Monthly Archives: August 2023

August 10, 2023 · 9:56 am

Thursday 8-10-2023

Adobe Stock

I’m relieved that the severe weather passed us by overnight. I never heard any rain if we had any. Everything, including flying hairballs, was predicted, and my weather thingie was flashing a tornado watch. Thankfully, we had a quiet evening and night and are fine.

Freepik

I spent some time in my art room yesterday, trying to get things put back in place. I had to move a LOT of stuff in order to clear space large enough for my husband to be able to use a ladder under the fluorescent light fixture, rewiring it so that it would accept LED tubes. The light is wonderful in there now, but the room looks a bit like a bomb hit.

I really need to go through and toss a bunch of stuff. Each time I work on a project I find supplies that have hardened up, no longer usable. This time, though, I really want to continue work on the Christmas presents and cards I have in mind, plus play with the new colored markers my husband got me, so I’m just going to concentrate on getting things put somewhere reasonable, clear off my drafting table, and then play. I can be more of an ‘adult’ later… :0)

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August 10, 2023 · 9:40 am

Dr. Schwoba Schnitzer Chainsaw Art

Dr. Schwoba Schnitzer – jimdofree.com

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August 9, 2023 · 11:54 am

We Prevailed!

Vintage Hardware and Lighting

We just finished changing out the fluorescent tubes for LED T8 tubes and rewiring the fixture in my art room. We had the easiest time yet, with absolutely no problems – no accidents, no harsh words, no bloodshed. :0)

I spent yesterday afternoon moving stuff out of the way and putting the ladder under the fixture so it would be ready. I did well because the ladder went right where he needed it to work as comfortably as possible.

After we did that – in record time – I showed him one of the lights that is attached to my drafting table. In moving the table a bit to get it out of the way, I broke the plastic thingie that the light fits into in order to attach to the table. :0(

Thankfully, we had another one in the shop. I was able to put the replacement part on myself – with some fumbling around – but he doesn’t need to know that.

This afternoon I’ll work on getting my art room back together. If I can get that done, I’ll continue working on the Christmas presents for my friends, sort my new marker collection, and more!

Since it’s raining off and on, this is a good ‘stay-at-home-and-be-happy-we’re-dry’ day.

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August 9, 2023 · 10:47 am

Thank You, Hidreley

Hidreley, who posts articles and images on BoredPanda.com on a regular basis, posts things that I love. I’m not sure if you can go to the site and search for articles by him, but I think I’ll go and try it.

I’ve been posting images from one of his articles on driftwood art lately. I just can’t get enough of this. I hope you’re enjoying it, too.

Jeffro Uitto is one of the premier driftwood artists. His skill and imagination seem endless.

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August 9, 2023 · 10:32 am

Indian Hills Smirks

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August 9, 2023 · 10:02 am

Wednesday 8-9-2023

Jeff’s Wildlife Photography – @Sykesjeff on Twitter

WEATHER –

We’re supposed to have rain very soon, and then storms – some severe – tonight-into-the-overnight. I guess it’s kind of whiny of me to wish we could just have a quiet rain, rather than moving from ‘intense heat warnings” to “Severe Storms Warning,” but I would LOVE to be a bit spoiled for a while.

NATURE’S GIFTS-

I had the gift of two hummingbirds taking their time eating and resting at our feeder this morning. I was in the kitchen getting coffee when I caught movement outside the window. One hummingbird landed on the feeder and just sat for quite awhile, resting and looking around, drinking occasionally. A second hummer joined him, but they weren’t dive-bombing each other. Both just sat at the feeder seemingly enjoying the food and the companionship. Just beautiful!

On the way to town a couple of days ago, a roadrunner ran across the road down the road from us. It was the first one we’ve seen in a couple of years. We usually have a couple we see from time to time in our yard, but they’ve been scarce for a year or so.

And finally, our driveway detector kept going off – just one detector, so I didn’t think there was a vehicle, but it went off several times. I got up to see what was causing it and got to see a doe crossing our driveway, leading her fawns to the west. She wasn’t in any hurry and I got to see her as she encouraged her babies to follow her. Really special. :0)

I hope your Wednesday is wonderful.

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August 9, 2023 · 9:09 am

A Friend

Framed 7×5 Friend Sign – “The Song in Your Heart” – $14.99 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.

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August 8, 2023 · 2:22 pm

Amazing Gift Evolution

This is the box my husband made that turned out to be too small to hold all the markers in the gift bag.

He took it back out to the shop this morning and returned just at lunch time.

Here is the finished marker box, with the addition of the new, larger base on the front of the older box.

