Tomorrow is the first day of Summer

Yesterday turned out to be one of those warm puffy cloud days and last night we had a long bright dusk that I've only seen in Idaho. I can't really describe it. The sun is going down and it looks like dusk for several hours, but it is still bright out. Maybe some mix of clean air and northern light. Yesterday I remembered how good it smells here, even without my neighbor's blooming lilac next to my front door.

Today I'm attaching the very best dessert recipe ever for Lani and Darci, who have been picking apricots in So Cal. I originally tried the recipe because someone gave me a ton of apricots and this was the recipe I found that called for the most apricots. Lani, do not mess with the recipe! You can cut the sugar that you mix with the apricots in half, do not change anything else.



I caught the second to the last episode of The Killing on AMC yesterday morning, so I had to stay up and watch the finale last night. I stayed up until midnight and it wasn't the finale! There is a surprise, cliff-hanger ending and there is a second season! No, I can't do this again! I'm sleepy. I looked for someone at work that watches it trying to find someone to talk about the ending and couldn't find anyone. No other dopes at my work staying up and watching TV until midnight on a work night. Speaking of dopes at work, out of a building of 70 employees there are three other people with the same birthday as me. I never meet people with the same birthday as me.

I came home and mowed the backyard and checked the sprinklers. I only know that the guy was here to turn on the sprinklers again because they were suddenly on one morning. One sprinkler is jamming up against the fence and will not pop up. I think the fence sagged into the yard since last year. I need to make that the landlord's problem.

Idaho farmers either planted late this spring or not at all because of the weather. The Kootenai County declared an agricultural disaster emergency in the county last Tuesday, due to the excessive wet conditions over the past several months and several other counties, all in northern Idaho, are considering doing the same. I watched two fisherman wearing waders fishing from the Americana bridge, the water is too high for fishing even with waders. And the snow pack has barely started melting.

Everyone here has been complaining about the long, cold, gray spring and wondering if we will ease into summer or if it will come in with a hot blast. Today it was in the 80s and tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 90s. I'm voting for hot blast.

Idaho Paints Idaho

Oh, and hey, I forgot, I entered two paintings in the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho's "Idaho Paints Idaho" show and they accepted both and they only accepted 50 paintings. It's not for another month, but the Art Museum of Eastern Idaho is in Idaho Falls, 4 hours from here. Hmm.

Happy Fathers Day!

Today, in honor of my father, I climbed a tree and sawed off a tree branch. There is a branch scrapping against the roof of the house that I can hear in my studio every time there is even a gentle breeze. Creak, creeak, creeeeeeeek. It has been going on for a week and I am trying to work in my studio today and I finally had enough. It's my neighbor Kurt's tree, but he hasn't been home in weeks, and I know my landlord won't deal with it, so I took my tree saw and the ladder and I used the ladder to get to the lowest side branch and climbed the tree high enough to saw off the offender. The tree's trunk is pretty thick, but I was surprised that the side branches were more than strong enough to hold me. It sounds like something my Dad would do and it's Father's Day, so there, no more squeaking.

It was a tough work week and I spent three nights on the phone and two nights on the phone late, so I was tired. No one can beat the dysfunction of Ventura County, but the work dysfunction that is directly affecting me at my new job is new to me. I've been trying to practice what Eckhart Tolle talks about in the Power of Now and trying to let other peoples' actions pass right through me without sticking, without me latching on to them with thoughts and opinions, but this takes practice.

In addition, my financial situation today is just like my financial situation was when I left So Cal and I am wondering if I missed something I was supposed to learn or if my financial situation today is somehow meant to be. This made me really depressed, but after talking to Dave on the phone through the full moon eclipse, I decided it doesn't matter and that I am just going to try and focus on the things that are better.

I tried to go to the Botanical Garden on Friday night, since they are open until dusk, but drove into a sea of bicyclists and a line of cars, so I turned around and came home. I forgot to check if there was a concert, I checked when I got home and there was "An Evening with Cake." Who is Cake? The ad encourages people to ride their bike there and many people listened to that advice.

