How to Paint an Office and Gallery

How to Paint an Office

1. Buy a new love seat - this will force you to realize just how bad the walls and trim really look
2. Pick a long weekend to paint - in this case, Martin Luther Day 3-day weekend
3. Decide on the color based on the function of the room. This was easy. It will be an office and gallery showing The Artist's work. White reigns. It was white when we started, just 5 different shades of white.
4. Remove all the furniture except the computer, desk and file cabinet. (Remove the computer? Can't do. Move the file cabinet? Impossible.)
5. Make alternate plans to paint around the computer and file cabinet. Bring in the "fork lift", a thinly disguised hand truck, to raise an end of the file cabinet, place a wooden roller under it and roll it about a foot away from the wall. (The Artist is a genius.) Move the computer and desk away from the wall very carefully.
6. Remove switchplates.
7. Tape the windows and hardware.
8. Ask The Artist to patch a few holes in the walls.
9. Get out painting supplies.
10. Go to the paint store. Get 2 tarps and paint.
11. Tape the plastic tarps to the carpet and cover computer.
12. Change clothes to painting clothes. Put on latex gloves.
13. Open windows.
14. Paint walls, ceiling and trim
15. Return to paint store for more paint and a roller for the doors
16. Let paint dry.
17. Remove tape.
18. Fold up tarps.
19. Admire work. This is probably the most important step. At this point, you are exhausted and the only thing that helps is sleep.
20. Admire work again in the morning. Tell yourself that you will never again paint a room yourself.
21. Admire work one more time while it is still empty. Realize that the carpet has a huge dirt spot.
22. Ask husband to shampoo carpet where computer used to be.
23. Admire work again just before you start putting the furniture back. Thank your husband profusely for helping you and tell him that you never could have done it without him.
24. Admire room yet again. It really looks nice. Say out loud that you could probably paint the big wall in the bedroom that beige color over Memorial Day weekend.

Lemon Chutney

Lemon Chutney

I finished reading Laurie Colwin's book, More Home Cooking, last evening. While reading it, there were several times I just wanted to drop her a line and tell her how much I enjoy her books. I consider it one of the great injustices in life that she passed away before I even heard of her. We could have had great fun sharing recipes.

Anyway, one of her last recipes in that book was Lemon Chutney. Now, I love chutney. Cherry, pear, fig, peach. I've made them all. But never lemon. I just happened to have a tree full of lemons, plus about five left from when my friends were here from Arizona for Thanksgiving and brought the biggest, juiciest lemons I've ever seen. So instead of making lemon curd this weekend, I made Lemon Chutney.

Fortunately, I read the recipe on Saturday, because it's a two-day process. It calls for letting the pulp and chopped up rind sit with two tablespoons of salt. Next time I will use two teaspoons of salt and I think it will be tastier. However, with chutney, you never know. As The Artist said to me, "Just let it sit and do its chemical thing." (He graciously ran out to the store for me for apple cider vinegar in the middle of the process.) I usually make chutney in the summer and serve it for Thanksgiving and it's just the ticket for that Thanksgiving surprise. The jury is still out on this one, I'm disappointed to say.

Next weekend - Lemon Curd!

Christmas in Yosemite

Yosemite Valley at Christmas

The Artist and I made a last minute decision to spend Christmas at Yosemite. A week before Christmas, we checked our favorite Victorian hotel, The Wawona, and rooms were available. We travel all over for his business, but rarely take a vacation, and never on the spur-of-the-moment. The Artist was hoping for his first white Christmas and Santa delivered.

It snowed on our way into the park, then let up and rained, wiping out most of the snow on the ground. But Christmas day, large, white flakes fell to earth all day long, closing roads, felling trees and keeping me by the fire knitting all day. The Artist thrilled at the snow, and I thrilled at the luxury of sitting and knitting.

Christmas storm - fun in the snow

Next day was Boxing Day. We took off for a hike in the snow. We had hiked the Meadow loop trail many times, both on foot and on our bikes, but never before in the snow. We were the first ones on the trail after breakfast. Six inches of snow came just about to the top of our hiking boots, our feet protected somewhat by jeans and yesterday's snow-covered prints. But with powder, not much of it stuck, or even got through our heavy socks into our boots. My biggest worry was the streams, including one we have to ford even in the summer. The Meadow Loop, on the edge of the forest, was incredible.

