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Monthly Archives: January 2019
I Love My Mama!
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
“Fight On Ice”
“Fight on Ice 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Fight on Ice 2” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Fight on Ice 3” – Paul Militaru Photography
World of White!
Our weather people were almost completely right this time. We awoke this morning to a world of white in Greenwood, Arkansas. The forecast was that we would get rain last night turning to snow this morning, but that we would get an inch or less from the fast-moving storm. It would be gone by 11 a.m.
By this morning, the Winter Weather Advisory had been moved south to include our area fully, and a ‘heavy band of snow’ had emerged, covering our area! (Now ‘heavy’ for Arkansas is probably a dusting in serious snow areas, but Arkansas doesn’t have snow plows. They have sand trucks – two for Greenwood – but they weren’t going to be used last night due to the rain. Currently, the advisory now goes to 6 pm tonight. The front is supposed to be gone by about 3 pm. The temperature started at 43 F. this morning, and is supposed to be 29 F by this afternoon.
This was earlier today. It’s a VERY wet snow, and quite slushy on our driveway pad. My husband said both doggies came to a screeching halt just as they reached the opening garage door this morning. They looked at each other, then bounded happily into the snow to go take care of things before breakfast. Usually, they are gone exploring all around the yard for about 20 minutes before coming in with hungry stomachs. This morning they leaped out, ran through the snow happily barking, saying, “Here we are, world!” and then came RIGHT back, wanting to get to food and warmth.
We are snowed in up here on top of our ridge line when all of Greenwood has melted off and gone on with life. Our steep driveway is 650+ feet on the north side of our property and is one of the last places in, or outside of Greenwood, to thaw or melt. We love it up here, pretending we own all we can see, loving the privacy, but we DO have to take weather seriously. We filled up the gas tank in our truck yesterday and shopped for groceries, just in case our usual Sunday trip needed to be cancelled.
Happily, we can enjoy our pretty snow – not having to get out in it, or having to negotiate the steep driveway down and up again. We can go outside with the doggies, take pictures, look around and enjoy the unusual weather, enjoy being warm and dry inside, and look forward to warmer temperatures starting tomorrow.
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
The Drawings of Bethany Kerr
Commissions by Bethany Kerr
Commissions by Bethany Kerr
Commissions by Bethany Kerr
Filed under Bethany Kerr, Creativity, drawings
Weather Forecast
Today in Fort Smith via Cindy Basnett Thurman
Hahahahahahaha! After Lunch Bunch today, my husband and I filled up on gas and then hit the grocery store in case we get snowed in tonight and tomorrow up on top of our ridge line. It might come to nothing. Actually, this time they’re NOT forecasting much accumulation – but, in case they’re WRONG – and we DO – we want to be prepared to stay up here until further notice.
We were stuck up here for 14 days in 2000 when we had a huge ice storm. It broke off our tree branches, sounding like gunshots as the branches gave up, broke off, and fell to the ground. We had so many trees whose branches broke, or ice-laden evergreens across our driveway, it took us three days with chain saws to hack our way down our 650+ steep driveway to the road that runs in front of the house. We had no public power or water. Our China Diesel generator in the well house blew a gasket. My husband and our son had to rig a barrel of water to keep it from burning up. They had to check things every half hour for the 14 days.
When we finally made it through THAT awful storm and its aftermath, we got serious about being able to survive up here, if we needed to, for however long it took. We can breathe easily now, although I still hate ice storms… I feel lucky to be able to be proactive. We have a warm, dry house. We have geothermal heat and air with a generator. We have a wood-burning fireplace. We have food and water for our pets and ourselves. We have movies and/or books. We have coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
I feel lucky to be able to be proactive. We have a warm, dry house. We have geothermal heat and air with a generator. We have a wood-burning fireplace. We have food and water for our pets and ourselves. We have movies and/or books. We have coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
Sad Commentary
I ordered this LED Color Changing Solar Wind Chime Light from an online company called FREE SHIP DEALS on November 12th of last year. I finally received it on Monday, January 14th. I guess I should have suspected the company – since they charged $8.95 for shipping when their name is “FREE SHIP DEALS,” but I really like the look of the wind chime.
This is what arrived. What looks like metal is silver colored plastic. The bottom is totally smashed. The ball is in three pieces and there is no way to put it back together.
This is what it was shipped in – a very light cardboard box with a plastic envelope covering. That is it. No protection for the box or the wind chime inside – all the way from China.
I had kept the several emails they sent. They advertise asking any questions, to email them at info@freeshipdeals.com I’ve been emailing them all week, telling them I would like a refund, since the product is unusable.
