You Just Never Know

Arriving in Lake Wales at dawn, here's how it looked:

Yes, that's right--foggy, foggy, foggy. Leaving the house about thirty minutes before me, Bruce had the tent pretty much all set up before I got there. By the time everything was ready, the sun was streaming into the tent, with no trace of the earlier fog.

Both of us had an uneasy feeling because there were few people milling about once showtime rolled around. Well, we were right. As the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words;  as such, I'll save the whining, letting this photo taken Sunday afternoon speak for itself:

I managed to eek out some sales, however, they added up to less than half what I had last year. When I was telling Bruce about it Saturday night over dinner at home, he admitted to thinking I was exaggerating a bit. Being the sweet husband that he is, he decided to come down early Sunday afternoon to keep me company, regretting it soon thereafter. After about a half hour he was already bored! On occasion, if the show isn't much, the neighbors keep one amused. In this case, the artists on either side of me were Asian women who spoke broken English, if I may use that term. So much for that diversion.

I'll put this show to rest after I share this last little anecdote which seems to sum up the whole affair.

Woman: "Do you take checks?"

Gail: "Why, yes I do."

Woman: "This one is $5, isn't it?"

Gail: "No ma'am, that one is $10."

Woman: "Well, it says 5/25 right here!"

Gail: "That is the number of the print."

Woman: "Well now," as she puts it back in the rack.

Need I say more?

Both Saturday and Sunday night Bruce asked if I wanted to go out to eat, however, I declined both invitations because I wanted to do something productive when I got home. There is no real way to get comfortable at a show because if you put your chair in the back you can't see the folks. If you put it in the front they feel awkward. That is why I like to be busy, standing up, chatting, and of course, doing transactions. You will be happy to know that (or at least I hope you are), although it was hot, there was a breeze both days. More importantly, my hair held up great! I was a bit nervous as it is too short for a ponytail, however, the new slimmed down version was perfect.

Last evening was the last bridge class. Can you believe 12 weeks have passed since I first mentioned it? I've really enjoyed it, even though it's hard and I'm pretty terrible right now. Perry Poole, our instructor, allows you to re-take the class for free one time which several of the ladies did as I may have mentioned before. Everyone I met was so interesting! Here's a group picture from last night:

As you can see, we're all of a certain age. Judy, third from the left, is the former x-ray tech. She is 70! On the far right is Allison, the baby of our class, who is a second timer. She has been a great help on Thursday mornings, coaching me as to what I'm supposed to be doing. There is just so much to keep straight--counting your points, knowing how to bid, winning the tricks. Sounds pretty simple, but believe you me, there are intricacies that I never imagined in a card game! Then there is the matter of my poor memory......I can only hope this will help!

Yesterday morning we woke up to rain which we sorely needed. All day long the rain came down, giving all my new flowers and herbs a much needed soaking. The new tree was supposed to go in Friday, then Saturday, and now, I don't know when. Apparently, when Bruce got home after the show set up there was a message from Bill saying that our new tree had a gash in the side which caused Bill to reject it. I do so hope it's this week because rain is in the forecast for most days. The side yard continues to look dreadful. Seriously.

I must go scrounging in the kitchen now for something to eat for breakfast. Talk about bare cupboards....

P.S. Here's a neat little slideshow from the Times:
Estee Lauder

Heartbreaking

While talking to Bruce on the phone last night, after returning from bridge class, I mentioned that I'd woken up with a cold sore, plus my eye was hurting terribly all morning. "So, you've got a cold sore and what else?" You could tell by his tone he was unimpressed and who could blame him? In his hotel room in Watertown, NY, he was watching footage from the devastation in Japan, which is unimaginable to say the least. These photos from the NYT really put it all into perspective. Before and After

Because I was so busy all weekend with both the art show and the market, I'd had little time to actually see, rather than read headlines about the destruction in Japan. Now that I have, I'm shell shocked thinking about what those poor souls are going through. It was only last week that Jonathan sent me a link to the pictures he took after Hurricane Charley of both our neighborhood and Southern Oaks. I'd almost forgotten what massive trees laying everywhere in the streets, not to mention through roofs, looked like. I can remember how powerless we felt, and I don't mean just that we were without power for five days! To think that entire lives were washed away in seconds is heartbreaking. Add to that the threat of radiation poisoning and it heads into territory that no mind should ever have to contemplate. Please God, make it stop.

Meanwhile we go on with our lives don't we? By the time you read this, Matthew will be experiencing Asia for the first time. We talked yesterday afternoon while he was waiting for his twelve hour flight to Hong Kong, where he'll be leading some seminars with the firm's employees in SE Asia. After almost a week in Hong Kong, he'll fly to Singapore. With his jet setting ways, he's travled to four continents so far and he's only 34!

Don't let this picture of my booth fool you, the show was not very well attended, in part I think, due to little to no advertising. How to describe my sales is always a challenge. Not as good as some years, but so much better than some of my friends, that it seems silly to complain, don't you agree?

It was a long day for both Bruce and me, with him heading out early to set up and me signing prints at home beginning at 5:30 in the morning. By the time we got home around 8, after eating dinner with our artist friend Gabby, we were both weary. Bruce spent part of the afternoon working in our yard to continue the clean up. He started to lay down on the couch until I suggested we head to bed after moving the clocks ahead an hour. A 9:30 bedtime seems so much more reasonable than 8:30!

