It's A Dog Day Afternoon!

The dogs are dozing on the willow bench in the breezeway while huge white globs of snow slop towards the earth outside. Mom is catching her 12:30 soap opera while perched on a footstool in the living room.

Everyone it seems is quite content to stay inside today and soak up the toasty heat from the wood fire. Mom is doing well. We've had Dr's visits this week along with home health care visits and physical therapy. Just two weeks out from having major heart surgery I find it satisfying to see her doing anything.
I'm rambling today trying to collect my thoughts for this blog. Today is one of those days when I really don't want to think. It's wonderful to glance outside and watch the snow forming. It started out as wet globs splattering like big bugs on the windshield. I didn't see the instant it changed over into all white glittery flakes, sifting slowly now like powdered sugar over a bare chocolate cake.
Okay, I'll snap out of it. I need to get serious. There are important things to think about. I wanted to tell you about the cows up there in my blog header.

They are taken from an old oil painting done by my great grandmother on my Dad's side of the family. Her name was Emma. Quite the lady I am told. From all of the stories I've heard about her the one I find most fascinating is the one where she threw a fellow out of the barn while she was milking cows. Evidently the chap made a rude comment about Kate Smith, a popular singer at the time whom she adored. You didn't get away with that around Emma. She'd put you in your place. She was an artist. She painted her surroundings in life such as the cows and flowers. I'm told this cow painting was one of her earliest, painted around the turn of the century(1910). It hangs above our mantel in the living room.

How I wish I could have met Emma! I've studied this painting since childhood when it hung in the farmhouse we lived in. I'd always hoped that somehow it would bring me closer to her. Knowing what she knew, seeing what she saw. I love looking at the way she painted cows. Quite dainty and fine for such cumbersome creatures don't you think? I think she liked cows.

I've rambled enough today. I'll leave you with a photo of the cow painting. It's still in it's original frame that is quite beat up. I will not change it, for I know she touched it.