Monthly Archives: April 2020

April 18, 2020 · 10:14 am

Morning Errand

This morning I’m going to my booth in Rags & Roses Collective in Greenwood to change out the items in the booth I share there with my good friend, Carla. Joanna Brandt, the owner of the shop, is graciously allowing each of us to come on a scheduled basis, to refresh our booths before she hopes to be able to reopen in May.

I am wearing paint masks that I had in my art room these days.

In the meantime, Joanna is offering online payments for things plus curbside service for pickups. Wonderful customers are happy about this and coming to get great things from the shop during the shut down.

I am posting here, and on two local pages of Facebook to show what is in my shop, Blasing Bright.

Today’s postings are –

 

These are yellow/orange/rose/white hand-painted clip-on one-of-a-kind super light weight wooden dangle earrings. These are 1-1/4″ in diameter on the top disc, with a 3/4″ dangle attached. Total length of the earring is 2-1/4″. Painted plain orange on the backs. Clips and glue are nickel-free. They are on sale at Rags & Roses Collective for $9.99.

 

Red & White Hand-Painted One-of-a-Kind Super Light-Weight Wooden Round Pierced Earrings.  The wooden earring is 3/4″ long. The earring is painted plain red on the back. French hook. Love them yourself or give as a fun gift! These are on sale at Rags & Roses Collective for $9.99.

If you’re interested in these, please call Joanna Brandt, 479-597-3107. She will help you with the purchase and bring them to you curbside. She is open until 4pm today. 100 N Main St. Greenwood AR

Please support our Greenwood small businesses!

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April 17, 2020 · 3:20 pm

Funny Fish

I’m beginning to suspect a conspiracy.

Usually, my fish look a bit ‘put out’ (miffed?)  when I carefully put them back in the aquarium once I’ve cleaned it out, changing everything.  They don’t say anything, just swim around checking everything out.

Yesterday when I put them back in, they went back and forth blowing bubbles and looking at me. I’m beginning to suspect that they are pooping even MORE prolifically than usual because they actually LIKE have new decorations to look at.  I tapped on the glass as they swam back and forth. They stopped, came up to my finger, blew bubbles and then went on their way.

A challenging way to communicate, in my opinion. Maybe I can encourage them to make signs –

  • LIKE this bathtub!
  • More beads, please
  • FEED US!
  • You’re funny looking!

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April 17, 2020 · 2:52 pm

Hope in the Little Things

I can’t think that this awful situation will last forever as I walk around in my yard.  I don’t remember what these sweet little flowers are called, but they are perennial and they are blooming their little hearts out.

 

Rio Samba roses

 

Yellow Iris

Fancier yellow iris

 

 

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April 17, 2020 · 11:26 am

Suggestion

Lisa Bearnes Richey

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April 17, 2020 · 9:44 am

The Art of Debra Bernier – 2

Driftwood Art by Debra Bernier via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

 

Driftwood Art by Debra Bernier via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

 

Driftwood Art by Debra Bernier via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

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April 16, 2020 · 8:47 pm

Astonishing

Carl Sagan via Chris Riddell via The Boho Tree

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April 16, 2020 · 5:35 pm

Hard

Cindy Basnett Thurman

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April 16, 2020 · 5:15 pm

Paper Art 2

MyModernMet

 

 

Parth Koethekar-1-Edgy Minds

 

Patrick Cabral – Visi

 

Pin On Quilling

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April 16, 2020 · 11:48 am

Pathetic

The Irish Times

 

If there were a contest on touching your face the most times within a given time frame, I would win – hands down. (hahhahahahaha).

I’m carrying a tissue in my pocket, trying to remember to take it out if I need to touch my face. That only works part of the time. Apparently, I do this unconsciously. It is a deeply ingrained habit.

