A List and an Attitude

Here is a list about the vicissitudes* of my life; you may detect a certain attitude coming through. Tomorrow I will try to resume a more professional and detached approach to blogging.

  1. Samson caught his first rat! Yep, rat, not mouse. He played with it until Michael took it away. His cat food must be too tasty for him to consume a rodent.
  2. I updated the web page of The Cabins of Wilsonia so you can now look inside the book a little bit. There are arrows on the side of the book that take you to those interior pages. Or use the dots. Or is it my outdated browser on my outdated operating system on my outdated laptop that makes it appear this way?
  3. I no longer have a cell phone. What? You didn’t know I had one? Yes, a flip phone with a broken hinge served me somewhat for about 15 years. The Huge and Rude and Indifferent Phone Company offered me a replacement and said the old one would no longer work by the first of the year. I accepted the new phone, waited until the last possible minute, and called Huge&Rude to activate it. No problem. Done. Nope, not done. Called Huge&Rude again who insisted that I needed a passcode. A what? Can’t set it up over the phone, sorry, my apologies. Maybe via email? Oh guess what – they’ve had the wrong email address for me since 2001. My apologies, Ma’am, can’t correct the eddress without a passcode. You’ll have to go to a Huge&Rude store to set one up. I decided that I’d rather not continue with Huge&Rude, so I asked to cancel. Oh guess what – they cannot cancel over the phone but I need to visit Huge&Rude in person in order to set up a passcode in order to cancel. Why have a cell phone if there is sketchy service at my address and if I choose to not be available 24/7? No reason. I’m not driving 40 miles to stand in line at a store for 2 hours to get a passcode to cancel. 
  4. My laptop is on its last legs. I had to make a very expensive decision. I hope nothing gets interrupted or lost.
  5. This is getting unpleasant. Here’s a better subject: the Mineral King Room at the Three Rivers Museum will have its grand opening on Sunday, January 22, from 1-4 p.m. You can see my murals in person, listen to people talk about Mineral King, look at artifacts and learn about the mining and the Disney era, and eat and drink.
  6. UPDATE – and now I’m hearing that the various for sale pages aren’t working on the website. HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?? Somebody make it stop.

If you made it to the end of the list, you deserve a treat.15

Cruise, anyone? Wouldn’t it be nice to escape the rats, the Huge&Rudes, updates, and broken things?

Dream on.

Okay, here’s what I really think:

img_4913

Samson agrees, but he is a bit more attitudinal.

img_5049

*Vicissitudes is a fantastic word. It means “changes of circumstance or fortune, typically unpleasant or unwelcome”.

Save

Happy Birthday, Trail Guy!

If you see this man around, treat him to a vanilla latte with a blueberry muffin. He is aging well, dontcha think? 😎 

6 more-trail cruiseship img_4596

Happiness is being surprised by Trail Guy!

Trail Guy throwing rocks at Soda Springs
Michael's little friends

IMG_4216 IMG_4176

Just One More Frivolous Post

I know, I was going to get back to work, but Samson is so fun that I have become one of those internet weirdos bores who post endless photos of her cats.

This is for Kaylee, and I don’t mind you called The Boy “Sammy”.

img_6903 img_6904 img_6905 img_6906 img_6909

This is my blog, I’m 57, so I’ll post what I want. Risky, I know.

img_4913

Save

Save

End of the Year Thoughts

Those year end newsletters are good for updates, and they make everyone else’s life seem so sparkly, happy and fun, just like Facebook (Nope, not on, and not going to join). Life is a balance of both good and bad things, but who wants to put the sad, bad and hard stuff in a newsletter?

Here is some of what I remember about 2016, but not all of it. I want my life to look sparkly, happy and fun too, but realistic. The list could be longer, but I want you to stay for the photos at the end.

