The work of this fine artist was provided by The Culturist on Substack. He finds artists he thinks haven’t received the recognition and acclaim they should and displays some of their work.
It’s Monday, Nov. 17, 2025
Newest painted sketch.
This pampered lady took her clothes (the largest part of it) to the laundry. It will be ready to pick up tomorrow a little after 9:00. Can you believe that? I have never been able to take advantage of a service like this before and I am loving it! 😊
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The repair men are due here around 1:30 to 2:00 this afternoon to see if they can fix my door. I sure hope they can do something so I can just walk out of my condo and back in again any time I would like without having to text my son…
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I lost another bit of weight, and now am 7 lbs from my goal. I may adjust that once I get there, but it seems like a good weight for maintenance purposes. It’s in the healthy range for my height on the BMI chart. More importantly, I am FEELING better now than I have felt in a long time. The combination of eating twice a day, watching my portions, not eating between meals, and then exercising are finally coming together.
I’m walking on the treadmill, doing online balance exercises, old lady yoga stretches alternating with exercises with water bottles for my arms so I do each every other day. I’m dancing to wonderful music on my computer, just to be moving around and grinning like an idiot.
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I am getting started on sketching and hand painting Christmas cards for the locals here. This will take me some time, so I’m trying to work on the project a bit each day so I won’t feel rushed toward the deadline. I will be giving them to people as I see them, so the distribution will take some time, as well. What a happy way to spend time between now and Christmas!
I did a little research on Christmas in Chiang Mai, and discovered though most people here are Buddhist, they like the idea of giving and receiving gifts, Christmas decorations, music, and festivals, so there are several ways to celebrate. I’ll be sharing some of that with you in the coming month.
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I hope that this is the beginning of a really nice week for you.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Almost Thanksgiving 2025
This is one of the mailbox decorations my husband and I made.
And this is one of the metal critters in our yard we made out of an old propane tank and scrap metal in Arkansas.
Thanksgiving quotes include the famous line, “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings,” by William Arthur Ward, and John F. Kennedy’s advice to “find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
I am filled with gratitude these days, and so take the quote by William Arthur Ward to heart. Each night I take 5 minutes. I get into a comfortable sitting position with my feet on the floor. I concentrate on something that makes me feel grateful. Two things that I concentrate on lately is (1) a photo I took of Brian kissing Harvey’s head before leaving the nursing home, and (2) the feeling I get when Brian hugs me or kisses my head. That’s it. Usually I end up in tears as the gratitude fills me up and spills over. Just 5 minutes and I’m calm, thankful, and full of gratitude.
Second, I am trying to show people how very much I value them. I tell my good friends how much they mean to me and how much I love them. I thank Brian, and tell him I appreciate him taking such good care of me. I have made some ‘thank you’ cards I will take to my massage Friday to let the two ladies there know how much they are changing my life and how much I appreciate that. I’m painting individual Christmas cards for the people here in my new country who make a difference in my life on a daily basis. I want them to know I don’t take them for granted and realize how they go out of their way to make me feel welcome.
Thanksgiving is EVERY day – not just one Thursday in November. We gather the family, have a special dinner, enjoy being together – but that should just be the beginning. How amazing our lives are and how much we have for which to be thankful!
Filed under holidays
Sunshine Sunday 11-16-2025
It is an absolutely stunning day today here in Chiang Mai. It’s only 82, sunshiny, and a nice breeze blowing. It was really foggy early this morning, causing some planes to have to delay or divert, but burned off pretty quickly. Brian said the fog is really unusual.
We visited Harvey at the nursing home this morning. Harvey wanted us to buy him a camera with a long lens and a truck. When we asked him why, it took him a long time to answer. Over the course of half an hour, we finally got that he wanted the camera to take pictures of the nests of the white birds that were congregating in the rice fields outside his window to prove that the birds were having babies, not just ‘tourist birds.’ Ooookaaaaay… The truck was a dual display Izuzu he saw on TV. It doesn’t need a key and responds to voice commands. Can you imagine him trying to d
rive this truck when it takes him half an hour to say, ‘no key,’ and ‘dual displays?’ Not to mention he can’t get out of bed… Since he was calm, showed some interest in what we were telling him, and didn’t seem to be in any pain, we declared the visit a success.
