On Health
Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother’s hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died.
She simply said, “I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often.”
Filed under Short Powerful Stories
“Struggle for Survival” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Birds n Blooms – Betsy Chamberlain
Birds n Blooms – Christy Wheeler
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
I’ve made more progress today on cleaning out my art room. I have a total of FOUR 39 gallon leaf bags full of stuff to donate to the Veterans Thrift Store soon.
The thing I didn’t expect was that this project would make me so emotionally tired, too.
I’ve spent a large part of my life trying to create things, paint things, decorate stuff – to sell on my former website, Creative Artworks. Last year I closed the website down, shifting my work to Etsy and ArtFire.
Now I’m trying to pare down what I’m trying to create and the materials I need to make them. This is surprisingly hard, in that I’m closing some doors. I’ll feel better once this is finished and I have more room to spread out and start trying to make ideas rattling around in my head come to fruition, but I have to talk to myself, pushing myself to admit I no longer want to make something and actually gather the materials to give to others. I’m happy to provide materials for others who might love making use of them, it’s just hard to make my creative world a bit smaller.
So now I’m trying to picture my art room looking clean and spacious, trying to gather motivation to continue this needed project. Some things are more difficult to go through. It was much easier when it was pots and pans…
Paul Stankard – Museum of Glass
http://www.bernsteinglass.com – Katherine and William Bernstein – Self-Portrait
Filed under Creativity, Gorgeous Glass
Well, I was planning to show you pics of a couple of tables I’ve managed to clean off in the art room. So far I’ve gathered two large bags of things I’ll donate, plus a nice big bag of trash to put out for the trash people tomorrow.
I brought my husband in to show him my progress last night right before we went to bed. I was thinking he would notice how clean two of the tables are. He looked around and said, “You’ve got a lot more work to do, don’t you.”
I’m not admitting defeat here. I’ll just keep going up there, deciding what I can get rid of, and keep on keepin’ on…
Skis.com Blog
I’m fascinated by what to me is a brand new technique for analyzing the performance of one skier to another. I have no idea how they do it, but they almost seem to superimpose a video of one skier over a second video of another skier, showing both skiers taking the curves of the course as if they were skiing at the same time.
You can see where one skier went in a wider curve than the other, losing valuable time. The skiers are skiing side by side, turning as if they are birds in a flock who turn at the exact same time as if a memo were sent out to the group. Suddenly, they diverge a bit, and the final result is more or less time on the clock, or a crash into the foam at the sides of the course.
It’s even better than being able to study football plays over and over of your team or your opponents. These would be a great learning tool for skiing students, Olympians and even gold medal winners.
They haven’t mentioned the technique when they use it. The commentators are just concentrating on the two skiers involved and the race at hand. I’m fascinated with the way the both the Olympians AND the techniques to cover them have grown.
Plumbing Zone
On a Plumber’s truck :
“We repair what your husband fixed.”
______
On another Plumber’s truck:
“Don’t sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.”
_____
At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
“Invite us to your next blowout.”
_____
On an Electrician’s truck:
“Let us remove your shorts.”
_____
In a Non-smoking Area:
“If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and will take appropriate action.”
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
123RF Stock Photos
Today at 7AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too.
A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job.
I start tomorrow.
Filed under Short Powerful Stories
Paper Olympics-Raya Sader Bujana
Raya Sader Bujana-Behance
TechEBlog-Elsa Mora
Filed under Creativity, paper art
Bird of Happiness – Art on Paper (Sorry – I can’t read the signature of the artist)
Diana Beltran Herrera
Filed under Creativity, paper art
blog.photosi.com
I’m having to do really short sessions on cleaning my art room. I keep getting distracted when I find something interesting I didn’t remember I had and wanting to do something ‘artful’ with it, instead of continuing to go through things.
Last time I got the idea for a new line of stationery, note cards, thank you notes and greeting cards. The idea is rattling around in my head, plus I’m dreaming about it, so I guess I’ll need to make time and space to at least get started on the idea soon, but I really need to get the art room ‘healed’ first.
So far, I HAVE cleaned off my drafting table. If you walked into the room, though, you wouldn’t be able to tell anything else had been done. This is the kind of project that looks worse before it even THINKS about getting better.
I’m going up there now to see what I can do….
I would appreciate your sending good wishes, persistence, and focus in my direction today…
littlebunnyfeet.blogspot.com
Tim and Karen Chambers
Filed under Creativity, Gorgeous Gourd Art
“He and She on Troubled Waters” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Relaxation” – Paul Militaru Photography
“White Pigeon” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
random.openminds.be
Other great ideas:
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Bill Eisengrein – ABC News
Today, after my 72-hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn’t recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said; “On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center.”
