Life and Lemons - Just add Sugar

"Lemon Quintet"

9X12

Acrylic on Canvas Panel

Private Collection

Crazy life. I have had no time for painting of late, so this is a reprise of one I liked from some time ago. The postcards arrived and they look really terrific...not so blue like my picture in the previous post. Just right actually. Yea, Vista print.

Since I wrote last, my son, Matt, decided to pay us a quick visit to divest our attic of furnishings that I had saved for future children. Since he has three little ones, and has now come back from two years of Air Force service in South Korea, the time had come to get those things from storage and put them to good use. A toy box, two twin beds, a double bed, a coat rack, a bookshelf, and a tween sized desk. We had fun reminiscing on the early days when he had great use of these things. The toy box was hand built by a friend of ours for Matt. It needs a new coat of paint, but otherwise is in great shape. All of the rest of the things needed dusting and some furniture polish, but also were all in good shape. Hard to believe we have come so far.

Then Saturday evening a knock on our front door produced a waif of a darling teenager who said she was looking for her teacher, but didn't know the address. This darling girl was so sad. Her name was Ivory. She said she had no where to go, that her family didn't want her, that she had spent the night in jail for assault, had abusive parents, that she had Bi-polar problems, depression, and a Medicaid card. It's a long story, but we tried to help her find the teacher, who it turns out was out of town. We then took her for some food and we ended up taking her to the Salvation Army...living up to the word Salvation, they kept her for the night. I left her with my phone number and the next morning she called to say the Salvation Army couldn't keep her and she was being sent to a shelter for teens. But she had no transportation and could I come to get her. I did this and spent the next couple of hours with her and talking to the shelter personnel. Ivory gave them the phone number of her older sister and it was granted that the sister would take responsibility and take her in. There is more to it than this brief description, but I re-learned why I am not in the business of taking care of lost souls as a profession. I cried all the way home after leaving her and was stricken with sadness the rest of the weekend. She seemed to be fairly smart and liked school..probably her haven from home. She has my phone number and I just hope and pray she will be in better hands and survive the life she has been given. 17 yrs. old, a rising senior, and lost. Good Lord, protect this child.

Friday, I was asked to be a contributing columnist for a North Carolina conservative website called PUNDIT HOUSE My articles are not there yet, but should be picked up sometime soon.  As some of you know I have another blog on the politics of the day (see the right side of this blog: My Tea Party Chronicle I am writing that blog in hopes to help some others learn the dangers of oppressive government, to give other patriotic Americans the courage to speak up, to share news items of interest, and lastly, to VENT! I am privileged to be asked by Pundit House to contribute to their discourse. I very much admire their website and writers! Take a look and see what I mean.

So there you are. Crazy life. I hope to get back to the easel again soon. Stay tuned!!