Spring is doing its best to enter my world. It's still colder and less sunny than I wish but the daffs have buds (please, please -- no more ice!) and on occasion, a sunny day! The gloomy ones have their charms -- they give me time to paint!
On a recent bright, blue-sky day I went to the nearby town of Owosso to see the art show my friend Kate's lino group.
There was a tremendous amount of really fabulous art and I could never salute it all. Each piece was printed but using a variety of backgrounds -- cloth, paper of all kinds. Artist Cindy Lounsbury did a series of dreses -- this one was on pattern paper.
There was a bit of other art there too (these were from local artist and one of my former instructors, Barb Hranilovich.)
Needless to say, I left with something. Well, I didn't leave with it -- but come summer, this will be at the cottage!
Owosso is a charming small town and its biggest claim to fame is that it was the home of author James Oliver Curwood, whose home, Curwood Castle, is open to the public. I didn't go in today but will make a return visit.
That evening Rick and I enjoyed the season opening episode of "Call the Midwife." It's one of the most beautifully written programs on television (PBS -- and if you have the PBS app or Passport you can catch up and even work ahead on episodes!)
I was up early the next morning to deliver Rick to the dentist for a wisdom tooth removal. Fortunately, it was neither impacted nor complicated. The patient is fully recovered, back on the bike and doing well.
I've been working on a puzzle for a couple of weeks, off and on. What do you think was the subject?
Got it yet?
Yes! The world of Agatha Christie! I finished it up, finding all the clues that represent her various books, travels and interests. (Did you know that she liked to surf?) It's a terrific puzzle.
I may have found all the clues but I'm still missing one piece. Right now the main suspect is Lizzie.
I went down to Brighton to University of Michigan's back clinic to see if they can figure out why I can't walk up steps without pain and have trouble walking. They think it's a tendon-related issue in the leg so when I finish shoulder PT next week it will be back to work on the legs. I feel like they should invite me to next year's staff Christmas party, I've been there so often. (Not complaining. Grateful.) And, did I mention, spring is here. Doubly grateful.
The dreaded tree butchers have been working on neighborhood trees, clearing them from power lines and usually doing an abysmal job in the "beautifying the neighborhood" category.
The other day there were seven huge trucks on my street and yes, guys in my yard and in those of all the neighbors. They took down a dead tree in my yard and we had some "discussions" about what NOT to do. All is well, at least so far.
I've been doing Sketchbook Revival this week (there is still time to join in if you want to get some free online tutorial/workshops that will be available till mid-April). I'll have more to share on that and another class I'm doing online soon but here's my first project.
And in the evenings? Enjoying some fun TV -- "Beyond Paradise," "Shetland," "Vera" and "Cunk on Britain," among other things. Right now, nothing on Kanopy is working, which is a pity because I have a great watchlist and if I have to re-sign up, I fear losing it.
And, coming up in the next post -- an adventure in lemons with good friends!
Oh yes, And Easter is coming!
The bunnies have begun to appear!
61 comments:
Entertaining excellent post , as usual. I most certainly would not want to come back to another life as a tree cutter! Dangerous work, trees, dead ones, are very hard. Your puzzle ! Well done , you! that would have put me in a mental institution. Cunk on Britain- Cunk on anything makes my day- Brilliant.
You have inspired me to get out my sketch pad. Spring energizes.
What lovely irides!
Jeanie, your puzzle looks like so much fun! I don't know how you fit all your fun escapades into the week. The art show looks amazing; and the cat print fabulous. Have a great weekend!(oh the bunny escaping the gardener is precious!)
Curwood Castle looks majestic!
I'm never without lemons at home. Such an useful fruit!
Hopefully that one puzzle piece turns up soon.
It sounds like you're having a good March. Since we know March can be a tough month and not always very exciting. But you've been busy. I love the fish art you bought. It's right for a lake house. And I love the Agatha Christie puzzle. How fun. Hopefully the doctors can get your walking squared away. Not having pain is a good goal, and hopefully they can get that squared away. Have a lovely weekend, and let's think sun and spring. hugs-Erika
The art work here is impressive! What talent! I love Cunk on anything too.
I love your bunnies in the first picture and your iris too.
The lino art is wonderful. I think I would have been tempted by the one with the dress and the pattern in the background. So perfect for a former patternmaker, don't you think?
So glad Ricks dental work went smoothly and he is back on the bike.