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Short Powerful Stories
Random Words
Ahhhhhh! We’re finally getting a bit of rain.
We’re in the middle of a bad drought that started in August of last year, I think. It’s to the point now that the lakes that provide the water for Greenwood don’t have enough water when they do their semi-annual ‘turnover’ to keep the water from having a smell and an off taste. Thankfully, we get our water from Milltown, down the road a bit, and we haven’t noticed a problem, but the whole area is being affected.
I don’t know how much rain we need to have to cure the drought and get us back to normal; but thankfully, we have good chances for rain from today through the next week. You can almost hear the plants and the grass saying, “Ahhhhhhh!” when you walk around outside.
Filed under Mother Nature
Your Tango
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.”
Filed under Encouragement, favorite poems, Favorite Quotes
Shutterstock
Today, I asked my mentor – a very successful business man in his 70s what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said;
“Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing.”
Filed under Challenges, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
We love Calvin & Hobbes. One of our favorite parts of the series was the killer Snow-Goons. Today it’s 77 outside, but tonight a cold front is coming through, so we may get our chance to build one of our OWN Snow Goons before the winter is over. This is the back of the piece, where I try to blend in the attachment support into the design.
I love the way my husband was able to weld ‘arms’ on and make the piece 3-dimensional, with the Snow Goon holding its head.
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art
The GOOD news is that we’re having an absolutely GORGEOUS day – particularly for mid-February. It’s 77 degrees F. outside now and the sun is shining. There’s a gusty wind, but it’s coming from the south.
We took the opportunity to walk around the yard when we got home from errands.
The BAD news is that we’re finding more of what living in the same place for over 30 years brings.
We have severalbrick planters in the yard because we have no soil on top of the ridge line. We have two 8’x2′ planters across the front of the house that are giving it up, falling apart.
Those were pics of the first planter. Below are pics of the 2nd planter –
We have a sample brick to take to Fort Smith to see if we can get more or something similar. My husband will calculate how many bricks we need have the company deliver them, leaving them to the side of the top of our driveway.
We’ll see if we can find a real brick layer, rather than trying to do these again ourselves. We plan to dig out the plants, saving the ones we can. We’ll dig out the soil, putting it in huge piles on tarps in the front yard. We’ll demolish the planters down to the concrete pads. (We’ll see if we can use these bricks to make a walk-way or two in my greenhouse later.) Hopefully by doing this much ourselves, plus putting soil back in when the brick layer has finished and says it’s okay, we’ll save as much money as possible.
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance
Madeleine Jacobs
We particularly enjoyed watching the pairs figure skating from the Olympics last night. I almost cried watching the German couple who won the Gold Medal, they were SO talented and graceful. Just exquisite.
I have a hard time watching though, because I’m torn between being GRATEFUL that I live on the same planet as these talented people, and EXTREME ANNOYANCE at the commentators who can’t shut up long enough for you to enjoy the performance.
I wouldn’t know the difference between a triple sowcow (who knows how to spell this) and a triple lutz (spelling?) – but WHO CARES! I don’t want to be told they had trouble with this in practice, and little Jimmy let whatshername fall on her rear in the last Olympics. I DON’T CARE if they didn’t rotate enough to make the commentators happy – or want to listen to them tell me for the umpteenth time that this performance needs to be ‘perfect’ for these people to win. YOU THINK?
I end up listening to about 4 seconds of the music (if I’m lucky) and then having to mute the sound off and on throughout the performance or just mute it altogether and watch.
I don’t really care what the judges think, either. I guess it’s too much to ask to just let me ENJOY the beautiful skating while listening to the music and THEN find out what the commentators, judges, and Joe Blow think AFTER they finish…. :0(
Filed under Pet Peeves
Donald Zolan – myArtmagazine.com-www.wallcoo.com
IndiaMART
Filed under Creativity, Oil Paintings I Love
crpud.net
“Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I’m working on for my Psychology class.
When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said;
“Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile.”
Filed under Family, Favorite Quotes, Short Powerful Stories
Today I’m diving into a glorious re-reading of our collection of “Jack Reacher books” by Lee Child.
Jack Reacher is a larger-than-life strong character. He’s tall, lean, and strong, both physically and mentally. Straight forward, doesn’t say a lot. Very smart. As you get to know him, you want to know more. You admire him more and more with each book.
If you haven’t discovered Lee Child, you’re really in for a treat.
Filed under Favorite Authors & Books
quote of the day
* I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my thirty page insurance policy
that I swear I did not make any changes to.
* Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
* I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
creativeartworksblog 