I have thought of using the funnel we got for our dog when we needed to keep her from licking a wound,  but I haven’t found it yet, and I think it would drive me nuts. I MAY need to start wearing gloves IN the house to try to break the habit. Maybe handcuffs – though I don’t have any. Cutting my arm off seems harsh.

In the spirit of ‘making lemonade’ – I propose that once this awful time is over, we have a contest, giving a prize to the person who touches her face the most often in whatever time frame desired.  This way I will no longer have to feel like the village moron for not being able to break a bad habit, and may actually be able to look at it as a prized SKILL!

 

 

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April 15, 2020 · 5:23 pm

Veggie Garden Progress 4-15-2020

You can see the full box of spinach plants in this picture, but you can also see the barrels of ingredients for Mel’s Mix, the soil alternative I use. The tarp is covering a cement mixer. I use that to mix the ingredients together before dumping them into the planting boxes.

Here you can see 2 of the six planter boxes. A couple of spinach plants, but mostly head lettuce.

 

Head lettuce and red onions.

Here you can see all six planter boxes, and the fence surrounding them.

So far, all is looking good. If we have another good day tomorrow, I’ll harvest some lettuce leaves and spinach, plus spray the ground under the planter boxes with weed killer.

 

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April 15, 2020 · 3:56 pm

Weeding the Garden

Alamy

I’m certainly not this cute, but I can beat this cute little girl in the contest for dirt all over.

I’ve just come in from weeding my veggie garden. There were a GAZILLION+ teeny, tiny weeds EVERYWHERE that sprung up seemingly overnight. I now have them under reasonable control, I think. After I’ve glugged my water and rested a bit, I’ll go out and get some pics for you. I also plan to do a small harvest of head lettuce leaves and spinach.

Last night we had bacon-wrapped chicken breasts and a large salad with some of our fresh stuff. My husband even remarked on how nice the meal was. :0)

I THINK we are finished with freezing temperatures now, but I check every day to see if I need to cover up my plants each night. Soon I can put that concern behind me and I’ll start gritching and moaning over it being too hot…

It really lifts my spirits to have the sun shining. My inner light dims a bit each day when things are cold, gray, and wet outside day after day. Even though I’m pooped right now, I’m smiling.

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April 15, 2020 · 3:47 pm

The Art of Debra Bernier

Debra Bernier driftwood sculpture via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

 

 

Debra Bernier driftwood sculpture via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

 

 

Debra Bernier sculpture via Jessica Stewart, MyModernMet

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April 15, 2020 · 11:35 am

Remember

Chrissie Anderson Peters

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April 14, 2020 · 3:46 pm

Adapting to Present Climate

Since most of us are under ‘stay-at-home’ orders or are staying home voluntarily, with most businesses shut down or trying to provide take out or curbside services, we are newly aware of how vulnerable and special our local businesses are.

I am trying to do what I can to try to BUY LOCAL and try to help people who provide services survive during the pandemic.

One wonderful local business is Rags & Roses Collective, 100 N. Main Street, Greenwood AR 72936. 479-597-3107. It is owned by a truly wonderful lady, Joanna Brandt. She is now offering online shopping with curbside delivery of your purchases. In these times where uncertainty is the norm, Joanna is a ray of sunshine for all us.

I am trying to create some online advertising of my own stuff from a booth I share there with Carla Woolbright. Our part of the shop is called, “Blasing Bright” 

Today I am featuring three hand-painted journals –

This one is called, “Swirling Fall.” – 6-3/4″ x 6″ heavy cardboard spiral bound one-of-a-kind hand-painted journal. Inside has 10 manila ‘envelope pockets’ that can be used for photos, coupons, ticket stubs, mementos, and more. FUN, one-of-a-kind design.  $9.99 plus tax.

 

“Purple Bliss” 

 

 

“Purple Petals”

If you would like one of these journals, please call Joanna at the number listed above. She will guide you through the process.

Thank you for supporting Greenwood businesses!

