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i have a little teacup. a cup and saucer. it's a delicate robin's egg blue and i've had it for years. and i've been filling it with thumb sized egg shells of the palest blue and subtley speckled, for as long as i've had it. maybe this year i've been more focussed on being at the studio, building my tiny empire of handmade and arted, for i noticed that i haven't been able to add any new shells this year. i would find them most often nestled in the grass during our walks to the park. and sometimes tom or flynn would bring me little cracked pieces for my collection. but this year i had found none and there had been no little offerings. until i stopped at the pharmacy the other day to pick up some sunscreen and post a package. when i returned to the car, sitting perfectly on the pavement in the parking lot, was a lovely blue half shell....my only find of the year, so far.
tomorrow, thursday, june 14th, the little white house at 55 mowat is opening to host another delightful arty evening. from 3 until 9 (i'm opening the shop at 1, but tracy and jess arrive at 3....). jess koehn of rhubarb is our guest artist this week. we are delighted to share our space with her and her beautiful pieces. her work is crisp and graphic with charm and whimsy as well. have a peek at her etsy shop and then come see her work in person and meet the artist, tomorrow at the little white house. tracy has new encaustic work, and i have a new gallery space upstairs as well. come enjoy a summer evening with lemonade on the shaded porch and art floating through the little studio house.
i have found a white room. empty, save for a low chair beside the window. a window high in the trees that almost reaches the floor. and a room that devours me in it's whiteness. there is silence if you let the birdsounds go unnoticed. and i write the same sentence six different ways. i read it again and write it a seventh. i see all seven versions because i don't let computers in this room. i have a pen. and i wonder if the sentences will ever fill pages. and if the pages will ever tell a story. and i wonder if i just told one.
this morning i noticed the back of our yard is filled with wild strawberries. over the years in parts of our yard, the grass has turned to a lovely strawberry patch for the squirrels. and this morning it's dotted red with tiny berries.
i had my shower across the yard at the studio early. walking through the yard with wet hair hanging down my back like when i was a child. after my bath and before bed, when i was little, i had to have one last tour through the grass during summer.
telulah just stuck her nose in my anastasia tea. it's still too hot for me to drink comfortably, but i think she's ok. and it appears that edgar is feeling much better already.....he has been demanding food and water and seems really energetic.
and last night i was chased home from the neighbors by my first lightning bug of the season. he flew directly at me, which i loved. we walked home together. summer is now fully upon us!!!
it's an overcast morning. but the air is gentle and warm. there is a little rain and the scent of flowers on the path to the studio. tom and i wandered over in our pyjamas. i was cleaning the mason jars out of the bathtub (that's where i've been storing them).....but i may be getting ahead of my story....
last night became complicated. i had been having a hard day with edgar, so in the late afternoon we went to the vet for an ultrasound of his bladder. as always, our wonderful vets treated us like family, stayed late and brought him right in without an appointment. and now he's on antibiotics and medicam for a pretty nasty infection. on our return home when we were getting him settled, we found our tankless water heater spraying water all over the basement....probably irrepairable, leaving us with no hot water at the start of the weekend. our neighbor helped us out, hoping he could fix it easily, but it may be past repairing. i don't like talking about our day to day troubles here, but last night i was pretty discouraged and anxious.
and then this morning, as we wandered over to the studio, barefoot in the misty, sweet-smelling air, carrying towel and shampoo and soap, we giggled that it was like we were kids at camp....walking from the bunkhouse to the bathhouse...realizing how lucky we are to have the option to shower at the little white house that i call my studio.
it's going to be another good day!
early morning walk. before the heat hits. the grass in the park freshly cut. like our own lawn that tom cut yesterday. the softest breeze off the lake. edgar isn't feeling well.....walking gingerly with sadness in his eyes. he's so sensitive to not having enough water. maybe it's some urinary tract trouble. i'll keep an eye on him today. my day in the studio yesterday was wonderful. seeing people i haven't seen in years. seeing the people i love to see everyday. and then seeing the people i don't see enough. it was a perfect day. i primped the space, making it bright and fresh and pretty. and the energy from all the nice comments from the lovely women who read my blog and visit through cyberspace...i felt that energy too. so thank you.
the scent of grass is floating in the window. i'm going to wander up to buy a coffee and muffin. and then get sewing. i cut out little girls dresses yesterday. and a pile of totes. i'll sew on the porch.
summer is settling in. you can feel the end of school in the air. there is a sweetness to the light. and the scent of peonies drifts along with us as we take edgar walking. there is a quickness to the children's voices. an eagerness.
and i have been spending my days filling the studio with beautiful, less expensive items. wonderful little gifts. lots of items under $10 and under $25. great for teacher's gifts. and hostess gifts. and perfect to take home a little treat for yourself. and when you're here, take a wander upstairs to the galleries to soak in the art.
tomorrow, thursday, the shop is open from 1-8 pm. if you have been considering dropping in, it would be a great time to come by.
in the late of afternoon and the early evening, my little gallery has west light pouring in. and all during the day there is a perfect steady light saturation. it feels good. it's a room to sit and gather ones ideas. to look at little detailed bursts of art. to sit with all that feels right. 