ZenArtSupplies.co
I’ve decided to paint Christmas cards for the people here who have been so nice to me. I have 14 people on my list so far. It isn’t much, but it will at least show them I’m thinking about them and am grateful that they have gone out of their way to make me feel more comfortable in my new country.
ElaineNeoWedding
We have been invited to a wedding at the end of this month! It’s supposed to be a very informal affair. I can’t wait to see what it will be like. It’s exciting to see a couple at the very beginning of their lives together.
Pngtree
I learned a lesson today. I was groggily awake at around 4 this morning when my walkie talkie on my nightstand started making noise. We got these as an emergency measure if I have trouble in the middle of the night when Brian turns his phone off. The device was saying, “Check the battery.” over and over. I charge it twice a week, starting when I get up at 5am. I unhook it from the charger when I get back from breakfast at about 8. Wednesday I was up super early and went ahead and plugged it into the charger. It was charged up before we went to the gym, so I unplugged it. Turns out the hour or so made all the difference on when it needed to be charged again. I won’t do THAT again…
Freepik
The building fix-it guys are due to come tomorrow morning sometime to work on my door. I’m counting the hours. I’ve taken a lot of things for granted over my lifetime, but being able to leave and come back to my place whenever I wanted without the door trapping me on one side or the other didn’t even make the list of noticeable things! I will be really glad if they can make me independent again!
On our travels today, I noticed a shop that was called something like, “Overseas Pet Shop.” We went by it very quickly, but I thought, “I want to visit that place!” Then, as I thought about it more, I decided, ‘No, it would be best if I didn’t visit. I would want to adopt most, if not all, of the animals there, and wouldn’t be able to even get ONE. That would break my heart. (I researched it when we got home and found my instincts on NOT going there are correct. I’m in love with the PICTURES I found.)
Finally, this is the latest painted sketch.
I hope your weather is wonderful where you are and that you’re packing your day with fun things.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Great Dog Photos
I think these are wonderful. I’m still smiling. They are provided by WeRateDogs @dog_rates on BoredPanda.com
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Frits Thaulow 3
I’m grateful to The Culturist on Substack for introducing us to Frits Thaulow and providing these images of his fine work.
Filed under Oil Paintings I Love
Timing is Everything
My friend Marsha sent me a group of photos taken at the exact right time to create something extraordinary. I love these and wanted to share some of them.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Puzzled
PeopleImages
I can’t express how MUCH I love trying to put together jigsaw puzzles. I’ve always loved to do it, but my hobby irritated my husband no end. It aggravated him when I started one because it took away time I might have spent with him – supposedly. He was annoyed to see the pieces all over a table – not sure why because he was certainly not a neatness freak. It bothered him that it took me a long time to finish one – mainly because I spent more time with HIM to try to make up for the puzzle being out…
End result – I gave up puzzles for years. Now I have a puzzle table right in my living area. The pieces, boxes, and sandwich bags are in one area ready for my attention whenever I want to spend time there. No one is affected that I leave it out or how long it takes. I’m having a blast choosing puzzles, finally finishing some, getting glass prints made of each one, starting another!
This is my special shelf in the living area where I keep things I truly love. I plan to keep adding to these – even spilling over into another area if this one fills up. It’s my ‘Statement Shelf.’ No one else has anything like it. ❤️
This was my first finished puzzle. I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to do it. It was easily the hardest one I’ve ever done. It was difficult to tell what I was working on. I moved whole sections of ‘finished areas’ toward the end because where I THOUGHT the section fit wasn’t correct. Difficult, character-building. I LOVE owls and the wonderful colors in this.
Brian ordered a glass print of the finished puzzle for me! I can always have the image and I felt good about giving the actual puzzle to someone else to enjoy.