Here is a side view of the finished box. I’m thrilled with my new markers AND the box that holds them. I’ll spend a lot of time rearranging the markers to put the colors together and I’m thinking of some sort of cardboard dividers or something to hold them in place better.

A wonderful gift from a wonderful man. Lucky me.

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August 8, 2023 · 10:50 am

Gift that Keeps on Giving

Yesterday I showed you that my husband bought me a ‘just because’ gift. This is the bag the gift came in.

The bag was FULL of all these colored markers – regular marker on one end, pointed on the opposite end – 262 different colors!!!!!!!! I was beyond thrilled.

He disappeared for the whole afternoon. It was cooler, and I could see that he had the shop garage door open and the fan on, so I wasn’t worried about him having heat stroke out there. I finally checked on him, bringing him a bottle of water.

He was making a box for me to keep the markers in. He didn’t like the bag. He had spent all afternoon cutting wood to make a box. He was ready to glue on the bottom when I went out there. I helped him do that.

This morning first thing he went out to get the box. We started putting markers in the box. Soon we knew we had a problem. The box was too small to hold all the markers.

My husband was beyond upset. My words were falling on deaf ears, so I let him calm down awhile.

Finally I suggested he make an inset to sit on top of the bottom tier of markers that could slide in and out. I can put the most used markers in the top tier and slide it out when I want to use one not in the top. They will all be together and easily accessible.

He seems to like that idea.

I’m still quite touched that he thought about this present at all, ordered it for me, and then tried to make it even better. I’m hopeful that this suggestion will work to show him how much I appreciate his efforts. This man is definitely a keeper.

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August 8, 2023 · 9:57 am

Alcohol Ink Art 2

Artesty.com

Pinterest

The Boston Calendar

CtrlpStore-Etsy

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August 8, 2023 · 9:49 am

Blue and White

Earrings – Dangle/Wire – 2″ Blue Round Cut-Out “Flower” Light-Weight Hand-Painted Wooden – $13.95 – FREE SHIPPING to contiguous U.S.

HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy

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August 8, 2023 · 9:39 am

Hope is Starting to Spring

2012 NBC Universal Media LLC-Time

As of this morning my weight is down almost 10 pounds. I’m happy about this, except that it’s the SAME 10 pounds I keep losing and then ‘somehow’ gaining it back. UGH.

THIS time I’m doing a combination of things that I think are sustainable –

  • I’ve increased my fiber a LOT
  • I’m not eating in-between meals
  • I’ve cut down what I’m eating for lunch
  • I’m trying to stay busy so I have less time to think about food

If I get past the 10 pound mark and continue steady loss, I’ll start to build hope that I can get to my goal.

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August 7, 2023 · 11:46 am

Dog Portraits by Peter Hogarth 4

Peter Hogarth Dog Portraits – @PeterHogarth55 on Twitter

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August 7, 2023 · 11:26 am

Just Because

Just before my husband got up this morning, the driveway detectors went off (just as they should!) telling me someone was driving up the driveway. It was our mail person (It was a woman today) delivering two big packages. The first was a package I had ordered for my husband. He loves double-walled large glasses for his sugar-free sodas. He is a bit careless about keeping up with them, or drops and breaks them. Many times he wants another drink, but the cupboard is empty. I ordered 4 double-walled plastic large glasses for him recently and he loves them. I ordered 4 more for him and they arrived this morning.

The 2nd package was a package from Temu, the online company that my husband pours over, finding all kinds of things he can get for extremely reasonable prices. He loves the site and orders a lot of ‘stuff.’

He brought the bag below into the office and put it on the table.

I unzipped the bag and look what was inside!

There are 262 different colored markers. They each have a ‘regular’ marker end and the other end is pointed. I guess I ‘knew’ there were technically 262 or more colors, but this is incredible. There is one marked “colorless blender.” I may be able to get some watercolor effects! Maybe I can use these to make my wreath Christmas cards! I love this, and it was a complete surprise. WOW.

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August 7, 2023 · 11:03 am

Glorious Rain!

Tenor

Our doors are open, my husband is sleeping in, and it’s deliciously cool right now with gentle rain and 71 degrees. I feel like a plant, drinking in the reviving moisture. We’ll have to close up around lunchtime, probably, and turn on the a/c, but I’m enjoying every minute of this.

Yesterday I finally got up to my art room! It’s the first day in quite a while, since I was trying to get work done in the yard, and then some areas in the house ‘healed,’ from my sloth.

I turned on the fluorescent light up there and nothing happened. I flipped the switch over and over again, with the light FINALLY coming on. That means yet another ballast transformer finally giving up the ghost after some 35 years. Things just don’t last anymore. :0) My husband and I will try to get the fixture changed over to accept the LED tubes today.

