The Challenge of a Challenge

Yes, I enjoy giving myself 30 Day personal Challenges. But just now I had to go back into the posts to check on what exactly this month's challenge WAS/is! That's not a good sign.

It WAS/is to Play the Banjo Badly. I am failing - not only in the picking, but in the forgetting to remember to lift up the machine!
There are reasons - and other daily things somehow wedged their way past the banjo in its case.

Drawing rabbits and bunnies  - mainly.
This was not on purpose.
But it happened.
And it is O.K.
And it's an Unstated 30 Day Personal Challenge.
These things happen.


The banjo has been waiting patiently (?) for years. It's on the radar. Perhaps November will be it's month. We will be home more often. Paper and other art supplies are easier to haul around than a weighty banjo. (I am still practicing that basic fingering method in a first lesson from the YouTube.)

Sometimes we have to be flexible enough to be brave enough to be more flexible. My mind is on people dealing with hurricanes and fires. Their Challenges are greater than anything I can imagine, and NOT of their choosing. They have to bend in ways they'd never thought of bending. Some will break. I might have been a break-y sort. We never know until we know.

I know that every time I check the weather forecast for this weekend's Red Wing Art Festival the weather for Saturday gets worse. Not hurricane or fire worse. But rain-all-during-art-fair-hours worse. We will bring plastic. And weights. And warm clothes and beverages. We probably won't display the more pricey pieces. We will be flexible. And the customers will be, too. Hot chocolate instead of iced coffees. Goose down vests instead of sleeveless tee shirts. Red Wind boots instead of sandals.

A friend challenged me to the Seven black and white photos - no people - no explanation Challenge. It's been fun. I decided not to challenge others. the Ponzi Scheme pattern sort of happens as more and more people become involved. But it has been fun to see others' images, and it's been fun to get into an Instagram semi-habit. I tend to "live" on Facebook, have not become a Twitterer, nor am a Linked one. Should I tweet? Should I link? Even less time to not practice banjo! Even less time to draw and paint. And the "hearts personal challenge" has been ignored, as well. Though starting a "bullet journal" has been sort of helpful in herding the life's cats. WHEN I REMEMBER TO DESIGN THE WEEK AND FOLLOW THROUGH. 

Really, Everything is a sort of Challenge. From minute of waking to moment of nodding off. Not for everybody, but for someone. One challenge is simply to wash out every crumb in a particular plastic bag. Another is, for particular friends, to make sure mom is fed and warm and safe.

One new aquaintance's Challenge is to get her family farm's Costa Rican coffee into more farmers markets. She can vend at some, but not at others. Reasons and rules. Several chats with her have been interesting and eye-opening. It is often a good Challenge to oneself to talk to a person one does not know. After a few visits one can start in on conversation where it stopped the time before. I now know a tiny bit about being a coffee grower in Costa Rica. And now our daughter in California is sipping through a pound of their really good coffee.

Uh..., and though I should not be sipping it - that free sample of cold pressed coffee is seriously delicious!

Enough about coffee - sigh. Another blog has been typed - thanks for reading!, and now it's time to do the List-y things. 

Hmm. Perhaps not yet. It's almost time for ten o'clock break. And as I am already at a local coffee shop, it might be time for a second cup. De-caf, sadly, but in my favorite Daily Grind cup: the one with the elephant (trunk turned upward) and the quote from Buddha: Live in the present moment, wisely and earnestly." 
No Challenge to that!!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

Frenzy

Of late the brain is in it's now and then Meantal Frenzy mode.
Reasons.

I am not helping by procrastinating about certain things while over-doing other stuff.

This is from an earlier journal entry this year. No - no real coffee has been consumed today - yet. Yes, banking was done yesterday.

To trying crossing off two things with one block of Time earlier this morning I did manage to scribble in journal for twenty minutes while striding laps around house. No, some words will not be legible. But the brain feels a wee tad better for the scribbling and walking. Cheap therapy. 

The Lists are waiting. As is The Day.

