Nostalgia

There's something to be said for the toy camera effect.

And poodle dogs.  There's something to be said for poodle dogs too.

Pomp and Circumstance

So there were some graduations last week.  Abby graduated from Middle School.

My picture-taking ability failed me so I don't have many good pictures of either graduation.  Abby's, which was Thursday evening in her school's gym, was uncomfortably warm.  I'm not gonna lie, there was some sweat.  The high school graduation on Friday was early afternoon in Patrick Gym at UVM, and it too was warmer than warm.  Again -- sweat.  All my pictures of Delaney while she was waiting in line for her diploma are crapola, but here she is after the ceremony.

Johan got a fake diploma.  His year here doesn't count as his senior year of high school - lucky guy, he gets to do it all over again when he gets home.

Johan's whole family came from Sweden to pick him up; they spent four days in New York City, took the train to Vermont, stayed for a week, and left today on the train for Washington, D.C.  We can't talk about it because I will get all weepy again.  Ann posted a video on facebook today of their train leaving the station and I cried.  Abby politely pointed out that I cry at everything and I might have gotten offended by that remark if it weren't totally true.  I will just say this:  it was a joy to have Johan around this past year and when we met his family it felt like we had known them forever.  We are all going to miss him, the Thomas family most of all (particularly when they need to reach something on a high shelf).

Okay, new subject.  And a Kleenex.

I gave myself a list of four things I want to get done tonight and I'm down to the last one, which is packing up the painting I'm sending to Derek for the Bigfork show.  I am determined to go to bed tonight feeling the satisfaction of knowing I crossed everything off my list.  This is not a feeling I get to experience often.  Ergo, gotta go.  Heh - that was funny.  This is the painting I'm sending:

It's a 9" x 12" canvas panel and, because I am boring and predictable, I named it "White Water."  It's a hot mess, but in a good way.  I hope.

The end.

Before and After

There are not enough hours in the day.  It has been non-stop nonsense around here but it's too late in the day to tell you about it now.  Not that I have let that stop me before, but there's still a sink full of dirty dishes calling my name before I go to bed.  And I want to go to bed early (meaning by 11:00) so I can read some of the book I got in the mail:

Yippee.  I can't wait to find out how I died.

In other news, most of the painting that has been going on around here happened outside.

Yes, that is the side of my garage and yes, it used to be white.  White vinyl, which meant it was a pain in the ass to paint (scrubbing with a 3-part mixture and then two coats of paint with a brush).  It looks totally different out back now and although I finally got my hammock chair to work and it is lovely to sit out there hanging from a tree, the mosquitoes have been so miserably bad it hasn't been much fun.  I have lost so much blood to the little bastards that I feel lightheaded.

On another note, still paint related, there's this:

It was an experiment.  I think I like the before better than the after even though it's just silver sharpie on a brown background.  The after is in the questionable pile but - no pun intended - it's growing on me.  And speaking of growing, I planted some vegetables.  More on that later.  The only other thing I've painted is something possibly, depending on how I feel about it when I look at it again in the morning, for Derek's next Bigfork show to coincide with Leslie's book launch party.

You know, the book I'm going to be reading later tonight.  

The book launch party I had my heart set on going to.

More on that later, too.  Right now I must empty a sink.