The World of Snow People 5
Filed under Seasons, snow people
Hares and Hollows – Encore
Filed under When Wood Comes Alive
Squirrely
“A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit!” ~ Sarah Jessica Parker
“Sometimes big trees grow out of acorns – I think I heard that from a squirrel.“ ~ Jerry Coleman
“People look at me like I’m a little strange, when I go around talking to squirrels and rabbits and stuff. That’s ok. That’s just ok.“ ~ Bob Ross
“You can’t keep a squirrel on the ground.“ ~ Mary Lasswell
“The squirrel in my yard really knows his way around the neighborhood.“ ~ Bob Saget
Filed under Amazing Animals
Sunday 1-19-2025
This wonderful image made me smile. I don’t usually make THIS much of a mess, but it’s sometimes close. :0)
We got a reprieve from Mother Nature. She didn’t give us any more ice or snow and our driveway is finally pretty much clear. We are free to come and go like normal humans now! As for a lot of our country, the cold front barreled through yesterday. Our low was 13 degrees F. this morning, but it’s already up to a balmy 19 – and with our driveway ‘driveable,’ I have absolutely no complaints.
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I started a wood-burned squirrel in my art room yesterday. I’m using a nice oval-shaped piece of wood that has natural edging. I’m looking forward to spending time up there today.
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So far, our day is quiet. My husband is grousing because one of the computer parts he needs next for his ‘building-me-a-new-computer’ project doesn’t come until tomorrow. It may not even come THEN, since it’s Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day, too. I won’t mention that, though. Shhhh!
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You can finally tell that someone is trying to clean out my closet now, after several days of sessions. Yesterday I tackled shoes. Today will be purses and then I’ll start on my cubbyhole shelves. This may finally come together!
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I just vacuumed our tiled areas on the first floor (pantry, kitchen, dining area, utility room, and 2 half baths) and gathered an entire dog’s worth of Amber hair. There was a bit of Jet (aka Monster Cat) hair, too, but Amber won the contest hands down. She should be completely bald by now, but she still has a thick, healthy coat of hair. She won’t stand for me vacuuming HER directly, and has little patience for the dog brush, so I’m stuck with vacuuming at least every other day. Good thing she’s a wonderful pet and we love her to pieces…
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Our day here is bright and shiny. I hope yours is, too!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Different Measurement
I’ve told you that I’m trying to lose the lard and get as healthy as possible as I age.
On the eating front, I’m fasting from dinner the night before until lunch the following day, eating a low-carb diet using MyFitnessPal.com to log what I’m eating and drinking each day. My scales, though, better, are still laughing at me and GRUDGINGLY giving me good news from time to time.
On the exercise front, I do exercises with 3-pound weights in-between writing blog posts, several repetitions of many different moves before writing another post, then doing some chair exercises that are supposed to strengthen my abdomen (core.) In the afternoon, I’m doing half an hour to 45 minutes of yoga stretches. I’m consciously trying to move more, taking on projects like standing on my head (figuratively) in my closet upstairs, cleaning it out, trying on clothes, and bagging up stuff to donate to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith the next time we go. I’m trying to choose things – or they choose me – that involve a lot of pulling and hauling, going up and down stairs, in and out to the garage, or something similar. I measure at the end of every month to see if I’ve made any progress.
In cleaning out my closet, I’ve found another standard of measurement in my efforts – jeans.
When I started trying to lose the lard, and until I started going through my closet this past week, I was delighted to discover that I could do away with my fattest jeans. (The ones that had elastic at the waist, rather than a zipper.) As I tried on more things, I discovered that the next jeans size down was ALSO too big! HOOORAAAAAY! I’m now wearing jeans that are 3 sizes down from my worst. Now THAT is motivation to try to keep my mouth shut and continue my efforts. They AREN’T in vain. I AM making progress!
There is one jean and shorts size smaller than I now have stacked on the top shelf in my closet. It will probably be some time before I can wear those, but again, they are motivation. Fingers crossed.
I will weigh and measure at the end of the month, as usual, and report to you as I have promised, but I was grinning as I showed my husband. :0)
Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, empowerment, Encouragement, exercise, motivators
Dreams – Fantasies 3
http://www.fb.com/bohemianboholife/ via Lady Amaris – Pinterest
Saturday 1-18-2025
The cold front is coming in during the day today. UGH. We still have ice and snow on our driveway. It was 42 degrees when I woke up. Now it’s 37, so the front is starting to move through. After today, the temperatures won’t go above freezing until Thursday.
We’re going to celebrate our ‘last hurrah’ of being able to get down the driveway by going out before lunch, getting our mail and hitting the local grocery one more time, getting lunch at the deli and some other supplies. Once we come back up, we may be stuck up here for at least a week or more.
