Eighteenth Century ~ 1730-1741

Friederike Luise Markgräfin von Brandenburg-Ansbach by Pesne, 1734

Shepherd Party by Nicolas Lancret, 1735

The Artist's Niece by Liotard, 1746

Countess Anna Katharina Orzelska by Rosalba Carriera

Marie Madeleine Guimard by Fragonard

Baroque ~ 1628-1635

Marie Louise de Tassis by van Dijck, 1629

Hélène Fourment in Wedding Dress by her husband Rubens, c1630

Mrs Rombouts & Her Daughter by Anthonis van Dijck, c1632

Susanna Pellicorne with Daughter by a student of Rembrandt, 1632/33

Lady in Black Dress by Jacques Dumonstier

Henrietta Maria by anonymous, c. 1635

Baroque ~ 1636-1664

Anne Dalkeith Countess Morton and Anne Kirke, Ladies in Waiting to Queen Henriette by Anthonis van Dijck

Anne Countess of Clanbrassil by van Dijck, 1636

Mary Villiers by van Dijck, 1636

Needlewoman by Velazquez, 1640

Paternal Advice by Gerard ten Borch, 1655

Mrs Claypole by Michael Wright, 1658

Curiosity by Ter Borch, 1660

Baroque ~ 1665-1699

Lady by Vermeer, 1665

Noble Couple by A. van den Tempel

The Harpsichord Lesson by Jan Steen

Dancing Party by Art des Gonzales Cocques

Lady at Harpsichord by Vermeer, 1670

Unknown Woman by A. van den Tepmel, 1670

Louise de Kérouale by Pierre Mignard, 1682

balloon animals

jon recently turned brenden and raisa into his marionette zombies, pretending he had friends for the afternoon:



then... signs of life appeared outside after an unbelievably long winter:


tulips that susan planted six inches underground last fall serendipitously one day before the first november snow.


iris plants reaching for the first april sun and sending their prayers to heaven for the end of the six-month glacial weather.

if only susan could have hibernated along with nature all winter. if only. (only 2 more months of feeling like a balloon animal, twisted, stretched, pulled, poked at, thrown up and down, withering over time, used up, and tossed in the trash. hooray!).

A Golden Opportunity

a new warm spring-feeling day lead us to a nearby asian grocery store... we stopped in...and our jaws dropped in amazement. fresh produce and herbs, an aquarium of fish, aisles of mouth-watering sauces, treats, and grains, and a multitude of frozen vegetables, animals and animal parts including fish (millions of kinds), whole hens and geese, many cow organs, and crab legs.



Jon's favorite item was REAL rice wine vinegar for about a dollar. Susan's favorite: big bag of sea salt for 5 bucks. And the duo's together-favorite: Hello Panda chocolate-filled mini cookies. (We also noticed the nice thing about the sweets is they're made with raw ingredients including cane sugar)!

The bundle of groceries at a regular corporate grocery store would have cost, we're guessing, $130. This trip, it cost us a whopping FIFTY dollars, plus we got advice on the mangos for free from the nice check-out lady.

We are SOOOOOO shopping there from now on!!!

random things happen...

bratty napoleon has survived another month without being sequestered or killed. the 3 cats can now eat together peacefully. the rest of the day... fights. napoleon is seeking help through psychopharmaceuticals for his aggressive attitude.


the mississippi river from our neighbourhood looking toward downtown minneapolis was viewed on one of susan and margie's walks.


margie enjoys walking the tracks and watching for birds on these walks; however she has learned not to chase flying objects while on the leash because her mother will put her in the kennel straightaway.


she also enjoys hopping through the snowy weeds along the bank of Shingle Creek during late winter walks.


After a looooooooong and difficult day at work, Susan came home to a clean house (ALL the piles of dishes done, ALL laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away, etc.) and the bedroom rearranged in the way she had been talking about. This was the best anniversary gift ever. 4 years!