Green tomatoes, pet care and more perceptions

Yesterday I did the promised interesting thing with the green tomatoes. Roasted them in a long slow oven, 325° for two hours. Not much seasoning, salt, basil, olive oil.

Aren't they beautiful? I pick the cutting board with color in mind and here the greens worked.

Tomato paste, then bits of dried seaweed, roasted tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, grana padano, hot pepper flakes

 Two lunches, another plate like this tomorrow

And here's Butternut Boy, with a slice of canteloupe rind from the latest one 

He already took care of the seeds.

And here's today's art, some of Edith Holden's botanical watercolors in her diary, facsimile reproduction.

Very much in the English botanical watercolor tradition seen in Jill Barklem and Beatrix Potter, except that Holden is interested in exact observation rather than stories built on it.

UK blogistas, and others, will instantly recognize her subjects.

Today the weather's taking care of the dry plants. We've had a long dryish period, not exactly drought turning the grass to shredded wheat, but we can use this today

Every day that we get rain I don't have to water outside, yay.  

Yesterday was an interesting discussion in here, thank you, about perceptions and actions in art and pet care .

As you know, I've never expected to have a reliable income from my art. A life rather than a living, is the idea. In the fine arts, it's pretty much the norm.

So the balance of making a living and making a life is the thing. The pet care business was a good one, though strenuous. Nobody said it would be easy.

But it gave me chunks of time in daylight where I could be in the studio, endless physical activity which triggered a lot of art ideas, and didn't compete, as teaching art does, for my art attention. And it opened up so many new friendships, with animals and people .

I never told new clients I made art, because of the common perception among non -artists that you can't rely on an artist to show up, to be meticulous, to really be reliable.  My clients were largely business people, lawyers and researchers, liked and collected art, but didn't know any serious artists. They thought.

It was only after they'd got to know me and come to depend on my showing up and taking lovely care of their animals that they'd wonder why I did what looked to them like hard and humble work. 

More than one blurted out "But you're so reliable and knowledgeable! I'd never have hired you if I'd known you were an artist! So glad I didn't know!". 

Which led to their finding that a real artist is totally on it, doesn't cut corners, nor fail to show, and is just who you want around your animals in your absence.  And seeing animals, officially standoffish, literally climbing on me,  didn't hoit, as they say.

It's often what divides the wannabes from the serious in the arts. Once they were in the picture, pet care clients , realizing they'd been confusing poseur art "students" with real ones, were very interested. 

One saw my work and arranged for her management to offer me my first corporate solo show, big deal. This led to some nice corporate sales. Unexpected side effect.

Others were more interested in becoming self employed, seeing how happy I was. A discussion of actual conditions and income tended to diminish their interest, like hearing the hours, how nothing could be delegated in a sole proprietorship, no sick days, brief time off needing a minimum of three months' notice to clients so they could arrange alternate coverage. That bit!

There were some poignant times, like when the teenage son of a client, a boy with multiple pets, and with a lifelong heart problem, died during a pickup basketball game in the park near his home.  

His mother continued to keep his pets, ranging from a giant spider to a hamster, a ferret, Suzy, fish and lizards, in addition to the family cats and dogs.  

She also planted a little garden at the edge of the park near where he'd died, as a memorial place. No water supply, so she walked over,  carrying buckets. Would I mind adding that run to my visits, and she'd pay me? 

I agreed to add in the water carrying but refused payment. Her culture being different from mine, she didn't know about the Works of Mercy. I explained that this care was one of them, and I couldn't accept money, but I'd be honored to do it for R. 

It took her a bit to feel okay about it, but she did, and as long as I had them as clients I checked in on the garden. 

Then there were clients who handed me their key all labeled with name and address! Which I promptly tore off and replaced with a code, noting it in my client notes. Innocent people not realizing they might as well say burglars welcome! 

I also learned to check the key before leaving, since clients rarely used front door keys if they came in through the garage. 

One gentleman was a bit incensed about this, and insisted we lock him outside and he'd prove it was the right key.  Wife and I indoors listened to scrabbling at the lock, then muttering and finally a roar of annoyance. Wrong key. 

Frantic searching in kitchen drawers until the right one was located and handed over. Whereupon Mr Client said "Good thing I thought of checking!" Wife and I exchanged a knowing look.

And the nice man, a friend, who confidently handed over his spare key from his wallet, usual test. Bafflement. Then remembered he'd exchanged keys with his boyfriend. Ah. We did end up with a working key, and met the friend in the process. Whose first name was the same. A bit confusing. 

I had set up side by side businesses with Handsome Partner, who was very experienced with animals, hopeless at business, so that we could share liability and bonding coverage. But we ran the enterprises totally separately, didn't know each other's clients, once he'd got launched.

It was all word of mouth after we got under way, once people realized we never ever talked about them, even to each other,  their security codes and family lives were safely respected, so they could go away and not worry.  

I also dealt now and then with events like sudden plumbing floods, whoa, quick action needed there, more than once. This is why you need grown-ups doing this kind of work in your absence!  People who understand that in the flurry of leaving you might have left the iron, coffee maker and other items plugged in and hot.

All in all, more than playing with animals all day. Lovely though.

I particularly liked Christmas, though our home celebrations had to be moved every year. Because what could be better on Christmas morning than to go from house to house, starting before dawn, to hugs and excited greetings at every stop? How many people other than Santa, can claim that?

Couldn't round up that energy now, though.

Happy day everyone, enjoy whatever's on your schedule today. I'm loafing about, personally, quite tired remembering my youthful  fiftyish self