



These pictures were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Viktorija Strelciunaite, Rokas Laurinavicius, and Karolina Kondrataviciute.




These pictures were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Viktorija Strelciunaite, Rokas Laurinavicius, and Karolina Kondrataviciute.
Filed under Amazing Animals

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Sloth – Wikipedia
I opted out of going to the gym this morning. I got up and dressed as usual, but I didn’t sleep well last night for some reason and just felt ‘off,’ so I texted Brian and set my alarm, crawled under my throw on the couch and zonked out. ONE SECOND LATER, the alarm went off, showing me an hour had passed and it was time to get ready to share breakfast with Brian.
It’s very hazy outside and the air pollution website is saying it’s in the ‘unhealthy’ region, so we will stay inside, safe with our air filters and a/c for the day.
I will take it even easier than usual (is that even POSSIBLE? 😜 🤪 😂) and enjoy my day.
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Brian was unimpressed, but if you look just between the red fish and the blue fish in the lower center, just below the red fish’s mouth, you will see a tan/brown circular type shape. THAT IS THE MAJOR TURTLE’S FOOT!!!!!
In the upper right, just below the fish in the corner, you will see ‘THE EDGE OF HIS OPPOSITE ARM!!!!! These are the ONLY two spots the main focus of this puzzle is showing, but I’m excited that he is finally emerging.
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I’m trying to get started on a sketch totally outside my comfort zone today. I’m going to be TRYING to show the flavor of some of the shops in Chiang Mai, hoping to capture the creativity, uniqueness of them. Wish me luck. This will take me some time. I’ll probably switch to easier things and opt for doing something fun in the meantime – then going back to add a bit to the more serious sketch…
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Filed under Thoughts on a ________




These pictures were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Viktorija Strelciunaite, Rokas Laurinavicius, and Karolina Kondrataviciute.
Filed under your 'awwww' for the day

Kingfisher – Facebook
“Live Simply, Dream Big, Be Grateful, Give Love, Laugh Lots”.

Kirsten Seashell Madness
“Wherever A Beautiful Soul Has Been,” “Deep Roots”.

Malahat Skywalk
“Representing a new life after being washed ashore.”

Phases of Africa
“Each piece is viewed as an “old soul” given new purpose.”
Filed under Driftwood Art

“Quiescent” -@pauljwillson.bsky.social
I love the feelings this creates in me. Calming and dreamy.
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I painted 4 thank you cards for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, yesterday. My son and I talked about my doing this last night as we shared dinner. He thinks it’s a bit ‘weird’ that I leave a card for her each week, but added that he thought it was probably something she thought was nice. I told him that I don’t care if they all wind up in her trash can when she gets home. I just want her to know that I appreciate what she does for me each week and don’t take it for granted.
I have a sketch rattling around in my head today that I’m going to try to get started on this afternoon. It is totally outside my ‘comfort zone,’ but we’ll see what happens.
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Today’s visit to my husband at the nursing home was a bust. He was tired and not inclined to talk. He wanted to watch TV. We held his hands and did that. He watched with great attention although he doesn’t speak a word of Thai. When I kissed his head on leaving, he leaned into me and said, “Thanks for coming.” That lean and the 5 seconds made the trip worth it.
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Canva
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Yesterday I found the most creative video I think I’ve ever seen using laundry on clothes lines as art. I love the idea, and the photos are wonderful.
The idea for laundry as art comes from Contempra Inn – @contemprainn.bsky.social, and the photos are by Helga Stentzel.
Filed under Blog Repost - Wonderful Posts

Boho Western Design

Driftwood Sea Works

James Doran Webb – Lisa Cox Garden Designs Blog

Jp Clough – Saatchi Art Japan
Filed under Driftwood Art

This is another sample of the beautiful flowering trees in Chiang Mai. I don’t know what it is, but the vibrant color of the blossoms that had fallen took my breath away. I had to stop and take a picture.
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I talked to my good friend, Carla a couple of days ago. She had the really difficult job of telling me that Jet (aka Monster Cat) whom she adopted when we were moving to Thailand, had died. I’m sad, of course, but more filled with gratitude and love for Carla, who provided a wonderful home with lots of care and love for Jet, although Jet made it difficult at first. What greater gift could a friend give than to take the worry of finding a good home for her cat out of the picture? Jet won the lottery on family and home with Carla. RIP Jet.
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My latest painted sketch. I also drew 4 thank you cards for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, and will start painting them today.
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I’m closed up in my condo today, due to air pollution index in the ‘unhealthy’ range and my air filters already showing elevated readings. I also had a loud PING!!!! alert on my phone, alerting me to the PM2.5 status of the air quality. I’m am so happy that I have good windows that seal well now, good air filters, and my a/c is working. HOORAAAAAY!
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I will enjoy writing blog posts, working on my jigsaw puzzle, painting, and whatever else occurs to me to dive into today. I hope your day has been a stellar one, too!