Personally:

  1. Lost neighbors on three sides, all for different reasons (We aren’t lawn-parkers, don’t have barking dogs, don’t have loud parties or lights that stay on all night – what’s the deal??)
  2. Lost Perkins, the kindest-hearted cat of 17 years, and gained Samson, the fiercest little feline I’ve ever met
  3. Visited Israel (still in shock – did this really happen??)
  4. Took very long road trip – Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada
  5. Hit 30 years in the marriage department
  6. Walked the Lake Tahoe Marathon

Professionally:

  1. Edited a novel
  2. Edited, designed and published Trail of Promises
  3. Painted 5 murals (2 in someone’s Events Room and 3 in the Three Rivers Museum)
  4. Designed and published 4.9 coloring books (#5 is completed but not printed yet, waiting customer approval)
  5. Did all the other normal work stuff – lessons, oil painting workshops, speaking to groups, oil painting, pencil drawing, blogging, bazaars/festivals/boutiques/shows
  6. Received an award, Women in the Arts, from the DAR (Not sure why, but appreciative all the same!)
IMG_2879
Sweet Perkins

strawberry IMG_1733

Trail of Promises

img_3197

The cover of the next "Heart of" series of local coloring books for grown-ups.

img_4502
Somewhere in Idaho

botkin-2

T and I were cold, excited and ready!
T and I were cold, excited and ready for our 1/2 marathon in Lake Tahoe
img_4419
A long bridge into Sandpont, Idaho
img_4381
Bridges, always bridges. . . what is it with the Central California artist and bridges? The answer is that a bridge picture is the perfect combination of scenery and architecture. This one is in Oregon, not in Central California. I don’t know if California has any covered bridges except for one in Wawona near Yosemite.

mineral king coloring book Heart of the Hills

DAR award

IMG_2362 IMG_2484

1-c-seq-cover

Samson
Samson
Mineral King mural in Three Rivers Museum of Empire Mt. mining area.
Mineral King mural in Three Rivers Museum of Empire Mt. mining area.
2 more murals in the Mineral King Room of the Three Rivers Museum
2 more murals in the Mineral King Room of the Three Rivers Museum
img_4913
Take that, 2016!

Thank you, dear blog readers, for sticking with me through 2016.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Am I always standing by people I love with my arm thrown over their shoulders?? Nope. Couldn’t stand to be touched in Israel because it was always too hot.

Save

Two Last Non-Art Subjects

Subject #5

img_5031

What is this? Inquiring minds NEED to know. . . we got a pair of insulating mugs for Christmas, and got curious as to which sort of mug will keep coffee the hottest. So, we conducted an experiment. They were all within degrees of one another, with the short Starbuck’s mug in the middle slightly ahead. Trail Guy is a little bit sad that his special old mug from Cabela’s with its hand-carved wooden handle didn’t win.

Subject #6

On Boxing Day, as December 26 is known in England, Trail Guy and I drove down to Lake Kaweah (AKA “The Lake”) to take a walk. This is an interesting place to spend time when the water level is low. There are great views of Alta Peak, lots of birds, an old road to walk on, a bridge or two to cross, cockleburrs to pick out of your socks, rocks to contemplate, the river (Kaweah) to watch, mud to slide around on, and people’s undisciplined dogs to fend off.

img_4998 img_4999 img_5000 img_5001 img_5002 img_5003 img_5004 img_5007

Save

2 More Random Non-Art Subjects

Subject #3

This deserves no photos. On Christmas Eve it was raining and dark when we got home from our church’s Christmas Eve service. Trail Guy pressed the button on the garage door opener (my favorite luxury item) and nothing happened. He pressed it again, the door went up a little bit, then it thudded back down with an uncharacteristic loud clunk.

Say what? My car is in there! The pickup is out here! What’s the deal?

A spring broke. It was very important. It took an hour with lots of banging, grunting, and possibly some swearing although no one here is going to admit to even knowing those words, and now the garage door is neatly folded in a pile in our front yard.

