Snooze Away

Such a great word, snooze. It even sounds warm & cozy!  I am a snoozer. No matter how hard I try, I CAN NOT WAKE UP EARLY.  I hit snooze repeatedly and fall back to sleep- deep sleep! Why are some people snoozers and some early risers? You know the type- they workout, clean, journal, “get caught up”, meditate. Meanwhile, I’m rolling over for another snooze.  I’m over 50. Believe me, I know all the tricks- go to bed early, get things ready the night before, get a good night sleep,  etc. Still, my body says just 9 more minutes . Why do alarm clocks snooze for only 9 minutes? I’m so confident in my snoozing habit I build it into my “wake-up schedule”. Still, I envy early risers. They seem to have an extra spring in their steps and belong to a “secret society,” the society of people who get things done.  Do those 18 or 27 minutes matter?  Will they change the trajectory of your life? I did some math (surprisingly!)  Eighteen minutes a day over a year is over 100 hours!  That’s a lot of hours…I could be painting or writing. I could commune with the birds like the ‘society” folk! A lot can happen in 18 minutes or even 9 minutes! So here’s  our challenge people: Let’s set our alarm for the time we really want to wake up if we were “those people.” Let’s do this for a week ,(because God forbid, a month is too long…even a week,  I’m like…eh?) I’ll start tomorrow…now I need to find a wake up call service!

Morning, 10″ x 10″ Oil on Panel

 

Salt Water Sweetness

Every summer deserves  a few pieces of Salt Water Sweetness (taffy!). Such a simple piece of candy, we often take for granted how precious each little one is! With it’s tidy little wrapper and twisted ends. I wish more things in life were wrapped a sweetly as a piece of salt water taffy!

Salt Water Sweetness, Taffy #2

(you put the) Lime in the Coconut

Song Lime in the Coconut

Well, we have Harry Nilsson to thank for this painting! I loved this song as a kid- I had no idea what the words meant! I still don’t…all I know is you put the lime in the coconut and you drink it all up…and  you feel better! This song was like dessert for your ears when it came on the radio. You wouldn’t dare turn the station. It’s the kind of song you secretly feel proud that you know every word!

Lime in the Coconut, inspired by the 1970’s song

 

Orange Creme Twist

The perfect summer icecream treat! Just what kind of orange icecream is that? Is it sherbet? Whatever it is, I’ll take it slightly creamy and melt-y! The only problem with icecream is when it’s gone! Just delightful!

Orange creme icecream cone-orange and vanilla twist icecream

Highlighted Route

Highlighted Route: Morning coffee and a map-planning out the vacation- where will we go today?

Long gone are the days of getting a big old map and a highlighter and marking your vacation route! What a way to plan a vacation-with all those dotted towns and cities. Remember reading the key (legend) and trying to make sense of what all those little marking stood for? The only trouble with the highlighted route is missing all those wonderful pitstops along the way!

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Cherries! I prefer my cherries with sugar between two flaky crusts, or in the form of a gummy candy. Growing up, I never ate cherries, the fruit. Now I have a better appreciation of their actual beauty! Cherries are such beautifully shaped fruits and actually are yummy to eat out of a bag…or a jelly jar (Ok, they would be better in this jar with sugar!)

Jelly jar glass with cherries

Glamour

Moms used to sit around the kitchen table with a plethora of beauty accessories for glamour: Rollers, curlers, pins, brushes, water, bobby pins, stick pins, beauty magazine and let’s be honest, cigarettes and coffee (or something stiffer!). My mom was no exception. She used her teasing brush like an artist- rolling her head full of curlers. How did women ever sleep with these things??? It was an artform in itself- “doing your hair”.

Glamour magazine, curlers and teasing brush- all you need to be a beauty!

Morning

Waking up in the summer just sort of happens. No alarm clocks, no one yelling “GET UP”. Sleeping with white sheets and a chenille bedspread, with the window open, and the sheer curtain gently blowing is a childhood memory I wish I had. Instead, I decided to paint it for myself, and for you! Savor the morning. 

All Packed

I can still remember the smell of that old suitcase. Imagine all the trips it had been on! This time, it was Frontier Town! “Don’t put that hat in the suit case, you’ll smush it!” Sitting on top of the made bed, this packed suitcase is ready for another adventure!

All packed and ready to go this vintage suitcase has traveled to some, well, ordinary places! Painted in oil, “All Packed” reminds us of the simple days of childhood!

Tub O’ Soda

Tub O’ Soda, 10″ x 10″ Oil on gessobord

Original page from Michne Camping Log, 1971

My father kept our camping log all the years we camped. This page has the story of the day I won the “floating mattress!”

It was July 16, 1971. The perfect summer day as I recall. My father was hosting the annual work picnic. I won a green raft that day for my athletic ability in the egg race! It was my biggest claim to fame as a 9 year old. I remember reaching into a tub of iced cold soda with what seemed like every variety ever invented. It was sheer heaven- all the FREE SODA I could drink! Pull the ring tab- wear it on your finger for a bit before carelessly dropping it somewhere in the grass. Take that long first sip…..ahhhhhhhhhh. Life was good.