On my way back into The Clearing from a quick shopping trip on our afternoon off on Thursday I was barely onto the entrance road when I saw movement in the woods along the road and there was a big deer looking at me. I slowed way down and crept closer and she stayed there so I got a decent picture of her. Very cool.
I had a great time painting last week. I don't think I got much better at it but I painted a lot and had fun, and that's really the point of the whole exercise. These are all the "big" paintings I made. KA has us do a big painting and a baby one or two so that if things weren't going well in one we had a chance to redeem ourselves on a another one. Sometimes it even worked for me.
When I got there last Sunday all of the Trilliums were just buds but it was warm enough by the middle of the week that on Friday there were a few of them in bloom.
And then one of my classmates showed me a picture of a little tiny flower she'd taken by the steps to the dorm and there was a patch of Dwarf Lake Iris in bloom. I was thrilled to see them. The only thing that would have made the week perfect was if the Yellow Ladyslippers were blooming too but it's too early for them.
Not only does KA provide us with a pack of her notecards and a sheaf of color copies to use as inspiration (there's a materials fee that covers it) she also does fused glass, so she showed up the other day with a basket of glass plant decorative stake things, one for each of us. As soon as I took its picture I took it into the living room and stuck it into a plant. It looks great in the sunshine.
The lilacs are in bloom in my backyard! I got home, went out to fill the birdbath and feeders, and there was the lilac bush perfuming the place. Man, they smell so good.
And the bleeding hearts are just about ready to show off too. There are a few flowers but they're small. I predict bigger, better blooms in a few days.
I also saw a couple fists of fern fronds emerging. A few of them are about 6" high but these are just getting ready to push out into the world.
As I was just starting to unload the car when I got home an Amazon driver came up the driveway saying that he had a package for me. I was confused since I hadn't ordered anything but it had my name on it so I had to take it. It was a Mother's Day present from DD! A drawing book and a two-pack of sketchbooks. Thanks! What a great surprise!
As soon as I was unpacked I opened the drawing book and drew the first two chibis, which are these cute little critters. This is an Alpaca and an Anteater. I was only going to draw the Alpaca but I couldn't resist drawing the Anteater too. Very cute!
Okay, that's enough. I'm home, unpacked, took a walk, painted a picture (poorly), and knitted a couple rounds on the Rainbow Brioche Beanie, and now it's just about time to wrap this up and say goodnight. I confess I'll be glad to be in my own king size bed instead of the twin size in Cabin 8. It was comfy but a little small.
Oh, I almost forgot, I sold 5 books up at The Clearing--1 to KA (the watercolor teacher) and 4 to classmates. Woohoo! I got my first click last week on an Amazon ad but no sale. I've got to make some new keyword ads in the next couple days so maybe I'll get more clicks and more sales. It's been less than a month since I started Amazon ads but it feels like more should be happening. P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. *sigh*
Happy Mother's Day, Aunt B!
Love, Barbara Sue
1 comment:
Thank you, Honey -- and Happy Mother's Day to you too!! Your time at The Clearing sounded perfect. I love all the pictures -- the photos and the watercolors. That place is beautiful -- no wonder you were inspired to paint.
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