If you noticed my column missing last week, and I hope at least a couple of you did, it is because I just goofed around and didn’t get it done in time. Now I’ve got to condense what I was going to tell you last week, and still save room to tuck in what I’ve got to tell you this week.
Last week I was whining about a big tragedy. But now I’m recovering from the trauma, so maybe I can talk about it shorter. Remember purslane, that wonderful nutritious weed that appeared in my garden? Remember I was trying to get all of you to come help yourself to some? Well, you missed your chance. One morning I went out to pick some and found it all gone! A young friend who was trying to be helpful decided to weed the garden. He pulled it all up and tossed it. I’m still pretty sad about it, but, oh well, easy come, easy go. And my turnip greens are looking pretty good. Though I don’t think they will go well in green smoothies.
Another thing I was going to tell you is that John and I went to see “Bad Granddad,” simply because we had some time to kill and didn’t want to watch anything serious. We laughed ourselves silly. I’ve been telling everybody to go see it if they can overlook the considerable grossness, but maybe I’ll quit now. I told my Garden Club ladies about it the other day, and they were not impressed. In fact, Jo Ann Surls said she could now see why I didn’t appreciate “Death of a Salesman.” In other words, she doesn’t think too much of my taste in drama. You may think the same thing. I did appreciate “Death of a Salesman.” It’s just that I prefer to giggle than think.
Also, I was going to tell you that even though Jo Ann hates my taste, she called and invited me to come out and hang out with her and the Star Harbor Watercolorists when they toured her magnificent creation, The Joe Surls Memorial Sculpture Garden, which if you don’t know, surrounds and includes her wonderful home, and all the gardens she has been growing and tending all these many years. I love going to Jo Ann’s, and I love those Star Harbor watercolor ladies. A really fun thing that happened there: Celene Terry took a bunch of pictures of me, and just might use me as a model for a painting. But even if she doesn’t, she took a nice picture which she shared, and right now I have it as my cover picture on my Facebook profile page. You may remember her painting of a beautiful woman with a quote written on it, which says something to the effect that for years she listened to other people who told her she wasn’t this enough or that enough, but one days she woke up and said, “I am enough.” That is what she named the picture. I wrote a column about it, and later suggested to her she should paint a scruffy old lady with a twinkle in her eye for another “I am enough.” She said she just might. Maybe I’ll be the inspiration for that one. I would love it. Or maybe mine would just be, “I’ll do.”
This weekend John stayed home, and I had to entertain myself. So I went to the aforesaid Garden Club meeting, and then I went to Athens and bought art! There was a sale at 211 Gallery, at 211 N. Palestine, where some already too-low priced pieces of art were selling for an extra 20 percent off. I came home with four great pieces that I paid way too little for. I got a great watercolor of fat hens, called Come and Get It, by Celene Terry, a bold oil in gorgeous colors by Christi Barrett called “Textured Sunset,” “Blue Sofa Blues,”a “Zentangle” by Cheryl Hicks, and a wonderful funky box framed thing called, “Center of a Sunflower with Dots,” also by Cheryl. I just love them.
211 Gallery is getting ready for another show, to be called something like “Your Art Doesn’t Have to Match Your Couch.” They are going to set up the gallery like rooms in a home, and hang their creations around it, apparently taking care that they don’t match the couch. When I was there Saturday some guys were moving in a mattress. I don’t want to miss this show. I hope you won’t either.
And I’m sure going to keep watch for more sales. I’ll be sure and let you know if I hear of more.