Cinderella 2010

In the story, the Fairy Godmother arrived in a timely fashion to magic up transportation, a classic ensemble, complete with shoes that will hurt the feet in no time, and a time limit. But, for some reason, we think Cinderella is a lucky thing and deserves her prince because of all the drudgery she's performed slaving at home. Well, my story differs in significant ways. I gave up drudgery years ago, but what I do still qualifies me for a magical night. And my Prince arrived in a timely fashion to provide me a stunning ensemble (but I wore comfortable shoes), transportation and a time limit ('cause High Council meets early Sun. morning). So we went to the Art Ball, and I saw droves of princesses who seemed full of confidence and poise (even in their ridiculous shoes), and quite a few princes (though many escorts were only prince apprentices), and several Fairy Godmothers (most of them wielding cameras to record their particular princess in her ball finery). And the clock went ticking by...while we watched the princesses dance, admired the remarkable art (the ball is held at the Art Museum, after all, and is in celebration of the Spring Salon), and relished the gourmet buffet. We left well before midnight, but felt quite satisfied. And best of all, I took my prince home with me. And I got to keep the dress, too.

We know how to Party

Alan and Shannon invited us and Alan's parents to join them in a trip to Arches National Park to celebrate his birthday. Neither Steve nor I had been there, before. What a spectacular place! I came home with nearly 200 photos; and that doesn't count the 60+ that Steve took on the other camera. I felt as though we'd hopped onto another planet. I can hardly wait to start painting this unique landscape. But the true fun was being with family. We had a grand time. The weather was perfect. The hiking was so worth it. The joyful memories far outweigh the noisy nighttime neighbors in the adjacent campsites. But next time (and I'm sure there will be a next time), I'm staying in a motel.

Rainbows Require Rain

I've spent some time at Jacob and Ami's house. I ought to have been perfectly qualified to keep Simon safe, fed and happy. I should have been capable of maintaining an easy level of function when no major household tasks were required. Though old and feeble compared to my mothering days, and recovering from eye surgeries, I did not anticipate the challenge, accurately.
1. Simon is two. He has begun to react to input and discovered there are choices. He has preferences and expectations. And a temper.ie "No change diapy!"
2. When I get tired enough, my standards for entertainment crash. ie "Ok, Simon, you can watch the Baby Einstein video again, even though you've seen it 6 times today."
3. I'd forgotten that just because I do a,b and c, it does NOT follow that the child will respond as programmed. ie Cut up the sandwich into cute bites and tell silly song/stories to seduce the boy into eating...and he spits it out, screaming. However,
4. It's a joy and a privilege I wouldn't trade for all the diamonds in Africa. ie "I lub you Gandma."

Sight

All my life, ALL MY LIFE, I have been just a bit short of blind. I've had glasses, thank goodness, and wore contact lens for many years, rejoicing in every new prescription that made things better once again, for awhile. I've sat in the front row of every school class, church meeting,theatrical performance or concert (paying more for such seats) whenever I could. And to learn how to see beyond my physical ability, I became a painter, viewing the world with my heart, more than my eyes. I've been grateful to see at all. Then, a few years ago, I began a frightening journey that could have led to complete blindness. The retina detached from my right eye, leaving a tear and a field of blankness. It was repaired through the miracles of modern technology and the healing help of faith and divine power. But the journey wasn't over, yet. Cataracts have been developing, again threatening my vision. The surgery for that poses certain risks for anyone, but are higher for people like me, with retinal weakness and out-to-lunch myopia. But I felt peaceful as I prayed for comfort and have gone ahead with the operation. The first one is behind me. The second only a couple of days away. Even with just one eye done so far, I have been thrilled beyond description. How does one find words! I guess these three will have to do: I CAN SEE! I can SEE! I CAN see! I. Can. See!

"Koitillion"

Sometimes, I need to stretch a little. Like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon, I want to discover myself again. Maybe because it's spring...anyhow, I've had a grand time painting this piece. I like the movement, the variety and the play of cool and warm colors. It's not like my usual art, at all, but I've felt some terrific satisfaction at pulling off something so out of my ordinary. It's even bigger than usual: 24" X 24" and in-your-face bold rather than the subtle, peaceful stuff I usually produce. It might not be good enough to get into the Spring Salon, but I'm going to try it. Either way, I'm dancing with the fish.

In the Cave

Been painting the inside of the lion's cave in my dentist's boy's room. It's a fun project, though mural painting is not my favorite. It's a good "trade" for services ploy that my dentist is willing to do. That makes it all the more fun.:) So, here is the outside of the cave from previous project, the inside that shows snake, bugs and cubs (though the bugs are hard to see in this photo). The best part is the delight of the little boy as he comes in to check on my progress. Today he crowed over the bats and lion cubs, and ran to show me his stuffed lion. I like to make children happy. Don't tell, but the Princess Train for Alyssa's birthday turned out really cute, too. Shannon and I painted a wooden craft train I found at Michael's with pink, blue and purple and then attached Disney stickers. Quite a stretch from the bugs and bats...

Historic Hike

We spent 3 days in St. George with Steve's annual Principal's Conference. The weather was ideal for the 1st day hike that we enjoyed: a mile or so of trail across the bluff leading to the quarry where the volcanic stone was used to make the foundation for the St. George Temple. Huge blocks were blasted away from the mountain, hauled by wagon to the site and pounded into the soggy ground using a cannon salvaged from the Napoleon Wars as the pounder. I am always amazed at the diligence and ingenuity of our pioneer fathers. They were remarkable. It's wonderful what inspiration and determination can accomplish. We (I) need to use a little more of that to get my own job done...