This is the reason for the Statement Shelf. Brian took a picture of this while we were still in Arkansas, each packing one suitcase and one backpack to move to Thailand, leaving everything else we had collected over the past 40 years there to be given away or auctioned. My dad painted this. He said it was a ‘personality portrait’ of me. It was true. I recognize that expression. 😛 The fact that Brian took the picture and then ordered a glass print of it to give to me as a condo-warming present meant everything to me. My dad is now here with me in Thailand. This will always be the centerpiece of my Statement Shelf.
This is the newest addition to the shelf – the 2nd finished puzzle. This was really difficult because of all the black in it. It was really a challenge to try to separate the shades of grey, grey-green, blue-gray, and then black, and THEN figure out which area of that color I was working on.
This sweet rabbit was sent to me in a letter from a dear friend (actually a relative of my husband’s) in Texas. He has always sent a print of an original painting with his Christmas greeting. I have always loved and saved each one. Again, something I had to leave behind. When I received this in the mail here in Thailand, I teared up. I thought I would never see another one. We immediately went to find a frame for it so it could get a place on my special shelf.
This is the puzzle I’m working on now. My puzzle table is square, 74 cms. on each side. The puzzle is 50 cms x 75 cms. Just wide enough that the border of the puzzle is too wide for my table. I said several bad words when the border pieces once again fell onto the floor and had to be put together again. I finally used the edges of the box I cut off in order to put the puzzle picture on the wall above the table, taping them together, folding them lengthwise, and then taping them to the two sides of the table. This SEEMS to be working so far. This is one of my second choices when I ordered a new puzzle. I love dolphins, and this one DOES have one larger and a couple of smaller turtles, so I’m having a good time with it.
This is the puzzle I tried to order. Lazada (like Amazon) canceled the order, so we ordered the dolphins. Brian tried to order the turtle puzzle again, but just found out the order has been canceled again. In the meantime. he found out it is offered on Amazon, so will order it for me today. Hooray!
I am enjoying being able to indulge my hobby of working jigsaw puzzles again, choosing images that speak to me in some way, fighting my errant thoughts that I might not be able to put one of these together, embrace the joy of seeing one come together and then the moment when it’s FINISHED! The further joy of FEELING the finished puzzle with my hands on the table. It’s a texture delight unlike anything else. 🧩
I hope that you have hobbies that bring you joy. If you do, dive into them, spending as much time as you possibly can. Life is too short to NOT make a happy space of time for yourself each day.
Filed under Hobbies
Since We’re Talking About Water…
Mary Dineen – @marysunshineisgone.bsky.social
Superchinois801.bsky.social
River Wye – local photography award – Janine Martin – Substack
@sharonwelby.bsky.social
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
It’s Raining….
Scott Helfrich – http://www.nwf.org Photo Contest – The National Wildlife Federation Blog
It was raining super hard this morning when it was near time to go to the gym, so we decided to cancel. I spent the morning with my bucket and towels trying to contain the window leaks. This was one of the worst rains we’ve had, with water rushing down the street, water-water-everywhere. Brian came down to help me, then let me out of my place so I could go get my massage, and then met the building handyman and another man, who both looked at my door and my windows.
They will confer, decide what they think will fix each of my problems, and get back to us with a plan, costs, and time as soon as possible. Help is finally on the way!!!!
I was exhausted from spending from about 5 this morning until I went to my massage at 10 wringing towels out and moving things that might get damaged. I almost went to sleep on the table under Khun Weaw’s expert hands.
The sun is shining now and I moved my drying rack back out onto the balcony with all the towels on it, hoping I can get some serious drying accomplished this afternoon.
Soon we will go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans. I have the place pretty well put back together now so she CAN clean.