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

“Love Is”- Judith Hannah Weiss – “Dispatch from Bewilderness” – Substack
‘When robins appear, loved ones are near‘ ~ Unknown

“Toucan” – Stuart Chambers – robin q@projecttourworld.bsky.social
“Be the best Toucan be” ~ unknown
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography




BoredPanda.com – Ridhima Shukla, Greta Jaruseviciute, Mindaugas Balciauskas
Filed under your 'awwww' for the day







These wonderful pictures were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Ridhima Shukla, and Jonas Zvilius
Filed under Amazing Animals

Tina Ann
You’re never too old to have some fun!
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We visited my husband this morning. Most of the time he didn’t make any sense. We just each held a hand and listened, responding the best way we could. At the end of the visit, he wanted some French fries, so Brian arranged for some to be delivered. While I was kissing him goodbye, he said, “I spend half my days remembering how good our time together has been.” I lost it. Harvey’s nurse kindly sent us a video we saw on our way home, showing him eating the fries and saying they were ‘good.’
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LOSING THE LARD PROGRESS REPORT for March –

Giphy
I am 5’4″ tall (and shrinking). As of this morning, I have lost 93 pounds (down from 205 to 112) and 87.7 inches. I am 2 pounds away from my maintenance weight goal, after over two years of trying.
Kudos go to our son, who has been my gym buddy and who has helped me cut my portions on food intake and who has been my supporter since we moved to Chiang Mai last April. He has taken me to doctor appointments to establish a baseline and helped me with supplements to improve my health. And, with all this, he still manages to treat me to mochas or chocolate drinks in the afternoons to reward my efforts and keep me motivated.

I’m between 19 and 20 on the dreaded BMI chart finally, in the ‘healthy’ range. When I started two years ago, I was in the 35-36 area. ‘obese.’
I’m almost to my weight maintenance goal now. I’m concentrating on continuing to eat right, but not worrying about every morsel that goes into my mouth.
I’m adding to my exercise regimen every time it seems reasonable, trying to add things that will help my efforts to improve my balance issues, increase my strength, stamina and flexibility, and promote relaxation.
Hopefully, by the end of April, I’ll be able to report that my weight loss goal has been met!
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I hope that you are having a stellar day and evening.

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

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Thaiger
I had a wonderful massage this morning. My regular therapist was still gone, but will be back tomorrow, according to Khun Sulee, the therapist who has been taking Khun Weaw’s place the past 3 weeks. I made sure she knew how happy I was that she agreed to do my massage this morning and did such a great job.
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As I told you yesterday, Brian and I have a very busy day today. Once we leave, we won’t be back until dinner time.
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I am trying a supplement and thought I would share it with you. It’s called Beet Root Powder. I may be the last one to the party on this, but I read information on it not long ago and wanted to add it.

Sunshine Market
“Beetroot powder is a nutrient-dense, vibrant red superfood made from dehydrated beets, often used to improve athletic performance, boost circulation, and lower blood pressure. Rich in nitrates, it offers a mild, sweet flavor suitable for smoothies, juices, sauces, and natural food coloring. It is commonly used as a pre-workout supplement or to add nutritional value to meals.”
Key Health Benefits
What are the top 10 health benefits of beetroot?
AND – “MAY” make me look like Julia Roberts!!!!!! 😜
(It didn’t actually SAY that, but with all the OTHER stuff it may do, I’m willing to believe it’s possible…)
I couldn’t find any downside unless you take more than the recommended dosage, so I started it last night.
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This is my latest painted sketch.
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I hope your day and evening is great. Pass the smiles around!
“If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.” —Roald Dahl
Filed under Thoughts on a ________

