40 dogs (romeo and juliet)

i was drinking my morning coffee on the patio this morning when this song came on the radio... i was completely caught up in the sound of this song.... interesting verbal rhythms...neat textures....i couldn’t help but hear it.
And share it.


NOTE: before playing this YOUTUBE video, scroll down the left margin of this blog to pause my playlist that's playing automatically ... otherwise, it will conflict with this video and you'll be hearing two separate songs at the same time.



(Correct lyrics for those interested. They’re surprisingly hard to find)

well if I spell it out, if I get it out,
will you hear me when I tell ya 'bout
what I have to say before it gets too late
it's not easy as I said it'd be
but there’s something right about u and me
something right about u and me

well you’re the color of a burnt book
you’re the color of a sideways look from an undercover cop in a comic book.
you’re the color of the storm in june
you're the color of the moon
you’re the color of the night, that’s right
color of a fight, you move me
you’re the color of the colored part of the wizard of oz movie

we're like romeo and Juliet we're like 40 dogs 'n...cigarettes
we're like good times that haven’t happened yet, but will
I can tell you where we're gonna be
when the whole world falls in, to the sea
we’ll be livin’ ever after, happily

all the boys takin' you for granted
tell you what they want with their eyes all slanted.
I don’t like the way they look at you .
I don’t like the way they talk too.
I don’t like the way they talk to you.
I wouldn’t let them talk to you like that.

put’em up high, reach for the ceiling
tell me not [to walk?], damnit I'm reelin'
it aint no crime, it's just dreams we’re stealing
anything to get more of this feeling
you take the high and I'll take the low
we'll get there before you know
we ain't got no time to waste
we got too much life to taste

we're like romeo and Juliet and 40 dogs 'n...cigarettes
we're like good times that haven’t happened yet, but will
I can tell you where we're gonna be
when the whole world falls in, to the sea
we'll be livin’ ever after and happily

sometimes you remind me of a moonbeam or the ghost of a moonbeam out on the beach down by the coast
slip into the net like the most ....beautiful thing ...I've ever seen

come out tonight, come out with me baby
we'll throw the careful into the crazy
turn the sky black into a sky blue
turn a close shave into a woo hoo
what I say is true
make a fire gotta burn a few
make a fire gotta burn a few
we can do what we want to do

we're like romeo and Juliet 40 dogs 'n ..cigarettes
we're like good times that haven’t happened yet, but will
I can tell you where we're gonna be
when the whole world falls in, to the sea
we’ll be livin’ ever after and happily

~Bob Schneider

I've got this song by the band Wilco currently stuck in my head....i've been constantly humming and singing it since i woke up this morning...it makes me happy!... i may take time to learn the bass part, but mostly i just want to sing it!

If you feel like singing a song,
and you want other people to sing along,
Then just sing what you feel,
don’t let anyone say it’s wrong.

And if you’re trying to paint a picture,
but you’re not sure which colors belong.
Just paint what you see,
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong.

And if you’re strung out, like a kite,
Or stung awake in the night.
It’s alright to be frightened

When there’s a light.
What light?
There’s a light,
One light.
There’s a light,
White light,
Inside of you.

If you think you might need somebody
To pick you up when you drag.
Don’t lose sight of yourself,
Don’t let anyone change your bag.

And if the whole world’s singing your songs,
And all of your paintings have been hung.
Just remember what was yours,
Is everyone’s from now on.

And that’s not wrong, or right.
But you can struggle with it all you like,
You'll only get uptight,

'Cause there’s a light.
What light?
There’s a light,
One light
There’s a light,
White light,
Inside of you.

~Jeff Tweedy, Wilco

Brian Corkill, Bill Ronstadt, John Ronstadt, and Peter McLaughlin

Sunset Serenade

One of the greatest blessings in my life is the way music is intertwined into almost every aspect of our day to day life.... brian is an amazing musician and makes music regularly with many other wonderful musician friends.... he plays five or six times a month with 'still cruisin', his oldies band and is a guest guitarist in several other groups.

