Thank Goodness for May Flowers

As I sit here on this sunny, Sunday morning, I see orchids, petunias, mini carnations, impatiens, lobelia, and best of all peonies. My hanging baskets are blooming. I have a few roses peeking out behind me but it will be awhile until they’re in full bloom. 

As a city, state, country and world, we are still sitting in a tight pre-bud phase. We can go outside now, we’re told. We can shop at selected places. We can walk, run or jog in certain parks. We can order take out and even dine out. But we have to stay away from each other and/or mask our faces. 

Terrified eyes. 

That’s what I keep seeing. Everywhere I go, all those masked faces concealing the smile or frown reveal so many tired, sad and terrified eyes. 

As I was doing my shopping a few weeks ago, a woman reached for a loaf of bread. She didn’t see me while I waited my 6 feet away for her to make her choice, when she did her eyes got wide as saucers like she was seeing a monster. I remember when people used to smile or nod or say thanks to each other. Now, they stand in line, facing forward, silent, and cringe in fear. 

Flowers open and bloom anyway. 

I sniff my way all around my flower beds, hovering and admiring and snipping. I carefully leave the buds and spent flowers for the bees and bugs and pick some blooms to bring in the house. In the last few months, I’ve had luscious lilacs, tiny pink crabapple buds, cool calla lilies, purple iris and double ruffled, sweet peonies. 

Gathering blooms is such a peaceful, sweet treat every spring. This year, it’s saving my mind and heart and soul. It’s giving purpose to my art, too.

May Days and artful arrangements. 

May Day enchanted me as a little girl. It was the one day in my strict Catholic school life when we were encouraged to dress brightly, pick flowers, and gather honoring Mother Mary. I still love May Day, especially for the flowers. 

This year in isolation, art and flowers mean even more to me. I’ve always loved decorating my home. So each week, I’ve been combining my love of flowers and decorating with my art.

Inside with my bucket of fresh cut flowers, I line up my wheel-thrown or slab-built porcelain vases filled with water. I rinse the blooms and cut the stems and arrange colors and textures and heights to suit each vase. Then I look around for bowls, plates, cups or birds to complete the arrangements around my home.

My May Days arrangements lightened my heavy heart. So I decided to share them on social media this month hoping they would help bring some beauty and color into the lives of others and lift some fearful faces. 

We all need more beauty in and around us. Especially now. 

Hidden History

It all started out with small spot on the ceiling in the bathroom. It was a leak. The leak was fixed  but the ceiling needed re-painting. I ignored it. I had work to do, right?

And work I did: throwing bowls, vases, cups, mugs; building jars, vases, dishes; sculpting faces and bodies and masks. It all came together just in time for a spring show and my first featured gallery show in many years. 

I was happy, energized and relieved. And yet, I knew there was more to do. 

Staring at the ceiling. 

I woke up one morning and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I knew it was time to paint the bathroom ceiling. As we all know, one small step leads to big change. That small spot lead to painting the walls and replacing the light fixtures. 

And then, there was the walk-in closet. The black hole that has never been repainted since we built the house back in the 90’s. I’ve dusted in there and re-arranged and organized over the years, but I’ve never taken everything out. Yeah. 

Oh, but it didn’t stop there. 

Nope. In between painting the bathroom and closet, cleaning all the shelves and cupboards inside and out, trashing and donating unwanted items, I tackled the kitchen pantry. But still did I say, enough? No.

I looked over from the pantry into my utility room and was shocked to realize that room has not been repainted since my daughter was in high school. Hint: she’s married, pregnant and has a master’s degree.

I confess, I’m a candle hoarder. Inside those cupboards, I found stacks and stashes of used votives, tapers, pillars and jars. I found stacks of empty jars without candles waiting in case I needed them. A reformed basket hoarder, I was shocked to find in the back yet another stack of unused baskets. 

Time to recycle. And remember.

