Happy 5000 To Me

And with the post I just made about dumpster diving and UBER fails, I just posted my 5000th post to my blog. Thanks for being along with me for the ride. 

Dumpster Diving, MRI's and UBER (Fail)

Yesterday was a really busy and somewhat crazy day. DH went "dumpster diving" at the shop - something totally unexpected but necessary. We used to buy framestock (picture frame styles) from a local company and they were no longer in business. DH is busy cleaning up the framing room (which seriously needs a deep clean) and he tossed all of the frame corner samples that we had - well over 100 of them. Most of them I'd never use for our style of artwork, but ... well. I did a bit of internet research on Monday night and found out that our local company had actually been purchased by a different local company. So they were still in business, but under a different name. *sigh* 

DH set up a small two-step stepstool on the side of the 
dumpster and leaned WAY into it to recover frame samples 
he had tossed in there yesterday. Fortunately the dumpster 
was relatively unfilled. All four of the stores use it regularly. 

There were some frame styles that got tossed that we actually would seriously consider for some of our artwork. If we send pieces to auction, they sell much better if they are framed and ready to hang. So, after informing DH that our firm hadn't disappeared, I set to work setting up a new account with the new firm, and DH took a step ladder and headed out to dumpster dive. I think we rescued 25-30 styles of frames that we thought would be good for our styles of artwork. We probably didn't recover all of the ones that would have been best, but we have a good selection. I expect it will be up to a week before I hear back from the new owners about setting up an account with them. I'm hopeful that will go quickly because we really need to get things moving on the artwork front. 

When I speak of picture frame samples, I'm talking about 
what's called "corners" in the industry. These can be 
removed from their display walls and put against a piece 
of artwork to get a better idea of what the finished piece would 
look like with that frame on it. I had purchased a LOT of 
samples from our local supplier, and DH was cleaning up 
that space. Now that we know our supplier actually is still 
in business under a different name, we wanted to retrieve the 
samples we felt would be most useful for our artworks. 

Yesterday was also hot and sticky. I started my day out with a checkup at my cancer center and got high grades with that. They were concerned that I was five pounds less than when they had last weighed me, but I assured them that I was perfectly fine with the weight they had recorded. LOL Initially I was going to be scheduled for another MRI soon, but my cancer Doc has decided to push that one off. So I'll have my usual mammogram towards the end of this year, and I'll do an MRI in the early part of next year. No problem for me. I'm not a big fan of MRI's. Not because they're horrid, but because it's a long time staying immobile with my sternum resting on unyielding metal. It hurts by the time the session comes to an end. I don't mine pushing that appointment out a few more months - LOL. 

Being motionless for 30 minutes isn't horrid, but 
the hard metal upon which my sternum (and weight) 
rests really hurts after that length of time of 
immobility. I'm not fond of MRI's for my breasts, 
but totally understand the necessity. 

I had an elderly customer late in the day who was dropped off by an Uber driver. The driver was supposed to wait for her return, but apparently decided it wasn't worth the wait, and left. She then tried to get another Uber driver, who stated they were in front of the store when they were nowhere to be seen. It was hot, my customer's phone was dying, and she was in the process of trying for a third Uber. I asked where she lived, and it was fairly close by, so I checked with Chickie to see if one of us could take her home. Chickie said "Sure", so after she wrapped up her current sale, she pulled her car around the front and took our elder back home. I didn't need an elder collapsing from the heat, and Uber gets a huge FAIL in my books from this episode. At least we had a happy and grateful customer from all of the kerfluffle. 

UBER got a huge FAIL in my book for their treatment of 
our elderly customer. They kept saying they were at our 
location, but we looked and there was no car matching the 
model/description nor with an Uber sticker in the window. 
It was a total mess, so finally, we ended up taking our 
customer home in one of our cars instead. I'm not allowing 
an elder to be stranded, and she was almost fainting from the 
heat we had in the afternoon. 

So, I'm off to the pool. We were supposed to get storms, and we did have a big one whip through the cities last night, but it was quickly out of the Metro area. I think our outdoor pool will be open as usual today, although we are getting rain. If there's any thunder or lightning, we'll be swimming indoors instead of outside. Safety first when it's a body of water and possibly lightning. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini! 

