Anwar B. – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals, CUTE!, Favorite Pictures
Thrillist
It would be NICE if the Lunch Bunch gruesome threesome actually were this young and were actually at the beach, but we’re grateful for what we can get. :0)
This is closer to what we ACTUALLY look like, but it’s what’s in your heart that counts. :0)
Today will be a special Lunch Bunch because, besides the three of us and my husband – who pretends to preside over his ‘harem,’ sitting at one end of the table, Kay’s daughter, LaDonna, is visiting from Albuquerque, and Kay’s husband is taking the week off from work – a VERY unusual thing – so it will be even more fun that usual!
We’ve had severe weather this week, with our friend Linda the closest to the actual tornado that touched down. I don’t think any of us had any damage, although another friend of mine lost a maple tree in her back yard.
So we’ll celebrate being together, being alive, and feeling feisty today!
I hope that YOU are weathering the storms, tornados, wind damage, flooding, and flying hairballs well, too. My heart goes out to all the people who are having to pick up the pieces, trying to put things back together.
Filed under Friendship, Mother Nature
iStock by Getty Images
As Lynn Moody – my wonderful massage therapist – and I walked up to her spa location, I asked her if there were any upper age limit on who could get a massage. She laughed when I told her that I felt at least 180 years old this morning and that everything I had hurt. I asked her to either perform a miracle or euthanize me –
My husband and I have had a labor-intensive week or so, with my spreading 16 large bags of cedar blend mulch on the ground under the raised bed planter boxes in my square foot garden after several sessions of weeding; our hauling bricks, laying bricks and then shoveling potting soil into the finished planter, our doing yard work, etc.
Adding insult to injury, one of our cats tried to jump in my lap while I was sitting at the computer yesterday, missed, and grabbed my hand with her claws on the way down. When I FINALLY was able to detach her claws, her back claws stuck into my leg. Both my hand and my leg are slightly swollen. For some mysterious reason, my right ear lobe has also been swollen – though I can’t blame THAT on the cat, AND I had a crick in my neck. I was actually moaning a bit trying to get onto the massage table…
Happily, Lynn not only found the really sore spots I knew about, but also the ones I hadn’t realized hurt! At the end of my hour-long massage, I sighed in relief. She had, indeed, performed a miracle.
I’ve been drinking lots of water since I came home, trying to increase the chances of my relief lasting as long as possible. If I can get a good night’s sleep tonight, I will be a happy camper tomorrow.
Filed under Favorite Things, quality of life, taking care of yourself
Green Book – YouTube.com
We may be the last people on the planet to see Green Book, but we finally saw it last night. If you haven’t, consider putting it on your list of movies to see.
The synopsis of the plot is, “A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960’s American South.” But it’s much more than that.
The movie stars Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars and the move won Best Movie. It also won Best Screenplay. For these reasons I felt I ‘should’ watch it, but I wasn’t expecting to love it.
The acting was first rate. The script was intelligent and the humor subtle. It was beautifully done, rich in portraying the deep south in the 60’s, along with stereotypes on all sides. I cared what happened to the characters and I found myself tearing up at the end. People learned from each other, seeing each other as people – seeing through preconceived notions and baggage.
I highly recommend this movie.
Filed under Book - Movie - TV Reviews
Tufted Coquette Hummingbird – Jeff Jett, LinkedIn
Bethany Kerr – Bethany Kerr Fine Art on Etsy
Catherine O’Brien – LinkedIn
Elizabeth Blaylock via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Inna Kashkovar – LinkedIn
“Strong Colors Struggle for Existence” – Paul Militaru Photography
The Urban Farm and Garden via Carol Auclair Daly – photo – Cindy Newsome Holley
Sagrada Familia Church – Barcelona, Spain
Picasso, a history museum with the largest underground Roman ruins in Europe, and the church above.
Tomorrow Montserrat – a big monastery up on a hill.
Filed under vicarious enjoyment
We had a productive day today –
The predicted severe thunderstorms came and went without causing damage. At one point the sky was so dark I couldn’t see that it was raining when I looked out the window, but I could HEAR the thunder and could see the lightning, and could see the rain streaming down the windows. The wind was really whipping things around, but things have cleared up now and the sun is shining! (I just checked to see if our greenhouse was still standing and it IS. :0)
My husband is asleep in his chair in the living room. That sounds really good, so I’m thinking of doing that, too.
