Opportunity

I am excited to announce I have a new license! I received 6 card designs, "hot off the press" yesterday. They will be available soon. For the last few months, I have been working with It Takes Two. I have known about them for some time. Over the years, I have sent many of their cards with heartfelt messages and simple, beautiful graphics.

I like the company. I like what they represent and I love the acceptance, professionalism and the great feeling that I got from the minute I walked in the door. Started in 1984 by mother and daughter team, Georgia Rettmer and Kimberly Rinehart, the company just turned 25 years old.  I love that they are right here in Minnesota! I am in great company and look forward to "the ride." Thank you, Kim and all! I hope it's a great adventure for all of us!

If you have a shop that sells greeting cards and would like to offer my work, let me know. I'll pass along your shop information to It Takes Two or you can contact them directly.

Trunk Show

I am part of a trunk show at Stonecrop in Maple Grove this weekend and wanted you to know. Should be a fun time. If you can, come on by!

Fall Colors Artist Trunk Show
at Stonecrop in Maple Grove
Saturday October 8
10 am - 2 pm

www.mystonecrop.com

Fall

Even tho I feel the impending "doom" of Winter, I still love that Fall is in the air. We've taken the convertible out several times over the past week and I love the smells, the dampness, and the cool pockets of air as we drive into the valleys.

At the same time, there's a sense of urgency to "finish" up outdoor projects and go to the places we intended at the beginning of the season when Summer loomed large in front of us. We cruise a lot in the Fall. It's our favorite time for that really. (we have a heater and are not afraid to use it!) You know, if we always had 75 and sunny those days would not be so precious. At least we are not preparing for the wrath or cleaning up from the effects of a hurricane here. (my heart goes out to those affected) I'll take our Winters over the threat of hurricanes like that any day.

Things are a bit weird in the garden. My Cannas are just now beginning to bud and my Korean Lilac is blooming for the second time—It's the end of August! I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. Gardening is a process, that's for sure. I enjoyed feeding the Hummingbirds naturally. (I hope I gave them enough) I can't imagine they are getting much more nectar out of the remaining Bee Balm blooms. I enjoyed my favorite Black and Blue Salvia, combined with a variety of Coleus, cream colored Petunias and Dark leaf Sweet Potato Vine. Despite not getting everything done, we enjoyed sitting out on the deck overlooking the garden nearly every evening. Isn't that what it's all about? Relaxing together, enjoying what you "have", not bemoaning what you "haven't" gotten done.  As August comes to a close, I'll decide what plants I'll take clippings off to root for next year, I'll re-pot the succulents and bring them into my living room and I'll think about the different things I want to do next Summer.

This is me, enjoying a favorite beverage from my new beer glass, featuring Saint Arnold, the patron saint of brewers! Who knew?! (I'm claiming Saint Arnold as my patron saint for sure)

The State Fair is in session. My daughter and I are planning a day out together. This morning I planned my "food" list. Mine is not very long. In fact, if I get my Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie on a stick I am happy. She and I haven't had a day at the fair in a long, long time. In previous years, our visits to the Fair were usually confined to the horse barns, paddocks and the area surrounding the hippodrome. She used to ride and that was our life for the duration of the fair and for the horse show season. I am looking forward to a day, without little ones around, where we can start and actually finish a thought or conversation. I love the little girls, but having a day with my adult daughter will be a real treat. When the girls are around, I am distracted by play and answering questions. Love them, but looking forward to having my daughter all to myself. :)


My husband is a huge Vikings fan. We enjoyed going to the pre-season game at the newly renovated Metrodome this week. It was a fun evening, enjoying the side-line antics of the cheerleaders and flag carriers, the new drum line, crazy Ragnar and being a part of the wave that would not stop. This time of year my husband becomes optimistic and is filled with hopes of a Viking Super Bowl win. ~sigh

That's all for my rambling, random thoughts on Fall post. Hope you are all well, happy and enjoying the day. Peace.

The Apology

You'll remember my post back in April, when I was eagerly anticipating this...

...pussy willow buds on my weeping pussy willow tree in the back yard.

And arrived home to find this...

A stub of a tree trunk—no cascading branches to be found.

With the extensive Spring-time trimming I was not sure there would even be a tree once we got to this part of the Summer. Well, I feel I must apologize to my husband, "Edward-Scissor-hands-Thiltgen". I was pretty hard on the guy. I should not have worried or fretted. Even tho I missed the buds this Spring our little tree is no worse-for-wear. Maybe it even has MORE branches than last year.

This is what the tree looks like today!

Amazing come back, right?! Prolific, branches coming from the top of the tree and sprouts from the ground up as well. So, it is with this post that I say, I'm sorry Mark, for ever questioning your tree-trimming abilities. It is a beautiful little tree and I love how it looks in the back yard...but please...next year...temper your trimming a bit so I can enjoy the little pussy willow buds, OK?! :)

Finally!

I am nearly finished with my planting for this season. I read sometime ago that Minnesotans spend more than any other state each year on annuals. Seemed kind of remarkable, given the months that our decks are totally covered with the white stuff. An interesting statistic, no less. Everyone I talk to feels "behind" this year. Spring was cold, late to arrive and no one was motivated to get outside. So here I am on the 4th of July "almost" finished with my planting—finally.

I added a few more pots to direct the flow of traffic on the deck. I love this container featuring Flap Jacks, three different varieties of Jade Plants and Pheasant Tails. Don't you love the glass gravel? It was a gift from a friend.

