Flower storms

Glads from the Yarden

Officially summer- no regular school, it's hot-hot-hot out, rolling thunderstorms and all the glads are blooming.  Mr. Owens has planted lots of glads- I have lost track- but they are sparking out in salmon, flame, purple, yellow and the rare green.  I came home from school on the official last day- which was a dozy for various reasons- and he had two vases full of them, one on the tv, one on my desk.  I pick off the wilted blooms and put them into Turrello's basket, he has a real thing for flowers, and he sleeps contentedly on them in the sun.

The last day of school resulted in an adventure, of course.  No sooner than I arrived than Grendel called- the Saturn had broken down on the way to take Serene to the vet.  Boy, dog, car stranded in 90+ temps, mum to the rescue.  After some magic, Serene made it to the vet, where she was spayed successfully- she is doing fine.  The car got to the mechanics for a new alternator, due for pick up today.  (along with new tires on  Capone- money, money, what can you do?) Boy was kidnapped into forced labor at school with me, where he cleaned the art room, hauled multitudes of trash to the school dumpster via Hobo cart, and did other narsty chores while I did paperwork.  Things worked out for the best, they always seem to in the end.  Lucky that way.

So now, summer.  Teaching online.  Trying to figure out trips, visit everyone, balance everything.  I really miss Mother and want to see her badly- I feel so guilty for not being there, not communicating better.  Now that I am waking up I realize just how shut off from everyone/ everything I have been, and I apologize- will try to do better.  Words are just tricky right now- even the tone of this writing seems a bit off, comes slower than the usual flow of water words.  It will get better, just have to trust and keep going.  Life is good, live it well. 

And that is what happens- I am working on building up to length again writing wise, I am ok with very short things (facebook) and pictures-  images have always been my best way to communicate.  I am at the awkward part of my sketchbook now, where the Spring book is almost finished and I am anxious to start a new one- but I still have a few pages left.  If I leave them blank I feel unaccomplished- I think when I do get to the new one I am going to work from both ends at once and end up in the middle.  Might be better, I don't know.  I did go through all of my sketchbooks- well, the hardbound ones- the other day, dated and labeled them, put them in order.  It's amazing the journey- from the first efforts from undergrad, to my first completed black book in 1999.  Several years to fill one at first, then stepping up to the 'almost filled'- about one per year, then two filled per year, to my current 3-4 per year.  Drawings, writings, notes, memories- my life all sprawled out.  If I count just the 'big blacks', this spring makes number 30.  Plus there are 20 more other sketchbooks- spiraled, large, small, from classes and from long ago- way back when I was a kid.  And that is just what I kept.  There are other books- journals, which were my life-rope during and for the few years after my divorce- the altered books, partially started smaller sketchbooks and the thin 'summer books' where I taught myself various things.  Thousands of pages.  Interesting to me~ and to others? Who knows?  My kids like looking at the Big Blacks, Mr. Owens likes seeing what is in my book-of-the-moment, what will happen to them someday?  Not sure, but they will stick around for awhile, have a better chance of being seen I think than what is online.  I love online, and this blog, but that fades away-  Life is short, Art is long.