I have been very quiet the last seven months not from lack of writing but rather not wanting to share the pain of loss, sadness and unhappy thoughts.  My dear sweet husband passed away six months ago last night on August 5^th. For the first time, the anniversary of his death did not come to my mind yesterday partly because I have been busy with taking care of a dear friend.  Taking care of my friend has reminded me of the times Dick and I spent with her.  The parties, bars, restaurants and general great times we spent together are amazing memories.

Other than being in a melancholy mood, I have kept busy.  I rediscovered my love of art.  The process of creating art has grown into a renewed love affair with oil pastels and a new love affair with painting.  I painted my first ever oil painting.

As I sit here and ponder what to write about my joy of painting, I want to remind everyone to take time find pleasure in the small moments: the hummingbird sipping from the bird bath; the squirrel crawling up on the bird feeder to steal a snack; the sun shining so brightly that the blue sky glistens and sparkles like diamonds and the gentle sound from the breeze rustling the greenery on the hill-side.

Evesgreenleaf first oil painting