This and That, Swimming and Framing, Memories and Possibilities

It's a swimming day today - happy me! I love being in the water, even though the chlorine is horrible for my skin. I do what I can to barricade myself against it, and consider it a necessary evil. I'm very grateful that I can swim again. I think it also is wonderful exercise for my lymphatic system. LOL

I'm usually in the third lane from the right. My friend Meg 
and the group she swims with are in the far left lane. Our 
water aerobic people are either in the far end of the first 
lane if there's only a single lifeguard on duty, or they're in 
the diving pool if there's a second guard available to be with 
them. Everyone is much happier when we have two lifeguards. 

DH was working on cleaning out the framing room at the shop yesterday. He got rid of a lot of stuff we can't use any more, among which were several boxes of frame samples from TC Moulding. My goodness but they had some really beautiful frames! I'm so bummed that they went out of business last year. There was one black frame in the group that would have been perfect for a piece we matted on Sunday. Instead, we're having to deal with a slightly wider frame with a different profile that is more dominating. *sigh*

TC Moulding was a joy to work with. They would cut 
to order (although we could cut our own), and their 
selection was vast. I think we tossed well over 400 frame 
samples into the dumpster at work yesterday. *sigh* They 
might have merged with another local supplier and I'll do 
some more checking into that today if I have some time. 

Anyway, DH was taking load after load out to the dumpster. I haven't taken a look at how the framing room looks now, but I'm quite sure there's a bit more room to breathe down there. I've got a new ATG tape dispenser and a roll of acid-free ATG tape on its' way to me. As soon as I get that, I can finish up several pieces that just need that final assembly to be ready to put into their frames. I know I used to have an ATG tape dispenser, but either it broke or we just haven't found it yet (even though we've been searching extensively for it). ATG tape is a double-sided tape which is used to fasten a top mat upon a bottom one. The acid-free type is essential for top quality and to save original artwork over time. You apply it using a dispenser. It's quite slick and quite mandatory. 

ATG tape is double-sided. The applicator separates 
the bottom from the tape, then you remove the 
top protector layer when you need to. It's slick, 
works really well, and is pretty basic. 

So, it was a very busy day yesterday for both DH and I. He was cleaning things like crazy, and I had groups of customers instead of the singles or occasional doubles. That made for more intensive times when I had people in the store, followed by empty times since groups tend to arrive and depart together. I'll be working with Chickie today which makes things slightly easier. I won't be solo on the sales floor while DH is working in the basement. 

Have an excellent Tuesday, I'm off to the swimming pool. It's been a hot night (it's still 78 F at 3:40 am). I'm going to be quite happy in the water today instead of sweating on the treadmill - LOL. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Sunday Was a Really Good Day - Photos, Patio, Food and TV

Sunday was lovely. DH wanted me to cut some mats for some artwork, so he got a bit of an idea of what goes into cutting a piece. He's not as precise as I am, and will probably stick with some very basic stuff for the time being. But he's capable of cutting, if he's careful. The minute he isn't taking care of my equipment, however, is the minute he'll be banned from using it. 

We have a LOT of Hopi Katchina sculptures at 
the shop. They don't ship well - if we decide to consign 
these, we'll have to drive them down to Santa Fe. 
Still, we need photos of all of them anyway, so 
he's started in on that task. He brought three boxes 
of them home with him on Saturday night. 

DH spent at least an hour photographing katchina sculptures from the shop. We're going to probably consign a lot of them, but need photos before offering them to the auction house. They're so fragile, however, it's one of those things we'd have to physically drive down to them, rather than ship. 

This particular meal is turning into one of my favorite 
things to cook. It's really minimal work until the final 
30 minutes where you're basting every five minutes. Except 
for that, it's about as easy as it comes. 

Last night's dinner was one of my newer favorites - "Balsamic Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Roast in the Slow Cooker". Of course, many of you know that sugar isn't one of my things, but there's a lovely coconut brown sugar that I use often in my recipes, and it's great in this one as well. It's about as easy as possible - the slow cooker does most of the work. Then you heat the oven super hot (450 F) and start basting the pork roast with a sauce of brown sugar, water, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. It's the perfect meld of flavors, and ends up making a sticky crust that's simply delicious. I give it 5 stars. 

DH and I both really enjoy watching "Patience" on 
PBS - a new series this year featuring an autistic 
main character who works in the records department 
of the police department but ends up working with 
a detective there whose son also is (possibly) on the 
spectrum. Although the show has been criticized as 
not showing autism correctly, I think it actually does 
a great job at showing just one person on the spectrum. 
Everyone is different, however. This is only a single 
character who is autistic. 

