Thursday, March 18, 2010

Ta Da!!!!

One portrait down and one to go!  Then I will start on my larger painting! This is Izzie visiting a medieval tent at a local celebration. Hence, the head gear.

I will continue working on my maternal grandfather's portrait, and hopefully finish it this weekend. In it I will institute more of the 'dry brush' technique.  The bright colours are more fun on younger persons!

Hope you enjoy, and have a great day,

Phoebe

Monday, March 15, 2010

Spring -- Or Later April Fools?

I couldn't believe it!  When the snow melted, there were my dafodils, tulips, and even my summer lilys all shooting up, some over three inches among the leaves I put down every fall to keep them warm! Is spring starting already - or are we in for a rude awakening later?

It's a good thing they're in the front yard, because I also think our dog might want to try them out for taste! He has been curious about the sprouts in the back yard, and since the weather has broken, the back yard has been THE place to be. This will be his first spring with us, my, how time flys!

This week will be the "tell"; the weather calls for
warm all week. and lots more sun, I'm expecting
to hear more "Hi's" on the street, it's amazing what a little sunshine and warm weather can do for the spirit! My own spirit is also feeling strong, but my brain is telling me it's only March, and I remember big snows even into April.  What will happen to my young flowers then???

Even if it doesn't last, I still just love seeing the new, re-born flowers. Every spring I remember God's promise for rebirth, the buds on the trees, the grass growing back, and all the other miracles of this re-born world.

 As far as my 'portrait project' is going, well, I should be posting one of the new ones later this week! 

If you are having good weather, enjoy!!  In any case, have a great day,

Phoebe

Monday, February 22, 2010

Seed Thoughts

I guess winter was just delayed here in South-Western Ontario, the wet snow started during the night, and is still going strong! It's only the second significant snow we've had so far this winter, and at February 22, there isn't much winter left,   maybe;   with the silly weather these past years, only God really knows!

Paul opted not to play in the back with Tom, since he shovelled the front walk, so I went myself to encourage our little Puggle, to run around for a while! He spent most of the time sniffing and digging through the snow to find his old stuff, he never did find his his favorite piece of wood to chew, or his ball for me to throw! With time to write this morning, I got thinking about my friends, family, and neighbours. I just looked outside, and my neighbour's daughter just re-shovelled my front walk a few minutes ago, that will help Paul with his with job later!

That's the thing about good neighbours, we help each other, when Paul was out, he did her front walk. I think when we walk through our life, not run, we will find love and friendship, if we look for  the good in people that's what we will find. I'm not advocating burying your head in the sand, I'm all for keeping your eyes wide open, but still; open your heart for new and rewarding experiences.

I have a long-time favorite poem, which I think is safe to print, since the author is unknown to me:

Seed Thoughts
The mind is a garden where thought flowers grow,
The thoughts that we think are the seeds that we sow:
We must watch what we think the livelong day,
And pull out the weed thoughts and throw them away;
And plant loving seed thoughts so thick in a row,
There will be no room for weed thoughts to grow.

Now that I've planted this poem in my mind, should
I start thinking about my spring gardening??? What to do; last year was such a bad year in my garden, maybe this year's weather will be better for it?  What to do???

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Saturday, January 23, 2010

My Little Sister


I have several books which try to explain the relationship of sisters. Other than the obvious, people are individuals, and all the 'explanations' in the world will not describe each individual relationship, they are good reading.  The truth is, sisters are our true friends, even though my sister, Liz, arrived five years after me, she knows me better than even my parents did.

We have sharing a room (when we were little) knowing when the other stayed up to read by flashlight under the covers, sharing dreams, measles, mumps, and chicken pox, fears, and my convincing Liz (when she was three) that we were seeing Santa Clause fly by on Christmas Eve over the rooftops of our neighbourhood! I was concerned that when she stopped beliving, our parents would stop with the good Christmas gifts.

Of course, as a big sister, I would try to take advantage, I would be bossy when we were old enough that my parents would leave us alone with 'me in charge;' Liz can probably tell you with more detail and conviction of all those sins of mine. I remember when she got old enough, my tricks stopped working, and the fights began!  Fortunately for me, I think that after all these years, she might just have forgiven me of most of those things, that, and at some point I realized I could no longer control her!  I remember one time, I don't remember what Maggie and I did to aggravate her, but we tried to appease her with a piece of chocolate cake.  Well she was so mad at us she threw it up in the air, and it hit the ceiling!  I don't remember how - or whether, we got the icing and cake crumbs off the ceiling. Maggie probably does, she has the better memory. In any case, our parents were NOT amused.


As you can see in the picture, above, my parents liked to take pictures on Easter, every year we would have to walk up the front walk before church carring our baskets and wearing our Easter clothes, they didn't make us do any special Christmas pictures, but that was Easter! In the other picture, you will see us with Liz's bunny, 'Fluffy'.  Liz always had this beautiful blond hair, and I thought she was always much more beautiful than me, I was a gaulky kid, with unmanageable dark curls. That's another thing about sisters, we envy each other, and yet we love, with a fearce, and loyal sincerety.

