That’s right, I’ve made it all the way around the sun yet again (and yes, Bono and I do share the same birthday, which for some reason is a bit of trivia I love to brag about)!

As if being another year older isn’t depressing enough, my vacation is over and I’ve returned with no motivation for getting back to work. But I’ll get to work things in a bit because one good thing about birthdays is a pile of presents. And in sticking with the garden theme of my past few birthdays (Portland’s Japanese Garden, London’s Kew Gardens), a good portion of my gifts turned out to be garden-oriented.

Did You Say Shopping?

Yesterday Mr Husband (who claims I’m impossible to shop for) offered to take me shopping for my birthday. Okay, I think he meant clothes shopping, but I said, “Okay, let’s go to the local nursery.” My garden beds are overfilled with perennials, but I love a yearly addition of annuals for my patio containers and I needed a new climbing-type thing to replace a passionflower that didn’t survive our abnormally harsh winter.

Freezing temps…good for snow bears, not so good for plants.

After many trips up and down the aisles of tempting greenery, I ended up with a box full of plants and then spent a good portion of yesterday’s sunny (finally!!) afternoon digging in the dirt. Of course, Finn McSpool lounged around reading while I worked, but he didn’t hesitate to check out the new plants once they were in their new homes.

And of course, he just had to show off by climbing the new fig tree. At only three feet tall, the tree’s not very impressive, but I guess when you’re only a few inches tall, it’s a bit like climbing a full-grown sequoia.

Back to Work…or Not

Despite a huge lack of motivation for any work-related activities, yesterday I also managed to prepare the artwork I needed for my next show that starts tomorrow and runs through August. The space only needs five pieces, and let me tell you, after prepping 25 pieces for my other show that started in April and runs through June, prepping these five works was like a walk in the park!

As for work beyond that, let me sum it up in a word: Ughhhh. Wait, that’s more of a sound, isn’t it?

After having pulled out my manuscript and notebook for my book, I am feeling a tad more motivated to get back to editing/writing. But in regards to art, I’m still trapped under a huge chunk of what’s-the-point ennui after my dismal open house reception (thankfully, this next show does NOT have any type of reception for me to endure).

I’m not sure right now where I want to head with my artwork so I feel a little lost. I do have a couple ideas for some new pieces and techniques; hopefully, once I get some gumption up to start them they’ll provide a guide to getting me back on the right track.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You…

Enough of work, let’s talk about vacation!! Unfortunately, due to limited dates of the super duper PDX-to-LHR airline deal I found, I wasn’t able to spend my birthday in London, but Fortnum & Mason did provide me a bit of pre-birthday cake…I’m still on chocolate overload from this little piece of Sacher Torte.

Since there’s not much book-related news to share, over the next few Saturdays (my usual writing/book blog day), I’ll instead take you on my much-too-short trip to London. Hope to see you then!!!

What about you? How have you been? Getting in the garden? Have a favorite birthday treat? Struggling to get motivated?

15 thoughts on “Happy Birthday to Me…Now What?!”

  1. Welcome back! I didn’t realise that your ‘open house’ had not gone so well. Perhaps next time you can have a blog version and we can all drop in wherever we are in the world!
    I’m currently planning another trip to London and Kew is high on my list of places to visit!

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    1. Well, I suppose the open house was a success in terms of having lots of yummy leftovers, but as for attendance…not so much. Definitely go to Kew! It’s a little pricey but since you can spend an entire day there and still not see everything, I think it’s well worth the fee. I also love that they conduct a lot of botanical/conservation research there. Ooh, and then there’s the palace, and the palm house….

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  3. I have a feeling part of the low turn out for your art show was due to it being a holiday weekend as well as having a portion of a freeway shut down that made the other freeways a mess which spilled out into town. It was a traffic nightmare that weekend!!

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  4. Happy birthday dear Taaaaa-miiiiiiiieeeeee! I’m impressed by your restraint – if that Sachertorte were mine, it would barely have made it out of the box before being devoured cookie-monster-style! And doesn’t Finn look proud of his climbing exploits? It’s a long while since I saw a Beastie looking as content as he does in the photo where he’s perched on top of your lovely new fig tree! How long until​ you start getting figs?

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    1. He was proud. He’s been a little miffed since he didn’t get many photo ops in London, so I let him have his fun the other day. I’d love to have figs this year, but it probably won’t be until next fall, but in the meantime the leaves will make great additions to any Adam & Eve costuming needs. 😉

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  5. PS I’ve been on a complete go-slow myself for most of this year… I blame a hectic November/December, followed by some projects I couldn’t turn down in January, which was supposed to be my rest time! So in a fit of pique, I’ve basically refused to do anything since mid February. Easy enough really, because orders have been non-existent and restocking my Etsy shop is never a particularly inspiring experience. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf this month though, by accepting a short-notice order. Hopefully that will light a fire under me! I’ll let you know if it works… Good luck tackling your own artistic ennui!

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    1. It must be something in the air. I do think the looming deadline is a major motivator. When I had one I kept thinking “When the rush is over I’ll have time to experiment and try all the new things i’m itching to do.” Now I’m left wondering what those new experiments were supposed to be and why I wanted to do them. 🙄

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