@gettoknownature.bsky.social
“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.” – Claude Monet
@glengrambo.bsky.social
“Birds are the eyes of Heaven.”― Suzy Kassem
Remy Michaels – @remyscameraeye.bsky.social
“Like a bird whistles freely in perfect tune,
I also allow my Soul to Sing its Song”― Rhys Blanco
Adam – @mylifeoutside.bsky.social
“The birds fly uncaged, triumphant in spirit, sensing the boundless freedom.”
― Jayita Bhattacharjee
Debbie O’Riley Pics – @debbieo.bsky.social
“I want to tell the worldthere is a bird in every part of your body.”
― Sneha Subramanian Kanta
@jon5cents.bsky.social
“With winged companions
by my side,
I will stretch.
I will soar.
I will fly.”
― Jenny Noble Anderson,
Maureen the Mallard – @aintright.bsky.social
“Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world– fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don’t know their names– though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them.”― Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Filed under Amazing Animals
@Aleena206498 on X
Pinterest – No attribution
Maria Rose – @fuzia on X
Megan Elizabeth – Artist – @MeganArtUK on X
Sue Hewson Artist – @sjhr_sue on X
I’m in awe of the talent of these artists. I just love their work. I’m proud to live on the same planet! 🙂
Filed under drawings
@Sonia_L_Preston. Sonia Lera Preston on X
I love the colors, the feel, and the texture of her work. She left a message on X quite a while back that she was going to be working on a website, but I looked yesterday and couldn’t find one. Her work is also listed on some other social sites if you’re interested in trying to find her work.
Filed under paintings I love
These are the newest sketches/paintings from my art alcove.
Brian and I will go out for errands soon and then I’ll probably have the afternoon to myself. I plan to do a combination of watching a favorite movie (!) and starting some sketches.
My weather app says, “Rainy conditions will continue all day.” Right now the sun is shining, so I’m taking a chance and my drying rack is out on my balcony. It won’t be the end of the world if it all gets rained on while we’re out.
I felt better today, so I went to the gym and walked my mile NOT touching the handlebars, concentrating on not losing my balance. My ARMS got a bit tired, so I kept changing up whether I swung them down at my sides, up by my waist, or up higher with my fingers closed. Worked pretty well.
I spent much of yesterday afternoon taking in my two pairs of jeans and two pairs of cut-off-exercise jeans. I’m trying to make these last until I get to the weight I want to maintain. THEN I’ll splurge and buy a couple of pairs of jeans that fit well, encouraging me to maintain my weight. The exercise cut-offs don’t matter as long as they stay on. 🤣
Oddly enough, on my list of things I would like to get when we can get to it is a couple of sweatshirts – one to wear, if needed, and one to be in the wash while I use the other. We often go places where we need to wait a long time and they keep the a/c on “KILL.” I get chilled, then downright uncomfortable. I’m taking a suggestion from Brian, who carries a sweatshirt in his carrier for these situations. My light hoodie and jean jacket just aren’t enough.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
One of my all-time favorite movies is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Audrey Hepburn. I had a collection of favorites on several shelves at our home in Arkansas, but they had to be left there when we moved to Thailand.
Brian subscribed to Netflix for me here so I could watch movies, but this one wasn’t available, as was the case with several others. He figured out a way to download some of my favorites, convert them to the proper format, and then move them to the “computer” section on my TV!
Now I’m busy making lists of my favorite actors and actresses, finding their films and seeing if Netflix offers them. If it does, I’m putting them in my ‘watch list.’ If not, I give them to Brian.
So far, I’ve been so busy, I haven’t taken time to watch a movie. With some of my favorites available now, I’m looking forward to spending an afternoon diving into one of them!
Filed under Book - Movie - TV Reviews
Tina Ann
I just love Tina Ann’s artwork and sense of fun. I just can’t find enough of her work to satisfy me. 😃
My day has been a bit of a mixed bag. It started out with my feeling woozy with low blood pressure and opting out of my gym workout, to be closely followed by POURING rain and some leakage of my windows, necessitating towels and my bucket. I did my laundry and set up to have it dry on the rack inside. I then rested.