We ended the night watching two of our favorites on PBS - "Grantchester" and "Patience" (our newest favorite show). It topped off an almost perfect day. We didn't get quite as much done with the mat cutter as he wanted, but he has a better idea of what goes into it as well, so that was a win. Plus we had patio time to watch our hawk watch us - LOL. I hope all of you had a great weekend as well. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Very Busy Day of Creativity and Solutions

Good morning and happy Saturday. After I got my infusion injection, I spent most of yesterday finalizing the framing for the two small Connie Seabourn watercolor paintings. I went to Michael's and looked at frames there. The only ones in the size that I needed were too narrow - not enough depth for a double matted surface-floated piece. I laid some frame samples up to the pieces, though, and it was the Navy blue color that really made the whole thing pop. I was amazed - I would never have chosen the Navy blue, but it really worked with the blue interior mat and the blues on each watercolor. So, I had determined that I needed a navy blue frame that had depth. I went on to Dick Blick's, hoping for a small miracle. 

I don't drink coffee or any teas other than herbal, 
but I needed the bathroom, so I made an executive 
decision and ordered a Dragon Drink. I've always 
enjoyed dragon fruit, they're quite tasty. I liked the 
drink very much, but won't order all of those calories 
and other items again within the foreseeable future. 

Blick's wasn't open yet - I had 30 minutes to wait - but I needed a bathroom. Oh! Starbucks will have a bathroom. Which they did - with a numerically coded lock and a sign stating it was for "Customer Use Only". Well, I hadn't been in a Starbucks in over a decade, I suppose I could manage to find one thing I could order. I ordered a small "Dragon Drink" because it sounded like the least harmful to my health. I paid for my drink, got the bathroom code, and picked up a delightfully pink iced beverage when I returned to the counter. 

The navy blue frame at Michael's actually was the perfect 
color, but it was a really narrow frame and I'm framing the 
artwork, two mats, and a backing board. No ... I needed a 
deeper frame, and there wasn't an available option at 
Michael's. So I had to make something work ... and I did, 
in my own way. 

Now ... I've been living a WildFit life for ... well, I started WildFit during the COVID shutdown, so my best estimate is I've been on program for five years or so now. I don't do caffeine, I don't do most sugars, I don't do "Natural Flavors" because there's nothing 'natural' in 'natural flavors' but this had been an emergency. So I settled down in their air conditioned comfort to sip my (actually quite delicious) drink and wait until 10:00 o'clock. The Dragon Drink was remarkably refreshing, and I decided to ignore the ingredients and just enjoy the experience. I'd get it again, if it didn't have a lot of sugars and 'natural flavors'. In fact, I'm recommending it to all of you who aren't as strict with your diets. I found it not overly sweet, the freeze-dried Dragonfruit pieces were delightful, and I give it high marks - for what it is - a bunch of sugar and chemicals. LOL

I've been living a WildFit lifestyle for years now. Almost 
everything in that Dragon Drink was something I would 
never ingest. Still, it didn't harm me and I just won't repeat 
the experience (even though the actual drink was very 
tasty). 

I purchased two white frames from Dick Blick. They didn't have the navy color I really wanted, so I also purchased some acrylic paint and went home and got to work. I sanded down the white to give it some "tooth", then washed them down, dried them, and started painting. It took three coats, and I'm still doing bits of touch-up, but the blue color is awesome and it really works with the pieces. I would still have preferred a commercially done navy blue frame with the depth I needed, but at $10/each, these were affordable. 

Today I'll take everything apart at the shop, clean the glass carefully, fasten the inner mat to the outer mat with my double-sided tape (I'll have to look for that dispenser), put everything back in, seal the back with brown paper and I'll be set. I already hinge-mounted the artwork to the inner mat (hinge mounting is a reversible process that allows the back of the artwork to be viewed if needed. That's where she signed and dated the pieces, so I wanted that accessible to the new owner). 

So, lots to do on my plate today. I'm wrapping this up and heading out to get as much done as possible before DH comes in and takes up my space and time. Have an excellent weekend, I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It's an Infusion Day - Oh Joy *NOT*

Today is, as usual, a busy day. I start by driving out to the ends of the metro world for my semi-annual infusion. I absolutely hate these shots, but they're holding my bones together, keeping them from turning into Swiss cheese or dust. So I will do what I always do - I'll persevere. 