My utility room got a new coat of paint. I picked almost the same shade of yellow that’s been on the walls for years. Yellow is not my favorite color. I justified it then because I hate laundry and yellow is a happy, bright color for a small, dark room. 

But after I finished painting yesterday and began putting the room back together I saw what this yellow room really means to me. 

The primary color palette was used originally in both my children’s baby rooms. On the wall hangs their tiny primary colored handprints. Across are framed cards with encouraging words I received from my husband when I was trying to find my way from full time mom to artist. Above is a line up of my favorite tins gathered over the years, some gifts from my favorite Gram. And on each side of the sink sit hand-built vases with paw prints of my dear departed dog and cat. 

Rooms, cupboards, and closets hide and hold our history. Our memories of good times and bad. Happiness and fear. Like a time capsule or treasure chest, these covered dark places keep our lives preserved for a time when, if we are brave, we can open up, clear out, let in new light and smile at the memories. 

Bathroom Redo Goes From Simple to Complicated.

Or in other words, that's life!  

Three weeks ago, my husband and I started a simple bathroom make over.  It was going to be very basic: new paint job, new toilet paper holder, towel holder, light fixture and wall hung cabinet.  

A one weekend job.  Easy, right?  Wrong.

Week one:  The case of sticky, icky paint.

The burgundy color turned out to be harder to cover with the bright race car red paint than either of us anticipated.  We've covered a lot of walls over the years; teal to gold, deep blue to light grey, red to turquoise and it's always gone smoothly in one coat.  Not this time.  We used a new paint which was supposed to be a primer and paint in one and did an enamel finish over a matte. Perhaps it was one of these changes or both combined, I don't know.  Here's what I do know: next time don't buy that paint!  Do what we did before and buy a high hiding primer and add the color you want.  Believe me, it really, really works!

Week two:  Bad fixtures, difficult cabinets and mystery faucets.

The light fixture had to be special ordered.  It arrived and the glass had chips all around the edge.  The light is up but I'm still waiting for the replacement glass.  The cabinet fit nicely and had all parts intact.  I was excited because I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.  Nope.  That was just me staring into the glaring bare light bulbs too long.  The cabinet was super heavy and required two of us, wood blocks and much patience to get it securely on the wall.  After searching 4 home improvement stores, searching online, we finally special ordered our faucet from a local plumbing showroom paying way more than I anticipated.  It also meant waiting for the new faucet which added another week to complete the bathroom.

Week three:  Bent faucets, drains and that sinking feeling...

The special order faucet arrived.  The day came to install it.  It was bent in several places, which at first seemed just mildly disappointing, until we turned the water back on.  It leaked!    Off it came, went back to the store where another one was special ordered.  My wonderful husband worked super hard to take the original plumbing out of the pedestal sink so the new plumbing could be installed.  This was no easy task!  It required laying on his back on the floor curled between the toilet and sink base.  The drain in a pedestal sink is not easily accessible like a regular sink.  Most often, the plumbing is put into the sink before the sink is installed in the bathroom.  Since we thought we were keeping the old pedestal sink, this was the only way to get it done.  When he got the drain out of the sink, we found it was corroded and a good sized chunk of the porcelain sink drain area was broken.  It probably had always been broken and that explains corrosion of the drain pipe area.  This meant that we needed to replace the pedestal sink.    Off we went to the home improvement store again...

Week four:  New faucet, new sink, new feelings...

The new special order faucet has arrived, again.  It appears to be in good condition this time.  The new pedestal is unloaded and sitting in the bathroom waiting for the plumbing install.  Once that's done, it will be screwed to the wall and caulked to the floor.  The cabinet is up.  The mirror is up.  The towel and toilet paper holders are hung.  Art and accessories are making an appearance.  Perhaps, this is the weekend when it will be done!

It only took us four weeks to get a one weekend project completed!

Oh, wait. I still haven't received the light fixture glass replacements.  

Okay.  Four weeks and counting...