Happy New Year -- Ready, Set -- 2024!

Steven and I in 2015

on New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone -- thank you for making us happy in 2023.
Went to a lovely small party with two close friends all of us
rapid tested this afternoon. No big party this New Year's Eve
-- there's too much COVID surging again in the past month. 
So Steven and I are partying alone tonight, and will really miss all
of you who normally come to our drop-in party.  You are all the best.

Happy New Year! Here's to a super 2024 for you.  May you
have all of the love and creativity you want.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being my greatest teachers -- Happy New Year's weekend

The Blue Sweater
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36"

Barbara Muir © 
(one of the most
important teachers
in my life has been
my sister Sally. This
portrait was created
based on a black and white
wonderful portrait by
my father.)

In recent years here's the gist of what I wrote on December 30th.
Howard Wolinksy persuaded me to write about the 2028 things I
learned in 2018, and I've been trying to do that at the end of each
year when I remember. 

This year life continued to be miraculous in at least 2023 ways.  
When I taught a Positive Psychology course at a community college

for 10 years,  in the time management section of the course
I learned that there are 168 hours in a week.  I sleep 7 hours a
night - times 7, that means for 49 hours a week I am not observing
the planet.  Instead I'm reviewing old stuff, or making up amazing
worlds (lately this is super true) in my dreams.  That leaves 119 hours
when I'm awake, that I'm amazed every minute.  That doesn't mean
I don't feel beyond sad about the tragic wars, and climate crisis the world
is undergoing. It means I also feel it's my purpose to notice what is
beautiful and touching, and if possible to create art based on what I
see.

Here are some suggestions I'll try to follow in 2024.
They are helpful:

Be Happy! Hardship and sorrow come into every life --
and of course have been part of mine. This year I've tried to
listen to a voice in my head that tells me to rethink my attitude
(it sounds like my mother), to notice what is great, as well as
what is wrong. I'm keenly aware that our time on the planet is
limited, and that I am incredibly lucky. So in my best times
I choose to enjoy life moment by moment. In the case of enjoying
you -- your support, your beautiful art, and great thoughts -- that is a given.
 Plus I am so blessed that my family and friends are wonderful!

You (I) don't know what's going to happen next.
Who would imagine having a conversation in
in the Apple store tonight trying to get some things
adjusted on my phone, and finding out the tech expert is
an excellent photographer, and that I'd be looking at his super
photos of Kenya before I left the store.  What a

treat.  And I would be delighted if his photos 
ended up in a Louvre show.  We talked about that.

When I went to City Hall to get my parking sticker
renewed, I tried to hail a cab I wanted to take to go home,
and a passer by heard me yelling "Taxi", and ran down the street
after the car, tapped on the window, and told the driver that
I wanted the cab. Amazing. Total strangers have been so
kind to me.

Love matters, -- And I can't say this enough.  (My thoughts
on this haven't changed. They've just been reaffirmed.)  I want to
show the world that I love the planet (which is why I
paint landscapes of beautiful places), show the people who love
me that I love them back.  Some people may find it corny
or insincere if I tell them I love them.  But I know that love matters.
I'm a reader, and try to keep up with the news, and know
that the brutality of war, politics, climate change disasters, 

have made it another very hard year.  But I am once again so moved
by the kindness people show each other, even in the
hardest situations. And I'm moved by the people in
my life, who care, make me laugh, and will listen
when times are tough. After my mother died I realized
that even though I told her I loved her every time we spoke,
or saw one another, that we can really never tell each
other too often that we love one another.  Love does matter.

Have a loving your life day.

2024 rhymes with opening new doors

Neighbours
acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir ©️

Although it was a hard year in many ways, 2023 was also filled
with wonder.  At the start of the year I lost a job I'd enjoyed 
for 8 years.  Online teaching had its benefits, but one drawback
was not ever meeting the new manager in person.  

Miracles happen. A fellow staffer recommended me for another job,  and I got one of the best teaching opportunities I've ever had.  Pure joy teaching Presentation and Advocacy.

