Today in the car I was asking my parents why barns are painted red...they weren't sure, so I looked it up, because Mrs. Urinal didn't have the answer...so here's why, no joke...If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

* Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.
* Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.

As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used.

sooo, next question Pop would like is why is the sky blue? any ideas?

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

I've been getting emails about the last post and the woman, now a good friend who, because of her husband, bought the painting called Nautica....I never got a chance to post in none of my galleries on the web, because it sold right after I painted it...it was one of my first shows at Uptown Vision in Dallas...that was a great night, this couple had just moved to Dallas from Austin...they loved the painting because they were boaters and after I explained the painting, representing sales as well as nautical symbols. they spoke and if I remember, they got it for her husbands birthday...

I was invited to many of their parties, but, never got a chance to go...they were at my humanity showing and brought a friend...I felt that night, that everything had come full circle, promised myself to go to their next gathering, but, I got sick and had to pass...

This is Nautica, look beyond the squares and into the sail...as we watch Ike coming into Galveston and Houston, sales are down, winds are high..people are dreaming of those blue skies and they will come again.

Thinking about you tonight Billy's Blog

Tough times don't last, tough people do.

7 years ago today at 9;30 in the morning I was sitting upstairs in my duplex drinking a cup of coffee and watching Goodmorning America waiting to go to an art store to pick up some paint and start working on my holiday artcards...they opened at 10am and I had some time to waste...Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson had just reported an aircraft flying in to one of the trade towers....as they were reporting I saw the second plane hit the other tower...I spilled my coffee and then dog sammy was lapping up my mess....I knelt in front of the t.v...what was going on? I had two friends living in Chelsea...where were they, what was happening? Goodmorning America went off the air and was replaced by special reports...we were being attacked...but by who and why?

I stayed all day on that couch...I actually slept there and watched t.v all night long.

The next day I had to get something done, but clients were calling and canceling their orders...everyone was shutting down...no one knew what to do.

I painted and cried that day wondering if my dream was gone...I really didn't want to go selling porta potties unless I had to...Christmas passed, I made it thru..we went to war with Iraq and I drove home for the holidays,,,

Today I'm learning to walk again and simple things like bending my knee is a huge thing. The news today is remembering 7 years ago and also talking lipstick and rock stars and a hurricanne named Ike heading for Galveston...I have a really good friend Billy, living there now The more things change the more they stay the same. I've toured most of the assisted living spaces in Dallas and am currently living at my parents place until this october...I'm still painting, I still have my company and am on disability. I'll be staying for a month or so at Legacy House in Oak Cliff Texas...there, I'll practice driving again and get my life out of storage...I'll be living by myself and not sure what's going to happen, but, I have to do this.

7 years have gone by...we're still at war...friends in Chelsea are goodI'm forging ahead and fighting my battles onr step at a time. It's not over till it's over, I said it then and I say it now.

Tough times don't last, tough people do...and I will

writing my donation letter and sent a draft to a friend...it is looooong...should be done by now, probably will wrap it up tomorrow and start sending out...alot to say, but don't want to bore...keep thinking of a saying that I used a alot...you can only go as fast as your guardian angel can fly...so fly faster already.

Tough times don't last, tough people do,

ok, really walking the Physical Therapist..she's not trained very well and I think she's a mix...couldn't say of what....well, I could, but, I won't. The point was to mimic walking Gracie...couldn't get her to sit or lay down like Gracie, I thought for a minute the state inspector that was there was going to get her to bark, kinda glad she didn't, or I would have been sick but she was ok...wouldn't take her in, glad she's married, Chris can try and calm her down...doggie treats? no doggy downers maybe. The workout was good...don't think I'll be walking Gracie on my knees. Funny first there was downward dog, then trampolene bowling...what's next? never mind I don't want to know....still have to come up with a name for the new dog...any ideas? I have a few...bless her heart!!! more later



Yep this is the gurl with the scabbies, poison ivy, runny nose and what she says is a black eye I gave her...high drama! In the picture above she's catching up on my paper work, which she's always behind. Love you...Mean it!

Tough times don't last, tough people do