May went by so fast, I feel like I missed it. Of course, the weather was awful so it seemed like April just went on forever.
But now it’s June and so far, its been GORGEOUS.
Thursday was a three days ago, so I don’t remember much. I went to Menard’s in the morning and got more spray paint for the wicker rocker I’m working on and another string of lights for the porch. The lights are better than the ones from Michael’s and half the price. I worked all afternoon, then headed north to Katie’s house. I stopped off a couple of times: the first was to buy a handful of brushes at Continental Clay. Their white sable brushes stand up to needlepoint canvas better than any other brand I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried them all. They also charge less than the art stores do, so twice a year or so, I make a pilgrimage to Stinson Blvd. It’s a hike but worth it and even more so now that it’s right on the way to Katie’s house. Traffic through down town at rush hour is a beast, of course. I don’t think I got up to 20mph for more than a half a mile, total.
Then, I had to stop at the Aldi in Kate’s neighborhood, since mine is now temporarily closed until the remodel is finished. What a drag. I can’t go back to normal grocery stores. I just can’t. So I stocked up on stuff while I could.
When I walked into Katie’s house, one of the girls was crying. They were sitting in their froggy chairs, face to face and Boopity was mad about something. They were happy to see me, though! I took Boopity out of her chair and she immediately stopped crying and gave me a big grin. I don’t think she likes her froggy chair very much. Boop does. They both like me. We played while their Mom made us dinner. We had burgers and they were fabulous. We actually gave the girls their bottles out on the deck. It was so nice outside! And of course fresh air is good for everyone.
After dinner, I got Boopity laughing really hard by making goofy noises. Boop smiled like she was having fun but she didn’t laugh. She didn’t get why Boopity though it was sooo funny. Later on, I got Boop laughing by pretending to eat her fingers. So different things tickle their funny bones. I’m figuring them out.
As usual, I was completely exhausted by the time I got to bed. I figured if I woke up on time, I’d crash painting class but if I slept in, I wouldn’t.
I woke up early enough to make it to class so I texted Rick to see where they were meeting. He told me but added that they were starting early. I pounded a second cup of coffee and got ready. I made sure I had my brushes this time.
Then I got lost in Eden Prairie. I hate Eden Prairie. I was an hour late to class so when I found them working, they all had a good start on their canvases. I got to work and sped through my underpainting and things were going okay. We were all painting an ancient wooden outhouse. It was painted brown with a gray shingle roof, with a huge lilac bush crowding over it. It sat in the middle of a grassy field bound by woods. It was a clear sunny morning so everything looked beautiful, with bright, sundrenched highlights and deep dark shadows.
My daughter asked me later why on earth we all wanted to paint an outhouse. Because it was beautiful! It doesn’t matter what the object’s function is: the shape, colors and values in a composition are what counts. Man-made structures amidst the random chaos of nature (which isn’t really chaotic at all) nearly always looks great.
At one point in the morning, I sort of liked what I had. Then I kept painting. I was trying to keep the roof of the shed bright, as it was mostly in sunlight, with beautiful shadows thrown by the lilac bush. When I got through with that damn roof, it looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in decades. Then I tried to push the distant woods into the distance and…I killed them all. I’ve never had a green thumb and I’ve killed plastic plants but killing trees in a painting was a new experience.
As I was packing up my stuff, I told Rick that while I’d learned a lot, I considered my painting an utter failure.
“The parts of it I like were totally accidental and everything I tried to do on purpose, failed.” I said. He looked at it, squinted, tilted his head this way and that, and asked “What parts of it do you like?”
I hate Eden Prairie.
I got home in time for lunch, then painted for a few hours. I was rescued when my sister called and said she wanted to walk around the lake. So we did that. It was so beautiful down there that it’s hard to believe that it’s just sitting there, out in the open, for anyone to enjoy for free. I probably shouldn’t write that since the powers that be in this city are so stupid they’ll probably try to figure out a way to charge admission to the parks.
I didn’t feel like working any more when I got home so I took my book out onto the deck and read, sitting under my ash tree. It was perfect.
Jay had been fishing on Thursday so he spent the afternoon cleaning the fish and he fried it up for me, Zack and himself for dinner. It was fantastic.
Friday night, around ten, it rained. I guess some clouds rolled in right about dusk. That just makes the air smell like Heaven.
Saturday morning, there was no trace of clouds. It got hotter than ever. I put in my window air conditioner up in my office: I can’t be dripping sweat onto my canvases. It irritates the customers. Or, at least I think it would.
I walked the parkway with MJ and Tot in the afternoon. It’s very beautiful and mostly in the shade so we avoided the heat pretty well. The Minnehaha Creek is high and healthy. Several canoists and kayakers paddled by, riding the current. I haven’t done that since I was a kid and my friend Mary Lynn and I used the raft her Dad built her. We dropped it in the creek at Xerxes and floated down the falls in the summers after 7th and 8th grade. We had a blast, got pooped on by birds and sun burnt like only a kid can stand. Man, it was fun.
Katie brought the babies by for a bit in the afternoon. They were wearing co-ordinating sun bubbles. Boop was happy and smiley but Boopity screamed when her Mom wasn’t holding her. Sometimes, a girl just has to demand her way. She gave me a smile from the safety of her mother’s arms. What a little goofball.
It was so hot that we put on the central air in the late afternoon. We don’t like to run it unless we really need it and our unit cools the house down very quickly. If we start it at dinner time, the house is very comfy by the time we go to bed. Jay actually got up in the middle of the night to turn it off: the house was at 66.
Another bright, beautiful, sunny morning!
So far, this has been a great June! June in these parts is usually gloomy and wet, so I’ll take four clear days in a row with gratitude.
I’ve been dreaming of painting.