It has been a full, fun couple of weeks, by and large. We are on the threshold of summer (although our weather is so erratic it is sometimes hard to tell!). But that hasn't stopped some walks, theatre, basement work, painting and more.
Even the thing that I thought might be a major problem -- oil under the car -- revealed no leaks or problems. Apparently I had driven over a puddle of oil (with oil?) and it dribbled down. No charge for the check up. And, it was a nice day, so the walk home from the mechanic was pleasant!
Another batch of donations was delivered to our local theatre for their rummage sale. Most of the basement is done, apart from probably another bag or two of junk, a bit of recycling, and selling my harp. I do have some things to go through -- old photos, magazines and such -- but those are all contained and can wait a bit.
Our university's theatre annual Friends annual board meeting and dinner was also last week, and I was delighted to receive an invitation, along with other past board members. It was fun to gather with old friends. After, we saw the tech/dress rehearsal of their current outdoor summer musical, called "Title of Show."
It may have been a rehearsal but it went off without a hitch. The voices were terrific, the music good, and the script fun and light -- perfect for a summer's evening.
I've done a bit of painting -- again, all challenges for sketchbook work. (The color challenge on this was ochre, light blue, scarlet and dark blue. All the colors had their "official names but I don't remember them now!)
I really have to start doing bigger pieces but I've been having fun trying to work more freely (versus from my photos). The color challenge for this was saffron, purple, viridian and light blue.
This is hard for me so I guess the practice is important. And fun, too. (The challenge was two shades of blue and two of green. We can add white and black or another neutral.)
And this is my favorite. I loved doing the funky fish in denim, light blue, beige and sap green!
Physical therapy appointments wrapped up for the summer. Now it's up to me to keep walking, doing my home program and (when I get north) swimming.
Isn't this a handsome fellow? Spotted in the garden yesterday! (Also spotted at 5 a.m. -- a lovely doe enjoying quite the feast of sweet peas as she munched on Audrey Two. So much for an array of pretty pink flowers on that bush!)
In the walking zone, it was back to the Ditch. Our ducklings are getting bigger, close to full size and almost at their adult color.
It such fun to see them in the spring -- and harder to see them growing up!
Meanwhile, pretty much everything I own garden-wise is in pots, readying for their journey to the lake.
I'm especially happy that my pansies are still doing well and the geraniums look full and happy! The basil and other herbs are coming on and I look forward to loads of herby eggs, pesto and caprese salads as summer moves on.
And a special treat -- my cousin David stopped by on his way home from the lake for an overnight. We hadn't seen each other since last summer and it was good to catch up!
After David left, I took off to join Rick in Detroit. We spent the weekend staying with the grands and had a terrific time! More on that later -- this is long enough!
Have a wonderful week!
Sharing with: Saturday's Critters / Love Your Creativity / Talking About It Tuesdays / Will Blog for Comments / Share Your Style
61 comments:
I am sure that painting has great therapeutic value apart from other satisfactions, Jeanie, and congratulations on the shot of the female Wood Duck. And your dragonfly is a female Common Whitetail.
Your denim fishes are marvelous. The center one has the air of a great king.
...I would love to be able to paint, it's best that I stick with my camera.
You have an active and very full calendar! Seeing cousins and the grands is always wonderful - family is the best. I know you'll be going up north soon. Looking forward to your photos.
I love your artwork- so beautiful. How fun to part of a theater group- it's a wonderful experience- so nice you were invited back to be with your old friends! I adore pansies but by the time I return from Florida in beginning of June it's a little too late to plant them bc they really don't like It hot! So lovely how you have all your pots ready to go to the lake. Does sound like you had a great week!!
All that oil and no issues--whew! Who knew you could splash up that much oil under your car?
Donations! Always feels so good to give things a second home. :)
Musical, cousin catch-up, and art! I love your color challenges. What fun!
And of course, the ducks...and pretty dragonfly. I do miss seeing the critters every day, Jeanie.
