last weekend, in the Catskills

 You knew I'd feel better after a weekend in the store, didn't you? I'd just been away too long. Doesn't it look like those ducks are racing? Like they're trying to get into the duck Olympics?

Oops, some of them are going their own way now. That is the creek that runs through Margaretville. It should be frozen but we're having a weirdly warm winter. Where do ducks go in winter?

I guess the race is over. Now they are just doing random charming duck things. Speaking of ducks...

I took the duck sleigh to the store.

And Smokey the Bear pencils, which I am giving away. 

If your life is not complete without a Smokey the Bear pencil, email me your address--jen (at) countryweekend (dot) net, and I will send you one. (International friends included.) It will take a while, because they're at the store and I'm not going back for a few weeks. But you'll forget about it, and then be all excited when you get real mail with a stamp and everything.

Jen

p.s.

I appreciate your wisdom and kind words regarding yesterday's post. One of the primary reasons I opened the store was to help me feel more connected to the Catskill community and not just a weekender. I guess I could have joined a hiking club or done some volunteer work, but I like to complicate things.

Going there less often in the winter is good in many ways, but I definitely feel less a part of that community.

These pictures are some of my collection of nature-related books in our house in the country. I used to spend my weekends reading and hiking. Now, I have a life there.

                                    our driveway in the country

It's time for me to get on the road. I'll report back next week in a more positive frame of mind, I hope.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jen

doubt

looking out

Opening a store was a pretty crazy thing to do. Nothing in my background, except a tendency to act impulsively and the fact that my father had an antiques business, would lead anyone who knows me to think I would do such a thing. 

looking in

When I'm in the store it feels right. When I'm away from it, which I usually am, I often wonder why I'm doing it--putting all this effort into what boils down to perpetuating consumerism. 

looking

I'm sure this is partly the winter blahs, and the fact that I've been going there less often. When I'm there the store feels alive and right. I hope this weekend, my doubts will be put to rest, and that I will find motivation to continue this particular journey.

mucking around

You may remember a while back I was experimenting with mixed media. The first few were pretty awful. But I liked this one.

I put it on my mantel to see if it was something I would want to look at on a regular basis.

I did, so I decided to make some more. Here are two of them. You can get a better look at them if you click on the pictures.

 I added pine needles to this one.

 Paint, an old fox picture, a vintage map of Canada, string and seeds.

It's an utterly absorbing process. Like taking a long walk or swimming. Maybe it's a bridge to painting, or maybe it just is what it is.

simple beauty

Yesterday morning I went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (above) and had the same experience I've had the last few times I've gone to large museums. I couldn't get past the dark and heavy European galleries fast enough. I needed the simplicity, the calmness, the breathing room of Asian art.

I felt the same way when I looked at flowers today, in the supermarket where choices are limited and bouquets are busy. Delicately colored tulips in my favorite rustic pitcher? Perfectly simple/simply perfect. 

Joining the always delightful and charming Flowers in the House here.

auction fun

I went to an auction Monday. That's where I got the paintings in my last post, and also a large framed photo of a canoe, which I cannot get an acceptable photo of because of glass reflections. (Photo tips welcome.) Also:

 A child's rocker. I've sold quite a few of these, in various styles, often to grandparents.

 Twig tables. This style is often called Adirondack, named for the wilderness region north of the Catskills, known for its camps, lodges, and handmade rustic furniture, mostly from the early 20th century.

Remember the duck sleigh I got a while back?

Now we have a rocking duck of similar vintage.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jen

winter art

                 farm scene, recently purchased at auction

More and more I find myself wanting to completely cover the store walls with vintage art. I've been collecting store inspiration pictures on pinterest--look how many of them show that very thing.

                                       portrait, recently purchased at auction

Though we have had little snow this year it is bleak and cold. I want to linger in museums, study my art books, and take out my paints. I was a studio art major in college, and painted for pleasure occasionally after, but I never took myself seriously as a visual artist. Two winters ago I took it up again for a season, and now once more I find myself wanting to lose myself in color and form and inner landscapes.

I am going to the store less--there is very little business in the winter, and I need a break from the long drive. So for the next few months it will only be open Saturdays (except for holiday weekends) and I will probably go up every third week. For now, my weekends are better spent reading, visiting museums, and, for at least one more Sunday, watching football.