This weekend we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with both our girls home - such a treat.  I even managed to finish four 'smalls' (number 4 is on its way to a new home) as well as complete two books.  The first, 'How Georgia Became O'Keeffe: Lessons on the Art of Living' was a bit of a disappointment but because it was about my favorite artist, I had to finish it.  Did I learn something new about Georgia?  A little, perhaps.  Did I learn about the art of living?  Not particularly.  Was it well written?  It was okay, except almost every page featured footnotes, most were unfortunately irrelevant to the book and I found them to be distracting.  I'm also in the midst of reading 'A Woman on Paper' which is a memoir by her dearest friend Anita Pollitzer which is fabulous and includes many of the letters they wrote to one another.

The second (fictional) novel I completed:

Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay

This novel followed two main characters...one a child who was a victim of the second World War and the other a contemporary journalist, both in Paris.  The writing was okay, but the story was quite wonderful.  There are things that happen in life, especially during tragic times like wars, which we as human beings tend to avoid, ignore, pretend or wish away and such were the events that occured in Paris during an awful time.  My only wish was that the story of the young girl was expanded upon while the story of the journalist may have been reduced.  It is interesting to think that someone else's life, even someone you don't know and have never met, can have such a profound effect.  Definitely worth a read.

This morning I had a small 'photo shoot' with one of our local papers during heavy winds, rain and snow so when I arrived home I started the kettle and decided that my chair project will wait until the weather settles in a couple of days while I continue on with the two large and dozen small pieces I'm hoping to complete for my next exhibit.  These are the days I am especially grateful for my little (faux) fireplace in the studio as not only does it keep me warm but the soft flickering light looks so pretty.  It does make things feel warm and cozy.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting up with local artist Kathryn Zondag as she has graciously offered to teach a Jr Artists class at the library on October 20.  Such a treat to spend time with a woman who is not only a fantastic artist but also a lovely person.

These days I've been reading 'Sarah's Key' by Tatiana deRosnay which has been on my reading list for some time.  It makes me so sad to think of the atrocities so many people had to endure.  I don't understand why it wasn't enough to annihilate an entire group of people but also to absolutely humiliate them, to strip them of their dignity.  Novels set during the Second World War, even fiction, are stories that I can only read when I feel absolutely grounded.  While I read I am reminded to be grateful every day.  I think of those who still have to endure horrible things and know I am blessed beyond measure. 

Even with the nasty weather we are experiencing today, I still love this time of year.  With the leaves slowly disappearing from the trees I am able to witness so much more.  A murder of crows flew past my kitchen window as I was peeling potatoes for this evening's dinner and then a flock of sparrows moved in unison as if in a dance from one tree to the next.  Such grace.  Such a lovely time of year.

Last year a lovely woman I met gave me an adirondack chair in order to create my own piece of the AIRdirondack Art Project for our home and I'm finally scheduling the time to work on it.  I have two large pieces and numerous smalls to complete for my exhibit in a few weeks, but, of course, I have to work on this, too.  And a presentation and workshop to finish preparing for...

I'm never sure why I do this - the procrastination...perhaps it's feeding my creative muscles.  When I work on something just for myself, it definitely takes the pressure off.  And I LOVE this time of year - the energy I am filled with, the changing colors, the cooler temperatures...I always wish this season could last until the middle of December.  I definitely love autumn, especially love October.  So I'm listening to Melody Gardot as I add a variety of marks to begin this new project.  It's a good day.

On the weekend my family and I headed into the mountains to take advantage of the Canmore Studio Tour - it was such a pleasure for me to meet a number of artists who I feel have become friends even though we haven't physically met before.  These ladies are extremely talented and I've often had the privilege of exhibiting with them over the years.  Among others, we had the opportunity to visit with printmaker Linda Cote, fibre artist Dana Roman, sculptor Peig Abbott.  We watched glass-blowing, saw a metal sculptor's work-in-progress, attended a fabulous opening at Elevation Gallery and ended the morning with lunch at our favorite place...the Grizzly Paw Brewery.  Mmmmm...just what my soul needed...