And indeed Easter is coming soon. I have a menu planned and a table cloth sitting in waiting, but that is it for now. Oh a few trinkets to put in plastic eggs for one egg hunt for one 10 year old boy.
Your irises are gorgeous! I'm pretty sure that just meditating on that color of purple could provide some large measure of pain relief.
Thanks, too, for the dose of art from the show you visited. The cat print is charming, and I wish for the kind of wit that comes up with the idea for a dress printed on pattern paper.
And I hope you find some relief soon for your shoulder & back/tendon woes. It's terrible to be so confined/constrained. Also, the weather is getting better, and all your feathered friends will miss the chance to pose for you.
Have a great weekend, friend!
That puzzle! Yikes! I'll stick to my crosswords and Wordle for now...
That's my kind of puzzle! I love the ones with a ton of detail like that.
We like the same kind of shows! I haven't seen a couple of those but they are on my list. Lizzie is a likely suspect. ;)
Glad the dentist went well for the hubby. I hope they can help you with both the shoulder and your leg!!
Cutting down trees is dangerous work. Somebody has got to do it, but they certainly do leave scars in their wake.
I've been watching Sketchbook Revival every day...wishing I could participate. Any energy I have is going to things on my to-do list first, but I am enjoying the classes. Your irises are gorgeous! Bunny is cute, too. Did you paint that?
Always fun to have a blog visit with you! :)
Oh, I hope you find the missing puzzle piece. The art show looks wonderful and the castle is a must visit and post! Tree cutters have a dangerous job! Happy Weekend!
What a colorful post 😊 loved the puzzle. Very interesting 👌
Absolutely love the first pic - the cats and your happy friend!
Oh, poor Rick! I had all 4 removed, one per week. And another dentist said, it was unnecessary...
I had a tough month back then. Great he recovered so quickly.
Quite a puzzle! Oh, but sad about the missing piece!
Hope you´re all fit for the season soon! Watercolor... I must try again...
That castle looks amazing! And the printing show. I love all the different things you can do with printing. I tried wallpaper once. It was not perfectly aligned enough to use on the wall but fun to create an overall pattern out of the individual components of the design.
They did a great job at the dangerous place.
Hello,
I love your flowers and bunny art. I hope you are able to find out why that pain is happening. The puzzle looks fun! The fish print will be perfect for the cottage at the lake. Love the ducks and all the art. I have been binge watching Vera, now I will have to find a new series to start watching. Have a happy weekend.
Spring isn’t zactly springing. Yesterday was nice enough although windy, but we are under some sort of weather advisory today.
Love the art and what you chose for the lake house, Jeanie. I bet whatever medium was used on that tissue-like pattern paper was difficult!
I was mesmerized by that Lounsbury dress. It would have been fun to see and maybe even buy if I could afford it. I might even be able to make something like it myself. I like the turrets on that castle. I also like the decorative chimney.
Not in a hundred years would I have guessed that was a Agatha Christie puzzle. Sorry you can't find the one piece. I hope it turns up.
Our electric company changed hands and they IMMEDIATELY hired arborists who knew what they were doing around trees and power lines. I have to admire their attitude, because they have gotten good reviews from the new tree surgeons.
I signed up for Sketchbook Revival, but I don't paint, so always leave unfulfilled. Of course, when Karen sends me an e-mail, I always respond.
Believe it or not, I have never seen the Midwife. And yes, I can't live without my Passport. I want to see Beyond Paradise. I understand it is on either Acorn or BritBox. And og course, we are losing Doc Martin on PBS even before they show the final season.
Easter will be hopping here before we know it. LOVE your art, dear.
Lots of beautiful art, wow! I hate those tree cutters, I cringe when I see them here. That's a great jigsaw puzzle, never seen an Agatha Christie one. And last but not least, I love your fish! Stay well, hugs, Valerie
Sounds like you're having a pretty good March.
Yes, Lizzie does seem like a likely suspect. Whether you prove her guilt or not, I hope you find the missing piece of the puzzle.
Glad the dentist went well, and hope someone can figure out - and help with - the pain and walking issues.
You are always so busy with wonderful things. Wonderful art. Good luck figuring out your pain. Glad the dentist went well and he is back biking.
Cathy
Tree trimmers is an affront to the term. Tree butchers would be more accurate. I shudder when I see them.