My first “Rainy Season” will remain in my memory forever. Hopefully, the NEXT one will be one of fond memories of what I DON’T need to do anymore. 😃🙏🏻
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Dog Sculpture in All Media 2
Round Wood of Mayfield
“Handle every situation like a dog. If you can’t eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away.” – Unknown
Tim Burgess – Chainsaw Sculptor
“Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul, chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we’re the greatest hunters on earth!” – Anne Tyler
http://www.adrianquestdesign.co.uk
“If you’re uncomfortable around my dog, I’m happy to lock you in the other room when you come over.” – Unknown
http://www.schronisko-cywil.pl
“A boy can learn a lot from a dog — obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down. ” – Robert Benchley
Nick Mackman
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.” – Groucho Marx
Filed under sculpture
Thursday Thoughts 11-13-2025
James Lucas – Substack. – I WANT this!!!!
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Family Handyman
I’m having real trouble with the door on my place. For a while, it was just a challenge to open and close. It got so that I had to put my foot on the door frame when I was inside to get enough leverage to finally pull it open. Same thing on the outside with my key, with my foot on the door trying to force it open. Finally it has gotten to the point where I cannot get in or out by myself.
Fortunately, Brian lives in the same building, so he comes to get me and forces the door open and closed for me, brings me supplies, checks on me regularly, and has called the problem in to the building handyman who is trying to make time to come look at things. He will either think the door can be fixed and arrange for someone to come and do that, or will tell us that it cannot be fixed and we’ll have to buy a new door with a new lock and he will arrange for someone to bring those and install them for us.
Either way, my job is to show patience. This is an annoyance, rather than a big issue, since Brian is so careful to take good care of me. I’ll be very happy when leaving and coming back to my place isn’t such a challenge.
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We went to visit Harvey this morning. We had trouble getting a Grab because graduation day was happening at a bunch (or maybe all) of the schools and there weren’t enough Grabs to accommodate everyone who wanted to go somewhere. The streets were especially clogges, and lines of students in their various uniforms were everywhere on the sidewalks.
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Harvey seemed comfortable and more alert than sometimes. He announced that ‘they’ had tried to kill the head nurse there by filling her nasal tube with salt…. Other than that, he seemed to follow things we were telling him, so the visit was what passes for success these days.
People had been harvesting more of the rice growing around the nursing home. There were at LEAST 30 birds – some completely white and some gray and white – all with long legs – in the water in the fields while we were there. Their wings caught the light and it was really a nice sight.
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I’ve had a short afternoon since the trip to see Harvey took a good 4 hours or more today, so I’m late writing blog posts. I’ve also been trying to do my chores in getting ready for Khun Nong, my housekeeper, to come tomorrow.
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I did these two drawings on small cards for Khun Nong, but yesterday I did full sized images of them. I had a great time.
I hope that your day is fun filled and that your face hurts from smiling.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Dog Sculpture in All Media
Ali Alashkar
“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.” – Christopher Morley
“No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.” – Louis Sabin
Jaxon – Julia Dunn
“It’s just the most amazing thing to love a dog, isn’t it? It makes our relationships with people seem as boring as a bowl of oatmeal.” – John Grogan
Cyan Design
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” – Orhan Pamuk
Peter Szilagui
“The dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment.” – Robert Falcon Scott
Filed under sculpture
A Bit Nostalgic – 2 and 1
Wolfram-Fotodesign.bsky.social
Stephen Powers – @stephenpowersphoto.bsky.social
These photos of fall and winter make me a bit sad because I realize that I will never enjoy these sights in person again here in Thailand.
(1) Spring and Fall were my favorite seasons. I loved planting flowers and veggies every year in the spring. Fall in Arkansas wasn’t like the absolutely glorious images in Maine or surroundings, but I enjoyed the color we had, always trying to preserve leaves to use in art projects, my heart bursting from all the beautiful colors!
(2) Arkansas doesn’t ‘do’ winter well. We tended to have ice and then some snow. My favorite snows were ones with huge pretty flakes – that made you feel you were living in a snow globe someone had just shaken – that covered everything in fantasy, and then the sun came out and took it all away before I had to drive in it. We had a 650+ foot STEEP driveway on our 8 acres. Each year, no matter what we did, the trees on either side of our driveway would fall INTO the driveway, requiring us to use chainsaws to cut and haul our way down to the road. We had definitely gotten too old for this, but couldn’t afford (or find) someone to come do it for us.
