Oh the fun you can have when you open your mind to new things! It can be just an idea, or a new book, a spice you’ve never used before, a new design, a different hobby or or or … And when that happens, you’re likely to become just a little distracted – right?
Well that day it was about dragon flies. I was painting wine glasses and got stuck on rocking chairs and anchors when two of my sisters suggested I do dragon flies because people love dragon flies. Really? I was totally surprised as I am ‘people’ and I honestly can’t recall ever being in love with a dragon fly. Actually, I had never really given them much thought at all. Truth be told, I could not really remember what a dragon fly looked liked so I did exactly what came to mind. I decided to paint a butterfly.
There were a number of things going on that day. There were the wood plaques that needed some work, sketches half finished and, boring as it seemed at the time, it was laundry day. I was also intent on getting in some real exercise as the winter weather had rounded out the waistline and stiffened up the joints. The plan was to ‘run the stairs’. My painting room, being in the basement, was the perfect location as it meant trips up and down during the course of events – coffee breaks, meal times, answering the phone, working in the office, painting, doing laundry.
The plaques were painted and I was ready to get started on the butterfly. The original would be a painting Kaitlyn, my granddaughter, had done the year before. I love her art work so it would serve as the perfect model. It was up the stairs to my office to print a copy. It seemed like forever since I had a coffee so I stopped to make one – Hazelnut flavour – steaming hot and delicious. Then I fired up the computer, turned on the printer, found the picture I needed and set the print command. I stopped to google ‘dragon flies’. Gosh, but they were kind of pretty.
It was then that I remembered the laundry. Coffee in hand, I darted in the laundry room to get the first load of clothes underway. It was the whites, of course. Don’t you always start with the whites? There was a beautiful white linen tablecloth, a set of white bed sheets, white towels and face clothes. I heard the ding and beep of the printer – out of paper. In went the detergent and off I went to load the paper. Another run downstairs, the glass prepared and brush in hand, I was armed and ready. It was then I remembered the coffee!
Up to the laundry room I went, running the stairs (again) and in the doorway, I stopped in mid stride. Oh NO! The detergent cup was full. The coffee cup was empty.
An hour and a half later the stains were gone and the washer was set to wash.
Naturally, I blamed it all on the dragon flies but seriously … do you remember my story “Somebody Shouts Squirrel”.
