blackbird.jpg (30437 bytes)

2004-05-07 @ 10:27 p.m.
flames and lightening

When you live just south of Canada, your first full day outdoors in the Spring is delicious. I've had some partial days outside, when I was without a car and walking vast distances through good and bad neighborhoods, hugging my purse tightly and wondering if I was going to make it to my next birthday.

But today was different. It was intentional.

I did have to get to a morning appointment with my case manager. She's a nice lady who listens and when I told her that Johnson, the facilitator of my figure drawing class, was going to be teaching a five week drawing course in mid-May, she said she would try to get some funding for me. I was very happy about that.

What was even better was that she is putting in for same $$$ for some art supplies for me at Michael's too. It'll be in the form of gift cards and I can just go there and get sketch pads and pastels and maybe some frames. I also brought in three of my drawings from the Crazy Crazy place. They are kinda hard to transport, since they are 14X17 pieces of floppy paper and pastels that smear easily. That might be another good thing I could get. Something to transport my work in.

She really liked the work, by the way, especially one of my Frida drawings.

I really need to photograph them though. Most of the stuff I put in this diary are only about 60% of their actual size. My scanner is really small and cuts all four corners of my prints. I usually have to decide what part of the print to scan.

So I'm thrilled that I will be able to get some money for art supplies. Yay!

After my appointment I went home, had a quick lunch and took a quick nap with the kitty firmly molded into the crook of my thigh, and then headed out to a local lake where I like to hike.

It's a beautiful turquoise colored lake created by a glacier back between the time dinosaurs roamed the earth and Walmart went in.

There were some high Cirrus clouds in advance of a weather front heading in, but the temperature was still around 68 and just perfect. Also there weren't many people out, so I had the trails mostly to myself. I actually used to walk this lake almost everyday when I lived at that end of town. Its around 2 miles around, and if you hit an adjoining lake, which is somewhat deserted (I don't go out there unless I know people are out and about), its another mile and a half. I just did the main lake today though.

And because we are so far north, we've JUST been getting the first leaves of the year in the last week, so everything is incredibly lush and pretty. I had noticed that last night when I was driving to my art class.

I guess when you don't have it six months a year, it really means a lot.

And then it was onto Married Guy's house for kidlet's piano lesson. I had missed last week because of a track meet and then sheer laziness on my part. But it was good to get back out there.

I really enjoy the company of kidlet. He is a kid and a half. Bright. Funny. Cute as 300 Hallmark cards lined up end to end.

He's working on yet another 1960's movie theme on the piano. I like his piano teacher, whoever she is. She assigns him really fun music. He just finished up music from a James Bond movie of all things and now its onto a Peter Seller's classic comedy. Can you say Cato?

Almost as soon as I walked in Married Guy's house he invited me to dinner and since I'm right at the tail end of nothing left in my food stamp monies, I accepted.

Note to self: Always say yes to FREE food, regardless of food stamp situation, especially if Married Guy is cooking. Oh, ok.

Of course the time between the piano lesson and dinner can be anywhere from 1-3 hours, so Married Guy came out and we (me, him and his sons) played out in the driveway. They just got a new ping pong table and I played quite a lengthy match with his oldest son. He's usually very reserved, but today he really seemed to be enjoying himself. And, of course, I was acting like a goofball, lobbing the ping pong ball up over the garage roof and stuff. I think I made him laugh a few times.

Then him and Married Guy played a round and kidlet was jealous so he asked if I would play catch with him.

Catch? Me? The world's most inept sports person...as in, guaranteed last person to be picked on any sports team? Sure! First I was startled that the catcher's mitt went on the left hand. I was standing there wondering how am I going to catch anything when I'm right handed? Then kidlet calmly explained I catch the ball with the leftie and secure it with the rightie.

Oh.

So we played catch for a while. I dropped it about 80% of the time, much to the delight of kidlet. He thought I should maybe throw the ball underhanded, rather than overhanded. Guess I was throwing like a girl or something.

Married Guy's BBQ was finally ready about 7:30. He threw on a piece of steak and some pork chops. Yum. Wifie had come home in the interim. I always know how much she loves to see me there.

Oh good, Married Guy's groupie is here.

But then Married Guy said something kind of pointed towards her. At least I thought it seemed a little...eep. She's an artist too. And an excellent one. Not one with training wheels like me.

Anyways she was walking up the sidewalk and M.G. says, "Witty has the art world clamoring for her work, you know."

I just kind of looked at him like WTF.

I know wifie quietly snickers behind my back when I talk about my new found art "career". She has, after all, had shows, sold work, and rubbed shoulders with famous artistes.

Me? Well, I take two freakin' art classes a week and think I'm Picasso.

I quickly corrected Married Guy and said that someone I knew was going to talk to a gallery owner to look at my work. Wifie quietly looked on kind of bemused, like yeah, right.

I, once again, brought up the fact that I can't do much of anything, because I can't afford to buy frames, and wifie said, well, maybe you can just order some metal frames out of a catalogue. They're cheaper.

Oh, did I mention I live on $240 a month after rent? Don't think I'll be budgeting in any frames, anytime soon. So I said I was more in the market for frames from garage sales that might sell for a couple of dollars. She still looked kind of bemused.

Sucks to be you, I guess.

Finally had dinner around 8. Meat was excellent. Afterwards we went outside. They are doing some construction at their house and Married Guy wanted to burn some excess wood that was lying around the yard, so he gathered up some branches and wood and made a huge bonfire down the hill.

The kids and I stood around and marveled at how cool it looked, while Married Guy warbled some songs by "The Boss". He likes to do things like that. Started seeing bright flashes just over the edge of the house and soon realized that a lightening storm was bounding up on us. Then a low rumble of thunder.

By then the bon fire was huge. I ran up to my car to get my camera. I wanted to be able to remember all this. Not sure how the picture will come out, but if it does, it will really be cool looking with Married Guy tending the flames, kidlet excitedly throwing branches into the fire, and the oldest son just sitting reflectively on the edge.

And then the rain came. in torrents. The kids all ran in the house and I headed towards my car, but Married Guy stood fast, tending the flames, as I drove away.

As I do, in my heart for him.

0 comments so far << | >>

Older Entries
upsy, downsy, upsy, splat! - 2010-05-22
April sours bring May flowers? - 2010-05-01
when finding a head in the recycling bin is the highlight of your month - 2010-03-28
fifty two chances to be awesome...ok maybe - 2010-02-20
its sorta like "Grease" except there's no musical numbers and I'm really old - 2010-02-05

host

Lyrics by Lennon/McCartney. All angst copyright by awittykitty

>