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I had bought several Lights of Sweden spots for over art works. Patrick helped me get them all hung in the best places. Then looking around, I asked him to help me move some art to different rooms. Mainly I wanted to get my stitched pieces into the studio where I could get closer to them.

A bit more shuffling pieces in the den by spotting the South African faces now hanging on each side of the window and moving the four egg tempera of Australian collected bits over near the door into the room, and there was the addition of the story of Malvern, Arkansas, told to me and recorded onto a cocktail napkin at a bar in Houston, Texas, that now hangs over my office desk. Lastly, over the couch/hide-a-bed hangs the Lost Peaces collage work now.

The result is that all of the egg tempera farm series and a couple more larger ones are now owned by Patrick and Marla. I promised no more moving artwork now that all are where I can see them better.

The very first thing he did was hang my new punching bag. I love this and manage to give it a good whack whenever I get in or out of my car. Plus the times when the garage is cooler and he and I can go a few rounds.

After countless more small jobs around the house and a small party to meet up with a couple of neighbors, we ordered take out from our favorite local restaurant. Oyster shooters, crab cakes, soups, popovers, scallops, potatoes, asparagus, and wine.

Then Patrick was off home on Saturday and I went to the Festival on the Square to practice being social and buying two pieces of Mexican street corn and some books by local writers.

I need to get back to my own writing but the heat and humidity slows my brain. So, with basket makers in Tasmania gathering over the weekend, I got busy drawing in The Gathering Book. I wanted to draw my Buddha bamboo for the book. Did you know that the only Buddha bamboo I could find on Google has squatted bulges, one on top of the other? Absolutely none like what Lee and I brought home from Japan in 1998. Ours alternates the bulges and I love the shape and feel of it!

Then a bit more “avoiding writing time” to work on drawing a nest a neighbor gave me. I am now starting the first of the two larger books in the six-way sketchbook.

After working an entire afternoon on this nest, I think I will go back to water colors. But this is okay for the introduction page. I am expecting myself to be much better at drawing and painting. Not as easy as it once was…before being eighty-one!

Later this week I am meeting an old friend for lunch to catch up on the lives we live now.

This morning I beat up the bag for a while and went through all my balance and breathing exercises.  Now I need to get the last 2,000 steps in before having a bit of libation.

Til later….

Different neighbor set off fireworks this year. And in the morning tidy hay bales fill the field.

Patrick arrived yesterday in time to go to wine tasting. A very fun evening of good company and some very nice wines that needed to be ordered for holiday consumption.

This morning we got busy on his list of almost ten things to do around here…adjust refrigerator doors, re-pound nails in the door of antique Chinese cabinet, adjust the bidet I installed by 1/2″ (it makes a difference!), sharpen all knives, replace nozzle on kitchen faucet, remove sticker from toilet in guest bathroom, replace furnace/AC filter in ceiling, check ceiling vents to make sure they were open, and most important of all was hang the punching bag he brought down for me. Here it is in place in the garage…

And with accessory he brought down to help me punch harder and longer….

This little juvenile bluebird showed up for a visit.

And this got my attention after my PT rearranged the cushions on the bench by the front door.

Seems you can herd cats by carrying a multi-tipped whip and putting a fish on your head.

It is very hot and humid here so we are staying indoors and having salad for dinner. First I have a PT session, then a drink before dinner. The last thing on the list is hanging artwork spot lights. We have to wait for it to be dark first. Tomorrow we are going to rearrange some artwork and package some up for him to take back home.

Tomorrow just a few friends are coming over to meet Patrick, talk about wood turning and Harley Davidson motorcycles. An interesting evening for sure.

That is about it for now. My 7,000 step goal is close and should be met by the time I dance around getting punches in.

Til later…

A friend sent me this picture when I was at the No Kings Rally.  After the election last November I claimed to not want to be a flag-waving American. But with the celebrations of the Fourth of July and our Independence/Freedom from being herded, what do I find tied to my mailbox yesterday? Some stars and stripes. Stars and stripes on the day our pitiful representation in Washington vote to deny benefits to those in need and give more money to the coffers of those who can afford to rent Venice, Italy for three days. No, this woman does not want to cheer the country on. It takes a pride I no longer have. A trust that no longer exists. And whose mailbox is it anyway? I am pretty sure it is mine! If I want to hang something from it, it will be my choice.