You have many interesting hobbies. Your painting and your social groups are a good balance as activities. Artwork is relaxing and the other, that is the theatre group meetings, must be interesting and satisfying to be part of. Your grandsons look as if they had fun and it was good to have a visit from a cousin.
Sounds like you are having a great summer so far! Purging is always good. I love your paintings, the denim fish is very creative and cute!
Love the cat at the table. The fish is awesome. Enjoy your days and pretty soon it will the lake time. :)
theatre, art, flowers and family = living the good life 👍
As you'll guess I'm always strongly in favor of painting freely. Good for you! The flowers are very nice.
Glad you are having fun, that's so important! Lovely paintings, too! Hugs, Valerie
It sounds like a fabulous couple of weeks, especially since the car didn't need a big (or any) repair. And it sounds like it's been lots of fun too. Are you having this heat? I'm having a lazy day today because it's just too hot to even go out on my screen porch. Stay cool if you are. hugs-Erika
Hello,
Sounds like you are having some fun times indeed.
The musical looks great.
I love the ducklings, ducks and the dragonfly.
Your art work is lovely, well done.
Take care, have a great day and happy weekend.
Congratulations on the car news. Nice. I love seeing dragonflies on the patio. It makes me think I'm doing something right. Yours is pretty 😊 Your plants look like they're in great shape.
Your art is so lovely. Never had much luck with water colors. The flowers are great! I have geraniums (red, white, pink), along with lavender and rosemary. Previous owners had planted amazing roses. I am just learning how to be ruthless with them.
Having your babies over must have been amazing. Our youngest live so far away, but our teen gr-daughters live a mile away. WE are blessed..
You have such beauty and you capture it with your skills. I never master watercolors. We have geraniums and lavender, rosemary, and lots of roses (planted some 20 years ago). the trunks are crazy. Gr-kids are a gift to us as well.
These paintings are done so well to perfection
I love your paintings. So glad you've been having fun.
Oh Jeanie, those fish are totally gorgeous!! I really admire your dedication to painting and trying new things. I always love coming by to see what fun you're up to!
Jeanie, the denim fish is amazing, a great job on all. You had a full week and I will be looking forward to a blog on the weekend with the grands, I know it was fun!
I love your paintings. The fish are amazingTho and the lilies are great, too. You draw and paint beautifully.
Those boys are getting big. Nice to spend time with family.
You have a lot going on. Your basil is doing well.
Love those irises and water lily paintings. The ducklings are still cute. I need to take a load to the thrift store in my continuing challenge to clear out more stuff. Unfortunately, I brought home more fabric yesterday, LOL!!
Such fun you have had. It’s always a good feeling to donate. Your paintings are lovely. So wonderful to see Mother’s nature’s critters. The boys I am sure kept you busy. Happy weekend.
It sounds like you're having a great summer Jeanie, doing lots of your favorite things! I always like seeing what you've been painting, and I love the fish and the Iris. I know you're looking forward to some lake time. Have a great weekend!
Jenna
I love your flower art. The theatre get together and show sounded fun. I would have enjoyed it, too.
I wondered how your basement project was coming along. I'm glad you've made progress! Could you mail me "Solid Gold Music Trivia," please? Ha!
(I'm kidding, honest, though I do love trivia.)
I like your funky denim fish!
Fun Paintings... Love the IRiS and the lily pads..
Glad your car was OK. I hope you didn't have a long walk.
Good shot of the dragonfly. Never saw one like that.
Glad your flowers are doing well. I'm sure you are anxious to get to the lake. I would be. Have a good weekend.
Your paintings are delightful, Jeanie. My favorite is the lily pads. That dragonfly is interesting and so unusual looking. I'm glad to hear that the ducklings are doing well. Your garden plants are coming along nicely, and that will be wonderful to have fresh basil for your eggs and salads this Summer. And those purple pansies! - they are my favorite color. The visit with the kids must have been a joy for you. You are having a lovely Summer so far. "This and That" posts are the best. I get to see all the little things that are happening in your world, Jeanie.