Before we knew it, we were doing it again. The weather was gorgeous on Sunday, couldn't have been one bit better for sure. Lots of folks, more than the art show-- that's a fact. Every day that you go out as a vendor is an adventure, with no clue who will walk by your booth. Most market days the vast majority of my sales are of paper prints, however on Sunday, people mostly purchased small, or what I call, baby canvases. The usual suspects for the most part. I brought home some green tomatoes from the market which I fried up as part of our dinner. Delicious!

Another early bedtime because Bruce had a 5:30 flight in the morning. Bless his heart. When I got up yesterday morning I was still worn out, and then there was the stupid cold sore and eye problem! What a mess I am some days! Soooo.......I pick up my camera and try to find things around the house to photograph. Ever since I brought these shells home from Mom Peck's house I've tried to do something with them. Here's my latest attempt:

Although this shell has an ugly exterior, the interior sure is a pretty color:

These may look very simple, but it's harder than you think to get the lighting just right to show all the details. This is where my back yard table comes in handy. As well, I am delighted to show you the bougainvillea that is returning to it's former glory:

The lighting is sketchy on this one, but I'm so pleased that after looking at bare sticks all winter it is blooming once again, that I couldn't wait to share it with you!

Finally, how about this cool heart in the peacock feather?

Plus there are those touches of gold. The beauty and complexity of nature is thrilling isn't it?

Later in the afternoon I managed to plant my herbs, oregano, cilantro, and basil, which had been languishing while I was tending to my business. I'm very excited because as well as the aforementioned, I've planted Italian parsley, rosemary and thyme. I suppose I should hunt down some sage.....

For the last several weeks I'd been bumped from my usual seat at bridge class, however, last night I claimed my chair once again. Mostly because Bob and Judy intrigue me. I learned last night that he just lost a race for Windermere city council by three votes. Adding to the intrigue, I learned they met at ballroom dancing! No wonder he wiggles his leg throughout class and she wears high heels every week! Another reason I sit there is because Bob knows what he's doing and helps us along. Last week, the instructor was quite put out with me; this week I managed to fly under the radar.  I'm learning, albeit slowly.

Where has the time gone? I was up bright and early, but now it's time to dry my hair or I'll be late for the Polasek.

Many thanks for stopping by.

What Shall We Make Today?

How about a terrarium? Recently I became aware that terrariums are all the rage these days, which doesn't surprise me; pretty much everything makes a comeback. I can clearly remember making one in a large brandy snifter during our first year of marriage, which for those of you who don't know, was 37 years ago.

Here's what I gathered for mine:

We had a hard time finding plants small enough, and to tell you the truth, these are a tiny bit larger than I would have liked. I bought some from Jim at the market, however, when Bruce was out and about on Sunday, he stopped by a garden center, buying me a few more, including the tiny little podacarpus I used. So, mine looks like this at the moment:

After watching this slideshow, Terrariums on the NYT site, I'm thinking I need to do better. I was lucky to find this lidded jar at Marshalls, however I think I'll be on the lookout for something more creative.

Monday night was bridge class. It was pretty good actually. In the afternoon I dealt out the cards as if there were four players, practicing my arranging skills before heading to class. No need to make a fool of myself. I'm happy to report that somehow, when it was my turn to be the declarer, I actually won my hand. Beginner's luck for sure. Trish is in the bright pink top in this shot taken before class started. I'm telling you, I'm definitely getting my money's worth with the class costing $100 for 13 weeks. Mind you, Mr. Perry Poole teaches the entire two hours, making the cost somewhere around $4 an hour. Now that is a bargain, don't you think?

There is but one student under 50 in the class! Some of the folks mean business, which is why I did my little home practice session.

Earlier on Monday I stopped to see my friend Lois who was in her yard gardening. Showing me around, she pointed out the tulips and daffodils peeking up through the soil, as well as the poppies and anemones. Showy days are coming! I brought home this incredibly delicate, and more importantly, fragrant pink rose:

After photographing it in the gorgeous light of my brand new office, I moved it into the kitchen for water. This morning I found all the petals on the counter, which knowing me as you do, means photography!

I absolutely love how the petals are shaped like little hearts!

After a somewhat busy day at the Polasek, and some errands following that, I came home just as the predicted rains began. Apparently, along with the rain, there were tornado warnings for late in the night or early morning, however, as far as I can tell, none materialized.

And I should know...reverting to my childhood ways, I stayed up WAY too late reading. Try as I might, I have not been able to get into The Girl With the Dragon Tatto. I know there are people who are wild about the series, however, after reading 50+ pages, I just didn't care enough to continue. What I did devour is this:

More than a year go my friend Linda suggested I'd like this book. Knowing our tastes are pretty similar, when I saw it at Borders for $4.99 I picked it up, and am I glad I did! Baxter, on the other hand, had no knowledge of my nocturnal ways, whimpering at his usual time. I'm afraid to pick it up today because I know I'll never get anything done. I remember reading another novel by this author, who is female by the way, titled Prep, which is just as much of a page turner.

Actually, for some reason my left heel is hurting very much, so I doubt I'll be going anywhere today. Sounds like maybe it is a good day to put up my feet and read...