I went to their website, where they say,
“Refund and Return Policy
We are committed to provide our customers with the best online shopping experience & satisfaction. We welcome your feedback and try to enhance the shopping experience of our customers, while working on your feedback and we are always ready to go above and beyond for our customers.
How to Initiate A Refund
In case you are unsatisfied with the received purchase, we request you to reach us at info@freeshipdeals.com with your order details, and we shall revert back to you at the earliest with the details of return shipping process.
Returns
we are happy to assist you with returns subject to following criteria:
- The products should be purchased only from Freeshipdeals.com and not from any other retailer be it online or offline.
- Return request should be raised within 30 business daysfrom the date of delivery.We will not be able to offer a refund or exchange for any orders that exceed the 30 business day refund period.
- Products should be unused with all the tags and original packaging should remain intact and should be sent along with the products.
- Product should reach us in sellable condition.
- Kindly note that during a promotion, specific rules will apply for returning a promotional product or freebies if the correct product has been delivered, only in case we send a wrong product or wrong size we will accept return.”
______________________
Since I’m not paying to return trash to China – having to fill out a customs form, etc., PLUS they require the return be in “Sellable” condition – and they are not answering their emails, I guess I’m out the $26.00.
I’m thinking of hanging the trash up in my greenhouse as a reminder not to be taken in again.
Filed under Companies to AVOID
“Fly Like an Eagle…”
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
“The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror!” ~ Joyce Meyer
*These images are the combined work of many photographers all acting in concert to make us aware of endangered species and encourage all of us to help maintain their environment.
Michelle Reader – Art from Found Things
Michelle Reader
“Biker” – Michelle Reader
“Deer” – Michelle Reader – viloa.bz
Filed under Art From Found Things, Creativity
Bunnies, Rabbits, and Hares, Oh My!
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Catheine Lee – Linkedin
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Snow Creatures – It’s the Season
Funny Viral Memes
Housekeeping101-SnowGotaHoldonMe-Can’tGettoWork via Vickie Eisenlohr
Japan – DeMilked
Filed under Creativity, Seasons, snow people
“Splendor and Elegance – Lady of the Lake”
“Splendor and Elegance – Lady of the Lake” – Paul Militaru Photography
The Amazing Niki Firmin
“Toby” – Niki Firmin – Pet Portraits – LinkedIn
“Spirit” – Niki Firmin – Pet Portraits – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals, drawings, Niki Firmin - Pet Portraits
Pity Party
Getty Images
I suggested yesterday that you might consider getting the 2-shot vaccine for the Shingles virus. My husband and I got the 1st shot yesterday.
I’m STILL strongly suggesting you think about it, but I have to also warn you about possible side effects of the shot.
Yesterday afternoon my husband and I had sore arms where the shot had been administered. Not as bad as an ear ache or a tooth ache, but an unrelenting ache that made us a bit on edge.
We slept fine last night. When we got up this morning, we agreed our arms were still sore, but maybe not as bad as yesterday. You have trouble finding the spot where my husband got his shot. My arm has about a 1.5 inch raised, pink, very warm place easily seen from across the room. We both feel pretty bummed out and both of us took a nap this morning in our recliners.
I have slight flu-like symptoms. I’m achy all over, have a head ache, and generally feel as if I had been run over by a truck. I’m fondly thinking of another nap this afternoon.
We don’t feel SICK, just no energy.
So, while you’re thinking about getting this important vaccine, also note that your arm might be sore and you might feel a total lack of energy the next day or two, so you might consider getting it on a Friday afternoon so you’ll feel fine by Monday. We think it’s a small price to pay when you consider how AWFUL Shingles is.
We’ll get our 2nd shot mid March.
Filed under Health Alert, taking care of yourself
Paintings I Love
Willem Haenraets via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Esma CETIN – LinkedIn
Ilya Ibryaev-Elena-LiviaD-LinkedIn
“It’s a Hard Life” – Graham Colthorpe – LinkedIn
Filed under Creativity, Watercolors I Love
BIG Kitties!
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Dave Welling via Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Painting by Lucie Bilodeau via Kelly Mizell – LinkedIn
Nick du Plessis via RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Whine and Cheese
Fluent in 3 Months
There are few things I hate more than preparing our records for our wonderful CPA. Legal and financial documents make my eyes glaze over and give me the creeps. I have irrational fear – thinking ridiculous, paranoid thoughts that I’ll miss something, make a mistake and end up in the slammer.
I am a champion of one skill in particular – the art of procrastination. I have taken it to an art form.
Grammarly via Cathy Ruggiero
Each year I make improvements in my record keeping, and each year – as we age – our records get more simple. I used to have my own website with over 100 artists at one time, and THEN the record keeping was time-consuming and complex, plus we both had full-time jobs, were trying to raise our son, were buying and selling houses, cars, etc. Now we are retired, the business is closed, and I have my artwork on ArtFire, so the records are simple.
