But I don't have Ebola

My grandson spent his entire fall break on the couch with cartoons and the iPad, high fever and a bad cough, due to some nasty respiratory virus he picked up at the disease pot known as elementary school. I got it the day he went back. He felt so bad and apologized, which I thought was goofy,sweet boy behavior. I told him I'd rather have got it from him than a total stranger, because at least I know what I'm dealing with. It's one of those nasty bugs that has to run its course, and you have to rest because you can't get out of bed. 

The fever was the worse part. It came with a headache and CRAAAZZZY dreams. It was as if I spent HOURS flipping through photos on someone else's phone. Just on and on and on. Mind you I've had more than my share of kookoo dreams, and enjoy them for the most part. They're fun to analyze the next day as they come back to me in drips and drabs. These fever dreams were horrific in their sheer length and tedious subject matter. I'll take an interesting anxiety dream, chock full of unresolved mommy/daddy issues any night, over the crap running through my head this last week.

But happily I'm on the mend, still not back to my energetic self. Going to spend the next couple days in bed, then I will get up and burn these sheets!! 

  I do have the best, caring friends, too. Since I cough with every other breath, texting has been the mainstay of communication. When asked what one can to help me out in my time of disease, I'm tempted to ask one of those lovely caring people to come make up my bed with me still in it.....of course I love my friends too much to risk passing along this crud to any of them.

  I'm very anxious to finish my deck. There's not too much left to go. When that's done, I can assemble the raised beds to go around the sides and start planning the redo of another part of the yard. It sounds great until I realize my inner sleep clock has been kicked hard and I have to get back on normal time.

Back to art posts

I have been fortunate lately to be able to exhibit some of my work. Plus there are upcoming shows as well. Of course, most of the work has been older pieces. I have been making a bed quilt for myself so I haven't done any artsy stuff. Except for a wall hanging made with a batik panel I acquired years ago. That's going to be in the show in November. 

  There's a show coming up in February that hopefully will knock my socks off!!  The theme is "Collaboration" and I'm working with a metal artist whose work I have admired for years. We are meeting this week to confer on our effort so I need to have something to show besides the big piece of paper that determines the size. 

  Stay tuned kids! The remaining pieces of the divorce should finally be falling into place, which will bring a huge sigh of relief from this tired old lady! 

  Plus I have been building a deck in the yard. It is nearing completion. One of my many projects to keep myself occupied. 

More diversion

I was so enthralled with the first tape bound journal, I wanted to experiment further, which required acquisition of supplies. I found some artists tape that I had painted and stamped last year. (Don't leave tape on freezer paper for long as it peels away the shiny part, boohoo,but some of it worked.)
Office Max has a pretty good variety of washi tape and duck tapes in colors and patterns. The Art Center had some washi tape as well and I had plenty of white artist tape, too. I had run out of gesso so I bought a big jar of that, which is much thicker than what I had before and scrapes nicely onto the pages and is better to use with stencils for added texture.
   There was plenty of cardboard from calendars in my hoard--I mean resource center--to make bigger pages for the second journal. It was much easier to prime and paint the unbound pages, too. When all was dry, I used different tapes, but tried to use sturdier ones on the pages and then covered with the washi tape, as it is not very durable. If it wears out over time, I can slap some more on. I am NOT making a Guttenburg bible, ya know.
  So here's photos of this process.

The newest diversion

After seeing tape bound journals on a blog a long time ago, I finally figured out how to make one. It was so simple I can't believe it took me so long....duh! The "instructions" are in a paragraph in the late Shereen LaPlantz's book, "Cover to Cover", which has been in my library forever.
   So now, I have yet another distraction from the horrors of real life and one more excuse for not vacuuming my bedroom. It's pretty horrible under the bed!
These are photos of the first journal that I made and of course, in my haste to secure the construction steps in my brain, I assembled the pages BEFORE gesso and paint was applied. Grrr...never mind the date/time stamp. I don't know what's going on with my new camera. I sure miss my old one...
  Notice the gesso has been scraped onto the cardboard page with an old plastic card. Gives it great texture. The last picture is texture added to the gesso with a small plastic doily.

New fiber art

I've started a bed quilt and got it somewhat quilted then started a wall hanging, too. I've decide to not write on my artwork for a while, but I really love how it looks and will quilt messages in future pieces.
  The weather was absolutely gorgeous for several days, then the wind changed direction and all the water absorbed in the clay soil has been rising up to torment us. Can't really complain. We've had the same mild summer like last year.
  My life is settling into the dull and boring routine I have longed for, except for an occasional drama fit from certain occupants in the household. School starts in less than two weeks and structured time will reign again for most of the neighborhood.

Summer

The heat and humidity returned as we all knew it would. Hey, this is Memphis.

 So I will wait for a while before I work in the yard. So much to be done. By now, I certainly know the meaning of the phrase, "Nature abhors a void." I think that's where the the tale of Sysiphus in Greek or roman mythology came from. Maybe rolling a rock up a mountain just seemed more heroic than yard work. I beg to differ. I am beating back a forest!! I am a majestic fifty foot goddess, plucking that tree seedling from the ground. 

Then I turn around and a tiny bird has pecked a hole in my precious tomato. Where was that goddam cat who's supposed to be protecting the crops? Oh yeah, that cat is sleeping in the air conditioned house, waiting for me to open a can of food. Why do the cat food companies not make bird and mouse flavored cat food? Cats are getting soft, like kids these days. 

  Where was I?? I don't know. It's still summertime. The living is easy?? The cotton is high? Wish I was. 

  Okay back to reality.....I have my bed quilt halfway done. I'm very excited to get that project to completion, mainly to satisfy the Lutheran in me. I have an idea for another small series of art quilts, that I started long ago.

  Vincent's birthday is tomorrow and his mom is making a fabulous cake. I will stay out of her way in the kitchen, for sure. Photos of that in coming days. He is very excited as he should be. Growing so tall and handsome. School will be upon us soon. Fourth grade!! 

  My life is reasonably good, if you look at the really big picture. I have a house with utilities and running water (tidy too!), a vehicle that gets me where I need to go, I'm not malnourished, by any means, family who love me, friends who care, despite my multitude of flaws. Enough technology to satisfy my want for reaching out to the world. Enough time to satisfy my want to be in control of my little patch of earth.

  My dear departed sister would put things she could not control or deal with in her outer environment. Everybody in the family knows of this place. We laughed about it at her funeral. And when you think about it, it makes sense. She used to joke that she had put so many things there, they were all crashing back into her life. I wonder if I'm doing the same thing. There's not so much that I'm in danger of stuff coming back in, but I know I have made an outer environment of my own, to keep the hurtful feelings away from my everyday life. How many of you do this? Is it a defense mechanism that everybody has? Is it dangerous or normal? 

  Gosh, I miss my sister. 

Passions

I have a renewed romance! With my yard! So much digging and clearing out lately. It makes me so happy to see an overgrown space become beautiful again. AND the weather has been totally fabulous the last few days, unheard of for this town, this time of year. The last time I slept with the windows open on the 4th of July was in my childhood and we had no air conditioner!
   Of course, it will be hot again this week, but right now, I am the happiest camper, hanging out in the yard, having a drink and a meal in the late afternoon or early evening. I have to get that in early because I'm dead by 10pm.

hasn't looked this good in years

a big clear out in the shady side of front yard

my fairy garden with tiny polar bear!