Now I’m feeling fine, my blood pressure is almost perfect on half of my BP pill, and the sun came out, causing me to move my drying rack out onto the balcony. I’ll watch closely to see if the weather changes….
Brian and I are at work on getting an image of the finished owl puzzle printed on glass by a company called FractureMe.com who made the wonderful image of my dad’s painting Brian got me as a housewarming present for my new place.
My idea is to do this for each of the puzzles I finish and put the glass images on the shelf in my living area with the painting my dad did as the centerpiece of the display. I love the idea of my vision growing and making a special statement. I took a pic of the owl puzzle earlier and sent it to Brian. He said it sucked (not in those words) and will take a better image for this project when he comes to my place later.
I’m going to concentrate on doing some sketches this afternoon. While I was typing this, though, I was distracted by birds singing their hearts out outside my window. I hadn’t heard them before and now CAN – because of my new hearing aids! What a delight!!!!!
(By the way. although each of us is different, if you’re in the market for help with your hearing, the brand I settled on is Oticon Intent 3. I love them because they are so comfortable I forget I’m wearing them. (an example of this is that I started to put my headphones on the other night to listen to YouTube on top of my hearing aids!) They have rechargeable batteries, so I take them off and put them in the charger until I want them again. There is a phone app so I can adjust them to suit conditions, making them louder or softer or using the ‘voice boost’ feature – when I’m needing to quiet the background noises. End of commercial. 😂
I hope that you’re having a wonderful day or evening, depending on where you are and that you’re finding beautiful things to enjoy.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
“Fans of Paper Blooms”
“Sparks and Mists”
“Paper Phoenix”
Sonia Lera Preston – @Sonia_L_Preston on X
Filed under paintings I love
I’ve decided I am a puzzle pervert, in that I just love the way the finished puzzle feels lying on the table now. I keep finding myself at the table, just pressing my hands down to FEEL the pieces. I know – will you still accept me even though I’m weird? 🤭
Brian was mentioning that he thought that Khun Nong, my wonderful housekeeper, would get a kick out of seeing the finished puzzle on the table Friday. I hope she does!
I was talking to him about wanting to preserve the puzzle somehow. He came up with what I think is a wonderful idea.
This is a technique where experts save your image into glass. This is a personality painting that my dad did of me when I was about 6 or so and I had at our home in Arkansas. When Brian saw I was sad to leave it, he took a picture of it and had this done. It now sits on my shelf in my living area and I feel like my dad is here with me.
He is suggesting we do the same thing with the finished puzzle image. This way I can display it on the shelf, hopefully along with others! I’ll take a picture of it if we actually get this accomplished🙂.
My next puzzle has been ordered and is on the way. My owls will remain on the table until I get the next one. Even if the new puzzle comes today, I will leave the owls for Khun Nong to see.
Filed under Challenges
I did it! I FINALLY finished the owls jigsaw puzzle yesterday! To the last piece, it was quite a challenge. I had to shift whole parts of the puzzle to the left, move the bottom down, remove part of the left side to get it right, but things finally came together. I’ve never had such a difficult puzzle where pieces looked like they fit, but they didn’t. ARRRRGH!
I showed Brian when we returned from visiting my husband at the nursing home. He looked it over carefully, compared it to the picture I have on the wall, and declared, “I guess I believe it.” He said he didn’t think I would finish it. I think that started the ball rolling on my determination to do it. 😃
Brian declared that the owl above is glaring at me because it took me so long to finish the puzzle.
This guy Brian thought was merely staring at me.
The ones on the right were chattering about me in amazement that this was so difficult for me.
My housekeeper, Khun Nong, showed an interest in the puzzle last Friday. I told Brian I would keep the puzzle on the table at least until she got to see the finished piece. I will also keep it until I get the new puzzle that Brian ordered me today!