The 'still cruisin' gigs are good, loud, fun with lots of dancing and visiting going on, but i think my favorite music times are the ones when we have gathered with our friends, at our home or theirs, and after a meal, instruments come out, chairs get pulled up, and music begins to fill the air... magical.

Last weekend, at a get together bill and john set up to introduce their friend, peter, to brian, we went to peter's for pizza.... peter has an authentic pizza oven that he built in his courtyard, so everyone brought a favorite topping or two, and we made amazing homemade pizzas... forget built in B-B-Q's!! ... this pizza oven was great!... hey, i'm a pretty good brick mason....hmmmm?? :o)

The music that evening was wonderful.... all of these guys are amazing singers and players...our new friend, peter, is a national flatpicking champion and his folk songs were great (i love folk music!)....... singing together since they were kids, bill and john's singing and harmonies are always amazing and their pickin' ain't bad either....john's wife, jeanne, played accordion and added her own sweet harmonies.... in perfect weather, sitting on the patio overlooking Tucson as the sun was setting, watching the city's lights come on, listening to these fellows make their music, i was pretty sure i'd found a little of heaven on earth.

click images to enlarge

Yellow

Almost as if on cue, mother nature has decided to use the happiest color in the crayon box to tint our back yard... i can almost hear her saying "what we need here is a big burst of yellow to banish any remaining remnants of them pesky 'blues'...." ......thanks mom.

The view from my hammock is a study in yellow... the palo verde tree, cats claw vines, yellow oleander and an abundance of wildflowers are bursting with yellow blooms... heck, even the lemon and grapefruit trees still have some yellow fruit on them....it is so beautiful and serene... the birds are singing their spring songs and the temperatures are perfect!... someone pinch me.

Me, circa 1966, just after leaving Kendall (Florida's state run children's home)...My brother Geoff and I spent 1960-1966 there.
To see some serious freckles, click on image to enlarge.

This is one of only a handful of photos from my childhood that exist.... i was 27 when i saw, for the first time, photos of me as a baby and toddler.... never knew what i had looked like as a kid ....... vastly different from the kids and young adults of today who have probably seen videos of their births. :o)

Ok, i know i was a little weird in my february 24th post.... but i have spent the last month wrestling childhood monsters back into their cave and i'm happy to report, they are once again banished.... i have won this latest battle and am feeling much, much better... i actually think, after 45+ years, i may have won the war... but, shhhhh, i don't want to jinx this... time will tell.

I think part of the catalyst for last month's melancholy was going through boxes of photos (from a previous life), along with old letters and such as i continue my quest to be more organized.... i opened boxes that had been sealed for a long, long, long time and a few of them had Pandora's name on them.

And just as Pandora did in her legend, i too, at the bottom of the box, found hope.

I also found a calm new strength and a wonderful stockpile of forgiveness... for those who hurt that innocent child so many years ago... and for me, for not always being strong enough to push on through the fears... i did the best i could.

click image for larger view

"Miami midnight stroll"2006
ACRYLIC ON 16" X 20" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Curless collection, Cincinnati, OH

"...because it's scary out there"2007
ACRYLIC ON 16" X 20" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Amouyal collection, New York, NY

My 'Threshold' paintings are a series of darker, moodier works that have helped me whenever childhood monsters surface. Fortunately, as I've gotten older, these paintings have become more rare.

"...because it's scary out there" deals with my agoraphobia, mild now compared to when I was in my 20's, but present enough for me to easily become more of a hermit than i am.

After an amazingly prolonged absence, they have returned... i am once again fighting my childhood's monsters... really? why do they, seemingly out of the blue, suddenly rear their ugly heads?...you'd think after four or five decades, i'd have figured out how to banish them permanently, but apparently not..... usually it only takes me a week or so to drive them back into their cave, but they seem stronger than usual... i sometimes wonder if i should share with my kids the darkness of my childhood, or if i am making the right decision to spare them the details.... they think they know me.... they do not.