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I finished this last night. My art room is one of my ‘escapes’ when the world gets to be too much and I need to relax and play a bit. I close the door – so Monster Cat can’t get in – turn on some of my favorite music, and enjoy clearing my mind and concentrating on trying to make something. Even if what I make ends up in the trash, I come out more relaxed. I’m going to get this listed on HandmadeHavenbyLinda later today.
I’m lucky that I have so many things that bring me joy I don’t have time to enjoy them all most days. I just finished reading “The Villa,” an old book by Nora Roberts, but one I had missed. Now I’m deep into one of the “In Death” series books by Nora/J.D. Robb. I have collected them all. With each re-read, I pick up details I missed before, or stop and enjoy a phrase or two that are so well written that the mental picture she creates is stunning.
Listening to music on YouTube allows me to savor old favorites or find new people I think are wonderful. I put on the earphones at my computer in the office and am taken away from any cares I’ve been lugging around for a bit – while in the living room, my husband enjoys another truly awful movie with little plot or acting, but lots of action. :0)
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I hope that you have a fun and enjoyable day. Stay safe and warm!
I Love Foxes
“If you deal with a fox, think of his tricks.” ~ Jean de La Fontaine
“For a good life: Work like a dog. Eat like a horse. Think like a fox. And play like a rabbit.“ ~ George Allen
“Many foxes grow gray but few grow good.“ ~ Benjamin Franklin
“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
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography, Favorite Quotes
Friday 1-17-2025
Today is probably our second, and last, day of being able to get down our driveway and back up again, so we’re going to celebrate by going to Subway to get our lunch. My husband likes a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich and chips. I’ll have a Subway Club Salad. YUM!
This afternoon we have a good chance of rain. That may help the driveway melting some or might cause more difficulty. It has gone both ways in the past. Tomorrow comes the deep freeze, with temps not getting above freezing until Thursday (I think). That means we’re socked in for another week or so.
I’ve rescheduled or canceled our appointments for the coming week, and may have to continue that NEXT week, as well. Did I tell you I’m ready for spring?
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I’m really having fun working on the wood burned owl in my art room. I THINK he’s coming together now, looking more like an owl. It’s so nice to escape to my art room, turn on my music, and lose myself in the joy of figuring out what tool, technique, medium, or color to use next!
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My closet is definitely showing signs that someone cares now. Today I’m tackling my shoes. I have way too many pairs. I have a group of ‘go-to’ shoes and those will be my core. My goal is to find at least half to donate.
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It looks like we’ll have to buy a new fridge. The bottom freezer failed yesterday. I got it cleaned out, and the tech is now scheduled to come on the 30th (assuming he can then get up our driveway) to give the final verdict, but it doesn’t look good. We bought our GE Profile fridge in 2006. We have really enjoyed it, so we will hope to find another we can afford.
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I hope the weather where you are is such that you can get outside a bit. I’m going to make a point of walking around in our yard this afternoon, rain or no rain.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Dreams – Fantasies 2
We actually built a greenhouse on our property. I loved trying to make it work. Ours didn’t look like the dream one above, of course – it was more like a Quonset Hut –
We discovered, over several years of trials and errors, that it wouldn’t work for us unless we could supply heat and air conditioning for it. That was completely unaffordable, though we tried several ideas, and a storm finally brought it down. I’m glad we tried it, though.
Oh, I would love to have something like this! Isn’t it gorgeous? Can you see yourself with a drink in your hand, sitting at the table or lounging in a recliner, breathing in the nice weather with your feet up, visiting with a friend….
I just love this, and I’m one who hardly ever takes a bath! I prefer hot showers, letting the hot water beating on my back take away the cares of the day. If I were lucky enough to HAVE this tub, though, I would certainly come around to the idea of lazing in here, up to my chin with hot water and bubbles, laying back and saying, “AHHHHHHH!” On a practical note, though, it might be difficult to get OUT of this one without breaking your neck…
Thursday 1-16-2025
Things are definitely looking brighter here this morning. It’s 31 degrees F. now, but it may get into the low 50’s this afternoon! Woo HOOOO! :0)
We will try to get down our driveway this afternoon to get supplies. We’re due for a cold snap Saturday evening with uncertainty as to rain or snow, so we’re hopeful we can get what we need and get back up to the house.
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I’m still wood-burning the owl piece in my art room. The jury is still out on whether it will look like anything when it’s finished, but I’m having a really good time listening to music while I try the best I can.
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My efforts to lose my lard are marginal, at best. I’m redoubling my efforts to write down anything I eat or drink, staying within the guidelines I established on MyFitnessPal.com, and trying to keep my mouth firmly shut in-between meals, drinking more water, making my eyeballs slosh. I really enjoy smiling at my scales, rather than it laughing at me.
