I've been spending mornings out in the flower beds, weeding....a bit behind in all that after knee surgery. Angry looking thistles up to my waist! Yikes, they are hard to get rid of aren't they?
Little by little, day by day, it's starting to look civilized again.
This scary patch of weeds took me 3 days to pull. Whatever those bottlebrush weeds are....they are everywhere....in the grass too. Thankfully they have shallow roots and pull out easily. There was a lovely ornamental crab apple tree here--I planted hostas under the tree and set up a birdbath made of flowerpots. It was so pretty. Then the poor tree developed a disease and had to be cut down. The hostas don't seem to like the sun. I gave them to my neighbor across the street. He has a mostly shady yard and will do much better there. His son-in-law brought over his stump grinder and removed the stump. There are two hostas left and patch of pampas grass. Paul and I are talking about putting a patio here. A nice little spot to relax in after work.

This area is along the side of garage. This area causes me the most frustration. What in the world to do with it?! It's a gravel patch covered by weeds. Just not sure what to do here. All I can say is I have very patient neighbors!!

Tomorrow I'm going up to visit my Dad for a few days. I'm so looking forward to spending some time with him again. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

hello again my friend

It's been too, too long since I posted....so much has been going on. Since I last wrote, I had my 50th birthday. How about that. To tell you the truth, I don't feel any different. I promised myself I was going to go boldly into 50. Live fuller-larger, notice more, be grateful more.
My Aunt Karen had the family over to celebrate Father's Day. Here is my handsome Dad. I love you Pop, you mean the world to me. The cancer is spreading, he is losing weight, he just doesn't have an appetite anymore. I arranged for a meeting with a social worker and a hospice nurse. I (the big coward), told my dad that we were going to meet regarding his future health care. I was happy he was agreeable to that. I had a grim view of hospice. The nurse was amazing. He explained everything about hospice. It's so much more than I thought. She arranged for a nurse to come by his house once weekly. What a Godsend. When the nurse feels he needs more care, she'll come by more often. He can stay home as long as he is able to care for himself. When his is no longer able to do that, she arranged for a swing bed at the hospital nearby-when he needs full-time care. I am grateful, oh so very grateful.
My favorite Aunt, Karen....my Dad's little sister. She is a blast. Every Thanksgiving, she puts out a BIG feast. The next day, she and I go shopping. We usually go to Tomah-to Burnstad's European Village. It's a fun "mall" with lots of little shops. We go out for coffee, and breakfast, and lunch and.....wear ourselves out. It's the only day of the year that we get to spend alone together.

Jack happened to be visiting on Father's Day.....I love his happy face.

The other thing that was keeping me busy, was getting ready for my solo show (my first!) at Charlene's Gallery Ten in Gill's Rock--Door County. My show was in the tower gallery. A very cool little space at the top of a spiral staircase. I had about 11 pieces hung. I am at this very moment, kicking myself in the pants because I took individual pictures of all the pieces, but not as a group. (kick-kick-kick)

There was a 2 hour artist's reception in the afternoon. During the time I was there I sold 4 pieces....how exciting is that?! I love meeting and talking to the people that have decided to take my art home. It's such an honor that someone would want to hang my art in there home.

........and then there's the coming home......eek! Time to clear a walkway-don't you think? Oy, what a mess. Well, it doesn't look like that anymore. I spend 2 days picking up and putting away. Charlene invited me back up to Gallery Ten on Labor Day weekend. She's having an outdoor event, artist demonstrations, canopies filled with art...the gallery filled with art. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? So that brings me to the next thing.....I need to get busy making more copper pieces. Yikes! I have a booth to fill..........