Cooking and Painting

I spent the day cooking and the evening painting - like every day lately. All I really want to do is paint - all day, every day. But, unfortunately, no one is paying me to paint. Yet.

Tonight I was leaving the studio to come downstairs and fix some dinner when I decided to paint just a couple of the ornaments I bought the other day. Well, 24 ornaments later, I came downstairs. I like the look of these smaller ones even more than the larger ones I was doing earlier.

I made a couple of other things tonight that I really, really liked. Unfortunately, my camera battery died before I got a good photo. Maybe in the next few days I'll share.

Jocelyn gave me some good advice the other day - to think about how many people you want to sell something to at the show and then make sure you have that many whatevers to sell. I am getting a pretty nice little stash of journals, and I'll have a nice mix of ornaments once I finish all I've got started. And I'm working on some other things.

I don't think I'll have anything large done for this show, but that's OK. I like to do the smaller things, anyway. I am always drawn to the detail in things.

I first recognized this about myself when I was hiking in Muir Woods near San Francisco a couple of years ago. It was an amazing morning - I arrived before they were open, but they allow you to go on into the park. It was many hours before I heard or saw another person. It was very close to paradise on Earth.

I realized that morning as I was taking photos that I was always wanting the detail - the fern on the log instead of the log in the water. I wanted the moss on the tree instead of the overview of the trees. Unfortunately, the camera I was using couldn't capture those details. It was one of the reasons I got the camera I use now - it does a much better job of close ups.

Of course, I will need to figure out what to put in the background of the booth - that will be a trick. But I'm sure I'll think of something appropriate.

My fun part of the day was seeing Trish for lunch. She was on a tight time table after the city council meeting and before an appointment, but we managed to get lunch in, which was great. Trish and I always connect with on a very deep level. She and I are both feeling the urge to GO somewhere.

Well, the only place I'm going tonight is upstairs. And I'm going to try to stay out of the studio so I'm not up for an extra two hours.

Lucrative Business

Tonight I attended a presentation by some local businesses about a webpage for an organization who's board I serve on. I came away with two main thoughts:

1. web design is a very lucrative business
2. when you're in a business like web design that is a mystery to lots of people, you can snow them pretty easily

I know a little bit about webpages. A little bit. I was a webmaster back in the dark ages before we had programs to do it all for us - when you just had to learn basic html. Thank goodness. It's useful to have that living in my brain and I use it on a regular basis. Now I have a nifty program that makes it very easy to do web stuff, although it does expect you to have some basic understanding. Although I have not used it, I understand Nvu is a great program comparable to Dreamweaver you can use for webpage design that is a free download.

The other thing I learned about this now very lucrative web design business when I was a webmaster is that I find it mind-numbingly dull. This would be directly related to why my own webpage never gets redesigned. I can always find about a million things that sound more appealing than working on a webpage. That list would include mopping my kitchen floor and taking out the bathroom trash. And those aren't even at the bottom of the list.

However, maybe if people were paying me thousands of dollars to do it, I might suddenly find webpage design fascinating. I doubt it, though. Money seems to have little impact on how much I enjoy a particular activity. One of seven things will motivate anyone. Money is one of them, but it works for very few people - me included.

But, I digress... back to webpages... I'm very, very, very glad I know some basics. I use it almost every day and I actually enjoy that level of it. I just don't want to have a  job where I'm doing it all day every day. I feel my brain liquefying at the mere mention of it. Yuck.

It's always interesting to see how people approach a presentation like this. People break it down and "explain" in different ways. When you're talking to a room full of people, most of whom don't know much beyond the basics of email, word, etc., you can either talk specifics or generalities.

Tonight was a real lesson to me. In such a circumstance I would speak in very general terms. But, I realized tonight that when you do that, and don't tell people the different options available to them, it can look like you're hiding something. I don't think that was at all the case, but it can certainly come off that way. Something good for me to remember for the future.

Every day is a learning experience.

