Animal Management

Dad was gone for the second day Thursday and I thought I would get a lot done. Instead it was a day of animal management and frustration. Dog out, dog in, feed dog, dog out, dog in, cats out, dog is barking in the house, go investigate, probably the coyote we saw this morning going back, better go back to the cats, cats in, dog out again for the day. Then I wrote on my blog and started laundry and filled the bathtub so I could stretch some watercolor paper and the water was brown. Looked like dirt. Guest bath toilet water was brown, too. Well problem? I'll leave it for Dad. Tried the oversize sink in the studio and that water was clean, put the paper in that, try to paint, but Cruiser is whining, whining, whining. Finally put the dog in and went out for coffee. Met some nice women and felt better.



Finished 2 more studies Friday and was glad to have Dad back home. Finished a drawing for a larger painting and transferred it to paper today, but will start the painting tomorrow. Today I'm feeling PMS. Tomorrow is a full moon. The mover sent a revised quote, minus the queen bed and plus some tools, and including my move pick up date, August 17/18. I guess they need a 2 day range and will let me know which day closer to the move date. I have some paperwork to sign and send back and this is making me feel committed and doubtful. I went out for coffee and started thinking about the beginning of a children's book, The Adventures of Cruiser and Spit, that would be modeled after this blog and started to cry. It must be PMS. Went home and gave the dog an overdue bath.

The next enlightenment topic is the Now, with a poem by Omar Khayyam,

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

This did not speak to me, the past is done, you can't change it. I liked what Darcy sent me better,

The real art of living is beginning where you are. Martin Vanbee

Then Prayer, with a prayer by St. Francis of Assisi,

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal light.

The above text is from the book, Internet versions are different, omitting O Divine Master and changing light to life. (Which is right? I am annoyed by this.) This is obviously a good topic for me today and I am not going to expand on St. Francis, but I think he would have appreciated my work with animals this week and clean, almost dry, no longer itchy Sophie laying on the couch with a blanket, so she doesn't get a chill.