Out of nowhere bees start swarming inside the old building that houses my studio. The fifty year old frame structure has had several incarnations, office, woodworking shop, leather-smith, and now a painter’s atelier. The bees were looking for a new home to bring their queen. It’s like a group of them showed up to check out the suitability for laying eggs and building honeycombs. While they were inspecting the premises I ran into the house to call a beekeeper. it’s not a highly sought after position. One refused to come over as the ground was unstable and the entry hole the bees found was too high. The other promised to call back. After being unsuccessful in finding someone to help, my friend and I went out to check on the progress the invaders made. It’s a miracle, they were gone. John stuffed the gap with rags and I returned to my paintings.
My plans for the day was to paint a rose to include in my collage, yet unnamed. When applying for the Emerging Artist grant I did not consider the time I would need to create paintings for the upcoming show, write the blog, and go to meetings. I try to get painting time every day but sometimes household duties take precedence. It’s hard for me to say no to socializing. Now to try and squeeze it all in can be stressful. I thought this time in my life I would be free of stress. Of course I know that this is all self-inflicted. All I have to do is set my priorities.
Painting the rose was my goal for the day the bees decided to take over my space. This whole episode has caused me to think about my lifestyle and perhaps do a little self reflection, Ouch! I think of Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way” where he sings, “I bit off more than I could chew…I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way.” So I’ve rearranged my thinking and will get it all done.
