D Selby Designs

One entry a week is about all I can handle in my current life situation.

Two friends today with the same birthday, even the year, but met them 30 years apart. Dennis says he’s going to call this one his 60th and just get it over with. Sally left us in August, but I’m mighty glad she was born.

Three good things about this weekend: Michael Clayton is well worth the movie-going-effort (go, Kentucky George!), Victoria magazine is back (got my launch issue on Saturday, and that called for a bubble bath with refreshments), and UK beat #1 LSU (hey–if given the choice, I’d pick their winning over their losing). I worked the coffee shop at church today, and a football fan asked if we had any U.K. donuts. I told him to hang on a bit while I searched for a blue Sharpie!

Four feet down–that’s where the old footer for our brick patio was. We now have a huge hole just outside the den, prepping for the guys to start the framing for MY STUDIO (!) week after this one. Woody, our next door neighbor and concrete expert is moving the earth and pouring the new footer. No gold, oil, or dead bodies found as yet. Greg is so enjoying the guy-ness of the task, as is Mocha The Cat. It’s one honkin’ big litter box.

Image is the cornice boards installed on a Lex horse farm.

Mom and I met her 86-year old sister and her daughter for lunch today, and we were most pleasantly surprised when two more cousins (Sue and Kay) joined the party. We had three conversations going at once for most of the meal, with participants changing easily between subjects. After the dishes had been long cleared away, Mom piped up with, “Let’s go outside to talk! I’m freezing!”

No one in Lexington can figure out what to do with interior temperatures, since we’re having record highs. Serious sunburns at Keeneland’s fall meet are not supposed to happen in October, but happening they are. Anyway, as we were standing out on the shimmering hot asphalt of the parking lot, one of my cousins dropped something and I bent over to pick it up. I meant to say, “I may be the youngest, but I have the worst joints,” but I only got out the first part before the other three cousins beat me up verbally with “Braggart!”, “Whaddaya mean, you’re no whippersnapper,” etc. I love it. Each time one of us complained about a malady, we were either one-upped or encouraged to go on with details, since “it’s a Duncan thing.” Family magic at its best.

Here’s a snap of Carey working on one of three LONG cornices with botanicals for a current client. After much over-working by Carey’s mother, they are ready to install. Whew! When I sold the job, I thought, “Wow, that was easy money. These will be a snap!” Why didn’t I listen to Billy Crystal in Forget Paris: never say ‘piece of cake’. We earned every blessed penny on this job.

Met with the builder today, and by going four feet longer with the studio, it lowers the overall price per square foot. Color me excited. I know, I know–building contractors are notorious for promising and not delivering, but allow me a week or two of positive thinking.

Finally did 2006 taxes (the self employed are notorious for two things: procrastination and filing for extensions), and my first year in the drapery trade went as most new businesses in their first year. Reality-check-time, but at least I don’t owe big taxes. And this year is going great, which means I’m working too hard! I’ve had three wonderful clients in succession, with whom I’ve been able to spread creative wings.

Must be news time–I hear Mom’s TV three rooms away, but she can’t seem to get the volume high enough. She forgot to put her teeth in this morning. Wonder what she’ll forget tomorrow? In her defense, I think she’s had a reaction to yesterday’s flu shot and she’s feeling punk–though she did stomp me in Scrabble, earlier. Go, Mom!

Painting is a small-ish (maybe 20″ x 12″–don’t make me climb up on the china cabinet to measure) oil on canvas with some fiber applications. It was inspired by a much simpler Korean costume in the V & A sketched 4 years ago while on my dream trip to London.

Okay–we’ve picked a contractor for the studio, and he is to come over this weekend with the contract. It is estimated to take 2-3 months. We’ll see.

To the doc today with Mom, to see if he has any other tricks up his sleeve to fix her knee. So far, so bad. All this effort to live longer, and when we do, we’re deaf, blind, and in pain. Skip the bran muffin. Eat the donut.

Image: 48″ x 24″ canvas, oil.