“The Mystery of the Missing Puzzle Piece” is a curious title, and I enjoyed your little mystery story. The not-quite-complete image of Agatha Christie among the clues came out neat. What fun. I hope you find a solution to the back pain.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
A post rich in art..and hope:) I recognized you painting pal immediately.Your cottage Paintpal:)Au contraire de Paypal:)We still have feet of snow.. I keep repeating myself.We drove into MTL..there is no snow there.It's amazing what living in the country does to your landscape..
Hope you get your leg going again.I have had pinched nerves.. and ohmygosh one took two yrs to leave my side.But it did.I like things that can heal..
We have a yearly tre trimmer..In my area the trees are large like yours over 100 yrs..and to keep them alive they need to breathe.I admire their effortless tree climbing .Thanks for the CTM reminder.
Uncharacteristically I got hooked on Mayor of Kingstown.I love Jeremy Renner in this.Don't watch..tons of violence.But I got hooked.. State of Michigan(fictitious)..and penitentiary scenes shot in Kingston Ontario.Maybe other scenes.Bon weekend.
I'm hoping spring will have a solid footing when I get back to Michigan next weekend. Good luck on the physical therapy (aging is NOT for sissies). Always love seeing your art. I will have to check out Owosso sometime.
Quite an interesting blog. Full of fun things in your life. I love the puzzle, sorry about missing piece. It will show up eventually but Lizzie isn’t talking😜. Free dead tree is a good thing. Didn’t cost you money to do it…. Hope you get good help with your back.
Take care of you❤️. Love…..
That fish piece is nice! perfect for a summer place. What a cool puzzle. I'm glad the pt is helping. I thought our utility company hired the most clueless tree butchers, but y'all may give us a run for the money. The iris is our state flower. Yours are so pretty! I'm thoroughly enjoying Beyond Paradise and have loved Shetland and Vera. Our local library doesn't access Kanopy, which is so strange. I keep meaning to ask them...
What a wonderful chat today! I adore your iris paintings. Our daffodils have come and gone already, and it is going to get colder again this week. Other things are budding, and I hope they aren't damaged. I have three lemons in the refrigerator, just waiting for a delicious idea.
I watched the new Call the Midwife as well. I love that series so much! Hmmmm, I wonder where miss Lizzie has hidden that puzzle piece? Enjoy your painting time. We are getting lots of rain today, so hopefully much of our snow will be gone soon. I'm curious about those lemons. -Jenn
That puzzle is amazing! I love that you are having a bit better weather. The art show looks interesting
So many fun projects and I loved all the art...clearly I won't be doing anything for awhile, but this was a fun romp through so many different media...NUM! Sandi
Lovely artwork. Such a beautiful puzzle, I haven 't worked a puzzle in years. I hope you find some relief for your pain. Tree butchers are always around. happy spring!
Easter, no kidding!
I quite like your print! I haven't been to a show in ages.
Glad hubby is doing well.
Sounds like you have been very active. Hope physical therapy helps. I find that time and rest do wonders for me. If the tree cutters can remove trees touching power lines, then I am all for it. Yes, do remove dead trees, too. Why not?
Nice art and what a great puzzle subject. My wife is a huge Agatha Christie fan. Have a great weekend!
Do make time for Curwood Castle sometime but wait until you can walk stairs better. As I remember they are very steep and curvy to the top. I got half way up and turned around.
Love the fish artwork! Good choice! Power companies are always overzealous about pruning trees, so I'm glad you kept them reined in.
Love all the art! And that puzzle, so fun! Hope you are on your way to feeling better!!!…pain not good. Enjoy your weekend, V.
A lovely post ...
That Agatha Christie puzzle looks amazing.
Enjoy your weekend.
All the best Jan
That Lizzie! I don't suppose the words fetch will work for a cat? I hope your last piece turns up soon! Lovely to see your artwork as always (and your new fish)
You'd make a fun guest at the PT's Christmas party, ask them to get you back dancing pain-free and you'll bring the mince pies :)
Here's to sunny days!
Wren x
oh those watercolors up top -
LOVE!!!!
i leave here inspired this evening, friend.
Love the fun Agatha Christie puzzle.
The castle is enchanting.
Your irises are gorgeous.
Hugs and blessings, Jeanie.
Nice to read and see that you were able to get out to the exhibit, Jeanie, especially reading later about the back and leg discomforts. Hope you will find out the reason and then be able to work on more mobility. We also watched several episodes of Call the Midwife, season 12, on PBS and it is definitely one of the best shows and we will be sad when it finally ends as all good things do in time. Also Beyond Paradise with Kris Marshall is such fun. The purple irises you showed are lovely and in my favorite color too.
