My personal experience is that there is never enough space or storage or supplies in my art room to fully satisfy me. When I moved to Thailand in April, I was forced to sell all my stuff – kind of a heart breaker. A lot of the things went to a lady I met from down the road from us. We instantly bonded, so that made it much easier. My stuff was going somewhere it would be appreciated and used. She ended up not only buying some things, but adopting our beloved yellow lab, Amber, giving her a home any dog would dream of, with a house, yard, boy to play with, another dog as a companion, and two loving parents.
Now I have a teeny tiny art alcove where I’m trying to teach myself to draw and then painting the sketches. I have a child’s watercolor set, a sketchbook, some pastel chalk and some colored pencils. I love spending time there!
“Pancho-The Pine Marten”–Remy Michaels – @remyscameraeye.bsky.social
I can’t say enough about Remy Michaels’ talent in photography. He gets me every time with photos that are unusual and beautiful. You can find him on BlueSky.social
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Vecteezy
I’m at about 90% this morning. I feel even better since I just came back to my place from a massage (ahhhhh!) and another of Brian’s doses of Vitamin C. My plan is to get back to the gym starting Monday morning.
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This afternoon Brian and I will go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s -my housekeeper’s – way while she cleans my place. As usual, I’ll take my sketchbook and supplies, Kindle, plus sweatshirt with me. I now have some ear buds to use with my phone to listen to music on YouTube, but it’s a little much to try to use those with my hearing aids in. (One of the many perks of getting old. 😁) If I can snag the table at the front window, I’ll enjoy goggling at the insane traffic…
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I took some thank you cards to my massage therapist (Khun Weaw) and the lady who also works there who substituted for my therapist once (Khun Sulee.) I remembered how to say ‘thank you’ in Thai (sounds like, “cawp coon ka’ah!” plus bow and do the ‘wei’🙏🏻 while the cards were in both of my outstretched hands together to show they were for each of them. 🙂 I can’t WRITE ‘thank you’ in Thai, so just hope they have a translator on their phones. From their faces, I think I got it across how thankful I am for them.
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These are my two latest paintings.
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It’s a beautiful day here in Chiang Mai. It was 63 this morning and is supposed to get to 89 this afternoon. (The only reason I’m taking my sweatshirt to the cafe is that they tend to keep the temperature like a freezer for some reason, and both Brian and I tend to freeze after being there a while 🥶)
And, though the photo below is by an amateur, this is MY squirrel, who visited me outside my art alcove window and allowed himself to be photographed quite briefly before heading on his way –
I’m better, but still ‘blowin’ and goin” as my mom used to say. I think I’ll be good in another couple of days. I have been drinking large doses of Vitamin C in orange juice since I woke up with the sore throat a couple of days ago. I have to say that it seems to have stopped the sore throat in its tracks, and lessened the severity of my cold.
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Since I was home, instead of at the gym this morning, I captured a picture of the dawn here to share.
These are my latest painted sketches.
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Today I’m doing my ‘chores’ to get ready for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, to come clean my place tomorrow – changing the sheets on my bed, changing out the towels, gathering the trash.
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We met my husband, Harvey’s, new nurse in the nursing home yesterday. Her name is pronounced, ‘la moon, la my’ and she has a very kind face and nice manner. She and Brian will be in good contact via phone, and that brings us peace of mind. Yesterday’s visit was challenging. Harvey just wanted to watch TV (the news in Thai – when he doesn’t understand a thing going on. ) He wanted to talk about investments, plus was talking about building our new ‘estate with a pool, with banana trees in the front yard and lots of dogs.’ We will go and visit again Saturday.
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I hope you’re doing well, staying safe and warm, and hopefully grinning from ear to ear sometime today.
I discovered this woman’s work yesterday and was completely blown away. She says she started learning to throw pots and quickly started carving on them.
As you can see, her work is completely unique and exquisite.
I can’t imagine learning when the proper ‘time’ is to do the carving, or to get it to stay in one piece. My mind is completely boggled.
When we lived in Greenwood, Arkansas, we lived on top of a ridge line on 8 acres outside of town. Our driveway was 650+ feet long and STEEP, so when the weather was bad, such as snow and ice, we would be stuck up on our hill until further notice. Sometimes it was so bad we lost public power and water for several days and had to chainsaw our way down to the road. For two old geezers, this got to be more and more of a problem.
