Pixabay
Yesterday Brian and I found a craft shop where I wasn’t excited until I turned around and saw an embroidered piece on the wall that looked like stained glass. It was really stunning. Colorful, with silky type material used. Just wonderful.
I thought about it the rest of the afternoon. I told Brian I wanted to see how much it cost. We went back today. I was afraid it would be gone, but it was still up on the wall. When I asked her how much she wanted for it, she said it was not for sale.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I could “SEE” the piece on the wall above my computer, making me smile each time I saw it.
We went for a chocolate – our go-to place when we’re needing a pick-me-up, so the trip wasn’t completely wasted. Brian said he will look for other similar shops that we can visit. (Sigh)
On the good side, I had a wonderful massage this morning. We will vacate my place in about an hour to let Khun Nong perform her miracle while I’m gone.
Susy suggested that I install some apps on my phone that will help in my efforts to eventually become more independent here. I already had Google Maps, but Brian also installed “Friends and Family” so he can see where I am if I take a walk. We also talked about the fact we have a chat program on which we communicate all day long if I need him, plus I have his phone number. He basically said that the Google Translate app is not as good as one would hope. He is always available, and he pointed out that people have stopped and helped us when I had a problem before and probably would again, if needed.
He again talked about crossing streets, and I assured him I wasn’t planning to throw myself under a bus or get creamed by the 4 lanes of traffic plus motorcycles all moving like bats out of Hell in the busy street. I promised him that if I fell, I would arrange to fall INTO the buildings, NOT into the street…
I don’t feel pressured to go out by myself. I just don’t want to let my natural cautiousness curb my ability to enjoy going a few places on my own.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
This is a gazing ball that I refurbished when the metallic surface had deteriorated from years of sitting in the sun and weather in our birdbath. I just tried for a free-form autumn theme. When I finished and put it out in the birdbath, the birds made me smile, flocking around it as if they were giving me their approval. 😊
We didn’t have any have-to errands today, but Brian texted me awhile ago, asking if I wanted to go for cash and chocolate. I get cash each week so I can pay for my massage and my housekeeper on Fridays. We enjoyed our chocolate ‘fix’ and then stopped in at a craft store I saw out of the corner of my eye a few days ago. The lady was really talented. I particularly liked one piece that looked like stained glass. There was another craft store right next door to this one, but it was closed. We’ll check that one out another time.
I’m flirting with the idea of taking some time one afternoon when we don’t have anything scheduled and going out by myself and taking a walk. This is a bit daunting since 1) this is still a very foreign country where I don’t speak the language, 2) my hearing is impaired and I have to be especially careful about traffic, and 3) I am geographically challenged, able to get lost in a box in the middle of my living room if you turn me around three times fast. (That’s a BIT of an exaggeration, but not much. I’m pathetic.
I don’t want to be afraid to go out by myself, particularly if I don’t go far from home and don’t have to cross busy streets. I talked to Brian about the idea today while we were out. I can see that the idea makes him really nervous, so I’ll move into this slowly. I’ll keep my outings at first where I don’t have to cross any streets (streets here are a challenge because there are at LEAST 4 lanes of cars plus more motorcycles than you can imagine darting in and out of the lanes. People go to the hospital all the time because they make mistakes trying to cross, or actually lose their lives.) I have promised Brian I’ll text him when I leave, tell him where I’m going, and text him when I get back to my condo. Baby steps.
I hope that you are having a happy day, too!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
I am so impressed with Marina Gallagher’s talent. She is on bluesky.social, and you can reach her there @Theweeowl.bsky.social. You can also find her work via The Wee Owl Art.
Filed under drawings
As we were out walking this morning, Brian pointed up into this tree. At first I was distracted by all the incredibly lush leaves. Then I noticed the beautiful pink blossom. And THEN I noticed the bunch of bananas! I guess I never thought about bananas. I knew they grew in bunches, of course, but I hadn’t gone beyond that. These are the small bananas grown here, rather than the giant ones we had in the states. Sad to say, for many reasons I don’t eat bananas anymore, but I can sure appreciate seeing them grow!
Our gym was without power today so we found a park to wander around in. There were lots of people walking, jogging, or just strolling, so we had a lot of company. It was getting ready to rain, so it was cooling off some, a thing I really appreciated. The last time we visited this pretty place, I had to stop and rest several times. This time, I didn’t need to stop at all, so I must be making progress in my exercise efforts.😁
We just got home from visiting my husband at the nursing home. He was more alert than last time, but was spouting a bunch of stuff about needing to get to the airport to go back to Tulsa. (This is from around 50 years ago.) He DID look at me and say he was grateful we came to visit and that he loved me. He also said “I’m sorry I’m a mess,” and I almost lost it right there.
