Without giving it too much thought, I tumbled each 80lb bag out of the car, end over end, to the area near the hose, and began mixing. I plopped onto the dirty ground in my yard next to a crumbling wall surface and just went for it. By hand. Slap and smooth method. Was like playing with “drippy castle” sand at the beach, and actually, fun. Except for the bushes that kept getting in the way, it was fun. I was covered from head to toe with sweat, dirt, and dust by the end of the experience. But, my wall is done, and it looks okay. Definitely not Architectural Digest, but good enough for “Teacher Who Makes Do” journal, if it exists. Reaching back to my Irish roots -- didn’t Pop grow up in a mud shack? I bet they had to resurface a lot, too. I might seal it in when it is fully cured to further protect it.
It is hard being a single woman having an older home and a chronic illness. Good thing I like a challenge and am kind of handy when the stars align.
It is hard, though, for me to let go and just get filthy rotten dirty to do physical work. I hate sweat. I hate it! Unfortunately the only way a lot of these things need to get done is through icky, filthy conditions. I have to be alone when I go there, though, which makes it harder as some of these things would be accomplished more easily with help. Next up is painting my back porch and setting it up as a dog-free art workspace. Or at least a retreat. I’ll allow the cats, and maybe a bird or two, only by invitation. I need a Toby-free haven. I have the paint already, and I am not afraid to use it! Nothing like seeing school’s start loom on the calendar to get my lazy butt fired up to hit the to-do list. Here she comes like a wave -- 2016/17 is on the way.
2017? WTH??? Some days it feels like a mystery that I am still here!
So, choices loom regarding today. Do I take it a bit easier and work on stuff inside? Do I dress down in icky clo and go Rambo on my porch? Both a good options. One week left. A week from tonight I will be seeing my beloved Amanda Palmer rip up Bank Boston Pavillion (or whatever it is now called) in a Dresden Dolls gig. Can hardly wait! Then, it is back to the school year feeling like “stuff got done” this summer. Well, at least the wall got resurfaced and the front porch painted. And maybe the back porch…
Men have literally no idea what women go through. Just saying.
For an art post today, here is the uber-controversial quilt that was pulled from the AQS show due to viewers complaining about the imagery and subject matter. Oh my GOD - humorous nudity in quilts? What are they, ART or something? This is why very little “Quilt Art” is not taken seriously in the art world. Pokey Bolton was a fantastic champion for the genre and since she has stepped back a bit, things have gotten weaker. Sad, really, when a genre becomes more about technique than message and expression, which is where I see a lot of quilting arts right now. Here is a link to Pokey’s blog today with an excellent description of the controversy. ARTIST Kathy Nida creates work that illustrates surrealistic scenes that are thought provoking and opinion inducing. Isn’t that what art is about? Or supposed to be? Cheers.