In Thailand, depending on who you ask, we either have 3 or 4 summers that make up our year. We just finished “The Rainy Season” – June through October where it’s hot and rains almost every day, with huge hard rains and then remnants of typhoons coming our way from Vietnam – all of which caused my windows to leak.
“The Cool Season,” – from November until mid-February – it’s mid 80s for highs, 50 for a low, lots of sunshine and little rain. (Hooray!) “The Hot Season” is from March through May. Temperatures are above 95 degrees with scorching sunshine requiring umbrellas. Brian also adds “The Smoky Season” as a separate season, where it’s still really hot and farmers are burning off the residue in their fields making air purifiers mandatory. (Officially, this season is lumped in with “The Hot Season” for everyone except Brian).
No “Spring,” “Fall,” or “Winter” anymore. That makes me nostalgic.
What I’ve given up in seasons, though, I have more than gained in the delight of a new life here in Chiang Mai. I’m looking forward to buying some new clothes when I finally hit my weight goal (I’m about 9 pounds away now). I’m going to study up on the best clothes for a “mature woman” – who looks a bit like a Shar Pei now –
should wear in the year of summers I will learn to embrace now. My place is comfortable with lots of windows (some openable), a/c, fans, shades, air purifiers, and lots of water to drink. I carry an umbrella (for rain still now, but also for sun shade especially in the “Hot Season.”
I titled this post “A Bit Nostalgic – 2 and 1” because I’m nostalgic about the loss of fall and winter, but I just received something ELSE to remind me how very lucky I am to be here. My son just went to donate some clothes and texted me to unlock my door. He fought it open to bring me a doughnut! The first I have had in over 3 years. It was absolutely wonderful, but the best part was that he thought of me while doing other chores and brought me something he thought might ‘make me happy.’
Color me one happy, lucky mom.
Filed under Seasons, Seasons/Holidays in Chiang Mai, Thailanf
Veterans Day 2025
Adobe Stock
We can never thank our veterans enough for all the sacrifices they and their families have made.
We used to live in Greenwood, Arkansas, a community of about 9,700 people. In the center of the ‘square’ is Greenwood Memorial Park where lots of events are held each year. On Veterans Day, U.S. Flags are placed behind the stones of veterans who served us, bought by their families to honor them.
I wanted to get a stone for my husband, Harvey, because he served 4 years in the Marine Corps. He refused, saying he wasn’t in an active fight (although he was on ships offshore several really hot spots ready to go ashore if ordered), but he didn’t consider that enough to warrant a stone.
Memorial Park looks so pretty for this day we honor our Veterans. Assemblies at the schools honor our men and women in uniform. Local veterans attend these assemblies, allowing us to thank them in person with lumps in our throats. A parade goes down Main Street, around the square, and back up to the high school. Bands play and crowds cheer. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Veterans Day from Thailand seems weird to me. It’s the first one where I haven’t been in the U.S. to participate. I even had to remember when to write this post so that it would arrive on Veterans Day in the U.S., rather than November 12th, as it is in Thailand now.
We visit my personal hero tomorrow in the nursing home. I don’t know how alert he will be. I would like to be able to talk with him about his service. He joined the Marines when he was 17 and I was 14. We dated on all his ‘leaves’ for the 4 years, letters flying back and forth as fast as we could write and send them. (No texting or social media accounts back in the Stone Age.)
Even the mailman got into the act. If he saw there was a letter from Harvey for me, he would break the rules and put the red flag up on the mailbox because he knew I would be in the house, face plastered to the window, watching him. If the red flag came up, I would dash out of the house, running to retrieve the mail, smiling like an idiot. We would smile at each other, he would tip his hat and drive off.
Harvey won a medal for his sharp shooting in the Marines. He was proud of his service, but always downplayed it in honor of the ‘real veterans.’
We both honor the ‘real veterans’ today.
