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Today's Quote: "Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold." --Proverbs 22:1
A friend and I talked about the changing world and loss of ethics in politics, the business world, and people. We didn't come up with a single reason (I could go on forever) but know that the pursuit of money at the expense of ethics will be the ruin of America. Hold on to your ethical principals, my friends! Somebody has to.
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Trinity Chapel, a historical church in Texas
oil on 11x14 inch hardboard panel
palette knife painting with texture |
ART. The second painting in my series of historical churches was painted with a palette knife to capture the essence of a church in Trinity, Texas. View this painting in person to see the thick applications of oil paint and the texture on this canvas. The Trinity Church will be another featured painting in my upcoming show "Windows of the Soul" at the Garden of the Dragonfly Gallery in Old Town Spring opening August 28. Email me for more information. artist@vbridgeshoyt.com
LIFE. Friday was one of those days when I wonder if the stars are out of alignment.
Foremost, the heat this summer is unbearably hot in southeast Texas. A heat advisory has been issued for several days and is predicted through all of next week. "Heat advisory" is issued when the heat index reaches 108 degrees F. and has to lower to
below 105 degrees for three days in a row for release (or should I say relief). We are hovering between 106 - 110 degrees heat index. Saturday when I could sleep late, I awoke early again. I let the dog out and checked the thermometer right outside the back door. At 5:30 a.m. the mercury already registered 84 degrees and the air felt rather like a steam sauna; however, the ground is dry and plants are wilting. The native Texas habitat! In southeast Texas near the Gulf Coast our weather oscillates between a semi-tropical paradise and the stereotypical dryer heat of central Texas.
Scurrying around with paperwork and preparing packages to ship, I rushed out the backdoor to carry a package to my car. Almost a reflex, I reached around behind me and flipped the door lock, closed the door, opened the gate and OOPS! My car doors were locked. I reached in my pocket for my keys. No keys! Uh-oh ... I was locked out of my car and locked out of my house with no cellphone in my pocket ... and it was HOT at 4:00 p.m. Long story short, I went to the neighbor's house, borrowed a phone, called my son who drove over and unlocked my house. By 5:00 o'clock I was in my car headed to the UPS store to ship the packages. Thank you, my son. Thank you, my neighbor, for letting me sit in your nice cool house while waiting. After dinner I watered my wilted plants around the patio and left the water running to raise the pool level (which evaporates quickly in this heat), then got focused on painting until midnight-thirty.
Back to my waking time of 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning (who knows why), I let Miss Brooke outside and noticed water everywhere ... NOT rain. On a cooler day the backyard would have been flooded, but with this heat, the only water standing was on the patio. The dry ground under flower beds and lawn had sucked up most of the overflow. I wish it had been rain. My flowers and grass got a partial watering with chlorinated water, but my next water bill will be sky high.
Last week I lost three days to 'putting out fires' and need to pull my thoughts back to the daily work. Nothing, not even the mundane, is ever dull around here.
