Venice on my Mind

I could hardly believe it last week when I found the German movies of Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series at our local library. The movies are in German, but - of course - set in Venice. So very beautiful!

So I have had Venice on my mind after watching a number of them and it reminded me of the few days Daniel and I got to spend there in 2007.

It was November and oh so cold! And damp! We kept "having to" stop in at cafes and have delicious coffee to warm us up. I don't think I had ever drunk that much coffee in my life.

One of these days we'd love to go back when the weather is milder.

But for now I'm content with armchair traveling while watching Commissario Brunetti solve his murder cases in that most unusual of cities.

I hope you are all having a beautiful week. We are still quite cold here down south. Wearing winter clothes at the end of March is almost unheard of. Well, soon enough I'll be complaining about the heat...

❧ Silke

Happy Moments

I have been incredibly scarce in blog land. Last week, Daniel was on spring break and that always means more time spent together and less time on the computer. And this week tax prep has me in its grip.

But still there are some perfect moments I want to share with you. Such as putting a few Easter decorations around the house.

Every year I admire these gorgeous eggs I created in 1989 together with a dear friend. They luckily have survived every move!

Another happy moment - drinking an espresso with real cream and eating a tiny chocolate bunny. The bunnies in the background I painted many, many years ago.

Here I'm taking a few moments to knit on a cardigan for myself. I just love that pretty thick and think cotton yarn. And that color - yum!!

Another little - or should I say tall - Easter bunny we got years ago when we lived in Michigan.

Those yellow roses I got over a week ago still look beautiful!

And I especially loved them in front of my latest painting.

That's all from me for today!

I hope you are finding many happy moments in your days!

❧ Silke

After a Stormy Night

I love how after a good storm, when the sun comes back out, everything looks so fresh and new.

That's how it was in our garden this morning.

So I took the camera and snapped a few photos for you.

 The azaleas are finally blooming and splashes of color are everywhere.

And how do you know it's spring in the South? The live oaks are getting their new growth and the old leaves are falling off. In other words - it looks like fall. We still haven't gotten used to that...

As we are getting closer to the official beginning of spring, I hope that the sun is shining wherever you are!!

❧ Silke

Two Minutes at the Bird Feeder

This morning, while I was adding water to the fountain out front, I saw a bluebird on the fig tree by the feeder. By the time I ran in, put the long lens on the camera and got back outside, the bluebird had vanished and a host of other birds had appeared. So - because it is quite cold this morning - I sat down for only two minutes and snapped a few photos for you.

Wishing you a colorful and sunny Thursday! Stay warm, relax and - most of all - do something fun today!

❧ Silke

New Painting

I finished my latest painting this morning.

Last night there were still some things that were not looking right to me, but then this morning after another couple of layers it all came together.

I am often clueless as to what I need to do to finish the painting, but somehow the last layer always lets me know how to proceed.

And when after one of the layers there is suddenly quiet and no thought of what needs to be done next, I know that the painting is finished.

What amazes me is the emotion that this way of painting and the finished pieces evoke in me. I could stare at them for hours (and sometimes do).

And the initial layer that I thought was so wrong is working beautifully into the whole. 

Visions of Tomorrow
acrylic painting on 12 x 24 inch canvas

Available here. 

The sun has come out again today, but we are expecting high winds and cold temperatures for tonight. Very unusual for us in the middle of March!

I hope it is warmer wherever you are and that the sun is shining on your lives!!

❧ Silke

A little of this and that...

Today is a rainy day, but yesterday I took this photo of some of our daffodils blooming. I love these little ones - they look like sunshine to me! And the smell good... 

And then, of course, there is a shamrock in our house announcing soon to come St. Patrick's Day! Savannah has a huge parade on St. Patrick's Day (second only to NYC they say - which I am not sure how true it is), but the town is packed with tourists who arrive in huge numbers. Needless to say, we stay away from downtown that weekend. Crowds are not really our thing.

Yesterday I remembered my pressure cooker and decided to use it again. It had been a while. So, I got out Lorna Sass's vegetarian cook book and chose a potato spinach soup.

I remember my mother cooking with the old-fashioned pressure cooker with the jiggle top and how scary that always seemed. We kids were not allowed in the kitchen when she was cooking with it. So, even now, with my perfectly safe pressure cooker, it still makes me a little nervous.

But once I get going, the whole process is like a miracle to me. After a little bit of sauteing of leeks and garlic, I simply added all the rest of the ingredients, locked the lid, turned up the heat and - in just 6 (!!!) minutes - dinner went from this...

... to this! The speed of it amazes me. Plus it's delicious and nutritious to boot!

On the painting front, I have started a new layered abstract and am probably five layers in. I've been observing my inner voice - not the kind one, but that critical one - and it's interesting how after I painted the very first layer and I kept thinking I did it wrong. Funny thing is, there is no right or wrong in this process, yet with every layer that isn't quite super gorgeous to me, I am tempted to just gesso over the whole thing and start again.

However, as I resist that temptation and just keep working with transparent acrylic layers, the painting changes, starts taking shape and often surprises me. We'll see where it all goes.  I'm sure it'll be very different from what it looks like now.

I sure hope the sun is shining where you live and that spring is on its way! Here, it's been a little warmer and everything seems to start to wake up and grow. I love this season - aside from fall - it's my favorite one! I guess I like the seasons of great change.

Wishing you a relaxing and inspiring Tuesday!

❧ Silke