Quiet

It has been the quietest day I can remember in a long time. My phone hasn't even rung today, and I haven't called anyone. I've even had very little email. I guess the whole world needed some down time.
I have barely left the house. I went to the garden to gather tomatoes and basil to make some soup for lunch and opened the front door to bring in some lumber I had left propped by it last night. I haven't been any further than that.

There's something quite lovely about being able to cocoon in my home, with no need to go out for any groceries or other supplies. I love it when I have everything I need at home. My mother always being prepared for almost any occasion - we did not go "to town" three miles away casually. I drive the few blocks to the grocery store at the slightest provocation. I think my mother probably had the better approach.

I had a really rough night last night so I needed a quiet day today.

This is going to be a busy week. I'm eager to be on the other side of it. I hate to wish time away, but I'm tired just thinking about all I have to do this week. But, I'm just going to improve my attitude and be thankful I'm able to do what I need to do and get it done.

I spent quite a bit of time in the studio today and got this basket out to see how it would work to hold journals at the show. I think it will work pretty well.



I have another half dozen journals in their final stages and another half dozen with one side done. They're somewhat labor intensive, but whenever I carry one I never fail to get comments on it.

Well, I'm calling it a day and heading upstairs. I am not even going to walk into the studio because I'll end up staying in there for 2-3 hours if I do. Hopefully I will actually get some rest tonight and wake up ready to meet this week head on.

Quote of the Day

The divide is not between the servants and the served, between the leisured and the workers, but between those who are interested in the world and its multiplicity of forms and forces, and those who merely subsist, worrying or yawning . . . . The world is full of light and life, and the true crime is not to be interested in it.

A. S. Byatt in "Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice"

Studio Saturday

It has been a nice Saturday and I needed a nice Saturday. I went to the Farmer's Market and Roys and then spent the rest of the day in the studio and around the house. I did go out to get some more paint when I ran out of a couple of things this afternoon.

Other that that, and hanging out clothes and getting dinner from the garden, I have been indoors.

I've noticed it doesn't matter how much table space I start out with, by the end of a session in the studio, I'm working in a space about 18 inches by 12 inches. Maybe this is why I don't do much large format stuff.

I fear I'm not going to get any actual paintings completed for the show, but I'm doing a lot of smaller things - journals, ornaments, etc. I think they'll sell better at this show, anyway. I think this is more a "craftsy" crowd than an "artsy" crowd. So, I think I'm far less likely to sell a $500 painting than I am a $15 journal. Not that that's not always true, but it would certainly be the case here, I think.

I believe in giving people what they want. So, I'm going to devote my time to ornaments, journals and similar things. I'll just tuck my ego away on this one and go for things I think will sell well at this particular show.

I'm very happy with some of the journals I've been doing lately. They require many steps to complete - from painting the front to dyeing the paper the quotes are on to any number of other additions. But I like the finished products.



I also love this quote from Henry Miller: The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.

Farm Girl

CAUTION - LANGUAGE

So, what do you think of when you hear the term, "Farm Girl?" I heard it used today in a derogatory manner, and it never occurred to me before that it was a negative term.

It was one of those classic situations where you never know who's around and what their background is. I was at the round table at Roy's BBQ and there was another regular there with some guests. We nodded at each other, as one generally does in such a circumstance.

They went on to talk about a couple of women moving something very heavy and one of them said, "They must have been farm girls." Derisive laughter all around, and a glance at me to include me in on the joke, as if I could not possibly be a farm girl, and would enjoy a laugh at the expense of women who know how to work hard on a farm.

People are often telling me I'm a little "prissy," and I always discount that. However, I must give off that aura. Because today with my hair pulled up in a clip, absolutely no make up, old jeans and t-shirt, and my hands covered with paint, I still don't give off the "farm girl" feeling - whatever that is - but I'm pretty sure it's the opposite of "prissy."

Well... I am a farm girl... Always have been... and Always will be.

I just got up and boxed up my food to leave. I didn't want to share a table with those four guys any longer.