Yesterday I saw Margo in the morning and we both missed each other. It has been barely a week since the Artist Way meetings ended and we were seeing each other again at her sister's housewarming that afternoon. It was a gloomy day and started raining by the time of the housewarming, but it was a nice time. I met several people I liked and one I really did not like. The unlikable one came over, sat in between Margo and I with her back to me and started talking non-stop. I moved on to someone else who also works in government. She just hired an ex-Lieutenant Colonel for a clerical job and he is happy to be there. Don't need to explain bureaucracy to that guy. She also just hired a part-time nanny that is covered with piercings and tattoos, responsible, and always on time. Her daughter is struggling with learning about judging people and it was great conversation. Maryann has a cute little newish house and served lots of great food. I am afraid that the chocolate cheesecake cupcake topped with cherry filling kept me up late last night, but it was worth it.

This morning I caught the second to the last episode of The Killing and I will have to stay up and watch the finale tonight. Cruiser and Spit have been whiny and probably reflecting my mood this week, so this afternoon I worked on the front yard with the gate and the front door open and let them roam. Pierre has been mercilessly teasing them and I was hoping for a confrontation, but Pierre high-tailed it inside as soon as he saw what was coming.

My peas are blooming and I have two strawberries turning red. One of the strawberry plants turned brown and died and I think Spit peed on it. The peas got wilty on the patio, so I moved them against the east-facing fence. Of course, the next day the guy comes to turn the sprinklers back on and I put the pea planter on top of a sprinkler. Hey, wasn't that guy supposed to come in May? So, I moved the peas back to the patio behind the steamer chairs for shade, nope not enough shade, wilty again, so moved them back against the fence in between two sprinklers.

On my walks, most people have a Japanese maple. I love Japanese maples. Most people have a red one and I prefer the green ones, but I can see why red is more common here, the green ones are huge, bigger than any I've seen in So Cal.

I did not get to paint today, but I did finish a few drawings and took the finished studies off the board and stretched another half sheet of watercolor paper. Now I am too tired from weeding the front dirt driveway and the alley around my garage where the tall weeds scrape the bottom of my car to do much else and I did not even get the backyard mowed.

Cat Studies

Last Saturday I went to the Eagle gallery to pick up my work and it felt like the end of a dream. To top it off, I drove right into the middle of Eagle Fun Days, people and cars everywhere and no place to park. I double parked and hurried in and out.

One thing about Boise is that there are no big intersections, no long lights, really, but if you are trying to make a left turn out of a driveway or a side street, sometimes you can wait forever.

So, I leave the gallery and I'm trying to make a left turn out of a side street and I have a short window of opportunity, and Mrs. Lexus SUV slows down in the street to look down my street for parking, decides to take the chance and makes a left turn in front of me. That is Eagle, full of Californians that brought their money and their bad attitude and self-centeredness. I finally get another shot at my turn when someone stops to let me in. That is more like Idaho. In Idaho when someone does that for you, you are supposed to be sure to acknowledge their gesture, so I waved.

I was depressed all weekend, which was reflected in my cats whining at me all day on Sunday, and I did not feel better until I finished those studies and baked some bread,


I'm still not sure about adding Prismacolor.

I also went down the street to take pictures of this house around the corner that has flowers in front and iris growing in the dirt alley, which cracks me up,




I don't know what the white flowers are, but they are everywhere now and in every color. This is my neighbor's fake lilac near my front door,


It is hard to believe how bleak this view was just a few months ago.

On my hike at Bruneau Dunes, I got a big blister. After about 5 days it looked infected, so I had to clean it out with hydrogen peroxide and keep it bandaged with Neosporin. Of all of the mistakes that I've made in my life, one thing I've always known is that I would make a terrible nurse.

I finished The Road and started Under the Tuscan Sun. Under the Tuscan Sun was immediately a huge disappointment. The book is not like the movie, not a single, recently divorced woman's adventure, but a woman with a boyfriend who dreams of Tuscany with her, a woman with a ton of money to pay for everything, and woman and boyfriend are teachers, so they just go on their summers off. It is nice writing about the beauty of Tuscany, but it is not an adventure at all.

I started walking after work and am trying to find a good two mile walk. I started with a walk through my neighborhood and then across the street and around the graveyard and back. On the other side of the graveyard is a park, and in between the park and the graveyard is a deep running stream. The stream is through dirt, with grassy banks, and it cracks me up again that there are no guardrails, no "no swimming" signs, and not one tiny piece of trash, just Mr. and Mrs. Duck stopping for a cool drink.

Tuesday morning I realized I forgot a painting at the gallery and I had to go back after work and pick it up. It was a terrible day at work and on my way to the gallery I got stuck in traffic jam. That is the only the second traffic jam I have been stuck in here since last July, but I sure don't miss them.

