It’s Four Things: Isle of Palms edition!  We’ve been at the beach since last Friday, so we’ve been going for lots of walks, eating great Lowcountry food, preparing for the annual shell-collection competition, doing puzzles, playing Bananagrams, and visiting family.  We always have a grand time, and it’s been a great week.  Here are my Four Things…     what I’m reading My friend Cheri gave me the book Theo of Golden a few months ago, and I’ve been saving it to read here at the beach.  I’m partway through it and, she was right, it’s right up my alley.  The funny thing is that my parents actually know the author, Allen Levi, and his family through their work at a mission agency.  When I was telling my mom about the book, she said, “Allen Levi?  From Georgia??  I know him!”  He is such a talented person – a singer,

A few days ago, we were tempted into thinking we had turned the corner into spring.  We had some warmish, sunny days that couldn’t be missed. I enjoyed walking outside without my face turning pink from the cold.  But this week, I went out walking in the morning and realized it was in the 20s again, much colder than I thought, and I was back to coming home pink-faced.  The last remnants of snow have almost melted, though, and I know from looking at posts from previous Marches that we’re not far from the garden waking up. I need to make some time soon to do a bit of weeding, pruning, and tidying. Until then, here are my four things: Alla Prima, sea shanties, lightning bolts, and the latest commission paintings.   what I’m reading I decided I would pick up Alla Prima II by Richard Schmid and read it

I’ll share why in the “what I’m working on” section of this post, but it was a big week for me!  So often in creative work, when you pass a huge milestone or complete a marathon task, there isn’t any fanfare.  You just turn in the work, mail it to the client, press the submit button, and it’s done.  There’s no bell to ring or a team gathering for a celebration after work.  You just do it and then move on to the next thing. Over the years, Jeff and I have tried to make a point of celebrating the milestones and victories along the way, but they do sometimes fall through the cracks of busy days. Here are my four things for the week – More of the same, the last overland, when the spirit moves, and crossing a bridge.     what I’m reading I am still bouncing

  Our temperatures have been warming, and the snow is slowly melting, so my regular morning walks are back.  It feels good to get outside and to get more steps in each day.  I used to feel like my days were pretty consistent through the seasons, but I’m starting to learn I have pretty distinct habits and routines for each season.  I get more home projects done in the Spring and Summer (both inside and out).  I do more painting and writing in the Winter months, I read more, sketch, and knit.  In the Spring, I organize and rearrange. In the summer, I spend more evenings outside working in the garden beds and less time at my desk.  It’s just interesting to observe, and it gives me permission to embrace those seasons rather than feeling like I’m not doing enough of a certain kind of work at any given time.

I’ve been sluggish this week, but good and exciting things have still been happening.  We finally had a day with temperatures in the low 40s, and it felt so warm after the sub-freezing stretch we’ve experienced.  We were used to this in Minnesota, but it’s unusual in the Mid-Atlantic.  I like that the snow is taking its time to melt, but it was nice to get out and walk a few days this week.  I’ve been marching inside to get more steps in, and while it gets the job done, it’s a little boring.  Winter is my favorite season, but I do find my mind wandering towards Spring.  It tends to be my most productive time for home projects, and I’m looking forward to making more progress in our yard.  I am also looking forward to the longer days.  It’ll be here before we know it, though, so I’ll enjoy

I went out for a walk yesterday morning for the first time since the late January snowstorm.  It was just over 20 degrees, but it was sunny and ended up being a pleasant walk.  The temperatures in our area have remained below freezing, so all of the snow is still covering the ground and pushed up against the curbs.  It felt a little bit like being back in Minnesota, where the snow falls, and remains until the Spring.  As a lover of snow, I have really missed that.  Snow in the mid-Atlantic region usually falls, turns to slush, and melts within a few days if not sooner.  It’s been a pain for parking downtown, and many turn lanes still aren’t plowed properly, but I’ve enjoyed the snow and cold while it’s here. Here are my four things for the week: Van Gogh, Many Beautiful Things, reckless trust, and book work.

I usually write in the morning.  It’s when my mind is fresh, and the words flow best.  But this morning, as I eyed a ball of cat hair fluff scurry across the studio floor, I decided to get the vacuum, dust cloth, and tidy things up beyond just a quick hit with the vacuum.  I moved everything sitting on surfaces (which is a lot of things), and vacuumed every bit of cat hair and dust I could spot.  I put things away that have been hanging out on the counter or my desk, waiting for a home.  I didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of organizing some of the problematic storage spaces, but I did get the studio squeaky clean, which felt really good. Now, I am ready to write and then paint.   what I’m reading Instead of sharing something I’m reading, I’m going to share a book I wish