Still Life With Citrus Rose

I had very strange dreams last night.  We fell asleep watching television and then went to bed at 1 am.  That could be why I felt like I was hallucinating most of the night.  It's now almost 10:30 and G has left me a note that he will return shortly with breakfast.  I read the note an hour ago. I have a slight sinus headache this morning, usually caused by changing weather.  Clouds are building in my sinus cavities.

It is cool today, not raining, the sun peeks out every once in awhile to light up the yellow and pale orange of the maple trees.  Not as brilliant without the blue, blue sky.  The recent rain and wind has loosened great piles of pine needles onto the lawn and of course the maple leaves.  The oak leaves are holding steady and the trees are releasing only acorns right now, nuts that roll beneath my feet and send me skidding across the wet grass.  I think I will be outside raking today.  If breakfast ever arrives.

I watched a few videos on deconstructed screen printing this morning.  I now see how it works.  I have a few very old bottles of dye powder and a box of small containers of various dye products.  I will have to examine the box and see if I have the proper chemicals to screen print.  And then, I must make a screen.  I did all this ages ago in college.  I made my own screens but hadn't a clue of what to print with them.  This was before Warhol.  I adore Warhol.  I'm not sure we even mixed ink colors much in class. It was all so basic and quite boring.  Or perhaps, it was ME who was basic and boring back then.  I certainly wasn't an art rock star.  Then or now. I remember being taught how to make the screen, paper or glue resists, squeegie the ink and that was all.  That was how every art class was taught in the 60's.  You either WERE already an artist or you WERE NOT.  There was no effort wasted on teaching anyone to be one as there is now.  Now we are all artists.  And the art isn't as wonderful.

Our bird class went off beautifully yesterday making both N & I very happy.  I have only one more class to teach in two weeks.  Beds to Rest.  How to bed down your plants, garden beds and roses for the long cold winter.  Halloween follows the next day and then the rush to Thanksgiving and Christmas and then Winter.  It will fly by as it always does and I will be unprepared as I always am.  I know that I should be making cookies between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Well, RIGHT AFTER Thanksgiving dinner is the time to put together cookie doughs for Christmas.  By December 6th, it's all too late.

Right now is the time to be filling the Advent calendars for my two adult children.  Buying or making gifts and making holiday decorations. I need to decide what I will be doing for my limited edition of ten Christmas tree cards this year.  I can think about these things while I rake up pine needles.  And visit the grocery store as we are OUT of nearly everything and need FOOD.  G seems to be home.