In a Garden State of Mind

Yesterday and today were awesome gardening days. The weather was great, I got tons of things done, and I only ran into one snake(sleeping next to the potting shed door. I thought it was dead. My mistake...) Needless to say, I didn't get anything done in the studio. So far all creativity has been channeled outdoors but that has been where my heart has led me and I have been trying to listen more. I do tend to get obsessive once I am in a project. Yesterday, I had to work till one, so when I got home it was off with the work clothes and into the jeans and t-shirt. I ignored all phone calls much to parents and friends dismay. I just didn't want to leave my herbs, perennials, and veggies. So many things to do, so little time to complete them. I always have a running garden to do list going in my head. Pour fish fertilizer cocktail on the roses, retrieve clematis from the depths of those yellow daisy like giants, plant clematis seedling under rose, dig up clematis seedling under rose after deciding it doesn't really look like clematis at all. Today was more of the same though I did insist that the husband stop messing around with the fallen tree and escort me to a graduation party at our neighhbor's. I carried a card for the graduate and the husband carried a bottle of wine for the mother of said graduate. I asked the husband as we were walking down the street,"Which wine are we giving Sarah?"
"Oh I picked out a nice rose" and he shows me the bottle.  The wine is called "Bitch."
"We can't give her that!"
"But it was the only one that was cold."
So I handed Kallie her card and told Sarah that the wine was "nothing personal." Luckily they had a sense of humor. And so life goes on...

Let Me Just Make My Escape...

"Don't you just hate when your hands can't produce what your mind's eye can see? I am so frustrated I feel like breaking every container in my studio and hurling my painting out the basement door.Yes, I'm having a bit of a snit. I would probably follow through except that it would probably create quite a bad impression for our newly arrived Indian guests and then I would have to clean the whole thing up also."

Well that was the beginning of last week's post and the rest of the week snowballed from there. We had an Indian journalist from Mumbai stay with us for four days, my brother suddenly decided to make his annual visit, daughter # 4 was having prom and invited about 15 people and assorted parents to dine and take pictures in our garden, and the local nursery dumped five cubic yards of dirt in the middle of our driveway. I survived the week. Our guest, Sumita was interesting and no problem at all. My brother came in bearing wine and left for Montreal the next day. And even though daughter #4 told me that the flowers should be blooming(they weren't) and I didn't get the mountain of dirt moved, she still had a good prom party. This weekend turned out to be gorgeous and we got two raised beds constructed and I was taken out for a gourmet dinner at the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk (belated mother's day gift).Today I finally got into the studio and did some drawing and painting. Heavy sigh of relief. This time I had no urge to throw anything out the door. Well, maybe a cat or two....

Off for an Adventure!

Treasure!

Today has been a near perfect day. I say near perfect because I once wrote and essay on what my perfect perfect day would be and it included sitting in a parked car on a hot day with an ice cold diet pepsi and I did not do that today. I got up late (for me) this morning and sat in my bed with a cup of tea, a stack of magazines, and watched GMA surrounded by 3 out of 4 working cats. The phone rang and it was Annemarie with the details and status of today's adventure. Be at her house at 9:30. We were going to meet our friend and former coworker Joyce at the shop of one of her friends.There Annemarie was going to display her wares (jewelry) to Holly the owner. After that we were going to head off to Joyce's home for a house and garden tour and a choice of the many seedlings she had started over the winter. Then off for a tour of Joyce's friend Lisa home who sadly died last summer leaving Joyce all her worldly possessions. And to cap it off-lunch ! Well, we started off on track...we met Holly and her dog Remy who lived in Farmington. They were both lovely and she had a great little shop, selling everything from feed to handmade soap. We went to Joyce's home and admired home, garden, dogs and artwork.  Then off to Lisa's house where I stumbled into the fabric of dreams. One of my recurring dreams, other than the ones about being lost and unable to find my way home or back in high school and I don't know my schedule, is being in a weather beaten old barn that I know is full of treasure and possibilities. Well Lisa's barn was just like that and my God did I have fun looking and culling. Joyce generously gave us the go ahead to pull the things we would like if they already had not been spoken for. Thank God we drove a minivan. It was 3:00 before we noticed our stomachs were rumbling and we headed out to lunch. By the time I got back home it was after 5 and I was all done for the day. I unloaded my treasures into the garage to ready them for cleaning and rehab and I retreated to the deck for a little rehab/ nap for myself. All in all, a wonderful day in the neighborhood.