It's the 4th!

We're not doing much today. Varying types of pain have both of us on the sidelines. I have used one Norco, quite early, and am hoping for some relief. Also, on a different subject, I have resurrected a casserole from the freezer that was a mere 3 months old and it should be fine for tonight. It's all part of my 'Cleanup and Cleanout' campaign. Our freezer and pantry were overflowing with goods and some were in danger of being way past their prime.

I went to see the balance people at the rehab yesterday and I didn't see a lot of improvement. Monday will be an assessment and we can compare it with my first day. My new walking stick was a help more than a few times while we were traveling. But it's a pain to have it with you all of the time. It tends to be left behind in restaurants. It falls over when you prop it up to free your hands for a minute.   It's simply not a satisfactory substitute for good balance; the balance of 40 years ago.

The drought continues. Our May water bill told us that we had met, and exceeded, our water savings goal. All the amounts we save go into a 'bank' and our 'savings' can be used when we exceed our limit. I'm sure that our June bill will be even better as we were gone for 13 days. That's water in the bank!

I've been painting (not enough) during the past few days and I have also sealed the small abstract (4"x4") paintings I did for a mental exercise. There are 30 of them and now I have to come up with a way to display them. Also, there is going to be a Floral Abstract themed show at the Art Center at the end of the month and I'm tempted to enter something. I've never liked juried shows but after entering a few I am willing to be embarrassed...if my painting isn't chosen. That requires a lot of will power. It would be so easy to simply leave the painting at home; placed on a wall where it's rarely seen.

Now that the tiny abstracts are out of my system for awhile, I must start on some of the large scale canvas I have; all sitting on the countertop in my studio and daring me to put a mark upon them. I guess I had better look at some of my artists video's for some inspiration. Robert Burridge's CD is in the player right now and I have my favorite, Virginia Cobb, ready to go after that. Bob Burridge has a fast and loose style of painting that I try to emulate. While Virginia Cobb feels her way through the painting; laying paint on and then scraping it off if it doesn't impact her emotionally. I can also watch Art 21 on the computer and see another of my favorite artists, Mary Heilmann. Mary thoroughly enjoys painting and her abstracts reflect that. They give me joy when I look at them.