Tardy miscellany

GOOD GRIEF! No posts for two weeks; for shame. Well, I haven't been slacking otherwise, so I'll tell you about some of the things which have been keeping me activated:

Working on frames for my upcoming participation in a summer show at Gallery Siano, 3rd and Arch, Philadelphia. The frames, as of Tuesday, are done; and the paintings are ready to mount, as of 7:00 this AM. So, stay tune for that, coming up July 7th - August 26th. www.gallerysiano.com

Doing Barnes garden walks instead of eating lunch, has been very rewarding...I've always had a minor hobby of birdwatching, and entertained the desire to be an amateur naturalist and nature writer...so I've found a way to curry those passions, and it's been a wonderful experience. I am compiling a birder's list of all the birds I identify in the Barnes arboretum, and I'll be posting that list for those who might be interested...it's longer than you might think. I've been posting my list data on www.ebird.org Also, explore www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/

Reading when I get the chance: Early Christian Fathers by an Oxford don whose name I cannot recall, and Journey into Summer, by Edwin Way Teale. The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, is waiting in the flanks (July 4th weekend??).

Studying the book of Acts for my church's growth group training and upcoming small group program returning in October...very rewarding! As a group of leaders/potential leaders, we read through the book in its entirety, alternating chapters between us, in one evening...if you get a chance, do it with your family or some friends...it's amazing how you gain some new insights reading Scripture this way.

Researching mortgages, working on fixing furniture we found in the trash, and other various moving/house related duties...come August (Lord willing) we will be moving to our first house. When I become overwhelmed with speech of "escrow; PMI; Fannie Mae; amortization, etc.", and want to tear at my follicles, I repeat three times: "the first time is the hardest..."

Also, have been working at some short poems; a new painting based on my hard-fought search for a stylized grain-sheaf shape, and other various esoteric pursuits...stay tuned!

...And you're so right, Rubens; Jehovah, he is so good...