Tricia's Garden Tomatoes 4 x 4

"Tricia's Garden Tomatoes" 4 x 4 Oil on Gessobord
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On Sunday morning our little granddaughter, Emma, and her Daddy delivered a bag full of garden fresh tomatoes. Emma's Mommy has a lovely garden! These tomatoes are sooooo delicious, nothing like store bought.

Prudence in Pink

"Prudence in Pink" 4 x 4 Oil on Gessobord

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Prudence is number four in my "Back Alley Girls" series. She is a pink hollyhock and they have outlasted the sunflowers. She is all dressed up to meet her special beau and sees herself as much more prim and proper than Lucille and the other sunflower girls.

When I was growing up my Grandmother Gladys (who we were living with) had pink and red hollyhocks outside her back porch. I loved them and whenever I see them I get a little nostalgic.

Lucille 4 x 4

"Lucille" 4 x 4 Oil on Gessobord

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This 4 x 4 painting is number three in my "Back Alley Girls" series. Just as I am discovering how much I love painting sunflowers, they are past their peak in the back alley. The hollyhocks and sunflowers are mostly laying on the ground or have stopped blooming.

You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille!!

Tomater from our Demo on Saturday

"Demo-mater" 5 x 5" Oil on Gessobord
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June and I did a two hour demo yesterday at 5th Ring Coffee House, while we had a small group, they were very attentive and asked lots of questions. We had lots of lookers from those who just came in for a cup of coffee. June painted outside and I painted inside....we might try painting outside at the coffee house when it gets to warm in our studio.

To those of you who were following my malaise from Wednesday. All but one of the paintings is now where it belongs. The other painting has been accounted for and now we just need to get it to it's right home. "Plum Perfect" took the long route from Denver to Omaha and then to Baton Rouge, LA and ultimately belongs in Omaha. The interesting thing is the Post Office, yes they did call me, assured me that they always send to the address on the envelope. Really? That has not been my experience...but who wants to argue?

To the Post Office and Health Care Insurance

"Round About" 5 x 7 Oil on Gessobord

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This painting called "Round About" is how I felt on Wednesday dealing with some of our finest institutions, the Postal System (USPS) and health care insurance (UHC).

My crazy Wednesday really started on Tuesday night. I had just microwaved a nice bowl of Amy's steel cut oatmeal for a light dinner. Amy's is not cheap! As I was pulling the saran bag out of the microwave, the bowl of oatmeal slid out of the bag and landed upside down on the floor, in the corner by the lazy susan cupboard. Yes, my floor was clean and I scooped it up.

On Wednesday morning, I called my local hair salon franchise and got my hairdresser Kim on the phone...I thought. She did say her name was Kimberly and couldn't find my name in the computer, but said come on down, I've got time for you right now. So I travel the block to my hair salon and find out I made an appointment at the salon another two miles down the road. (Fortunately, this "round about" turned out to be a good thing, I got a really good haircut from my new Kimberly.)

I was feeling really good until I stopped at Walgreens to find out which nasal spray for B-12 deficiency would be the cheapest. (I have pernicious anemia and my body doesn't process B-12 in my stomach lining as most folks do...I know, too much information.) I have been receiving B-12 injections for the last 10 years and the FDA just shut down the only US manufacturer of B-12 injection serum (I'd love to know why the FDA shut it down!) So it's one of two nasal sprays or massive doses of B-12 supplements. The pharmacist couldn't give me any information on price of the nasal sprays until I have a prescription, the doctor won't give me a prescription until I decided which nasal spray I want (round about!)

So home to call my health insurance company to see if they could help me. I pushed all the right buttons and said all the right things and about 2 minutes into the call I got caught in a round about! "Please say your group ID number leaving out any alpha characters"....sounds easy right? Especially when you don't have any alpha characters in your group ID. I speak distinctly into the phone and get the next message "Do you have any alpha characters in your group ID?"....didn't they just tell me to leave them out? And then, "Please press * to return to the main menu" After about 3 rounds of this little routine, my home phone rings....

It's my sister-in-law (hi!) who has so wonderfully supported my artwork by purchasing enough paintings to fill her entire kitchen...but I love her for it. After greetings and a few questions, I realize the painting she just received in the mail (USPS) is the wrong painting, and her painting has traveled somewhere else. I had labeled the envelopes carefully last Sunday and took them to the Office Depot shipping station where they proceeded to put the wrong label on the wrong envelope. Yi-yi-yi.......

I try to contact the post office through the internet and by phone receiving the same treatment as the health insurance call. About two minutes into the call I'm so frustrated I have to hang up. I think this "round about" or unending loop strategy is some sort of conspiracy to cut down on their work load. You get so frustrated you just have to give up.

My saga hasn't finished yet....but by now (about two minutes into reading this blog post) you are frustrated and just want to hang up! Press * to return to the main menu!

Hey Sailor is another Back Alley Girl

"Hey, Sailor!" 5 x 5" Oil on Gessobord

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I had such a great time painting the "Back Alley Girls" and recently sold it on DailyPaintworks.com. So, I walked back in the alley behind our studio this morning and these lovely "girls" are still in bloom. This time a single sunflower, and keeping with the theme of the first painting, this one is called "Hey, Sailor!". I just imagine her reaching out to the "alley-walkers" and inviting them to stop and take a look.

My Week...Paintings and Music

"Orange in the Spotlight" 4 x 4" Oil on Gessobord

Today's Painting - to Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning

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"Coffee with Diana" 5 x 7 Oil on Gessobord

Painted Yesterday - to Diana Krall, the whole CD "From This Momemt On" is Killer

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"Anniversary Plums" 5 x 7" Oil on Gessobord

Painted on Monday - My 30th Wedding Anniversary

to the music of Norah Jones "Come Away with Me"

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Plum Perfect 4 x 4

"Plum Perfect" 4 x 4" Oil on Gessobord

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Back in the studio this morning after a couple of days off. Yesterday was my birthday and although I really didn't do anything "smash-bang" it was a really lovely, quiet day.

Monday, June and I hung a small exhibit of our work over at the 5th Ring Coffee House in Golden. Here's their Facebook page. We will be doing a demo of oil and pastel there on August 20th from 10-12.

If you are in the area stop by!