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April 14, 2020 · 12:06 pm

Incredible Paper Art

Chie Hitotsuyama

 

 

Chie Hitotsuyama

 

 

Creative Bloq

 

 

Giselle Balbar-Partfaliaz

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April 14, 2020 · 10:27 am

Thoughts on A Tuesday 4-14-2020

New Animalbook

  • I seem to be UNABLE to stop touching my face!  I’ve tried several things without success. As much as I pull on my nose, I should look like Pinocchio!
  • I am using every excuse in the book (and even inventing some new ones!) to cheat on my diet and exercise.

Fat Animals-Rollin Wild by BMC-Nasim Biswas-2018

Each day I ‘start over’ in my mind, looking forward to exercising and eating right. Maybe TODAY I’ll get going again!

  • My sweet veggie plants and new tomato plants made it through another freeze. As far as I can tell, this is the last time I’ll need to cover everything. I have the first load of sheets in the washer to get all clean and dry for when they are needed again. If the weather warms up (it’s 40 now) I’ll try to get a good start on getting the TEENY, TINY weeds out of my veggie garden today.
  • My goldfish have done their trick of dirtying up their aquarium again, so cleaning that is on the agenda for this morning. Happily, I am able to get everything out, clean the aquarium and put all new stuff in it in about 35 minutes now.
  • I have an idea for a painting rattling around in my head. I’ll try to get up to my art room today to get a start on it.
  • Bacon-wrapped keto chicken is on the menu for tonight. I’ll fix a nice salad – with spinach and lettuce from our garden – to go with it.

I hope you are finding good ways to spend your days as we all hope that we can put the threat of the virus, as well as financial worries from the economy being shut down, in the rear view mirror.

Stay safe and well.

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April 14, 2020 · 9:56 am

Spirits Raiser

Razvan Chisu via Brian Morley

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April 13, 2020 · 3:02 pm

Hope Springs 2

Yesterday, before the weather changed, I cut two roses to bring inside. I can FEEL my spirits lifting when I look at these!

I drowned yesterday morning covering up the plants in my square foot garden boxes plus my two planters of new tomato plants because bad weather and plummeting temperatures were forecast. The plants were covered all day and all night. We had at least two rounds of severe storms, some with hail, followed by a freeze.

This morning they were still alive! They are looking a bit ‘tired,’ but I think they are okay. I was planning to go out and weed in the garden, but the temperature never got above 40 here, with enough wind to make it uncomfortable outside. Hopefully, I can get rid of weeds tomorrow.

 

I hope that you are safe and well. I also hope that you – also –  are finding things that give you hope for the future.

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April 13, 2020 · 2:20 pm

New Earrings – Part 2

This is the rest of the newest group of earrings I made and listed on EyecatchingEarrings on Etsy.  Each of these earrings is made of super light weight wood. Each is hand-painted and then some sort of accent is added, like the gold beads above. All of one-of-a-kind designs using leftover goodies from my jewelry collection.

Deep Green with Butterflies

 

Orange Leaves with gold beads.

 

Deep purple with ‘child’ charms

 

Deep purple teardrops with chunky pearls.

 

Rose 3-D Round with slim metal hearts.

 

Rose with silver chain links.

 

Bright yellow rounds with pencil charms.

If you would like more information about these, or would like to see other wooden earring designs, please visit EyecatchingEarrings on Etsy.

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April 13, 2020 · 11:14 am

Fabulous Pet Portraits

Niki Firmin – Eric

 

 

Bethany Kerr Commissioned Portrait

 

 

Niki Firmin – Chuck

 

 

Niki Firmin – Easy

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April 12, 2020 · 5:45 pm

Some New Earrings

This new batch of earrings is a combination of hand-painted super light-weight wooden shapes with accents from nice beads from my jewelry collection.  the top one is a 3-D wooden disc painted a nice, deep blue and then a dangle made of two blue beads and a gold bed.

This is a teardrop shaped wooden piece with natural pearl beads as accents.