Filed under holidays
Laughing is Good Exercise
Indian Hills Community Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Blooming Art
@oto2.bsky.social
“Flowers are the music of the ground from earth’s lips spoken without sound.” ― Edwin Curran
Sheila Scott – @mahenry20.bsky.social
“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.” ― Gerard de Nerval
MJ – @australianlife.bsky.social
“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” ― Oscar Wild
@oto2.bsky.social
“Let us live like flowers, wild and beautiful and drenched in sun.” ― Ellen Everett
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
The Art of William Trost Richards
“The Culturist” on Substack is introducing me to several artists who should have received more recognition than they did. I am so happy to see their beautiful work and to share it with you.
William Trost Richards
Filed under water paintings
Tuesday 11-11-2025
I think this is fabulous. I want to touch it, to feel the contours. This is made of PAPER! I wish I knew who the artist is, but the Pinterest image didn’t give any information.
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I did this for my ‘adopted’ grandson who collects dinosaurs. I’ll give it to him the next time we’re together as a family.
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Freepik
To give you an example of how extremely NICE Thai people are, yesterday when we were leaving to go visit Harvey at the nursing home, we saw the cleaning lady in the lobby. We did the traditional greeting, smiling and bowing, but I noticed that she added a little something ‘extra’ on the end of her greeting. It sounded like ‘may-ah.’ I asked Brian about it later and he said she called me, “Mom.” I almost cried.
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I’m hoping the handy man will contact us today about my swollen door. Brian nows comes by to let me out, accompanies me back to my door and forces it open for me, then pulls it shut from the outside when he leaves. While it’s kind of nice to know that no one could sneak into my place, I would rather be able to come and go independently….
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Khun Nong is cleaning Brian’s place this afternoon. I’m going to join him at the cafe (with Brian letting me out 😄) taking my sketchbook, Kindle, and sweatshirt. We’ll share a delivered dinner at my place this evening, with good conversation, backing up of computer and phone data, and more.
Happy day!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
The Art of Frits Thaulow
Frits Thaulow was a Norwegian Impressionist painter, best known for his naturalistic depictions of landscape. Wikipedia. I have always said that painting water and snow were impossible. Obviously this incredibly talented artist didn’t get the memo.
The paintings were displayed in a post by The Culturist, Substack.
Filed under water paintings
Monday, 11-10-2025
Wholesome Memes – @wholesomeMeme.bksy.social
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As I type, I’m hoping that the handy man for the building can make time to come fix my door. It swells when it’s rainy or there is high humidity, making it really hard to open and close. Lately, it has gotten to the point that at times I CANNOT get out, or can’t get IN again. Thankfully, Brian lives in the same building. I can text him and he comes and helps; or many times, if we’re going somewhere together, he just comes and gets me and then makes sure I’m in again before he leaves me when we get back. The handy man is super busy so fingers are crossed that he can get to me today. If not, I’ll hope for tomorrow…
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Latest painted sketch.
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My work on the dolphin puzzle is going well. I have asked Brian to try to order the turtle puzzle for me again as soon as he can. I would really like to tackle that one after I meet the challenge of this one.
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I have been spending more time on Substack lately and am following several people now. I am finding some wonderful sources for things I love and want to share with you here. You might check out Substack and see if it’s something you enjoy.
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We visited Harvey at the nursing home this morning. He was sleepy and almost completely non-responsive today. He squeezed my hand, but said nothing, even though I talked to him a lot. Disheartening, but he didn’t seem to be hurting.
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I hope your day or evening is one that makes you smile.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Particularly for Carol Today
Indian Hills Community Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Feel better soon, Carol. Heal smoothly and thoroughly, with good PT. Keep me up on how you’re doing.