FlipKart
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I’ve been getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow – changing the sheets on my bed, gathering trash, getting out fresh towels…
Do you realize what i just said? “Getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow.” What a joy this is. I’ll never even really get USED to it, much less take it for granted. I’ve never been able to afford to have help. All I have to do in my sweet condo now is keep things picked up. “My housekeeper” handles everything else, and she is quite thorough. I’m absolutely thrilled. 🤗
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Lingokids
I’ve been doing a bit of sketching, but I haven’t had a chance to paint any of the sketches yet. I’m hoping to make some time this afternoon.
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I am FINALLY beginning to make a bit of progress on my puzzle! You might notice a small detail – I haven’t even BEGUN to put the big turtle together who lives in the middle of this. He is hiding in a gazillion pieces and I’ll have to work my way to the center before he emerges…
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Tomorrow will be a very busy day.
I say this because I MAY be able to write a post tomorrow or may not, depending on timing.
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“There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are.” ―Chief Tui, Moana
Filed under Thoughts on a ________





Indian Hills Community Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor

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Pacific Prime Thailand
We are just back from going to see Khun Nan, the lady at the agency who helps us get our visas and handles our 90-day-reporting required in Thailand. Brian said when he first got here, he and his friends had more challenge than they wanted trying to be sure they were legal. The Thai government is really serious about making sure that everyone is here legally. You carry your passport everywhere, having to show it at the doctor’s office, for example, and for other services. Since you never know when it will be required, you carry it all the time.
Brian needs to renew his, and the 3 of us needed to file our 90-day reporting, so Nan busily shuffled papers, made copies, had Brian sign all the paperwork, etc. He paid for everything and we go to the 2nd floor of the big mall this coming Friday afternoon to finish the process. A person from the office will meet us there and get us through whatever is needed.
Brian has some kind of “VIP” visa. I have a “retirement” visa, and Harvey has a “medical” visa. The requirements for each are different. We have to be careful to note when to contact Nan again for an appointment to do whatever comes next. We think she is worth her weight in gold.
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I’m planning to work on my jigsaw puzzle

and do some sketching this afternoon,

One Green Planet
and today is yoga stretches,

plus my Qigong video.
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The pollution index changed fast this morning. I opened my windows when we returned from the gym. When I went up for breakfast, Brian was cautioning me that the index was bad this morning, since his air filters were “complaining” a bit. I came down, closed everything up and turned the filters back on. They shot up to the high 50s. That’s the highest I have seen them. It’s already 93 outside now, so I guess we’re officially into the ‘hot and hazy’ season now. I’m grateful that I have good air filters and an a/c that works now.
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“Remember, you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” ―Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Filed under Thoughts on a ________



“Problems Solved with Creativity” – BoredPanda.com – Egle Bliabaite, Karolina Kondrativiciute, Jonas Grinevicius, and Justinas Keturka
Filed under Creativity

“London” – @lauraphillips.bsky.social

“Spoonbill” – @nickraschke.bsky.social

“The Snow Fairy” -@yourdigitalbrain.sky.social
Each of these is special to me because I am transported to a different place, having an emotional reaction to the photo. These are not simply awe-inspiring – they are breathtaking.
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography

“Random Funny Memes” – BoredPanda.com – Adelaide May Ross, Mantas Kacerauskas, and Rugile Maityte
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Complete Wellbeing.com
We visited Harvey at the nursing home today. It was the best visit we have had in a long time. He remembered that Brian had arranged for French fries to be delivered to him yesterday. He said he shared them with his nurse. He was telling us that they ‘came in through the window,’ but that was minor compared to the pleasure he experienced. He also told us our visits were the high point of his day. We were really happy that we could brighten his day a bit.
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This is my latest painted sketch. When I finish with my blog posts for the day, I plan to try to do some sketching.
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I decided to bring my family into my condo more by putting their pictures up around the mirror in my bedroom. The pictures had been in an envelope in a drawer, and I decided that this was a quality of life thing for me, something that would make me smile every day. It’s not ‘pretty,’ and “House Beautiful” would probably not approve of the decoration idea, but it’s MY condo and I love it! 😁
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Brian will bring dinner to my place this evening. After we eat, we’ll back up the data on my phone and my computer and then chat – the best part of my day.
Today at the chocolate place I broke Brian up by sneakily giving him back an empty gum packet after we finished our chocolate. I don’t manage to fool him very often, but this is an ongoing thing between us. Today I was successful, and snorted when I saw the look on his face. He threw the little gum packet at me in disgust while I simply lost it. The ladies at the counter had no idea what was going on, but were smiling just because I was laughing so hard.
Today while we were walking, Brian teased me unmercifully about ‘falling over things that weren’t there’ on the sidewalks. I told him huffily that they had a conspiracy going on to trip me on the only spots on the sidewalk that were smooth…
This is the stuff that makes me rich. The fact that Brian and I can enjoy each other every day now is a gift beyond price.
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“Now, think of the happiest things. It’s the same as having wings.” ―Peter Pan, Peter Pan
Filed under Thoughts on a ________