I am wearing the face i keep in a jar by the door... i will be glad when i can put the jar away again, with the lid tightly closed.

click image for a larger view

"Autumn Rooster" 2005
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 18” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
McCourt collection- Tucson, AZ

click image for a larger view

"White Gerbera" 2006
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 24” X 30" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Private collection- Miami, FL

"I rarely feel 'over the hill' which is why i'm always caught a little off guard by how, sometimes, just a few words from my kids can make me feel 'over the mountain' :o)"~Jenna Millward Corkill

55

Yesterday i began my 56th year... i still feel 30ish inside but mirrors scattered here and there throughout my world are always surprising me with a reflection that doesn't quite match what i think i should see... who is that stranger in the mirror?

Yep, it's me ...but the weird thing is i'm not really a stranger at all... i know more about myself now, than i ever have, even if sometimes i'm surprised by my own reflection... i feel blessed to have lived long enough to recognize lessons learned along the way, about myself and others... lessons that only reflection, seen from the perspective of different decades, can provide.

I've been amused witnessing cliches come true... yes, we do, in ways, become our parents, but funnier still is watching our kids become us (although i'm sure they would beg to differ..LOL).

I recently ran across a note i saved a long time ago about lessons learned in life (author unknown)... i've borrowed a few thoughts from that note and added a few of my own.... what follows are some of life's lessons i've learned from having the privilege of spending 5.5 decades living on this marvelous/perilous planet!

I've learned~ that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned~that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned~that you should never tell a child their dreams are foolish.

I've learned~that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned~that no matter how hard you will try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt, and you will hurt for them, no matter how old they become.

I've learned~that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned~that i really don't like paperwork, but ignoring it doesn't make it go away. The same applies to laundry.

I've learned~that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others, you must learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned~that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I've learned~that no matter how badly your heart is broken, the world won't stop for your grief, but your friends will.

I've learned~that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned~that you can't make someone love you... all you can do is be someone who can be loved.

I've learned~heroes are people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of personal consequences.

I've learned~that sometimes i have the right to be angry, but that doesn't ever give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned~that the bounty of planting seeds of kindness throughout your life is priceless.

I've learned~that your life can be changed in a matter of minutes by people who don't even know you.

I've learned~that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.

I've learned~that it's not WHAT you have in you life, but WHO you have in your life that counts.

I've learned~that true friendship continues to grow, no matter what.

I've learned~to trust that my God walks with me and gives me wisdom and strength.

I've learned~that prayer works.

I've learned~that it's taken me a long time to become this person i am today and i'm good with 55.

"Lennon" 2004

ACRYLIC ON LARGE 24” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS

SOLD

Gilden collection, Ann Arbor, MI

Wise words

A friend forwarded this email message to me with the standard footnote "send this to a gazillion friends in the next 2 nano seconds and you'll be hit on the head with amazing good fortune" ... i never forward these and i'm doing just fine thank you, but i often times really like the root message of these emails.... so today i'm going to include a few of my favorite lines from today's email.... hmmm , maybe i should go buy a lottery ticket or something...

~Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
~Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
~When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
~When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye and mean it.
~Talk slowly but think quickly.
~When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
~Live the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; & Responsibility for all your actions.
~When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
~Spend some time alone.
~Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
~Believe in love at first sight.

Believe;
intransitive verb
1 a: to have a firm religious faith ~ b: to accept as true, genuine, or real
2: to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something

"There are days when i feel i could paint the Sistine chapel and then there are days when i'm not sure i could trace a stick figure.... the only difference between those days is my state of mind"~ Jenna Millward Corkill

Thankfully, today i am conquering the artist's angst... i am working on 4 separate canvases with really good results, and having a blast... but the day started with a big dose of self doubt.... only by taking a deep breath and getting the canvas wet did i overcome the fear ... and now i'm having a wonderful painting day... you gotta believe!