Do what you can with yours, and I will attempt the same with mine.

Thoughts are with those forever dealing with natural disasters. I cannot imagine. Hopes that all will remain safe I know will not be realized. I do a tiny bit to help. I know I can do more. Will add that to The Lists.

Most of us can always do more. Or, if needing aid - be brave enough to ask. People are mostly good. Some take action immediately. Or early and often. Some of us do something later, or on a long-term basis for a particular cause. All these actions are worthwhile? Most of the time.

The simple act of typing can calm a bit of nerves. Or walking. Or scribbling. If you ever need a sketchbook or journal, just let me know. I am sort of a Magic Sketchbook Fairy! Large, but effective - LOL!

On to not being as prepared as I'd want for the Red Wing (MN) Art Festival, Oct. 14 - 15. Time to be with outdoor artists and customers one last time this season. We WILL weather the iffy weather. It's part of the tradition. Come join the umbrellad and bundled up! It'll be FUN!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios
And I am starting to post more on Instagram. Starting...

Better - 14

Eclipse Day

Started sunny 
Turned grey

Saw through teensy pinhole
That tiny arc today

Dark moon
Bright sun

Then our fun
Was mostly done

Somewhat forecast
Not on a lark

The  skies 
On cue
Of course
Turned dark

Not from
Fancy eclipse stuff

But "normal" clouds
Sky'd had enough

Of once-in-lifetime
Thrilling sight

Time for rain and dampness
Mother Nature's might

Takes many forms
Some fair some not

We'll have to thank 
The skies we had

For the short, small
Glimpse we got

**********************
Actually, more than a couple glimples, but mainly at the beginning of event. Televsion coverage, via NASA and CSPAN helped us share in a bit of the amazements of the day. Of course, we who could not view the Totality will never really know the feelings of those lucky and/or ambitious enough to be in the path.

I was thankful for some cameras showing the eerie darkness in affected areas. After reading Annie Dillard's essay "Total Eclipse" many years ago I would have loved to have experienced the silver greyness she wrote of. Oh well. Better to have read about it then to have no idea that this happens.

On to the daily duties of a not-so-daily day.

***********************

We plan to be in Green Bay, Wisconsin this Friday through Sunday. Artstreet awaits.

Fare-thee-well,
(Forecast is for Sunny tomorrow.)
Sue

Clean, Hard, Fast: 3

CLEAN: Two-square feet of work desk. This will have to be good enough for today. It IS nice to see the antique maple top under the clear Plexiglass. I wonder what got accomplished by others who have owned this old, useful piece of wood-working. What goodies were stored in those four small drawers? Who dusted the shelves?  Enough pondering. On to Hard.

HARD: to believe how "loud" the old noggin is today. Even with pills and music - well, she's a hard-chiming rascal. Must remember that so many have things so much worse, but boy, would an hour of "peace" be appreciated. Not deafness, but what I used to know as "quiet." There is NEVER any quiet. Oh well. I can still hear. Hoorah for Hearing!

FAST: How the many bugs, insects, birds, squirrels are making use of garden. We have two old wooden chairs set in a sunny corner of the place, and once in a while I sneak off to sit and watch our personal version of "Nature." Today a dragonfly lit upon some basil. Flies are chowing on the rotting tomatoes. Bees are still sucking at the sunflowers. A lucky look up in to the blue sky and wazaah! and yup, a bald eagle glided high above the picnicking crew down below.

The sunflowers are being felled by the black squirrels.... Mixed emotions. Mixed emotions. And once they decide a stalk or head is coming down - it's coming down. That we should have such Focus and Keep at that task till it's Accomplished. There are yet quite a few upright beauties, and it's a Simple Pleasure to photograph them.

We will miss the brilliant colors of plants and skies in the Grey Months a-coming. Not that snow isn't brilliant and the winter skies can be, too. I guess it's the sense of Life and Growing and the Possibility of Green that seems missing from November till whenever Spring might decide to happen.

