Go out and Play

Most winters while I'm away from the garden I grow a few things indoors or work from my photos of last season. Having done all of that and with plenty of cold weather ahead I'm glad to have found some alternatives that provide both inspiration and encouragement.

A lot of people are afraid of getting old but I'm having a lot of fun with it. I joined the local senior center a few blocks from my home and am loving the painting group there. It's not a class, just a few gals that want to paint. Some have never painted before and others have been at it for years. Age and experience vary widely so there are a lot of different ways of looking at our various projects. We each bring whatever we want to work on and a lunch. (we're there for 4 hours and take a break in the middle).

As we're pulling out all of our books and supplies we've been loaning them back and forth which in itself adds another level of energy because we need to get  some of these projects done so we can return the books and materials. When you're working with your own things there's no rush and you can neglect things for years so I find having someone to kick ideas around with really helpful and the fact that they'll ask you how it's going keeps you motivated.

Here are a few of the other books the "girls" sent home with me this week. It's going to be fun to see what pops into my mind (and out of my paintbrush) between that book on mixed media, a mystery novel about a painting and some manuals on rosemaling. I can't wait to see what happens next!