With the official first day of fall this Sunday, we in Arkansas are again under an “Intense Heat Alert” for 106 from noon until 8pm tonight. It does look like this might be the last gasp of the really hot stuff, though. A “cold front” is due Monday. One can hope.
I was a good girl yesterday, doing my exercise with weights video early. I then started the new standing stomach exercises video and was a little over halfway through, huffing and puffing a bit, when the driveway detector went off. It was a Fedex delivery. I thanked the guy profusely for giving me a valid interruption from my exercising. He laughed. I never did get back to the video, but I DID do my yoga stretches later.
I just saw a piece from our local news that the work on the new Scott-Sebastian County Public Library has begun. The current one is in a building built in 1965 and is nestled in the middle of the main part of Greenwood. Since the library is meant to also serve other counties besides our South Sebastian County, they are building a new, twice-as-large building at the intersection of Highway 71 South and Highway 10 (the main thoroughfare through Greenwood.) The new building is supposed to be finished in mid 2025.
With the library being ‘moved,’ in the near future and our medical clinic having already been closed and a new one built, my husband and I are feeling a bit shell-shocked.
Both new buildings are all the way across town from us (the new facilities are on the far West side of Greenwood and we’re on the far East side). These won’t be as convenient for us personally, but it’s exciting that both will be larger and better for the communities they serve. We will see the new medical clinic when we go for blood work for our routine doctor appointment around the first of next month.
I’m pleased to tell you that even though I look like a dandelion-gone-to-seed right now, I will be “healed” tomorrow by Michael – the Miracle Worker – at Tangles Hair Studio in Greenwood. When he finishes with me I will again look like someone had a plan, for which I am truly grateful.
No particular plans for today. I can play on the computer and play in my art room, shielded from the obscenely hot day, happy in my own little world. Ahhhh! I hope you enjoy YOUR day, too.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Vince, the Sign Guy – Indian Hills Signs
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Indian Hills Signs
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Poohisms
Yesterday started out with errands. I took my Kindle so that I could read while I waited for my husband to get his hair cut. When I opened it, it said I didn’t have connection to the Internet. I tried several things, but no dice. Finally, I gave up.
When we got home and put things away, it was already time for lunch. We ate and then we attacked my Kindle again. I looked for help on the net, but unless I could get a network and enter my password, the ‘help’ was none.
Finally, we sat side by side, comparing settings. His ‘admin’ was ‘on.’ Mine was locked. When I unlocked it, it wanted the password to my network. I put in the one my husband had found and I was back in business.
I’m in a constant fight with technical stuff lately. It makes me want to just shut most of it off and just sleep in my recliner. I know. Great, positive reaction to what is probably a character-building exercise. :0)
The good part of the day was I tried a new recipe from a new person I found on the net. Her name is Kasey Tenum and the recipe was “Keto Monterey Chicken.” My husband and I agreed that the flavor was really good, but that it was a bit hard to eat. The next time I try it, I’ll follow the directions more closely. I’ll slice the chicken breasts to make four thin breasts. I’ll cut the bacon up into bite-sized bits. I’ll try to pile up the ingredients ON the breasts so that we have four meal-sized servings, rather than ingredients kind of stuck together in the skillet. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I’ll start researching some of her other recipes, too. Here is her website.
I was a slug yesterday. Today I plan to try the video with the standing stomach exercises, since my legs aren’t screaming. I’ll also do a weights video from Mike, my Australian senior exercise expert. I’ll finish it off with my regular yoga stretching session.
Since we don’t have to go anywhere today, I should also have time to get up to my art room. I’m working on two sets of 4 Christmas ornaments, and then an ornament from a wood slice.
Enjoy your day!
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Indian Hills Signs
I posted one of Andrew Simoson’s beautiful watercolors at the top of one of my posts lately, and mentioned that I would try to find more.
It was difficult, as I can’t find a website for his work anywhere. It seems to only be posted, one painting at a time, by J. E. Toney on Pinterest. I’ll show you here what I’ve been able to find so far.
Andrew Simoson Watercolor via J. E. Toney – Pinterest
Filed under Andrew Simoson Watercolor, Watercolors I Love
I’ll have to wait on most of my blog posts because we need to leave to run errands soon.
Monster Cat has taken up residence this morning on the table beside my computer to ‘help’ me write blog posts. She was driving me nuts a second ago rummaging around the feet of my chair. That’s a problem because my chair is on wheels and I really don’t want to run over her little feet. I stopped and very carefully moved the chair – to find one of her little catnip mice. I threw it in the middle of the room and she immediately ran and pounced on it. With her ‘help,’ I MIGHT get THIS post finished before we need to leave.
My second ‘helper’ is Amber. She is trying to guilt me into letting her out again. She’s in a barky frame of mind this morning, though, so I feel it’s rude to let her bother the neighbors. I let her out first thing in the morning while I’m taking care of Monster Cat. She comes in with great enthusiasm, hoping to get a treat. VERY SOON after that, when I’ve finished the morning chores and am at the computer, she comes and sits beside my chair, trying to get me to let her out again. That has already happened this morning, and yet she is doing it again. She only stays out 5 seconds or so, then barks to get back in. I don’t know what her deal is, other than maybe laughing that I’m pretty well trained, for a human.