I have a pretty good idea of the dynamic that is going on at work, which I don't really want to write about, but today my boss called in sick and her boss gave me some understanding words about the situation I was in yesterday, so today was much better.

End of Artists Way and Tid Bits

Both cats are adjusting well to me working. Cruiser is still working on his hole to escape,


Funny thing is, I tried to open the side gate and let him out last weekend, but he was too scared of the sound of Sarah's voice and he ran inside. Spit is dreaming of my garden as a litter box, here I caught her in the act,


Everything is growing nicely. Spit's efforts slowed down two of the green peppers, but I already am going to have too many anyway. The strawberries already have berries, although they are far from red. I re-potted the basil I have inside, trimmed off all of its mangy winter growth, and it looks as good as new. I had another pot for inside, so I planted a cilantro to go with the basil in the kitchen window. I thought I killed it, so I gave it some fertilizer and it shot up to three feet high overnight and grew flowers. With the flowers on it it does not look much good for harvesting cilantro, did I do something wrong?

Last night was the last week of this round of our Artists Way meetings. It would have been really sad, if the last night wasn't so much fun. Our meetings have given me some structure and support for the last six months and I will miss them. We intend to try another round starting at the end of the year. Last night I told Margo how great I felt that as a brand-newcomer to Boise I let her get to know me well enough for her to ask me to be a part of this Artists Way group. She finally confessed that she knew I was an artist and she asked me to give the group credibility, and here we have the REAL artist. Ha! That is pretty darn funny.

Here is a picture of the Gaia Gallery in Eagle,


That space off to the right that used to be a garage is the workshop space. On Saturday, I go pick up all of my work.

I was out the other day and saw a woman wearing these shoes,


They are called "Five Fingers" and made by Vibram. Do not wear these shoes. They are the ugliest shoes I have ever seen and made the woman wearing them look like a duck, a look she already could not afford.

The Idaho History column in last week's Sunday paper is about Idaho's prune industry. Idaho does not have a prune industry anymore, but it was huge in the 1890s. This was partly due to promotion efforts by the Union Pacific Railroad, which praised the Boise prune as better because it was dried in the sun and retained its natural sweetness, where prunes imported from France had to be artificially sweetened. The article doesn't say what happened to all the Idaho prunes.

Around the corner from my work is a used paperback book store. Half of the store is comic books, which must be new comics, and the rest is used paperbacks. Half of the paperbacks are bodice-rippers, but the other half are pretty decent. I had already read many of them, leading me to think that much of Boise must include avid readers, but I picked up The Road and Under the Tuscan Sun. I am going to go back with my mystery-books-to-read list, since they had a huge mystery section. I am whipping through The Road, it is an easy book to read on my breaks at work because the chapters are super short.

I raced home to find my first paycheck in almost a year in the mailbox and then I raced over to put it in the bank. What a relief. The rest of the checks will be direct deposit. I'm feeling pretty secure at work even though I am often irritated. They do not have a trainer or anyone that can write documentation in my department and I continue to find out crucial bits of information after making a mistake. The pregnant girl is huge and although she is not due until June 22nd, I'm giving her another week at most.

Art and Roses and Eagle Gallery Closing

Cruiser and Spit's day outside all day on Saturday wore them out. They let me sleep in on Sunday morning, went back to sleep after their breakfast and morning stroll, woke up in time to ask for lunch, and then went back to sleep until 4 in the afternoon.

It was hazy and hot on Sunday, but the sun broke out before the cats got up in the afternoon and it was a beautiful day. Remember the ad campaign with the kid's writing that said, "I'm so happy I could bite my toes?" Cruiser was laying at my feet on the warm patio yesterday afternoon while I was brushing him and he was so happy he was biting my toes.

I got up and painted three really small studies, about 3" by 3", of my cats for my book. I figured if I worked really small I would have to stay loose and I didn't do much of a drawing first. I have room on the page for 6 studies, so I will post them when I finish the other 3. Then I went over to Art and Roses at Julia Davis Park. Art and Roses is just artists selling original work and cards, no prints allowed. My friend had a booth there and I bought one of her cards, a Tarot deck 10 of Cups. I bought it because I liked the art, but her art calls the Ten of Cups "Satiety", while my book calls it, "Contentment. Lasting happiness because it is inspired from above rather than being the sensual satisfaction indicated in the Nine of Cups. Perfection in human love. Great friendship. Lasting success." About a third of the artists were from the Idaho Watercolor Society and I saw a bunch of artists that I know. The rose garden did not have one rose, although there were tons of buds, I would give them another month,



