Miss T (for Trouble)

Miss T came into my life for only a few days. She showed up hungry and skinny one stormy night. She stayed in my garage at nights and in my backyard garden in the daytime. She made herself quite at home and chased the birds and squirrels away. This was now HER domain! Unfortunately, though I had fallen in love with her sweet face and silky fur and enjoyed playing with her...I am allergic and had to find a different home for her. Yesterday, regretfully, she was given to the friend of a neighbor. She'll be living on a farm in New Haven, KY as an indoor pet. My loss, their gain. I miss her - but Nutsy the squirrel is glad she's gone.

Badminton, anyone?

On Thursday I took a two hour lunch break while waiting for my Southwest flight back to Louisville from Kansas City. I visited The Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art - an absolutely fantastic place in the heartland of the country. I saw the special exhibits which included 30 years of printmaking and "Sparks" - almost unremarkable except for a DuChamp assemblage but especially because of a 'quilt' made of liquor caps and labels, sewn together with copper wire. Absolutely phenomenal! In the sculpture garden is this pair of shuttlecocks...probably 12 - 18 feet tall. Got your racket? I used to know a man who was a badminton champion...he should see these. I also viewed the European galleries on the second floor. Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Pissaro, Seurat, Gauguin, Cezanne, Caravaggio - and many other favorites had works housed there. In the lower level were more modern pieces by Rauschenburg, de Kooning, Warhol, Calder, Pollock, Johns, etcetera...good stuff! I saved the third floor for a later visit. I had a plane to catch!

Weekend Warriors

I packed a lot into this weekend. My good friend Diana, recently back from wintering in Florida, came over on Saturday morning and we played. The watercolor "Red Hot Chilis" is a result. She'd done a similar (better) one in Florida and showed me how. Fun! I'll need a bit of practice to be as skilled with the medium as she is, but it was fun to do nonetheless.

This morning after church I sat in my garden watching the birds and the 'pet' squirrel, Nutsy. They did not disappoint. See the photo "Fighting Finches". I had my camera on high speed and was fortunate to catch them as they territorially scrapped over the fountain. Two other weekend warriors. This evening I am fine tuning a logo design that's dragged on for too long. I am almost pleased with it now...just fine tuning one letter in the second word. I'll share it soon.

I also wanted to share with Katherine Malmsten my tiny accordion book. I made the clay cover years ago when I took her clay workshop. She asked if that means that in a few years I'll do something with the ruling pen...hmmm, touché, my friend. I wrote an article - published in the Pendragons newsletter in May 2008 - about her ruling pen workshop earlier this year.

Party Time

It's been party-time here since late June. One niece turned 16 on June 22nd...party! All that driving I did with her will soon put her on the roads alone (if she can afford the gas!) Another niece turned 17 on the fourth of July - Miss Firecracker! A rain-soaked fireworks, but fun anyway. Yesterday a friend had a holiday party. Lots of fun and dancing and bean-bag tossing...harder than it looks.
I did finish a small book last week. I will post a photo soon. Travel will resume in a week.