Friday, April 12, 2019

April 5-10 Painting In and Out

April 5 ::
Painting, painting. Painting everywhere. Alex and I are plugging away in our art class, learning all about Monet, learning all about oil painting. And at home, Mike is making his way around all of the Bird House, rebuilding and repairing the parts of our home that are too damaged to leave unchecked, and when he has restored a section, it is brightened and refreshed with a lovely coat of Arrowhead Lake blue paint. And the balcony, now screened and scrubbed, has walls that are Vine Leaf green, and a ceiling of the same Arrowhead Lake, blue. My vision for the little room... a forest with fallen pine needle floor, evergreen walls, and deep, dusky blue sky.




It rains and rains, and I don't feel the least bit tired of the clouds, the gray, the puddles, or showers. I must be made for this, because thinking of the rainy days only makes me sad to think that it will soon pass, or that next year we might not be so fortunate. It makes me wishful... let the earth soak this up, fill the reservoirs and aquifers, bloom native blossoms and feed the bees, bring back the butterflies and beetles. I want as much cleansing, cool, and thirst quenching rain to fall and collect, as we possibly can hold, and I really, really want it all to return next winter.







April 6 ::








Here is the balcony. Have I shared already? Overshared? It's the happiest space. We are in here all the time... one or two, or six, and the cats, too, know that the old balcony, once leaky and dull, is now inviting, bright, a place to gather and make plans. I am so glad we've improved it with the screens, the paint, the drift wood perches for cats to climb, the twinkle lights. It feels like a mountain cabin, a luxurious treehouse, a comforting refuge, like a rooftop garden, safe from all the cares of the world.

April 7 ::


April 8 ::


The shelves are in... my vision is complete! I love the satisfaction and pleasure of having ideas and plans for a space, and having all of it realized, and look and feel as wonderful as imagined.

April 10 ::

April 11 ::




On the roof, that's the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so...
At night the stars put on a show for free...

~Carol King

(This post was back-blogged on June 5, 2019.)