We brought him this wooden cube toy today. He showed some interest in it at first and we thought it might give him something fun to do with his hands. We said our goodbyes and were waiting for our Grab ride when his nurse came out and said he was calling for us. We hurried back to his room. Apparently he wanted us to take the cube home with us. We almost missed our ride, and we’re not sure what was going on there. I have it back on my shelf and we’ll try it again later. We have more toys on the way we hope he’ll like.
We had 3 minutes or so of real communication in the over an hour we spent there, but I live for those moments now.
Two of my latest drawings/paintings. I’m having a lot of fun trying to draw fun pictures I see on the net.
I’m slow, but I’m having fun trying to work this jigsaw puzzle. I am determined that before I croak I will finish it and post it on the blog. My son has said I won’t finish it, in effect daring me to give up. 🤪😜
It has been raining off and on all day. I didn’t have a lot of laundry this morning, so I’m just trying to finish a few things up, moving them back and forth between my rack on the balcony and hanging from various places inside. I must be adapting at least a little to the weather here. I fell asleep this morning before we were due to leave to go visit Harvey. I woke as if someone had nudged me, went out to the balcony, brought my few things inside, and then the rain started as soon as I shut the balcony door.
I hope that you are finding some fun things to do today.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Freepik
Last night I added more exercises with bottles of water as weights. I did enough that I had some sore muscles, so that was good.
Today after looking at a couple of videos (thank you, Sheila) of a lady dancing, I looked up music videos labeled, “dance music,” to encourage me to bop around the room with my headphones on. I lasted three songs on the first video before pooping out, and I had a good time, a smile on my face as the years fell away in my mind.
Pinterest – Free Clipart
Just a minute ago, I was truly ‘amazing’ though, as I sprinted toward my balcony to rescue my laundry drying on the rack when it started to pour suddenly. And I mean POUR!!!!! Not just a turning-the-faucet-on rain, but someone using spray attachments!
I had forgotten how quickly this old lady can move, if needed. I managed to get the dry stuff off the rack and onto a chair, and then proceeded to open the balcony folding door fully so I could move the rack of still damp clothes inside. I managed to do that without injury or dumping the clothes and then got the door shut without pinching fingers or causing any other problems.
True to Thailand, while I’m still breathing a bit heavily from all the exertion, the rain has quieted to a calm rain, instead of all the slashing, blowing rain. Thankfully, this rain was slanted differently, so my windows didn’t leak. 😁
Bored Panda
Now that I’m up and my heart is ‘awake’ and functioning, I think I’ll do my session of yoga stretches for the day…
Filed under exercise
Gloria Masse’
“A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man could truly tame a wolf.”― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
Great Big Canvas
“We are never alone
We are all wolves
Howling to the same moon.”― Atticus Poetry, Atticus
Moonlight Wolf Mates – Collin Bogle – iCanvas
“Have you seen what wolves do to their prey? But they do mate for life.”― Donna Lynn Hope
Leslie Kirchner
“That night the wind was howling almost like a wolf and there were some real wolves off to the west giving it lessons.”― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Collin Bogle – Etsy UK
“A howl is as infectious to a wolf as a yawn is to a human.”― Kevin Ansbro
Kromschroeder – Moondancers – Brians Gallery
“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.” ~ Unknown
Pinterest – no attribution
“One beast and only one howls in the woods by night.” ― Angela Carter, Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories
Lone Wolf – Collin Bogle Nature Art
“Show me a wolf that would want a collar.” ― Masahiko Takajo, Riki-Oh, Vol. 1
Filed under Amazing Animals
David Rippen – @dmrippen.bsky.social
Keith Boone Photography – @keithboone.bsky.social
Paul Willson – @paulwillson.bsky.social
Ray Bilcliff – @raybilcliff.bsky.social
Richard Bernabe – @bernabephoto.bsky.social
Filed under Uncategorized
This is my new haircut. It feels good and is super easy to care for, with my just having to blow it dry when I shower each morning.
I’m having a quiet day today. I walked a little over a mile on the treadmill using my new ‘slow-then-fast-for-me’ walking method. (Japanese Walking). I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks now. The video says that this method is much more effective for health than the ‘set-the-speed-and-walk-for-30-minutes’ method I was using before. It sure keeps me more ‘engaged’. I’m walking for a slow speed for 2 minutes, then fast-for-me for 3 minutes in 5 minute increments over and over for the 30 minutes, so I have a slow speed to warm up and one to cool down at the end.
Today is a quiet day for us, with nothing we HAVE to do, so Brian and I ate breakfast and talked a bit, and will meet again for dinner this evening. Otherwise, we are free to do what we want. Brian will work and I will play. I feel a bit guilty about that – but, having worked all my life starting with summer jobs at 14, I feel I that embracing my fun and sloth is a wonderful thing.