Yesterday I TRIED to do the video with the stomach exercises. The backs of my legs were so sore, though, I simply couldn’t do it. I gave up, took some Tylenol, and went on to do my yoga stretches (with Monster Cat on the back porch). I’m still sore this morning, but I’ll try to do at least SOME of each of the exercises today and see how it goes. If I can do HALF as many reps as I’m supposed to be doing, that’s more than I HAVE been doing and should be good.
I’ll play in the art room, plus I’m planning to try a chicken recipe for our dinner tonight. I have the recipe, which is low-carb, and then another recipe by the same author for low-carb BBQ sauce. I’ll let you know if these are good.
Enjoy your day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under digital art, WenderAspire on Etsy
I don’t want to live to any particular age, but I would like to be as healthy as possible for as long as I can. I can’t control all of that, but I CAN control –
As you know, I’ve been trying to lose the lard and move more. I’m about halfway to my goal now.
I started with a BMI of 34, which is labeled on the chart as “Obese.” Right now I have a BMI of 29, labeled as “Overweight.” I’m celebrating JUST being ‘overweight’ now. My goal is a BMI of 24, which is labeled “healthy weight.”
I’m eating a low-carb diet, trying to drink more water, and using MyFitnessPal daily to pay close attention to what I’m eating and drinking.
My moving more efforts include working in the yard, practicing ‘old lady’ yoga stretches, and various YouTube workout videos. I’m doing one now from Good Morning Fitness with stomach exercises done standing that don’t involve jumping. I also like a whole series with Mike from Australia. He has a website called More Life Health Seniors. I’m also trying to make myself at least walk around the house and out to the shop once a day.
I’ve started taking SuperFoodMD Fruits & Veggies supplements, a competitor to the much-advertised brand you see on TV. That one is too expensive for me, but this one costs less than half as much. (I put the two products side by side and they look like the same thing.) I eat basically the same thing for lunch every day, and we eat a somewhat limited number of low-carb dishes for dinners, mainly because my husband will only eat a handful of veggies. I hope that these supplements will help me make sure I’m getting what I need for good health.
Onward and Downward!
Filed under DIET!, exercise, Healthy Eating
I had a pretty productive day yesterday.
I FINISHED weeding the flower planters, so that’s the end of the most important work in the yard. We are looking pretty good (for us) and working outside can go on the back burner of priorities for a bit.
I tried to do a new YouTube video yesterday of exercises to flatten your tummy. I moved right along with her most of the time, though balance was an issue at times. All these were standing exercises, but lots of turning, moving of legs, bending up and down, etc. Each exercise was repeated for 60 seconds. I guess we probably did 30 reps during that time. I made it through a little over half of the video and had to quit, out of breath and thoroughly pooped. The cute little person ran away and left me in the dust. I’ll try to do better today.
When I went to practice my yoga stretches for the first time in a while, things went well for about 60 seconds. Then Monster Cat decided she wanted to ‘help’ me with the moves. She pounced on my stomach, bit my toes, rolled on my legs, walked under me when she could, laid down on my face, tried to curl up on my neck…. you get the picture. For today’s practice, I’ll put her in her bathroom until I’m finished.
In my art room, I’m working on two different sets of 4 Christmas ornaments with layered elements, and also on one ornament that is a wood slice. It’s fun trying different techniques. I love spending time up there, learning new things.
I hope you have a happy, productive day.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Yevhenii Zaborovsky is a metal sculptor from Kyiv, Ukraine. He specializes in bronzes that leap off the background in bas-relief. I have no idea how he does these. I’m in awe.
Metal Zaborovsky – Etsy
Ebay via Pinterest
Filed under metal art, scrap metal art, Steampunk Metal Sculpture
Filed under metal art, scrap metal art
I wish I could paint like this. Just lovely.
This is the latest wood-burning effort listed on Etsy. I’m now turning to Christmas Ornaments. I realize it seems really early to be thinking of this, but these take time and I don’t want to feel rushed. :0)
Our dog, Amber, exhibited a new trick today. We have taught her to bark when she wants us to let her out. This morning she came to me while I was here at the computer, got my attention, sat down, and looked at me. When I asked if she wanted me to let her out, she “barked,” but with NO SOUND! It’s as if she 1) knows I really don’t like it when she startles me with barking, and 2) knew my husband was taking a morning nap in the living room next door. Either way, I was really impressed. I petted and praised her profusely and let her out.
“Monster Cat,” on the other hand, is continuing to feel more and more at home, living up to her aka name, showing more and more “personality” by the day. She is demanding a lot more of my attention, insisting I pet her while I’m working on the computer. She accomplishes this by walking over my keyboard – causing havoc on the screen – and back again. I pet her, of course. Too many times this results in a bite, something I’m trying really hard to discourage.
