Reading for Seniors

Here is a picture taken the day I was at Hillsview acres reading my book"Lu lu Belle the Happy Puppy" to the residents there. This had to be one of the most heart warming moments in my life. They were all so sweet .We took the two dogs with us ,both stars in my book, Lu Lu Belle herself and Miss Laura our Diva who we doggy sit on a regular basis. You can just imagine how well these dogs were received there.
It was a wonderful sunny day to do something so rewarding. I am about to begin writing my new story which is running in my head daily, but will wait until after The Full Monty at the Astor Theatre Feb. 10-12 ,17-19 I have been helping with the set, which is very involved indeed. You won't want to miss this play ,the work not only with the very involved set but the work by the Actors ,Directors and Crew it should be a great show!!! Because I have been very busy painting at the Astor, any art here has been on hold. Usually in years past I would be locked up inside a warm house watching it snow outside while I paint away . These days on the South Shore of our Nova Scotia one day is like Spring ,next day cold and back again to Spring. There is so much always to do inside and out,I sometimes wish I could split into two and get more done.
The other day poor Chuck was beside himself ,I had the day off from the Theatre so decided to tackle the upstairs here, our home is tiny compared to our old farm house we left 7 years ago now and I must be creative at making this smaller space work for us. We don't have a spare bedroom and one night I kept Chuck awake with my coughing so I thought and thought and have made a space for a single bed so one or the other can get away and sleep somewheres else to give the other a peaceful nights sleep.
Regarding future product, I have been collecting some very interesting pieces for a couple ideas I have for benches or what I call boot bins. These will be worked on come finer weather and I hope to have a few new things come Spring, never ending ideas . My boat part paintings are all sold and I must get into the shop and prepare some new surfaces for painting. The boat parts are harder to find these days but I still have some very interesting pieces which I have had for sometime and I look forward to seeing them done, for they are very unique pieces that have been waiting to come to life again.

Fond rekindling and first Winter Snowman..

The early New Year brought us a nice surprise , we received 3 disks of photos and music in the mail from cyclists Mary Ann and Dave from Ontario who we met in 2010. They were traveling for 121 days photographing and documenting their adventures . They stopped here one incredibly rainy stormy day to take a picture with our dummy fisherman we had outside that Summer just for the fun of it.

What a lovely couple they were and are, so brave of them to challenge themselves to such a ride and camping along the way at that. They were so wet as you can see from the photo above . Mary Ann even has on kitchen rubber gloves duck taped closed to keep the rain out. Trust me these people knew what they were doing and if I may say so,they were no Spring Chickens, they had snow on the roof if you get my drift? We offered them our bunk house to sleep in and a hot meal and cloths dryer,but we didn't have enough room for them to set their tent up to dry so we then sent them on to a close by Motel where they got to dry out and relax. We followed their blog while they continued on their journey and then we all got on with our lives but did think and talk about them often and then this package arrived this New Year. There are photos of all the wonderful ports and towns they visited ,with captions and photos of scenery and People they met on their way, we were included in these photos as well as shots of my art and we are honored to be remembered and thought of in their fond memories of the friendly Maritime Provinces.So, reading their lovely note and looking at their Cd's and hearing their news of being new Grand Parents last Summer ,we today sent them a signed copy of my little book "Lu Lu Belle the Happy Puppy"for them and their grand babies. Thank you Mary Ann and Dave for being sent our way and us having the privilege of meeting you and leaving a mark with you ,for you left a wonderful mark with us.

Now meet my snowman, first one this Winter, I always love to play in the snow and really living here in the Maritimes South Shore does not give me the bit of snow I like to see. Driving in it is another thing, but one can always find some joy in playing in it, so meet my man..the only hat I had for him was my Saint Paddy's hat, he wears it well.Actually we may not have this snow for long, not to worry if you hate snow, for tomorrow it may be gone but I hope my snowman lasts a few days .

I have been slack regarding starting any much needed painting this year so far. I now have a lap top just for writing so this past few days I have been writing my first draft of my next Children's book which is about a Mouse, I may share more as I write, we will see. It is coming along nicely ,in the way that I can see the art work for the book as I write, that can be a good thing. I like it when things just happen to flow. It is hard to believe but I am also thinking of the Summer Tourist Season,scary but from years of doing shows one has a tendency like preparing for Fall in the Spring, such as wood piles etc. .Remember the old saying? "Make hay while the sun is shining?"Well that is what I am doing,wow!!!my head hurts I need a break!!!just kidding, I will survive...Ha Ha...could be a song...LOL ,Oh I am funny today.

So get out and build a snowman or woman...why not?Eh?