SPRING? YEAH RIGHT!

I am seeing posts from many regarding Spring flowers, Spring fruit (yummy strawberries over at Secret Notebooks-Wild Pages), talk about Mother Earth and earth day coming up on the 22ND of April, and I am wondering "Where is Spring?" Here on the west coast, in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, we had snow today! This is not unusual. We have had snow late in April many years in the past. In fact, there is a saying here locally (at least I think that it is only local--maybe in other parts of the country it has been heard too) that it isn't Spring until it snows on the Dogwoods. Well, I guess that Spring can come now because it has definitely snowed on the Dogwoods.





Oh those strawberries!!! I have some planted in the garden but it is WAY too soon for me. I don't even think that they are flowering yet. But, down the road we have people who park for the day and sell strawberries from their vehicle. They are not locally grown; they most likely come from down in the Sacramento valley or in the adjoining county where it is less mountainous and lower in elevation. But, I cannot wait until the sweet taste of strawberries makes it's (M--should I drop the apostrophe???) way to my mouth. The strawberries in the market LOOK good but they just do not have that "certain something", that sweet scent of Spring, that I am looking for. I always get anxious and I always buy because I am drawn to the LOOK of those strawberries but I am always disappointed. Maybe in a few weeks my mouth will REALLY water with the yummy taste of Spring strawberries.





I just saw a clip from the HBO movie "Grey Gardens" that is due to play this coming weekend. I have always been fascinated with the Kennedy's and it looks to be quite a good "made for TV movie". Thank goodness for HBO. They always take the lead (in my opinion) on making great stuff. Most networks won't even touch the kind of stuff you can view on HBO and I am thankful for their ability to "rock the boat" so to speak. I really love what I see there most of the time.





I didn't get out in my studio today. Had to go and have an ultrasound on my neck. I guess the next step (although I really think it should have been the FIRST step) in diagnosing my thyroid problem. I had wanted to get out there and work on a canvas and just see where it would take me. I had heard of an experiment that some people did where they played certain music the entire time they painted as a way to see if the music would affect what they painted. I know, for myself, that I am less apt to paint if I am in a depressed state of mind but I really wanted to go out there and see just what this recent set-back in my health would do to my art. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow. I am in a better frame of mind today though. I guess I have just given in to "what will be, will be". It doesn't pay to fight it.

Here is a painting that I have been working on for quite some time. It is very small section of moss that I photographed on the edge of a grave stone. I have blown it way up to fit on the canvas and I am enjoying the depths and layers that I am able to paint into it. Many more hours to go...or not! It depends on when I feel that I am finished with it. Sometimes you can take a painting too far and then you can't get back to where you should be. I enjoy the struggle of getting there and seeing the painting come to life.

Spring----------more life to come. Strawberries are just the beginning!