Jenny Mendes

It has been hard getting back to work after being gone.  

One thing I can say about my brother.  When he's in a good mood, it is contagious Totally Classic Joe Mendes!!!!!!!

It's been raining since yesterday afternoon.  A lot of rain.  The creek jumped the bank and completely flooded my garden, but did not flood where the house was, though it was really close, and I was scared that it might.  It still might, with so much rain still planned for the day.   Wondering if my garden will be ruined or if somehow it will dry out.  It could have been so much worse....  Oh, and the roof is leaking.  But just a little :)  I'll take that! over a river inside my house, any day.  Raining hard now... gotta go.

Continuing on from yesterday and the idea of permanence or impermanence. Today early in the morning,my father's oldest friend died, it was a surprise as death is, but not completely unexpected.  My father was supposed to leave this morning for a fishing trip with his son, sons in law, grandson, and I wondered if he would still go.  But he did, which I think was good.  He and his friend had fished together for many years in Canada, grown up together, and in life, he had loved this man as much as he could, and from my perspective gave everything he had to the friendship, and to making his life a little bit easier.  Sometimes I couldn't understand it, but maybe that is what pure love is.  Giving everything, and then just letting it be, whatever it was, and expecting nothing back.   I witnessed this, and was reminded today again, of the impermanence and real beauty of loving someone completely. 

My friends in Wales told me that Americans love castles.... A concept I had never encountered before....  Well, I don't know about that, but visiting a few ancient sites made me appreciate the fortitude it took to build the stone monoliths that I saw, and also made me wonder about permanence....and the tenuous relationship that always exists between forever, and it's opposite.    

So I was a little bit bored, and my brother in law introduced me to my new muse..... http://on.aol.com/show/517880800-inspiration-point-with-jonathan-adler/518069367 check her out!  amazing....

This was nearly finished when I took the photo.   I painted it yesterday, outside in the sun in Michigan.  A long very slow day.  I see, something spilling out of her, but she's been able to contain it,  hold on to it, gather it up.  When I look at her from a distance, I think, she is looking out, considering the possibility of a new existence.  Can she be born again, from herself and release this light?

  The thought that I might possibly die in Turkey never entered my mind.  But the energies of the universe thought differently....  I was stung by a bee and had an extreme reaction, and ended up in the hospital.  A new experience for me.  Fortunately, with a drugs I was good as new.... but it was scary and a reminder of the precariousness of life at all times.  Later, I was told that maybe someone put a curse on me.... In Turkey they really believe in the power of the Nazar or evil eye to protect against evil looks, jealousy, negative energy being directed at you from another person. It made me wonder who might have put a curse on me????  Now I've got protection. F rom time immemorial, people, from gut feelings, we instantly become wary of strangers with greedy or mean eyes. We know from experience, that effusive praises should be taken with a pinch of salt, for behind all the gushes, smiles and the adoring eyes, the person is probably itchin...

Everyone was in love with Defne who turned two.  So much personality spirit and freedom in this little person. I want to know the person she will become. I was inspired by twins who were the daughters of twins.