Your painting of the iris flowers is beautiful. You're so creative. I am wishing you lots more bright days and flowers. Think spring!
Fun post..you are a very busy lady..glad you are finding time to paint..I'm not sure how!!
The art show looks interesting...Cute dress.
Nice looking castle..Small??
I stopped doing puzzles..too hard on the neck and shoulders.
PT seems to go along with aging..I have difficulty walking due to Spinal Stenosis..Not going to get better...only worse..can't wait..
Your Iris is lovely..
The bunnies are doing their damage helped by the deer..Have a wonderful week..
After what we went through with our ice storm, most tree lovers in the state -- at least the ones who'd argued for years for beauty over utility -- are ready to revise their expectations a bit. I read that fully a third of Austin's trees were damaged or destroyed in that storm. Prevention, meet pound of cure! At least your guys sound like they were careful, and somewhat responsive. We just had a professional crew come through my complex, and they did a great job thinning and trimming. The only unhappy ones now are the squirrels and birds who lost their nesting sites. They'll find new ones.
Love the fish! It will look great at the cottage. Maybe by that time you'll be walking and etc.without pain!
I hope PT goes well for you. Love the artwork and your irises. We had horrible winds yesterday and I missed the northern Lights by one evening at my moms. Darn. Janice
So much goodness.
The piece you bought is perfect for your cottage! Love it!
I am working on a puzzle, too, but it is SO HARD! It's an Eiffel Tower scene with blue sky and trees on either side of the ET. Everything looks the same so it's tough to do. I have all the sky done and am working on the trees next. I got it for $5 when a store was closing downtown. I'll be glad when the hardest parts are behind me!
Yay for daffodil buds. We are far from that stage here. It has been more mild lately with temps in the 30s-low 40s but still feels pretty cold since we still have a lot of snow on the ground!
That looks like a fun puzzle.
I did a classon linocuts in college. I live the dress one.
Your chicks are so cute.
How fun to go to an art show. I like the picture you chose. Dan had two wisdoms removed and all went well. They are more efficient at doing that procedure. The puzzle looks so entertaining. I can’t imagine Agatha Christie being a surfer! I know what you mean about the tree trimmers, sometimes they really makes things look worse. We got snow on Saturday and a lot, spring is a still trying to spring here!
My bunnies are out too. I love springtime!
My body and I are having a conversation about many things now. Sigh.
So many good things in this post Jeanie. Love the fish artwork and the sculptures. That's great about Rick's tooth. I had a big back one (molar?) taken out last year which got infected - uurrgh... Love your own artwork there - such pretty flowers. And yes Call the midwife is a lovely show.
cheers
sherry
Hurray for the arrival of spring!
I couldn't resist picking up some of that art either. It's lovely.
I need to bring my drawing things along to Galveston tomorrow and stop and do a little work after my writing class. You've inspired me.
That puzzle is amazing!! How fun!!!
Oo Owosso! Curwood Castle is on my list as well. We went to Owosso last fall to pick up two geckos from Josh's Frogs. It looked like a cute little place to visit!
I hope your back feels better soon!
Sorry about your walking issues, I hope the PT helps! I'm not fond of seeing trees butchered either, but I certainly do love power! I love to do jigsaw puzzles too, but I've been doing them online lately, lots of fun and you don't need a big space :) Glad you're getting to do lots of art, I haven't been doing much lately, today is the day I am going to get back to it! I hope Spring continues to warm up and bloom for you soon!
Jenna
Love the piece you bought for the cottage!Oh, those tree butchers! They don't go into our yard, fortunately, but they do a number in the front of the house. It's horrible! I think Call The Midwife is one of the best shows ever. The writing is exquisite, and the music, too. I'll be catching up on those new episodes soon.
You certainly have been busy. I've purchased a few puzzles over the last year. I started one but put it away so I could use the table, lol. Your Agatha Christie puzzle looks wonderful. I like the PBS show you mentioned but don't often watch it. I also watch movies now and then on Kanopy. Enjoy the spring.
What a cool puzzle! I love Agatha Christie!
I can't believe how far behind I am on reading blogs. Sometimes, life just "gets in the way". I love "Call the Midwife" and need to catch up on that. I used to watch it together with my daughter, but since she has moved to other side of the world I haven't watched it anymore. I do have the PBS passport, so I will try to take some time for that.
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