I started my idea yesterday for some Christmas presents for my Lunch Bunch buddies and other in-town friends. I had made some Christmas cards with painted wreaths a couple of months ago, but they didn’t turn out like I wanted, so I threw them away and will start over with another technique.

I hope you have a fun day.

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August 7, 2023 · 9:49 am

Hand-Painted Wooden Earrings

Earrings – Dangle/Wire – 2″ Red and White Teardrop-Shaped One-of-a-Kind Hand-Painted Wooden – $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.

Link to earrings on my HandmadeHavenByLinda site on Etsy.

If you have questions, please contact me at lindawlewis1@gmail.com

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August 6, 2023 · 10:17 am

Acorn Love

Acorn Elves – Petr Vavlavek – Dubanci.cz

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August 6, 2023 · 10:13 am

Word Play in Carroll County

Carroll County Veterinary Clinic – Lynn Wimmer DVM

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August 6, 2023 · 10:08 am

Amazing Driftwood Art

Amazing Driftwood – Hidreley – BoredPanda.com

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August 6, 2023 · 9:46 am

Ahhhhhhh!

Four Paw Square

Ahhhhhh! We have the doors open so the cool breeze is running through the main part of the house. It’s cloudy, sprinkling, and a delicious 75 degrees F. right now. Just beautiful. I stood outside on our driveway pad drinking in the cool under my umbrella this morning when I let Amber out. What a nice reprieve!

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Earrings – Clip-Ons – “Blue, Purple, Rose & White” Hand-painted, Light-Weight, Wooden $13.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.

lindawlewis1@gmail.com if you have questions

HandmadeHavenByLinda is the link to these in my Etsy shop.

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The Organized Mama

No areas are glaring at me this morning that need to be ‘healed,’ and the rain gives me an excuse not to be working outside this morning, so I may actually give myself permission to play in my art room. I have so many ideas rattling around in my head right now that I don’t know if I’ll actually accomplish something, but I may just enjoy listening to some music up there while I mess around. :0)

I hope that you’re having a great Sunday.

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August 5, 2023 · 12:35 pm

Living Room Table Project

Amazingly enough, there IS actually a piece of furniture under all the piles! The things on the table now are things I use almost every day, and they are where I can reach them from the chair, except for the pile of magazines to-be-read, which I’ll start looking through today. I get three subscriptions now –

  • Real Simple – which I cancelled a couple of weeks ago
  • People – my guilty pleasure
  • Birds & Blooms – that I get as a wonderful gift from my SIL

My husband sat, watching in amazement as things were gathered up and taken elsewhere or put in the trash. He laughed when I took the ‘after’ pics – accusing me of taking the pics to prove the table was ONCE cleaned off. I told him that I was honest with my blog subscribers. They know I’m a slob, and that I show them the “mess,” as well as the “cleaned-up.”

I’m going to finish my coffee now, rest a bit, and then fix lunch. I hope your day is going well, too.

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August 5, 2023 · 11:09 am

Alcohol Ink Art

2worldsArt

Amazon.com

Anastasia Kenner

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August 5, 2023 · 11:00 am

Dog Portraits by Peter Hogarth 3

Peter Hogarth – Dog Portrait Artist – @PeterHogarth55 on Twitter

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August 5, 2023 · 10:49 am

Saturday 8-5-2023

Maxine.com – Facebook.com/maxine – Pinterest

“30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 110.”

I’m pleased that there is a CHANCE of some rain today, plus chances next week. It’s sunny outside now, and 91 with a heat index of 98, so it’s a bit hard to believe.

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Yesterday’s Projects –

This is my kitchen desk. One thing I learned from the clean up yesterday is that I really need to either go through my recipes and throw out a bunch or start a second binder and figure out how to divide things up. The desk was covered in printed-but-not-put-into-the-binder recipes because the binder is getting too full. I’ll put this on the list for another day.

I also vacuumed an entire dog and cat upwhile taking care of the first floor yesterday, judging from the hair that I pulled out of the canister. Amber and Abby still look exactly the same, but it’s absolutely amazing how MUCH hair is in the vacuum canister when I finish each time.

My husband took another stab at fixing my battery-powered vacuum yesterday. With the new battery we got and installed it charged up and was making noise, but wasn’t picking up the dirt. He took it apart, took the head out to the shop and blew it out with the air compressor. I had cleaned out the brush in the head, but didn’t think about it being clogged farther up. It works now!