One of the paintings is for our granddaughter emma and was supposed to be completed by her birthday, but that's not going to happen.... i'm not spoiling her surprise by mentioning it...she's seen the work in progress and loves it and is being very patient with me.

Her painting is almost done... which reminds me of another angst i struggle with... when is a painting really done?... brian says emma's flowers been done several times already, but i keep fine tuning them... often times i'll show him a canvas i've just tweaked and he has no idea what i added or changed.... i need to learn to be done sooner... now, back to tweaking emma's flowers...LOL

"Cherry Trees" 2009
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 20” X 24" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
click image for a larger view

AVAILABLE

My first TALL TREE painting of 2009! I just got this new painting listed in my EBAY store....I love the textures used on my TALL TREE paintings... especially on the tree's branches and backgrounds....in the past i've done TALL TREES in some really nice colors, including sage, rust, red, greens, golds, sienna and more... I paint these using multiple layers of different colored glazes and the glazes i used on this painting resulted in these beautiful warm cherry wood tones... there's also a hint of metallic copper highlights scattered here and there throughout the painting... TALL TREES are my most popular style on EBAY and are in collections all over the country.

A New 'TALL TREE' Painting!

The last few days have been quite productive... and fun...... in the midst of launching my new little website several weeks ago, i kept mentioning to brian how slloooowww my computer was, that i thought it needed a bigger brain... i was spending quite a bit of time working on the new website, but was in 'wait mode' a lot, three steps ahead in my mind, trying to be patient while my computer took it's time thinking about ????... i was getting frustrated which is unusual... i'm usually a really patient person.

So imagine my delight when a few days ago the birthday fairies delivered a new computer!!!.....for me!!! ...i thought all i had wanted was a bigger memory card until this new thing showed up with it's fancy big monitor and sleek design... i've gotta say it was love at first sight!

The computer i had been using was a hand me down from brian... and trust me, his hand me downs are just fine, but it's computer brain was way too small for my newfound geek adventures..... it took brian a few days to get all my data transfered and load the programs i use, so now i'm playing catch up for the few days of lost computer time... i'm having so much fun with this new speedy computer.... thank you bunches brian!

I did a lot of painting while i was computerless... and had a blast!...worked on multiple canvases, including emma's gerbera daises, some WIP's and a new 'tall tree' painting... i'm going to get it listed in my ebay store tomorrow, if my schedule allows.... it has really neat texture and the colors remind me of warm cherry wood tones... i also used a few metallic copper highlights that look great.... the tree branch texture is especially nice....when i get it listed in my store i'll post the listing info.

~click this image to see a larger picture! neat!
"FAMILY"
by Matthew Stricker

Friends and Family

Yesterday I went to my good friend Linda's surprise 60th birthday party... in what seems a lifetime ago, we had bought homes on the same cul-de-sac a few weeks apart in 1979 and raised our kids together there... Linda's son Matthew and her daughter Susanne were the same age as Chip and Casey and they became close friends right away, attending school together from kindergarten through high school....our kids really had fun growing up one house away from each other....and here it is almost 30 years later and they are still good friends.

At the party Sunday, I spent some time catching up with Matthew... I always knew he was artistic but I am amazed at his work... he belongs to an elite society of astronomy artists... only 70 world wide members ... his paintings are astronomically (is that a word?) correct and mesmerizingly (again, word?) beautiful....I added a link to his website in my blog's margin under 'OUR ARTIST FRIENDS'....He is also an executive chef at an exclusive restaurant in Tucson's Tortolita mountains... I bet his food not only tastes great, but looks out of this world!...Sorry Matthew, I couldn't resist saying that. :O)

"The Cole Zoo" Our son, Chip, and his family.



Said slowly with a distinctively beatlesque british accent......"number nine.....
....number nine.........number nine........"

