After getting home from a weekend with my parents, my dog and I entered our apartment, greeted by my roommate and a chirping smoke alarm. 

I knew my dog could not tolerate any of that chirping, so I immediately turned around and went to buy replacement batteries for it. Apparently, my roommate had cooked something on the stove and the heat set off the detector.

When I was cleaning one day, I had moved the detector into the kitchen, a genius idea, my roommate said, because it easily stuck to the refrigerator. We should have seen the red flag after her cooking mishap.

Tonight, I decided to make some quinoa in my rice cooker, something I’ve done hundreds of times before, but this time I plugged it in near the stove. <sigh>

Barely 5 minutes into cooking,the smoke alarm went off, which set off all the other alarms in the apartment, until the deafening noise sent us into a chaotic frenzy, trying to turn them off. We also have a security alarm, which is connected to an alarm service, which is connected to the safety authorities. 

Well, after what seemed like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, of that awful beeping and my Russian roomie trying to give me the right set of numbers in English (it took a few tries), she finally made it stop. 

We went about our regular routine, retiring to our respective rooms. I figured we were done for the night. 

Then I heard the doorbell ring, rather insistently, several times in a row. I thought, why would anyone be ringing the doorbell? We’re both here, and I don’t think either of us ordered anything from Instacart.

She obviously wasn’t going to get it, so I went to the door and peeked out. There stood two gigantic, hot firefighters. The only reaction I could muster was, “Oh, my.” 

Still no roommate. She had not even heard any of it.

So after the explanation and their being reassured that everyone was okay, they left. I knocked on roomie’s door, and when she finally came out, I told her what had happened.

Now, I’m a chubby older lady with little interest (okay, I could be convinced) in a, let’s say, August romance, but she’s a young beautiful woman, and she could have benefitted from meeting the two handsome brick walls who visited us. 

We considered cooking something smoky, just in case, but we returned to reason. 

I just wanted to thank the two gentlemen of the San Diego Fire Department who came to our rescue in Scripps Landing, even though we didn’t need rescuing, and to say, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, feel free to check on us again. 😉

#SDFD
https://www.sandiego.gov/fire/about/firestations/

It took a very long time, but my paintings have finally arrived from Louisiana. We cleared out the old farm house, and what's left is here in California now, thanks to my parents, family and friends who helped in the process.

Now I have not only inventory, but perspective as well. I can lay out some of my older pieces to see how far I've come. None of us realized the sheer volume of work I had done until the boxes were packed. Not all of them are sale-worthy, by my reckoning, but I have made a lot of paintings. 

My most recent painting, which is the quetzal on the front page, was done in acrylic. I created that one in honor of the Guatemalan asylum clients my brother serves at his law office. Many really wish they could go back home, but it isn't safe for them. I figured this painting might assuage some of their sadness. 

Yes, it's been a long time. I moved to San Diego, California, in August of 2019 to work for my brother. It was supposed to be a first step to live closer to my parents (an hour north of here) by having a temporary job until I could find a full-time teaching job. Schools usually start hiring in April, and I didn't make my decision to move until July.  I brought with me only what I absolutely had to have, with the expectation that I would return 3-6 months later to get the rest or just go back home for good if I didn't like it.

So, that didn't work out. By January 2020, there was a pandemic, and nobody was going anywhere. I was stuck with only minimal belongings, my dog and cat, and an expensive tiny apartment that felt like a prison. I couldn't go back to Louisiana to visit my son and my friends and couldn't even see the rest of my family in California. It was incredibly stressful. For nearly a year, I could only Zoom or call my elderly parents due to the risk of COVID.

I could have done that from Louisiana and kept my teaching job, I thought. 

Fast forward to today. I'm still working for my brother, but I am looking for a job and an apartment in the area where my parents live. Following several different options for employment and considering starting my own business is taking up a great deal of my time right now.

My biggest seller is my music series.  If you know about music theory, you know what these symbols are. Musicians love these decorative renditions of the symbols they use all the time.  I know because I'm a musician myself and have lots of family and friends who are musicians, too.  I learned music theory in elementary school and have played several instruments throughout my life.

One of my earlier posts showed some initial work on a new pair of treble and bass clef paintings, and I had put them on the back burner for a while to work on other projects but also to ponder what direction they should progress.  They have stood on my paint desk for a long time, occasionally covered by another piece being worked on but usually visible so I could think about them.  This week I did some more work on the pair, particularly the second piece, and I like where it's going.  I still have some work to do on them, but they have a much clearer trajectory now.

In celebration of the new design colors forecast for the fall, I'm doing a whole set of 12x12" canvas abstract color paintings that will be available soon.  The new colors are looking to be very similar to the 2015 colors, but a little more subtle.  I'm going to use both 2015 and the forecast 2016 colors.  So, whether you already repainted in 2015 or are planning a new design this year, you'll be covered.

Add a little burst of color interest to a wall near you.  Prices have never been better! Look for these special paintings to be up on the site within the next couple of days.  And with the coming store feature, you'll be able to purchase them right off the site with Paypal. 

AM

P.S. If you don't wish to use Paypal, I can accept other forms of payment by phone or by mail.

Summer's almost over, and I can't say I'll be sad to see this heatwave go, but whenever the seasons change, there's that feeling of time creeping away together with excitement about what's coming next.  In the spirit of change, I'm going to try something I have never done before. 

While I work on my big paintings that take more time, I want to offer a mini-painting sale.  This is an opportunity for those who have wanted a piece of original art but couldn't afford it to get something custom made.

For $10, I will make a 4x6" mini-painting of something you like*, and for $15, a 5x7" mini-painting.  You will get to be the owner of a commissioned artwork, and I will get to experience a little more diversity of design.  It can be acrylic, watercolor, color pencil, or ink.

Just go to "News/Events" and look for "COMMISSIONS."  There you will find a form to help get you started. For these small commissions, full payment will be due only upon acceptance/completion (not in advance or in increments). Feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

This sale will be available for the rest of August.  Have fun with it!