Checking In

     The other day I received an email from a dear reader who wondered, “being a worrier,” about the blog. After 10 years of mostly weekly posts, this has indeed been a long spring break.

     We’ve been to both Alaska and California – exciting to go through the familiar steps of travel – and bliss to see the grandchildren. A long enough visit in California let us settle into a routine with a table full of art supplies and projects, lots of book reading, and much admiring of the changes in Sweet Brother! He’s a whole little person now – walking everywhere, full of fun and strong opinions. We visited the two open museums in Los Angeles, the Sweet Bride made us wonderful meals, and their garden in a California April is paradise.

     And Alaska – one year and five months since we saw Lady B and her brother. I’m thankful for technology for keeping us from seeming strangers, but nothing compares with being together. Lots of hugs, many games of Go Fish (I lose always), Quick Cups (I sometimes win), and Lady B worked with me on my “Illustrating Animals” class homework. Lord B delighted us – funny and smart and so welcoming – he worked on Star Wars Legos with Papa Jim and listened every night to chapters of “The Lord of the Rings.” The Anchorage April landscape brought back memories.  

     I would have written about all this, and books, and excitement about Biden’s attempts to right things, but the Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery offered the opportunity to be featured in August – to do flowers – whatever I wanted.

I plan three big paintings and many more of the blue and white series. In that wonderful way of ideas appearing from nowhere, I also began to think about words from local gardeners about their gardens, to combine with images from my past flower and garden illustration work.

     I passed out a query letter to gardeners on my walks, asked coordinators of P-patches and garden groups to share them, and encouraged all to pass on to gardener friends. The varied responses range from the closely personal to Ann Lovejoy’s, “If you have too many weeds, you don’t have enough plants.” It’s been great fun to receive gardener’s words and choose a suitable image to accompany them. The final products – text and pictures on a backing – look a little like garden book pages.

So, it’s been busy – in a good way for sure! I hope you are well and vaccinated and enjoying this spring and coming summer!