DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

The "Dog Days" of summer are hitting us hard here in the "Heart of Dixie"...The muggy humidity.....you long for rain hoping things will "lift" and cool off, but, no, the rains just make things "steamy"...literally....what DID people do without air conditioning to at least take a little of the humidity out of the air. I don't mind heat...it's the humidity:(

Even our dogs look like the dogs in the delightful painting above by folk artist John Sperry. It's painted on a large piece of old roofing tin and hangs from a nail in our (now) spare bedroom...It's the first thing you see when you walk upstairs and always makes me smile:)

Anyway...our dogs just lie around in the bushes, diggin holes:( in an effort to get cool dirt against their bodies....

In spite of my pessimism....

Have a Lovely Day!

-Mug

...As We Dance through Life...

TO HALLIE....

And the Rest of Us as We Dance through Life

In early October 2007, my sister was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. She began chemotherapy rather quickly, so by December her hair was beginning to fall out.

So I wrapped up the above two paintings and left them on my sister's porch along with a poem that I wrote for her....only it turned out to be speaking to me also and maybe even to you:

Hair and hats.....hats and hair...

The "dance of life" to the music of prayer.

The music of prayer is sometimes just music...

...When one can barely hold on and is about to 'lose it'.

But if we can make ourselves listen...if we hold on 'real' tight,

The music of prayer guides us through the dark night.

Sometimes the music signals the entrance of others...

...to add to our 'dance'...all our 'sisters and brothers'.

God is the 'Conductor'...He directs the song;

Our job is to dance ...just to 'play along'.

As we dance to His music, we follow His plan;

...He shows us the steps as we hold onto His hand.

So...Hairless with hats...or hatless with hair...

...The Holy Spirit guides us ALL through the music of prayer.

-Mug

P.S. Hallie has finished her chemotherapy and her radiation; her hair has grown back; she's gone back to running marathons (or maybe half-marathons...and wins them for her age division - she's 45years old) whenever she can, is engaged to a wonderful man, and is currently cancer-free:)

Have a lovely day!

The Jazz Band by Chris Clark

I only have two pieces of art by Chris Clark. I could just "kick" myself for not holding on to more of his when I had my little folk art gallery several years ago. His work was (and still is) very popular among all types of art lovers. It's happy, colorful, and unique.
This one is painted on a 24" x 24" piece of old metal ceiling tile he salvaged from somewhere.

It is hanging in our home above an old upright piano that belonged to my grandparents. The top of the piano is filled (I know "less is more", but who could decide?!) with family photos, mementos, and more small pieces of art by family members.

The angel on yellow you see to the left of The Jazz Band is also by Chris. It is painted on a piece of wood. The face of the angel was created from a piece of old rusty tin...Wonderful, huh?!

Below is a profile on the artist, but I'm not sure how readable it is...I had to photograph it because the computer this is on is "on the blink", and I'm too lazy to re-type the whole thing.

Thanks for reading!

Have a lovely day!

-Mug

Dogwood House by Jimmy Lee Sudduth

Yes...What to write about.... Aha!...I did mention in my profile that I was a collector of folk art. I absolutely love bright, happy, colorful folk art....art created by self-taught people who create from their hearts..... This is one of my latest acquisitions....

The Dogwood House

by Jimmy Lee Sudduth

We traded $ and some of my John Henry Toney drawings for this in North Carolina when we visited our daughter over the 4th of July weekend.