I’m working on painting some sketches I started recently. I’m also making progress (in fits and starts) on my owls puzzle. Sometimes I think I won’t live long enough to finish this one, which is truly challenging. You can’t tell what part you’re working on, even after studying the picture. I’m looking forward to the day when I can display the finished puzzle for you!😋
I’m exercising with Mike, from More Life Health on my computer. He gears his workouts on various parts of the body so that you can choose what you feel you’re missing from your other exercising, geared to seniors. I do one of his workouts several times each week. No special equipment needed and the site is free.
I’m reading a good book on my Kindle; enjoying finding things I think are great on the computer; writing blog posts I hope you’ll enjoy; doing my yoga stretches and other new exercises; and more. The biggest problem is deciding what I want to do when!
I hope you are finding things that give you joy in your day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
SharonWelby.bsky.social
gelena.bsky.social
stuartmcglennon.bsky.social
stephenpowersphoto.bsky.social
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
It wasn’t raining when Brian and I made our way to the gym this morning! Later the sun came out, and it’s a lovely day here.
We went to see my husband at the nursing home. He has a new full time caregiver who is very nice. She suggested we get him toys to give him something to do with his hands, so we’re looking into that. We stopped for a chocolate drink on the way home, having a nice conversation.
I have the afternoon to myself. I’m going to paint some of the drawings I did recently after I finish writing my blog posts. Such a great way to spend the afternoon! 😃
I am learning gradually to eat Thai food. Brian supplies me with a glass of water, plus I am learning to combine bites to include something that makes the ‘hot and spicy’ easier on my mouth.
Also, we’re drinking some mushroom tea in the mornings with breakfast. It’s Brian’s idea that the worse the tea tastes, the better it is for us. 🤣 He got us two teas – one container each from two different mushrooms. We also add bone broth to it for added health benefits. Both have long lists of all the wonderful stuff they provide. One doesn’t taste like much of anything except hot water. The other tastes truly awful. Of course, Brian thinks the latter is ‘better for us.’ We trade off on which one we drink each morning. There is no telling if either one really are that great health-wise, but it’s worth a shot. Plus, it gives us something to laugh about every other day…
Have a wonderful day!
Filed under Attitude
Freepik
I had a lovely day yesterday with a massage in the morning, time in a cafe sipping an iced cappucino while drawing in my sketch book or reading a book on my new Kindle while my housekeeper (woo HOOO!) made my place spotless. These were topped off by a trip to a street market and beautiful dinner.
Brian had bought the new Kindle for Harvey to use in the nursing home. My husband has always been a voracious reader, reading paperbacks plus books downloaded on to his Kindle at the rate sometimes of a book in one day. Since his stroke, the old Kindle was too much for him to handle, so Brian ordered a new, simpler one which only had the reader without any other bells and whistles. It turned out that the simpler one was too much for him, as well, so we brought it home with us last time. Brian wiped the books off, downloaded all of MY books onto it, listed it on Amazon so I can continue to download books from Kindle Unlimited, and synced it to the Wifi in my place, as well as an alternate if needed. Is my son a keeper or what! 🙂
And the pampering continues today! Two months ago we found a hair stylist who looked at a picture I brought in on my phone and tried his best to emulate it – taking into account that my hair won’t do ANYTHING on its own. It’s thin, fine, and totally uncooperative. I came out looking as if ‘someone had a plan,’ rather than an exploded mushroom. I’m hoping he can work a miracle again today.
After my haircut, fingers are crossed that Brian will be able to find some tennis shoes to replace the ones he is using now which have the tread totally worn off. I hope he finds something he is happy with today at the big mall.
I hope that YOU are being pampered, too, or that you figure out things you can do for yourself that make your face explode into a wide, wide grin today.
Filed under Pampering
Brian and I went to a street market yesterday evening. I had not been to one before and had to work at closing my mouth instead of leaving it hanging open!
It seemed like everything in the world was for sale, but primarily it was all types of food, clothes, and jewelry, with places where you could get a foot massage or manicure and more.
There was stall after stall of wonderful food that looked and smelled wonderful. My mouth was watering the whole time we walked around.
The weather was perfect. Apparently, there are street markets all over Chiang Mai. You could spend hours in each one, never seeing everything that was offered. I thoroughly enjoyed walking around at this one.
We got some roasted chicken, a big sausage, and some fresh orange juice to share for dinner. YUM!
Filed under THAI FOOD!, Wonderful Things about Thailand
@Oto2.bsky.social
I was lucky enough to find some of his work on Bluesky.social lately, and I just can’t say enough about his talent.
