Week #19 of Donna Downey's 48 Weeks Workshop My first painting of Frida Kahlo "Don't Build a Wall"

Hello again as you know now we are all facing and living in unprecedented times. From lockdowns, to containments, quarantines, self-quarantines, rationing, limited supplies, no where to work if you fall outside of the essential personnel. Airlines, cruise ships, hotels, trains, any tour guides, recreational activities such as gyms, have all had to close or limit to essential needs only. Our medical staff are in high demands and are strained, along with our hospitals and the need for critical equipment. We have all faced uncertainties, but this is a silent unknown unforeseen circumstance, that we are all facing with no certainties known for our future.  Every person on this planet is in this position. What we all need to do is remain calm and take heed to recommendations and safe distances, sanitizing, excessive hand washing, and frankly stay PUT!!! No one can know who has it or where it will show up......PLEASE folks stop going places unless it is absolutely NEEDED!!! I totally get it!!! But seriously do you really need to go shopping for furniture right now, the FedEx driver told us they have been delivering furniture and shoes....etc. yes I can understand you moved or something or your only pair of shoes and a hole. I have talked to some folks and they tell me they out shopping for decor........I'm like SERIOUSLY!!! PLEASE FOLKS TAKE THIS SERIOUS!!! Think of your family members or others. This is no game....stop playing golf, stop having game nights with other families. You health depends on it!! I see these thing going on....and frankly its ludicrous. Oh and the beaches.......HELLO we are in a PANDEMIC!!! Stay off the beaches stop sharing hookah pipes, or any other forms of resectional needs keep it a PERSONAL use only!!!!!! I have seen these pics of YouTube which has been my only form of information or my mom sharing texts to me. Bruce and I have always been preppers being we have prepared ourselves for those HARD times. However with all our shows cancelled until further notice. Being farmers and feeding folks we face uncertainties to face we have been selling our eggs weekly to a grocery store and some honey last week I took him 22 dozen eggs and he called the next day to tell me he had only four left, he is a very tiny tiny store in Va. Beach but we are so thankful he has stepped up to help us with our extra products, since we have no markets. I will continue all my efforts to grow and produce what we can here to meet demands we have been selling our elderberry syrup and pickles, jams etc. If I have to I can bake or even make dinners to be delivered out of my USDA and CS Inspected kitchen. Like in war times "back porch dinners" when needed one family might of feed many just from dinners from their backdoor. 

OKAY maybe enough on my soapbox but I have a lot of anxiety and stress at trying to keep many safe. I worked in the hospitals during the aids/hiv times and fears of ebola. I can remember getting a so called fax (they were not fax machines then) from the CDC on concerns of the Ebola outbreak back in 1989. So as I always say "what you don't know won't hurt you and what you do will" FEAR.

STAY CALM

So this was what I was working on before the trip to FLORIDA my first painting of Frida. I didn't actually get to finish until I got back and we were so far behind in just a few short days. Colten took care of everything while we were gone even did well with the plants that we have growing in the greenhouse, inside our house I have three full racks of shelves. I have planted extra to meet many needs this year. 

I watched Donna Downeys video on the 48 Weeks workshop week #19 and I was like I just can't do another mostly black layer of painting as Bruce thinks automatically "something is wrong" my aunt even said on one of my other paintings that was majority black paint she said "this one looks like you were mad" okay I thought.......maybe I was it was my inner-self perhaps screaming....who knows. Art tells all....but as you can see I did go black with bright pops of beautiful colors.....and AN AMAZING WOMEN!! Who I have been a fan of for many many years!!! I have collected art, trinkets, and made dolls with Frida in mind. What I am saying in this painting.....is so true.....

            Fridas quote "Don't build a wall around your suffering. It may devour you from the inside." is so much a personal feeling at the same time....many don't know but I suffer from chronic pain from the fibromyalgia and the spinal stenosis. Some days are better than others and I always keep going to the best I can. I feel like sometimes I build this wall. I have in the past many many times from being overweight at 300 lbs to separating from individuals due to anxiety. The list goes on but you get it! Now with what we are facing with this invisible enemy (as the President says) we all have had to build this wall in ways never foreseen. From borders closing to self quarantines to social distancing. Then I think of how when I went to all my shows and markets my friends how we embrace each other with hugs and sharing love with each other, sharing and trading items we make that has a wall around that too.  As you may know for any of those who have done the workshop this was TOTALLY a U-Turn for the inspiration Donna provided week #19.

I always like to show you how large this journal is......

If you would like to see any of the other weeks look below

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6 

Week 7

WEEK 8

Week 9 

WEEK 10 

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15 

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18 

 The butterflies really added a nice touch and as you can see they were breaking thru the wall and onto the other side. One bright shiny butterfly makes it to the sweet beautiful roses.

 There is a lot of texture. The thorns on the wall for the hard times and the suffering that Frida endured, thru her paintings you will see some of the pain and some good times as well.

I was very happy with my first painting of Frida and enjoyed the process immensely. Anything creative for me is exactly what I like to do....it can help ease the pain and fears and the anxiety. 

I love my work here on the farm it just is sometimes you need an art break....and it is extremely hard to come by. Today Bruce and I are making sauerkraut we have 10 heads of cabbage and it will go a long way. We make this either in November or March. It's a normal staple here. My boys love it too. 

Frida Kahlo 

Here is a pic of the sauerkraut from a few years ago in half gallon jars. 

With Easter coming and moms and dads looking for something for the kiddos to do this was a option maybe you had already bought some of maybe you can buy some offline....I looked at Amazon and they have them online and Walmart dot com has them too free shipping over $35. See videos below. 

