At the end of April, My husband and I went to the Jazz Festival in New Orleans. He is a native son, and we hadn’t been to the world-renowned event in decades. As an artist, I have ‘done’ the show. And sold out. Of everything. Phenomenal. The art, food, and of course, the music, are still unsurpassed. Go if you haven’t already. But be warned, it’s crowded. Big time.

Upon our return home, I had plans to make room for my new worktable

in a studio that I left still looking like this

because I had been working on two commissions and a show and hadn’t had time to do anything about ‘the stuff’ in my studio.

However, while we were in the Big Easy, we got a call from ‘our tree guy’. We had wanted him to come in late winter (before the spring growth), to take down a number of dead pines, as well as live ones that were dangerously close to our house. We had already experienced one devastating hurricane in 2003 and wanted to take precautions.

Well he was ready for us the second week of May. Fifteen (15!!) trees were removed.

We had sort of cleaned up one part of the yard when the painter called and said he was ready to paint our house and studio and other small outbuildings. We had been waiting for him since last October. So we had to clear all kinds of stuff that an artist and her enabling husband acquire over the years. As of today, the painter is almost finished.

It will take weeks before everything that was moved is cleaned and back in its place.

But it was all worth it even though I have missed well over a month in the studio. I actually worked on a special order among the mess that is still there. Next week is its turn. And it’s about time ’cause I’ve gotta get some serious work done!