Gowns and friends, plus
May 7, 2008I was born in the wrong era.
I am a Victorian woman. Not one of those
afraid of messing their hair. I would have been
involved in women’s suffrage issues. I would
have rocked boats and ended up jailed for it.
My home was a Queen Anne. I am sure of it.
I love the full length skirts of the time, the cotton
shirts and full aprons. Remember a while ago I was
searching for that nightgown I had but was thread bare.
I finally found one close to it, but when it came it was
very heavy. It fit fine, though Jan bought a smaller size
than I thought I should have. It is beautiful and perfect
for winter, just lovely really. But thick and heavy!
So I searched more. The Vermont Country store has
my kind of gowns! I ordered this…
Thin muslin and it is heaven! And it has buttons!!
In the forty dollar range, not too bad.
Jan was especially pleased… just sayin…
So today I did another search because
I am still looking for a more lacy version.
I found it! But it is 70 dollars. So I sent an email
to my entire family as a hint for a birthday gift. LOL
My presents from Jan is the trip this summer.
But those kids need an idea. I am sure they do.
I have enough yard art thank you.
This is it, just everything that speaks to the
victorian lady in me. There is a robe too.
But I’m not going to be greedy!
It is odd how tickled I am about the idea of it.
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A and K our friends who are trying to have a baby,
got pregnant, but at the first ultrasound, there was
no heart beat. They are of course devastated.
They will try again. This happened when I was in
the hospital. I was no comfort at all.
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Total for my little vacation with bad food?
60,000 or right at it. Sigh.
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We sat in this office last night and listened
to the entire album I spoke of here
yesterday. I believe Jan now has claimed it
for her car. It isn’t the first CD we have two of.
When she moved here, we found we had
many of the same cd’s, she leans toward country,
me more show tunes. But also many alike.
It’s wonderful really. I adore sharing music with her.
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As predicted, a few of my flickr friends are having
a hard time with the latest piece. This is evident by
their silence. Ah well, maybe they learned something too.
I wont take it down.
I find it amazing that instead of saying, wow,
that is more than I can handle (whether it is a work
of art or writing) people just slink away silently waiting
for something less honest to be said or created before
they come around again. I am not sure I will ever
understand it. Probably because I have always been
so boldly there. Well not always, as a child I was
very shy. I learned to keep my creations to myself.
It wasn’t until I ended my straight marriage that I became
the take no prisoners artist I am now, in whatever form I
choose. Art or writing. I try so hard to be real here and
within my work. The silence used to bother me, but with
help from many here, I have learned to allow those other
people to be who they are. Often that means no feedback,
and that has to be okay with me.
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I’m teaching today. Gonna encourage Jill to stop
over thinking each step and just do it. She is killing
me with indecision. Two hours to pick a color on Saturday!
Come on girl… lets move forward!
Have a great day all.
For Shaney, one of the best Bette songs ever.
A favorite of mine.
In this life.
By the way, my daughter Hilary was named for the
character Barbara Hershey played in Beaches
along side Bette.
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On my desk this morning, a note again from my beloved.
It just says “I love you ATB”
It means everything.
I had to add,
yesterday I went to wallyworld and bought Jan the same
5 and 8 pound weight balls I have and two
floor mats as well. (she was hogging mine!)
anyway as I checked out the cashier challenged me in a way.
She looked at the items and then at me and said,
“are you going to use them”?
Yeah!! I know!
My reply, “75 pounds down says so.” at which point
she changed her tune, I was no longer the fat woman who
was buying stuff she would not use. I was doing it and
somehow better for it. I wanted to say what I thought,
but I do try to be nice in public.
I came home mad as hell!
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1pm, just got a call from Holland,
Paula died today.
Please keep Becky in your thoughts.
I love the nightgowns, but I’d be a bit hesitant to spend 70 bucks on one too. The kids had better chip in!! I tend not to wear long sleeves, long gowns anymore, even in the winter. Thank you, perimenopause…sheesh.
The whole point of art, not matter what form it’s in, is to express youself, to show your vision. People will either like it or they won’t. But it can’t really be true art if you’re creating things so that other people whom you’ve never met and probably never will can be comfortable. That becomes a watered down version of you - one that hides your vision and who you are. Art, if done well, evokes strong reactions, both positive and negative. It’s supposed to do that. That piece was beautiful and tasteful. It wasn’t some sordid, graphic piece of pornography, although there are many artists who do just that. Even if they didn’t like the subject matter, certainly they could appreciate the technique and ability needed to create the piece. If they can’t, then they’re not artists. It has nothing to do with being a lesbian or not. I’m not a lesbian and yet I still find that piece to be beautiful and artistic, with its simple forms and vibrant color choices. I also think that the way you’re creating a fluid feel to the piece shows just how great a technician you are. Just my $.02, for what it’s worth.