Now, goodness knows, I've stuck my foot in my mouth on more than one occasion in similar circumstances. I wasn't going to embarrass him or his guests today, but the next time I see this guy at a chamber breakfast or a local fundraiser or something I will take the opportunity to tell him I am a farm girl. He likes me - at least he always acts like he likes me - maybe it will open his eyes to the idea that farm girls can sweep their hair up into elegant chignons as well as wear it in pigtails. We can wear heels or boots. We can go effortlessly between different worlds, without people ever knowing we're "imposters." You'd think that would be something a man appreciates, but apparently not any of those guys.

I'm not sure why being able to carry my own luggage, even if it is filled with "prissy" things, makes me less appealing. But, I guess it does. Well, at least to some men. My guess is that would mostly be men who are offended that a girl might be able to lift more than them, or wield a power tool better than them or drive a tractor better than them. I'm certain in the case of these men I would have that competition wrapped on the the last two, and maybe all three.

Some men prefer their women dainty and helpless. Because when their women are helpless, the men are stronger by comparison. That's certainly true for this man's wife - I'm always amazed the woman can dress herself and function from the way she looks to him for constant guidance.

I'm guessing there's some compensating going on there on his part. And, yes, I did manage to get out of there without saying it, but it was on the tip of my tongue the whole time. But I refrained. Until I got in the car, where I said outloud, "Geez, I'm really sorry about your -----."

I can't decide if I'm more offended by the comment or amused by the compensation. It's pretty much a toss up.

Oh well... this farm girl is going out to use a power tool now... and then carry some lumber upstairs.

Sugar Cookies

My dining room table is covered with heart shaped sugar cookies and I am so relieved they are done. I despise making sugar cookies. Ironically, I love to eat them - but not enough to make them. I think the last time I made them was for last year's tea.

I was once involved with someone who loved them and I made them for him many, many, many times. I don't think he ever fully appreciated what a symbol of love that was.

Also ironic - I've always been on the lookout for the perfect sugar cookie recipe. I have three that I really like - Nan's, Mary Ann's, and Shirley's. I have others that I've never tried but that I've gathered because one day I might want to make them. Because, as we've already covered, I like to make them so much.

The one I used this time is Nan's because the recipe doesn't call for any milk. I don't drink milk, so I didn't have any in the house, and didn't want to go get any.

The trick with sugar cookies is you want one that's going to hold its shape and yet be tender. In reality, this has more to do with things other than the recipe. Of course, no one ever told me that, so I had to discover it through trial and error, cookbooks, the food network, or some other place. I can't even tell you exactly how I gained this knowledge, but I'm going to share it.

1. If you want the cookies to hold their shape they have to be COLD. Keep the dough cold before you roll it out. After you cut the cookies out and put them on the sheet, put it back in the fridge to chill before you bake them. Voila! (By the way, Voila! is a French word and means "There you go!" or something similar. There really isn't a perfect translation. But it is not spelled "walla" as I sometimes see it. That's one of my pet peeves. "Walla" in English is a second spelling of the word "wallah" that refers to a person who's essential in an organization, or works in a particular field. "Walla" is not a word in French as far as I know. Walla Walla is a city in Washington. Other than those instances, don't write "walla" when you really mean "voila". I also sometimes see it spelled, "wahlah," which is not a word in either language as far as I know - nor is "wahla.") OK, I got that off my chest... moving on...

2. What makes the cookie tough is overworking the dough. What that really means in this case is that when you pick up the bits and pieces and reroll them again and again it eventually gets tough - partially because of the added flour.

The same rules apply to pie crust. Maybe I just applied it to cookies from pie crusts - maybe that's how I learned it. Whatever the case - those two things work.

Today I got some of the shopping done for more cooking this weekend. I'll be cooking. Then cooking some more. To be followed by some cooking. Does my life seem dull? Well, imagine how it feels to be living it.

OK... just because I'm so nice... I'm going to share Nan's Sugar Cookie Recipe. She and I made these together one year before Valentine's Day and she sent some to the man she was dating at the time. He proposed a few months later. He, obviously, understood what an indication of true love a batch of sugar cookies is - unlike the man I was with. I'm not saying it was necessarily the cookies... I'm just saying they're good.

Nan's Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

I double this recipe often. These will freeze well, if any survive long enough for that.

OK... go forth and bake!