Tag: Field Trips

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Refining my kitten drawing

When I enlarged my kitten drawing, I needed to expand it, add some more details, and refine it. I do this on tracing paper so I can make an image I can use for transferring. That means there is no shading, just a line drawing. If I need to indicate shading, I do that by drawing a dotted line instead of a solid one. Here, since I am working small, only 5 x 7 inches, I didn’t bother including any shading lines. Most likely, I will refine my kitten some more after I transfer my drawing to the Claybord.

I took a trip to Chapel Hill today and stopped for my mom’s current favorite cookies, Trader Joe’s Laceys Cookies, Dark Chocolate Almond. I ate some too, of course. I poked around in A Southern Season and Kitchenworks also, picking up heart-shaped spring form pans and cookie cutters, thinking about things I could make that I probably won’t get to making, sort of a baking daydream. I’m still toying with ideas for Valentine’s Day but not really coming up with anything so far. Still waiting for a heart-shaped burst of inspiration 🙂

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Passings

When I got up this morning, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Andrew Wyeth. My mom read a quote to me from an article about his life, and it was spooky because his was one of the portraits I’d been looking at just last Sunday, when I felt like the paintings were communicating with me:

But his granddaughter, Victoria Wyeth, told The Associated Press in 2008 that he no longer gave interviews. “He says, ‘Vic, everything I have to say is on the walls,'” she said.

We went to look again at his paintings at the NC Museum of Art today, partly because I had the thought that they might be requested some day soon for a retrospective, and partly, to pay our respects. I know we both admired him, not just for his great talent and skill, but for his independence from the trends within the art world. He really did his own thing, which, I think, is one of the biggest and best things anyone can strive for.

This morning also, a Christmas card marked “return to sender” was in with our mail. I had meant to call our friend Dottie to wish her a happy birthday on December 21st, but had a sad and worried feeling about it. I knew she hadn’t been well, but I now know that she was no longer with us at that time. She was a truly good and honest person. I liked her and trusted her completely, from the first time I talked to her. I never had one doubt about her. I often dreamed of walking to her house to visit her, only to wake up to realize I lived many hours away. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to NY to see her again, but she will remain, for me, a barometer by which I measure the goodness and the honesty in other people.

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Happy new year!

These are some of the photos I have taken, although not just recently, at the Raleigh Little Theater Rose Garden, at Sarah P. Duke Memorial Gardens, and in my own garden.

Back in upstate New York, where I grew up, I would spend our most dreary winter days pouring over flower catalogs and magazines. I couldn’t wait for spring to come when I could dig in the warm earth of the garden again. My garden was one of my favorite things in the world.

Last night, I thought I only had one resolution for New Year’s: to answer the rest of my email that I hadn’t answered yet. But, this morning, I decided I needed a new resolution: to start over, and to start over every day if necessary. I’ve realized that I am tired of dragging around my yesterdays. I love so many of my yesterdays, but I spend too much time thinking about the ones I don’t love as much. Those have to go.

I have dwelled on sadness, and on people who have been selfish and cruel, but I accept that they have nothing to do with me. I don’t want to think about them anymore either. I know that I have love to give, and I believe there are good people who have love and kindness to share as well. I hope to find more of them.

I want to dwell on beautiful things, and create beautiful things. I want to have hope. I want to do the best I can do, and know that I have done the best I could do. I know I try to. Mostly, I want to believe that there are good things to come, happiness, good health, love, and peace. I wish this for you too. Happy new year, everyone.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these…Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field…shall he not much more clothe you…?”-Matthew 6:28-30

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North Carolina back roads

I have now linked all the thumbnail photos that are currently on our online doll gallery page to actual webpages! “Sigrid the Star Baby” was the last to get her own link. There are still those six finished dolls to post…but let’s concentrate on what I got done, for now 😉

And we have perfect, beautiful weather here. The leaves are still turning, the sky is an intense blue, and the temperature is just right. We took a little trip to the library today, and I stopped along the back roads to take some photos.

I’ve just finished reading Where Angels Fear to Tread, and now I’m starting on A Room with a View, both by E. M. Forster. I had asked for Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, through Interlibrary Loan, but I’m not sure I will ever see it. The librarian I spoke to didn’t seem to be able to translate spoken English into written English very well. I’ve never encountered that before at a library. I did my best to write out what I wanted and rephrase what I was saying a couple of different ways, but the whole exchange was a bit surreal. Perhaps she will surprise me. We will see. Or maybe they will make the Interlibrary Loan form available online soon. That would be nice too.

Anyway, the drive was pretty.

Yesterday, I was still nervous over the election, even though it was over and I was relieved by the results. I must have just been that nervous, so much so that I had residual nervousness! Today, I feel much more like it’s a new day, and I’m hoping people everywhere are feeling more positive and optimistic.