Plus last summer my husband was told that his contract would
be renewed, and a week later told not only would it not be renewed,
but it would end a week early!

Luckily we are mostly a positive couple.  My husband decided to take
me to Paris if he wasn't going to be working, even though that didn't
make any sense financially.  So we booked the trip to 

leave in a week. The day before we were to depart, as we sat in the car eating take out wraps, my husband got a phone call offering him a new job with the same company, to start when we returned from our vacation.

It was magical. So was Paris.  We spent a week there, saw good friends, made new ones, and a week after we came home left for Nova Scotia.

It has been a busy fall.  Teaching, shows, family health issues.

I am looking forward to the great things 2024 will bring us.  I
feel certain that magical, and exciting happenings are in the
works.

Have a loving your life day.

I think I'll stay with 7

 

Reading on the dock

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2013

The other day I watched a seven year old in our family, run around
cheerfully moving from one activity to another, creating art
easily, and effortlessly with great enthusiasm and joy, and I thought
 -- that's how I want to be -- like a seven year old.  Yes. I know
I'm a grown woman. And I am grateful that I am, and that I have
the love of my husband and family and friends.  

I wrote about this last year too, inspired by the self-portrait based
in part on a super portrait photo my father took of me when I

was a little girl, and a photo of the beautiful lake where my son's

mother-in-law has her cottage.  

There's a new year coming, and instead of hemming myself in with
New Year's Resolutions and intentions for the new year, I want to permit
my adult self to be creative, and have as much fun as is possible given some of
the harder, and sadder parts of life.

"The painting hangs inside our front door -- and reminds me, the 
grown up, supposed adult, to know this is my essence -- a
happy kid who loves to play, and read, and loves beauty.  Being at the
cottage when I was a child was the easiest place to find equilibrium,
because the setting was beautiful, and my parents who were lovely
people, but also critical, and back in the city highly disciplinarian,
were happy, and distracted.  In other words no one paid
attention to me except my aunts and uncles down the path, and
my cousins, who were warm, kind and funny. So fun was possible
and available."

Have a loving your life day!

Happy start to the new year -- starting early!

 

Valiant winter tulips
Marker on Canson
mixed media paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2021
(It is warm enough here that the
tulips might start blooming outside. So
the current flowers in my kitchen are
not cold at all. Still I like this drawing.)

It is a decidedly rainy day, but very warm. Steven and I have been listening
to a P.E.I. (Prince Edward Island) radio station playing Christmas carols and
songs for what felt like forever, but was probably just from December 1, to
December 26.  

Today as we sat eating our takeout lunch wraps on a street facing Casa Loma,
which is all lit up -- regular rock, soul, and blues music came on, and it felt
like a party.  How we've missed music without a theme.  Christmas music
was a brilliant distraction even though we are not religious, but what a treat
to have the music back.  It felt like the start of a new year.

I feel inspired to start the new year, but for now -- a short holiday with 
my man. Happy Holidays.

Have a loving your life day.

 

 

 

Happy Holidays -- our family celebration was tonight!

The stockings waiting.
This is from another year, but
the arrangement looked a lot like
that tonight.

Photo
Barbara Muir ©

You all know how wonderful it is to have your family over for
dinner and presents.  Tonight was the night. And this year was
fabulous -- 9 for dinner, 3 of them children.  Lots of fun.  I am
tired now, and just want to wish you the best of the season. Happiest
of holidays.

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Holidays 2023

This is not the scene at the park
near us right now because 

we have no snow.  But we 

 will have again someday It
is winter in Canada.

Meanwhile I love the image.

Perfect for this joyous time of year! 

I hope your day was filled with joy, and that if it wasn't tomorrow
will be.  We have had a lovely slow day at our house, just enjoying
the tree, the music, the animals, and then a lovely dinner 

Tomorrow if everyone is well, dinner with the whole family.

We are happy as can be, and feel entirely blessed to have such a
loving family, and such wonderful friends.  So thank you for
everything.  Let's have some fun, and I sincerely hope that
this coming year is a special one for each of us, and that
we work on solving the problems facing this beautiful planet. 

Have an enjoying yourself day.