Win a few...lose a few

Well, I took it to the fair. Won a few ribbons with my art, my photography and my roses/herbs/lilies. I look forward to this all year and take photos with the fair in mind, much of the time. Rather simple enjoyment, but enjoyment nonetheless. Guess it goes back to my roots. My 83-yr old Alzheimer's-ridden dad told me, the other day, that he used to raise steers to show at the fair. I know that's right. All his long-term distant memories are fully in tact. I wish I had pictures of him showing those steers, back in the 30's in Wayne County Nebraska. But I can use my imagination.

I guess dad doesn't remember the blue ribbons of his that I have in my fair albums that were from roses I entered for him a few years back. I'll show him one day soon. When I get my albums updated from this summer's fairs.

Here's a mini that won the blue ribbon in it's class. I showed it in one of my old perfume bottles since all the vases I had were too big. The perfume bottle was a bottle my dad gave me in 1964 when he returned from Paris. It was Worth Je Reviens .



Speaking of imagination, do you ever find yourself wanting to paint, but you can't come up with a subject? Then when you finally do, you're pushing deadlines, hurrying and rushing but most of all praying that what you've done is worthy. I managed to get a watercolor landscape painting done the night before it was to be entered! I even won first with it! But didn't take time to get photos yet.

I learned a good lesson about loss. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, what matters is that you do things honorably and by the rules. Then you feel good...which is the best win of all!

Thought for the day...

"Most of the time I have all these thoughts bouncing around in my head, but with a brush in my hand, the world just gets kinda quiet. "

Allie in The Notebook