~Sheri
ps.....I'm so impressed that most of the basement is finished, and you donating some of your stuff to the local theatre. That's a wonderful thing to do. : )
Thank goodness nothing was amiss with your car! The leaking oil would have worried the heck out of me. What an odd phenomenon! The crockpot in the trunk of your car made me smile because my mom has a very similar crockpot except hers is a brownish orange color. I imagine you are familiar w/ the color I'm describing as it seemed quite popular in that era! My mom has so many crockpot but they tend to all get used in the summer when she entertains large groups of family around the 4th over over Thanksgiving! I personally have 3 crockpots which is probably more than is necesesary but we have a great storage area under our window seat so they are out of sight/out of mind until I need them and they are very different in terms of size so I can make a case for owning 3. Phil would probably donate 2 if it was up to him. ;)
The grands are getting so big! I know they are close in age to Paul so I think you are getting into the true glory days for them. I love the elementary stage. I spent 5 hours at the zoo with Paul on Wednesday and had such a delightful time. He still wants/likes to hold my hand but I could sit and read my book while he played at the playground. I could not do that if I had Taco at the zoo. ;)
Glad your car is good it is expensive to fix cars.
Your paintings are wonderful. I wish I could paint.
You are always so busy glad you got to see your grands
Cathy
Change of scenery does good to health and mood. The scenery includes places to walk to, people, events, art, critters.
You seem to make the best of all things at your disposal.!
So very glad no major car issues. I always enjoy seeing your watercolor creations. You are so talented at this. Janice
Wonderful post. I love those fish. Glad your car is OK. Nice family photos too. Thank you for joining FFO and have a nice weekend.
Like the kitty painting so fun. Also hope the rummage sale is great.
Fun post, Jeanie! I love the art you created and seeing how the ducklings have grown. Community theatre is always fun. I hope you have a wonderful time up north. I wish you all the best as you walk, follow your home program, and swim. Keeping moving is so critical! Moving all those pots to the lake looks like a daunting task! Take care doing that. Hugs to you!
Looks like you've had a busy and fulfilling couple of weeks! From walks to theatre rehearsals and painting challenges, it's great to hear about all your activities. The oil scare turned out to be nothing serious, and your involvement with the local theatre and university events added to the fun. Keep enjoying those creative projects and summer activities!
Hello Jeanie,
You summer plans will keep you busy. I am sure you can't wait to be enjoying the summer days at the lake. Painting, gardening, nature photography and family time will fill your days, happy times! I enjoy seeing your paintings, the ducks, flowers and your handsome grandsons. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Oil under the car is always scary. Luckily you saw the cause before taking the car to the repair shop.
The paintings are beautiful and I like the pictures with the plants and animals, as usual.
Your grandboys are growing up fast. I remember when they were born? Time gets away quickly.
Love your water colors paintings. Also, great to have a place all set up to paint when the mood strikes.
You have been busy recyling, attending plays, and company visits.
I've been nursing knee pain. I had a cortisone shot and am wearing a brace, taking Advil, and doing exercises. Also, my granddaughter was here for ten days.
Have a good week, Jeanie.
I love the funky fish in denim! You have so many things to do and keep up with. hope you can put your feet up some too! Hugs!
It sounds like you have had a good week, Jeanie, and great to learn there was no car repair needed. Unfortunately, I was not as fortunate in that area as after hearing a "rattle" I brought my car in to be checked out and that noise turned out to be the water pump needing replacement. No auto repair bill is welcome, but catching it early prevented further engine damage I know. Your summer plans will be even more fun once you are back at the lake. And unexpected visits always the best type
your paintings are really lovely!! the painted purple flowers were my favorites, not to be out done by the live ones. the live dragonfly is spectacular!!
