March 24, 2013  approximately  2 a.m.

 

Something disturbs me and I begin to wake up.  I wonder why because I don’t really have to use the bathroom all that badly and that’s what usually wakes me in the middle of the night.  I roll around a bit, trying to get comfortable and go back to sleep but finally, I decide to just get up and get the bathroom visit over with.

My sleep is very important to me and not always an easy thing to achieve.  One of the things I do faithfully, so that my sleep is undisturbed is to shut my bedroom door to keep the cats out of my room.

When I sit up and open my eyes, I notice two odd things.  One is that my bedroom door is open a few inches and the other is that there is bright light coming in through that opening.

I get up, open the door and find the following:

My over- the- road truck driving husband’s bedroom light is on.  He is away, of course.  The bathroom light is on.  A large hall closet door is open and the light is on.  Things in my husband’s bedroom have been disturbed.  Things in the living room have been disturbed. 

I have to traverse the very short, but interminably long, distance to reach the phone because it is apparent that someone was…and might still be…in my  house.  I am completely and utterly helpless to defend myself.

When I get to the phone, I can see that the back door is ajar.

I press 911 and nothing happens.  Horrendous fear turns to abject terror because I think my phone lines have been cut.  I try again and thankfully, the call goes through.

While on the phone with the dispatcher, I discover that my purse is gone.  In it, in addition to the debit and credit cards and some cash were my cell phone and every key to every lock in my house and for our two vehicles.

The dispatcher and I wait the twenty minutes or so for the police to arrive.  It seemed an eternity.

The young cops-obviously quite bored- check everything inside and outside the house.  They take a very few notes.  They leave.  It is about 2:30 and I am alone and I am scared.

I want you to re-read the above.  I want you to imagine yourself in that situation.  I want you to do everything you can possibly do to make sure you are NEVER in a similar situation and if you allow yourself to try to really feel what I was feeling you might be more inclined to take some action.

At a decent hour I begin making calls to set wheels in motion to achieve some sense of peace.  Every lock has to be re-keyed.  Until that is done, my ‘visitors’ have free access into my house.

That is the beginning of a week chock full of calls and appointments and more activity in and around my house than I usually have in six months.  None of it is fun.  All of it is very stressful.  All of it is extremely expensive.

Here are some things I did which were almost a hand written invitation for burglars to come into my house.  I am telling this long story in hopes that you will learn from me what NOT to do.

The previous night, I did NOT, as I usually do, check to see if my back door was locked except to look and see the position of the locking apparatus.  Apparently, as there was no ‘breaking’, only ‘entering’,   I did NOT have the door fully closed so of course, it was not truly locked.  I have been told, however, that people who know how can easily open that type of lock.  So maybe I did lock it but I know I did not test it.

I left my purse sitting on my dining area table.

The dining area window was uncovered giving anyone a clear view of my purse and many other things inside my house.

My cell phone was in my purse.

My keys were in my purse.

Here are my strong suggestions to you and I do hope you will pass them along to others.

·         I have learned that a burglary call is very low priority to the police.  Technically, that’s what my incident was called instead of a ‘home invasion.’  I am NOT suggesting you lie to the police but a much faster response time might happen if you report that someone is or might be still in or at your residence.  So, if you’re not 100% positive your ‘visitors’ are gone, leave that as a possibility.  Don’t tell them you’re certain they are gone.

 

·         Never trust your eyes to determine whether or not a door is closed and locked.  Test it with your hand!

 

 

·         Always take your cell phone with you when you go to bed.

 

·         Always take your purse with you when you go to bed.

 

 

·         Always take your keys with you when you go to bed.

 

·         Do NOT leave spare keys or your primary set hanging on hooks, lying on hall tables or inside drawers any place in your house EXCEPT YOUR BEDROOM!  Even then, choose carefully where and how you hide them and believe me, they need to be difficult to find, NOT out in plain sight.

·         Make sure all exterior doors have deadbolt locks.  Then lock them and make sure you have locked them!

 

·         Put some kind of good lock on your bedroom door to buy you some time to get to your cell phone or your taser or your gun or out your bedroom window in case someone makes it into your house.  I realize that probably won’t be a choice if you have small kids in the house but otherwise…and especially if you are alone a lot…it is a really good idea!

We had a security door on our front door but not our back door.  That has been rectified.  There is no exterior door to my house which does not now have a deadbolt lock!  I have been told by people who should know, that most opportunistic thieves won’t even bother with a house which has security doors.  Also, that stickers which say you have home security are also a good deterrant-whether or not you actually do have a security system.

 We also have obtained an alarmed security system service.  Nice blinds have been installed on that bare window.  ‘Nice’ blinds are not a requirement.  Just cover the window…with a sheet…with anything!

And I now have a weapon.  I chose a Taser for several reasons.  I never intend to be helpless to protect myself again.

Write down and keep in a safe place your credit and debit card numbers.  Some of them cannot be cancelled at 3 a.m. because you will have to talk to a human to cancel them and sometimes, with some banks, those humans are not available 24/7.  Somebody could do a lot of shopping on your card before business hours on a week day.

