The Joys of Goose Down

Cocoa, here, with anniversay celebration wishes. Here I am in my favorite morning place on my one year anniversary with my two Moms. I never dreamed how wonderful it could be to have my very own family and be the only dog. I have always had to share housing, food, and people with other dogs and I never realized what I had been missing. Now that I am treated in the royal manner that I deserve, I can say that I love it. Every morning after being let out, I run back and get in the very big bed and nestle into the down pillows. I remain there until I hear my other mother getting the package of cheese for her breakfast. Life is good here in Florida but the heat bothers me. Now that it's getting cooler, I look forward to staying outside more, running around and sniffing the air. Of course, being the gregarious dog that I am, one of my moms has to sit outside with me because I don't like being alone.

Equinox Visitation

Today is the first day of fall and this morning, very early, we had an equinox visitor in our tall pine trees. I heard the Great Barred Owl hooting in our woods as I began to get dressed for work. I quietely let myself out the back door and waited breathlessly. Nothing...... I waited and I waited...... and then, when I was just about to go back inside, I heard the hooting again. So I sat down on the back porch and just listened. It hooted and hooted until the sun came up. What a thrill for me. A true harbinger of the changing weather and always, for me, a sign of great blessing.

Frankly Speaking....

"The Dead Sit At Our Table Long After They Are Gone". This collage, in honor of my father, was inspired by the quote from Mitch Albom in his book, Just One More Day. The book tells the story of a man who gets to spend one more day with his mother who has been diseased for many years. In doing so, he gains insights into his own life and into the lives of his parents. And so, I chose this quote as the title for this new collage knowing full well that although my father no longer occupies physical space, he occupies more than one seat at the table of my mind.

Artistic Endeavor

I am experimenting with a new art form. I am interested in altered books in which an old book is taken apart and then put back together using mixed media. I have begun the book in the photograph but feel it will probably take me several sessions since glue must dry before proceeding to each subsequent page. This book is a book for dreamers and the theme is from the quote by Carl Sandburg, "Nothing happens....but first a dream."

Clean at Last, Clean at Last, Thank ......It's Clean at Last!

The happy home away from home is no longer dingy, green with algae, and black with mildew. Thanks to a great detail job, she shines with a coat of wax and holds her head a bit higher, tho her wheels are sinking deeper. Her only complaint now is that she is lonely. Perhaps she'll have visitors before too very long. Even the cows in the pasture look wistfully over the fence hoping Elizabeth will appear with some watermelon for them. They have also been staging escapes to make the neighborhood a bit more exciting. I hear they are raiding the vegetable garden a couple of houses down the road. The banana spiders are most unhappy to have been knocked down, and are no doubt busily making new webs at every corner, but their days are numbered. Thankfully they all disappear in the cooler weather that we hope is not too distant. Heidi has made a new entrance/exit so she can come and go from the upper level of her den more easily. And, I almost forgot, Shirley rescued a BIG tortoise at the side of the road in front of the house. Looked like it was about to venture across to our side, and that would have been tragic. I think it's name is Herman.

The Alteration Lady

"Angelina's Alterations" has been working in my head for several weeks now and came to fruition throughout the day today. Angelina was a seamstress who did alterations for my mother in the early 1950's. She worked out of a dark room in the Fashion Cleaners, an establishment in Tampa, Florida. I would go there with my mother and watch while she was measured in order to have her suits altered. It was very boring for me as a young girl but provided inspiration for this piece. I thought it would be interesting if, instead of altering lengths and size, Angelina could alter a woman by giving her more self-confidence, musical ability, or letting go of perfection.

Newest Creation

I have been working on this collage for over a week and it has taken over my thoughts way too long. It is entitled "It Is Never Too Late To Be Who You Might Have Been" and after sharing it with Janet, she said she thought it was about me. I did not intend to have it be about me but I guess, in a sense, it is. Beginning with the original photographs of old fashioned women, superimposed with more modern features (particularly Hispanic Frida Kahlo), and the "kick butt" red shoes, I guess it could be a personal statement. Breaking free of the mold of one's life has always been difficult and has certainly taken me on an exciting, interesting, and challenging journey. I am still in the process of breaking free from the strictures of time and money; the need to always be sure; the constant reviewing of the finances. My artistic side is not content to remain within the safety of only my thoughts anymore; she is beating on the door to be released.

An interesting note about the page from the old book that I used on this piece: it contains such phrases as ...coffee now?, a silver coffee pot, the army, etc. The picture of the girl with red hair features an army battalion. The girl is wearing a feminist button that says, "Women Make Policy, Not Coffee." When I selected the page from the book, I did not read it. I opened up an old book I bought yesterday, tore out one of the pages, tore the edges, and pasted it down. Weird huh? I think the universe is talking to me.