We prepared seriously for winter, with whole house generators, a well for water, a fireplace for heat, etc. AND a room off the kitchen that was our pantry. It wasn’t ‘pretty,’ but we filled it with all kinds of stuff we would need if we were stuck up there and I loved it.
I DO love the idea of ‘pretty,’ though, so these pictures made me dream, even though we don’t need such in Thailand…
Genesis Allistair
What I look for is flexibility in design. I want to be able to store onions, potatoes, carrots, etc., as well as flour and other baking supplies, canned goods, frozen stuff, and more. I have to admit that I have no clue what the hanging stuff is in the above pic, but it looks impressive –
Love Art USA Outfit
This is small, but I like the counter space and different types of drawers that could be adapted for storage of all kinds.
Montresor
I like the counter top with the cabinets and shelves built in. The baskets could be used for all types of things. NICE.
Sixber Home Decor
This is more regimented, but I find the stoves in here interesting. I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not…
Swhinson
I love this one. I like the fridge/freezer, the baskets for fresh herbs, the pasta containers, the straw bins for potatoes and such.
The Studio at Sweet Magnolia Lane
I really like this one, too, although I would include a ladder on a slider like you see in bookstores or libraries with good rails so you (I) don’t fall on your (my) head trying to retrieve something from up high…
I don’t look this good today. With the two big doses of Vitamin C my son mixed up for me in orange juice yesterday, my sore throat is relieved, but I seem to have degenerated now into an old fashioned common cold. UGH.
Brian and I went to visit my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning, and I was very careful not to touch him, hoping I wouldn’t give this to him. When we got home, Brian mixed me up another dose of Vitamin C and I took a long nap. I hate being sick…
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These are the latest painted sketches. Painting today is helping distract me from how yucky I feel 😁
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I signed up for Substack about a month ago. I am really enjoying looking at the articles on there and meeting new, interesting people.
Sheila Murrey – @sheilaspiralsister is my friend, and she writes articles for Substack. She is a multi-talented lady I am proud to know and I’m happy to recommend that you look for her there. She just included a chapter from a book she’s writing that discusses sounds and frequencies and how they affect us.
R. G. Ryan – @rgryan is an author I met through reading his Jake Moriarity books via X, and then he decided to start writing serious opinion articles on Substack. I followed him there and was happy I did. Now he has changed his focus from opinion pieces to ones such as, A Lot to Carry Pain Is Not Passive, where he is focusing on what we as ordinary people are carrying around on our shoulders that is affecting our ability to live life to the fullest and to interact with others.
AND there are several people who post pictures and videos that make me laugh or bring me to tears, or both. Very talented artists and photographers post there, as well. I find this platform well worth my time. I thoroughly recommend it. Substack.com
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I hope that Mother Nature has decided to give you a break now, and will let the ice and snow melt, raise the temperatures, and allow you to enjoy your days more.
The 49th Chiang Mai Flower Festival is expected to take place from February 13–15, 2026, with primary events held at Suan Buak Haad Public Park.
Kappa Tabino
Key Details for 2026
Dates: February 13–15, 2026
Location: Suan Buak Haad Park (southwest corner of the old city)
Paros Suebpasayeesa
Key Highlights:
Saturday Morning Parade: Features elaborate, flower-decorated floats, marching bands, and dancers.
Floral Displays & Competitions: Showcases local blooms, particularly orchids and temperate flowers.
Cultural Events: Includes the “Miss Flower” and “Miss Flower Blooming Beauty” contest, along with local product fairs.
Atmosphere: The park transforms into a vibrant, open-air, flower exhibition with live music and, food, and, handicrafts.
Sandy Fournier
The annual, free-entry event features a grand,, floral parade on Saturday, February 14th, at 8:00 AM, alongside flower exhibitions, contests, and local vendors.
This festival is one of the most popular during “The Cool Season” also known as “The Tourist Season” and is 40 minutes away from us. We have found it’s very difficult to get Grab transportation during these events so we will probably not attend in person this year.
I imagine this is spectacular – but all of Chiang Mai is spectacular to me, with flowers blooming everywhere we go. They even put flowers on top of shrub medians on the highways, and plants are a foundation of most of the buildings here, not just a decoration. It’s truly a delight for the eyes.