@Oto2.bsky.social
@Oto2.bsky.social
@Oto2.bsky.social
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography
Janie Hale-Stanley – Pinterest
I have tried trying to create art with gourds. It’s quite challenging. I lucked out and got some gourds from a friend who grew and dried them. I washed the outside and just painted the first one. It was okay, but was obviously the work of a complete beginner.
I found videos on YouTube about how to work with gourds and they helped tremendously. I used a drill and cut out a space so that a bird could use it for a nest. I glued a ‘perch’ on it. It took quite awhile to clean out the inside. I put some straw in the bottom and hung it up in a tree. I was beyond delighted when a bird actually used it one year!
Karey Pederson – Pinterest
I used a saw to cut the top off one, cleaned it out and then drilled holes all the way around the top so that I could put pretty strings all the way around it, after painting it bright colors.
NaMaAlonzo -Pinterest
If I were still in Arkansas, I would have tried to do wood-burning on one. I think that might turn out really nicely.
The people who created these gourds are obviously experts who know what they’re doing. I love how each of these is so different from the others in colors, style, and techniques.
No attribution
I would love to decorate my place here in Thailand with gourds. I haven’t found any yet, but I’ll continuing researching. The people here are so talented, I know if they have access to them, they are making beautiful things.
Susan Burton
I love the 3-D-ness of this one. How rich the colors are!
Filed under Gorgeous Gourd Art, Gorgeous Gourds
Very few of us get a ‘second chance’ in life. Usually, it’s ‘one and done,’ before we get a chance to feel we got all we wanted, did all we wanted to do.
“There is always a second chance. It’s called today.”
I’m definitely one of the lucky ones. I died twice on February 11th in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the hospital where I was being treated for Flu A and bronchitis, plus low blood oxygen. My local clinic insisted I go to the ER and get checked out. My friend, Carla, drove me there. That night my heart stopped twice. I woke up to my bed surrounded by nurses, all asking if I was okay. They transferred me to the ICU and the heart people took over. I ended up with two surgeries – a temporary and then a permanent pacemaker.
Dying got my attention. My priorities changed in an instant. We contacted our son in Thailand and asked that he come home to help us, since my husband and I were both really sick and unable to care for each other. We ended up selling all we owned and moving to Thailand to be with our son.
Beginning a new life in a new country is overwhelming, particularly since our retirement plans were upended when my husband had a stroke April 8th and is now in a nursing home. I have a wonderful place that our son found for us in the same condo building where he lives.
I am determined to make the most of my 2nd chance at life, filling every day with joy. I am thoroughly enjoying my retirement, spending as much of each day as possible doing things I love.
I am embracing my second chance at life, trying to wring every drop of joy out of each day that I can. No one is promised tomorrow, so I will make today count.
Filed under Attitude
@weskrntz.bsky.social
When we left to go visit my husband this morning, there was a cat sleeping on some of the packages on the pick-up table in the condo building. He isn’t as cute as the one here in the picture, but his coloring is similar. Apparently he comes and takes a nap here often.
Today’s visit with Harvey was sad, as my husband is quite frail and was essentially non-communicative today. The only thing he said was we needed to buy a hospital bed. After many questions, we finally figured out that his bed squeaks when they crank it up or down.
Two concerning issues – 1) we bring him a no sugar grape drink he likes. He would sip some, then just hold it in his mouth. We told him to swallow, and eventually he would, but only partially. His mouth was still full of liquid. After a lot of coaxing, he finally swallowed it all, taking about 5 minutes per sip. We did this several times before deciding he/we had had enough.
2) He needed to spit soon after we got there. We found that he had been holding a pill – or maybe more than one – in his mouth. He spit it out. We have spent lots of time getting more affordable pills, and we have seen him do this once before. Brian wrote to the management when we got home. They said they would now crush the pills. Less pleasant for him, but at least the meds will get down his throat. We’re also worried about him choking with the pills, since he isn’t being cooperative.
One nice thing – he did pat Brian’s arm at one point, almost making me fall apart.
Tomorrow will be a better day for me, with a trip to the gym, a massage, then my place getting a thorough cleaning. I’m almost ready for her to come. I’ve changed the sheets, changed the towels, gathered the trash, and straightened up a few things. Her money and thank you card are out and ready.
Saturday I’m getting a haircut! I’ve ‘gone to seed’, it having been two months since the new person I found cut my hair. Another really pampering thing coming up is a mani/pedi. It’s been two months there, too, and my nails have grown out. Amazingly, the gel polish they use still looks good, though there is about 1/4″ bare nail between my cuticle and the polish.
If things work out right, we’ll get Brian some new sneakers. He has worn all the tread off the pair he wears to the gym daily. He’s doing some research, reading reviews, etc., before he decides what he wants.
