Oh, dear I am so neglectful of this blog. I'll try to keep up a little better in the New Year. Here are some of my recent paintings. None were quite finished when I took these photos (except the girl and dog).

Yucky time of year

I do not like this time of year. As much as I don't like winter, this time at the end of summer may be even less wonderful to me than the bare trees and brown grass and deadness of winter. The sun is in a bad place in the sky. I don't like how it casts its shadow. Although it is still miserably hot and humid, it seems there is a coldness in those shadows. It reminds me of the cairns in The Hobbit. The cold of evil spirits. I don't really know if I also dislike this time so much because the End of Summer seems to represent the End of Fun, or what. I am sure some of it has to do with the Start of School which I never liked but also, things get all dry and crackly and the cicadas REALLY start singing to beat the band and zillions of crickets make the scene and start their antics, which includes EATING FABRIC. The pools are about to close and that, in itself is sad. And this year summer just seemed to zip by. I suppose I should be thankful nothing too catastrophic happened this year. My mom stayed fairly healthy and the tree in the front yard is still standing (my prayers have been answered on that--thank God). I just always feel a sense of dread and a weird depression that threatens to comes with it and perhaps I should know the reason but it is just at the edge of conciousness and I can't seem to figure it out. I should have gone to the beach this year at least for a day or two and now I feel like it is too late. The sun will be weird there, too. I have seen it. And after the End of Summer comes Fall and I don't like that much, either. My birthday is in the fall and I always wanted it to be in June. The only thing I like about fall is Halloween. I like late spring...the promise of new things and untold possibilities.

anniversary

Our wedding anniversary is coming up so I told my husband I wanted to celebrate by going to a vegan restaurant. Now when I told him I was doing this he said he agrees that animals are mistreated. However, when I told him about the vegan restaurant he told me he would be sure to have a chicken sandwich before we go! I guess I will just have to exert whatever influence I have on him when we are together. He doesn't cook (well) and I do, so he will HAVE to eat my vegan dinners or starve (smile).

Now my Mom who lives with us is totally not going to change and I have to make some allowances, I suppose, since she is elderly but I haven't really been giving her any animal containing dinner, either. Well, she went out with my sister the other day and came home with a HUGE steak for herself. I wasn't going to cook it for her so she did that for herself last night and while she was eating she told me "that must have been an old cow because this is tough" and I know I am evil, but I thought it served her right for buying it. Eeek I am so mean.

mmm watermelon

Having some watermelon for dessert after a breakfast of tofu scramble. That tofu scramble is pretty darn good. I still don't want to eat lots of soy but it is pretty useful when you are a new vegan. I was going through my library vegan cookbooks yesterday while the cable was out, the weather was too hot to go outside and I didn't have any wood panels to draw on. I have several I want to copy today that don't use any soy products.

Don't you love it when you smell or taste something that makes you remember things. Like, I love that certain laundry-on-the-clothesline combined with hot grass smell that reminds me of when my best friend and I would make tents by hanging sheets on the clothesline and putting rocks on the edges to hold it out. Good stuff.

That watermelon just reminded me of how my best friend, her little brother and myself would eat watermelon outside on the picnic table in her back yard--the parents made us eat it out there so we wouldn't get stickiness all over the house, I suppose. Plus, that was before a/c was the norm so outside was better than in. And I always wonder how in the world did we ever stand it before a/c? wow.

In between loads of laundry yesterday I watched the DVDs I have of Upstairs Downstairs. Some of the subject matter is pretty racy for 1970-71, I think. I love British accents, although with the annoyingly loud a/c in my ear and the fan blowing in my face it was not that easy to understand all they were saying. When it cools off a little I am going to watch the episodes again.

I am afraid of what the electric bill is going to be next time what with all the a/c usage but there is simply no way to do without it--especially with my mother having respiratory problems...ya know?

Gotta get to work.

Stuff and Veganism and Stuff

Well, here I am again. I guess one post a month is better than nothing! We've had terrible weather--storms, tornados--here the past few days and my mother has been ill. I had to work late yesterday because of the storms... I got home last night and the house was so hot. I got the a/c working and pointed a fan at myself and my husband when we got in bed and I was blissfully cool despite the heat and humidity.

So, about two weeks ago I was looking at the comments in Suzi Blu's blog and I follwed one to someone's journal. This woman (I don't know how to link, yet) is Vegan and had a video on her blog that I didn't want to see but yet I had to. I usually stay clear of things I know are going to be upsetting like that because I "love animals." Well, it was from 'Earthlings' and showed the cruelty of the animals-as-a-product industry. It broke my heart. I cannot believe how cruel people can be. I mean, one thing that really got me was how they were beating the animals for no apparent reason...like they a.) either enjoyed it or b.) just don't consider them anything more than a block of wood. Now, I am going to tell you I don't like snakes but would I beat one just for fun and amusement? Uh, noooo. WTF? I decided right then and there I had to stop eating meat. So, then a few days later my friend told me about an Oprah show in which Oprah had a guest who was promoting this 21 day cleanse that includes not consuming animal products. I bought her book (Kathy Freston) and I like what she says about consuming meat because she reminds us that when you consume animal products you are also consuming all the misery, fear and suffering of the animal. The arrogance of humans. Anyway, serendipity. So I have done a bit more research and realize as much as I LOVE cheese and milk and things with eggs those things have to go too. I never realized the veal connection. I am afraid of eating too much soy, so I am trying to use things that don't contain it where I can. Rice milk is good.

Today I followed another Suzi Blu commenter (I was looking for the video) and I can see I am going to enjoy reading her blog. Nollyposh lists The Bluebird of Happiness with Shirley Temple as one of her favorite movies! Hurrah! That was a complete shock and surprise because that is also one of my all time favorite movies and over the years I have asked people if they had ever seen it and nobody ever has. Like, they think I dreamed it or something. Well, I am so excited to find the other person on earth who saw and loved the movie!

Must get to work for now. More later.
xo

Sneeze, Cough, Choke

The weekend was okay. I sent three paintings with my sister to sell at a flea market. One of them sold...I was more than excited until I found out it was purchased by my other sister. I am flattered she liked it but family liking it just isn't the same as a random stranger liking it. I had such a boost of confidence at first.

My husband gave me a sulky attitude (quite unusual!) when I told him we needed to pick up an armoire from my sister's house on Sunday. Well, that hurt me a little since it is not like him to act that way. He didn't refuse to do it, but I don't like that he was so cranky about it. Pissed me off a little.

My sisters, especially the eldest are kinda cranky and mean with my mom and she is cranky and mean back and she and I are the same way but they are only with her minutes a month whereas we interact daily. I just don't know what has happened to us all. I am bitter and don't want to be bothered, that is for sure. Nothing seems happy and all is not what it SHOULD have been. Can Eckhart Tolle help? I need to read the book of his that I have and find out.

One

Well, I started this blog forever ago but promptly forgot about it. I am going to try to figure this thing out (after all, I used to be a livejournal expert) so hopefully I will be posting often.