 

Red teardrops with added accent of chunky red and black beads on chains.

 

Round aqua wooden discs with pretty little aqua beads on chains as accents.

 

White 3-D disks with a group of festive, Christmas-y looking multi-colored metal beads as accents.

I have 5 more pairs to add tomorrow. If you would like to know more about these pairs, or want to see other choices, the website is called, “EyecatchingEarrings“

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April 12, 2020 · 11:57 am

Rope Art 2

Amazon.com

 

 

Pinterest

 

 

Rope Art by Ember – Home

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April 12, 2020 · 11:08 am

Happy Easter 2020

Michael Schneidhofer Via Penny Yaffe Krakow

Happy Easter!

I love Easter services. Children always have a special part in the service. I participated as a child and my heart has melted ever since when that part of the service occurs. They look so NICE in their Sunday best. I love the glorious music, the whole celebration.

I loved dying Easter eggs as a child. We didn’t do anything fancy, but it was so much fun. My mom didn’t like things that got the kitchen messy, and we sure did a GREAT job of messing it up, with dye all over the table, the floor, our clothes – but she got into the spirit. My dad brought white crayons he had stashed, and we wrote short messages on our eggs – then dying them, so the words showed up in white.

Sometime during the night the Easter Bunny came and did his thing, leaving us chocolate eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies in a green plastic basket with faux green grass, and our eggs had been hidden in our yard. We got a LOT of exercise each Easter because our house sat on an acre and a quarter, and the eggs were hidden EVERYWHERE.

One of my favorite parts of Easter was getting a new outfit to wear to church. One year I especially remember I got a GORGEOUS pink extremely fuzzy sweater with a coordinating skirt and shiny black patent leather shoes with pink socks. I have never seen another sweater like it before or since. I felt really special wearing that outfit, walking down the aisle between the pews at church with the other children. I felt like I was wearing a pink cloud. :0)

Even though celebrating this Easter is more challenging than other years, we can celebrate it in our hearts, contacting those we love and feeling the joy.

 

 

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April 11, 2020 · 2:50 pm

((((( ))))))

Rosa Perry – Voices of Happiness via Garden Naturally Group

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April 11, 2020 · 2:41 pm

Rope Art

Carousell

 

LassoLettering-Etsy

 

Rope Art by Ember – Home

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April 10, 2020 · 6:20 pm

In Times Like This

Jeannett Antonie Overby via Penny Yaffe Krakow

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April 10, 2020 · 6:15 pm

Challenges

email from my friend Marsha

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April 10, 2020 · 4:22 pm

Tomatoes!

Several years ago we converted two brick planters to be square foot gardening planters especially to grow the tomatoes we both love. Nothing says luxury to my husband and me than sliced tomatoes right off the vine.

We took all the soil out of the planters and replace it with Mel’s Mix (a combination of peat moss, vermiculite, and as many different kinds of compost as you can gather).  This is the bright idea of Mel Bartholomew, the author of Square Foot Gardening.

 

We have the six foot planter you see above and then the one below, the one we call a ‘nook’ planter, since it fits in the area beside our screened in back porch and the back of the house. It is about 4 feet wide by 2 feet.

 

I weeded the planters, then planted and staked the new plants, then put a bit of miracle gro pellets as fertilizer and watered.

It looks like the lowest temperature in the next ten days will be 36 degrees. I’ll keep an eye on the forecast, though, in case I need to cover the tomatoes, plus my garden veggies, for protection.

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April 9, 2020 · 6:48 pm

Cheerful Veggies

Our veggies were smiling when I went out today. I see that I will need to make some time over the next few days to weed around the plants, but they are looking healthy so far.  Here you see red onions and some head lettuce.

 

This shows you that the boxes we built are about my chest high, in two rows inside a fence for protection from deer and other critters.  You can see the irrigation system, with a sprinkler in the center of each box.  I have spinach in the farthest box in the picture and mainly head lettuce in the closer one.