As for your friends who are trying to conceive… I’ve been there. That particular situation is called a blighted ovum. For me, that happened with twins. There are no words of consolation, so don’t feel like you’ve let them down. When I went through that, the worst thing that anyone could say to me was : “Well, it must have been for a reason. There must have been something wrong.” And another personal favorite (not) was “It’s a good thing it happened so early. You still have plenty of time to have baby.” I don’t care what the reason was or how much time I had to conceive another child, the bottom line for me was that the child I DID conceive died. There’s not a good enough reason in the world to make that pain feel better, and the promise of 10 future children didn’t make up for the loss of that one. In my case, that was my second unsuccessful pregnancy for a total of 3 babies lost. I didn’t love them any less than I love the baby who got to be born. I just resented anyone who tried to make those pregnancies go away by using abstract concepts and didn’t acknowledge that I had lost an actual child. I know that it’s not their fault, but still, in an effort to make me feel better, they made it worse. So, a very heartfelt “I’m very sorry for your loss” goes a long way, especially if someone doesn’t try to sweep it away by saying “don’t worry, you’ll get pregnant again.” That always made me feel like the baby I lost meant nothing, whether that was the intention or not.
Ok, done being chatty today. I’m feeling better - thanks for the worrying - and I have to play catch up with my housework!
I love the nightie with the lace…it is so beautiful
I have one similar to it, but mine is in a very pale pink lol
I to often think I was born in the wrong era, maybe not the same era as you, but everyone says I am an old soul, I think I would have been happier in the little house on the prairie era lol…I love open land, cooking, the dresses…I love the music of the day and I am a country girl at heart
When Ashley was a baby I used to sing baby mine to her all the time from beaches…as well as wind beneth my wings and she now knows all the words to the over the shoulder boulder holder song lol
I’d be strangled in a nightgown like that, the way I toss and turn! It’s beautiful though!
Try not to overthink the Flickr friends stuff. Maybe they are of the thinking that if you can’t say something nice it’s better not to say anything at all and that’s okay. Just be you and don’t worry about anything else.
Beaches is one of my all-time favorite movies.
yep 70 bucks is a lot to spend, but if they
pitched in… I need nothing really. I have every
do dad and item one could want. I need nothing else
to dust either. Seriously, who does.
But these gowns make me feel so… hell ME!
I cant explain it. There is nothing better than wandering
the yard in my gown and robe in the morning dew,
in my bare feet, soaking in what the night has done to my plants.
I am so freaking weird!
I didn’t know your conception history.
I hate that you went through all of that loss Jaded.
I just weep to think of it.
When I was married I went through the pain
of only not being able to conceive for a year.
Because that was all that could ever be good
about being married, (hindsight) was the
ability to make that dream of being a mother
come true. I finally did though and had no losses like yours.
Then my not being able to
give birth was discovered, which is another
story tied to abuse issues in my childhood.
anyway then Jan wanted to birth a child,
to have a bit of her left to this world and
we were not able to make that happen for her.
The different pains of each can not be measured or compared,
to the people in it. It is all the same, Loss.
I always appreciate your insight into
how artists think. Thank you.
Carie, I am with you! I could easily have
lived on the prairie too. AND Hilary’s
favorite lullaby was Baby Mine! We still
watch the movie together. She adores Bette
too.
Hi Rox, I didn’t see you there,
we must have been typing at the same time.
Jan is a night shirt kind of woman, short sleeves.
T shirt material only, she is very
hot at night.(her temp people!)
I like my arms out of the covers, but not naked arms,
so I like long sleeves.
Covers on my arms has always bothered me!
The length is perfect for me. there again,
Jan wears a short one. I cant do that either.
I actually wear pajamas half the time,
but I do love my gowns often too.
Cripes! 70 bucks for a nightgown?! I can’t sleep in anything. I get all tangled up and that triggers ’stuff’ about getting tied up and stuck and well, I just sleep nekkid, it’s better for all involved! I love your art and if I don’t say anything it’s not because it’s yucky or I’m offended or anything…it’s because I can’t come up with anything that sounds ummm, good enough I guess. Maybe that’s the problem some people have too. Who knows really, what’s important is that you know…what you do and why you do it is your stuff and no explanations are needed my dear!
Wow those dresses look groovy, and a style that we certainly don’t see too much here. Not that I am into wearing them…LOL
That Bette song is so moving, and that was a great video too, I think she is incredible, her voice, her acting - just flawless! I wanted to see her ‘Brass” concert, but missed out.
Thankyou for thinking of me! Glad you like her music too! Nice to have something in common!