I hope YOU’VE had a good day, too.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Mother Nature
Domino’s Medium Pan Supreme Pizza
A little over a year ago Mazzio’s Pizza in Greenwood closed its doors. We were really upset. We don’t eat much pizza – trying to lose the lard – but we really do love to get one now and then.
Since we live about 3-1/2 miles from town, NO ONE delivers food. We call and order and then go get many wonderful things when we’ve worked really hard all day and I’m on strike on cooking. We’ve been trying various places in Greenwood, trying to find someone who could replace the Deep Dish Supreme Pizza by Mazzio’s.
Last night we tried the new-to-Greenwood Domino’s Pizza. We normally order a large so that we can get two good meals, but the only pan pizza Domino’s offered was a medium. We took that, even though it was more expensive than the price to which we are accustomed.
We picked up the pizza, ready when we got there, and noted how good it smelled in the car on the way home. Amber, our 94-pound lab puppy, thought it smelled wonderful, too, trying in vain to join us in the front seat. :0)
We ate half the pizza and were delighted. It was really delicious, piled high with all kinds of good things. We’ll enjoy the other half tonight, since we feel we ‘earned it, ‘ shoveling all that potting soil back into the planter this morning.
It’s a good thing we finished when we did. The sky is almost black now, with severe thunderstorms, rain, wind, and flying hairballs now.
Tail and Fur
We finished bricklaying on the first collapsed planter yesterday. We just came in from shoveling the potting soil we had tried to save under some tarps back into the planter. I’ve told you we are both long in the tooth. We managed to finish it, mainly because we are supposed to have lots of rain and severe weather here all day today. We didn’t want to lose all of the expensive potting soil we had tried so hard to save. The planters are about 2-1/2 feet high, so an 8 foot long planter holds a LOT of potting soil! Whew! Sore backs abound!
I wasn’t going to work on the planter at all, but I discovered my husband had left the office. I went to find him in the living room – assuming he was in his chair reading. He wasn’t, so I started looking around, finding him shoveling. I grabbed another shovel from the garage and we finished the job in about 45 minutes. I then moved all the bricks that were holding the tarps in place behind the well house. We are now ready for the rain, except I just remembered that I need to transfer the two tarps to the burn barrel.
We worked on the planter on the far end of the house for good reason. It doesn’t look good at all. It is sturdy, though, and seems to be holding the potting soil nicely, so we’ll call it a win and try to do a better job aesthetically on the other collapsed planter that is closer to the driveway.
Before we buy plants for it, we’ll need to reattach the pvc pipe for the irrigation system. Then the fun starts, with discussions about what we want to plant. I’m going for perennials, as much as possible, hopefully with some nice color in at least one season. I can dot annuals in for more color without killing myself.
I am hoping that we will rest for a day or so before starting the second planter…
Happily, we tried the new-to-Greenwood Domino’s Pizza last night. We got a medium pan supreme pizza and it was delicious! We ate half of it, so we can finish it tonight and I don’t have to cook!!
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance, Lewis projects
Yesterday my sister-in-law and brother-in-law were in France.
Orsay (pronounced [ɔʁ.sɛ]) is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, 20.7 km (12.9 mi) from the centre of Paris. ~ Wikipedia. This photo is of the inside of the Orsay.
Tombs – The most notable tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821). Napoleon was initially interred on Saint Helena, but King Louis Philippe arranged for his remains to be brought to France in 1840, an event known as le retour des cendres.
The Thinker and the Rodin Museum. Auguste Rodin was an eminent sculptor, famous during his time, and still famous today for such pieces as “The Kiss” and “The Thinker.” Most of Rodin’s major works are housed in the Musee Rodin, which is located on the Left Bank of Paris within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower.
Today they travel to Barcelona by train. More hopefully tomorrow!
Filed under vicarious enjoyment
Photo by Fort Smith Police Department
Yesterday, when our weather radio alerted us that we were under a tornado warning and that we should take cover, an as-yet unofficial tornado hit the south side of Fort Smith, one city away from where we live in Greenwood, Arkansas. This is one of the pics showing the damage.
Reports today are saying 30 to 40 homes were damaged or destroyed, trees downed, roofs of businesses torn off, power out, etc. The good news is that no one seems to have been hurt or killed. I hope our governor can declare an emergency and release Federal funds for those who need it.
Even though my husband scoffed at the weather alert, I’m really glad we have the radio. We are under tornado ‘watches’ all summer long, so I don’t pay a lot of attention to the run of the mill alerts; but when they say a rotation has been confirmed and is heading toward Greenwood, I DO!. I’m very grateful that we haven’t found any damage.