Little Miss Rimona with her proud grandmother.
She's the youngest of our nine grandkids, and a little doll!

"Orange Daisy Sphere" 2006
ACRYLIC ON HUGE 24” X 36" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
AVAILABLE


I love this painting!...contemporary fun! ...flowers are always a favorite of mine to paint... and i like the neat 3-D effect of these big daisies on this giant sphere ...could be a marble? or even a beach ball!... perfect for the beach house! ...game room! ...any room!... it currently hangs in my own home office and it's bright cheerful colors look great in there.....it was painted using many layers of beautiful glazed colors... this painting also looks great from far away or up close ...as the viewer gets closer to the painting they are rewarded with interesting bold textures as well as subtle, unique filigree texture details ... i enjoy this painting so much, it will be hard to let it go someday...but i know when it finds it's new home, it will be making someone else happy too.







Cropped detail of "Orange Daisy Sphere" showing some of the filigree texture found throughout the painting.

Can I paint a portrait for you?

I have decided to start accepting portrait commissions again after a small hiatus spent throwing paint at the canvas with no regard for capturing likeness... FUN!

There are a few of you who've been inquiring about when i was going to start scheduling new portrait commissions and that time is now... i appreciate your interest and patience as well as all your kind words about the portraits i've done in the past.

I also decided to launch a new little website to showcase some of my past portraits and other paintings...the website includes contact info as well as information about the process of commissioning a portrait, the fees and such.

This website stuff is really tedious, and sometimes frustrating for this non-geek, but i'm pleased so far.... it is definitely still in the fledgling stages, but viewable... and it's not fancy...no bells and whistles yet, but maybe someday as i learn... i think building this new website is helping to keep the neurons in my aging (not old!) brain connected... and it will also showcase available paintings as well as a sold gallery... i hope to add new paintings to my new web galleries everyday (in a perfect world) but i haven't seen brian for two days, picked up a paintbrush or even updated this blog because of this website building stuff!... so it may stay simple for a while.

If you're interested in a portrait, send me a note at jennacorkill@cox.net .

Visit my website http://sites.google.com/site/millwardstudios/millward-studios
today to learn more about commissioning a portrait.... traditional and alternative styles are available.

Also, please note that i am only going to do a limited number of portraits this year... portraiture is very time intensive with a deadline and brian misses me if i spend too much time in the studio... those of you who know us pretty well know that we have our priorities straight, something we learned when brian was sick... my # 1 priority is brian and spending time with him... never take time for granted, and always let the ones you love know it, by your actions and your words.

"An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind."~ Mahatma Gandhi

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

"In my waking wrestling match with gravity, I am continually pinned, but sometimes, in my dreams I can fly!... I know I am blessed, as this is a priviledge, not shared by all. ...I am light...swooping and soaring.....laughing in wonderment at the trees and seas below me...fearless...free...happy." ~Jenna Millward Corkill

Every now and then, i have dreams in which i am flying... so real i can almost feel the wind on my face as i soar... i am thankful for the gift of these dreams, they are magical and fun!... i don't know the catalyst for these flying dreams, and that's probably a good thing because if i did, i would probably be sleeping too much!

"DRAGONFLY"
ACRYLIC ON LARGE 18” X 24" X 1.5" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
click image for larger view

AVAILABLE

About this painting........early in my career, realism was the style of most of my paintings…many looked almost photographic…now I find myself working more and more in a softer abstract style…in ‘DRAGONFLY' , I have blended these two styles…I love the contrast of the realistic beads of water over the soft, subtle dragonfly tiles in the background...this is a tranquil painting.

This painting is currently available in my EBAY store/gallery....which is worth checking out... I always have a fun and diverse inventory in my EBAY store and I've sold over 40 paintings to Ebayers all over the US, from Rhode Island to California, Oregon to Florida and 20 states in between! How cool is that!