You did a great job with your color challenges! Love the denim fish.
Such great news that the car problem wasn't a problem at all. Yay!
Love the ducklings- so exciting to watch them grow.
Enjoy your weekend!
~Jess
Great to see that you are having lots of summer fun. I hope you’ll find good weather when you finally get to the lake — not too hot, not to cold.
best, mae
Your paintings look nice, my favorite is the whimsical fish. 😊 Your summer is off to a good start.
I do like your paintings especially the fishes.
Your pansies look lovely, so colourful.
It seems that your summer has started well, and I'm sure you had a fun time with the Grands.
All the best Jan
Hi Jeanie, you have been so very busy and making such excellent progress. You're much better at having balance in your days than I am. Bravo! I miss having geraniums and pansies this year but there is always next year. I didn't realize you took a lot of planted pots to the lake but it makes sense since you need to get the planters going earlier than your visit to the cottage. Enjoy your time.
Wow, Jeanie, it sounds like you’ve had such a wonderfully busy and fulfilling few weeks!
Your paintings are absolutely lovely – the denim fish looks like batik.
I’m glad to hear that your car issue was nothing serious.
It's always such a relief when it turns out to be something minor.
Your garden is looking beautiful; those pansies are so cheerful.
Also, how exciting to spend time with family and enjoy the theatre.
Looking forward to more of your lovely updates!
When I looked at that photo of the ducks, I couldn't decide whether I was seeing an oddly-feathered female or a youngster. Thanks to David, I now know that it was a wood duck and not a mallard. That explains that! I love your fishies -- very creative, and great fun. Why are you carrying so many plants to the lake? Are you going to plant them there, or just enjoy them and then bring them home? Perhaps it's a way to keep them surviving, rather than leaving them at your 'town' home while you're gone.
Wow, Jeanie, you talk about how active the two grandkids can be.... sometimes it seems to me that maybe they're just following your (wonderful) example! Visits, artwork, walks to the ditch, taking in a dress rehearsal, dealing with a potential car problem, delivering donations, a little gardening .... what a wonderful roster of summertime activities!
I love the paintings -- the fish is amazing, but I especially enjoyed the humor of the cat sitting at the dining room table, framed by pictures of some worthy cat ancestors, and with the moon rising in the window behind it.
Looks like your summer is off to a fabulous start!
Morning! Two of our grandkids and their parents left Friday. The others are mintues away. The house is so quiet now. Whata great summer you're having. Thanks for sharing your art. Every day I wonder why didn't I get those paints out today. Guess I just need to get to it!
Your paintings are wonderful! I love the Iris, but the denim fish totally appeals to me. I love funky.
What wonderful summer occupations. Except the oil, but luckily no problem. Lovey photos and paintings. I hope you will have time to paint in the summer house.
Your paintings of the iris and the water lillies are so beautiful, Jeanie. It's an interesting challenge to be limited to just a very few colors nd their shades and I bet you learn a lot while painting with them. I love to mix colors and see what they do and which way they go. It's always an interesting experiment. Hugs - Carola
Sounds like you have been having lots of fun and being quite productive! I love your paintings.
That fish would be great as a mosaic, too. You've done a real marathon on the basement, I'm so impressed! (just looking at the table here ...clearing that looks like a weeks work to me, lol)
Love the first photo of your desk and your paintings are lovely. It might have been hard for you, but the lilypad looks wonderful. Here's to another great week!
-Soma
The iris painting is definitely my favorite!
Your flowers and herbs look so great! I didn't plant pansies this year, but when I do, they never look that good this late into the year. I'm impressed!
It's crazy how fast the little ducks are growing up! Time flies, huh?
I just saw that dragonfly for the first time yesterday. I looked it up this morning and here I am seeing your post. What a coincidence. Thanks for hosting. I'm leaving a Strawberry Salad Dressing Recipe with Everything Bagel Seasoning.
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