In fact, today is a gorgeous day – sunshine and 80 degrees. My husband and I laid more bricks on our planter this morning. We should be able to finish it tomorrow. It’s been 30 years since we built the planters and our skills have deteriorated since then. We will be delighted if the planter is sturdy, holds the dirt in, and we can plant beautiful things in it, regardless of how it looks. :0)
After we rested and drank water, I went out to my garden to weed. The weeds really love Mel’s Mix, the soil alternative we use in the raised boxes, so I had a lot to do. I did finish that, though, and after resting again, mixed up a 2-gallon container of KilzAll, the wonderful weed killer that was recommended to me a couple of years ago by a good friend in Tulsa. The container is a pump-up variety, so I can murder a lot of weeds without killing myself as well. I used the whole container on the weeds UNDER my raised boxes in the garden. As soon as I have them under control I’ll get more wood chips to spread over the fabric weed barrier we put down several years ago.
After we finished laying bricks this morning, I came in and washed my hair in the kitchen sink. I came in after weeding really hot, huffing and puffing, my whole head wet. I washed my hair again, hating to walk around with dirty, yucky hair. Now I’ve come in from murdering weeds, my whole head wet again, and I look like I’ve been run over by a truck. I refuse to wash my hair more than twice a day, so my poor husband will have to put up with me the rest of the day. There are more weeds out there calling my name – so I’ll probably go out one more time and spray another container-ful before I call it a day.
I hope that Mother Nature is being kind to you today and that you’re enjoying your Sunday.
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
KSFY.com
We are under a tornado watch the entire day, tonight, and into tomorrow morning.
It was sprinkling just slightly, with rain looking imminent this morning when we woke up, so we spent about half an hour cleaning up our ‘rebuilding-the-brick-planter’ work site, putting away tools, the partial bag of mortar, papers from the bricks we hauled, etc. We’ll wait and see what the situation is after the rains have come and gone before doing anything more.
We’re disappointed because we wanted to finish the first planter today. A challenging job, though, is even less fun when you’re trying to beat the clock, betting against Mother Nature.
I’m going to get out and try to get my garden weeded before the rain, and then we’ll batten down the hatches and hope we don’t have damage from the storm.
I hope you’re safe wherever you are today. Happy Saturday!
Filed under Mother Nature, Seasons
Last of the broccoli, though I left the roots just in case they do something more. I’m planning to make broccoli soup on Sunday when it’s raining. The last radish I’ve planted so far.
5 heads of lettuce. Not as large as the first ones – I think because our weather suddenly got warmer. I’ll take these, plus leaf lettuce, to friends next week.
Last of the leaf lettuce. Guess who is going to have a big ‘main meal’ salad tonight for dinner? :0)
Yesterday’s session was hard because we had to haul a lot of bricks over to the site, gather all the tools, run the water hose, etc. Today’s session was harder because we put too much water in the mix, resulting in mortar that was waaaaay too thin to use. We got back in the truck and went to town and bought 3 more bags of mortar.
We added about a third of the second bag to the mix when we got back and then it was usable. We need five rows of bricks for the planter, and today we finished the third row. We washed everything and came in with red faces, huffing and puffing, in need of cool drinks.
We’re hoping to finish the first planter tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon and evening and into Sunday rain is forecast, so once we finish the first planter we’ll take a bit of a break before starting the second.
No one would think these were done by a professional, but the bricks we laid yesterday were nice and solid. As long as they’re sturdy and hold the potting soil, we’ll be satisfied.
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance, Lewis projects
Marina Syntelis – LinkedIn
Marina Syntelis – LinkedIn
Filed under Acrylic Paintings I Love, Oil Paintings I Love
Filed under Watercolors I Love
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are on a trip to Europe. She is kindly sending me pics so that I can enjoy the trip vicariously. I thought that YOU might enjoy it, too!
First stop was London. They went to a soccer match and then saw a museum with this –
Next stop was Paris, where they found a chocolate shop –
And – a beautiful stained glass window –
And, finally, they went to a display of Vincent Van Gogh where the paintings filled walls and floors, completely surrounding them –
I’m hoping we get more tomorrow. If so, I’ll share…
Filed under vicarious enjoyment
shutterstock.com
Awhile back I told you that two of our 8 foot long brick planters collapsed.
