Settling in with a painting

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

It takes soooo long to settle in! Clark and I felt settled, even in new places, just by being together, but alone I’ve been adrift. Finally I’m beginning to be settled, and I like it. Today I hung, with expert advice (thanks, Patrice!), a new painting in the hallway. It’s by Sacramento artist Tyson Anthony Roberts, and the fact that he’s local makes me feel settled too. 

Love,

k

Not too boring after all

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Two things happened today.

1. The HOA meeting. Booooooring, right? But tonight I decided to ask questions about the boring stuff, and other people spoke their minds too, and it was about as fun as a meeting can get. Then: 

2. Two friends who live here, came for dinner after the meeting. (Don’t tell them, but it was leftover chili from Saturday.) We rehashed the meeting over the chili, topped with avocado, onions (soak chopped onions for an hour in ice water to reduce their odor), grated cheese, and chopped cilantro. Rice pudding with cinnamon and lemon zest for dessert.

Then Zing and I went for a walk and on the sidewalk we met someone from the building and again we rehashed the meeting. It reminds me of city politics, but extremely local. I had fun.

Here’s the dinner table after my friends left. Pellegrino water, wine, white napkins, and Zing!

Love,

k

Christmas party

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

We’re deep in Christmas preparations. At the end of a busy day there was tonight's HOA holiday party.

Love,

k

Christmas oranges

Quiet fun

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

I relaxed and had fun yesterday and today too. Here is an idea of what has been happening:

Love,

k

Love this message!

At the rail crossing Sunday

(on my way to buy coffee)

Friends put this flower-y greeting

on my door Saturday. It was great to find it when I got home!

I hated drawing this. Turn it upside down. That's what I drew, copying the lines 

of this famous Picasso portrait of composer Igor Stravinsky

I thought I probably wouldn't even recognize my guy, because I had such a bitter approach --

I'm forcing myself to go through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

(This exercise is from p. 55)

My couch & chair cascade

Written last night: 

Dear Friends,

Suddenly, this morning I moved furniture.

The bookshelves were blocked, so I decided to move the chair.

Moved the chair, so I had to move the lamp.

Moved the lamp, so I had to move the couch.

Moved the couch, so I had to move the green chair.

Green chair doesn’t need light, so I said goodbye to a lamp.

If I can live without the lamp, maybe I don’t need my side table.

… now I can get to the bookshelves.

(but I still wonder about that lamp … )

Love,

k

Cups on the counter, orchid at the window

Do you have a routine?

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Lots of routine today — routine, I’m learning, is good. 

In addition to chores and learning the city (and ukulele!), I am making drawing time a regular thing. Here are all my kitchen tools, drawn today, hanging over the sink, even if you cannot see it! I made this with a smudgy pencil. 

In retirement and other life-changing situations, routines shift, perhaps drastically. Also, some of us pretend we don't need routine. What about you?

Love,

k

Night energy -- or not

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

It’s way late for me. You know how it is when you think you have new nighttime energy? But you really don’t …

Tonight was dinner with people I love: Stephanie and Patrick, Brian and Debbie, Stephanie’s Mom. They are visiting from Miami. After dinner, I bumped into two friends on the elevator and we stood outside the 12th-floor elevator doors and talked for at least 30 minutes — probably more. Then Zing and I went for a stroll in the heat; the sidewalk is normally empty in the evening, but tonight people were walking out from a concert at the Arena. 

Have a relaxing three-day weekend!

Love,

k

New hall table
Zing says I should take all the homey stuff off
I remind him the thing in the middle  is his leash

Flowers from Trader Joe's

Tidy for now, but not for long ...

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

You often read of artists who have studio assistants. I used to wonder what these people do. Now I know — they keep the place organized, they wash the paintbrushes, and they clean up the floor.

That’s what I tried to do today; it took all day and I’m still not finished. It’s like doing dishes— keeping the paints where they belong is a constant job.

I’m making my home my own. It’s phase 2. The first phase, which took a year, was to make it presentable. Now I’m making it mine. (Those paints won’t be tidy for long.)

Love,

k

Shelley's birthday is really August 4 -- my mistake!

Sunflower thoughts

Written last night:
Dear Friends,

Today I cleaned the house. I never liked dusting. 

But there's something pleasantly proprietary about dusting each new corner.

I keep thinking about sunflowers.

Love,

k

Feeling ever more like home

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

OK, I’m going to admit it: there are some times when it’s nice being alone, and this is one of them. I’m eating chocolate, drinking wine, looking at a big bouquet of sunflowers and writing to you. Zing is on a pillow at my feet. I’m expecting dear friends over the weekend, talked to at least three Sacramento friends today, exercised, cleaned the house, and just came back from the monthly art-walk evening in Davis. Also, I’m past my regular “bedtime” (10 p.m.), so I’ve gotten that “I’m wide-awake again” energy. It was a good day.

Not only that, but Randy the handyman hung two more pictures yesterday, so the place feels ever more like home.

Love

k

I love this photo taken at sunset along a road in Yolo County
It echoes the sunflowers,
although in this case it is just the sun
(Digitally-manipulated photo by Dee Conway)

Breakfast balcony

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

Here’s a photo of my balcony. It faces north, kind of (Sacramento street grid is not precisely N-S), and is sunny in the morning. I’ve been having breakfast out there and loving it. Zing loves lying in the sun too. I feel lucky to have the north light because it’s not shadow-y, but still plenty bright. People on the other side of the building have sunny afternoons.

Love,

k

Ice cubes cure my shuddering sink

Written last night:

Dear Friends,

This morning the appliance repairman said, “You have a wonderful sink."

“Very good quality,” he said. 

“I also like your garbage disposal,” he added.

Made my day.

Sunday my sink shuddered suddenly .I thought I knew the answer because I Googled it. The paddles were not aligned, maybe.  

But, no. He said something jammed in the side of the grinder thing and threw it off balance. Most likely it was the package of garbage disposal cleaner that I’ve been using. “Throw that stuff away right now!” he said, and I did. 

Perhaps you already know his way to clean your disposal: every week put a handful of ice cubes in it and grind away. Then once a month or so sprinkle scouring powder on the ice cubes.  

Earlier today I got a call from Washington state — my cousin Damien, who’d learned I live out here now. Turns out he lived in Sacramento for 30 years, and now he lives near Seattle. We talked for an hour, and I’m sure we’ll meet somewhere along the west coast here. 

Love,

k

Sitting in a circle and talking and laughing

Written last night:

Dear Friends, 

It was a lovely dinner, with five people from the building (one was me).  We talked and ate for three hours, telling stories, challenging each other, laughing.  All contributed an hors d’oeuvre and a bottle of wine. (Thanks, Mary, for encouraging me to buy wine glasses! When I washed them after the guests had gone I realized three still had clear stickers on the base, but no one seemed to notice.) I was so glad that the runner for the entry hall came yesterday. It warms up the entrance. And my leek quiche was delicious — I recommend it — just look up leek quiche on New York Times Food. 

Love,

k

Here’s what you see when you open the door.

The bedroom is to the right and that bluish light is from the studio.

I bought the rug to warm up the entry, and there's usually a bench here too, which I removed to make room for my friend who uses a wheelchair  

I stood on a chair to get this view of the living room

Zing is under the bench by the purple couch