studio shuffle....

sometimes you just wonder, you really wonder, what the universe has in store for you... for after all, my life in or out of the studio has been a constant shuffle... it seems to me that the universe must have a different plan for me, or it's just messing with me. either way i'm standing firm and saying enough is enough...

it all began january 1st, now this was a very good day. and i figured whatever we did on the first day of the year would certainly be a prediction of the days to follow...so we headed down the mountain for the day to gather with friends and go to an NCU basketball game. well i will admit that i've never been a fan of basketball, really any sports at all except good old baseball, but i'm really trying since eli is such a jock. mom's have to do what they have to do right? so we had the best of times, well then...the next day it all began...

hubby went to hospital, and yes he's fine, but a scare nonetheless...
the same week my sweet little belle the beagle died...i don't think i've ever been so unhappy or sad, my best friend, my shadow gone from my home and studio... heartbroken is understated
i was sick
eli was sick

eli at hospital for x-rays
i was sick again
eli was sick again
we battled just about every illness that we've ever heard of...and just days ago my oldest son, davey, called saying he had the flu...

so that's what this year has brought....scares, illnesses and sadness

well as i think back to the basketball game, all the running, jumping, bodies hitting the floor, leaps of faith, jumps of triumph, cheers against wrong doings and celebrations and disappointments all mixed into one hour...i see i am receiving just that....every facet of life pumping into a short amount of time...

what have i learned? well of course the obvious, be careful what you do on January 1st, but also to accept, and accept some more and then some more...that whatever i'm given, do it all with love, feel every moment, don't rush through life, everyday is really a gift to do what you can for those you love, to stand strong, to sit and be moved by the birds coming back to their home...to wake up with the window open and to a symphony of birdsong...yes, life is good.

i can't tell you how happy i am to see spring has arrived...for there is that bit of hope in me that thinks maybe this was just a winter thing? no, i know better, it's life in all its greatness...

painting away in the studio and pondering new designs in my head....doors are open to the soft breeze...it can't be better than this...

if you need some color, here's my link: dallison.squarespace.com

the luck of the ole' irish....

(this is my dad at one of his favorite places to play golf, st. andrews golf course in scotland, of course, on his way to ireland!), one good looking irishmen...and as the story goes....

but first, 'proper' irish music for you to enjoy while you read....

from the time i opened my wee little eyes, my father announced to me that i am irish, and he has never stopped. this 'fact' has been bred into me for half a century now, i'm sure to the dismay of my mother. after all, she is a fine mix of scottish, german and other bloodlines. but we don't include this, oh no, i'm 100% irish, and what a fine thing to be.





and as the folklore continues on, i too, have convinced my children that they are irish, and apparently that leaves no room for anything else. and that's just the way it always has been, and always will be until i am gone myself. i have told them that there is an entire county named after them in ireland, that they once had a castle in their family and great great great (something or other) was beheaded (boys love this part), and the castle stolen from our family....the stories go on and on and on.. and that someday they should reclaim their family castle (they love this part too).









I have taught them that 'their' people had to leave their own beloved country due to hunger, slavery and religion, and how they were mistreated by others when they arrived to america...










for them to be proud of their heritage and honor the irish' past....their blood is green, they are irish...and that's that...







and today i live in a mountainous area that the irish came and settled, the view reminding them of their own country....i guess it is a blood 'thing', after all i was drawn here, for no reason, just drawn...

so today i honour the bloodline that i have been blessed with, the fight of the irish fight that i now live; to be treated equal and fairly and to live the religion of my choosing...





just a footnote: it's that time of year when one of my kids announce that they HAVE to wear green so they don't get pinched....i give them my best serious mom look and state clearly - "you are irish, your blood is green." and i know my eyebrows are raised, indicating that there is so much more that i want to say, as i'm biting my tongue....for what i want to say is: You are Irish, Act Like It, If Anyone, and i Mean ANYONE pinches you, take them down...you are a fighter, don't forget it....


support your local irish artists:

www.dallison.squarespace.com/