30 years ago we built 14 planters around the yard, so I guess the fact that 2 of them only lasted 30 years is a pretty good result from people who had/have no clue what they were/are doing. :0)
When the planters collapsed, we used a sledge hammer to knock the rest of the bricks down. We couldn’t get the lowest row to let go of the concrete slab we poured, so we cleaned things up the best way we could and declared victory. We shoveled the potting soil from the planter onto the blue tarp you see here and then covered it with another one and put used bricks on top to hold it until we’re ready to fill the planter again. We filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with the used bricks and stacked them up behind the well house.
Today we started the rebuilding project in earnest. We bought a pallet of bricks a couple of months ago. We bought 2 bags of mortar this morning, thinking these would be enough for one planter. We wheel-barrowed the bags over to the planter that is on the far side of the house. We used a dolly to bring enough bricks for this planter over to the work area. It was really a job to get the heavy plastic off the pallet of bricks and then stack them on the dolly and wheelbarrow them over to the planter. We did this three times to get enough over there.
I stretched a hose from the back of the house around to the front, and we found the special hoe that has two holes in it that we use for mixing mortar. We went out to the shop to find the trowels we needed.
We mixed one of the bags of mortar. We had forgotten how long it takes to actually mix that stuff! You think it’s good, and then you uncover some that is absolutely dry at the bottom of the wheelbarrow.
We decided we would work until we had used up the mortar in the wheelbarrow. By the time that was done, it was all we could do to clean up the tools and the wheelbarrow. It isn’t super hot today – 86 degrees F. – but we were really hot and tired when we came in. My face was bright red as if I had gotten sun-burned. I knew that wasn’t true because both of the planters are mostly in the shade.
We got huge glasses of ice water and drank them down pretty quickly. I fixed us some lunch and we ate in our chairs in the living room. The next thing we knew, we were both waking up from taking naps in our chairs!
We have agreed that what we did this morning would be it for the day. We’ll probably do one bag of mortar a day until the first planter is done. We now think that each planter will need a bit more than 3 bags of mortar. We’re supposed to be getting rain late Saturday. We think we can finish bricking the first planter, but we may save the second planter until next week.
If I needed more motivation to lose another 30 pounds, I now have it. We are also newly learning how much of a difference 30 years makes in laying bricks. This will be a character-building exercise for us. I see Tylenol, back pain gel, and yoga stretches in my future. :0)
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance, Lewis projects
Victor Zundalev via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Viola Sado via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Willem Haenraets via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Young Whan Kim – LinkedIn
Yuriy Hrebenyuk via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Filed under Acrylic Paintings I Love, Watercolors I Love
On the way to our second round of errands this afternoon, we changed the mailbox decoration. This is Wyle E. Coyote, Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Roadrunner.
This decoration was a lot of fun to make. We cut the main decoration out with the CNC machine and computer-guided torch, then added rod to make the Roadrunner’s legs. The decoration is probably 4 feet wide by 3 feet tall.
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations
One of my sweet spinach plants!
One of several zucchini plants.
One of about 5 remaining head lettuce plants.
My cantaloupe plant for my husband.
One group of tomato plants.
And the second tomato planter.
Things are going well. There is not enough time in the day to get to everything I want to do. I’m busy and happy and grateful for all of it.
Filed under Gardening, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds
I just enjoyed walking around the yard, taking stock of what’s what while marveling that it wasn’t raining! Right now it’s 70 degrees F.! Just gorgeous. I wanted to show you the results of my trying to create a bit of order from the chaos created by Mother Nature recently. Here is one of our Rio Samba rosebushes. I pruned the three we have so they’ll bloom again in a couple of weeks. You can also see the tarp that is hopefully preserving the potting soil we removed from one of the two planters that collapsed. We are trying to gear up for rebuilding these ourselves, since the only estimate we’ve been able to get from an actual bricklayer was WAAAAAY too high.
Here you see one of the planters I weeded, cleaned out, and pruned. You can see I need to weed whack next….
The second of the trio planters between our front yard and the driveway.
And this is the third planter. These are end-to-end .
Another.
And another. We have 14 planters we built 30 years ago. We live on top of a ridge line, so what soil there is was trucked in when we had the house built. With the potting soil and an irrigation system, we are able to grow the flowers we love.
This is one view off the deck. We have lots of wave petunias and periwinkles on the deck this year. You can see our view in one direction. We love to pretend we own all this.
Here’s a view the other direction.
Some Impatiens on the front porch.
and more. You can see this planter needs some work.
And finally, I my travels around the yard I found –
Amber
Molly
Smoke
and Abby, all enjoying the screened porch on this lovely day.
I hope it’s really nice where you are, too!
Filed under Gardening, Mother Nature
creativeartworksblog 