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
The Noticing Walk
James Lucas – Substack
This is something I think is important on so many levels. I try to do this every time I am out – even though I spend a lot of time with my eyes to the ground, trying to NOT fall on my head with the uneven streets, sidewalks, etc. As my balance improves, though, I take a bit more time to look around and NOTICE things. In fact, Brian thinks I’m losing my marbles because I AM noticing things I have passed a lot on our walks and mentioning them or asking him about them. He thinks I should have noticed them a long time ago, but better late than never…
When you make it a point to notice new things, you are consciously living in the moment. You aren’t thinking about what you’ll do when you get home again. Your long to-do list. Your problems and worries. You are THERE fully, taking in all around you, maybe seeing or hearing something that brings you joy. One of the things I’m noticing is the wonderful bird calls here in Thailand. I don’t really need to know that I’m hearing a ‘ruby-throated whapadoo’ to fully appreciate how beautiful his song is. I just hear it and it makes me smile.
Shops come and go here. It seems like they do it at a faster rate than what I’m used to in the U.S. I noticed that one place we pass on a regular basis is empty now. Very soon another shop will take its place, with a creative, hard-working, hopeful owner who will probably have things that are wonderful to see.
Today I noticed that the koi fish at the chocolate place we like seem to have grown a lot since the pools were created a little over a month ago. They are beautiful to watch. Very lively and colorful. A wondrous sight.
I have to laugh, even though the joke is on me. Brian saw some hot air balloons outside his window and sent me a picture of them a couple of days ago. When we were eating a meal, I thought I saw a hot air balloon, got all excited, and mentioned it. This brought on an excruciatingly funny period of ridicule as my son pointed out it was a water tower. It was shaped like a hot air balloon and painted red and white like a hot air balloon. He pointed out it wasn’t moving. I told him he should put on his list of things to be grateful for that his mom was a never-ending source of things to make him smile.
Take the time to be in the moment. NOTICE how pretty some of the trees are now. NOTICE how wonderful the smile lines on your husband’s face are. NOTICE how nice it is to be able to take 10 minutes and enjoy a walk outside. NOTICE how much joy you feel when you hug someone you love.
Take a noticing walk every day and see your happiness and well-being expand along with your world! “The world is wider than I remembered.”
Filed under Attitude
Enjoying Fall from Afar
“Autumn” – @paulst001.bsky.social
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen
“Autumn in the Netherlands” – Davide – Substack
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go” – Unknown
“Autumn in the Netherlands – Part 2” – Davide – Substack
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” – Jim Bishop
Breezie – @breeze420.bsky.social
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”– Emily Brontë
KatEagle – @kateorlyk.bsky.social
“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colours enough to paint the beautiful things I see.” – Vincent Van Gogh
Mark D. Alexander – @mad7500.bsky.social
“Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.” – Delia Owens
Thanks to these talented photographers for allowing me to enjoy fall from afar, now that I live in Thailand. We are having a COOL day here – at 81 degrees F. Brian had his sweatshirt on when we went for chocolate a few minutes ago, wearing a sweatshirt over his tee, jeans instead of shorts, saying that this was “cold.” hahahahahahaha I told him that it was supposed to be 44 degrees in Greenwood, Arkansas, where we used to live. Granted, this cold front is early and is supposed to be short-lived, with the temperatures going back to normal fall in a couple of days, but ‘cold’ at 81?
I’m hoping that by the time the “hot season,” or ‘smoky season’ as Brian calls it, referring to the fact that it’s the burning season for clearing the fields in preparation for planting – that I will be at my goal weight and that my strength will be built up, as well as getting acclimatised to my new home.
Filed under Seasons
Catch Up
This is the latest painted sketch.
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I got my new puzzle this morning! I think I told you of my disappointment that the order of the turtle puzzle was canceled. I had to choose another one. This is the one I chose –
I’m happy with this one. I love dolphins, and this one has some turtles, and various colored fish, lots of underwater action, plus underwater plants. I’ve decided that when I get halfway finished with this one (see my new confidence?) I’m going to try to order the turtle again…
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Typhoon Kalmaegi hit the Philippines and Vietnam in the past few days, causing deaths and destruction. It’s on its way HERE in Chiang Mai, though it’s supposed to have become a tropical depression once it reaches here today and tomorrow and a bit beyond. “The Rainy Season” ended at the 1st of November, but Mother Nature is still in a snit and showing people who’s in charge. It’s raining today, but so far, I haven’t had any window leaks. I have towels and a bucket ready if that changes. We have dark clouds in the sky and the rains start here in an instant. Sadly, according to my phone weather app, the rain is supposed to continue all through next week, too. Heavy flooding could be a problem here. My window leak concerns seem really petty compared to possible damage to peoples’ homes and businesses….
