Milkweed

Milkweed Flower Cluster

Bees are all over the fragrant milkweed flowers, but many were camera shy at that moment. One is the speck, upper right edge flower.

On a short blog slow down

Will be back Tuesday, 30 June 2026

On a catch up day

 Yesterday, a  thing happens out of nowhere. I tripped on the new door mat. Seconds later, I’m assessing the situation and going for my phone, just in case. 

Unreal, just like the TV ad, I couldn’t get up. My neighbor helped me. Another neighbor drove me to the ER and picked me up almost 6 hours later. 

Staff at Porter Hospital, Middlebury Vermont are impressive, very caring and tuned into the discomfort. The folks in the nearly full waiting room were so nice, I believe the atmosphere helped calm me. I wanted to cry really bad. Instead, I was talking and even laughing sometimes. 

Lucky I am that no surgery needed. My wrist has two small breaks. I saw them on the x-rays. I didn’t want to think about the damage because that can increase stress. At a time of  injury, calm is the focus. The body is upset enough. Shifting attention from hurt person to caring for that delicate self is calming. I learned that from reading about the physiology of child birth. 

In a cast for a week and then to ortho doctor for a splint. A surprise to me is the decrease of soreness. My fingers can wiggle without pain.  I can peel a banana with one hand. 😁 A good part about is I don’t need pain meds. Ibuprofen is sufficient if needed. Alas, the cast adds weight on my scale. So, no weigh ins for a week. 😂🥳

Oh, I discovered that twirling around to help pull up your pants with one hand doesn’t make them rise faster. 😂 A quick jump up does though. 

The Green Mountains
View from Porter Hospital ER
parking lot, Middlebury, Vermont

Day 177 in Week 26 June 2026

 Friday’s subject of this week: 

The one above the rest

Painting subjects on Day Two

Here I am on day 2 of painting subjects’ week starting out with sneezing bouts, hunger grumblings, and a weird sense of lightness.

Food we digest takes time to process through our bodies. It can take days, weeks even for it all to be sorted out. Changes for me. For 3 weeks +/- Greek yogurt is part of my daily menu. The limit foods I have are mainly plant based. I start my day with spring water, eggs or a banana. Weight loss has been light ( 1 lb.), due to taking it easy for a while. 

The themed weeks will help me move around more as well as reduce stress. I now see food and activity as partners in healthy living. 

Staying with, what I know, selecting common objects as subjects is rather intriguing to me. The spiral notebook has to be included this week. 

The light enhancing the texture showing wear in the cardboard is a challenge. Thinking watercolor feels right. Alas, my masking fluid, I think, is so old, it’s probably gummy by now. Pencil is my first thought. Acrylic, though, will help along the abstract story of the curving metal. 

Today’s subject: My spiral notebook journal

Digital photo, spiral notebook detail

Theme of the Week: Painting Subjects

Welcome to Summer! 🌞

Changing your mind about a theme for the week is a good part of the idea as flexibility and creativity are cousins. Music was the planned theme first this week. Why change?

A documentary on YouTube, “Wyeth,” 2018 inspires me to select this week’s theme:  Painting Subjects. 

In art and writing, the high priority is to create what you know. The film set me to exploring how I chose subjects to paint. What do I know?

Flowing with the moment. Clutter comfort turns into a shop of painting subjects, so much to choose from. I would define myself as mainly landscape and abstract artist. Attention to still life will be an interesting path to follow this summer. 

First Subject: A banana peel

A Banana Peel
Digital photo 2026