I LOVE, love, LOVE being able to leave my puzzle out right in the living area of my place not worrying about it being in anyone’s way, causing any problems, making demands on how quickly it comes together. It used to drive my husband nuts when I would have one out, even in my art studio upstairs, so I just stopped trying to do them for quite a while. I’m SO enjoying playing with them now.
I rediscovered how good a puzzle FEELS when the pieces are together. I’m now enjoying stopping each time I pass it and running my hands over it, or just placing my hands on top of it and enjoying how it feels. 🤗
Filed under Challenges
While Brian and I were walking yesterday, I suddenly felt woozy. I held onto a pole by the side of the street and slid down to sit on the curb. When I felt better, I stood up, and Brian insisted I stand for several minutes and breathe. Turns out he was right because I got woozy again and sat back down. After a minute or two I tried it again and suddenly Brian was telling me to sit down carefully. Apparently, he saw something wonky was going on and caught me as I fainted! I wasn’t hurt and was able to continue the walk after another minute or two.
When we got over the immediate emergency of my husband’s stroke, hospital stay, and placement in the nursing home, we made an appointment for me to get a baseline on my health. It showed SUPER high blood pressure, to the point that the doctor prescribed a combination drug on the spot and got me right on it. Happily, it did the trick and my numbers have come down out of the stroke range.
Lately though, my numbers have been a bit TOO low, getting our attention. With this episode, Brian has written the doctor and included the name and dosage of my medication, plus a screen shot of my last several days of BP readings for her to look at. With my 20 lb weight loss and my daily exercising, it’s possible that we need to lessen the dose. Meanwhile, I didn’t take the med yesterday and only took a half pill today. We’re waiting to see what she advises.
Also, meanwhile, my friend Cathy suggested I get an oximeter to read and monitor the level of oxygen in my blood – also a good suggestion, since low blood oxygen was the reason the doctor in Arkansas insisted I go to the ER the day I saw him. This resulted in my ‘dying’ twice in one night and the installation of a temporary and then permanent pacemaker. Brian has just ordered an oximeter for me so I can keep track of that for the doc, too.
So, a bit of drama on the street, getting our attention. I’m fine today, not feeling woozy at all, BP in the normal range. Hopefully, this is a one-time incident.
Filed under Health Alert
I’m under the weather today. I’ll post tomorrow. Have a wonderful day.
Filed under Uncategorized
Flo
Pet Control HQ
I am finally walking on the treadmill with my hands swinging as I walk rather than holding onto the handlebars tightly for fear of losing my balance. I wasn’t at all sure that my brain and body could be retrained after the anesthesia from my surgery in February caused both hearing loss and loss of balance. Now I have hearing aids (!) and I am having success on regaining my sense of balance. I’m still walking slowly and really having to concentrate, but I am improving each day. 👍
I’m making progress in my efforts for there to be less of me. Since I moved to Thailand and saw a doctor here in April for a baseline, I’ve lost 9.8 kilos or 21.6 pounds. All told, I’ve now lost 34.48 kilos or a bit over 76 pounds since my heaviest. There are 68 fewer inches of me. I can finally see a possible goal weight. I am now in the healthy weight range on the BMI charts for the first time since I started my efforts about two years ago.
Pixnio
Since I’ve been building my strength, can now hear with hearing aids, am improving my balance and mentally pushing myself a bit, I’ve started small ventures out on my own. Today I’ll take a walk to visit the Koi fish!
Baby steps to be sure, but progress!
Filed under getting the lard off
@endlesslyyforever.bsky.social
“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.”– John Harrigan
@oto2.bsky.social
“Flowers don’t tell, they show.” – Stephanie Skeem
Pinterest – no attribution
“Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” – Luther Burbank
Dave’s Photos – @davesadventures.bsky.social
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.”– Buddha
Filed under Uncategorized
@alan678.bsky.social
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” ~ Langston Hughes
@alan678.bsky.social
“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ David Attenborough
I’m sorry, I don’t have the source credit for this photo.
