogy at Christine Federighi’s memorial service. Nope, I didn’t know her, nor did I know her work, but we had a connection through our graduate school teacher, Chris. How interesting is that? A thread runs through our lives and our connections, no matter how tiny they seemed to be at the time. This will give me much to ponder over the next few days.

The work was great, by the way. And the venue is too. Check both out at http://www.thepumphouse.org/.

Have a great day!

New beginnings and final farewells

We’re back at our summer home in Minnesota and did the usual flurry of work before finally settling down to enjoy ourselves. Now that most of the work is done I will post to my blog. It is my summer goal to post at least once a week. I’m not holding my breath, but I will try diligently to succeed at this goal.

The day after we arrived, and in the midst of planting and weeding the gardens, I learned that two friends had died, both of whom were sick for quite some time. It struck me that being in the garden was exactly where I should be at that time, tending to new growth while cherishing memories of my friends. It doesn’t take away the sorrow, but it does help me remember and reflect upon the circle of life.

I could say more, but instead I’ll share pictures of the gardens that I am surrounded by. May your day be blessed with wonderful moments!

art camp

Sheree, Yep, I am a lucky gal and try to never take it for granted. That said, you too could go. I’ve been to Penland and now Anderson Ranch, and though there are other wonderful places to go too, I can’t talk about them as I haven’t been. Here are my thought on Anderson and Penland.

Penland is close and therefore more economical to get to for me. They have a very wide selection of classes, maybe more than Anderson, not sure about that. But the choices are wide ranging and great and truly something for everyone. Driving there also gives one the advantage of a car for the two weeks you are in class. For me it’s just nice to have that freedom of movement, if one wants.

Anderson if further for me, more expensive (the flight plus the actual expense of room and board and the class), but, and this to me is the great part, they have one week classes. It’s so hard to check out of life for two full weeks plus the down time to get back in the swing of real life. Too much for me to handle anymore. But a one week class, well, me thinks that’s doable. Not all classes are only one week but there are choices. I haven’t done a one week class yet, but that would be my choice from here on out. And maybe places other than the Ranch have one week classes too; I haven’t researched that as it’s not something I plan to do in the near future.

If you do consider going to any of the camps there are scholarships to most of the places which helps a lot. Many people travel in groups too, great idea and one I would consider for future trips. All of my classes have been wonderful additions to my education as an artist. Some of the lessons were not the ones I went hoping to get, but still great lessons, none the less.

If you ever do go I’d love to hear your thoughts. I hope you have a creative day!