#44 -- President Barack Obama and Family

Summer's Late Bloomers

I love the flowers at the end of summer. Already the mums are in the markets but I'm still enjoying my constantly blooming rose bushes and the prettiest cosmos! I'm not even thinking of mums. At least not until October.

Working with Paint

I'm a self taught painter so during the hot months of July, I usually come in from my garden and take out the acrylics and oils. Just for the fun of it I painted these funny ostriches from a terrific book called Birds in Love by Jean Leveille, though these guys don't look much like they are in love.

I also put up a clothes line in my office and hung dried flowers, drawings and paintings. I've been working with oak leaf hydrangeas lately. Below are some drawings I'm preparing to paint.


Above is an oak leaf hydrangea I finished earlier. Below are dried lavender and bee balm along with some random paintings.


More later...

And tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

What is time?

I won't bore you with where I've been or what I've been up too. As a actor/writer/gardener/painter, the list is too long. I will say that you can pick up a copy of Brooklyn Noir 3 by Akashic Books and find a short story of mine called, Slaves in Brooklyn. I'll be readings all month in NY bookstores in and around Brooklyn. You can order Brooklyn Noir 3 at Amazon.com or pick up a copy at your local Barnes and Nobles.

In the meantime, check out some of the projects I'm been busy with this past year. This is not even half of it. I'll be showing more later in the week.

For a friend in Harlem.

For my niece in Atlanta, Ga.

For me.

For a lucky friend.

For the husband's birthday. (He likes gorillas. So do I.)

More to come....

I Have A Question For You

So your husband borrows your digital camera for a story he's doing and returns it broken. He says he doesn't know what happened. What to do?

a. Yell and scream
b. kill him
c. take the broken camera to Chrysler Camera Repair

correct answer: a, b and c.

So after I pitched a fit I took the camera to Chrylser on 34th between 8th and 9th where they fixed it in two days with a smile. This place is right across the street from B&H Photo. Their work is excellent and the price was fair AND I bartered my new memory card that I bought off ebay, which was totally wrong for my camera, for one that was just right.

Ok, so I didn't kill my husband but I know he is very afraid.

Global Warming Projects

The winter weather has not been cooperating. Crocuses are coming up. Cherry blossoms are blooming at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. But no--global warming doesn't exist. In the meantime, I purchased this old table for 25 dollars.


I needed it to hold plants and seedlings on the balcony in the spring. First I cleaned and sanded it. Then I primed and painted. It's in my bedroom now holding books. I'm getting really used to seeing it there so I'm looking for another one. I'm a sucker for quirky tables.



Come spring, I'll fit molding around the edges and give it a light poly to protect it from the elements.
Smith and Hawkins, eat your heart out.

'Where Xmas Trees Go To Die

Pine needles are all over your apartment. You found the cat with an ornaments stuck in his mouth. The tree must go. Where? Go to http://www.nycgovparks.org/services/mulchfest/mulchfest.html and learn about the MulchFest which happens January 6th and 7th. You can take your tree there and they make wood chips. If you have a back yard you can use
these wonderful chips to mulch your flower beds. You can even use them to mulch the house plants.