Over the years, as we married, and had families, each with their own challenges, we have become closer,  with a bond that will never be lost. As adults, we are individuals, different occupations, likes, and dislikes, but each of us are rooted in the belief system our parents indwelled in us, on the surface you might see big differences, but we are the same family, and that is the glue that holds the world together.

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Lets Move on!


I love the Christmas holidays, but there is always a time; when the visitors have gone home, the leftovers are finished, house put back in order, decorations are put away; and then comes - "the big sigh"!
I think my favorite holiday picture this year, is when our dear new addition, Feather, wouldn't stop crying, and Uncle Paul and Izzie tried valiantly to smile for the picture! Of course, the visit was too short, but each time I see them, is just added to my tally of beautiful memories. I carried Feather around for most of the first hour they were here!  It was so good to finally see her! Izzie, is such a big girl now, and very good with her new sister. I have been thinking about my own relationship with my 'little sister'.  I have to blog about just that relationship!  What a topic!
          I was also proud of our dog, Tom, he was so gentle with the two little girls!


This Christmas, I lost one of my clients, she was one of the grand ladies of her age, and will be missed. As a result, which is just the way my job goes; it will take time for my company to replace the hours in my schedule. Maybe not too long, they have given me one new client who will replace at least some of the hours.

Enough though! Now I have to get on with all my projects that have been neglected in order to prepare for the holidays! First is to pull out my easel and continue with the drawings I couldn't finish before Christmas! I have decided to do some portraits and action drawings. I was able to get preliminary blocking finished, so I won't be starting from scratch! The real trick is to get a sufficient block of time to really concentrate on the job at hand! I will be implementing a 'dry-brush' technique with india ink.  It is hard on the brushes, but lends itself to details.

See you next time, and have a good day,

Phoebe

Friday, December 25, 2009

Olympic Torch Run!

I know it's Christmas Day, but this week has been nuts, and I have a quiet time now before everyone gets up! Wednesday, December 23, 2009, was Maggie's (!!) birthday, and also the day the Olympic Torch Run went through Essex County!  It went right past Maggie's house!


Well, of course we HAD to celebrate!  I left work early and Paul and I helped decorate the front of her house, and two of her husband's Mack trucks.  The ground was too soft to put a flatbed across the front yard as they wanted, but it was just as well, because we had to go out closer to the road, and as far as I am concerned, it was more exciting!

Even though the party had to be at 3:00 p.m. when the torch passed, there was quite a few people out for the torch as well as our party! The big local celebration happened at 7:00 p.m.when the torch rested for the night in Windsor, but the runner, and all the procession knew when they passed Maggie's house in LaSalle, Ontario!!!

What a blessing for Maggie!  How often would the Olympic Torch Run close enough to visit, let alone pass your house on your birthday! We were so excited, and loud, we were given little Olympic flags as souvenir's of the occasion. The Olympic Committee wanted everyone to wear as much red as possible, so as a result, I was given a metal commemorative bottle of Coke Zero, with  the Olympic seal and dated for the 2010 Torch Run! So it was okay I dressed like a ketchup bottle!


I had to take this picture of Maggie for her special birthday!  We were ready outside in plenty of time to see the procession. The crowd was just starting to gather when we came out to wait.  They came by with big trucks, A Coke truck, an Olympic Committee truck, lots of police, LaSalle, and the Mounties, some of whom ran along with the official runner for extra security. There was also a bus for the runners to wait their turn, and of course ambulance etc. LaSalle even brought out their antique police car for the occasion!  I tried to get a picture of it, but when I pressed the shutter, I accidentally pressed the off switch instead!

That's just life!



Hope and pray that your Christmas holiday is a blessed, and exciting one.
Phoebe.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Morning Meeting Of The Minds

As I have mentioned before, I work in the homes of, mostly elderly people, as a Personal Support Worker. At a nearby senior's apartment building where I visit three mornings a week, I regularly pass a group of about five to seven, elderly men in the front hallway, they move outside the main doorway in the warm dry weather.  Each morning, they congregate to discuss local and world current events, building community events, and; of course along with other things, the weather.

Yesterday morning, they asked me about the temperature outside as I passed, "It's quite chilly this morning!" I told them.  "See what I said," one chimed in,"we didn't have a decent summer this year, and now the winter weather is here!"; someone else added: "I didn't even get to turn my air conditioner on this year!"; another said: "I didn't even bother to put mine in!"; and my favorite, and by the way, he speaks for me: "I feel gypped, when the cold weather comes, and we didn't even get a decent summer!"

We, in the "Sun Parlor Of Canada" are used to a steady diet in the summer of tropical, warm to hot, humid weather for three to four months of the year, and tend to get a little cranky when we are asked to endure a cold Canadian winter, (even though it is not as severe in Essex County), when we haven't had a fix of HOT HOT weather! I fully understood their complaint; it echoes my own feelings, and many others all over the county this year.  We want to know WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SUMMER??? If this the effect of global warming, where is the warm?

I visit that building tomorrow; should I tell them I saw ice in a dish that was outside on my back porch this morning?  It calls for flurries on Thursday, that should be good for another HOT COMPLAINT TOPIC! So there's my news flash for today, winter weather is upon us, can Christmas decorations be far behind?

Have a great day,

Phoebe