Thinking of Getting a Mac

I'm having to use my dh's laptop. My computer has been acting up for three months and finally went to a blue screen only - no icons, nothing. Everything is backed up on an external hard drive and photos are on CDs. So all is not lost. There is no photoshop on the laptop so it may be a while before I can upload photos the way I'd like to. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Pops

Bill and Matthew
1979

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dh with Matthew, our only child. Solid as a rock, he has remained strong through many crises our family has faced. He is our anchor - the man Matthew fondly calls "Pops."

Father's Day

Kermit vonOhlen
1932

I'll never stop missing my father, gone now for 26 years. Just before he died, seeing my anguish at his suffering, he said, "My journey's almost over. Yours is just beginning." After all this time, I understand more completely than ever what he meant. I'll never stop missing him.

Surprise Visit

My DH Bill and Matthew

Matthew with me.

Our son Matthew was off today so decided to spend it with us in Charlotte for an early Father's Day visit. As always, we had a great time eating Vietnamese food at Lang Van and then looking at old photos.

We'll be going to The Outer Banks with Matthew and Suzie, other family members and friends later this summer for Matthew's 30th birthday. I can't wait!

Our Garden

I've developed a condition known as trigger finger in both thumbs and the index finger on my left hand. It is aggravating and painful and keeps me from working on my art. So for now, I'm getting inspiration from the perennials in our garden. Here are a few of my favorites:

Raspberry Bee Balm
I love the red leaves just under the blossoms.

High Mallow
I had a hard time finding this plant which looks like a miniature hollyhock.

Diamond Frost Euphorbia - very airy and delicate

Chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine
I bought the little bug adornment several years ago.

Our hydrangea blossoms begin like this.....

before turning a beautiful blue.

We're hoping our coneflowers attract lots of honeybees.

All photos are clickable.

Distractions

I've been away from art for nearly two months and it doesn't feel good. I'm distracted. Not the kind of distraction we get by beginning to do one task and then finding ourselves doing another. I am in the midst of planned distraction - things I just have to get off my plate before I can move on. I liken it to doing prep work on a room before it can be painted. Unfortunately, I've had to give these things a higher priority than making art.

But all is not lost. As I work, I'm planning art in my mind. My work will go in a new direction, employing much more of my own hand-dyed and surface designed fabrics as well as digital imagery. I know what I want to do next but absolutely must get things in order before I begin.

In the meantime, I'll share a quilt or two you may not have seen.

Hurricane Warning
40" x 60" 2003
SOLD
Permanent Collection of The Concourse Gallery, Upper Arlington OH

Hurricane Warning was created for the juried show Vantage Point-South, The Art Quilt at the Page-Walker in Cary NC, where it was chosen as the publicity quilt for the poster and postcard. It was also in The Art of the Quilt, an invitational exhibition in Martinsville VA. It was purchased for the permanent collection of The Concourse Gallery while on exhibit with other members' work from The Art Quilt Network.

Very unlike my other work, Hurricane Warning is one of those quilts which just happened. It came together very quickly - just one week from conception to completion. The graphic beauty of hurricane warning flags really struck me the first time I saw them. The image stayed in my head for a long time and finally appeared in this piece.

My Love of Birds

This nest contains tiny strips from a torn blue tarp. It was found on the lawn at my sister's IL home.

It's a little thing to some, but I love birds. I love watching them, listening to them and especially finding a nest. When we were in IL last month, I desperately searched for red-winged blackbirds - most often seen sitting on metal fence posts along the fields. My dh saw several, but I couldn't see that far!

There were other sweet rewards tho. Like barn swallows seen swooping and flying all around my sister's porch. I managed to get one clear shot, but the beautiful swallowtail is barely visible.

This lovely barn swallow - seen here gathering nesting materials.

My sister and brother-in-law are blessed with five grandchildren who love coming out to the farm. On an afternoon of exploring, we discovered birds nesting in very unusual places!

The engine compartment of an old Ford tractor held five little black birds with bright yellow beaks. We had to climb up on the tire in order to see them snuggled together.

Photo credit: Olivia Powell, age 6

Lisa holds Addison for a quick look.

After my sister commented about finding a nest on top of their propane tank one year, we all had to investigate. And sure enough, the birds had chosen the same location once more.

I never realized robins nests were so big. This one is at least 12" across, filling the cover of the gas tank when closed. The robins have a safe, dry refuge.

Five robin's eggs.

On the homefront, we're really excited. Our bluebirds are back, having built a new nest in the bluebird box. They have been very, very busy. If we can get pictures this time, I'll be sure to post them. No eggs yet, but we're watching.