A Busy Day

Gaaaaah. What a morning I've had. I unpacked boxes and boxes and boxes yesterday and have most of the office put away. I began this morning by hauling out all the empty boxes and putting them in the truck bed, then started some small tasks to ready the kitchen for the appliances which should be here any day. When the old dishwasher was pulled out, the side walls of the space for it were not finished off, so I bought some Masonite, cut pieces and got them in place today. Then I started painting the areas where the refrigerator and stove were. Now that they are out of they way, I can paint those places more easily and have them ready to go. It will be good to have appliances again.

Since I have no washer and dryer, I've been going to the laundromat. I'd forgotten how much I hate that. There is something icky about putting your own clothes into a machine that theoretically is clean ... after all, everyone uses detergent, etc., right? But still .... I suppose it is just the principle of it all. I like to have my own units, thank you very much!

In between all this, I have been on and off the phone with the local radio stations. I had written a short blurb about the art gallery, some events there, and the upcoming festival, and the station rep took that copy as a basis for their radio spots. The lady who is reading the ads had to work with me to cut everything so that it would fit in 30 seconds. We would chop and reword, hang up and she'd record and time it, then she'd call back and we cut and refine it all again. Do you know how few words go into a 30 second blurb? Not very many!!

I've become a "side kick" for the owner of the gallery. It began with just helping to get through the festival which is June 9. But he likes the way I do things, and he has asked if I will continue on, possibly working some hours in the gallery, but mainly taking the load off of his shoulders. Obviously, one of the tasks is to oversee some of the advertising, as well as coordination of events, and I'm going to write text for a brochure about the gallery. The building it is is was once a bank. it has also served a a residence, a cafe, and I'm not sure what else. It is a lovely old adobe building that he has restored and upgraded into an amazing and beautiful art gallery.
His comment was that he started thinking he would get it up to code, but as he got into the work he decided that the building has stood for 100 years, and he wants it to survive for another 100. Even the old vault in the basement is being utilized as a special show area for featured artists. I will take some pictures in the next few days and post them here.

I'm enjoying the work. I wish it had come after my house was in order, but it didn't. It is OK, as I'm not working full time, but just a few hours a day. That leaves me lots of time to do things here at home, too. I like the people who work at the gallery. They are all contributing artists, so they have an interest in its success. I'm eager to get some of my photos ready to display, too. I have no idea what I'm doing in that are, but I've found people to assist with any stumbling blocks along the way. I'll be talking with a printing company next week, and that should answer a lot of questions for me. I hope I can have at least a couple on display within a month.

And I finally have some pictures of the .............

......... yucky old floors ..............

And the decidedly not yucky new floors .................





Same floor, but with different lighting, and this one shows a more correct color ......



And because you've been good, patient girls and boys, a couple pictures just for fun. first, the gorgeous clouds that were out in the area yesterday. This was the front end of a storm that dropped an inch or so of small hail in Ruidoso, the other side of the mountain from me. I got just some nice rain!




So you'll know I DON'T live in a dry, barren desert, a picture of how the countryside looks. If you enlarge this, you'll see more of the green. You can also see the tan left over from last year's growth of grass. Underneath it is a cover of nice green.


Looking out over a valley is pretty, a green carpet stretching for miles. this has been in a nice wet spring, and with luck we will hang onto the green for a good part of the summer. The monsoon season will be in July and August, and that will bounce everything up one more time. This is such a lovely place.



PS - I just had a call from a friend and colleague back in Missouri. Her husband has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The prognosis is not really good, but he is young (in his 40's) and that is in his favor. Their situation is complicated because her parents are elderly and not well, and living with them also. They have two children in college now. She has her plate full to overflowing and I am asking for you all to remember Jeff and the family in your prayers and meditations. Their eldest daughter is being married in July, and their number one goal right now is that he is healthy enough to be able to walk her down the aisle. Please ask for healing and comfort for their family. Thanks.