Slogging & Release!

Another one bites the dust! That’s the problem with artwork, sometimes it just doesn’t survive critters or husband. The Oregon Rain vessel took a nose dive off the windowsill thanks to overly barkey dogs yesterday. Dave went to open the window to yell at them and the vase jumped. Maybe it’s a good thing. It helped clear a bit more space out of an overly crowded room. It was a piece from my university days and did happen to be part of a show at the River Gallery. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now except let it go. It’s been 14 days since I’ve done a stitch of art. My time devoted to Eugene has increased which is ok. The more I can get done for the estate, the faster it can get off my hands! Over the past several months, I’ve discovered multi-tasking between the estate world vs. art world don’t mix well in my brain. I’ve become inefficient in both. So, now my artwork needs to rest while I wrap up other important issues. Insurance and taxes have been dealt with and coordinating repairs needs to start. The basement is almost fully devoid of crud. After many trips to the dumpster, plus two full truckloads to the local recycling center, we have rid ourselves of hundreds of pounds of fasteners(nails, screws, etc), electrical bits, plumbing, tools…. Who knew how much stuff one man could accumulate related to building? My message to people out there with giant garages/sheds/ homes stuffed with items: clean it out so your children don’t have to do it after you die! Trust me, your children won’t appreciate slogging through all your crap. Lighten your load and conscience! Your footprint on this earth doesn’t have to be so heavy. 🙂

There are hints of progress on moving all the rentals out of my hands. Oh yes, we actually have an offer on one (a horrible offer, but we will see where negotiations can lead) AND my sister is making ground on taking over ownership of the others. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel! Yesterday amid massive downpours, I traipsed around Eugene with my sister in tow to acquire new carpeting for one of the rentals. My goal is to have it on the market again by December. Maybe we’ll be able to tempt a student or someone during the holiday break.

Today, a Golden Crowned Kinglet decided to take a plunge into our sliding glass door. The morning temp was rather low (low 30’s) so I scooped him up and brought him in for a 20 min rest indoors. After keeping him in an enclosed box for that length of time and in a quiet room, he had perked up enough to release. It always surprises me how small some of the wild birds are. This guy was tiny!

Since he was bright eyed, I placed him in the fly through feeder to gather himself. I checked him after 3 min and he was gone! Hooray!