Gauguin

"Three Tahitians" - Gauguin 1899

The Seattle Art Museum is touting its latest exhibition, Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise.  This is the only stop in the US for this exhibit. I think anytime you have a chance to see the work of a famous artist you should take it. So we went.



I have never been all that fond of Paul Gauguin's work but art historians say it significantly influenced modern art, Picasso in particular. (That must be why I don't care all that much for his work - I am not a big fan of modern art.) I was very impressed with his carved wood statues. The exhibit included Polynesian and Maori artifacts.  The wood carvings were outstanding-some very intricate.  


Here's an interesting bit of trivia I learned about Gauguin - both his father and a son were named Clovis...

Discerning Palate

I am still so happy about the switch we made last year to the Oxbow pellets. Clovie, well, still not so happy. I compromise by mixing in a heaping tablespoon of his old favorite brand. One of these days I am going to run out and then what?  Heaven forbid he should be deprived. I'll probably buy some more.

He gets so darned excited for his pellets! He'll run around my feet as I'm filling his bowl then stop to bite the toe of my left shoe twice as if to hurry me up. Amidst his crazy eights, I slide my feet over to the rug where I feed him so I don't step on him and set his bowl down.

He dives in and his little head circles the bowl until he finds a piece of the old brand. I don't know how he knows the difference. Discerning palate I guess.  The same palate that leaves one little wilted piece of lettuce on the plate because it's a little too far gone.

Saturday Dialogue

Me: "Clovie, come out here so I can take your picture."
Clovie:  "Not now!"

Me:  "Now turn around so I can see your face." 
Clovie:  "I'm eating!"

Me:  "C'mon, do something cute for the blog."

Clovie:  "What's a blog?"

Me:  "Inspire me now, I know you can do it."
Clovie:  "Sheesh!"

Me:  "Clovie..."

Clovie:  "............"

Clovie:  "Get that thing out of my face!"

Me:  "Okay! Okay! Forget I asked!"

Dear Dad,

I cannot believe it has been a year since you left us. I miss you and think of you often.  Sometimes I sense your presence, behind me, looking over my right shoulder. It's comforting to have you there.

I know you must have held my hand when I was new born, when I took my first steps, or to keep me safe when we crossed a street. Remember holding my hand when you bounced me on your foot singing "Pony Boy" or did flips after dinner in the living room? 

I am so glad I had the chance to hold your hand as you were leaving.

Love you,
Sue

Trip to the Vet

Today was our monthly trip to the Country Animal Hospital for Clovie's tooth trim.  I enjoy visiting with Dr. Heather and sometimes her patients can be very entertaining. When we arrived a pygmy house goat named Lily was checking in.  She was on a leash like a dog. Her little hooves made a nice sound on the wood floor. I came close for a picture and she reared up on her hind legs.  I have to say it scared me but her owner said she was just being playful. Okay, if you say so. 

Driving out and back I saw how much tree damage our recent winter storm did.  Trees down and broken branches everywhere, much more than I imagined, a reminder that Mother Nature can be very powerful.

When we got home, Clovie scampered out of his carrier and into his condo where he hid as usual, miffed at me for putting him through so much torture.

Ice Storm

We've had a rough weather week.  It started out with lots of beautiful snow then progressed to freezing rain followed by high winds.  The fir trees were really weighted down with snow and ice.  We could hear the branches snapping as they broke; it looked like a war zone around here with tree boughs and branches everywhere.  So many trees are now disfigured. Fortunately we had only one tree that sustained major damage.

Broken branches lead to downed power lines.  We were powerless for three days.  We had hot water, a gas fireplace and our barbeque so we managed. 

We brought Clovie's cage in next to the fireplace to keep him warm and Minnow cat parked herself there too. We wore three layers of clothing, played games, worked on puzzles and read books in the dark with our book lights. So we managed.

Clovis was such a good bunny. He was cooped up in his cage but he seemed content to be there.  I let him out once for some exercise and he kicked up his heels and got a good workout.

I sure hope this was the worst of our winter.

Snovis

We don't get much snow here in the Seattle area but when we do it can sometimes be a major event like it was today. No school, businesses closed, snarled traffic. I managed to get to work - a white knuckle drive down a very steep hill and we closed early. Here's the surprise I got when I pulled in the driveway this afternoon...

 

 
What a busy bunny! Nice work, Clovie!