Soft Jazz on a Dark Night

And it's not even "late" yet. Twenty minutes to go till 8 P.M. Sheesh!
But it feels like way past midnight, and September is going by way too quickly as it is...
This month mostly "off"?
Haha.
I've been trying.
But then the tasks build up.
Not complaining.
Tasks are tasks.
Still trying to ignore the minor ones - in favor of an hour away from Reality once or twice a day.
A whole day "away"?
I doubt that this will be the month.

But some parts of life are a bit different because of some Free Time taken.
I've learned to appreciate Painted Lady butterflies feeding on giant zinnias.
And new ways to write in journals.
And the fun of having tea alone in a different town.

And thinking some new thoughts.

The thinking of New Thoughts should not be discounted.

One New Thought this month:
               PLANT A LARGER PLOT OF ZINNIAS NEXT YEAR.

Because

 

Zinnias

Are

FUN!!

                            More than enough reason, right?

Goodnight ~

Sue the Jazzed but Nappy

Better - 5

Just in from the main garden.
Walked around and into it.
Pulled a few weeds.
Ate a few sprigs of FRESH kale.
Ate a leaf of FRESH basil.
Filled mouth with mixed emotions.

Visited with the zinnias.
Looked over the patches of colors.
No bees or butterflies yet today.
Practiced SEEING individual blossoms.
Breathe in. Look at a blossom. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Look at a different blossom. Breathe out.
For thiry breaths and thirty blossoms.

Touched one zinnia type with a ring of single petals.
Touched each petal.
Was aware of each petal.

Acknowledged the flower's center, sides, and underside.
Silently said Goodbye to the growing greens and glowing colors.

Walked back to the house much the same - but different.

Oh, and there is sunshine right now.
And many many many green tomatoes.

Back to tea, soft jazz, and working with the bears.

Didn't stop to smell the roses.
Zinnias did just fine for the stop today.

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

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

100 Days - 100 Dreams: 2

I am not a great gardener, but I AM a gardener.

I am not adventurous. I like to plant and grow "normal" stuff - Romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, sunflowers, even green beans ( I used to HATE green beans).

I LOVE certain plants more than others - the Blue Dwarf Kale, the sweet basil, tomatoes. No, I don't know why. These three are are simply my favorites. Yes, dear sunflowers, you, too.

After years of filling the plot with almost every apple from our apple tree and almost every leaf from our lawn we have needed no commercial fertilizers the past two years. We have a compost pile, but generally Todd just digs a "grave" and buries apples or leaves. Laziness works - so far.

As to Dreams... Each winter I get through the dark white time by occasionally thinking just a little about the coming Spring. I will hope that rodents leave us a few daffodils and tulips to bloom in the flower beds, and I make a list of things to plant in the "real" garden.
I ask friends and family for suggestions for new or different green things. This year we will try growing a few things upward. More "space" and a tad of experimentation. I am not a daring gardener. I want plants to produce. I try not to tempt fate.

Right now the garden looks like this:

With luck and care and another good Summer I dream it will once again look something like this:

I dream of more and taller sunflowers this year.
And of more hours to spend out simply watching the insects, birds, and other creatures making their visits to this little patch of hope.
And of time to study the gardens of others - each with its own personality.

Tomorrow brings some days of warmer weather. Tomorrow will hold planting. The Dream of Green continues.

And then, of course, there's Art...

Fare-thee-well,
and plant something.

Sue

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

Morning Bounty

(This will probably be a day of many unrelated posts. It's all about The Personal Challenge.)

Here be BOUNTY:

Our garden is not large - and the portion allowed for green beans is about the size of an average coffee table.

This is not a normal growing year in the backyard. I cannot keep up.

The beans and kale harvested this morning will go to others.

There will be more green goodies coming!!

And today rain is raining. In recent weeks I'd have been fake bitching. Today I am truly thankful.

Off to the next hours' adventures.

Breakfast awaits!

