THIS ONE'S A KEEPER

The weather was perfect.  The ceremony was lovely.  My daughter and her new husband are on their honeymoon.

I think she would agree that the best things in life sometimes sneak in when you are not looking.  

Congratulations...may your new life be long and blessed.

AT THE END OF THE DAY..."What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life."

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

 Tomorrow is September 1st and my daughter is getting married. 

 I started out this year knowing it would be a year of changes. 

 

  Some I knew were coming and some have taken me by surprise...and the year isn't over yet.   

My intention this year of releasing my expectations for perfection has helped me accept each day with calm and i hope with grace.

 

 I have learned that even setbacks should be looked on as challenges rather than roadblocks and that all things are possible if I believe they are possible and I will never be too old to dream. 

  

AT THE END OF THE DAY...don't die wondering...ACT AS IF...

WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN

i was young once

and pretty too in an understated plain sort of  way

and smart

well maybe street wise and sassy

all right all right mouthy was more my style

but i was young and i had my dreams

i was going places

to Europe

to the Oscars

to the moon

straight to hell some said

somehow i got lost along  the way

and when i got found i was old

with life's lessons etched across my face

and written in silver through my hair

my foot no longer so quick to enter my mouth

then i found my dreams

not lost not forgotten

just stained and tarnished

stuffed deep in my pocket

so i took them out

and dusted them off

and started again

and never looked  back

    ~FK~

PROGRESS

The list seems endless and the trash pile keeps getting bigger and bigger but I see progress each day.  New siding up...old gutters down...garage repaired...house almost ready to paint.

The weather has cooled a bit but still sunny most days.  Seven more days till my studio goes up.  Nine more days till Nyna's wedding.

AT THE END OF THE DAY...summer isn't over yet...the best is yet to come...

LITTLE STEPS

When I started this blog almost a year ago, I intended to post more often.  Funny how while life is happening I don't have as much time to write about it as I thought I would.

I love to write and I have lots of things I want to say but writing everyday is an acquired habit I haven't mastered yet...so I am going back to the beginning.

Before I started this blog I did a trial run on facebook by posting a small paragraph each day with a picture or two, just small everyday things that were going on in my life, things I observed or was thinking about.

I probably still won't post every day but I'll try to write more often because maybe with enough practice I can get all the words and stories out of my head and

AT THE END OF THE DAY...I am an..."Optimist:  someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha." ~Robert Brault~

NOT RETIRED FROM LIFE

Summer weather has set in and we are settling into retirement.  We have no huge plans this year...just getting some things done around the house and yard that have been put off for too long and a trip to the beach later in the year.

That doesn't mean nothing has been happening.  Our days are full to overflowing.

Dave is busy catching up with repairs in preparation for painting  the house and garage and putting in new gutters before winter.  I have been taking care of some neglected health problems before they turn into major events.  Of course watching the beautiful Alyson Rae grow more wonderful each day has become my favorite retirement pastime.

And last but not least...one of the most exciting things going on this summer is clearing a spot in the backyard to have my art studio built. 

AT THE END OF THE DAY...dreams really do come true...

NO MORE RECREATIONAL SHOPPING

I hate to shop.  I know that sounds un-American but it's true...I hate to shop.  It's time consuming, exhausting, and frustrating. 

The thing is, I really have more or less everything I need...my problem is I can never find it when I need it.

So when I spend half a morning trying to find supplies, which are scattered all over the house, to set up for a day of making art or some other activity, I know, although I have spent the last few years trying to get rid of the clutter that resulted from shopping as recreation, I still have too much junk.

I am cleaning and sorting and boxing and tossing again, but this time I have a goal...my hubby is going to build me a studio...and I want to be ready to move in the day it's finished.

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

do i keep it or weep for it

box it or toss it

where do i put it out of my way

why do i want it

when do i use it

why do i buy more day after day

the closets and cupboards

spew junk in a tumble

each time they are opened to put stuff away

i push and i shove and i

stack and i shuffle

i balance commanding "sit now and stay"

days weeks or months later

when i have spent hours

searching for something i know that i own

i realize it's time

to end the confusion

to clear out the jumble and reclaim my home

ART IN THE STORM

 4th of July is just around the corner, which in this part of the country means our summer weather should show up soon.  

With the year half over I find my decision to make family my priority for awhile the right one for me, although I have a ways to go to reach all the goals I set for myself. 

But as I finish putting away everything from Art At The Barn, the only art show I allowed myself this year, I am thinking I may need to add a bit more art into the rest of my 'family year'.

In 2006 Art In The Barn (now called Art AT The Barn because the barn came down in a heavy snow several years ago) was my very first experience being in an art event.  I have participated every year since.  The weather can be unreliable in June around here so we are used to expecting almost anything during the show.  This year, however, it was not 'anything' it was 'everything'... to the max...thunder, lightening, wind, hail and rain...hitting hard, fast, and all within the blink of an eye. 

Everyone helped wherever they could with whatever they could, to cover art, zip up and hold down canopies, and during the aftermath help clean up broken glass, soggy art, and share dry clothes and blankets...then showed up the next day despite having to close up early on Saturday because of the storm.

I've missed the fun and camaraderie that comes from being part of a group of people that loves doing art as much as I do and although I can't jump back in with both feet this year I think I will add a bit more to my schedule.  After all, my muse runs with this bunch and 

AT THE END OF THE DAY......it's where I find her when we both need a break from newly 'retired' husband.