For now I'll appreciate even the "Autumn" colors of  maturing sunflowers and other garden goodies past their peeks.

These colors are actually inspiring new bears. Woo hoo! Time to get the acrylic browns, yellows, purples, blues, and their shiny metallic friends out to play. I appreciate folks' kind words pertaining to the new stuff. Playing with mono-prints has opened new paths for the bruins and us. And sometimes it's good to start down a new path. Just don't forget your way back! You can view some on our Facebook Page at Sue-Rowe-Studios.

Time to put in an hour at Work-Fun," put on some excellent tunes, ignore the loud personal cymbals, and make some jazzy bears!

The Roycrofters Creed from John Ruskin:

"A belief in working with the head, hand and heart and mixing enough play with the work so that every task is pleasurable and makes for health and happiness."

On to the trying!
Our next art festival is Sept. 14 -15. The Edina (MN)Fall into the Arts Festival at Centennial Lakes. We are "downstairs" this year. Booth 154 - on the north end of the north end. Come walk the path, enjoy the water, and those great wooden swinging chairs, but don't forget to visit the excellent artists "upstairs."

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Another Start - Another Finish

May is here, and green is happening. No leaves on trees yet, but where is are buds there is hope...

Where there are boring paintings there might be hope.

Hunting through some stacks I came across this semi-finished acrylic painting done on an 18" x 24" canvas. I don't do much work on canvas, and this piece was O.K., but not good enough. Plus, I needed a challenge to finish off my Sue Rowe Studios Facebook Page "30 Bear Challenge." Bye bye, Bear...

Out came the sand-paper. Off came the paint.

On to seeing who next will show up. Time to PLAY WITH MORE COLOR. I have nothing to lose. And after a few days, paint tubes, brushes and fingers (and consultations with daughter and husband) this is who appeared:

His name is Mr. Smirker. Folks seem to like him. He feels at home on his canvas, and is waiting patiently for varnish and frame. I'm glad to have given the canvas a second chance, and I hope that this guy will liven up an art fair or gallery.

Give something or someone in your home or studio that second chance? Mr. Smirker would say "Yes!"

Shepard's Harvest/Llama Magic is coming up Mother's Day weekend, at the Washington County Fairground, outside Lake Elmo, MN. Admission is free. Come see all the wonderful fiber work, demonstrations, and  wide variety of animals - of which many will be the fluffy or shown llamas and alpacas. We will have a booth in the Llama Magic barn. Come by and say "hi!"

Spring does seem to be actually coming. Our baby tomato, basil, and marigold plants are very excited!

On to the next "30" Challenge. And Spring.....

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

Landmark Center Holiday Bazaar - Dec. 2- 4

Greetings on this Brisk and Nippy Morning -

We will be off shortly to St. Paul, MN for the second day of the Landmark Center Holiday Bazaar. The grand old building is festooned in finest holiday cheer, and customers & craftsfolk alike get carolled to enough to make most of us fairly jolly and of good cheer. The free food samples sure help, too!

The building is also home to a beautiful woodworking museum - the gift shop has exquisite work from baubles made of exotic woods to funky awesome purses.

Yesterday's crowd was a mix of super busy to nobody in the booths - we took it upon ourselves to entertain by way of making stuff from pipe-cleaners - or Fuzzy Sticks - as the bag was titled. Tara, I, and the lovely Loren created things not seen before in the universe - my creature began as a bear, of course, but quickly - well, not really quickly...., through the afternoon - morphed into the beginnings of a fine giraffe, then a genetic mutate giraffe- chicken thing, and is beginning to become a serious giraffe again. Tara made anime creatures, and a fine flamingo - quickly adopted by Loren to perch on her shoulder. Loren made and shared some gorgeous fuzzy bracelets. Fun was had by all. some simple pleasures are the best. If you are bored go buy a bag of Fuzzy Sticks. Life will be oddly but pleasantly different.

So it's back on the road and on to the day. If you're in the area come join in the festivities!

Stay warm - don't fall,
Sue