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Today’s Projects –

It embarrasses me to admit and show you what a slob I am, but though I do try to improve with age, it doesn’t seem that I’m going to change my spots at this point. These two pics show you the table that is between the couch and my chair in the living room. As you can see, an ‘explosion’ happened, and it definitely needs some attention. This is the project for today, along with continuing to work on some paperwork I’m trying to get put away, and getting some chili going in the crock pot, which I did awhile ago.

I hope that your Saturday is a good one weather-wise, and that you find something to really enjoy.

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August 5, 2023 · 10:03 am

“Autumn” Fall Memory Box

Memory Box – Hand-Painted – “Autumn” – Dimensions are 5 inches tall, 9.5 inches wide, 4.75 depth, and 31 inches circumference. $26.95 with FREE SHIPPING to the contiguous U.S.

Contact me at lindawlewis1@gmail.com with questions or go to the link for the memory box at HandmadeHavenByLinda.

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August 4, 2023 · 12:18 pm

Incredible Doors

LindaMerrill.com

I can’t afford either the door OR the house to which one of these would be attached. It doesn’t keep me from dreaming or drooling… :0)

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August 4, 2023 · 12:10 pm

Trip to Town

Unsplash-Monika Batich-Getty Images-iStockphoto

We had a good time at Lunch Bunch. Kay and Bud were there. Bud seemed touched that we remembered his birthday with a card. He said one of his thermometers read 116 yesterday. Our shop thermometer read 110, and the one under the deck roof showed 108. UGH. It’s ‘only’ 97 right now, but we’re under both a ‘Heat Advisory’ AND an “Excessive Heat Warning.” Not sure why we rate both, but it does get your attention.

Dreamstime.com

We’re still having to drive miles out of our way to get to and from town since the bridge between us and Greenwood was taken out completely and is being replaced. We drove past our driveway on the way home so we could go check out the progress.

This stock photo gives you an idea of what is going on, but our road is completely closed off. There is a HUGE hole where the old bridge was taken out and they are working on a 3rd of 3 humongous concrete supports that go all the way across the road from one side to the other. There is a big tractor/digger/crane beside the hole which is dug far down below where the old bridge was. I’m not sure what happens after they get that 3rd support poured. I don’t have a clue how they will go across from one support to the next – in line with the road… I’ll try to take some pics next time we go.

We’re home for the day now and I’ll start my projects for the day as soon as I finish this. Stay cool and hydrated.

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August 4, 2023 · 10:05 am

The Cats of Maurizio Puglisi 2

Maurizio Puglisi – Artfinder.com

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August 4, 2023 · 9:59 am

“Branching Out” Notecard Package

Note Cards – Hand-Painted, Package of 5 Different Designs – “Branching Out” – $19.95 with FREE SHIPPING to contiguous U.S.

Questions – lindawlewis1@gmail.com

Link to notecards on HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy

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August 4, 2023 · 9:46 am

Friday – 8-4-2023

OHMAGIF.com

Today is Lunch Bunch. We’ll leave in about an hour. I’m taking a birthday card to Bud today.

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Today is forecast to get to 104. I don’t even want to THINK about the heat index. We MAY get some relief by Monday.

Gene Kelly – singing in the rain – Don Lockwood – Tenor

I’m more than ready to dance with Gene Kelly in any raindrops that fall, although I certainly won’t look as graceful as he.

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Yesterday I got the “Go-out” table cleaned off and July’s spreadsheet bookkeeping done. Today’s projects are –

  • cleaning off my kitchen desk area,
  • plus finishing paperwork shuffling from yesterday,
  • plus getting some chili started in the crock pot.

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Women’s Health

Shout-out to Cathy, who is finishing her first week of chemo and radiation today. Please help me send her strength and big, gentle hugs.

Make this a wonderful day.

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August 3, 2023 · 3:11 pm

Vigilance

Imgflip

I wanted to warn you about a scam.

I received an email today telling me that a company would be automatically renewing my service contract with them. They named the amount. The company was someone we have done business with in the past. They said that if I wanted to renew I needed to do nothing. If I didn’t want to renew, I was to call the phone number.

Neither my husband nor I remembered having signed up for a contract, but we certainly didn’t want whatever it was renewed, so I called the number. The connection was terrible. The man seemed to be from India, but the connection was SO bad he said he would call me right back and see if the connection was better.

I decided to get online and contact Customer Service so I could make sure I wasn’t charged. I was asked several questions about the email I received, and I was told it was a scam. The agent gave me the url ftc.gov so that I could report the scam, which I did. I’ll watch our credit cards to make sure the charge didn’t go through, and if it was, I’ll contest it, even though it will probably mean changing our credit card again – something I truly hate.

This was a slick scam. The writer of the email had the logo of the company on it. He knew my email address. Even though I consider myself reasonably vigilant, I fell for this one. Be careful.

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