“I don’t ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.” ~ Pete Hamill
Stella Kim-Smith – original fine art painting
“My heart is like a singing bird.” ~ Christina Rossetti
Filed under Amazing Animals
We had a 650 foot STEEP driveway when we lived in Greenwood, Arkansas. One of the joys of living outside of town on top of a ridge line was making decorations for our mailbox and yard.
We used a CNC set up in our shop. This consisted of a computer-guided torch and a table on which we could use the torch to cut out designs from 8′ x 4′ sheet metal.
We would decide what we wanted to make, looking for ideas from the net. My husband had a program that converted pictures to computer language. We would take that information from the office in the house out to our shop.
We cut out the design, then my husband would weld on a mounting bar that we would use to attach the finished design to the mailbox at the bottom of our driveway.
I would transfer the design details onto both sides of the sheet metal with a magic marker and an overhead projector, then use outdoor paint to paint both sides of the design. I protected the finished designs with polyurethane spray.
We changed the decorations twice a month. Some of the designs were geared to what month it was, holidays in that month. and others were favorite cartoon characters. Other married people ‘fight’ about money or the kids. We fought about what to make next and what colors to paint them!
In the background of these pictures, you can see part of the robot we made from scrap metal, welcoming visitors to the house and one of the two owls who stood on either side of the driveway.
Filed under Lewis Art
@petsfunhouse.bsky.social
I just love this painting. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I can almost hear them playing and singing. I hope it makes YOU smile, too!
This is my dad. His birthday is today. He took pride in the fact that in 1918, the year he was born, it was Labor Day. He thought that was very appropriate. He would have been 107 today. He was super creative, ahead of his time on a lot of things. He ran a one-man advertising agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma, winning advertising awards and local recognition for his radio advertisements. I miss his sarcasm and his great sense of humor.
My cleaning lady came a bit earlier than usual, and I was just getting ready to leave to be out of her way while she cleans. I thanked her for doing such a wonderful job for me, and she totally surprised me by hugging me! I hugged her hard in return. When I came back later she had left these flowers for me!!! I’m already spoiled by having her help, and hugs and flowers are simply priceless. 🤗
We went to see my husband, Harvey, in the nursing home this morning. He looked at us as if we were “invading” or something when we entered. He asked, “What are you doing here?” I replied, “We came to see YOU, of course. Is that all right?” He laid his head in my hand and said, “It’s wonderful.” Then, though we tried to talk to him, he made it clear he wanted to watch TV, so we gave up and left. He isn’t hurting, he knew who we were, and he had something he wanted to do, so that’s all good.
I have too many good things to do this afternoon, so after I finish sharing with you, I’ll get to at least one of them. Have a great day!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
SweetSequels.com
I value my quiet time more and more.
Time to ourselves is a luxury few can manage for most of our lives. We have SO many demands on our time – chores to do, people to see, a house to run, children to supervise and love, spouses asking for our help and companionship, have to’s, and more. The time just whizzes past our heads and we just try to keep our heads above water, doing the best we can.
I never thought I would ‘retire.’ My lifestyle was such that even when I managed to work from home, I was so busy just doing the basics that my hair was blowing in the wind of time whizzing past again. We had a good life, but we couldn’t afford to have someone come and help with cleaning or yard work, workmen to repair things, etc. I saw myself just continuing swimming as fast as I could until I dropped. I wasn’t unhappy, just kind of resigned to my reality.
When my husband and I both got so ill we couldn’t manage, our son came from Thailand, cared for us, helped us make the decision to sell what we owned and move to Thailand to be with him, then helped us get set up here. When my husband had a stroke, we managed to find a caring nursing home so we can visit him several times each week. I’m living by myself in the condo that we thought we would share.
I have to tell you that retirement is great. I have so many wonderful things I want to do that are only limited by time and my energy. Each day I wake up, actually looking forward to going to the gym. Our son and I go interesting places or take care of errands, share meals. I now have a person who not only comes weekly to keep my place spotless, she also brings me flowers now and then! I get a massage weekly, too, and that is a luxury beyond price.
