Jennifer Zalewski Studio

I am excited for summer. Not for the heat or humidity (ugh)–not for unrelenting sunshine which I hate (double ugh)– not for the 9 mile race I’m running in July and have to practice for in the aforementioned heat, humidity and blinding sun (triple ugh)–but for all the art projects percolating in my head!! (and the hiking and camping too, of course, but that’s a different post).

Now that May has turned the page, I can stop fretting about storm damage and sheetrock and contractors and start working on art, right?

At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

One of my presents to myself in 2010, upon moving into my new home, was a new Art Hutch. My old one was a, uh, ‘beautiful’ hand-me-down but very Swedish-modern in feel and not really my, uh, type. It was missing a couple doors and weighed about 500 pounds.  Despite living in the city, my new house is decidedly “eclectic country” lol and so I decided to invest in a new place to store my loads and loads of art materials. I bought a pine Hutch and stained it red.

Sadly, I have WAY too much stuff. And it gets crammed in. And eventually I realize I look like a slob (I’m not, really!!) and we need to ‘clean house.’

‘Cleaning’ and ‘organizing’, of course, are just code words for ‘shopping trip’. Coupons in hand, I careened off to Hobby Lobby, AC Moore, and the Joanne’s Superstore to invest in some organizing bins and trays. Nothing fancy of course, but pretty practical for the day-to-day.

Ta da!!!! All cleaned! What is the saying…

CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS, lol.

*adjusts VERY small halo around head*

I threw out a lot. All my old Daniel Smith inks, my Graphic Chemical inks… only a few years old but already gritty with gobs and gobs of dried out crap around the openings? Gone. I’m only using Akua now.

This was my favorite purchase, a handled uh, bin thingy from Hobby Lobby. It has compartments for storing all my block carving tools– my Flexcuts, my Grandpa’s chisels, my slipstrop and Arkansas stone (sharpening), etc etc. They didn’t have red so a nice muted purple sufficed.

Old phone books are super-handy for brayer and ink-knife clean-ups….

Ink knives, paintbrushes, brayers, and my marble rolling pin for those times I don’t want to use the presses. That Dick Blick baren needs to go, it’s worthless. Why did I keep it? Wooden spoon works MUCH better.

My parents found these really neat holey bricks while kayaking on Seneca Lake one time. They brought a bunch home for me–they make awesome pencil holders. I wonder what in they were used for? And why they were dumped in the lake in the first place (litterbugs!).  Well, they have been re-purposed and work beautifully.The Malamute mug was a remnant of my old life– you know how you hear about girls who’ve dreamed their whole lives about getting married?  Well I was the  girl who dreamed her whole life about having a team of Champion Alaskan Malamutes, living in Alaska and running the Iditarod (and winning, of course lol). I still have various malamute stuff around my house–books, rain jackets, figurines, etc. How the hell did I end up with Greyhounds again? ROFL.

Next comes organizing my tables and (gulp) the loft. Stay tuned…

I hope everyone had a nice (long) Memorial Day Weekend? It was incredibly, INCREDIBLY hot here, with really high humidity. A few thunderstorms peppered the weekend, but nothing too huge.

I only got through half of the things on my “to-do” list, but so it goes. \

Just some hiking pics. I reconnected with Wendy (she runs the group I adopted Jackie through) and we went on a nice long hike through Great Bear Recreation Area, just north of the city.  Wen has a greyhound and two Frenchies (all rescues) which was fun. A “roll-icking good time” was had by all, ha ha.

Another Day, we ventured south to Ithaca to buy our park pass for the summer and hike at Buttermilk Falls State Park. I’d never been there before, hmm, probably won’t again. No dogs were allowed anywhere near the falls observation area, which kind of stunk.

This was as close as we could get. Yay.

After studying the trail map, my goal was to hike with Jack along the Rim Trail, which would bring us eventually to Treman Lake (maybe a 2 mile hike?). I had a fanny pack–wait, it isn’t ’88 anymore, now they are called ‘lumbar packs’ lol– with water, Jack’s bowl, trail map, and some snacks. I was uber-prepared. We took off up the Rim trail. Up, up, up. Up, up. up. Eventually down, down, down. Hmmm. We wandered around for close to 45 minutes, sweating like pigs in the heat and humidity. I studied my map like crazy. Couldn’t find the trailhead to Treman Lake, wth?  Where was it? Well finally we broke out of the trees, to what I THOUGHT was the trailhead for Treman Lake, way up in the upper park.  I was super excited (and relieved). Then I saw my car. And then I realized that instead of hiking up Rim trail to Treman, I had hiked a small service road around the parking lot and was back where I started.

Fail.

I packed Jack in the car and debated driving home (hanging head in shame) but decided to drive up to Treman instead. I didn’t get lost this time, LOL. We parked at the trailhead and had a nice hike along the lake. I was surprised how low it was, considering the rain we’ve gotten this season. Weird.

Handsome dude, right??  It was too hot to canoe this weekend (comfortably, at least) but hopefully we’ll dip back into the 60′s and 70′s again, so Jack can try out his new life-vest! We’ve been practicing ” down” and “stay” all winter, so hopefully he will be a Canoe Dog Champion.