The main thing is to go through the booklet our CPA provides listing all the pertinent information he needs and what we recorded last year. He has helped us as much as possible, so why do I make so many excuses for not getting started?
Part of it is that it is TOTALLY my job.
My husband ignores the whole process, chauffeuring me to the CPA’s office when I have everything together. I have a small pity party, get a bit hostile, slog through the process, and then we dump it on our CPA to once again put it all on the forms and make sure everything is good. (This has been the ‘whine’ part of this post.)
The ‘cheese’ part is that, once I finally get my rear in gear and get going, the process goes faster and more smoothly each year. By the time they kick dirt over me, I’ll have it all down to a science. :0)
The ‘cheese’ part is that usually, I get a nice lunch out somewhere when we’ve gotten rid of the tax stuff!
So much ado about very little – but I think I’ll put it off, once again, until tomorrow….
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises
Shingles Protection
shutterstock.com
If you have had Shingles – or have tried to help someone who has it, you’re already cringing.
Shingles varies for everyone. Some people have a light case, and others a much more serious outbreak. My husband had a BAD case in around 2005 and we both cringe even THINKING of what he went through. In his case, it covered his whole left side and continuing around to his belly. His pain was excruciating and nothing seemed to help. He was in pain about 6 weeks and then STILL hurt when he laughed, sneezed or coughed for months afterward.
We jumped on it when the first vaccine was announced. It was hyped as a one-shot thing that would protect us for life. We both got the injection. THEN, when a new vaccine, Shingrix came out, we discovered that our ‘protection’ was really only for 5 years, and that we had been unprotected since 2009!
We tried to get on a list to receive the new vaccine, Shingrix, 50 mcg injection. (It’s a 2-shot deal with 2 to 6 months between shot #1 and shot #2.) We got the okay from our primary doctor and called Walgreen’s, only to be told there is a shortage of vaccine. They would put us on their list, but it would be awhile before we could get it. (They can only get 10 shots/month and the line is long.) AND, as makes sense, they’re trying to get shot #2 for the good folks who have already gotten shot #1 and need shot #2 before the six month time limit is up. We called the other pharmacies in Greenwood and Fort Smith and got the same information.
THEN, a new pharmacy opened its doors in Greenwood. We had been with them formerly, but they shut down and we had to go elsewhere. We were delighted to hear they were back! I called and she told me she COULD get the vaccine! We went and filled out the paperwork. When she called it into our healthcare provider, Humana, she reported to us that the cost for each shot would be $140 – and we needed FOUR shots! We put the whole idea on hold, hoping that the beginning of the year might bring better news as to costs.
I called Humana yesterday, finding to my delight that our cost would be $47 per shot – a much more reasonable cost. I called the pharmacy. She still had our paperwork and resubmitted it, calling us back later to confirm the cost.
We got our shot #1 today, and we’re on the calendar to receive shot #2 mid-March.
I don’t know what the difference is between sources, or why other pharmacies have so much trouble getting the vaccines. I’m just glad that our new pharmacist had no trouble and could get us started on being fully protected. The protection is for 5 years; so – if we’re still alive and kicking by then – we’ll go in and get protected again.
I write this to urge YOU – if you are 50 or older – to seriously consider getting this protection. I can tell you that you DON’T want anything to do with getting Shingles. You don’t need the pain, and you can get it over and over again. Please research what the situation and costs are for you wherever you are and make the decision to protect yourself, if possible.
It’ll be interesting to see when and if Walgreen’s will ever call us back that they finally have the first shot for us…
Good Thought
Simple Families via Carol Auclair Daly
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Quotes, Good Thoughts
Tasmanian Devil Mailbox Decoration
My husband and I have a lot of fun creating decorations for our mailbox based on characters we loved when we were kids. The latest is the Tasmanian Devil from the Loony Tunes cartoons. The creator of “Taz” is Robert McKimson.
“The Tasmanian Devil, commonly referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Though the character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros. Cartoons closed down in 1964, marketing and television appearances later propelled the character to new popularity in the 1990s. His first name is revealed in the 1957 short Bedevilled Rabbit, when his wife addresses him as “Claude”.
Taz is generally portrayed as a ferocious, albeit dim-witted, omnivore with a notoriously short temper and little patience. He got his name in the short Ducking the Devil. Though he can be very devious, he is also sweet at times. His enormous appetite seems to know no bounds, as he will eat anything in his path. He is best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls, and rasps (in his earlier appearances, he does speak English with primitive grammar) as well as his ability to spin like a vortex and bite through nearly anything.[1] Taz does have one weakness: he can be calmed by almost any music. While in this calm state, he can be easily dealt with. The only music known not to pacify Taz is the bagpipes, which he finds insufferable.[2]
In 1991, Taz got his own show Taz-Mania which ran for four seasons in which Taz was the main protagonist.”