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Beautiful Sight
Balloon Adventures Thailand
Brian texted me yesterday, saying, “There are hot air balloons out there.” They were pretty far away, but sure enough, they were there!
Balloon Adventures Thailand
I researched and found a place called, “Balloon Adventures Thailand” that sells rides of various lengths on hot air balloons. You can arrange for a 45 minute trip, for example, to get a bird’s eye view of Chiang Mai!
Balloon Adventures Thailand
I have put this in my “Wish List” of things I would love to do, see, experience, buy, etc. that I’m keeping for when things tame down, when we have the time, when it’s appropriate, when we win the lottery – depending on the size and cost of the wish. 😃
Balloon Adventures Thailand
Since we are now starting “The Cool Season” (the major time tourists come to Thailand) I’m hoping to see more hot air balloons as I look out my window.
Balloon Adventures Thailand
I will work on my ability to walk longer distances, climb up onto something, and stand for longer and longer while I wish to be able to do this in the future.
Balloon Adventures Thailand
These make me happy just looking at them!
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Unsplash
My day started with walking a mile on the treadmill at the gym, then breakfast with Brian, followed by a glorious massage. I look forward to my massages each week. I will NEVER forget Lynn Moody, and my wonderful massages in Arkansas🙏🏻, but I’m grateful I found another really skilled massage therapist I can trust here.
It occurred to me that I might not have left a review on Google about the place I go, so I checked this morning and I had NOT! So I rectified that just a minute ago, basically telling people my life has changed since finding a beautifully run, clean, caring place that has experienced people who care about their clients. Khun Weaw has her work cut out for her, dealing with a 78-year-old with a lot of stress. She knows just how much pressure to use to give me relief, but not ‘break’ me! 😁 🙏🏻
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I got back to my place, changed clothes and Brian and I went to visit Harvey at the nursing home. We had to pay an upcharge and long wait time to get a Grab, but I guess that was because of the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng celebrations. A lot of shops close, and maybe Grab was short of drivers with people going home to be with family. Also, people come from all over the globe to see these remarkable celebrations, so demand was probably very high for transportation.
Harvey was more alert than he was the last time we saw him. He wasn’t making a lot of sense, though. I was talking about something about the condo, and he asked “When did you move?” He said to Brian, “I thought you lived on Earth.” He talked about starting an import/export business, and then wanted us to bring ‘a dozen’ things from the grocery so he could sell them at the nursing home… He did acknowledge we were leaving and said, “See you soon.” He seemed comfortable, wasn’t hostile, and seemed glad we were there.
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By the time we got back, it was already time for my terrific housekeeper, Khun Nong, to be cleaning my place. We didn’t need to bother her because I had taken the things I wanted to take to the cafe to Brian’s place when we shared breakfast. We grabbed our stuff and left.
I enjoyed making some more sketches, read more of my current book in my Kindle, people and traffic watched – since I got my favorite seat by the front window – while enjoying an iced mocha and later a lemonade.
My housekeeper did a stellar job as usual. There isn’t a particle of dust anywhere, and everything is scrubbed. Things on tables are straightened and all is neat – not one of my strong suits! Today I sat down at my computer to catch up on email and saw this! The white flowers are in a shot-glass size glass vase and were left on my computer table. I just couldn’t stop grinning. I’m so grateful to have found her.
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We were gone from just after 11:00 until about 5:30. Then we had dinner and visited awhile. When I got back to my place and had caught up on email, I was so tired and sleepy I just didn’t write any posts for the blog. Apologies.
I hope you’re having a really nice day/evening today.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
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