I found a locksmith who will, on occasion, re-key a vehicle but if you can’t find one and have to go to a dealer be warned that you will experience sticker shock.  I was quoted $225 to re-key my car!  The locksmith who had already done all my doors only charged me $125 for both vehicles.

 

We have layers of protection around our house and around me now.  But I am wondering if I will ever be able to sleep peacefully again in spite of it all.

I am hyper-sensitive and hyper-vigilant.  I’m sure some of that will fade with time.  I hope I never again am complacent about my safety and I hope I do not become a fear-based human being. I do not want to live in fear. I refuse to live in fear.

It’s not being fear-based to wear a seat belt in my car.  It’s a common sense method of self-protection.  That’s how I am trying to see all these things we’ve done…not as a fearful, knee-jerk reaction to one event but as a logical, proactive means of ensuring my safety.

I am filled with gratitude that my unwelcome visitors were only after things and did me no physical harm.  Things might have been very different.

I do hope you will take this little story to heart and take similar actions to protect yourself.  Also, I do hope you share it with many, many others.

A word to the wise….hopefully, will be sufficient.

 

 

 

FRIED GREEN CHILES

Nope....this is not about painting fried green chiles, it's about cooking them!  No doubt, I'll get back to painting next time, but for now, let's head to the kitchen!

Because they can be fairly expensive, I usually buy the biggest can of green chiles I can find and then wrap them in Saran in portions sizes and then store in a freezer bag.  One of my 'portions' is used for chopping off chunks of chile when I want some to chop for a recipe.

To make the fried green chiles:

Drain the chiles and dry them on a paper towel.  Prepare a mixture of about half flour and half corn meal to which you've added salt, cumin & cayenne pepper to taste.

Open the chiles...don't worry if they tend to come apart on you...it happens...and place the cheese.  You can use whatever cheese you like.  I used this today to show you the amount of cheese needed.  For these 4 chiles, I only used 1 slice of cheese.  If you use too much, you will have an oooey-goooey mess in your skillet.

Fry in a medium hot skillet until they look like this...or maybe even a tad browner.

Serve with any Mexican food dish, grilled meat, a pot of beans, eggs...or by themselves.

Art School

"Well Crap!"

That is what I said to a (in my opinion) great artist in an e-mail to him.
I went on thusly:

“You have shown me just how much I do NOT know! That is a good thing, but as I just turned 67 today, it means I’d better paint....and learn....damn fast!

Thank you, for your generous and highly instructive blog. Even though it really makes me realize that I will never, EVER ‘catch up’ to those of you have studied and painted and learned for so many more years than I have.”

His reply to me:

”Thanks:
I guess. You can learn an awful lot about painting still. You can paint till you fall off your perch. Try that with basketball, or even golf. Good luck out there and I am glad I have been useful to you.”

Ever since I found his blog, I have been studiously attempting to apply things I am learning from him. Sometimes, I practice different concepts on the same canvas resulting in some pretty odd...in a completely uninteresting way...results.

In one way, it is quite disheartening to recognize how totally amateurish my paintings are.

In another way, it’s quite heartening to have gained enough knowledge and experience to realize that.

You can’t get better if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong. Right?

So...........

I’ll keep painting....and keep devouring his blog entries in my efforts to improve.

If you are an art appreciator, you might enjoy his blog, too, because he shares a lot of masterful paintings done by his favorite artists...and his own, of course. He shows and tells why those paintings are good and how the artist achieved the result. Great paintings are made by design...not by magic...and I’ve found it very interesting to read the details about the craftsmanship required to make a truly good painting.

And by the way, he’s humorous....sometimes scathingly so...and I enjoy that.

All that being said, know this. You probably won’t be seeing any paintings by me posted for a few days...or maybe a few weeks....or a few months....or maybe never again. (Not likely!)

I’m busy playing art school and am not even trying to make a painting decent enough to show anybody.

You can find his blog here.

http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.com

I am grateful to be learning new things.

WRESTLING ALLIGATORS

WHEW!!! 

I am tired!!!!

I can’t remember when…or if…it’s ever taken me so very long to finish one tiny painting. 

But, finally, I think it’s done!

And I’m worn out.

I thought  it was going to be an easy painting to do.

Ha!

To begin with, it’s a very special painting of and for a very special person.

You can read all about the trip to the Grand Canyon with grandson, Michael here. 

I didn’t take into account the fact that this is basically an aerial perspective…not a viewpoint I’m familiar with.

It needs to have an enormous sense of distance. 

It must ‘read’ Grand Canyon, in spite of the haziness which calls for very little detail in those far off buttes. 

And even though the figure out on that rock is tiny, it needed to be the very reason for the painting.

Since there really is a very small amount of detail, what in the heck took me so long, you might ask.

Well….’cause I forgot. 

I forgot to keep things simple. 

I forgot to remember that I was NOT trying to duplicate a reference photo. 

I forgot to sneak up on some very subtle value and color changes instead of going too far too fast with them.