We’re going to try to take advantage of a promotion that the hearing aid group we like are starting tomorrow. I’ve had a hearing problem ever since my hospitalization in February, and hearing better will be a very welcome thing. I hate that the hearing aids are all so expensive, but I’m hoping they will essentially last me the rest of my life. I won’t wear them all the time, though – basically wearing them when I’m out with Brian. I’ll leave them off when I’m at the gym, and at home alone, especially in the evenings when I wear my headphones to listen to YouTube on TV and not bother my neighbors.
Brian and I are making a gradual switch to eating more Thai food. We’ve been eating “Western” type stuff because I’ve been trying to avoid carbs in an effort to lose my lard. The Thai meals also have a lot of hot and spicy ingredients that are a bit difficult for me to handle. This switch is a good move for us, though, allowing me to learn to love the cuisine here, improve my tolerance for the hotter stuff, and also save money. We had a bad experience earlier in the week and both suffered through digestive problems, but we’re over that now and ready to experiment again.
Filed under Wonderful Things about Thailand
This is a wonderful fruit in Thailand called, “Logan” or, locally, “Lamyai.” One of the ladies who cleans the public places in our building came running up to us recently when we were returning from our morning gym session with a sack containing a branch with a LOT of these as a gift to us!
In this picture I found, you can see the beige peeling. You press the fruit lightly and the skin splits, allowing you to peel it. This leaves a white, round pulp with a big seed. You use your thumb to pop the seed out and then eat the white pulp. It’s delicious! Messy? Yes. A bit laborious? Yes. Worth it? YES!
Last Friday my cleaning lady, Khun Nong, left these for me! I will NEVER get beyond being THRILLED to HAVE a cleaning lady. I have taken care of whatever house I’m in since 1969 and have never been able to afford having help. Having someone who leaves my place spotless each week, doing all the heavy stuff it’s getting harder for me to handle, is a true relief. Having a person who is so kind as to leave flowers to “Brian’s Mum” is priceless.
I put one of these ‘thank you’ mini-paintings each week under the payment I leave for her to show her how much I appreciate her efforts.
This is one of my latest sketchbook paintings. It shows my joy about FINALLY getting the magic “RETIREMENT” stamp in my passport on July 22, 2025. This opens doors to things I couldn’t do before, so it’s a very welcome change after 4 months of jumping through hoops. We still have 90-day reporting, and I’ll renew my visa in one year, but it’s a significant improvement!
We also got my husband’s medical visa approved. We have to continue hoop jumping every 90 days with forms to be filled out at the hospital, but we know what to do now, so it won’t be as nerve-racking next time.
Otaki Mail
July Weight Report – I have officially hit the 70-pounds off since my heaviest mark now. (I’ve lost 16 pounds since the initial visit with my doctor here) whom I see every couple of months so far. My plan is to see her every 3 months for monitoring my medications, blood work, etc. going forward if she’s pleased when we go toward the end of August. There is almost 66 inches less of me than when I was my largest.
I’m DELIGHTED to be able to post on my blog again! It’s an essential part of my day to try to find things I want to share with you. It enriches my life to find so many talented folks creating wonderful things on our planet, or recording nature with their camera expertise.
There are several things that are different now for me, now that I have changed the plan I’m using. For example, it took about 10 minutes of messing around until I found where comments were listed and I could respond.
There were several people who wrote, asking for access to the ‘private’ blog. I’m trying to figure out how to get back to them, telling them they are now free to come look any time they wish. Hopefully, I can figure out all the changes soon.
Have a wonderful day or evening.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Freepik
First of all, hello. I apologize for not posting for several days. I couldn’t even tell you what was going on. For those of you who came to my site, all it said was, “Private” or something to that effect.
What was happening was a good thing. My son figured out a way to compress images already used on the site so that they took a LOT less storage. This qualified me for a much cheaper fee to the host, saving me 2/3 of the amount I have been paying. He handled the correspondence to WordPress and the changes began.
They finished this morning and now we are ‘public’ again!!!! HOOORAAAAAY! Writing posts for the blog is such an important thing to me. I’ve been so frustrated not being able to share anything with you – PLUS having been forced to be rude in not being able to communicate!
I will post more later today, but wanted to celebrate by FINALLY being able to say, ‘HELLO!’
Flaticon
Filed under communication
Years ago I thought tattoos were only for a small slice of the population, like bikers, biker chicks, former prison residents – I know, really narrow thinking on my part – stupid, even. Opinions are many times formed on the basis of snap reaction, rather than knowledge, and many times are wrong.
Vivid Ink Tatoos
DarrenGowand74 on X
I have totally changed my opinion. One of my favorite forms of eye candy these days is men with muscular arms and sleeve tattoos. I really think they are sexy and I’m fascinated with them. If I see one in reality, I have to force myself not to stare and blush!
