Billy and Blue:

Of course these are not pictures of them. These are images from a couple of vintage school books I found.



We are going to the farm to bring back our pets. I have missed them so. As of today it's been exactly a month since they've been at the farm. I can hardly wait.



We are able to bring them home because we've been back in our house for a week. AND the painting is finally finished. Monday will be kind of like a circus here as we will be getting back everything that was removed from the house, main level. We have to wait for the flooring to be put in, week of June 16, before we get our basement possessions back. Even though most of my studio was left unharmed we've been using it as one of our living spaces for things like storage and laundry separating.

We still won't have our kitchen completed but we'll get back our microwave so we'll finally be able to make suppers here again. Both Kat. and I have been suffering from the junk (I mean processed wheat, additives, cow's milk) food we've been consuming.

The kitchen won't be complete for another maybe 6-8 weeks. I will plan a giveaway or two for that time. Keep in touch for announcements about that.

I also have plans to do a video with some writing I did shortly after the fire. I'm not certain when I'll get to that as we will be bombarded with so many boxes and boxes and boxes of all our belongings. I caved in a bit and asked Greg if he could please take some time off work. My brother may also be able to come up to try to help also. I'm kind of scared about feeling totally overwhelmed but I have had much courage so far. It can still keep me going.

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness,
and nothing is so gentle as true strength.”

Ralph Sockman
Inspiration Peak

I took a tiny bit of time for art last Thursday. I did these spoons and bottles with alcohol inks as taught by Kelli Perkins in the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors. I also get their e-mails. I guess it was actually there I saw directions for the bottles. Neither is complete. I like these and will probably do more.





The last two are words I wrote sometime this past week. My main journal has been with the rest of the stuff - away. I anxiously await its return. In the meantime I decided to start in one of these little ecojot notebooks. I love them. I will also be using lots of the papers I have accumulated and still keep purchasing from the craft stores. maybe I'll capture a minute or two to share them with you next week when I need to take a break from the recreation of this house, this home.





Be well. Be gentle. be strong.
And finally angels be with you,
Wendy

Home is in your heart:
This is the mantra I'm trying to hold in my head at the moment. We're trying to get the bids in for just the painting as we can't really move back into our house until it's done. We got frustrated when we learned on Friday that the insurance adjuster had taken the day off and we'd have to wait until today, Tuesday, to get approval to get just the bids for the painting in AND we know the adjuster won't be in again tomorrow because of a funeral. Big sigh.
We also know it will be quite some time until the kitchen cupboards will be built and the new flooring for back entrance, stairs and basement installed.
Patience Wendy (:

On the really positive side is the fact that the cleaning crew is pretty much finished in the house AND my studio does not need painting or other work. So I can be back over there and get back to creating. I actually did some contact paper transfers on the weekend. One turned out quite beautifully. I also found some wood at the farm I will be able to use for painting on and an old box, bottomless, which I love. Greg will be so kind as to put a bottom on for me (:

At the top is one of Jessie Marion King's images with a whole lot of paint chips on it. I'll try to show you the colours we chose in next couple of days.

I must be away. I'll try to have more for you on Thursday, back to Saskatoon tomorrow.

angels be with you

Life is truly good: The past week met us with some new challenges but we are all safe and fine. That is the important thing. Last Thursday morning at 4 a.m. we woke to the sound of our smoke detector. I ran out to find the dishwasher all in flames. We were able to go out the front door. Greg put the fire out with a blanket and I phoned 911 on the cordless phone which Greg brought to me from the coffee table close by. Greg was a bit perturbed with himself for not switching off the furnace fan as the furnace managed to spread the smoke throughout the entire house. It’s OK. The smoke detector worked. We are all safe including the pets and we had insurance. There is a cleaning crew that has been washing, scrubbing walls, packing boxes, using ozone machine and ripping out cupboards and flooring that need to be removed. We will get new flooring put in our back entrance, down the stairs and into the main room in the basement. All the replacement work and painting will be done by a carpenter. We’re getting bids for these jobs and then insurance company will choose.

Sorry to tell this almost by rote but the whole thing seems just another adventure in my survivor life series. I am trying as much as possible to laugh, to think of the good things that can come of this, Relationships of family and friends are being strengthened. I learn of kindness from people like Constanza, near strangers, who are offering help. I learn of people that don’t really care. I learn of how very, very strong I have become when a friend comments on how so many people would be very “pissy” (her word, not mine) about the whole thing. As I skip down the hallway of my mother-in-law’s basement where we are residing, I realize that life is truly good. As I shed a few tears of sadness, exhaustion, I realize that life is truly good,

The fabric photo shows a piece I had dyed brown, used a bleach resist on and then painted with white fabric paint. The photos are from before the fire.



The greens and flowers started as a small gift to myself late on Mothers Day. They were embellished by a dear kind soul at the nursery, florist shop. They smell so wonderful at this time where it often felt like smoke was curling about near my nose, inside my nose, in everything that I breathed in. Now I am reminded that my cell phone, which I have with me near constantly, was in the kitchen right in area of greatest smoke concentration. Oh well. I need it with me.
The pears and lamp with ribbon (I'll catch you up with these tomorrow) only show how I am trying to make our temporary abode into somewhat of a home.



Thanks to all who have offered support of any kind, especially of thoughts and prayers

Angels be with you,
Wendy