Too much ado about nothing.

Today has been a day of mythic almost Biblical proportions. I did get a tad bit of weaving done, but here’s what I wove for the week-anyway. I am going to have to really make tracks when I get home to keep up with Kathy and Tommye so that I can finish by the end of September. We seem to have been visited by flood, fire(or almost fire), havoc, and mayhem. Of course, It’s all because I am leaving tomorrow morning. To mix metaphors sort of the day before I leave is always like a visit to the Mad Hatter’s tea party. I wish i could be the Mad Hatter and not Alice. She’s always confused while the Mad Hatter doesn’t care if he is confused or not-whole different state of mind and personal universe. Pat supplied the flood with a broken washer that let go in the middle of the night and flooded her down stairs. Living in ancient houses can be so much fun. We had the same thing happen the week we moved into our old house. Fortunately we hadn’t unpacked all of the way. I can so sympathize. We did have her birthday lunch at Boccherini’s and managed to talk for the first time in a week or so. It’s always so nice to do this with her! The almost fire was because “Someone” tried to help by turning up the heat-so I could finish sooner- on my reducing tomato sauce that has to be done because the ripe tomato crop would rot while I am gone. The “someone” forgot to tell me they were being helpful and I went out my studio leaving it simmering and reducing on the stove while I went out to the studio to work. Talk about run on disaster sentences. Pestilence was supplied by trying to get UPS to pick up a rather large order in a timely fashion. Havoc was supplied by a telephone that wouldn’t stop ringing demanding thier orders from today yesterday. Mayhem was created by everyone in general as we all tried to multitask at once. AND, the discovery of the theft of a Hagen loom from the covered patio. Fortunately there was no work or an almost finished tapestry on it. Probably a tweeker looking for metal walking by from the river which turns into homes for the homeless during the summer to the soup kitchen, but of course, ultimately, my fault for leaving it out. I don’t mind the missing tomatoes as they walk by, but the loom was a whole other thing. Something not easily replaced.

The good news is I made it into the deep red peony and came to the conclusion that the awful bubble gummy acid pink is going to mellow down into a nice light red. Talk about a colour with a real attitude. The problems I am having with liking and being comfortable with the colour is that it reminds me of some the pinks that Rouault and DeKoonig used that I have never been fond of. The colours in this tapestry are so rich and vibrant-nothing hesitant at all about it. Some may think the design is to small for the format, but it feels right to me. The energy level really seems to mirror the emotions of the gambles we take in our lives.

There was great quote sent to my face page by someone when I was complaining about how slow my weaving was this last week. If you had wanted your art to be fast you would have been a painter. I am not putting it in quotes because I lost it on my face book wall. So, It’s sort of right and I can’t remember who sent it to me, but I still love it!!!

What is it about August and September that everything seems to be all yellow and orange and purple and burnt looking. Guess I’ll break down and see if I can find some zonal Geraniums-At least they are reds. I have been doing some design work for another tapestry. I am beginning to feel that these Geraniums are basically the same shape as hydrangea’s. I am wondering if they will mirror each other to closely and create confusion in my design. The geraniums might read as embarrassed hydraneas and the gerniums like ill..so it goes on and on. I am going to use the images that I design for my 20epi and do them at 10epi just for the sake of comparison. I have a five foot wide warp that I think I’ll weave about a foot high as an exercises. I find that in my design journal I seemed to fixated on the phrase Time in a bottle. It’s from an old Jim Croce song. I also saw the Time Travellers Wife. I think I need to read the book, but it hasn’t helped my fixation on time images and words. Will probably show up in my next small format tapestry.

I am going to miss weaving this week. BUT, at least I will be doing something really fun. I am going to Maryland to see my family. It seems like forever since I have seen the Grandchildren-KeeKee, Troy and Spencer. KeeKee just had a birthday and turned 17. WOW-this seems like the opening of a whole new thing a little like an Epiphany- where everything becomes the past from this moment forward.

Sorry all Chene’ has to stay and play with Livvie and Jenn again. I know how much you all want to see and meet him, but he’s still a little to hyber for a jest ride under the seat in his carrier. People would hate me as I dislike crying children and children throwing temper tantrums on planes. Give him another year of training!

Grandpa’s thinking we should maybe get another puppy so that Chene’ has someone to play with. Gramma’s not so sure. She’s doing all of the training. Grandpa spoils. Chene’ has a tunnel now. When we get back we will add his jumps to the course. He likes to fake us out by not going through the tunnel. He knows he’s being funny, because he sits and waits for a reaction before he runs through the other side.

We are going to tour all of the Lincoln Assassination sites got to Gettysburg while in Maryland. Shane lives about 2 miles from Dr. Mudd’s home. Haven’t figured out what the fascination of going to battlefields is. So many people died there. They give me the creeps and makes my skin crawl. My Grandmother said that dead things and ghost of the past were best view from a very long distances so that they don’t become attached to ones life/self. I know that’s part of the reason she left one home and created a new one. I’d rather see a battlefield in papers and diagrams. I am hoping to see Mary Todd-Lincoln’s inaugural gown. I have never seen My Great-Great Aunts dress. Every time in the last 37 years that I have gone their it’s been down for conservations purposes. Perhaps it will be on display this time! We will be going to the Textile Museum and the Smithsonian Indian museums. Ramona Sakestewa designed a great tapestry curtain that was woven at Kawashima Textile Mills in Japan. It seems to me to be rather odd to have it woven by non-American-non native American tapestry weavers. It’s not as big as the biggest Navajo weaving ever done. So what was the problem!! Go figure!

Guess I should go pack. We are leaving at about 3:30 in the morning.

Just a reminder to self that there is no place like home. Everything else is Disneyland. SO– Disneyland it is for the next week.

Cheers