Magic Art World
I think women look great with tattoos, also. My SIL got one, and I’m still impressed and envious. (I used to have a photo of hers, but I don’t have it now.)
POPxo- Flami Art
popxo.com
It’s almost getting to the point where you’re in the minority if you DON’T have a tattoo.
Tatto by Rghav
NA Tattoo Studio
Tattoo artists are really talented these days, too. This art form has evolved over the years, and I think some of the designs are truly amazing.
Cathy Artwork
The ship has sailed for me to get a tattoo, but “I ain’t dead yet,” and thankfully, there is no age limit on appreciation!
Filed under Changes
This jigsaw puzzle may be impossible – at least for me. Am I intimidated? Yeah, a little. Will I give up? NO!
I’ve never tried to work a puzzle where you can’t tell which part you’re working on. Pieces seem to fit together, but there are several other pieces that also seem to fit in the same place. The colors are similar, and it’s not clear what the pieces will form if I get them together correctly.
ARRGH! I finally decided to ‘cheat.’ On the back of each of the pieces is a letter, so I can tell which is up and which is down, and have gathered all the “A’s,” for example, and am finally making some progress. It sure doesn’t make it easy, but it keeps me from declaring defeat – something I’m determined NOT to do.
I still can’t tell which are owl pieces or background pieces for sure. I do have some eyes put together.
I’m now declaring this kind of a character-building exercise. I won’t get any awards if I finally get this puzzle put together; but since I don’t have anyone standing over me asking when I’ll clean up the ‘mess,’ I can concentrate on trying to make progress one section at a time – hopefully declaring ‘victory’ some time in the future…😛😜
My other problem on this post is that the pictures show correctly when they first start to appear on the page, but then when they fully appear, they turn upside down. I’ve tried to fix the pics three times and I officially give up. Maybe the pieces are doing the same thing on my puzzle table!
Filed under character-building exercises
David Thurman – Wychwood Art
“Appreciation has become my destiny in life. Perhaps it’s the instinct of a polar bear enjoying hibernation in the vast snows.” ~ Liu Xiaobo
Dawn Gemme – ArtPal
“I’m not sure I like the idea of polar bears under a palm tree.” ~ Lenny Henry
Emily Olson
“I’d rather write about polar bears than people.” ~ Mary Oliver
Jeff Tift – Art.com
“Polar bears can swim 100 miles. They aren’t like us. We might be ‘stranded’ on an ice floe if there’s no land nearby, and we had no helicopter and no jet ski. We might be in trouble, but they’re polar bears, and they can live in icy cold water by design. They love it.” ~ Rush Limbaugh
Naomi Jenkin Art
“In the kingdom of ice, the polar bear reigns supreme.” ~ Unknown
“Chasing dreams on the glacier.” ~ Unknown
The Art of Michael Pape
“Captivated by the beauty of polar bears in the wild.” ~ Unknown
The Art of Michael Pape
“Lost in the Arctic wonderland.” ~ Unknown
Filed under Amazing Animals
ArtPal.com
“I thought the secret of life was obvious: be here now, love as if your whole life depended on it, find your life’s work, and try to get hold of a giant panda.” ~ Anne Lamott
Collin Bogle – Etsy
“For better or worse, zoos are how most people come to know big or exotic animals. Few will ever see wild penguins sledding downhill to sea on their bellies, giant pandas holding bamboo lollipops in China or tree porcupines in the Canadian Rockies, balled up like giant pine cones.” ~ Diane Ackerman
Fine Art America
“Just a panda, enjoying the little things in life.” ~ Unknown
IrinJoyArt – Saatchi Art – India
“Panda-monium in progress!” ~ Unknown
Phillipe Hugonn – China – Art.com
“Life is better with pandas.” ~ Unknown
Photowall
“No one can resist a panda’s charm.” ~ Unknown
Polyanna Pickering – Art Now and Then
“Panda dreams are made of bamboo and naps.” ~ Unknown
Sketch a Day
“A little panda magic in every day.” ~ Unknown
Filed under Amazing Animals
My wonderful friend – and new mom of my cat, Jet – Carla, sent me this photo today showing Jet hogging the dog bed with doggies all around, trying not to bother her while they get some rest, too. Hahahahahahaahahahah! 🤣
Brian and I had to don our trashbag rain suits to get to and from the gym this morning due to the heavy rain. The rain is supposed to continue all day. We are under a flood warning, as well as the heavy rain happening right now, due to a front coming in from Vietnam.
Brian said there was bad flooding a few years ago. There was no damage to our building, but the housing of several of the people who work here had damage. He was in a position to be able to help many of them through this – not completely, but enough to show them he cared that they had problems. Hopefully the flooding coming our way will just be an annoyance, rather than a bad situation.
This is a nice gym.