Yesterday I was more fascinated by the baby geese, I just do not get tired of baby geese,




Their eye must cover over with a white inner lid when they sleep, the proud gosling has normal looking eyes in some of the other pictures. My friend tells me goslings are the only baby animal born ready to feed themselves. And the paddle boats were running,



I came home and did the yard work, although my neighbor Joe whacked the tall weeds next to my garage for me while I was at Art and Roses. I stayed up and watched the next episode of The Killing, since even though I skipped a nap, I could not sleep anyway.

Today I received an email that the Eagle Gallery is closing. It's not really closing, she is going to do featured artists on First Fridays and hold workshops, and offered me both, but she is renting out the rest of the space. I'm not sure how she is going to do that, but otherwise I am not surprised. I have to go pick up my work there this week.

It honestly one more thing that makes me feel like life has come to this weird stand-still. I had already resolved myself to just painting all summer and having a good time and going work, to painting without any real goal, just painting like I did last July at Dad's.

No Award

Today the temperature was up to 80 degrees and tomorrow is supposed to reach 85. We have some thunderstorms predicted again during the week, but it feels like spring is really here. Cruiser let me sleep in this morning. I just can't seem to get to bed at a reasonable hour, which is tough during the week when I have to get up and go to work. I went out for coffee this morning and then went bike shopping.

Bikes have really changed. They are much more complicated. I just wanted a 3 speed cruiser bike, but the only one they had on sale in my size was pink. I looked at a one speed cruiser, a 15 speed used, and a 15 speed new. The 15 speeds had big tred tires, not like the thin tires I remember on my 10 speed. The new 15 speed had shock absorbing seat and handlebars, which seemed overkill to me until I rode it. I asked a lot of questions and rode some bikes, but I couldn't buy anything. I am going to ask my neighbor what she rides and if she can get up the hill at Americana from the greenbelt without more than one speed. Being able to ride along the greenbelt and then get home is the objective, since most of it you cannot see from a car.

I spent the rest of the day cooking and cleaning while the cats enjoyed the backyard.



As you can see, I did not mow the grass yet.

Thursday night I got my hair cut and met some friends afterwards, and last night I went to the Watercolor Society Annual reception and awards ceremony. I know I am supposed to be happy to just be in the show, but I did not win any award and did not get selected for the traveling show and I was super disappointed and left after the awards part. They had a guest judge, Sterling Edwards from Missouri, who calls himself self-taught and "a contemporary watercolor master." There were some winners that did portraits, which were nice, so I can't say he didn't like my subject matter, but there were some winners that were just plain political and their work was terrible. Amazing how they can bring in a guest judge all the way from Missouri to pick the same political favorites. To top it off, the print of my painting in the program is just terrible.

I got home and spent a few hours in "what does my life mean and why am I here" depression, asking, God, what do you want from me? I guess I was just hoping for some positive reinforcement, some recognition, and some extra money.

I got a good night's sleep, shared about it with some friends this morning, and spent most of the day in and out of the sun with the door and the windows open and now I am mostly over it. I figured a bike ride would have really helped, which is why I went to look at bikes.

I was forewarned that my Harley-riding, karaoke-singing neighbors have a crayfish bake every Memorial Day weekend. My neighbors say that they warn/invite the neighborhood in advance, but last weekend the invite and the bake and the karaoke-singing never happened. That was a relief. Today I listened to their music all day and lots of yelling, but they were so drunk and yelling at 7 pm that by now they must be sleeping it off and quiet.

Tomorrow I am going to check out the Art & Roses show at the Julia Davis Memorial Rose Garden where my friend is having a booth. It is supposed to be timed with the roses blooming, but I don't think the roses will put on much of a show this year. The Botanical Garden is open until dusk now on Tuesdays and Fridays and I have been trying to go, but it has been gloomy or raining every Tuesday and Friday since they started the summer hours. Maybe this week.

I received a few more reject letters and emails for jobs I applied for before I got the one I have and a low score on a State job I applied for recently. I also still get emails from the local jobs website, but there has been hardly anything on them in the last few months. This made me grateful that I have a job at all. No numbers or news articles need to tell me how bad it is out there. Now I am taking a break from job applying. I have had enough rejection for one lifetime and I am going to have a fun summer.