I came home today at 4pm to find that the landscapers had been here and was clearing the back yard.
It was nice to see an open space again- but never really remembered the things (i.e. junk) which were left behind.
Here are some OLD photos of the back yard...

Ah! Before the studio and after the pool!

And today all of these bushes were removed.
Some had died off and where full of thorns and ivy.

With some simple cleaning, grass seed, and a few trips to the dump, the yard will be lovely again.

Ahh and the first rose of the season!
xox

HA! Goodness it is funny to look at these again- now. I used to think they were really detailed and good... but as time passes and I keep drawing, I see these are nothing more than just sort of... well... Bad! Not as good as I once thought. I guess that is progress- right?
And now these are you know:

Are my more recent things- but soon... maybe these will look the same way as the other old ones...
Who knows- ALL I do know is- practice makes perfect... or at least makes me get better- I hope.
GIVE ME A REASON TO DRAW! Ha!
xox

 
Well- I joined a gym today!
I can't tell you how good I feel about doing this! Okay- I will... I feel great! Ha!

After hemming and hawing about my "condition" (i.e. being out of shape)- I knew that I needed to just shut up and get back to working out.
I mean- I loved it when I was at the office working.
 
So I did look around at some local places on line, asked some questions of others who had gym memberships and finally decided to look into the Y.
Strange how things fall into place sometimes...
 
This particular Y just opened in Perryhall, in the shopping center near the Starbucks I go to on Friday nights. The best part of this is that it is brand new! It opened about a month ago maybe? It smells great, the equipment is fancy and practically unused. It is a nice sized facility. AND so far, not to many people even know about it! And beyond all of this, this weekend was a 75% off joining fee! So I only had to pay $25 to join and will pay $49 monthly unlimited access. Not too shabby for me. Eventually I might even take some free classes too as they offer step, pilaties, body sculpt, cycle, etc... Even Yoga for $55 for 6 weeks.

Anyway...

It was nice to commit to this.

I will feel better.

I am sure I reached a wall with my weight loss.
Even doing this Atkins Induction for 2 weeks I have only lost 3 pounds and honestly, I am not even sure it was worth it. I know I can eat smart, but with all the restrictions in the world is not going to change the fact that I am not toned and far from strong. I miss having endurance. LETS FACE IT- Fluffy is Fluffy and I don't like Fluffy!

So I am going to start on Monday mornings and make it a part of my schedule each and every day. I fear that if I don't do this each day, I am going to slack off and make too many excuses to put it off. WISH me LUCK- because this whole thing is not so very easy for me.

I am sure I am going to manage to take photos and have you join me for my adventures into my world of fitness...

Okay- now back to my iced tea and cheese & cherries!
xox

 
It is time for me to paint the front porch. It is time and well... I am actually looking forward to it in a way.

I am changing the color to a moody-mushroomy-purple color- replacing the blue color.
I think after this, I will paint the front door a lovely deep dark Chinese Red color.
It is time for a change in colors.

It will give the front of the house a nice fresh look for sure.
Here are some photos from today!

SIGH
So I needed to stop and write for a few minutes before I being to tackle one of the biggest issues of my life...
HA! Sounds HUGE when I put it like that- but it actually is something which I have known about and have been in a bit of denial for some time.
I tend to buy too much without much feeling. I have too much stuff in my life. It is overflowing with clutter of nothingness.
If it all disappeared today I would not even care- because I do not even know WHAT I own!
I am embarrassed and ashamed.
It has been nagging at me for a long time and all I do is stack up another Tupperware in the basement and forget.

Well...

Today I make a change. Or so I hope.
I am going to tackle the first 21 containers of clothes which I have been holding onto since I moved into this house. (There are a few more things in an upstairs closet and I suspect there are more things still hiding in containers in other places-Uugh!)
I never throw anything away really. I hold onto crap out of guilt.

But you know.
I am tired of feeling like my life is out of control.
I think it is time to really account for all of these things in my life.

No no- I mean- we all have sides of this in our lives in some degree or another perhaps? It is just that, well... I am feeling restless. I can not relax when I am in this house. I feel like it is an extension of my whole life. Too scattered. Too chaotic. I love order. Even if it is some weird kind of Jane Order... it still means it is under control.

Ahhh... it is time to sort things out in life.

So after something to eat and drink... I will do this.
Tomorrow I shall begin to take these things to the thrift store and be done with it.

It will be good.
It has to be.