The lights are automatically turned on each morning at 6am. There are no people in attendance at that hour, and we love being able to do our exercising with no crowds. A few others come while we are there, but not many.
Brian and I use the treadmills, but there is a LOT of other equipment. The gym is spotlessly cleaned. The machines are well maintained and clean. The bathroom is the cleanest I have EVER seen in a public place, with supplies always available.
I feel privileged to be able to use this fine place in my effort to get stronger and more fit.
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We were planning on opening a bank account for me this morning, but the rain is relentless. We will reschedule this for a better day.
My laundry is drying on my drying rack – inside today. My big window in particular is leaking, so every once in a while, I’m taking a towel over and sopping up the water sitting on the window ledge. This is on our list to find someone expert in fixing leaks.
Brian is doing whatever he wants today, including meditating, reading, relaxing, and sleeping. I will see him again at dinner.
I’m enjoying time at my computer, working on my owls puzzle, working on a drawing in my art alcove, reading, and maybe taking a nap. The weather seems to be encouraging a bit of a snooze…
Filed under Wonderful Things about Thailand
Freepik
I am in celebration mode! I got the magic stamp on my visa today that says, “Retirement” and a date in September 2026 to renew!!!!!
I AM LEGITIMATE!!!!
4 months of jumping through hoops – then waiting – over and over came to an end this afternoon. No fireworks went off. No balloons in the air. No parades. No bands. Just happy tears of relief cascading down my face.
I still have to do 90 day reporting, in October, as Brian does, but that’s pretty much routine. I will need to renew my visa next year, but that is not NEAR the hurdle it was this time.
The only thing remaining on our visa issue is the acceptance of Harvey’s extension on his medical visa for another 90 days.
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Freepik
We are arranging for my son to have a ‘vacation day’ tomorrow – free from any responsibilities. A day to meditate, sleep all day, relax, regroup. He deserves well more than that. He’s basically been pumping adrenaline since he flew from Thailand to Arkansas to help Harvey and me when we were both sick and I almost died in February. All this has taken its toll, and it’s time to arrange for a lot of down time whenever we can arrange it until he feels really good again.
A day for celebration!
Filed under Family
Fine Art America
“If I could adopt any zoo animal, it would be a giraffe. I have always loved giraffes. They are so graceful and beautiful to watch.” ~ Torrey DeVitto
Lucie Bilodeau
“My neighbors are crocodiles and tigers and giraffes.” ~ Bindi Irwin
Naomi Jenkin Art
“Well as giraffes say, you don’t get no leaves unless you stick your neck out. ” ~Sid Waddell
Olga Shvarts
“Sometimes facing opportunity is like staring at the knees of a giraffe.” ~
M. Moss – Pinterest
‘I’d hate to be a giraffe with a sore throat.“
Marlie M. – Pinterest
“The man who believes in giraffes would swallow anything.“
“I have family in Tanzania. I can’t even explain the joy of riding through the Tanzania national park and seeing giraffes run across the road and elephants over in a pond and baboons running.”
Filed under Amazing Animals
Tamal – Freepik
I’ve only been home a little while. We’ve been out all day trying to tie up loose ends, and it’s 3:15 in the afternoon Monday here now.
We took the paperwork for Harvey’s medical visa to the visa lady, who looked through everything carefully, approved it for submission, updated Brian’s visa, and confirmed that I have an appointment at the immigration office tomorrow afternoon. Whew! HOORAAAY!
We went to visit Harvey after that. He was fairly talkative today. He did say he missed me, but everything else was about lost phones, wanting judo lessons, and an alien visiting his room last night – none of which were true. He wasn’t in pain, though, and wasn’t upset – a good visit for now.
The next stop was to one of Brian’s banks for a simple correction on his address. It turned out to be quite laborious, but we THINK we got it accomplished.
Lastly, we stopped for chocolate. YUM!
It rained twice while we were out, but we only got a little bit wet walking home from the chocolate place to our condo building.
I got my laundry inside from the drying rack on the balcony, and then started my normal afternoon activities.
I found out my computer was dead. Brian looked at things and showed me my air purifiers were off, too. We restarted those, but this showed us we had had a power outage while we were gone. I now know where the power button is on my computer and how to restart the air purifiers, so it was a good lesson.
I’m feeling pretty exhausted now, but I wanted to touch base with you before taking a nap. I hope you’re well and having a good day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
@christiantheils.bsky.social
“A fox is a wolf who sends flowers.” ~ Ruth Brown
Cory B – oldbonesphoto.com
“Shake paws, count your claws, You steal mine, I’ll borrow yours. Watch my whiskers, check both ears. Robber foxes have no fears.” ~ Brian Jacques
Eyes on the Prize – @helenbennett.bsky.social
“The sleeping fox catches no poultry.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Filed under Amazing Animals
Rose Rose – Pinterest
Ruth – Pinterest
Sandy De Muro – Pinterest
I would love to have all three of these in my condo!!!!
