Solitude

Well it seems as if I've done all I can do at Mom's house in Zellwood. There are still some things there that I'm thinking other family members will want but not much. I'm here to tell you that her house was a treasure trove of pastimes. Yesterday I discovered a box filled with paints and a large bag full of brushes. To go along with those tools, what appears to be a mixing chart she'd made while taking a class in California. There are gardening books, travel books, genealogy books, birdwatching books, and of course cookbooks galore. Speaking of which, there are several microwave cookbooks which were once so popular. Mostly we're leaving the books, letting Alice and Richard (the neighbors who are buying the house) decide what they'd like to keep and what they want to donate. I'm wondering if they'll keep the newish copy of Peyton Place?

Speaking of genealogy, I thought the one we have at our home was the Peck ancestory, however I was wrong, it is the Loveland family. Cris corrected me and I'm delighted he did so because I got that baby out and sure enough, there was Oscar of the diary fame. He was Bruce's great great grandfather. Now, I'm not exactly sure if that requires hyphens or what but you get my drift. Many of the Loveland clan lived in Connecticut before moving to New York which is why I told Bruce he loves New England so much--it's in his blood!

Before I left for Zellwood yesterday morning I finally got my spring applications out in the mail. If all goes well I'll be doing the Baldwin Park show March 13, and Mayfaire, which is in Lakeland, on May 8-9. I've already been accepted to Lake Wales for March 27-28. Because there are so many shows in town I think people are suffering art overload, and as such, I've decided to go further afield. We shall see how it goes, now won't we?

There's something about a solitary day that can be satisfying, especially if it includes a stop at a normally very busy place. I completed my tasks around 2, deciding that while I was out that way, I probably should take a look at Rock Springs. My children will hopefully fondly remember the good times we had while swimming and tubing along the run. The headwaters of the spring are in Kelly Park, which for the most part, was deserted, save for myself, a woman reading in the sun, and one man on a bicycle. Did I mention it was terribly cold? Indeed, but the sky was as blue as a robin's egg, and the water was crystal clear, making it a wonderful time to sight see.

Naturally, I want you to see what I saw:

If you've ever been there in the summertime you know how crazy busy and noisy it is. Moreover, I bet you wouldn't want to lose your car keys there now would you? Well, many, many years ago I did just that. I can still picture myself and four wet boys racing to the car with all of our possessions just as the normal summer rainstorm was beginning to fall. I searched for my keys, and I believe this was well before punching a button opened your car. As I'm rummaging through everything the boys are jumping up and down, hoping to get out of the rain but that was not to be. This may have been before cell phones, but really calling Bruce while out of town would not have helped. Giving up on finding them amongst our things, we trooped back down to the springs in the rain, with the boys bravely jumping back in, searching the bottom while swimming the whole run. Still no luck. Eventually, as I recall we asked one of the rangers for help and lo and behold, someone had found them, turning them in. Just one of the many wild and crazy days while raising four sons...

The first picture is of a woodstork; this may well be the first clear picture I've taken of a bird in flight. As I was leaving the park I saw all those wild turkeys..

Here's something interesting from the Times:Awe Inspiring. What kind of stories do you pass along?

Last night I watched Wordplay which was super fun. I wish I were better at crosswords.

Time to get on with the day; I'm thinking of re-arranging my kitchen cupboards to use my space more efficiently. After all, I've just been in the presence of a master.