Well things are a little nutty around here. (I feel I may have started off that way before.) The porch redo has started. I’m so looking forward to having a fixed up space out there. Maybe some outside dinners. Lucy and I were out there this morning because we could hear the swallows back and burbling. They definitely definitely can not return to their customary nesting spot under the edge this year, at least for the first batch of babies, but hearing them this morning made me realize they’re going to be ticked at losing their railing hangout too.
The BBQ had to move too, to a porch around the side of the house. The front porch is not reachable from the ground so we’ve never had to think about uninvited guests. This new spot is just a welcome mat distance away from the woods and mountain behind my house.
I was cooking chicken out there last night and have to admit to being a little jumpy. I have seen bears right about where that dark spot in the trees is before. Once there was a baby bear just a little higher than that that was so dark it looked like I should be able to see stars along his side. Just a magical little guy.
And in defense of my jumpiness I took this picture years ago of this big boy when he was just a couple of feet to the left of where the BBQ is now.
Isn’t he beautiful? If he’d been there last night he could have been sitting there scratching his belly while I flipped the chicken. We could have talked about… what would I talk with a bear about? Blackberries? Salmon? All the shades of green?
As usual it seemed like we were just trying to get through winter when summer jumped in and leapfrogged over spring.
My eldest has come home into the mix for a few days,
and the other type of painting I do needed some love. 
So I’m swirling a little, but happily, moving from one thing to the next. I knew it was going to get a little nutty so really stuck myself to my desk designing for the last couple of months. Now I have to just find little bits of time to get the copies painted to send out the door, and that will happen. I always need to do the last minute finishing up stuff including taking photos, and last week I found myself needing to get some things out by fedex but the morning light was too blue. I really need to look into making myself a little copy stand. All winter I mess around putting off photos until the sun has a chance to come over and peek in, which doesn’t really happen to well into the afternoon. Anyways, I went into town to mail them and used the light in the park and a park bench for a base before packing them up and sending them off.
And now I’m off to make a run to the dump to make room in the garage for porch stuff being delivered shortly. The glamorous life. Think I’ll take my big boy along and buy him lunch. (Not at the dump.)