I've been a professional artist for years, with an emphasis on portraits, but upon discovering the EBAY art market in late 2004, I decided to take a little time from portraiture to launch my EBAY store/gallery.

It's been great fun, allowing me to explore many different styles, subjects and techniques....and it gives me, the professed hermit, a way to market my art while staying home in my cozy studio. For me, the Internet has proven to be a very effective way for collectors to discover my work.

After a quick glance at my EBAY store inventory and SOLD gallery, you'll see many different types of paintings, so different in fact, many people can't believe the same person paints them all.
My 'TALL TREE' series is the closest I've come to recognizable and it's become a favorite for collectors. It's a style I like to visit from time to time, but I can't be pigeonholed or tied to any one style...I tease I have multiple personalities, but teasing aside, there's actually quite a bit of truth in that statement.

I'm never really sure who'll show up at the easel, but I do know it'll be an adventure.... a search for the magic...colorful and bright... or dark and moody.... realistic or abstracted... EBAY is a wonderful outlet for these sometimes introspective, sometimes playful paintings!


Cropped detail of "DRAGONFLY"

The snowflake wish
jenna millward corkill 2007©

You've heard it many times before,
though try as hard as you might,
out of a trillion, billion, gazillion,
you will not find two alike.
So imagine our amazement
while searching the winter sky,
we happened to see, oh could it be?!
twin snowflakes floating by!
We ran after them a shouting,
as we couldn't believe our eyes.
They turned around and smiled,
delighted with our surprise.
"Make a wish, hurry!" they laughed
"like you do on a shooting star!"
for seeing us is a special treat
and much more rare, by far!
So we closed our eyes and made our wish
of all good things for you.
Have a very Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year too!

To all our friends and family, far and near, Brian and I wish you a joyous, peaceful Christmas.



These are all photos of actual snowflakes taken with a photomicroscope.

The Christmas Treasure Hunt

When the kids were young adults, before their own families got larger, they would come to our house Christmas day... Along with a little gift, we would also give them a little $... to make that present really exciting, we started having Christmas treasure hunts to find the gift... the last treasure hunt was in 2002, then the kids started staying at their own homes Christmas day, establishing their own family traditions with their kids... so no more Christmas at mom's, no more treasure hunts.

This year, Chip and Lisa and their kids are here in Tucson for the holidays... so along with Casey and Jason and their kids we had our Christmas dinner for everyone this last Sunday, the 21st..... we decided to surprise them with a treasure hunt for the grandkids.... Chip and Casey were overwhelmed with emotion as the grandkids found in their one giftbox to all, the envelope containing...

The 10 clues of Christmas~2008

T’was four nights before Christmas, at our grandparents house
Something magic was stirring, and it wasn’t a mouse
Clues had been hidden, for the grandkids with care
All the grownups could feel, excitement in air

Moms and dads smiled, when they heard these words read
While visions of treasure hunts, danced through their heads
But this year is different, so parents, take a nap
Because this year it’s the grandkids, who will hunt for the map

So merry Christmas grandchildren, let’s have some fun
A new treasure hunt tradition, has just begun
Your parents will now watch you, with faces of glee
While you kids find the clues, that will lead to the key

There are nine of you grandkids, each has a clue all your own
And these clues will be hidden, throughout rooms in our home
Each child will be searching, for their very own clue
While the other’s all watch, to see what you do

Finding treasure hunt clues, might be hard for the little ones
But let them try for themselves 'cause watching them search will be fun
Big kids, can give hints, when the clues aren’t quite clear
For it’s true helping others, fills our hearts with good cheer

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all
The first clue can be found in a closet, in the hall

Found in the hall closet for~ Rimona (age 1)
Hey Miss Rimona, we bet you are glad
That you have the help, of some moms and some dads
Cause you’re not very tall, heck, you just started walking
And for you it’d be hard, to reach the red stocking

Found in a red Christmas stocking for~ Lennon- (age 3)
It’s your turn now Lenny, it’s all up to you
Frosty the snowman is hiding your clue
Under the Christmas tree is where he is at
And the clue that you seek is under his hat

Found in Frosty’s hat for~ Gianna- (age 5)
Now Miss Gianna, this clue’s for you
We’ll all be watching to see what you do
Will Santa ride in a car on Christmas day?
No, he’ll be riding in a GREEN Christmas sleigh!