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Other than trying to replenish supplies today, I’m continuing my efforts to really go through everything in my closet. I use my usual excuses to avoid the whole thing, and then I get up there, do a session, and feel like I’m making progress. Each day is a fight, but the Productive Side is doing its best to prevail.
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I hope you have a day full of sunshine and hope.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Thoughts on Aging
A complicated subject, to be sure. People say, “Age is just a number,” and that’s true. If you didn’t KNOW how old your were, what would you GUESS, based on how you feel?
My days vary. Sometimes I feel as I have ‘always’ felt – raring to go with lots of stuff on my to-do list, and usually choosing to do FUN stuff, rather than the SHOULD-DO’s, grudgingly doing the HAVE-TO’s. Other days I’m creaky, sounding like popcorn as I get up, sit down, or try to do my exercises for the day.
Age boils down to health and attitude. Working to get as healthy as you can, be it losing the lard, as I am, gradually; exercising and being conscious of keeping moving, also as I am, in an effort to keep it all in working order, as flexible as you can be, as strong, and as protected with good balance so you don’t fall on your head – are all things that lead to an attitude that allows you to make the most of each day.
If you THINK you’re old, you ARE. I joke about it, but inside, where it matters, I still feel young. I still dream of things I want to do and learn. I’m still trying new things. I take joy in diving into a favorite book or a new one. I’m transported back to where I was when I first heard a song, getting out of my chair to bop along to a favorite. I see pictures and photographs that I identify with, again making me feel as young as I would like to be.
I have things that give me joy – writing this blog and looking for more things to share with you, and spending time in my art room, trying a new technique, trying to learn a new skill, playing with colors and shapes…
So, first – try the best you are able on your health. Second, work on your attitude. Live the best life possible, stuffing as much love, joy, and laughter into it as you can in the time allowed.
Wonderful Mugs
This is another example of someone saying, “Create a mug,” and talented people running with the idea. So many different shapes, ideas, and designs on the same theme. Amazing.
The World of Snow People 4
Filed under Seasons, snow people
Wednesday 1-15-2025
Today is one week since we were snowed in. I’m hopeful that we will get enough melting on our driveway to be able to get down (and back up) safely. It would be nice if we could replenish a few supplies before the forecasters are saying we might get MORE snow! Oh, NOOOOO! Arkansas is supposed to have MILD winters!
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Otherwise, things are good here. I’m having a lot of fun trying to wood burn an owl in my art room. There is a lot of detail and a lot of shading on this piece. I’m feeling quite challenged and am having fun trying to do the best I can on it.
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I’m NOW hoping that the ice maker tech will be able to get up our driveway by MONDAY now. In the meantime, the fridge we had in the garage died a cruel, quiet death, so we are dealing with that now. We bought a fridge years ago, powered by propane in the case of ‘world disruption,’ but has never been used. We fired it up last night and will see if it actually works. Fingers crossed.
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My closet is definitely shaping up now. I’ll put in another session today, trying to make sense of my jeans this time.
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With all my efforts to exercise and lose the lard, my scales laughed out loud at me this morning, showing me I gained a pound. ARRRGH! Trying to keep my mouth shut today – except for talking with you, of course!
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Have a fun day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Incomparable Indian Hills
Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Indian Hills Signs, punny
The World of Snow People 3
Filed under Seasons, snow people
This is What I Call a Path!
These images and ideas for incredible paths come from Just Bright Ideas
I love all of them, but some would be a lot more workable for US than others. I would love to try to make one, but the most important part in all of them would be to keep weeds from growing up – a huge problem around here. Everything was woods here. We cleared off the top of the ridge line and built our house. We had to haul in truckloads of soil to create a small, more civilized ‘yard’ around the house because the hill is essentially rock. The rest of our land is still woods.
We had to blast with explosives for our septic tank, our basement, etc. The woods continually try to recapture the land from us and we spend a lot of time hacking things down.
Maybe I could make a path from our front porch out to the well house. Though I love the more colorful paths shown here, the best idea for US might be the concrete one with the imprints of leaves and other natural things. That would be SO. MUCH. FUN!
Filed under Decorating Ideas
Tuesday 1-14-2025
Riekie – Stephanie Howard – Pinterest
The picture above, with the road much more steep and the cars gone, looks much like our driveway.
Day 6 of being snowed in. We have really gotten spoiled, being able to leave the house when we want, schedule our day pretty much as we want. Our noses are now definitely “out-of-joint” that we can’t get out or back up our driveway safely yet.