Years ago I went to visit a relative who lives in a subdivision where they had to hang seasonal flags off their mailboxes. I asked what would happen if someone simply said they were not going to do it. They answered that no one knew because no one ever dared not to.  Can you imagine!

At my age I want to hang on to the independence I have left.

Back in my studio, I am working on another short story. And doing more small watercolor drawings of leaves…herbs mostly.

Later today my PT comes by to put me through the paces of balance and some boxing. I look forward to it. I will be well over my step goal for the day by the time we do three three-minute spars around the house. I hit with the correct punch as he calls out the assigned number for it while shuffling forward, backward and in circles. Feet keep moving, fists keep flying and I keep breathing and staying upright. It makes me feel good all over!

Patrick arrives next week to put the boxing bag up in the garage and check on what else I can use a hand with. For sure some dinners out and nice cocktails at home. He is a fun drinking companion. Maybe we will get a take out of oyster shooters and popovers from our favorite restaurant.

That is about it for now.

Til later….

Here is about half of the neighbors/friends who came to hear the two with guitars and voices in the background give those invited a small concert. I was given earplugs and a chair by the door when I reached my limit of plucking and strumming. They were not only brave to do this but not too bad. I did not leave early and enjoyed the gathering enough to keep it going at another neighbor’s house as we all walked home.

The next day my doctor/friend came over to try out making a brie encrusted appetizer while we played cards. It was pitiful. See below.

We went by a recipe that said to wrap the brie wheel in puff pastry after topping with raspberry jam and almonds…then bake for forty minutes at 350 degrees.

All we could taste was the punky skin of the brie and uncooked dough of the puff pastry. It was suggested that I should not have put it into a pie plate to heat but a metal parchment lined pan. And the temperature should have been 400 or a bit higher for less time. Also that maybe an egg wash would have been better than the melted butter I brushed on. All we can say is that it tasted as bad as it looked. Any suggestions from those who actually served one of these appetizers with confidence would be welcome.

When I had my party a couple of weeks ago, a neighbor brought me these fresh eggs. Aren’t they lovely?

I might make a quiche this weekend.

My watch now tells me that I am over 7,000 steps so far. I might just have another glass of wine and find an interesting bit of writing to make this blog post a bit longer.

Here is a bit from a new short story titled, Shadows. A woman in her seventies has found herself now living alone in a cabin by a lake. I like how she thinks about going into the new surroundings of her home….

“The place is smaller than what I’m used to. Most notably there is no entry. Did you know that entryways/foyers are a needed place to drop off where you came from and prepare yourself to enter the personal space beyond.

But, here, when I opened that cabin’s front door, I was confronted with all the changes I have made. I now walked right into one big open area of living/dining/kitchen. Once inside I felt somehow exposed in the openness, and I glanced into the corners before taking my next step.

For the first few weeks of living here, I would back out, close the door and sit on the porch bench until I was ready. It helped.

Then I started picking things up from out there and bringing them in. I had to walk across the room to place each one in a large wooden bowl on the table. And by doing so my new home slowly wrapped itself around me. I began to feel the caress of familiarity.”

And this about her observation of the shadows in her home…..

“Some of the things one thinks about in solitude should not even be discussed in the company of others. Consider this. For some months I thought about the lives and movements of shadows. What are they actually capable of as they move slowly away from the object that gives them life and a light that makes them mobile. I took notes as thoughts came to me on their behaviors while I kept an eye on those shadows.

Whenever I went out, I’d try to be home before the shadows came inside. I wanted to be settled in my bed when I sensed them scurrying about to find a suitable spot to spend the night. Sitting up in bed and clutching my pillow, I’d listen to the shadows brush past each other to get comfortable in the darkness. Once all was quiet, I would lay back and fall asleep while keeping my own shadow tucked safely under my body.”

Interesting isn’t it? Here, with shades to block out neighbors’ houses and sun, I have few shadows sneaking into the house. Certainly nothing as this woman has invading her cabin in the woods by the lake. Anyway it is an adventure to follow her thinking.

Now for that nice cool Sauvignon Blanc.

Til later….