Found in the green sleigh for~ Trevor- (age 5)
This next clue’s for someone and Trevor’s his name
The clue that he seeks hides in a fun X-box game.

Found in an x-box game for~ Kamea- (age 7)
It’s time for Kamea to find the next clue
We know you can do it, it’s all up to you
Sometimes we cough, sometimes we sneeze
And if our nose runs, we need one of these

Found under a tissue box for~ Aubrey- (age 8)
It’s your turn now Aubrey, to find the next clue
And it’s hidden inside a duck that is blue
He quacks as he sings, but that’s not all he does
He hides the next clue inside all that fuzz

Found in the blue fuzzy duck for~ Brina- (age 11)
Brina all treasure hunts past have had this one clue
And this year finding it, will be up to you
Is it up, is it down, is it here, is it there?
The clue that you seek is under a chair

Found under a chair for~ Lauren- (age 13)
This clue is for you, miss Lauren Jane
Ho ho ho’s what he says, hiding clues is his game
This may sound too easy, but it’s not all that
Just like frosty did earlier, he used his hat

Found in a Santa Claus hat for~ Emma- (age 14)
Emma, hooray! It’s now up to you
It’s finally your turn to find the next clue
Hanging somewhere that’s really not too hard to see
In a box you will find the map and the key

Found in a small box ornament on the hall tree garland for everyone~
Map and key to treasure chest!!!

We put little 'NO, NOT HERE' notes under most the chairs, also in every Santa hat, red stocking and box style ornament...except of course, for the correct chair, hat, stocking, box, which held the real clue.....it was so much fun when they'd find a note thinking it was their CLUE only to see 'NO, NOT HERE'.

The Treasure chest was hidden in the same closet as the first clue, so they went full circle...when the grandkids found it they were screaming with delight! They carried it back to the living room, and all 9 of them crowded around it as they used the key to open the lock and find their Christmas treasures...it was truly a magical moment when they lifted the lid and saw their gifts and beautiful scrolls, one for each of them with $$ at the bottom!

Hooray! Wow, you did it!
You found your own scroll.
With your prize at the bottom,
when it’s completely unrolled.

We hope that this gift,
will help you acquire.
A present you want,
a thing you’ve desired.

We’ve had a fun time!
You kids all did great!
You’ve all found the treasure
of Christmas 2008!




oh yes, i almost forgot.... even though my pace was slower, i got the house and tree trimmed with time to spare... i used the mantra 'less is more' and was quite pleased with the results.

"BRINA" 12/2003

acrylic on canvas

This is a portrait of our granddaughter Brina... She was 6 years old at the time i painted this portrait during Christmas time 2003.... She is the third of our nine grandchildren, now 11 years old with a wonderful sense of humor, cracking one liners a lot like her grandfather Fred... she's amazingly easygoing and has a strong sense of wanting to help the world and others less fortunate than her... for the past two years in a row she has donated her beautiful long hair to the cancer society to make wigs for kids with cancer... she is truly a special child and we are very proud of her.

"There is more to life than increasing it's speed."~ Mahatma Gandhi

Blink and your children are grown... blink again and you have 9 grandchildren.

Since i've retired, my pace has slowed considerably.... it's not a physical necessity, it's a conscious choice to take a more relaxed pace doing daily tasks.... when i was working and time challenged, these same tasks took a fraction of the time it takes me now....because now i stop and take the time to enjoy the simple things that come along throughout the day... a sort of ' stop and smell the roses' approach...i tell Casey i live a still life, and i love it's stillness....(not to be confused with boring, no, definitely not boring).... in comparing notes on retirement with Melanie, one of my best friends who retired 5 weeks earlier than me, we simply can't believe how much more time we take doing tasks we were once able to get done quickly.... because now, we allow ourselves to be sidetracked by all the nonessential wonderful things we once had no time for.