(Just in case, I DID buy waterproof containers for my camera, cell phone and keys, LOL…)

It seems that overnight, summer has come to Central New York! Hard not to smile, even when your house is still a disaster LOL.

Well, I guess storm stuff first:

Re-sheetrocking areas where the mud seeped in worst. When we (well, me and my Dad who is coming over to help) opened the walls, wet silty mud was sitting inside. We had to strip out the insulation that was wet, dry it out for a couple weeks, and then patch it up.  It’s a messy and dusty process, but MAN. Spackle smells so awesome!

Okay, this is the only wall we’ve done so far. The mud came in through several other rooms and I’m wondering if I need to open those walls, too?  And as you can see, the wall-to-wall carpeting is gone. The mud only discolored a small part of the carpet, but found out that it drenched the carpet pad throughout the closet and into the bedroom! It was old anyway, and Cliff had done a number on it his final few weeks. Goodbye, old carpet.

Almost 2 straight weeks of rain after the storm has produced miracles in the front yard! At least it doesn’t look as trashy as it did before.

Here it is close-up. The mud formed a huge patty on top of the grass, almost 2 inches thick. I spent a gazillion hours out there with a garden hoe, chopping the mud into tiny pieces so (hopefully) the grass underneath could pop through. And it has! I’ve spent a small fortune on grass seed too, trying to help. Hours and hours of hard work. I mean, HOURS AND HOURS. I like to think it helped me burn carbs and build muscle mass, LOL…

Many, many MANY back-breaking wheelbarrows full of mud moved into the far-reaches of the backyard. Finally though, I just ran out of space for it. The city won’t take it–the only place that will is a village dump about 15 miles west of here (I’d have to transport it myself too, though). So I just used my hoe to break the chunks up and spread it out as best I could.  Throw down more grass seed, hope for the best.

My front gardens are still covered in huge mud patties that are starting to dry out and crack. I’m so “mudded out” by now, I don’t know what to do with it and don’t have much brain left to think about it too hard. Hoe it up? Throw mulch over it and pretend it’s not there? I pulled out most of the debris that washed in with it (various rocks, sticks, crumpled beer cans, energy drink bottles, ping-pong balls… etc etc) so it’s pretty “clean.” Well, it’s sitting there for now.

I have to say, I’ve been really blessed. Friends and family have chipped in SO much–helping me with cleaning and repairs, lending fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the wettest areas, buying me grocery cards, supplies and towels (I lost all my towels, and all the ‘dog’ towels, in the storm). My colleagues at work “passed the hat” to help with contractor fees and new flooring for the bedroom.  My neighbors have come over and checked to make sure everything was going well. And ya’ll left such nice comments on my last post!!! It feels very … good… to know people are there for you, thinking about you.

Some non-storm stuff??

We’ve had a friend staying over a bit. He’s 10 y.o. and a spitfire. Jack  dislikes him, LOL–he’s WAY too playful and feisty for my stodgy 4 y.o.!!

Jack’s adoption group just started up a monthly meet and greet program at the local mall, and we attended the first one to spread the word about Greyhound adoption! Looking forward to more (although a lot LOT of children stopped by, and I absolutely DESPISE children. As you can see from the photo though I smiled through it all, even if it was an I’m-throwing-up-in-my-mouth-a-bit smile, rofl).

Current art project–doing a pet portrait commission. Working in oil pastel and doing cats- two nice changes from my usual.

The endless weeks of rain stopped, allowing a lot of zooming in the yard… Jackpot loves to chase toys!   I just love seeing him so joyful.

Lack of rain also made for REALLY great hiking weather. We’ve been out several times a week (after work and weekends) at local state parks, city parks, and county forests hiking the trails.  It’s the best time of year to be out… the trees are so BRIGHT. They’re just popping!!

In other fun news, I hope to finish all the “housework” related to the storm within the next couple weeks (except for the crawl space, which will take a few months to dry out) and will start a serious search for another Pack Member. I have an appointment already to meet one young lady (a Greyhound) and have some other appointments I need to set up to meet a couple other ladies (non-Greyhounds). I also have a day trip planned to NYC with my mom, a few aunts and cousin (yay, Big Apple!!) and am starting to think about camping. And ART too… have some great ideas percolating. And I’ve ordered new tools… mmm, dangerous!

Well, I think that’s it for now. It’s 8:30, time for bed (I know, I’m so lame!)… Happy Wednesday, ya’ll.

Jen

It’s been a rough few weeks. It always is, when you lose a dog. Especially a dog with such a huge personality like Clifford. And with such … energy… like Clifford. And who (whom?) I loved so much, like Clifford. The house is boring, lonely, dull…you know how it is. It’s unbearable, sometimes.

But time marches on, and when life hands you a lemon, you make lemonade. No, wait. Sometimes life pelts you with multiple lemons. Or rotten eggs. Or something. I only had about a week to mope about Clifford’s passing before all hell broke loose and Mother Nature just…went… ah, apeshit. I guess that’s the only way to put it.