I have an herb garden and tonight we used some of the Marjoram and Rosemary on our grilled chicken. It was fabulous. I love using something home grown. Maybe next year more veggies?! A raised bed perhaps?

One of my favorite annuals is Black and Blue Salvia. I love the combination of that with Sedum Ogden and Golden Thread. I found a footed turquoise pot that I couldn't resist—still have to find something to plant in that. I think a few tiny succulents would look great in the still empty strawberry pot. But for the most part, my planting is done for the year and I am now able to enjoy sitting on my deck without the plastic pots and the cardboard boxes full of plants screaming of undone tasks. It was a beautiful weekend. Warm, sunny, summer weather. A weekend to be enjoyed and I did!

 

The red pot is a favorite and quite old. A treasure from my Grandma Rosenau.

Happy Summer!

New Day New Possibilities

Today is my birthday. I am entering a new birth year. It is hard to imagine that I am closing in on the Sixties (that number sounded so much older when I was 20 or even 30!) Time seems to have sped up and I still have so many things I want to accomplish. Time to turn those ideas and passions into action. With that in mind, I am taking a new e-course from Tara Gentile called The Art of Action. Most of you know I always have tons of ideas, but am always beating myself up for "not getting anything done".  So here is my "kick in the pants" that I guess I have been needing. I am looking forward to the course and, as when I took the e-course from Kelly Rae Roberts, the friendships and connections that develop with other people taking the classes at the same time. So wish me luck as I ask myself some hard questions and try to firm up my plans for the coming year.

Things That I Know at Age 58

• No matter how much your three-year-old granddaughter begs, you should limit your jumping on the trampoline and at no time should you do multiple knee drops. (I am paying for that now nearly two weeks after the "fun")  :/   I remember the last time I did a somersault. It was when my oldest granddaughter was about 2 and now I'll remember the last time I did a knee drop on the trampoline.

• I am blessed with many friends. I want to set aside time for them and enjoy life. I love having people over and I will do that on a regular basis. If you want to meet me for lunch, I will try my best to be free.

• I want to practice what I preach. All of the products I create have encouraging messages. I want to be gentle with myself and remind myself that each day holds new possibilities and realize "what you are seeking is also seeking you". "Do what you love, continue doing it and it will take you where you need to go". "Inspiration will come but it has to find you working". I believe!

• I know that making art is part of who I am and I need to make art every day. I want to structure my day so that is a priority not an afterthought. The products and opportunities that come from that art will unfold as they are supposed to. Making the art is the most important part. Sometimes I will get a "win"—sometimes it will only be the step in getting to be where I need to be. It is all part of the process.

• I love my family. I love my Mom and my sisters. I miss my Dad. I love our kids and now our grandchildren. They are all precious. Relationships have become more precious the older I get.

• I love my husband and am so grateful for the life we share. I did not know that I would love being married to a gear-head or that cruising (the four-wheel-variety) would be such a big and enjoyable part of my life.

• We are all part of the big picture. Without our past we would not be the people we are today. I embrace my past and all the people that have been a part of it, those who continue on the journey and those who are no longer on the same path. You cannot deny any part of your life. Each day brings lessons and growth. If you have people that you have been unkind to, make amends. Take the opportunity to tell those you love how you feel.

• There are celebrations to be had each and every day. Embrace them. They are a gift. Happy birthday to me. I am blessed and happy to be traveling this life with you. Peace!

An-ti-ci-pa-tion

Que the Carly Simon song!  An-ti-ci-pa-tion..

We have been anticipating Spring for a long, long time. About a month ago we had a few really nice days when I actually had my sun roof open! I thought...here it comes and then we got more snow, and more snow and tonight there is another threat. We are tired. Winter is hanging on way too long. Spring threatens, we get frost and a blustery day throws us right back into what still feels like Winter. I usually embrace Winter for the beautiful and peaceful. I really do like a good blizzard if I'm home and not on the road but come on....it's April 19 and Easter is this weekend. There will be no sleeveless dresses and no sandals for this girl this year. I am sitting here in my studio, comfortable in my fleece vest looking out the window and then I see them. Could it be? A sign of Spring...my little Grape Hyacinths are poking their cute little purple heads up! Finally!

...An-ti-ci-paaa-tionn

 

Last week while working at Stonecrop the pussywillow branches came in. I love them. They really say Spring for me. I got thinking about and anticipating the pussywillows that would soon (que the song again—thinking with grateful anticipation) be popping out from my Weeping Pussywillow Tree.

Here is how it looked last Spring.

 

The little buds were so fluffy and lovely and they just look like Spring, right?

Que the music signifying something unexpected is about to happen...Wah, wah waaaah....

One day last week I came home and Mark told me he had trimmed up the willow. My sweet husband is usually very good about trimming trees. (You know where this is going) Well, this year, no amount of anticipation will bring about the longed-for-pussywillow buds of Spring. There's just not a single branch for them to pop out of. Hopefully, by the end of summer, tendrils will again reach gracefully toward the ground.  I hope, I hope. We'll see. No matter how much you anticipate something, you must always be ready to accept that it just might not be in the cards. This year, I guess I'll be buying my pussywillow branches.

The Weeping Pussywillow Tree   April 2011

I'm certain Spring is just around the corner.

Even tho the buds are not on the pussywillow branches. ~sigh