Starry Night ~ Van Gogh

starry1
Originally uploaded by rowann.

Twinkle, twinkle little star...

I love this painting. I'm never sure if it is the playfulness of the wavy lines or just the happy way the colours all mix around each other.

I haven't been to the Art Gallery since I've moved back to Ottawa. I used to go often when I was a student. I would spend hours wandering around the National Art Gallery, looking at the paintings, wondering what the artist was feeling at the exact moment when they put their paintbrush across the page.

And now, when I think about the art in the National Art Gallery, I remember what I was exposed to in the Broward Art Guild's open houses each time I attended one in Florida. Brilliant minds, bright strokes...and no matter what medium the artists used, beautiful emotions were showcased...

The Guild's openness and friendly people made me almost feel comfortable enough to want to bring in one of my Florida photos to show them what I, an outsider to the native Floridian, would see besides the touristy venues that most captured in their picture postcards. But who am I to critique ?

I so wanted to capture the raw energy the sun brought these people, so easy to be around, so friendly to relate to... They helped open up my spirit, my creative spark rekindled so that I might come home again, refreshed and ready for whatever might come my way...

And maybe that is what Starry Night taunts me with.

For where did the potential I saw in myself while pouring over the exhibits in the Broward Art Guild go ?

Where did that feeling of knowing that if I reached within my own self, I might surprise the world with what might be waiting within ?

Adventures in Babysitting...

I know I haven't posted for awhile, the holidays were hectic but joyous... so I thought I'd at least post once in January... maybe I can squeeze in a few more before the month is over... you never know!

My sister's monitor broke down on the weekend. And since it's a lil difficult to go shopping for computer supplies with a toddler, I offered to babysit my niece for the day. She'll be 3 years old in July.

So the lil darling and her mom stopped at the Tim Horton's behind my apartment building to pick up a double double for me and some timbits as a treat. While they were waiting to be served, my niece who has quite the vocabulary for her age, apparently went up to the counter and requested "Can I have a cappucino and a donut ?" The lady behind the counter thought it was so cute, so she gave her some free timbits while she waited for her mom's order.

The day began with some colouring while my sister went over a few details in watching her child. I had offered to take the tyke swimming in our apartment's pool as a bribe to get her to agree to coming over in the first place as of course she wanted to accompany her mom downtown.

My niece and I chatted and coloured; she wanted to know when Sean, my boyfriend, was going to be there. She seems to be pretty attached to him when she remembers he's supposed to be around and when he is there, she clings to him more than me at times. So we read some stories, my sister sent her with a Dr. Seuss book. She said that is the one she wanted her Auntie to read to her, it was called Oh Say Can You Say ?. It was a book full of short stories on each page that were tongue twisters. And of course, she wanted to read it more than once...

Sean arrived after having his windshield replaced on his car, and my niece was so happy to see him. She climbed up on his lap. We decided then that we would go swimming in the apartment pool. So we put all our things together and went down to the basement to cross the length of the building to get to the indoor pool. As we reached the door between our building and the pool; there was a notice saying the pool was closed for future notice. Had it been just my niece and I, I don't think she would have taken this news as well as she did. So we went back up a floor where Sean & her went into the rental office to see what was up. Apparently there was a filter problem that would only be fixed on Monday... but my niece was happy enough because they also picked up a new sticker for Sean's windshield for the parking garage.

My niece can never get enough stickers. When she comes over she asks for them from a happy face strip that I have just for her. I bought her some Hello Kitty and Barbie stickers for Christmas and my sister said she put them everywhere. She can't just have one, she likes to stick them all over her arms... or her face at times. I believe she used to get them as a reward at her old daycare. And as well, my sister gives them to her as a reward for using the bathroom and keeping her underwear dry as she is pretty much potty trained.

My sister called to check on us, make sure we were doing okay a few hours later and to check if she could get away with staying out a while longer. She doesn't have many people to babysit so when she does get a break, she usually enjoys the time at her leisure. However, when she does ask me to babysit, she calls often to make sure I haven't dropped her child on her head at all. Honestly, I think she's just not used to being apart from her when she's not at work; so it's prolly difficult not to check up on whoever is watching her.

So we survived no swimming activities, to arrive back in the apartment to make her mom a card with my scrapbooking supplies. My niece was amused with this, especially using glue to do so. While we were crafting, Sean was taking care of lunch for her. Her mom brought all the snacks and food for her, we just had to make sure she ate something.

So Sean made her chicken strips for lunch. And then he began to do some renovations to our wall unit that his mom had given us. He had to remove another shelf so that my stereo would fit inside the glass doors. And of course, my niece thought she was Ms. Fixit and could help with this as well. So we found another smaller flashlight for her and she tried to aim it so it would help Sean undo the screws in the shelf.

And did I forget how many times you have to ask a 2 year old if they have to go to the bathroom so they do not have an accident ? My sister said every half hour. Every half hour ? Yeah, every half hour... as my sister added that if she had an accident, she would be heartbroken about getting her underwear wet.

While I was babysitting, a good friend of mine, who has known my niece since she was born; dropped by to catch up with me. Of course she had to be shy with him. He's pretty good with children and eventually she was chatting with him as well. She even wanted to take his tea away because she thought it was her mother's empty coffee cup from the morning. (Oh yeah, I forgot about her obsessive compulsive behaviour of having to put any garbage away as soon as possible...)

Alas when my sister finally returned to pick her up, I was pretty baby'd out... I have quite a bit of patience, but I'm not sure I would be able to do that 24/7. I think of how my sister manages to take care of her as a single parent and wonder how she does it some days...

Before my niece was born, I moved back from the Toronto area to help my sister through her maternity year. Sometimes we argue a lot, but nothing will ever make me regret coming home to see my niece be born. I wonder if there is anything that amazing, as watching a new life come into this world. For nothing is as precious as this child is to my family.

So she's 2 years old, and I find my self wondering how amazing she will be when she's a few years older because she is such a wonder for this age... what will the future hold for her ? I can't wait to see...

Love ya baby girl... hopefully next time we'll go swimming...