My bones are crap - always have been. They're getting worse, 
though. Just taking a daily pill was no longer working, so I've 
been switched over to infusions every six months. Today is 
that lucky day *sigh*. 

Today will also be a "find the right frame" day. I have those two artworks and I want to get them into frames ASAP. I'm hoping I can find some that already have UV conservation glass, but if not, I can cut some to fit at the shop. I laid the pieces out for Chickie yesterday and she's totally in love with them too. Said her Mom would love to have "Dawn". Although I would love to give it to Claire - she's been such a support over the past few months - I just can't afford to ignore the close to $200 each picture will fetch after being framed appropriately. So no ... they'll be at the shop and sold to someone who will also fall in love with them. 

I wish I could spend the time to give you a much 
better idea of the true colors here. The dark is purple, 
the light is more beige, and the painting itself has 
a lot more mid-pinks in it than evident. Of course, 
the mats aren't taped either, this was just a quick 
photo for my reference. 

I'll have to do a minimal grocery shopping trip also, but if I don't, I'll probably be OK until next week. I still have a watermelon on my counter that needs cutting up. We won't starve - LOL. 

I already cut up the honeydew, but still have a watermelon 
on my kitchen counter that needs to be cut up. I do love 
my summer fruits. 

Not much to say today, just focused on what I need to accomplish over today. All things considered, it's not bad to be focused every now and again. Have an excellent Friday and Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. 

After Forever, I Finally Was Able to Play With my Mat Cutter - Connie Seabourn Artwork

I had the usual things on my agenda yesterday - grocery shopping, cooking, and bit of housekeeping. I decided to make some of my baked pork chops because it's easy, tasty and doesn't take up a lot of refrigerator room. My refrigerator room is being taken up with cut-up honeydew and cut-up watermelon. I took the time I had left in the afternoon and worked on the presentation for two small Connie Seaborn pieces. I'm very happy with how they turned out, although I'm still slightly off square on the mat cutter. I'll have to play with that a bit more and see if I can get it 100% square. 

This first piece is titled "Pueblo Dawn". It's 
a lovely small piece with more depth every time I 
look at it. I chose an off-white texture for the 
inner mat, on top of a blue/purple for the outer mat.
 The mat choices are identical for the pair. 

The first piece is called Pueblo Evening. It's in blues and purples on her hand-made watercolor paper. The finished size is 8-1/2 x 11, and I'll try to find a frame tomorrow for it. I know what I want, but would rather not have to order it. 

This is the companion piece - Pueblo Evening. 
Although I'm framing them at the same time and
purchased them together, I doubt they'll be sold as a set.
I think that would be cost prohibitive for most of my
customers. In this piece, you get the sense of
timelessness that I always feel when I'm
visiting the pueblos in New Mexico. 

The second finished mat is for Pueblo Evening. She's pulled out the warmer peach and pink colors, keeping the basic blues and purples, making it a bit softer and more like a moonlit scene. 

I'm using my C&H Signature mat cutter for these. 
I took it completely apart last week and cleaned 
everything. I'm pretty happy with this first attempt 
at a mat, although it's still very slightly out of true 
90 degree cuts. I'll have to work on that a bit more 
tomorrow to try and improve it. When adjusted properly, 
it should give me perfect 90 degree cuts. Adjustments 
are very fussy, however. 

Ideally I would have preferred to frame the two small watercolors as a single piece, but they retail for $125/each unframed, and the combo framed would retail between $375-$450. That's a lot for small pieces, even if they are original watercolors from an established artist. Will I actually get what I'm supposed to when I sell it? Who knows? I know their worth. DH doesn't like her work, so as far as he's concerned, it's money wasted. I actually have quite a lot of her work still to frame - larger pieces, mostly. I thought I'd start small while I'm still fine tuning the equipment. 

Connie Seabourn is a well-known, respected watercolor 
artist based in Oklahoma. I'm not finding tribal identification 
on her website, so she might have married into the tribe. 
I know she was exhibiting at events that required tribal 
identity. Given her area of the country, I would say that 
she's Cherokee or Choctaw, but she doesn't have to be 
full-blood to be Native American and qualify for the shows 
where I first met her and her artwork. 

So, I'm off to the pool for my final swim of the week. We'll possibly have showers, but if there's no thunder or lightning, we'll still be able to swim outdoors. Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.