Filed under When Wood Comes Alive
This is one of the ‘robots’ Harvey and I made when we lived on top of the ridge line in Arkansas. His body was a former propane tank. The rest was scrap metal. We decided what parts to use together. Harvey did the welding and I did the painting, plus added work gloves, fireplace tools, and his bow tie.
I was a bit ill yesterday morning, and we had to rush our walk home from the gym. By mid afternoon, though, I was fine again. I was a bit worried I might have a relapse this morning, and so got up early, but all was well. I walked my mile with no problems and feel fine today.
We will leave at 2pm to go to our appointment with one of Harvey’s doctors to get the paperwork needed to extend Harvey’s medical visa. Brian was on the phone much of the day with them yesterday, making sure they knew what we needed from this appointment. They wrote back, saying Harvey would have to be at the appointment. After several back and forths, Brian contacted the nursing home, asking for Harvey and a traveling nurse to be transported to the hospital in an ambulance to meet us and the doctor. After several MORE back and forths, the hospital wrote that Brian could act in Harvey’s behalf and that he didn’t need to be at the appointment. THEN Brian spent the rest of the evening trying to reach the nursing home to call OFF Harvey’s trip to the hospital….
I think that big corporations of one type or another are trying to drive Brian and me crazy. It all may be for the best of reasons, but it sure stacks everything against us in our efforts to get important things done. Hopefully we can get what we need for Harvey’s medical visa extension today. We will also try to see if there is a way around all this ‘stuff’ for the NEXT 90 days…
We’re having a really nice morning here in Chiang Mai. It actually felt refreshingly COOL this morning as we walked to the gym! The humidity is coming up fast and the ‘feels like’ temperature will be in the 90s this afternoon, with a thunderstorm predicted for around 6pm, but we can enjoy it now. Hopefully my laundry will get dry before any storms hit. 😛
I’m planning to tackle my owls jigsaw puzzle today, plus enjoy time in my art alcove.
I hope that your Sunday is a very pleasant one.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
I’m learning to do a lot of things differently, being a new resident in Thailand.
Language – Much of it is due to my inability to speak Thai. I’m using some videos that have two really cute friends – one Thai and one ‘something else-but speaking English’ – and the Thai lady is patiently teaching the English speaker how to say key phrases, such as “Hello.” and “Thank you.” I’m listening to the first couple of videos every day, trying to learn the pronunciation of these well enough to pass muster with my son, who has lived here 9 years and speaks Thai very well. (We are researching hearing aids for me. I lost my hearing suddenly in February when I almost died. Everything is quite muffled, hindering my ability to hear and try to reproduce sounds properly at this point. Once we get the hearing aids, I’m hoping I’ll get significantly better.)
Finances – Until I have a bank account with a ‘retirement’ stamp on my passport, I am hindered financially. We are making progress with this, but the timing is dictated by the immigration people and cannot be speeded up.
I got spoiled in the U.S. and living in a small town. It got to be second nature to order things online, primarily from Amazon. There is Lazada here, but I need to arrange for an account tied to my bank account to order online. There is also an app I will get at the appropriate time, also tied to a bank account, where you can scan a store’s code with your phone and pay for your purchase, rather than carrying large amounts of cash.
Traveling – There is always walking, of course, and Google Maps that will show you where you are vs where you want to go and then get back again.
There are cute little open vehicles called Tuk-tuks that will take you places, but few seem to speak English. Also small buses. We usually call Grab, like Uber in the U.S. The place we lived in Arkansas in the states didn’t have taxis or Uber yet. Brian uses an app on his phone to arrange for a nice vehicle to come to where we are and take us to where we would like to go, paying automatically. It usually only takes a minute or two. (You need to speak Thai, though. Usually the driver has a question or two.)
Eating – You can walk into a restaurant and use cash to eat. Most menus have pictures, though it’s hard for ME to tell whether something will blow the top of my head off or not. 😃. Brian usually orders our meals brought to the condo. He again uses the Grab app and Google Maps to decide what he wants to order, and great food appears downstairs with a notice on the phone and picture to go downstairs to pick it up. We have also been using this when Brian and I have different things to do. I text him, or he texts me, deciding on a coffee. He then texts me again with the order number and the picture, so I can go downstairs and pick it up. Wonderful, right?
So far, my mouth hangs open a lot, seeing how wonderfully things work here. I am enjoying my place, trying to learn how things are done here, trying to prepare myself to have more and more independence. It will all come together eventually. Meanwhile, I just enjoy.
Filed under Wonderful Things about Thailand
creativeartworksblog 