“Sloths” – Justin Mott – “Kindred Guardians” on Substack
AWWWWWWW!
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Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. I’ve been sick, first with one thing and now a sore throat. UGH. I just went up to Brian’s to drink orange juice with extra Vitamin C to ward off whatever I’m trying to get. I’ll drink one more dose tonight and then hope for the best, with a nap in-between…
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I feel I have a lot in common with the sloths above yesterday and today.
I like all the windows in this design, and the fact that people could sit at the island and talk to you while you cook, and then enjoy eating in a comfortable place.
Color Harmony Palettes
Color Harmony Palettes is proving to me that whatever fantasy room I’m researching, I end up drooling over their designs. I love the countertop on this island, and the whole color scheme. The lighting is wonderful, too.
Color Harmony Palettes
Here’s yet another droolworthy by the same company. I love everything about this one!!!! I WANT IT!
Poster Art
This is a light, airy, welcoming design. I love the plants inside and out.
Poster Art
And finally, a plant happy design with lots of sunshine pouring in the windows. I like the shelves, too.
Yesterday I had fun drawing and painting “thank you” cards.
Friday I will give these two to my massage therapist and the other lady who works in the shop, and even substituted for my therapist one time when she had to be out of town. I just want to make sure that they know how much I appreciate them.
I give my housekeeper, Khun Nong, a thank you card each week for the wonderful job she does in cleaning my place. She is amazing. She even washes and dries my bar of soap! I come back and it’s the only time that everything is perfectly aligned all the way through my place. All is scrubbed within an inch of its life. Priceless. AND she leaves me flowers….
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Today we visited my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home. We had a difficult time getting transportation today and our trip took much longer than the 40 minutes each way we usually spend. Brian researched it later and thinks it might be because of the nationwide election that is going on.
It was a sad visit today. Harvey wasn’t feeling well, and was almost unresponsive. He did know we were there, but hopefully it will be better when we visit again Wednesday.
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It’s after 4pm in the afternoon here and I’m just now writing blog posts. The day has gotten away from me. I hope that you have a wonderful first day of February.
I love the color in this living room and the oversized pieces inviting comfort.
Kimpton Hotel Palomar
“Sunday snuggles in the living room.”
This design encourages conversation. I would sit beside my friends, drink in my hand, and enjoy catching up.
Paisley H
“A home is made of walls and beams; a living room is built with love and dreams.”
Isn’t this elegant? Over the top, but welcoming. I love the fireplace and the candles and lanterns resembling a fire pit. The combination of wood and stone and glass and views is a fantasy come true.
Scandi
“My happy place, wrapped in warm hues.”
This one is my personal favorite. SO cozy for reading, watching TV, eating popcorn, having kids and animals in your lap…
It’s a beautiful morning here in Chiang Mai. The sun is shining and it’s 71 degrees F. I have just thrown the windows open and am feeling kind of lazy like this sweet fox. 😀
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Otaki Mail
Since this is the last day of January here, it’s time for accountability on my efforts to lose my lard. To date I have lost 88 lbs and 81 inches. I’m 5’4″ and weigh 116 now. I want to lose 6 pounds and then hopefully go to maintenance on eating and concentrate on my exercising more.
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I did a lot of sketches at the cafe yesterday while we were waiting for Khun Nong to clean my place. I plan to do a lot of painting in my alcove today.
Besides my clean place, Khun Nong left this gorgeous display of flowers! I think I have the best housekeeper on the planet.
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As I type, the sweet birds are singing. I’m not quite sure why hearing the birds makes me so happy, but I can feel it as it starts in my stomach and just fills me up. 😊
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Make this a happy day. Take some time out of your busy day and do something fun – something that brings a smile to your face and joy to your heart.
I found this article in my travels today. Ukraine is not just a news story that touches us for a moment and then gets lost in our daily lives. People – real people – are suffering and working in the middle of a war. This touched me so much I had tears in my eyes. May these people be blessed and the fighting stop.
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“The heavy door to the staff lounge swings shut behind me, muting the familiar hospital sounds into a distant hum. I lean against it for a second, letting out a breath I feel like I’ve been holding for two hours. It’s done.
