After Thanksgiving

Now through the Holiday Season we will have a great gang of our bears downtown Stillwater, Minnesota upstairs in American Gothic Antiques,the shop where they all began.

There are also some piles of older pieces downstairs here at home waiting to be sorted through. Most are smaller 8 by 10 things - some will probably be stripped of frame and mat and spoken to kindly with the usual sad yet truthful, "Sorry, old pal, but you didn't make the cut....,"and, sigh, ripped in the ritual four quarters and tossed gently in to the waste basket. Some will be rescued, and some will hang around to inspire further pieces. A few will graduate to be new cards and magnets - if not offered as Art.

We bought some baked goodies for this weekend's Open House at the shop, but also got out the recipe cards and whipped up brownies and dream bars from scratch. it's been a while since eggs, flour and sugar have been beaten in our kitchen. the new oven is much more the pal than our last one. I can trust this beast to do what it says it's going to do - sigh,

So, on to the wonders of black Friday (I'm not venturing out till daylight) and the coming weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all-
- Sue

Simple Pleasures

Recent simple pleasures -

!)Fixing the muddy sound on the good old stereo Record Player by daring to play around with the wires in the back.

2)Receiving a forwarded e-mail picturing a black bear sow and her five cubs - wow.

3)Appreciating the recent warmish weather, with no snow on ground yet. Still time to cover the flower bulbs with wire to fend off the chomping rodents.

4)Having a near-forest of thriving large jade plants now that Todd and his sister, Linda, split up Mr. Jade this summer.

5)Cub grocery store having their butter on sale for $.98 a pound for two weeks in a row.

6)Having work to do and the ability to do it.

7)Finally figuring out our Christmas card design at 4:10 A.M. this morning.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all -

Sue

Bayfield

Heading up tomorrow for the Bayfield Apple Festival in Northern Wisconsin. Having been raised about 45 miles from this large fall festival, and never going as a kid, it's fun to now be a part of the whole deal.

Weather will be iffy again this year, so I hope to be able to tie the booth down to the old park bench embedded in concrete. A little security is a wonderful thing, and Lake Superior often keeps one looking for just one more way to keep a canopy from going airborne. It's fun, too, to wear Green Bay Packer stuff amidst fellow fans. Being married to a Minnesota Vikings fan is "interesting" this season. I do say "Go Brett!" AND "GO PACK!!," and will tune into the The Monday Night Game with mixed emotions.

Business has taken over Art these past months; few original pastels get finished. I ain't complaining. Being busy doing something one loves to do is frosting on the economy cake. But creativity gives way to production.

We are hanging in with tennis. Monday's adventure in the seriously high winds was hilarious. then we'd have to interrupt play to watch sea gulls fight to advance position in sky only to give up, circle, and try again, fail, circle, try again. Life lesson? Wind wins.

It's sunny today and almost pleasant.
On to the grand adventure -
Sue

Corners

This morning I swept the kitchen floor - a rare occurrence, but sometimes necessary - and enjoyed attacking the corners with their little bits of dust and other questionable stuff. As kids we paid attention as Mom told us to sweep into the corners, early and often, and so we did.

In 1971, at the Windfield Manor School of Horsemanship in Fargo, ND, Gail Dark, our dressage instructor, kept reminding us to "ride into the corners," and so we did.

Sometimes I forget about the importance of corners. The pastel of"Hudson"the bear has no finished corners, and sometimes I feel guilty about this. Focus is on his intense gaze - the edges of his head simply don't exist. And yet that was how he felt right in being - I would not want to give him any edges. Perhaps art is in each viewer's filling in the details, or deciding that what is done is quite enough. Ovals and circles don't have corners and they get along just fine.

It's time to leave this coffee-shop's corner. Lots to do today - work at American Gothic Antiques, fill some orders, and appreciate this gorgeous day. But I am glad to know the corners in the kitchen have been attended to - and that we artists are free to do with shapes as we choose.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Rain

Greetings on a dark and dreary mid-morning.
Ye olde "Be careful what you wish for...." I am starting to wish that it would stop raining.... After too many days of too dry. Oh well. I like the sun.

We have a weekend free of art fairs and we don't know what to do. Culture? Cleaning? Creating? Taking a nap? Or simply playing tennis till our legs fall off? Yes, Mr. Todd and I are playing lots of Ugly Tennis. We are getting better - but the doings are still not attractive. I will watch Rafa and Roger and Venus and Serena with even more awe than in the past. I will pay attention to the teacher giving lessons to youngsters in the other court. I will see if any of the bears are willing to grab a racket on a paper court.

Summer is tending toward heading for over. I want light skies at 5 A.M, and at 9 P.M.

Oh goody. The drip drops are letting up for a wee tad. Time to send a "Not really balanced. Don't really care." tee-shirt off to a customer. We ordered some new colors this time - Safety green and lavender and a nice light blue.

On to the day's adventures-
Sue

Macaroon Mountain

Yup, there's one left sitting in the case here at Stillwater's Fresh Fields Cafe and Bakery. Sadly, it's not for me today..... The result of too many Cheeto, peanut buuter & butter on toast, and kettle corn art-fair travel eating adventures. Sigh. So, lovely coconut gooey, crunchy, dark chocolately yumminess - you get to make another person happy today.

Art fair adventures of late have also included - not in order:
- getting the chance AT LAST to tour the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth. Do I truly yearn now for a room's ceiling to be completely covered in gold-leaf? No. Could I deal with owning a few Art Deco-tiled fire-places? Easily. Could we use a little help with our formal and veggie gardens? You bet! But I do still like our split-level ranch house fine and dandy.

- The miracle of multi-relative and shirt-tail relative trading of working large vehicles due to our usually-trusty but ancient red Ford pick-up deciding to not want to be a part of a trip to Chicago and southern Wisconsin. Things worked out! Favors have been paid and re-paid. We appreciate the efforts of one and all.

- Meeting folks of all stripe and interest and parts of the country (and Canada!). This is why we toil through the Winter.

I'll detail more fully a tad down the pike. I have to get back to the habit of typing.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

A Hug for the Bears

It's that time of year when some of us artists can use a hug. We have survived the winter and are now looking to the Spring and Summer with wonder, hope, and a nagging fear of impending doom. Will our new stuff meet with approval and sales? Does it really matter if we exist in the universe? You know - the usual stuff.

So it was a tiny miracle that, when simply bringing some new greeting cards into Duluth, Minnesota's Blue Lake Gallery I was granted a joyful hug by gallery clerk, Susan C. THANKS, I NEEDED THAT! We'd never met, but through the bears she now knows a bit of my warped personality - and she can relate! So Sir Todd, my long-suffering husband, looked on once again as two chatterers take off at warp-speed. We soon went our separate ways - but my out-look for the upcoming season has been lifted. Whew.

Now, back at work, I have to keep remembering that we all never know when a gesture, word, note, or call will do wonders to make another folk's life even a wee tad better. It's time to do some small thing to pass on those unexpected hugs and pats.

On to the day!
Sue