Yesterday she was on a tear. My husband and I agreed that whatever we paid for her tower in the living room was well worth it. I’ve been putting her same three catnip mice on the top level. She now runs up the side of the tower, grabs a mouse and comes back down, batting the thing across the floor, rolling and biting it, pouncing over and over, etc. She LOVES the balls that are hung in two places on the tower, batting them ferociously or hanging on them. She falls off the tower regularly, bounding back up immediately and grabbing the ball again. She’s to the point she makes us laugh out loud watching her antics.
She is becoming quite bold, walking right up to Amber and playing with her tail, batting at her paws, everything except outright pouncing on her. Amber is being amazingly patient, since she could whack her with a paw or bite her in half easily. I watch them carefully, sometimes letting a bit of it go on for a minute or two, or rescuing one or the other as the situation seems to merit.
Today I’m planning to try to finish the weeding of the flower planters. We’ll also gather the trash and drive it down. I’ll get the makings of chili in the crock pot and vacuum the tiled areas on the first floor.
I’ll do a session of yoga, and I’m going to try to keep up with a new video with a cute little woman who is doing standing exercises that are supposed to help me get rid of my tummy. These two, plus my yard work, should be a good amount of exercise for the day. I’m hoping that this will help get pound #37 off.
I hope this is the beginning of a fun week for you.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Indian Hills Community Signs – Vince, the Sign Guy
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, Indian Hills Signs
Our son sent this, saying he thought the pic was actually from Indonesia or Malaysia, but said Thailand had the same thing. This is a gas station. A person drives up to the ‘station.’ An attendant comes out, sells the gas, takes the money, and the transaction is complete.
Filed under Bright Ideas
Filed under Alex Fleming Art, animal paintings
Definition of Steampunk Art. SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA. “Steampunk is a retrofuturistic subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.”
I found these on Pinterest, but these are all supposedly listed for sale on eBay.
Filed under Steampunk Metal Sculpture
This is one of the wood-burning pieces I finished yesterday.
This is the second piece. I listed both on HandmadeHavenByLinda on Etsy.
I’m having a really good time and learning every day – a really fun combination.
I’m going to try to finish the weeding of our flower planters today. It’s nice this morning, so I’ll try to get outside as soon as I finish here. :0)
I’ll get the makings of this in the crock pot today for our dinner tonight.
I’ll make a new system disk and then back up my data on the computer, play in my art room, read more of a book I’m enjoying, and that will be most of my Sunday.
I hope you’re having a great one, too.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
Filed under Liang Binbin Art, sculpture
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor, MUG WISDOM
I LOVE the movement, color and texture – “3D-ness” in this painting. Just wonderful.
This weekend I’ll try to finish weeding the flower planters around the house. I really got overheated yesterday while working on the trio of flower planters that run between the front yard and our driveway area. I’m still trying to ‘recover,’ (being an old broad), so will try to be more aware of how hot and tired I’m getting.
I’m drilling holes in one wood-burned piece, and doing holes and hooks in another. I’m painting a third, so I’m in hog-heaven playing in my art room. My husband came up to visit yesterday. He sat down in a chair (the first ‘miracle’ was that there was a free, empty chair for him to SIT in), and we talked as he looked around. He said he could really tell a difference – could see my efforts to reorganize and clean things up. :0)
Even though I got really hot outside weeding yesterday, INside it was quite comfortable. We had the doors open, so a nice breeze was going through the house. Plus, we had the ceiling fans on, encouraging air movement. We’re doing the same today. It’s a real quality of life issue and I love enjoying the luxury of it.
As a part of our exciting weekend, I’m going to balance checkbooks today. Try to contain your enthusiasm. I did my online spreadsheet bookkeeping for August yesterday and got things filed, so that is caught up. My goal of doing –
is working well these days. I’m feeling less overwhelmed, even if I don’t finish everything on my list. I’m keeping priorities first and my tension is lessening. I’m feeling more CALM.
Oh, bonus! I almost forgot to tell you. I’ve been enjoying almost daily chats with our son, who lives across the world from us. We are always communicating, but lately it’s been extra-nice. He is newly an honorary uncle for a second time, with his friends having given birth to a daughter. Their son is around 2, so our son is thoroughly enjoying watching the family grow, the kids learn, and being enveloped in the love. I’m really happy for him.
Enjoy your Saturday.
Filed under Thoughts on a ________
I’ve just come in from weeding the trio of brick planters that divide our front yard from our driveway area. They weren’t as bad as the last time I tackled them, but I’ve been working hard for a couple of hours.
The temperature is only 81 degrees, so it shouldn’t feel so hot. My computer says the humidity is 58%, so it only feels like 87, but my BODY is reacting like the conditions are much more challenging.
I filled up a big trash can with weeds and pruned stuff before the job was finished. I’ll work my way around the yard, but the trio of planters was the worst. I’m beginning to see the end of the most important tasks now. YEA!!
I’m drinking a huge glass of ice water now, trying to cool off. I’m going to go sit in my recliner in the living room and relax for a bit with the ceiling fan on.
When I finally cool down, I’m planning to head up to my art room to reward myself with time to play. :0)
I hope that your day is going well.
Filed under drawings, Sean Briggs
creativeartworksblog 