Looking out toward the meadow

Blazing a trail through the snow

The Artist on the trail

Next day, we left Wawona and traveled down to Yosemite Valley. From a winter wonderland, we gradually returned to civilization.

The Merced River from the stone bridge

Yosemite Falls

Near Bridal Veil Falls

But, it was time to leave. We'll never have a Christmas as beautiful and thrilling as our Christmas at Yosemite. You just can't expect to duplicate a wonderful time like this.

Christmas Cactus

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

... not enough time... for a long greeting. Life with an Artist just keeps on going.

In the Cold of the Night

Art Card - Winter Night

The house was 61 degrees when I got out of bed at 6:30 this morning. Granted, we turn off the heat at night, but that's the coldest I can ever remember it.

LUCK of the DRAW

The Auctioneer and the "Beautiful Lady"

Last weekend was Luck of the Draw, the annual fund raiser for our local Art League, commonly referred to as LOD. It's lots of fun. Purchase a ticket for $65 and when your number is called, take your choice of any artwork left on the walls. Of course, in a perfect world, you want your number chosen first, and your donated artwork chosen second. That way, you are deemed both lucky and in demand.

The Auctioneer

Last year, my ticket was chosen second and I chose a gorgeous piece of glass. This year, The Artist's ticket was chosen about eighth, but his piece was chosen fourth. His work is always chosen among the top ten. People know when they get a good deal. The person who chose his mini-psaltery is a nine-year-old whose parents run the theatre. Her parents buy a ticket just for her and she comes every year to select her piece. This year, she really lucked out. However, in true LOD fashion, one year, her number was chosen almost last.

Contemplating Art Choices and Anxiously Awaiting the First Number

So what did The Artist and I receive at LOD? He chose a lovely pastel by one of the teachers, I chose an art quilt and a painting. We are both very happy. The secret to getting a number called early is to buy more than one ticket.






I asked the woman who chose my piece (somewhere in the middle of the 100 pieces) why she chose that one. "Because my husband and I decided on it." was her reply. No insight into the appeal of my fiber art piece from this admirer. Oh, well.

Freddie

It took me three years to make Freddie. I finally developed the patience and time to sew all the pieces in place. He's been around about three or four years now. Maybe it's time for him to have a little brother with some of the new fabric I've dyed.

This year is the first Thanksgiving that I haven't had to make the dinner, Mother of Artist having passed away almost three months ago. My friends from Phoenix paid us a visit and this year we went out for dinner to a lovely local restaurant I hadn't visited in 20 years. It was very expensive, but it was their vacation and a little of ours as well, since I didn't have to cook. It was probably the best meal we've had since The Artist and I stayed at Valruges in the south of France in 1999.

My toe is much better, but still quite sore. Happy Thanksgiving.

My Toes

You never know how badly something can hurt until you do an action you never intended to do and injure an odd part of your body in a place usually not touched.

While wandering around the house in my bare feet (as usual) in the complete light of day, I mashed my pinkie toe on the leg of a chair. My toe is very, very sore. Do you have any idea just how much you use that toe for balance? Well, neither did I...well, maybe I did.

Can you notice that the toe next to my pinkie is a little crooked? Aren't you the least bit curious why? The reason is that many moons ago I loved to play sports. I was one of those who loved gym class, even when it was first period. One time while trying to spike a volleyball over a net, I came down on that toe. (This would really be very funny if you knew just how tall I am. Remember, in our salad days, we think anything is possible.)

When I came down on that toe, it couldn't support me. ("No kidding," you say.) Since it couldn't support me, I fell down screaming. I yanked off my white sneakers and gym socks and saw my fourth toe standing straight up in the air at a right angle to the rest of my toes. I was in pain. I had dislocated my toe. I remember that the doctor pushed it back in place and set it with a tongue depressor. I walked around with a stiff knee for a few days because I was afraid that bending it would damage my toe.

I recovered. I played more volleyball. And basketball (I won the foulshooting championship more than once) and softball (second base). But I never tried to spike again. And my toe ended up crooked.

I think I'll go ice my pinkie again. Tomorrow I have to wear business shoes.