Ready for More Squirrel Photos?
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography
More Child Face Painting
Filed under Childlike Fun, Facepainting
Happy Autumn 2021
Happy 1st day of Autumn!
We’re having a beautiful morning – it’s sunshine-y and the high is forecast to be 79 degrees F. this afternoon. Our driveway looks much like this beautiful gif. A LOT of leaves are on the ground here, not due to the fall, but the lack of rain.
A very happy surprise this morning, too. When my subscriber list for the blog went over 1,000, my husband said that he would take me for broiled lobster tail with melted butter – my favorite food – when I went over 2,000.
This morning I have 2,006 subscribers! I’m not sure how the people at wordpress decide this, but they say I have a total of 5,854 ‘followers’ at this point, and I can SEE the list of my 2,006 ‘subscribers.’ Today we will drive to Ft. Smith and I will enjoy a fabulous lunch, enjoying every bite, grinning from ear to ear.
I truly LOVE writing this blog. Most blogs have one theme, like a particular person’s art work, or a particular method of weight loss, or….
Mine doesn’t have a ‘theme’ as such – I just share things I like, hoping that you will like them, too.
I have met many really nice people through the blog, too. I appreciate the feedback I get, comments, suggestions, likes, re-posts, and more.
And, thanks to YOU – I will enjoy a celebration with my husband today.
THANK YOU!
Filed under Favorite Things
Lovely Rain
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”
- Langston Hughes.
“Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.”
- John Updike.
“There are many things I do for amusement, but for happiness I like to gather up my memories and go for a walk in the rain.”
- Robert Breault.
“Save a boyfriend for a rainy day – and another, in case it doesn’t rain.”
– Mae West.
Filed under Mother Nature
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring…
I finished the weed whacking I wanted to do yesterday! The tomato planters are clean, the debris is gone, and I got the grass and weeds down from around the planters, under the house, under the deck, down the back sidewalk, and around the brick planter beside the garage pad. And now it’s raining, right on schedule. Hooray!
We’ll run our errands in half an hour, delighted by the rain even if we drown while we’re out. My husband will spew bad words because he’s tired of mowing for the season, but the plants are all breathing a sigh of relief.
It’s quite dark outside, looking like nighttime instead of morning, but we aren’t supposed to have severe weather, just a cold front with cooler temperatures. I’M READY! :0)
If the wind isn’t blowing a lot when we get home, I may get out my umbrella and enjoy a walk in the rain.
Enjoy your day!
Wonderful Dog Days
Filed under Amazing Animals, animal paintings
Enjoy These Drawings!
Filed under drawings
Progress in the Yard 9-20-2021
I finished clearing out the tomato plants from the two brick planters and dumped the debris.
It’s almost 100 out there now, according to our thermometer in the SHADE on our deck, so I’m opting to wait to try to use the weed whacker until about 5:00 or so, when hopefully, it will be a bit cooler. :0)
In the meantime. I wanted to share how the elephant ears are doing!
They don’t have too much farther to go until you won’t be able to see the windows in the garage behind them. I’m thrilled.
They are truly happy in this pot, with enough sun, the irrigation system, and a bit of protection from the winds we get up here.
When the weather is such that the leaves are spent after freezing, I’m going to just cut them off level with the soil and then cover them thickly with mulch, hoping to get them through the winter and able to thrive again next year.
Filed under Gardening
If You Haven’t Met Hauser…
Filed under Hauser - Cello, music
The Yard Work Continues
This is the way I feel at times working in our yard. I don’t know how long it would take for things to go back to completely wild if my efforts had to stop, but I don’t think it would be long. We live on top of a ridge line and have left most of our 8 acres wild. We keep a small ‘civilized area’ at the very top, around the house and shop, with space for my square foot garden.
I will go outside soon to try to finish the latest effort – clearing out the two tomato planters and weed whacking around them, plus around the yard. Today is supposedly the last of the really hot weather here, with a cold front, rain, and cooler temperatures forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Hooraaaaaaay! I’m ready.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Change in Philosophy
Filed under Favorite Authors & Books, Favorite Quotes, Poohisms
The Art of Face Painting
Filed under Childlike Fun, Facepainting
Sculptor-Dog Lover
Christine Cummings creates wonderful ceramic sculptures of all kinds of things. They are beautiful, but the thing that got to me was that the poses of the dogs made it clear that Christine loves dogs. I love her work.