Here – look at the new green chair and feel better. I wonder how long it will take to find the right lamp table. . . will we go dumpster diving? curbside shopping? garage saling?

img_5020

Subject #4

On Christmas Day we had 2 very dear friends join us for lunch along with my mama. It was a perfect day for a post-lunch walk.

img_6891 img_6894 img_6898img_6900

Nothing to say except a good time was had by all, and the Central California artist probably ought to make a New Year’s resolution to give up sweets.

Forget it.

Save

Time Off to Take in the Views

This week I will post several different subjects, all unrelated to art work. These could be titled “Sources of Inspiration”, although I don’t know if they will result in paintings or drawings.

Subject #1

Trail Guy took the Botmobile to a secret location with a great view of the High Sierra. The mountain range is the Sierra Nevada, and it is only people from Southern California who say “the Sierras”. Those of us in Central California generally know better in spite of being uneducated, poor and fat.

img_6890

I wasn’t there because I was finishing the mural, not goofing off. Yet.

Can you pick out Sawtooth?

img_6886

Here – have a slightly closer look.

img_6887

Subject #2

The Captain decided that this rocking chair, more of a glider, a beautiful piece made by the Amish, no longer suits her. Together we figured out how to fit it into my car, and voila! It looks just right in this corner of our living room.

img_4952

There used to be plants on that table, but Samson thought it was his personal jungle. Now there is a squirt bottle handy to remind him that our hands and feet are not his chew toys.

The view out the window looked like this:

img_5018

Hey, this isn’t complete. We should be seeing Moro Rock to the left of Alta Peak. Time for some yard work.

img_5019

Alrighty then. Life in Three Rivers for this Central California artist and her husband, AKA Trail Guy, seems to be about views.

 

The Chair From the Dump

Remember the chair I found in a dump this past summer? Trail Guy asked about it and learned it got tossed off a balcony. We looked it over and decided it could be repaired. Then Trail Guy loaded it in the back of the Bot-mobile and brought it home. It has been at the upholsterer’s since July.

IMG_1716

Last week it was ready, Trail Guy brought it home, and we put it in the green room.

Covered in plastic
Covered in plastic

Next, I need to find a lamp table that looks solid and chunky to go with the chair.

Samson has been attacking, killing and hauling this stuffed cat around from when he was smaller than the thing.
Samson has been attacking, killing and hauling this stuffed cat around from when he was smaller than the thing. He looks harmless here, but ask the black cat how harmless he is.

Meanwhile, I can’t uncover it because of Samson. He has been going wild in the plastic, and I think he’d shred the new fabric in a matter of minutes. We don’t leave him in the house alone, but if we aren’t watching him every minute, providing diversion, fighting him off, chasing him around, he is either attacking us or attacking something.

I miss Perkins.

 

Mineral King in November

It is Friday, and I have some recent Mineral King photos for you. Trail Guy and a friend went up the hill for a day. He is retired, I am not. That’s okay – he provides photos for you who love Mineral King and I post them. We are a team here.

Check out the red tree at the Sweet Ranch.

img_6843

img_6845
That is a hornet’s nest near the Tar Gap parking lot (1/2 mile below the end of the road.)
img_6847
Say hello to Steven!
img_6848
Snow? But Steven was wearing shorts!
img_6849
Yep. Snow.

Now, time for a Samson update. He is still cute, and he is still biting us.

img_6859
Hey, Samson, these turkeys are not your friends.
img_6860
After Trail Guy took this photo, he rescued Samson from the aggressive birds. That little dude is fearless. Better not get too attached, because he might try to befriend or even challenge a bobcat.
img_6852
Sure, try to not get attached to this bundle of joy. He’ll attach himself to you with his teeth!
img_6854
Is Samson stalking the coffee mug??

Shhhh, I’m Working

Please forgive the silence on the blog. I am working on a project that requires focus. The customer is away for awhile so I haven’t been given permission to tell about the project.

Samson can keep you company while I work.

img_4658 img_4660 img_6822