 

So far the head lettuce is looking great. I planted them far apart this year, with lots of room to spread out.

 

You can see the tiny weeds that need to come out. I also need to spray weed killer on the ground under the planters.

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April 9, 2020 · 10:30 am

I Love Books

NUSTBookClub.wordpress.com

I feel rich because I love to read.

I started learning to read when I was about 4. I was sitting on the floor in the living room at my family’s home in Tulsa OK.  It was a quiet day and I was bored. Our pets were sleeping and didn’t want to be bothered. My dad was in his chair engrossed in a book about archaeology, his quiet passion. My older brother was on the couch with a pile of his treasured comic books. My mom was in her chair, sharing it with her three little dogs and working the New York Times crossword puzzle and the Cryptoquote. I looked from one to the other. I finally said, “I wish to HELL I could read!” Three people and three dogs looked at me.

Amazingly, my mom didn’t scold me for swearing. She got down on the floor with me and hugged me. I started to cry. She started teaching me how to read – one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I have read voraciously ever since, becoming a first grader teacher in the public schools, and then running my own reading clinic after getting my Master’s Degree as a Reading Specialist. That was a happy time in my life.

I can’t imagine a life not filled with books.

Right now I’m re-reading all my Nora Roberts books. I have a gazillion (thank goodness she is a prolific writer) that I haven’t read in a long time. When I finish those, I haven’t decided if I’ll re-read her J.D. Robb “In Death” books (a series of 50 books so far) or re-read my wonderful Robert B. Parker collection. I’m lucky to have many books into which I can dive and escape whatever is bothering me or simply relax and enjoy.

I am also revisiting some of my art books. These are how-to books that are gorgeous, making me hope that if I live long enough and practice hard enough, I might learn some of the wonderful techniques of drawing and painting.

I am re-reading Simply Keto, by Suzanne Ryan, trying to stay motivated to lose my lard.  I’m using her recipes, and my husband really likes our meals, but I still find myself falling off at times, adding macaroni or something I’m supposed to avoid. So I’m renewing my motivation a little bit at a time with her fine example as a role model.

Between books and YouTube, there is an unlimited supply of wonderful things to learn and experience.

We live in a wonderful time.

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April 9, 2020 · 10:01 am

Thoughts on a Thursday 4-9-2020

David Zinn Art via Penny Yaffe Krakow

Even though I want to bite him in the leg at times, I’m thankful this morning that my husband and I are riding the pandemic out together. Even though I am trying to reach out to the others who mean a lot to me via text, email and phone, REAL HUGS are hugely important to me. So I hug my husband; hug my dogs, Amber and Molly; hug my cats, Smoke and Abby, every day. I don’t hug my 2 gold fish, but we smile at each other.  :0)

I’m even grateful that I work my head off each day, trying to tackle a different part of my house to heal. I’m a slob, and I hate housekeeping, but there is a sense of accomplishment when an area that was a mess gradually becomes an area we can enjoy spending time again.  (We’re looking forward to having our lunch on the screened in back porch today!)

Today’s project is two-fold: 1) weed whacking the areas my husband can’t reach with the mower. We have gone from looking like no one had lived here for several months – with 8-inch-or-so high weeds, to an area that is starting to look not only like someone lives here now, but also like someone cares. My husband was really steamed that he had to mow in March – an affront to fairness in his mind – but he has now mowed twice since then, wanting to feel happy about the yard again.   So I will use the hand-held weed whacker to clean up the edges, the area under the deck, etc. where he can’t reach, and then clean everything up with the leaf blower. 2) The other part of today’s project will be buying and planting tomato plants! (Yeagers Hardware is open and they have plants today.) I will visit my veggie garden and see how things are going.  (Pics later.)

I am hopeful we will get past this awful time and once again we will feel free to HUG our friends without putting them in jeopardy.

I hope you have someone to hug, physically or virtually, today.

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