Blue Skies

As I write this it has started to rain, but the above picture reminds me of the blueness of the sky these past few days. The weather has been beautiful, so not what I expect in November, but nice none the less.

On the 5th a tooth was pulled from my lower right jaw and my bottom lip and chin are still numb and hurt from time to time. Apparently this can happen and will go away eventually. The recovery from this ordeal has been rougher than I'd have thought, but the dentist thinks it may well be the last tooth I ever loose because the roots are so healthy. That at least is good news!

That same day my dear husband drove to the Ill. side of STL and back to bring home a sofa from his folks. It is great to have a nice comfortable sofa that is easier to get off of, but it made for a long day, and the weekend following was barely enough time to recover.

I did do an art page last week, but I will not be posting it now. The reason is just that I know I'll be doing another tonight, and would rather wait and to a post just about that, and about art in general.

The same ladies who did the Artists' Way are now doing Walking in this World, by the same author. We are meeting in public later this evening. I should have called ahead to warn the shop, they may want to make sure we get a secluded table. When we get together nothing is sacred, meaning that everything is discussed and then some. Well, and we're loud. Or at least, I'm loud. I can't wait though, chpt. 4 and 5 are so good! It will be fun to talk it out and hear what every one else has to say.

I will leave you today with a photo I took inspired by an artist I've seen in the Somerset Studio magazines.

a trip and page 7

Here we are, The Artists' Way girls or "Way Ladies". Last weekend we drove in my car to Willow Springs MO and had an adventure which involved meeting both the good country boys and the not so good country boys and both incidents involved my driving....we'll leave it at that. Hearthaven is a neat place! The two ladies that were there while we visited were so welcoming and good to us. It was a real retreat, complete with collage work and a hot tub! Thanks to Em for showing me how to do a timed photo on the camera! The trees are so beautiful right now! I didn't capture anything like what I wanted to, but I knew I needed to stop or it would be a HUGE mess.

And I'm seriously looking into getting a minor in folklore....it will be very helpful for my long term goal of Ethnomusicology. We shall see. Now back to my paper.

Page 6

My friend Heidi and I went to a piano recital Sunday and I guess it played over into the page I did later that evening. Still 6 for 6...I hope I can keep it up!

This weekend is going to be awesome! The ladies who have been doing the Artists' Way this summer and Walking in this World currently are going on retreat!! It will be chilly, but we can bundle up and I know it will be a blast.

I should post pictures on the garden. I've let the okra get ginormas and the zucchini are gone...and onions that the birds killed early in the season are coming back.....weird. I harvested all the annual herbs to dry for use and am going to transplant most of the perennial herbs so we can turn the beds...and we'll be putting two boxes out!!! Next year will be great!

I have to go to the dentist later today. Life is crazy this semester. All the papers and project to do. And I'm working on a Bach fugue in piano and loving it, but also realizing it is a challenge and hoping I'm up to it. It really helps to have a patient and diligent teacher!

I want to post pictures of the things I've been knitting, but as they are Christmas presents, I will wait. Maybe I can take a group picture of all of them before I wrap them....that's a good idea. I've been a knitting fiend. And am about to be a quilting one too!

Keeping it busy, Peace.

Change of Pace

I've decided to try and do one Art Journal page every week through the end of this year. This is the first.... I don't think I'm very good at drawing or painting, but I want to get better and this seems like a good way to begin. I'm also very inspired by Pam Carriker, her blog is to the right of this screen, BagLadyArt. Her work with Somerset Studios Art Journal magazine along with many other artists makes things in my head click and I find myself thinking, "I want to do that!" So here I go. This should also help me to keep this updated since I'd like to try and post each weeks page, barring the event that it would be too private. It seems that this has also been brought about by the Artist's Way book that some friends and I have just completed. We are going to begin the second book, Walking in the World, next week, but take it much slower giving more time to take in what we're doing and allowing for the crazy schedules we all tend to have! This past Saturday the girls came over for late lunch at lu's and I was thrilled to have flowers to put out for us to enjoy! Since I last wrote I've had a birthday. The big 3-0! My husband made me a beautiful portable writing desk, shown above, and the whole day was wonderful! I have some of the best friends and family anyone could hope for! And in a couple weeks the celebration will continue as my cousin Abby and I fly out to Virginia to visit my sister and her family!! And finally Donavin. Yes, I've named a trunk. :) I love him! And have been working to get him in better shape, though for his age I'd say he's in pretty good shape. I'd love to use him all the time, we shall see. I think that will be enough for now. I will be working more on the quilts, and putting together a new bellydance costume, to say nothing of all the homework coming my way....but I think it's good to keep up with this, let's see if I can!