I forgot to let my left brain lead the way and got way too right brained in the process.

By the time I got my head screwed on right again, I’d been at it for a very, VERY long time.  Once I accomplished that, things sure did go a lot faster!

I am grateful for that!

STANDING AMAZED

8 X 10

MY BOX OF TOOLS

Before I start painting, I need to make sure all my necessary tools are at hand. I need a canvas, brushes and/or knives, water, a rag, a palate and of course, paint.

 

 

Without the proper tools, I wouldn’t get far,would I?

A painting doesn’t just ‘happen’ because I want it to even if I have a clear vision of how I want it to be. And if I wait until something goes wrong in the painting process to acquire a necessary tool....I just might find myself in some deep doo-doo.

Creating a good day requires the proper ‘tools’, too and a good day won’t just ‘happen’ either.

A clear vision of what we want is a good thing, indeed, but all the vision in the world won’t create anything all by itself.

So, it would seem that if I want to create myself a good day, perhaps the first thing I should do....before any other action is taken...(except maybe putting the coffee water on) is to check my tool box and make sure it’s got everything I need to create this good day.

I have learned that THE most necessary tool I have is an attitude of gratitude. Without that, I won’t get very far into making a good day.

I need, also, an expectation of good.

I need an open heart-free of resentment.

I need the ability to calm myself (learned from practicing meditation) whenever life throws a curve my way.

Every persons tool box won’t contain the same tools, but every person needs their own specific ways to ensure they face each day properly prepared.

And checking to make sure all our tools are ready, right at hand, first thing each day, just might eliminate some unwanted piles of deep doo-doo.

And that’s a good thing.

I am grateful for my box of tools.

The Journey

On Monday, my friend died.  She had been fighting the good fight for many months, but now, she can rest easy and fly free.

I will miss her, so very much!

I have told before about an on-line book study group that began over eleven years ago.  The book was THE ARTIST’S WAY.  She and I were both in that group along with many others.  From that very large group a smaller group was born.   The originator called it The Cup of Kindness Café.  Our café membership dwindled until eventually there were only eight of us left as active members.  We have been through all the stages of life together now, from the birth of one members’ daughter to the death of our dear friend…..and everything in between.

Then, several years ago, I found my way to Oprah’s on-line study of the book, A NEW EARTH, by Eckhart Tolle.  Eventually, lots of us made our way onto Facebook where we all still gather together today.  We support each other.  We tease each other.  We cry with each other.  Sometimes, we disagree with each other.  But always we are aware that we are ‘together’ for a reason.

Many of these people, mostly women, have become as dear to me as any friends I’ve ever been blessed to have.  I know you will understand that.

This internet thing is such a marvel.  Somehow, we can bond so completely that it doesn’t matter one whit that we usually never meet in person.  Many times, we don’t even have a clue what a ‘friend’ looks like.  But, our heart knows their heart.  Our Spirits know theirs.

I was contemplating all this in the last week of Darlene’s life…the ways in which we all share each other’s journey.  I was moved to begin this painting.  I don’t know if it is yet finished.  But for now, I am done. 

The morning after she passed, I put a few more touches of light, here and there and wondered if it needs more ‘something.’  I don’t know what kind of ‘something’ but it seems almost too simple….

But maybe it all really is ‘simple.’

Our journeys are supposed to be taken together with other souls.  That’s what makes the journey sweet.

I am grateful, from the bottom of my heart, for each soul, each beautiful Spirit traveling with me on my journey.

Thank you.

BLESSED RAIN

After a long, very dry summer, we finally got rain....buckets and buckets of rain! 

After the first good one, I drove to our usually bone dry Rillito River to see what I could see.

And then, of course, I had to paint what I had seen.  So, I did this little study on a canvas panel.

RILLITO FILLING
9 X 12 ON CANVAS PANEL

I have to be honest.  The water really didn't look like that.  It looked like this. 

 But who would want a painting of such a muddy mess?

People around here don't care if the water is muddy though.  They are just happy to see water running in our rivers.  Muddy or  not, it's still a grand opportunity for boys...big and small....to practice their rock skipping skills.

That little study I did told me it wanted to be bigger.  So, I did another take on the river scene.

MONSOON SHADOWS
16 X 20 ON CANVAS

I've been re-working some old canvases that I'd done bad paintings on.  This one had been a poor attempt at capturing all the luscious green grass in nearby ranch country after last year's good rains.  Green is hard, as any landscape painter will testify.  I think I made it better.

 TALL GRASS TIME

18 X 24  GALLERY WRAP CANVAS

I'll get these added to my website soon....and then.....I get to paint some more!

my website

Have I ever mentioned that I'm grateful for the joy of painting?

Oh...and I am also very,very grateful for all that blessed rain!

My love poem to rain.

Palo Verde and Ocotillo

Oleander and Bougainvillea

Writhe in ecstatic love dance with the wind.

Semi-sheltered ‘neath the corrugated tin roof of my patio

Watching rain pour off like strands of liquid silver

Face kissed by windblown mist

Outstretched feet bathed in liquid love.