Oh, and our Brighton Beach Art Festival's booth number is #2. Next to the colorful Christy World (not what she would call her booth!) created by multi-talented Christy Ann Skuban. This art festival is only in it's second year, but already has a wonderful reputation! Come visit Duluth, MN this Saturday. We'll be just a wee tad north of town!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Thankful - And Again

Today I am Thankful for (in no particular order):

1) this MacBook laptop computer.
2) the friends it allows me to talk with almost instantly.
3) bunny videos on YouTube.
4) we didn't get most of the weather forecast for the past two days.
5) time to make a cup of tea
6) a good variety of herbal teas from which to choose.
7) knowing what we have to bring for Thanksgiving Dinner.
8) knowing that we don't have to host Thanksgiving Dinner.
9) those who host Thanksgiving Dinners.
10) images of Garden 2014:

BIG GREEN!!!!!!!!!

11) Todd vacuuming the living room yesterday.

12)being given probably a life-time supply of certain Prismacolor colored pencils!

13) being able to deliver art for Phipps Center for the Arts gift shop today instead of on the worst day of recent storm.

14) bacon.

15) our adult children having a bunch of excellent friends.

16) most excellent friends - and most excellent relatives.

17) not shoveling and plowing our way through 24 inches of snow in my hometown of Gurney, Wisconsin. Happy Winter, everybody!?!

18) words that can change color with a single Clink!

19) a large card order that was picked up and paid for yesterday. 

20) THIS sort of thing not happening here everyday:

"BLUE OOPS!"

21) not being able to recall the oops moment happening.

22) heavy-duty lined leather boots.

23) being able to donate books/art magazines to Hudson, Wisconsin's Little Library. Little Libraries are Awesome!!

24) my head's dinging slightly less "loudly" this morning - huzzah. (Ya take what ya can get!)

25) the last of the garden kale made into crunchy chips.

26) that, through this practice, perhaps I have persuaded a few readers into giving Thanks or being Grateful for slightly more than three things each day.

27) being able to check "BLOG!!" off the day's list - and probably do it before 8 A.M!

28) food, and toothbrushes, and electricity.

29) people who write and publish books.

AND

30) good local coffee shops in which to sit and sketch (though I don't go as often as I should anymore. - hmm - maybe today?)

May your day go as you wish it to go - mostly. 

Off to light the candles for those who need and want them. 

Mainly 'cause I like goofing off with lighters and hot flaming wax. 

And Thinking of Folks who might need a Good Thought.

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

P.S.: The polar bear from yesterday is now finished, matted, and available for sale. $60.00 - postage paid. Can't keep 'em all!

FB Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

www.suerowe.com

www.artfairartists.com

Play Time - 30 Seconds

Greetings -

It's Friday already. I haven't sent the weekly bear card to Mr. Colbert, there's a basket of laundry within touching distance, and the possible tasks for the day are too many to contemplate. But I WILL be able to cross off "blog" from invisible list.

Yesterday there was no time to play either - but a quick grab in the paper drawer and 30 seconds in the studio brought a simple, yet, graphic design - and some words that will be used in the future. Woopee!
Just from grabbing a flawed piece of card-stock, 3 possible pastels - out of hundreds nearly, and the ever-preent Sharpie Marker. I do "heart" those Sharpie Markers.....

All you need is a sheet of paper. Don't worry about Quality. This is about getting some marks down just to see what comes. You could use crayons, water-colors, markers. It doesn't matter. I made two broad blue lines and two squiggly green lines - with a space in-between each area. Hmmm. Summer colors? So it seemed. So grab one more color. Yes, it had to be yellow. Four smooth yellow lines and the colored part was complete. All this was done far more quickly than the time it's taking to type this. Whoosh whoosh squiggle squiggle whip whip whip whip. Done.

The center white cried "Use me, too!" Time to trust that Sharpie Marker. Ponder colors. Ponder shapes. First thought into mind? So, when is Summer over? As good a thought as any.
Write 'er down. Yup. So, when is Summer over? Well, with all the garden and art fair photos taken this year I'm planning on keeping it around through Winter and back in to Spring. We need all the blue and green and yellow we can get!

Once again - no excuses. If you don't have a box of crayons lying around -  treat yourself. Or grab a brush, three tubes of paint, paper, and put down six shapes of your choice. Add some words, or don't.

You may create an instant "ah ha!" Or a gift for a friend. Or a new ball of paper for the waste-paper basket. It doesn't matter. Your hands and mind will have had a play half a minute or hour or, if you're so inclined, day. Hooray!

Facing up to Fall - Bayfield Apple Festival, Red Wing Art Fair, & several boutiques. Check our Sue Rowe Studios Facebook page for updates.
Fare-thee-well,
Sue