ALL BY MYSELF

What do you do at 3 o'clock in the morning while everyone else in your household is fast asleep? Why, write a blog post of course!?

I was recently invited by an online wedding publication, who felt us worthy of a feature in their online magazine, to submit pics to them to accompany their article. As I began sifting my way through the many gigabytes of photos stored on our pc, it occurred to me that the very location of My Painted Porch in it's constant state of organized confusion, has never to date been shared with anyone. And so this morning (or night), I thought to share some pics of my creative den...where it all happens, well...most of it that is.

While I write, I take note of all that surrounds me...a tube of my fave hand cream, my eyeglasses (it's an aging thing), hairclips, an emery board, the usual coffee cup (or teacup...depending on the day), telephone, fax machine/copier, scanner, filing cabinet. This is where what starts as an idea, goes to paper with a sketch and graphics. Did I mention the area also serves double duty as my dining room :-)?!!  But too messy to take a photo of...

It then makes its way to my husband (my carpenter), who deciphers and traces my skillful hen scratchings into something recognizable (he also finishes my sentences on occasion), and the idea soon finds itself in our basement at the wait of a saw. Also too messy to take a photo of...

With the form cut, and carried up 4 flights of stairs to the studio, here it lies awaiting my abuse. Also too messy to take a photo of, but permitted somehow, and so I did...

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'!

Hmmmm...I'm from the Maritime Provinces of Canada. When we speak of fishing, something many of our forefathers raised their families on, we mostly refer to some of our guys going out in a boat, or on the ice, with what is commonly known, maybe even universally, as "a 6 pack" of NB brewed beer, or Tim Horton's coffee, dangling toes in the cool waters from the stern of a canoe, or in the hot ice-shanty fires that can burn the toes of your socks if you're Australian and not careful - to cast a line, or a net, in the sparkling reflection of the sun on the water, or on the crystal covered ice, to gain nothing other than, fish! NEVER, in my wildest dreams, did I dream that fishing or 'phishing', could ever mean, invading someone's website, with the intentions of stealing someone's private information, for the benefit of absolutely no common good, but for one's own lazy, greedy, ruthless and illegal personal a&&...errrr, gain.

As a Canadian, snowbound, and anxiously awaiting a spring vacay where toes are buried in sand, the sun shining down on us, ice-cold drinks in hand and Caribbean music swirling around our heads, as we try to figure out how to make the fins on the fish more indented without caving our 3 yr old's sand sculpture, I'm sure to be thinking that I personally know not much about fishing, nor phishing.

Only this...

To the dirty dogs who phished our website and deemed it "account suspended" and inaccesible, shame on you. Didn't your fathers ever teach you the value of hard work for your benefits, and how to 'fish', the old fashioned way??

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