More later...
xox

Another day of rain here in Baltimore. Ahh nothing like the sounds of the sump-pump going off in the basement every 3 minutes. Strangely- it is a good thing that it is going off-but after a while it gets old. Well- all of it is getting old.

This really has been a weird Spring. Mostly chilly, rainy, gray... with a strange weekend of 90º days a few weekends back? AND just not here... if seems odd across the board. Oh well...

Uuugh- I am done with it.

I felt pretty productive since I got back form teaching Art & Soul in Virginia. I really had a great time there.

Everyone was just so darn lovely. The whole event just had such an easy enjoyable vibe to it. There was one entire room set up to sell supplies and I must admit, I managed to peek in several times! Sometimes big events can get so busy, crazy, hectic... and I tend to get overwhelmed, but here it was all about the classes.

Ahhh... and so on the return trip- the boy and I stopped off in Williamsburg for the day. We honeymooned there in the summer of 1996. It was all we could afford at the time. I wouldn't have traded that for the world! (Ok-well... maybe a tropical island might be nice? Haa!)

Anyway... despite the rain, it was a lovely time. I am always so impressed with the construction of the homes in Williamsburg.

I also love how the moss grows on the rooftops. We went into shop after shop filled with toilet waters, soaps, little toys and games, pewter cups, and tin whistles. It makes me want to live like that, with simple things, pretty things... even less lighting! Ha!

We moved onto lunch when we were caught in a rainstorm. Huddled on a porch and waited for our names to be called.

Noticed this little cat in his hiding place, protected from the rain.

We got in and sat down at a crooked old wooden table with miss matched chairs. Everything was illuminated by bees wax candles, even during the day. The waitresses were dressed in colonial attire. The food choices were simple. I had a turkey sandwich and shared a desert of rum cake. I am sure I had the best fresh brewed iced tea ever. Ahhh...

From here we moved on and outside where the rain had stopped for a little while and the sun burned down strong. It made everything steamy. Looking at the sky however I knew we only had a short time before those huge fluffy white storm clouds would give way to more rain, so we headed back to the car.
 
We reached home by 8pm at night.

One of the things I notice when I get home from events like this is the "Flushing of the energy and emotions". Everything is so intense and I am running around so much that all of this energy is bound to come to a crashing halt! What I did this time is to quickly get my supplies unpacked and set back up so I could get right outside to the studio and get working. This way, I didn't have too much down time to sit around and wonder what to do and where to start... Uuugh- that part is hard. Darn pendulum swinging back and forth...

Ha! Don't get me wrong- I still feel a little drained and yet filled with all of these ideas and projects which need my attention- such as- finally setting up my bed frame which I have not set up in about 6 months, the light in the old dinning room is still in a box, I have about 3 more dressers which need assembling, I have tupperware of clothes which one day will actually find a home, the front porch needs scrapping and painting along with the edge of the driveway. It needs planting too. That basement needs cleaning, and the floors need painting. Then there is the rest of everything- like the back steps which need redoing, the new patio needs to go in at some point, we need to build the pillars for the front porch and get rid of that damn iron railing. Along with everything else like laundry, and dishes, and making art, and all that stuff which need framing.

Overwhelming?
Sure... once you can look at it and see it in front of you- it can be attacked! AND so I am going to attack it one by one. Ahhh...

Then maybe I will have a place to live which resembles something like an adults home. Maybe!

Okay- enough of this denial- I need to get cracking on the basement and the laundry!
More later.
xox

Strange how things just sort of have a way of "HAPPENING". About 2 weeks ago, I had a dream about a little orange-ish kitten. Sure enough a few days later- I notice a Titter from my friend Annie who put out a Notice- that there a lovely girl who was looking after a Momma Cat who had 4 little ones and they were in need of a home. I went and peeked at a link to a video of these little dumplings and knew right away- that this was meant to be. I am going to go visit them on Thursday. I can take one of these sweet ones- but there are 3 more and the Momma- If she can not find a home for them- I am going to suggest that she take them to Defenders of Animal Rights- a local No-Kill shelter! It is where I have gone to get my other kitties- a brilliant place! If you happen to be local- and can help with giving one of these darlings a home- let me know. In the meantime- take a peek! It think this is the one who will be a part of my home soon...

 
Lunch with dad at El Salto!

Fesenjan on rice at House of Kabob

The appetizer- herbs, onions, walnuts, cheese, radishes, bread, and my mast o khiar!

Enjoying a final cup of coffee and a treat...
What a day of food it seemed! (Ha! I have left overs)