May/June Update

 

May was a busy month with getting the exterior of the house painted. The house was a light grey stucco with darker grey stained cedar, and accents of mostly cobalt blue tile mosaics. One can only stand grey for just so long. I have been unable to get a decent photo of the house front as a whole for a variety of reasons. Hopefully these progress photos will give you an idea of how the house looks now.

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The intense blue covers the back and both sides of the house, and there are 3 different orange colors on the front. The lightest orange isn’t visible in any of these photos, but I’ll catch it when I do some overall shots. We were extremely fortunate to have had great weather for most of the painting month. As all this work was done by one person, it was a huge job. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the results!

June has been a relatively wet month so work has moved indoors. I’m still trying to get my print studio operational. It is very close… It’s been raining all morning but the sun has just broken through. That’s my signal to get ready to go out to a friend’s barbecue. Considering the change in weather, I’d say he must be doing something right!

Quick Shot Post

I’m sitting down to write this – just to try to remember how to write a blog post. It’s been that long. There are numerous reasons for my delinquency, but one of the big ones has to be the fact that I’m not happy with the “theme” that I’m using. Several times I’ve tried to find something new that I like, but thus far I’ve been unsuccessful. I think I need to just try a few on for size, so watch for some new looks. Don’t expect much for content until I find something that I love. Promises, promises, promises.

Adding photos is also a bit more tedious since I moved my photo library to an external drive. Unfortunately my computer and my external hard drive aren’t always in the same room – a problem I need to work out.

Well, the good news is that I still remember how to type. That’s got to be worth something, right? Now to test my ability to add photos… of course, the only ones I have at hand on my computer of photos of Kush the cat.

Great – I can’t remember how to add a photo to the heading on this theme. Can’t see/remember where to add categories or tags. I definitely have some work ahead. Stay tuned as I try to get back into the wonderful world of blogging!

2018 – What’s in Store?

As it is almost time to change the page on the calendar, I thought I’d best write a post. I’ve been a bit under the weather with a cold, but have still managed to get a few things done. I’m working my way through the basement crawl space – no easy feat I can assure you. I’ve unearthed boxes that have not been looked at since they were put in place in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I know that many people would just pitch everything that had been out of sight for so long, but not me. I have found some trash, loads of things to donate and a few treasures that I knew were around “somewhere”. The best thing so far is that I’ve made it to one of the back corners without encountering a single mouse body, though that is foremost on my mind every time I pull a container away from the wall. Also I discovered that the built in vaccuum reaches all the way to the furthest corner, so I am empowered to keep going. I have a very complex numbering system for keeping track of all my boxes. Most of the “boxes” are in fact large plastic bins with lids that fold closed – chosen because they are mouse proof and cannot be damaged by water. So far so good.

One of the reasons for my renewed attack on my excess stuff is the fact that we are planning to create a print studio here at home. This requires a lot of culling and shifting. I am anxious to start work in my new studio but for now must satisfy my creative urges by keeping a watchful eye out for design inspiration. Here are a few ideas to inspire.

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The first two photos were taken on a walk in the park, the third was the pattern on a sweater that I donated, and the last photo shows coloured glass rods from a demo at Bee Kingdom Glass. What could be better than rods of pure colour?

Rabbit Hole Blog

I admitted on a previous post that I was unable to adjust my blog to be visible on tablets and phones. My daughter-in-law, Kim, offered to look into it for me. Turns out that the theme I was using didn’t support what I wanted. She suggested that I try a different theme. Sounds so easy, right? Well, Alice, let me tell you – click on another theme and you are plunged down the rabbit hole! There must be a way to preview new looks, but I was in too much of a hurry to check that out. Instead, I suddenly left the security of my established theme and format and found all of my content looking really bad while I floundered looking for a quick fix.

The format you see now is the result of some fast and fancy clicking on my keyboard. I have not finished looking for a new theme, but I hope that I have things looking presentable for now. Of course, I’ve been so lackadaisical about blogging that nobody will probably even notice. If you do, please feel free to weigh in with comments and suggestions.

I’ve been preoccupied for the last few months while dealing with my elderly parents. They live about 200 km. south of where I live, so I’ve put a lot of miles on my car. (It doesn’t seem natural to say I’ve put a lot of kilometers on my car, but that’s what happens when a country changes systems of measurement after you’ve learned to drive.) It’s been stressful with various health issues to deal with, and they were still living in the house they built in 1963. On December 6th they celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary.

My Mom passed away last Sunday at 94 years of age. My Mom was a force to be reckoned with. She was the eldest of 9, and together with my Dad, raised several of her youngest siblings. They lived in a small town in southern Alberta and that’s where my brother was born. They moved to Lethbridge before I was born. Mom was the matriarch of her large extended family. My parents worked together at their dry cleaning business, and my Dad never seemed to mind not being the boss. Good thing. Mom retired when she was 86. She liked work, but she loved being in charge. She will be missed.

Now there’s just Dad to worry about. He is 93 and currently in a health care facility. I’m too spent to say much else right now. I’m managing to go from one little deadline to another, as it helps to keep busy. I need to get some creative work done soon – as soon as I dig myself out of the mess that has accumulated in my house! No more excuses. Back to work.

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Here’s my parents with my oldest son, Brad, and his wife, Kim. Hard to believe this photo was taken at the end of July.