P.S.H.A.W. (Painterly Sane Housewives And Watercolourists)

Tuesday Plein Aire Painting

Yes, I know it's Friday. But we USED to paint on a Tuesday, and we don't know what day we will settle to yet this year. I missed several months recently, being TOO BUSY getting the "business" side of my life organized. (my life is many-sided, like a hexagon or a tarantula or something. An octopus.) In our enthusiasm to get re-started, our Mom's Arty Day club figured that since we could not decide on a day next week, we had better get together on Friday this week to figure it out.

We didn't figure it out. And by the way, I just made up "Mom's Arty Day" and I am not happy with it at all. We need a better acronym. Suggestions? It looks like this year there will be a MAN joining us regularly, so "Women With Watercolours" doesn't work either. What did we call ourselves last year? I know it was better than M.A.D. The sun must have gone to my delicate head. Danielle would have remembered, but she has a "Real Job" at the moment. Alas.

Today was sunny and clear, so Flossie, Souse and I drove up into Paramin where Flossie and Souse painted the landscape and I drew a pumpkin vine with flowers. I will add a pumpkin later. I am happy with the piece so far, although my ink pen clogged up and I had to curse and splatter ink hither and yon. I also forgot my hat, but I remembered sunblock. I will send the finished drawing to my Godchild, who does not seem to want to come out. My friend Sally has been eating the right things, walking, and thinking "flower opening" thoughts for days. She is beginning to refer to the baby as "Jimmy's Kid", a trend which I suspect may continue after the little cutie is finally born. I will have to fly up there to ensure that the child is being spoiled rotten and treated with the respect that would befit My Godchild.

(Note to non-Trinis: when we say "pumpkin vine family" we mean someone who is so distantly related that you aren't sure where the connection is. Rumour has it that Sally's mother and Sean's grandmother are somehow related, somewhere. So when I married Sean, I got to be pumpkin-vine family to my dear friend and her amazing family!)

Near to our chosen drawing and painting spot, there was a little house where a Mother was singing Mary J. Blige's song to her baby: "No One Else but You!" Their several dogs made friends with us, hoping for a cookie. Other family members were planting seeds into trays, and suddenly there was a commotion as they uncovered a Coral Snake. These pretty red, yellow and black snakes just look like jewels, like bead necklaces. They don't grow longer than about 8 inches, and a small child who picked up the pretty thing would certainly be dead in hours.

I was touched to see the regret with which the snake was killed. Many people would kill any snake without thinking about it, because, "SNAKE!!" but this snake was admired and taken to a quiet spot, and cleanly cutlassed with much sadness and thoughts about the children who play in the yard. I went to look at the snake, and once again marvelled that something so pretty could be so deadly. I noticed that the seedling-planters were all wearing big BOOTS. I suppose they are used to finding deadly creatures in their yard.

One of the men of our newly adoptive household brought me a seat to put my delicate white-lady bottom upon, because he said that the ground was damp and I would catch cold. I was sorely tempted to put it on my head, to block the 32`C rays of the sun. But I graciously thanked him, and sat obediently upon the cushion which proceeded to slide me feet-first down Paramin Hill, into the chives and thyme and potential coral snakes, clutching my pens and sketch pad and camera. Whoda thought that sketching a pumpkin plant could be so EXCITING? I tell ya, I am looking forward to many days of action-packed creativity with the ladies of the Painterly Sane Housewives And Watercolourists. (that's better!)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Nan,
My book club is called Read Between the W(h)ines, which I think is
pretty clever! You could be MONET: Mothers (or Man) Out of Necessity
Enjoying Themselves! Or PICASSO: Parents In Chaos Appreciating Sometimes
Sane Outings! What do you think?
Erin :)
Candygirlflies said…
Oh, Erin's awesome.

The best I could do was to think to myself, "Well. Mom's Arty Day sounds a heck of a lot better than Mom's Farty Day..."

How sad and tired am I???

Glad you had a lovely outing-- and in 32 degree temps to boot!! I, too, am sorry about the snake...

xo CGF
Anonymous said…
I think is it PICASSO - Painters In Chaos Appreciating Sometimes Sane Outings!!
 
Lets do hats and Tshirts!!!!!
 
Floss xo