I had an original art sale yesterday, so I spent the bulk of the day babysitting the sale (answering questions, managing presales, etc.) and packing paintings that sold.  I am always bubbling with nervous energy before a sale, so I channeled it into cleaning the house and doing small, mindless tasks, like sprinkling some of the shells I collected over Spring Break around the garden and patio.  I was thinking about nervous energy before an event like this as I flitted about, and it reminded me of my days in theatre.  Nerves weren’t something to be conquered; they weren’t discouraged.  They were embraced and redirected.  I learned that the performance often felt flat if I wasn’t a little jittery beforehand.  Obviously, an art sale isn’t a live performance, but the line of thinking led me to embrace the nervous energy as excitement and evidence that I’m doing work I really

It’s been a full week.  I was called for jury duty, so I didn’t know whether I would have a day of sitting at the courthouse or a normal workday until 4:30 pm the previous day.  I got ahead on blog posts and worked over the weekend to be ready in case I was selected for a trial.  Well, I never even had to set foot in the courthouse.  My number was never called, and then I was released yesterday evening.  I wouldn’t have minded serving, but it’s a busy month, so I was relieved when I received the news. We were also watching Rosa Jo while my parents were out of town, which meant I had extra chores to do.  She joined me on my morning walks, but she also likes an evening walk.  She is still a little skittish around Jeff, so she stuck close to me for

It’s been a day of comings and goings.  Rosa Jo is staying with us for a few days as my parents visit friends.  Our contractor stopped by to open our pool and talk about a few upcoming projects.  The refrigerator repair tech was out to make one last-ditch effort at getting our fridge working again (I’ll share all about that in another post).  I’ve been trying to work between it all, but this post has taken forever to put together as a result! I’ve been called to jury duty next week, but I’m going to try to get a few post drafts ready in case I need to serve in a trial.  Life is keeping me on my toes lately… Here are my four things for this week: Book stacks, another portrait show, seasonal fruit, and commissions.   what I’m reading I’m still working through the Van Gogh biography, which

I decided I won’t talk about the weather in my little Four Things preamble today.  (Although we have been having wonderful Spring weather, and I’ve been delighting in my morning walks and time in the garden.)  I’m going to share some thoughts on embracing change…  I used to love Instagram.  It was such a fun community and an easy way to share and connect.  Once the algorithm was imposed and Meta acquired it several years ago, it slowly became less enjoyable.  You’re constantly pushed to pay to promote posts to people who already follow you, and the number of people who organically see your post continues to dwindle.  You’re flooded with ads and hardly see posts from your online friends.  And there are regular prompts telling you how to post and share, how to increase your numbers, and how to play the social media game. I felt burned out on

We’re in the middle of a mid-April heatwave.  This time of year, I will wear a hoodie in protest when summer weather rears its head early, which is sort of ridiculous.  I’ve still been making a point to get outside by walking in the morning before it gets hot and then spending about 15-20 minutes filling a bucket with weeds and maple saplings from the garden beds.  Maple saplings are my lot in life at the moment, but they are at least very easy to pluck, and I’m making some good progress.  It cools off a bit more tomorrow, then it’s back in the 40s on Sunday.  There is your Washington County, Maryland weather report and my commentary on it.  You’re welcome. I’m not sure why I’ve started so many Four Things posts with weather updates lately, but I suppose it’s just a sign that I’m getting older.  I remember

It’s been my favorite early spring weather.  Cool enough for a hoodie, but warm enough to spend lots of time outside.  I donned my overalls for the first time this year, and Jeff and I worked together in the backyard on Tuesday.  We pulled weeds, mowed the small patch of grass, pruned the hydrangeas, trimmed back the liriope, and cleaned up the leaves.  I remembered looking out the window last week and feeling overwhelmed at all of the tasks that needed to be done to get the garden beds and patio ready for spring, but it only took a couple of hours, and it looks noticeably better.  There are a few more things to do, but it’s looking great already. I know that small amounts of work, one or two hours, devoted regularly to something can make a big difference, but I’m glad when I’m still delighted and surprised at

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s April.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way.  Wasn’t it just January?  With the warmer weather and longer days, I am feeling my usual pull to home and garden projects, but I haven’t had much time with my current workload.  Home projects are usually a large part of my work, but with oil painting and writing becoming more prominent this year, they are getting pushed to the weekend and evenings, just like everyone else with full-time jobs!  Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll start by trimming hedges, mulching, applying fertilizer, seeding patchy spots in the lawn, and cleaning up the patio to get ready to open the pool. Here are my four things for this week – Paper & Van Gogh (still), Masterclass, “it would be that way”, and playing with a new medium.   what I’m reading I’m

I didn’t get a Four Things post written last week.  There was a lot of catch-up to do after being at the beach for ten days, and my work days just got away from me.  As I shared at the beginning of this year, my business is also evolving, and I’m still figuring out how to balance blogging and sharing online with working on my books and painting commissions.  I feel like I’m slowly getting into a rhythm, though, and I’m trying to lean into the change. As my days have been very full lately, I am so thankful for the longer days and more sunshine! Here are my four things for the week: exploring charcoal, revisiting a childhood favorite, seasonal purpose, and carefully planning.     what I’m reading When it comes to drawing, I struggle with line.  I have always preferred paint over a pencil, but I do