I am finding though, that i may be taking this slow paced thing a bit too far this Christmas and if i'm not careful, THE DAY will arrive and i will be totally unprepared... for us, THE DAY this year will be Sunday, the 21st...all the kids and grandkids are coming to Christmas dinner at our house and i'm not sure they will understand all this slow paced stuff if it doesn't look a little bit like Christmas' when they arrive.... i haven't done a single thing about Christmas yet except put lights on the tree....no shopping, no presents, no cards, no baking, heck, the tree's been up for over a week with just it's lights and the rest of the house is undecorated as well...totally uncharacteristic for me...i'm usually done with 90% of holiday preparations by now.

Me: we really need to get the ornaments on the tree soon and finish decorating the house

My brain: what's the hurry...we have time

Me: well, last week we may have had the time, but time is running out quickly, we've got visitors arriving next week, we haven't even started shopping or baking or....or......or.....

My brain: ok, ok, i guess we do need to get the tree done today, but first i think i'll... update my blog...or...(do just about anything else but decorate the tree or house)

Now don't get me wrong....i love Christmas and all the trimmings so i'm still not completely in touch with why i'm dragging my feet this year with this tree/house trimming stuff.... i think it feels a bit like work and being a retired florist has a lot to do with that....all the years spent decorating and trimming my shop and displays, getting the holiday centerpiece orders filled, keeping the fresh display cooler full of Christmas arrangements, etc..etc...etc.....i just think i'm a little burnt out on all that decorating and trimming stuff... it's just another task.... the first few years that i wasn't a working florist during the holiday season, it was fun turning all my attention to trimming our home...it was novelty to have the time to spend on home decorating and i loved it... but now, i want to simplify.... slow down....everything..... including Christmas.

All those active florists out there right now know the holidays are a wonderfully crazy time of year...heck, in my shop just watering the poinsettias took hours ( we had hundreds of poinsettias) ....and hundreds more of living pine trees in many shapes and sizes....and you can't just randomly give each plant the same drink or you'll drown some and deprive others...these are living plants and absorb water at their own pace... and a drowning plant presents with the same symptoms as a parched plant, so adding water could be the final blow... at the holidays, a florist's work is never finished, you literally run all day and you have to convince yourself to go home at the end of the long day, finished or not, or you would never sleep.

Definitely not a slow pace... definitely not still...which is why i savor this slow, still life i now lead... i guess i'll just have to accept that Christmas time will always be a bit hectic, but at least, for me, the retired florist, i can now look forward to valentines day, easter, and mother's day being happily taken at my new slower pace.

Well, i guess i've stalled long enough with this extra long post... it's time to get to the tree trimming... wish me luck.

Making progress on 'venetian pool'.... the water, the long brick steps that all the little kids would sit on while we listened to our swim teachers, the pergola with it's allamanda vines, the loggia.... there will be many little points of interest in this painting because the actual 'VENETIAN POOL' is just like that... full of beautiful little surprises... the coral walls that have fern growing right out of them, the old carved stone benches , the beautiful old doors now painted periwinkle blue, the archways, wonderful stairways, the waterfalls, the fountains, the sandy beach... they are all just begging to be stars of their own in future paintings... for those of us who grew up with this historic pool as a daily part of our childhood, these paintings will have added meaning...



These detail shots show progress on the background sky and palm trees.

I think this is one of my current favorites to work on... let me know along the way if you like it too.

Here's a view of the whole 24" x 36" canvas of my current work in progress 'Venetian Pool'... this is a view of the shallow pool where i learned to swim in the late 1950's.