Sunday, May 3, 2015

Just a Lazy Weekend in the 'Hood

Glorious sunshine. Warmer temperatures. Nesting birds. Spring is here!

Love that a zoom can get me closer to Kate's nested robin!
My neighborhood is looking good! Lots of blossoms and flowering trees, daffodils and some tulips, grass that needs mowing. Yes, I think spring is here to stay.


Sweetie and Tippy, the neighbor's dogs, are barking up a storm -- they've just been let out and the day is happy for them. Tippy looks like the dog-Lizzie -- the same markings and the same inclination to chase things (and not bring them back). The difference is that Tippy is none to fond of people not her own, so I give her a wide berth and don't stick my hand over the fence, though I'm dying to bury my face in her soft fur. Sweetie is the barker, but a happy one. All she wants is to be loved and pet so yes, the hand goes over the fence with happiness!

You caption this one!
 And Lizzie? Well, her one track mind follows the food -- unless, of course, it is watching the birds or in sleep mode. She's had her taste of spring on the leash -- not aerobic, but good for grins on a nice day.

My Garden Warrior came last week and did quite a number on getting the yard ready for the season. Two loads of mulch and a full truck load of yard waste when all was said and done. The daffs are up, the tulips nearly in bloom and I'm seeing the hostas and lilies of the valley begin to sprout up from the ground. I have a lot of shade here and things seem slower than down the street at Chez Rick. What that basically means is that lilies of the valley will last longer as mine will kick in as his depart.

Mark, the Garden Warrior

My WKAR projects wrapped up and I've one more final report to finish and submit and that one will be relatively easy. The other one took longer than I thought but I have to say when I mailed the packet in that I was pretty impressed with the quantity and quality of the work done on the project. I feel I can say that without boasting because the design work, the web work, the social media was done in large part by others. I just did some writing and editing. Our cancer panel of physicians was excellent and I'm attaching a link here to their presentation and Q&A for those who might be interested. It is universal info, not local, so it may be of interest to some.

Four very talented men: Costume designer Daniel Hobbs, lighting designer Shannon Schweitzer, director Deric McNish and dramaturg Daniel Smith.

The looser schedule means more fun time. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was taking a short (two session) class related to the musical "Hair." Our university theatre was doing the show so we had a pre-show class with the dramaturg and several actors. That put things into historical context (and quite the history it was!), then we saw the production last weekend. The final class included the dramaturg, director, lighting and costume designers. Fascinating to get their perspective on building the show from the very beginning -- what went into their costume, set and lighting designs, how the director worked with the actors. Now I wish I could see the play again!

Meanwhile, the Ditch is in its full glory. And yes, Harry is back. We'll take a springtime walk there next time!


A birthday outing in Grand Rapids, tea with a friend, a calendar filling up with things like book club and fundraising gala meetings and more lunches. This re-connection to the world is making me almost giddy with happiness.

And yes, books have been read. A Sarah Caudwell mystery ("The Sirens Sang a Song of Murder"), another Maggie Hope mystery ("The Prime Minister's Secret Agent"), A so-so and disappointing Peter Mayle caper book ("Chasing Cezanne') and "Without Reservations," a wonderful travel memoir by Alice Steinbach. Time for art? Of course! My art journal is slowly filling up!

gouache, papers, napkin bits, gesso.

And of course "Wolf Hall" and "Call the Midwife" I've also watched "The Voice" for the first time because a local guy is now in the top six -- Joshua Davis. If you are following the series and want to see him in an earlier performance with his group "Steppin' In It" from WKAR's BackStage Pass, take a look!

Just big smiles around here these days. Long awaited, big happy smiles!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

How wonderful. Those photos bespeak of joy, I think.

Gwen said...

Absolutely stunning bird-in-nest photo, in particular! You (and others) have really inspired me...

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Spring has sprung here as well! I have been out and about a lot over the last couple of days and have been marveling and ooh'ing and ahh'ing at the beautiful trees that are flowering and the tulips that are beginning to bloom. Phil's lilies of the valley are in the shade as well so are a little bit slow to bloom but I think in the next week they will be beautiful!

Congrats on wrapping up your work project - I will have to listen to the panel and Q&A. And that class that you took on Hair sounds really fun and interesting!

Barb said...

I can feel your happiness, Jeanie - it's contageous! I think I need a Mark! Glad to see Harry is back and spring has sprung for you.

Jenny Woolf said...

Wow! your art is beautiful and that absolutely fantastic photo of the bird... I am impressed! I am so glad that Spring has finally reached you. It was bound to happen :)

Jenny Woolf said...