Filed under Christine Cummings Ceramics, sculpture
Almost Finished
I’ve just finished my third session in the yard today.
I’m trying to get the two brick tomato planters cleaned up. I’ve collected three wheelbarrow loads of greenery packed down. I’m ALMOST finished with that. I’ll try to finish that tomorrow, and then finally do the weed whacking I need to do around both planters, and then as far as I can reach under the deck.
I got overheated the first two sessions. This last one was better. The sun is starting to ease off for the day, so I’m not huffing and puffing badly this time.
I’m debating with myself about whether to just leave them for the winter, or to haul Mel’s Mix out there, filling up both planters, and then putting tarps on them. Much will depend on the weather over the next weeks.
For now, I’m glugging a big bottle of cold water, putting my feet up, and saying “Ahhhhhh!” :0)
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
Glass Art I Love
Filed under Gorgeous Glass
Another Week
That’s only talking of money, though.
I am rich in SO many other ways –
- My husband loves me. We celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary last June. Neither of us is easy to live with, but we have had the great opportunity to build and share our lives – a priceless treasure. I have to tell you that things get more challenging as we age, but the love that brought us together back in the Dark Ages, when I was 14 and he was 17, remains strong. It’s us against the world. We can still make each other laugh, and he can still melt me into a puddle.
- Although we lost our precious daughter, Jade, when she was two months old to SIDS, we won the lottery on sons. There is no greater joy than to see a child grow up, make their own way, be happy, and still be very, very close, respecting each other as people, enjoying whatever time we can spend together. Our son has chosen to live and work in Thailand. We don’t seem him physically very often because it costs a fortune for all the flights and he spent a full 24 hours getting to us the last time. Happily, he arranged a secure chat program that we use on a daily basis, sharing thoughts, questions, pictures, etc. He also arranged a conference call program where we can see each other and talk and laugh real time. I LOVE seeing his face, his smile.
- My husband and I are retired, so we can spend most of our days as we like – a real quality of life issue. We enjoy new found fun of creating yard art together, plus mailbox decorations, plus stained glass together. We are very different people, not even using the same salt – but we truly enjoy ‘fighting’ over what we want to make next, figuring out how to make it happen, what colors to use. and more.
- I can indulge my love of trying to grow flowers and veggies. I love it when the weather is such that I can spend time outside puttering around, celebrating successes, learning from failures.
- I can lose myself playing in my art room – a chance to try new techniques with a large trash can alongside. :0) I have the luxury of showing the better things on my page on Etsy
- The days aren’t long enough to do all I would like to. I’m constantly deciding what I would like to do next, knowing I’ll run out of time or energy before I want to.
- I have the luxury to wile away time enjoying a new thing – for example, I think I’ve told you that I love finding things on Pinterest. I’m a sucker for clips of America’s (or any other country) Got Talent. Today I found Brian Justin Crum. This man can blow you away with his voice.
I didn’t become unexpectedly rich this week in money – but in all other ways, I’m flying high. :0)
Filed under quality of life, Thoughts on a ________
I Love These Paintings
Filed under paintings I love
We All Need Love
Filed under love
The Agony of Defeat
We had carefully scheduled for the garage door technician to come between 12:00 and 2:00 today to install the door seal we couldn’t install ourselves.
JUST as we were getting ready to leave for Lunch Bunch, the tech called, saying he was on his way. My husband said he would stay home to meet him.
When I got home after Lunch Bunch and errands, there was no seal on the garage door. My husband said the tech was unable to install it but said he could order one for us. It would be $354 plus labor plus tax. My husband said, “No,” and paid him the $50 for the service call.
I have now written an email to the online store from which we got the door seal, asking if we can return it.
So we’re wincing a bit from
- the fact we bought the wrong seal from Yeagers and had to return it,
- couldn’t install the seal we ordered on the net,
- may be out the $75 we paid for the Internet seal,
- paid $50 for a service call that had no results
- and have decided that we will try to ignore the fact we have no seal on our garage door.
Definitely a case of one hesitant, but well -meaning step forward and SEVERAL irritating steps back.
Filed under Challenges, Housekeeping - Maintenance
Delightful Art from Found Things
Filed under Art From Found Things
Happy Dog Art
Filed under Amazing Animals
creativeartworksblog 