We were scheduled to have an appliance tech come look at – and hopefully FIX – the ice maker in our kitchen fridge. I called this morning and he doesn’t have 4-wheel-drive, or snow tires, and we needed both yesterday and barely made it back up to the house. So now we have rescheduled his visit for the 20th, hoping that by THEN we have our regular steep driveway back…
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I’ve started a new wood burned piece in my art room. I’m trying to do a close up of the face of an owl. It’s more complicated that my previous stuff, and I’m having a great time trying to get the tools to do what I would like.
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I AM making progress in my closet. It’s a laborious thing, trying each thing on and deciding if it’s 1) too small, 2) too big, or 3) doesn’t look reasonable for some other reason, and then what to do about it. I WILL keep going until I have things under control in there. I prefer to do almost anything else, though. :0(
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Hope you are having a sunshine-y, pretty day and that you enjoy every minute.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
The World of Snow People 2
Seeing the creativity and sense of humor people show when building a snowman never fails to lift my spirits.
When we were dating a hundred years or so ago, my husband and I built snow people in my parents’ front yard. While I was rolling snow to create a head for mine, my husband was busily creating additions for both of them. I laughed my head off when our snow couple had suddenly sprouted anatomical parts… fortunately, my parents saw the humor.
Filed under Seasons, snow people
Steamed
As much as I love my husband, from time to time I have to threaten him with calling our tractor guy on speed dial to ask him to dig a huge hole I can throw my husband in.
Today is a prime example. I’ve told you that we are snowed in. The schools are open, though there is limited bus service. Our long steep driveway on the north side of our property still looks like a ski slope.
All of a sudden this morning my husband put on his jacket and announced he was taking a walk. He refused to wear a hat, though it was on the shelf right above his jacket. He had on tennis shoes and we still have about 8 inches of snow on the ground. Out he went.
I went to check on him 5 minutes later and the truck was gone out of the garage! He had driven down to get the cable that was delivered to the bottom of the driveway yesterday.
I was gathering trash, telling him that we should leave it in the garage to put down for pickup next week. He refused that, too, saying we should go ahead and drive it down. He wouldn’t wait for me to get boots and a hat. I had regular shoes on, too. He was out in the garage.
We made it almost down to the road. He stopped for me to get out and drag the trash can down to the road. I inched my way down, the snow falling into my shoes immediately. I almost went down a couple of times, but finally turned the can on its side so I could inch it down using my grip on the can for balance. I made it to the road, we filled it up, got our mail and drove carefully down the street to turn around. We made it back up the driveway, but it was really scary a couple of times.
When we had both calmed down a bit, he admitted that he shouldn’t have driven down the driveway today. Once a hard-headed Marine, always one, no matter what the cost… GRRRRR!
I’m seriously considering having the hole in the back dug…
Filed under Challenges
Dreams – Fantasies
As I travel in the net, looking for nice things to share with you, occasionally I stop – dead in my tracks – drooling. Not a pretty picture, I realize, but honest. I love stained glass, domed ceilings, luxurious bedrooms, plants, big, plush beds, and light – and this one has ALL of these! Talk about dreamworthy! I could fantasize for DAYS over this one… I wish I could have found more pics of this room so I could enjoy all the details.
I would be so much CLEANER if I had this gorgeous tub! Of course, my skin would shrivel up after staying in the bath too long, but those are DETAILS. Don’t interrupt my fantasizing! After drooling for a while, I DID go back and find that there IS a faucet for filling it with gloriously hot water. Just lean back, water to your chin, surrounded by warmth. AHHHHH! And it’s PRACTICAL – at least a little, with the stepping pad when you finally get out… :0)
Monday 1-13-2025
The Greenwood Schools are open today, which tells me that the rest of the town is definitely thawing out now. We are having some melting too, except our driveway still looks like a ski slope. It’ll be the last to melt.
We’re supposed to gather trash and drive it down to the bottom of our long, steep driveway. I’m going to gather it, but just just try to convince my husband that we should leave it in the garage this time, putting it out for pickup NEXT week.
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Our dog, Amber, has been busily shedding hair all over the place. My husband is taking a nap now, having slept badly last night, so I’m waiting to vacuum until he awakes. There are small tufts of Amber hair moving around over the tiled areas, trying to grab our legs as we walk…. :0)
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The “clean-out-my-clothes-closet” project is going slowly, but steadily. I rearranged my tops by color, and all my painted tees together, so I can see what I have more easily. Today I’ll try to get rid of more stuff.
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I hope that your day is going well, that you are safe and smiling.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Laugh, Snort, Giggle, Groan
Indian Hills Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Indian Hills Signs
Another Look at Hares and Hollows
I shared some wooden sculpture from Hares and Hollows a while back. I went back and discovered they also do some wonderful sculpture using cardboard!
Eric – Hares and Hollows – Etsy
Filed under Hares and Hollows Cardboard Sculpture, paper art
creativeartworksblog 