Top Heavy

The robins were out in full force today.

You see it's raining.

Profusely...

of and on, anyway.

I suspect the worms and bugs have emerged from the earth presenting them

with a buffet for breakfast this morning.

As I sit at my breakfast table,

I look out my giant bay window towards the forest below..

Earlier 4 deer emerged from the trees.

AT present the fence is lined with a robin perched on every post..scouring for their feast below.

They are quite fat. Bright red breasts.

Rather, "Top Heavy" upon those teeny feet.

I love watching how busy they are.

Reminds me to start the laundry, and write out my to do list for the day.

I'm hoping to start a workout regimen today...

I've started them before and not finished.

Maybe this time will be different.

I'm not top heavy, but a little heavy in the muffin zone.

Not terribly bad, but enough to frustrate me

and consider applying to do the next "roll up the rim" commercial.

There's definitely a rim there.

To do..what to do...no work today, and no school for my baby...

But I must get breakfast started...as the birds do.

Have a lovely day everyone!

Rag Doll #5

It's interesting where life takes you after a marriage has broken down

and you've finally picked yourself up out of the dust.

It seems when you just get your footing a little child comes in and topples you slightly, unknowingly.

This Christmas, Bree wanted to draw something for her dad and his girlfriend "Loonette".

Apparently they're all into freaky tattoos and facial peircings, and so Bree wanted to do cartoon self portraits of them all goulish and stitched up...and so her artisitc mother was put to the task of creating something for her to color.

As much as I hesitated,

I was eager to pull out something from my inner talents

that would stand out to them in a way that I would not appear so

distant from who they really are.

As much as Marc thinks we have nothing in common,

Bree makes a point of always reminding him,

"Mom does that too," or "Mom goes there, too", or Mom Likes that too".

Bree says he always stunned to hear that...

He just never bothered to get to know his own wife way back then.

So onto the drawings,

I drew them in the character I knew them to be.

Staring at each other,

suspecting something or hiding something.

There is a lot "Loonette" does not realize about Marc,

the secrets he keeps,

and she is very naieve to a

lot that went on with he and I.

......some of which she has been finding out over time.

So the drawings stare at each other doubting, fearing, speculating, not trusting, spying, watching every move because there is no basis to their relationship...

separate papers represent them never totally being together,

For this has always been Marc's pattern.

Bree washed it with a watercolor wash,

leaving things dreary,

worn and torn,

dull, meaningless...at least that's how I saw it.

She did a brilliant job with color.

a perfect likeness.

like old worn rag dolls.

lifeless,

to be tossed aside someday.

...because that is his pattern....

Loonette does not know that she is

Doll number 5

Room-mates

My "room-Mate" Resume' would be very short.

I've only shared a room with my sister,

a friend in the ladies dorm at Bible College,

An ex-husband, and my friend Sarah.

Sarah and I constantly relive the lives of the Bridget Jones characters,

Natasha & Perpetua.

"Perpetua, How's the house hunt going?"

I was rooming with Sarah in order to help her save some fun money and her helping me to purchase a condo.

We shared her large one bedroom apartment,

Me living in a loft bed while she slept d0own below, working shift work and being ships that passed in the night.

But it sparked a flood of memories that will never be forgotten,

Like putting together furniture at 3 am on a wednesday,

cooking each other dinner on our only evening home together,

Housekeeping ADD(While under the influence),

little visitors singing in the bathroom,

and psycho cat attacks.

I went to visit sarah....who has recently changed her name to Mrs. Hubert.

She has a new room-mate now.

It's so nice to see her so happpy.

Her house celebrates her new life, and her love felt for her new room-mate, Chad.

It was fun to look at all of her pictures and gifts....

she doesn't feel like she's had a chance to celebrate being married.

It was all a rush of bliss and tears, excitement and renewal...

but just to see her heart, so secure,

and making plans for the future,

was celebration in itself.

Congrats Sarah!

On your wedding,

on your finaincial planning,

on the hopes of your new career,

and on yuor new found happiness.

with the housekeeping set asside and the binging alarms in your car. the celebration lives on!

You are beautiful, Mrs. Hubert!

A toast to you.... mmmm

...that Tim Horton's coffee was good!!!

The grizzle bear.

Or rather "grizzly" as most people call it. MY painting shows him as grizzle.

To me it's color and atmosphere....monstrous, but beautiful.

I suspect that they would be a loving gentle motherly type when surrounded by cubs...but stick a human in their presence and they can be the meanest, most protective beast out there.

Today I found myself volunteering at my daughter's school amongst a sea of mothers some of whom were very protective of their children. I just sat cutting and piecing backdrops and costumes and listened intently as they boasted of who did this and who did that.

In my head I was so quick to brag of my own talents...but didn't say a word. I just produced some amazing drawings and cardboard sculptures that put a few others to shame. One lady asked why I didn't head up the committee myself.

Not really interested actually. I have been the boss, the one in charge for so long....I have tried for many years to steal the glory of others...but have learned to keep my mouth shut.

I think the biggest thing I have learned in this last year is to keep my mouth shut...a lot of people don't want to hear what we sometimes want to say about ourselves.

We need to realize that we have two ears and only one mouth. We need to listen twice as much as we talk.

We need to realize that our bragging becomes quite grizzly....and our teeth show and our hair fluffs out and people run away.

Sometimes. we just need to be the quiet loving mother...

And shut of the grizzly.

early mornings

You see in every movie where farm life exists...the one stable character in the movie seems to be the morning rooster.

He never misses a line and always crows as the sun creeps up giving us the illusion that he is the alarm clock of all alarm clocks .

A vital part to the way of life out there.

Well, recently I've moved out here to the Foothills region of Alberta, and come to know a broader art community.

They advertise Spring and Fall Art Shows and Sales yet they limit your prices to $100 for the show...

My art is large and sometimes the canvases alone cost $40 and then the paint is $14 per tube....

I donated a painting for a silent Auction hoping it would grab at least $100 for the piece I listed a minimum price of $40 on it...but alas...no one bid on it....they would rather have wooden bird houses and crocheted dolls that sit on your bed.....

I ended up buying it back because it was my favorite painting...

It was The Rooster....with the soft amber hues of dawn behind him....

I paid the $100 plus a donation to the organization because I beleived in it...

.....$500 actually...

and was I frustrated later to know that an event with over 75 people...

only raised $3500 and I provided $500.

And they all strut around like rich wealthy farmers.

Well, The Rooster struts once again in my farmhouse and he's worth $500 to me.

The dawn looks beautiful here...and even though we don't have chickens...I can still hear My Rooster crowing in the morning.