I’ll say right up front that one of the reasons why I love New York State is because of the weather. I love the four seasons. And we don’t have “issues” like other states (unless you count *coughcough* Albany *coughcough*)– by issues I mean weather issues LOL… there’s no hurricanes… No tornadoes… No wildfires… No tsunami worries… No real earthquakes… etc etc. Sure, we have a few bad snowstorms every now and then, and once every 10 or 20 years a real blizzard happens, but nothing catastrophic. Absolutely nothing.

Until April 26, dum dum dum–!!

This April has been wetter than wet. I mean, it’s the rainiest April in history I guess. Combine this with a major- MAJOR- freak storm that ripped up on the 26th and up reared the apocalypse in Central New York. Rivers flooded. A tornado formed and touched down. Hail the size of golf balls. Rain and lightening like you WOULDN’T BELIEVE. Sewers exploded. Streets collapsed. Trees toppled like toothpicks.

The catch-pond up the hill couldn’t hold all the water. It was filling too fast, the rain was coming too hard.  I later saw a video my neighbor filmed on his digital camera.  A river of brown, fast-flowing water, rushing down the turnpike hill, jumping the sidewalks, flowing fast into people’s yards and swamping their houses with silt and debris. Mine was one of them.

While a lot (LOT) of flooding happened, and half the city’s homes seemed to get wet basements as a result, my poor low-sitting house had the misfortune of flooding on the inside. Yeah. After the waters receded, it left the front yard covered in 2 inches of mud and  watery silt through my living room, front hallway, bedroom, laundry room, and kitchen. My crawl space under the house filled to the rafters with water. The driveway was completely gone. The backyard was mostly lake.

Yeah.

My illustrious insurance company, MetLife, doesn’t cover any mud, silt, or water damage from mudslides (no, not an “act of God” like my neighbor’s insurance calls. MetLife is creative. They don’t cover any damage that stems from anything “of and from the earth”. Otherwise known as “earth movement.” Which leaves me with a huge W.T.F. I mean… Why am I paying insurance again?REALLY?? Thanks for nothing, MetLife).

When the Insurance Adjuster called to tell me So Sad, Too Bad, I just lost it. Crying, blubbery mess. But really, I guess I need to step back and take a deep breath about it.   Besides spending DAYS mopping & cleaning mud from the floors and walls, removing baseboards and molding and bleaching them over and over, throwing out most of my area rugs and having to remove the bedroom rug and underlying carpet pad, which was pretty gross anyway, shoveling and moving mud from the driveway area–my damage has been minimal. I mean, Thank God. Jack was okay (I should mention that the storm happened around 3:30, while I was still at work, and Jack was home alone-he’s okay, even though my padlocked fence had been blown open from the force of the rushing water, and Jack had access to the dog door to get out). The furnace and hot water heater are okay. My crawl space needs help from a contractor, since the force of the water and mud blew the vents in and pulled down all the insulation (local firefighters were nice enough to pump it out). And I need to re-sheetrock my closet, which seemed to bear the brunt of the mud/water damage. But other than that, things seem okay.

(Well, except for the landscaping. My front yard… all the grass, all the BEAUTIFUL gardens… was destroyed. It now looks like I live in a hovel. )

Dad and one of my brothers came over to help me a few days after the storm. We were able to plow the driveway out using the lawn tractor and snowplow attachment… with modest success…

In the week or two since the storm, it’s finally dried out a bit and I’m able to shovel the mud into a wheelbarrow and take loads of it into the backyard to put wayyyyyy in back. It’s not fun. My back is killing me. My shoulders feel dislocated. The mud is filled with trash–crumpled beer cans, golf balls, energy drink containers, bubble wrap, candy wrappers, just grossness. I have to sort through all the debris like a miner, to make sure nothing junky is the mud that could hurt Jack. I think about how pretty my yard and gardens were and how they’re ruined. How I don’t feel safe in my house anymore. How I wish I never moved. How I wish Cliff was still here to carry his stuffed maggot around and cheer me up.

I feel mad at myself for feeling so upset though. The  horrific flooding along the Mississippi and its tributaries, and all the tornadoes that have ripped through Alabama…? I mean, those folks have it 1,000x worse than I do. They’ve lost–or might lose–everything. So why do I feel so discombobulated and overwhelmed? Why am I so freaked out about this? It’s nothing compared to what they face down south every year. Nothing.

I guess because it was so unexpected. And now I just need to deal with it.

Jack is doing his best to keep the situation light. You can’t really get too depressed when such a  handsome pup is zooming around the yard with a squeaky toy in his mouth–Or sneaking food off the counter every chance he gets–Or doing his best to learn how to jump  through a hot pink hoola-hoop on command–can you?

Jen

PS- One of the local news teams was covering storm damage in the area, saw me [attempting to] shovel mud out of my driveway, and stopped to film me. Unshowered, covered in mud, hair all askew–not exactly how I would have wanted my TV debut, but…  /  I am a bit amused that Jack is in the video too. If you listen carefully, you can hear his high-pitched OMGMyMomIsOutsideWithoutMe!!! bark, twice, during the segment lol. Go get ‘em, Jack.