Wow! your art is beautiful and that absolutely fantastic photo of the bird... I am impressed! I am so glad that Spring has finally reached you. It was bound to happen :)

Esme said...

Lizzie, is just eyeing that food. I love the blossoms and your artwork is great.

shoreacres said...

Are those beautiful pink blossoms flowering almond? That always was one of my favorites in spring -- even more beautiful than apple and cherry blossoms, nice as though those are.

I just spotted your "Keep calm" poster in the sidebar. I saw a new iteration yesterday, when I got behind a local restaurant truck that said, "Keep calm and cater on!" My very favorite one is the version that looks exactly the same, graphically, but says, "I Can't Keep Calm. I'm Italian." :-)

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Well, I have a huge smile on my face here! teeeeeee that cat...watching RICK! And RICK, watching that cat! And the robin (we have many and one is nesting in our yard and I call her Mrs. Robinson).

We had perfect weather yesterday until a hail storm came uninvited! WOW did that scare the you-know-what out of us!

Enjoy another lovely day my friend! Anita

Anonymous said...

Hi Jeanie! Oh, sounds like a very busy and lovely time at your house! I'm sure your yard is looking gorgeous and can't wait for you to show it to us. Oh, that bird is so beautiful! I do miss the shore birds from the Texas Gulf Coast. I'm getting some little tulips opening up here and I love it. Hope you have a beautiful week.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

psychelyn said...

Very glad to know that spring has sprung beautifully in your area. Love those 2 first pictures.

I see that your "lazy" weekend has been very interesting :) especially updates bout your project and the "hair"! You never run out of productivity. I so admire you for that.

caption:
Lizzie: I'm gonna tell Momma Jeannie you finished the pie ... not sharing to me! :)

Joanne Huffman said...

This blog entry makes me feel like I've just had a very pleasant visit with you. I enjoyed catching up with all that you're doing (and have done).

~*~Patty S said...

Wonderful nature photos Jeanie.
Spring never ceases to amaze...there is a point when you wonder "will it ever come!!!" and then pow everything comes back to life.
It is one of my favorite times of the year.
Your journal page is wonderful...so rich and layered ~♥~
I am a big fan of Wolf Hall and Call the Midwife too.
Happy May!
oxo

Sally Wessely said...

Goodness, you've been busy. This post was bubbling over with springtime enthusiasm. I loved reading it because it inspired me to get out there and enjoy life again not that I'm feeling better.

Henry looks quite dapper. As far as the captions goes: "You're not getting any." I love the look on Rick's face. Happy Spring! Keep that spring in your step.

anno said...

Gorgeous gorgeous pictures, Jeanie! It's hard to resist saying "Yippeee! Spring is here!" these days -- and it looks like you are hitting it full throttle. So wise, don't miss any opportunity for a good time. It's wonderful to see your artwork again -- your use of color and sense of composition continue to evolve in the loveliest ways. So happy for you, friend. Happy spring!

Kitty said...

Sounds like a wonderful weekend after a busy week. Just what is a dramaturg? That is a new term for me. Enjoy your lily of the valley. It doesn't grow down here! Love to all of you.

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

How great to be both laid back and busy! (Thanks for the link! I really found that cancer series interesting and look forward to the discussion.) Love the picture of Lizzie and Rick!! You had a birthday recently?? I've been so distracted by my sister's illness that I haven't kept up with reading (or writing) blog posts. Happy belated birthday, Jeanie!

Bella Rum said...

Wonderful photos. Spring has sprung here, too. The neighborhood is beautiful. Everything is bursting. I've never seen our yard and flowers look more beautiful. I think it's outdoing itself for us because we're leaving.

The Artful Diva said...

I love the look on RIck's face! Lizzie better think twice before she goes for his sandwich.

Victoria Zigler said...

Sounds very pleasant at your place right now! :)

bj said...

You are a busy bee...love all your photos...

Becca said...

Sounds like you finished up those work projects just in time! It’s funny, I’ve been doing the same kind of things for my old job - writing and editing for marketing and social media. But my projects are in a holding pattern right now, so I’ve got some more time on my hands too - just in time for spring! Yay!
Two concerts this weekend, and then life will be fairly quiet. I’m looking forward to it.

Arti said...

Your hood is so lively and colourful! Harry looks so tame, and the blossoms and birds, all gifts of spring. Glad too that your project is well-done. On another note: I've discovered National Theatre Live! That's a screen documenting a live Nat. Theatre performance. I missed Skylight :( but not too late to experience others. Will write more about it maybe email to you. Or a future blog post.

Marilyn Miller said...

The blossoms are amazing. Hoping and crossing my fingers for Joshua. Your art journal is wonderful. Good wishes sent as you finish up the job.

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