Source: Wikipedia
We get the image from the Internet. My husband converts the drawings into code the computer can read and reproduce. A computer-guided torch allows us to cut the design out of sheet metal on our CNC set up. Our usual pieces are about 2 feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide. We then mark the salient features on each side of the design using an overhead projector. My husband welds a mount on the piece that allows us to attach it to the pole on our mailbox. I then paint the piece on both sides with weather-resistant paint and then spray it with polyurethane to protect it from the elements as much as possible.
We enjoy creating these decorations. Rather than fighting about money, how to raise the kids, etc., we ‘discuss’ – with strong opinions – WHAT we’ll make, WHICH DESIGN is best for our needs, WHAT COLORS to paint it, and more. It brings a lot of joy in our lives to create these together – something we never pictured ourselves doing. :0)
A man drove up our steep 650 + foot driveway the other day to ask us if our work was for sale! He drives a vehicle for the Senior Citizens Center in Greenwood and regularly passes by our mailbox. He told us he looks forward to seeing what we have up each time he passes.
Thinking of his kind feedback makes me smile each time we put up another decoration!
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art
Art from Found Things – Take 32
Ann P. Smith – Robot Owl – makezine.com
Macaon-beer and soda cans-enpundit.com
Filed under Art From Found Things, Creativity
Creative Snow Art – Take 40
Bored Art
boredpanda.com-Tokyo
cheezburger.com
Filed under Creativity, Seasons, snow people
Gorgeous Big, Black Cat
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Is Amber Turning Over a New Leaf?
This is Amber, our yellow lab puppy. She will be two years old in March. She weighs 94 pounds. She is a more than a double-handful for us, teaching us countless lessons on how to pay better attention, make SURE she’s on the proper side of the dog gate, make SURE all the food is put away properly in the kitchen, make SURE you’re braced and balanced before she runs into you, make SURE we only let one dog out at a time, and more.
We’ve been told that labs are puppies until they are two years old. I have no confidence that Amber got that memo.
That said, Amber has had a quiet day today! She seems to be feeling fine. She jumped right up to go in the CAR with us when we did errands this morning. She wagged her tail at countless people she saw at each place we stopped. When she got home, she actually gave us the squeaky ball a couple of times, instead of teasing us and actually wanting to play tug of war. She’s been out a couple of times and didn’t bring any deer parts into the yard. She didn’t get into anything in the garage, taking it outside to chew on it. She actually got in her place when asked with no protest. She didn’t get into any trash cans. She didn’t splash the water out of the water dish.
She hasn’t given back her dinner in over a week now. She nosed both cats and our elderly cocker spaniel/schnauzer mix, Molly, but didn’t knock anyone over or cause anyone to protest her attention. She’s only thrown my arm up over my head – her signal that she wants to go out – a couple of times today. She didn’t try to join me in my computer chair.
I’m not sure what to think. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be with her all day long (it’s mid-afternoon now.) We LOVE her ALL the time, but we have appreciated getting a bit of quiet time to collect our thoughts occasionally.
Is Amber turning over a new leaf?
Nah! She is just lulling us into a sense of relief and complacency before she brings us back to reality once again….
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
Something You Might Consider Doing
i65
I created a document for our son that answers questions such as, “What should I do about…?” and “Where is the….”
In this document I list financial stuff, insurance information, loans status and sources, contact information for important people, and more.
We all know there are no guarantees in life. No one knows how long he or she will live. I’ve tried to picture our son trying to deal with things if
- I die, or my husband dies, and the remaining person needs help dealing with things
- My husband and I die together and our son is left with the house, cars, and STUFF
We have taken advantage of the expertise of our lawyer, our CPA, and spelled out what we want done as far as burial arrangements, made suggestions as to what to do with the stuff our son doesn’t want, and mainly tried to answer “where is the” with lists of what is in our safe deposit box and other secure places.
_______________
We update the document every six months. (I procrastinate, thinking not much has changed – but each time I do it, I’m surprised how out-of-date much of the information is! We have tried to handle things as much as possible so that our son can do things from across the world, if needed, or he can get to everything he needs if he comes home. We probably haven’t thought of everything, but we try to rethink things twice a year, as if we were looking at the problem with fresh eyes.
We think it’s a very important way we can help the remaining spouse or our son take care of things as easily as possible.
It’s never too early to plan for when you’re not here anymore. We think it’s a good way to show our love.
Filed under building good habits, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises, Family
Warning
MartyMouseHouse.com via Comedy Club via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
creativeartworksblog 