These creative solutions were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Egle’ Bliabaite’, Karolina Kondrataviciute, Jonas Grinevicius, and Justinas Keturka.
Filed under Creativity

Jesica – Pinterest
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When hard things happen to us in life, it’s understandable to feel as if there will never be an end to the difficulty, problem, pain, depression, snow-balling effects and more. We want to crawl away somewhere, cover up our heads and simply hide to protect ourselves.
Jesica’s words here are profound. You might not be ready to read or hear them in the middle of what is happening, but her words are true. What you’re going through is awful, it hurts – maybe more than anything ever has before – but you WILL come out on the other side. There will be reasons to smile and even laugh again. You will find beautiful things that help, wonderful people, new hope for the future. IT. WILL. COME.
My personal example is that we had our daughter, Jade, after trying to have children for a LONG time. I had two miscarriages, then we had our son, Brian, and then another miscarriage, and finally our beautiful Jade when our Brian was two years old.
To make a long story shorter, while I out taking a community class and my husband, Harvey was babysitting, our Sweet Jade died. It was concluded by the coroner that Jade died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Our pain was so great we both seriously considered suicide. Seriously. Neither of us could handle the intense loss, the huge hole in our family, our son’s understandable upset.
Finally, we realized that the reason we had to go on was to help each other deal with the loss. We had a wonderful son to raise. We needed each other.
The thing we learned is that even when a cannonball has gone through you at point blank range, there is SOMETHING way down deep inside that gives you the strength to go on. It’s a step by step, very gradual process, but it is there and it will show itself.
In our case, the pain remains. The mystery as to what kind of a young woman Jade would have become, what she would have wanted to do with her life, remain, never to be answered. I think of her often, but more as to a lost opportunity to have known and loved her as she grew, rather than only my personal loss.
We had new chapters open up as the time passed, culminating in our move to Thailand to be close to our son. Being apart from him, even though he’s a really good communicator, was a big part of my life. Being able to get to know him as an adult now on a day to day basis is one of the best gifts I have ever had. It’s so much fun being with him. He makes me laugh until my stomach hurts and I have to beg him to stop. We’ve begun to tease each other unmercifully, an act of friends, not mother and son. He gives the best hugs on the planet and I now get them several times a day. We help each other with the emotions of trying to help my husband in the nursing home the best way we can. We are stronger together as a team.
Life is chapters in a book, according to Jesica. I think it’s helpful to look at it that way. Some chapters will be hard, will make us cry, will make us redefine what our priorities are, but the following chapters will give us new reasons to enjoy all that we have.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges

“Random Funny Memes” – BoredPanda.com – Adelaide May Ross, Mantas Kacerauskas, and Rugile Zemaityte
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My latest painted sketch
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It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen any hummingbirds, and I thought of trying to hang up a feeder on my balcony. I researched and found that hummingbirds are only native to the Americas! There are, however, “Sunbirds” here. One is called an “Olive-Backed Sunbird” and the other is called a “Green-Tailed Sunbird.” They are best seen at high elevations and in local parks. So, my thoughts about a feeder on my deck are not reasonable. 🥲

Olive-Backed Sunbird -BirdGuides

Green-Tailed Sunbird – eBird
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Harvey’s nurse wrote to Brian, saying the French fries were delivered to the nursing home yesterday and that Harvey enjoyed them. We were kind of hoping for a video of him enjoying them, but that didn’t happen. We also don’t know if he connected the fries with the fact he told Brian Saturday he wanted some or thought they had magically fallen out of the sky, but his day was brightened by a kind act by Brian, and that’s priceless.
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ABC Pediatric Therapy
I will try to do some sketching this afternoon. I’m finishing the painting of my last sketch, so I need to get my pencil going. I’m also going to concentrate on trying to make progress on my puzzle. Such a nice afternoon ahead!
“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” ―Dolly Parton
Filed under Thoughts on a ________




These wonderful “Wholesome Posts” were gathered by BoredPanda.com – Justin Sandberg, Mantas Kacerauskas, and Rugile Zemaityte.
Filed under your 'awwww' for the day