for Denise



 Denise has earned a rest after dealing with cancer for the past 10 years. She was really something special. I'm not just saying this-it is absolutely true that everyone who met her loved her. We should all be so lucky to leave behind such a legacy. I am blessed to have had her for a friend. I feel sad for her husband and her girls (age 17 and 14) and her parents. I selfishly feel sad for me, too. She would have been only 51 in February. Her passing is leaving a big hole in the world. It's a great loss and she will be missed.

2013 - The Year in Review

Subtitle: 2 Weddings and a Funeral.

Summary: I lost a gall bladder and a father, but gained 2 in-laws.

2013 started off pretty good, then took a quick turn to the crappy. My little Bert got married, which was a fun thing. Then Dad was in a terrible car accident and subsequently died--definitely a sad and miserable experience for all of us. A week after that my gall bladder exploded and I had to have surgery. Not fun, but I sure feel better now. Malcolm decided to go back to college...and he's doing great-thanks for asking. I joined a gallery and able to disply my paintings in public--good for me, I'm not sure about the public, though. My baby brother turned 50! We had another wedding-Jon and Lila. Definitely a wonderful thing. And I found out I'm going to be a granny, times two. Awesome! But, sadly, I must report the death of a very dear friend of mine. Denise went into the hospital the week before Christmas, finally succombing to cancer. She fought it for 10 years. I am so, so sad to lose her. I have to tell you, she was absolutely an amazing person. I worked with her for almost 18 years. We were in same department and for most of that time she sat over the cubicle wall. You get close to a person when you spend 40 hours a week with them year after year. So, all in all, the year was mixed. Some wonderful things and some incredibly sad things. But, that's life.

The birthday boy with wife and youngest daughter in historic Old Williamsburg.



The box Taumi, Mike and Jon Lee built with scrap lumber for Dad's cremation. Inside is model of a tobacco barn, a sausage biscuit from McDonald's, with coffee (sugar, no cream) and the Farmer's Almanac.



Mr. and Mrs. Jon

Jon and Lila

I am very happy to report that Jon and Lila were married yesterday, Dec. 20, at the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough. The magistrate was kind enough to suggest that the ceremony be performed outside in front of the courthouse rather than in the office at the county detention center. It was a cloudy, but warm day--VERY warm for December. We're so happy (relieved!) for Jon. He's had a rough go of it these past few years. Now he seems to have settled into the domesticated lifestyle with a wonderful young woman. Lila is a student at UNCG (where Malcolm is a student, as well). The lovely couple will be living in Mebane, between Chapel Hill and Burlington...in case you are making plans to come visit. That's 2 down and 1 to go. Lila is actively recruiting for Malcolm. So, if you know of any drug and disease-free, mentally stable women between the ages of 19 and 29...submit an application with current photograph.

Introducing Sgt. and Mrs. Boston

I braved the rain and fog and make the trek to Fayetteville for Cal's promotion ceremony. It was a low-key affair--held in a conference room at the building where he works. Uniforms have changed since my day, so I couldn't tell what anyone's rank was. I believe there was some brass, though. Cal's mom and dad were there. His dad is a full bird colonel. Little Bert was the one who actually got to rip off his old rank and stick on his sergeant stripes. She was supposed to punch him, but she didn't. It's some kind of Army ritual. Afterwards, the guys went off somewhere and me, Bert and Cal's mom went downtown to eat lunch at a really good Turkish place and then wandered around the antique shops. It was a nice Monday. Much better than spending the day at work.

Thanksgiving 2013

No turkey for us this year and we had dinner rather than lunch due to scheduling issues. On the menu: salmon patties, sweet potatoes and broccoli slaw. Dessert: Sara Lee pound cake and fruit with cool whip. It wasn't exactly a gourmet delight, but it tasted just fine. I didn't hear anyone complaining. Bert and Cal had lunch earlier with his family at the Officer's Club at Ft. Bragg then drove up from Fayetteville to eat dinner with us. Mal took a break from studying for his finals at UNCG and drove over from Greensboro. Jon and Lila spent the day visiting with her family, so we didn't see them today. Even so, we had a full house. Between our dogs, Early and Sophie, and Bert's dog, Sammie, and the cats, Karl, Capt. America and Clawdia--it was a crowd. Everyone got along just great, although the kitten made Sammie nervous and Sophie was very jealous of Sammie. And Karl hated everyone, which is why he lives outside. I have to express my deep felt and sincere gratitude for my crazy family, my messy home, my noisy and sometimes dirty pets...for good food, a good job, good friends...my church and my rediscovered love of painting. It has been a wild year. Full of ups and downs...but mostly ups. And the absolute icing on the cake was finding out that I'm going to be a grandmother in June. Times TWO!! Both Jon and Lila and Bert and Calvin are expecting their first babies in June. Such wonderful news. Life is good.

Hal, the magical cat

A year or so ago I adopted a little feral cat. We named him Hal, as in Halloween because he was black and we got him around the holiday. We thought he was a neutered male. Well, he was neither--male or neutered. Here is a picture of Hal's babies.

Carrboro Music Festival 2013

The weather was spectacular. Miguel played with 2 of his bands yesterday. The Banana Seats at 2pm at Cat's Cradle and Stratrocruiser at 9pm at The Station. My little baby girl and her husband came up from Fayetteville for the afternoon. They stayed for the first set. Then my dear old (and by "old" I mean I have known her a long time) friend drove from D.C. and caught the second set. Her niece is in college in Virginia, so she didn't make that long drive JUST for the band....but still, it is a very long drive and her commitment to the arts is most appreciated. Between the bands, after Bertie and spouse left--and before Carol arrived--Miguelito went home to rest up and get a quick rehearsal. I stayed in town and rushed around from venue to venue to catch a few other acts. Many of Mike's friends were playing. Unfortunately they all seemed to be playing at the same time in different places, so I only caught a few songs here and there. Most notably: Lynn Blakey (with husband), The Breaks, Great Big Gone, Pagan Hellcats and Jeff Hart. Everything was wonderful--the music, the old friends, family and the veggie sub from Amante's. We got home about 11pm and watched the final episode of "Breaking Bad." OMG. What can I say. Best show ever.

The Banana Seats-F.J., Tom, Mikey, Jackson

Me with Bertie and Calvin

I've been hung!

I'm so excited. I've joined the Chapel Hill Art Gallery and now have some stuff hanging. I've got 6 of my watercolors there now. I will be the featured artist in January which means I will have a whole room to myself and can fill it up with a whole bunch of my crap. I still can't believe all of this is happening. It's been such a crazy year...lots of turmoil...and suddenly everything turned around and now I have my art on display. Wow. So here's an important life lesson--just hang in there because things have a way of working themselves out.



3 of my paintings now on display



Are you my mummy?

On my birthday Miguel and I went to the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh. We're blessed to have a very nice museum so close to home. I'm in a very arty mood at the moment so I really enjoy seeing what my fellow artists have been up to. After the trip to the museum we returned to Chapel Hill and visited the Chapel Hill Art Galleryhttp://chapelhillartgallery.com. (Sorry about that, I'm not sure how to make this link look right, but you get the point).  

Hi!! I'm BACK!! Got that technical stuff under control. Actually it may have been user error. Here's the real news: my gallery is online! Go to http://ananiklsen.wix.com/annawatercolors
Also, some of my stuff will be hanging at the Chapel Hill Art Gallery. I'm very excited and a little overwhelmed. This has been one crazy year--and it's not over yet.

Never got that new computer. May have to abandon this blogsite.