Quiet Days...

I spent a very quiet day, with no agenda...nothing. I am not a shopper, so I did not nor have I ever participated in the Black Friday ritual. I think it is stupid myself. I prefer making my gifts or at least put a little more thought into them. I can't stand the mall during regular hours so I can not envision me getting up at some unnatural hour to go there. I also don't buy the pumping up the economy spin either.

Instead I painted for a good amount of the day and really enjoyed myself. I ate, had tea, talked with my friend on the phone, had pie, found my Christmas books( purely because I was searching for something else) and finally had popcorn and watched a Christmas movie, The Family Stone. I worked on my sleeve knitting and finally on the 3rd of 5 repeats and finished increasing, so humbly, I am on my way. Read previous posts to understand the humility...

When I opened my Christmas book box the top book was a gift from my friend Karole last Christmas. Last year she was excited about a book of readings for advent, Watch For The Light, and easy to see why. The authors of the writings were some of the best spiritual thinkers and writers, such as C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Annie Dillard, and Dorothy Day to name a few. My copy is special because she gave it to me for Christmas last year, during Advent. A few of us received it because she so wanted us to share in the gems she was reading...Anyway I pulled it out tonight and I had to thank her again. A book is like that...I felt like I had just opened the gift again.

Have a good night and thank you for reading. Peace...

Painting Days...

I met my friends at the Botanical Center this afternoon. It is located within Roger Williams Park and Zoo in the city of Providence. A gem in the middle of the city that has been around as long as I can remember and then some. I had to stop for geese crossing on the way in and the way out. Pretty funny if you are a patient soul but then there were the people who were speeding by and really didn't care if they hit a goose or not, they were pretty scary people to begin with in my book as he was behind me for a whileand was raging at a light because the cars in front of me were not moving fast enough for him, so he began gesturing...then there was the ignoramus that revved his motor and leaned on his horn at this point when O took the photo. He was coming from the other direction...I on the other hand seized the opportunity to turn it into a photo op and take photos of the parade...they were great. Unless you are giving birth or in a rescue vehicle, nothing is that important. Everyone is in a hurry, in a rush. Sad really as well as frustrating when one doesn't mind being slowed down...

The Botanical Center was sporting Poinsettias today. We walked around and noticed the changes in the plants from when we were there 2 weeks ago. We took lots of pictures. For example the amazing bloom on this banana plant opened. The air in there feels good to breath, pure oxygen, clean because of all the plants.

We painted while activity was going on around us. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with that, not so self conscious. I am finding that I am so involved with what I am doing that I barely know someone is walking by. So that is an improvement. I was working on this scene.
. The colors of the leaves and the dried places where the palms had broken off I found interesting. So my painting was more of an exploration forcing me to really look at it and to pick out each of the leaves and those things on the bottom of the palm tree, which I wish I knew what they are called. But now this will prompt me to do research and find out the answers to my questions. There was also a commercial being filmed advertising a Poinsettia Sale coming up at URI's East Farm Horticultural Facility. There was also a tour with a group of middle school kids. So today was a busy day there and a little hard to settle down. Took me a while... It was a good time, asking each other what do you think, conversation, painting tips shared, and eating a bagged lunch there is a treat. It is like being on a picnic. Here is Cindy painting.



I have posted the girls in a few days but this was funny yesterday. They looked like they were following a tennis match...but in reality they where watching my husband eating peanut butter and crackers. They missed nothing. I am not sure if they even blinked.


Thanks for reading. Peace.