Update

I worked on this mixed media painting after I posted it and this is the result. I'm happy with it.

Still Life and Taxes

I copied this still life from a photo Betty Lou took. She set it up using things that Thelma had made for the class to paint. I will paint it again, because I don't like the looks of my watercolor technique. My colors aren't all that great either. Besides, I messed up the composition when I put on my drawing and didn't bother to fix it. I can do better.

I realized today that I forgot to do my state income tax form. I tried to do it on line, but too many people are in the same boat and I couldn't get onto the site. I will try again, but I don't have much faith that I will be successful. So now I am going to be a delinquent citizen. This crime will be added to my already distressing record with the IRS. I still owe taxes from 1995, and every year I get a notice about it. What began as a $150.00 tax has swelled with late fees and penalties to almost $500.00.........with no end in sight. It's a good thing there is no such thing as debtor's prison anymore.

Easter

Just as it seemed that Spring might be here, the snow returned. It was a weak performance, but nevertheless it was enough to remind me of Easters past. There was a time in my life when I went to church, and Easter was a big day. No matter how many years went by with only a hint of good weather to come, I always got a new spring outfit for church. It usually included a new coat and hat, as well as gloves. The coat was lightweight and the hat was cheerful. The white gloves were thin, the shoes had slippery soles. My lips were blue by the time I reached church. My shoes were covered with slush, my feet freezing, my hands stiff with cold. Nevertheless, I don't remember regretting the walk or my outfit.

One year the youth group at church decided to go to Cadillac Mountain and have a sunrise service on Easter. We left in the dark, drove to Bar Harbor and up the mountain. The wind was blowing hard and it was snowing a little. Still, we huddled together, teeth chattering, on a big rock and waited. Of course we could not see the sun come up through the clouds and snow, but we valiantly held the service anyway as it grew light. It was certainly memorable.

Anyway, I guess that here in Maine we pretend that Spring will be here by Easter and act accordingly. No matter that in my sixty-odd years of expecting it, it has never happened. Perhaps it would be depressing to face the reality that it will be another month before the weather really changes, especially here on the coast. I doubt it, though. We anticipate it longer, but it is so glorious here it is worth the wait. It's a little like knowing there is ice cream in the freezer, but you can't have it yet. When it finally happens, it's so much better for the waiting.

Long Time, No See

I have been very negligent with my blogging lately, but I have been very preoccupied. Sad news. My wonderful friend Thelma, age 87, fell and broke her leg. She was taken to the hospital, where things got worse. For awhile it seemed she would most likely die, but in true Thelma fashion, she rallied. Apparently she will be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. She is considered to be too old for surgery on her shattered leg, and too old for dialysis. My dear, dear Thelma. The thought of losing her is very difficult. No one lives forever, but I ignored that fact as I saw her grow older and incapacitated. She has always risen above everything like nobody I have ever known. I guess I believed vaguely that she could also transcend death. The idea of her being gone seemed too terrible to contemplate. Now I have been forced to think about it.

Thelma changed my whole life. She adopted me, encouraged me, became my painting companion. She introduced me to Betty Lou, without whom my life would have been so different. We traveled hither and yon together, running the roads to different workshops and art events, or antiquing, or eating out, or just enjoying each other's company. No matter what else happened in my life, there was always Thelma, supportive, kind, comforting. It is a relationship that has withstood long-distance. She moved to New Hampshire several years ago, but we have remained as close as ever. She is a person who loves me even though she doesn't have to.

At the same time, I heard from David that Duncan, his and Thom's beloved dalmation, died in his sleep. He was old, too, though no one gave up on him as they did on Thelma. He lived a long life thanks to the best medical care. He was a beautiful boy. I miss him, and feel bad for Thom and David. I can also too easily put myself in their place.

I was quite shattered by these two events and found myself dwelling on them. I am still dwelling on them to some extent, but am trying to face reality and get moving. The picture shows my efforts to dig up more of my front yard. I plan to enlarge my garden area, and it's quite easy to dig now, so soon after the snow melted and left the ground soft and damp. The weather report is for snow tonight, but it can't last. Spring is impervious to minor setbacks.