Half a goat is better than none.

Beginning of a painting.  

Hello again.

Hope everyone's summer is going well.  

Life here at Sherrill Studios is starting to gear up again.

I have spent the last few weeks worrying about some things that made it impossible for me to paint.  Sometimes it happens that way.  I hit those places in my brain that make it impossible to paint.  

But, I seem to be letting up on the concerns and

painting is coming a little easier.  
Yesterday, I started the day out with this lovely goat.
I know that he has some issues, but I think he has possibilities.
So...half a goat...

************  

If you remember, in the last blog I pointed out that we needed to make memories with and for our family & friends.
I had that opportunity come up for me in this last week.
I had it in spades.

***********

A very, very long time ago....
in a land far, far away....
I went to high school with (along with a few other hundred people) Scott Smith & LaRhonda Davis.  They married soon after Wayne & I did and started having children right off the bat.
Wayne and I...not so much.  We had to wait a while.

I learned so much from watching them parent.
Things that I stored up for when I had a child.
We lived on the north end of the state and they lived in Kokomo,
but we socialized when we came to visit.
We played cards and hung out.
Had a great time.
Brandon was born and it was just the best.
I became his self proclaimed GODmother.

Fast forward...10 years or so.
We each had two kids and all the problems & joys that come with them.
I was still learning parenting skills from watching the Smiths.
Their children were older than ours, so they met & conquered situations that I would have to deal with later.

Fast forward again...
As sometimes happens (happened to me...) the Smiths ended their relationship with a divorce.  Their boys have grown up to be fine young men with families of their own.  I am proud of them both.

This last weekend Brandon, Scott & Brandon's son Kaiden
came to visit from the southern states.
Scott's mother is ill & they came to see her in the.  
I couldn't wait to see Brandon & meet his son.

Kaiden and his dad shooting us in the pool.
He wouldn't get in.  He said it was too deep.

     

I invited them over for pool time and to meet Leia.
Leia & Kaiden are only a month apart, so we thought they would hit it off.
And they did.
  We had one of Leia's favorite meals, hot dogs, cheesy poofs & chocolate milk after we got out of the pool.

He drank TWO glasses of chocolate milk.

He looks just like his dad did when he was little...

I enjoyed this visit SO MUCH.
During the time that they were here
I was able to take some three generation photos.
Again, Scott & Ronnie gave me a glimpse into what I hope will be my future.
What did I see?
I saw a comfort level that I have not yet achieved.
I saw two divorced adults treating each other with respect & dignity.
Not because they had to, but because that is what you do for your kids.
They gave me hope.

Brandon, Kainden & Scott Smith
Three Generations

Brandon, Kaiden & Ronnie
Three generations

 What a wonderful visit.
Family, in the end, is everything, isn't it?
That is what makes us strong, individually & as part of a group.  
It's where we go when times are hard.
It's who we celebrate with.
It gives us our sense of self.

Thank you for reading.
I'll see you all again, soon.

Seasons of life

Cows in Hortonville

Hamilton County cloud

Driving home from Zionsville last week

Good afternoon!

Yes, it is that season, again.

I'm chasing my tail and so is Al.

I have been remiss about stopping and catching up on my blog.

So, while I wait out my last hour at the Zionsville Gallery, I thought we would catch up.

I am working at getting inventory together for several upcoming shows.  I have a bluegrass get together coming up out at Bob Auth's property in just a few short weeks.  So much to do...so much to do...

Al is up to his neck in drill writing.  He is working some long hours.  Check out Gizmo sleeping on his desk...

About 10am

Just resting...

Around noon

1:15ish   btw, that is Ian in the background...

2pm...time for Al's nap

 Isn't he great?  He generally is out all night and then comes into the A/C & sleeps through the day.  

We have had a lot of things going on here.  Mom & Dad went to the lake for a few days.  When they returned they told me that Dad had fallen by the spillway and had gotten pretty banged up.  He saw Sherri Nuss the morning that they got back.  He has some broken ribs and is in a good amount of pain.    My folks gave me the corn that they had in the garden because they had too much to handle to take the time to mess with it.  

So, Leia & I went out to pick corn on Saturday morning.  

This is interesting corn.  There is a deep burgundy color in the leaves and the tassels.

Dad wanted to help with picking the corn, but he just couldn't do it so he went back into the house to lay down.  He was not a happy camper about that.  I started picking the four rows of corn and listened to my mom & Leia talking to each other about the garden.  It was just a wonderful time.  Mom & Leia don't get to spend a lot of time together and Leia was just talking her leg off.  Mom had bought Leia a purse and she was picking veggies to carry in her purse.
It was a wonderfully blessed time to listen to a 72 year old & a 3 year old talk about life.  I nearly cried standing there in the middle of the corn rows.  I thought about the time that I spent with my grandparents in the garden & the orchard.  Life just goes on and on, doesn't it?  It's just a big roller coaster ride.

I never liked zinnias...but they were beautiful that morning.

I have been thinking about how blessed that I am having my parents, my children, my grandchildren, my husband & my friends.  
I have been reminding myself that now is the good times, not sometime in the future when everything is perfect.
Trying to live in the moment.
And recognize it for what it is.

In the garden with our "garden purse" & Great Grandma Scott.

I am fifty-one years old.  It hasn't been all sunshine & roses, but then again it hasn't been a horror movie either.  It is time to enjoy what we have and make some memories for and with the people in our lives.
So we gathered up our corn, a huge zuchinni and a cabbage and drove home with it all.
Karen Taylor is the person who got me to thinking that Leia was old enough to have a craft project.  Karen has three grand daughter and she does crafts with all of them at once.  So, I should be able to handle one three year old, right? 
Here she is working on her project 
 in the back yard.  Are you shuddering?  

Give a child in a pink shirt a paint brush full of black paint and let her go.

She only got one spot of paint on her forehead.  I lucked out, for sure.

She was so proud of her & I's work.

I drove over to her house the other day and hung it over her bed on the wall.  

It was a good experience for us both.

I forgot to mention that before we left my folk's house we went out to the barn to see the horses.  One of the fillies was down in the stall.  I opened the door to check on her and told Leia to stay in the doorway as I went in to see what was up.  The filly was obviously in pain.  She picked up her head and nickered quietly to me and then laid her head back down.   As I ran my hand over her I noticed a color out of the corner of my eye.  Leia had come into the stall and was standing next to the filly's head.  She squatted down and started talking quietly to the filly.  She petted her face and said to me."See Grandma, she won't eat me..."

(shades of the pig adventure?)

GOD, I love being a grandma...

Well, it's time for me to start closing the gallery.  I need to be closing this down.  

If you take anything away from this today, I want you to remember to live in the moment.  We need to enjoy what has been given to us.  This is not a promised thing.  Changes happen to us all.

Have a great day, my friends.

See you soon.

Tipton County