Jet Puffed Marshmellows in the dehydrator   

Dehydrating Peeps 

with us not being able to have markets I have been putting more items on my Etsy store 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeafLoveSoaps

So please my market friends if you need something please reach out to me as others have I will ship and if you don't see it listed just let me know. 

We started our seed potatoes for planting

I have tons of plants ready if you need some drive thru for a dirt road side delivery. The whole greenhouse if full.

As I close for this rainy Saturday as we continue to make sauerkraut and ship items out from our Etsy store. 

SAFE SAFE

STAY CALM

As Jane Davenport said QuarARTinig (make art)

A lot of wonderful people, companies, and friends have stepped up as we all work together to fight this invisible enemy. 

BE PROACTIVE!!!! 

Protect yourself and others!

Cyber Hugs from six feet away! 

Dawn Gallop

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March 2020 A Time of Uncertainty in a Time of Happy Magical Moments

Hello again and welcome it is March 17, 2020 Happy St. Patrick's Day. It hard to believe we are now facing uncertainty and situations that we as a whole globally are trying to prevent and contain further spread of the virus COVID-19. This all happened extremely fast from we only have a few cases being contained to 100 deaths and many many cases here and other countries. When we first heard of the first cases in Washington state my husband and I were like "oh no we are not going to Florida." Our family vacation was already planned since last July of 2019. Our daughter Alexis had planned everything and we all as a family put our money together to get a house to rent and have a family get together vacation. With all the growing concerns we were like we just can't go. We were supposed to leave on Monday March 2 after our orders were delivered. We didn't leave until Tuesday around 3pm with a NOT SURE feeling. I was very protective of my boys by using Clorox wipes and copious amounts of hand sanitizer. We arrived in Florida late that night to our daughters house Amanda and son in law Chad and our sweet little angel granddaughter Aubrey. We were all tired and I still had this really weird feeling of "I don't think we should of left" understand I have animals and plants that I think in my head "ONLY I CAN TAKE CARE OF," which Colten can do just fine. He stayed back and took of all things just perfectly.....YEP someone else can do my job. WINK WINK. So on Wednesday morning we woke up and hung around Amandas house where they have an orange tree. We had an orange which Amanda told Bruce "NOT TO TOUCH" 

Dusty and Aubrey out by the orange tree in Amanda and Chads' yard. 

The orange they picked against Amanda's orders. 

Bruce enjoying that YUMMY orange....it was really really sweet and tasty. Well done guys!

Ledger as Buzzlight Year 

Amanda, Skylar and me

Skylar and me, Skybear went to Walt Disney World in January 2013 when she was just a month old. We used to go on a regular basis like once a year off and on since 2004. 

Amanda and sweet Aubrey riding the merry go round.

The beautiful castle it really is such a wonderful and magical place and I sworny the is why we keep going back!!! 

Aubrey and Amanda on Dumbo ride we all rode the Dumbo ride it is always so much fun

Amanda brought her friend Bryanna who works with Amanda we had a great time with her she is funny and we all enjoyed her company.

Bruce, me and Skylar always have great time together. 

Mr. Billy, Crystal and Skylar came from Alabama and THANKFUL to Crystal for buying Bruce and my ticket to Walt Disney World. 

Aubrey got her cake pop at The Chapeau on Main Street U.S.A. 

Of course we went on the ride "It's a small world" which I love. 

Under The Sea ride 

The Enchanted Tales with Belle (note the guy on the left is Paul my daughter Alexis father in law) him and Skylar got chosen to be in the act

Here with the Enchanted Belle Skylar and Paul were both so good in the act. 

The cutest, makes me smile!!! Aubrey loves chocolate covered bananas!!! Love 

The picture of us all at the beginning later we saw all of Garretts family like Paul and Kelly in the park.

Skylar and Aubrey being with them most of the day, I was so very very thankful to be able to see their enjoyment and the magical experience they encountered throughout the day. 

we had game night which was a whole lot of fun, we played Catch Phrase. I have to get us one of those games as we play games here and that is a good one for sure. 

The next day we went to the skateboard park 

We were "the skateboarders" Bruce took the pic we all had a good time. 

Mr. Billy offered to cook on the grill for us, Cody went and got some chicken while we were gone to Walt Disney World and took the boys to a trampoline jumping place.

Cody, and Riggs down at the community pool. Bruce watched him play but both of us were so cold due to the wind (it was the first of March) we finally left and went back to the house we rented 

We played the games at the house pool, and shuffle board 

On Saturday Crystal, Mr. Billy, Colby, Tara, Ledger and Skylar went to LegoLand 

Tara, Ledger, and Colby at LegoLand

They all said they had a great time and Crystal found them a good restaurant to eat at too. The Restaurant was called Fords Garage. Colby said "one of the best restaurants he had ever been to" Colby is our "Gordon Ramsey" as he says. He loves to cook and try different thing and is a GP for many of my creations. 

We couldn't resist LOL we had to have that pickle. Delicious Dill! 

Ledger, Skylar, and Riggs in the pool that was at the house we rented. 

I have been moving some of the plants I grew from seed down to the greenhouse. 

I have many many planted. Roma, Burbank, German Johnson, jalapeño, chocolate habanero, Tabasco peppers, sweet peppers, hot banana peppers, oh its endless.....but I LOVE IT! 

It really helps me to keep the unknown and the fears and concerns that are in the air at the moment....as we all face this virus. 

This little vacation which ran from March 4 to Sunday March 8, 2020 and things changed extremely rapidly. 

Stay Safe as we all brace for this. 

Sending social distancing cyber hugs, 

Until Next time,

Dawn 

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