I have found a man who does a great job of keeping my hair looking civilized, and I go every couple of months to get a mani/pedi. I had never had this luxury, either, and I just love figuring out what color I’ll have each time. 😀
I have the time and quiet to read. I am downloading books onto my Kindle and can take that anywhere we’ll have to wait a long time, or just enjoy sprawling on my couch and enjoying someone else’s world for a while.
I love finding and sharing things with my friends who find my blog interesting.
I’m enjoying trying to learn to draw. The challenge of trying to draw what I see and then the fun of painting the sketches grounds me. I’m challenged and having fun like a kid at the same time.
I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle that is the best kind of frustration. 😜 I have headphones so I can listen to music, or even take an afternoon and watch a movie! I’m gearing up to start taking walks in my neighborhood.
I can choose to do whatever I would like (within reason – I AM in a new country and am learning every day about how things are done here.)
I relish having time to myself – whether it’s an afternoon, or most of a day and evening. I just grin like a nut and choose what I want to do next…
Filed under RETIREMENT IN THAILAND
“Brook in the Woods” – @crystal-photo.bsky.social
“Sweet are the little brooks that run O’er pebbles glancing in the sun, Singing in soothing tones.” ~ Thomas Hood
@saraflacci.bsky.social
“A waterfall is nature’s way of sharing the beautiful music of the world.” ~ Unknown
@gelena.bsky.social
“Water knows how to make a breathtaking splash.” ~ Unknown
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
Funny Signs – Bored Panda – Mantas Kacerauskas and Robyn Smith
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Provided by Aleena206408 on X.
Artist’s name and information not given. I think this is incredible.
Provided by Fiona Clerk on Pinterest – Artist’s name and information not given. I WANT THIS! 😀
Filed under When Wood Comes Alive
Funny Signs – Mantas Kacerauskas and Robyn Smith – Bored Panda
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
@lazlouzala123.bsky.social
“A squirrel’s curiosity is its key to survival; always ready to explore the unknown branches of life.” ~ Unknown
Peter Lewis – @peterlewis55.bsky.social
“A squirrel’s playfulness reminds us that joy can be found in the simple things.” ~ Unknown
Michelle Banks – @artologica.net
“The playful squirrel inspires us to find humor even when life is a balancing act.” ~ Unknown
@rwlatstetter.bsky.social
“Squirrels leap through life with a resilience that turns challenges into opportunities.” ~ Unknown
Filed under Amazing Animals
StockCake
We enjoyed dinner with my adoptive family and other friends last night. Lots of good food, people with their kids, conversation and laughter, and even some hugs.
My adoptive grandson is starting to warm up to me now. I gave him another of the dinosaur pics I drew and painted for him and he was happy. Brian played with all the children there during the evening. Everyone made me feel very welcome, feeling like a warm, smiling group hug.
My hearing aids are wonderful. The first time I met these people I couldn’t understand much of was said in the group, and only understood when it was one on one with me straining to read lips. This time I could hear most everything, so my pleasure ballooned. 🤗
I enjoyed several foods I hadn’t tried before – even some that were a bit spicy – and they ALL were really tasty.
I’m still smiling.
Filed under Family
Paul Miller – @PaulMillerArt on X
“A dog wags its tail with its heart” – Martin Buxbaum
Megan Elizabeth – Artist – @MeganArtUK on X
“Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach.”―Moby
David J. Salter – @Davidjsalter on X
“No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you feel rich.”―Louis Sabin
Paul Miller – @PaulMillerArt on X
“A dog has one aim in life…to bestow his heart.”―J.R. Ackerley
Pinterest – No artist listed
“Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.”―Thom Jones
Filed under drawings
I’m still grinning. These are brought to us by R. G. Ryan @RGRyan777 on X
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, punny
creativeartworksblog 