The boy is fourteen. His name is _____. He took a bad fall off his bike trying to avoid a pothole—a story as old as time, yet now forever tied to this specific pothole on a Kharkiv street. A displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus. Nasty, but clean. In the OR, under the bright lights, it was just anatomy. A puzzle of bone fragments, vessels, and nerves that needed careful restoration. My hands moved with a practiced calm—reduction, temporary fixation, the precise placement of K-wires under the C-arm’s silent blue glow. Everything here, in this operating room, is fine. Controllable. Logical.
I pour a cup of lukewarm, strong tea from the ever-present pot. My body aches with the familiar fatigue of focused tension. Looking out the small window, the sky over Kyiv is a deep twilight blue. Peaceful. It’s a dissonant sight. My mind, still buzzing from the concentration of surgery, now fills with the other, louder reality.
I operated on a 14-year-old boy today. A simple childhood accident. But for a moment, when they wheeled him in, my heart clenched with a different, colder fear. It wasn’t the shape of the fracture that caused it; it was his age. Fourteen. The same age as the boy from Mariupol we treated last spring, brought in with a wound that was not from any bicycle. The age of the kids growing up too fast in basements, their childhoods measured in air raid sirens and the sound of distant impacts.
This is our duality now. We are orthopedic surgeons in Ukraine. We still treat the slipped discs, the arthritic knees, the sports injuries of ordinary life that stubbornly persist. We mend the simple fractures of boys being boys. But layered over that, like a persistent shadow, is the other medicine. The medicine of shrapnel, of blast injuries, of complex trauma from forces that have nothing to do with gravity or bad luck, and everything to do with war.
Today, I am grateful it was just a bike. Today, my skill was used to ensure _____ will have full function in his arm, to play, to write, to hug his mother without pain. A small, complete victory. In a few weeks, he’ll be complaining about physiotherapy, and I will scold him with a smile. A normal, beautiful thing.
I finish the tea, the bitterness sharp on my tongue. The pager on my hip is silent for now. I’ll go check on him in recovery soon, speak to his anxious parents with the confident, reassuring tone we’ve all mastered.
But first, I allow myself this minute of stillness by the window. I think of my colleagues in the East, in the cities closer to the front, where their ORs have no respite from that other kind of trauma. Their stamina is superhuman. We support them as we can, sending supplies, sharing complex case advice over secure chats.
Everything here, in this moment, is fine. The operation was a success. The city outside is quiet tonight. My hands, which just set a young bone straight, are steady.
I take another deep breath and square my shoulders. The fatigue is still there, but it’s a good fatigue. The kind that comes from fixing something that can be fixed. A small piece of the world, put right. In the morning, there will be more patients. Both kinds. We will be here for them all.”
“Make your home as comfortable and attractive as possible and then get on with living. There’s more to life than decorating.” —Albert Hadley
Haus-und-gartentrends.de
“All rooms ought to look as if they were lived in, and to have so to say, a friendly welcome ready for the incomer.” —William Morris
Houzz
“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.” —Philip Johnson
Houzz
“Where conversations flow and memories are made.” ~ Unknown
“Gnarly Birch” – Matt Oliver – “Among Trees” – Substack
This photo takes my breath away! What a life this tree has had…
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Thai Gestures: Learning the Thai language is coming very slowly for me. I AM learning essential phrases, such as,
“Hello – may you have a blessed day,” (pronounced “sawat dee Ka’ah)
“Thank you,” (pronounced “cawp coon ka’ah”) and
“I’m sorry.” (pronounced “caw toad ka’ah”)
I’m also learning essential Thai gestures – ones to make and ones to avoid at all costs –
When you say “hello,” you perform the “Wai” (pronounced “Why“). It’s the praying hands and bowing gesture. This is many times complicated because you’re carrying things, so doing it with one hand is okay – and be sure to smile! 🙏🏻
If you gesture “Come here” with the waving toward yourself gesture common in the States, you have just performed a major insult. You have called them an animal or treated them like an animal.
When you want to gesture “come here,” in Thailand, you make a crawling or digging gesture with your fingers, palm down toward the floor.
Got that? There will be a test later…
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4 GIFs.com
I had a massage this morning. I had some really sore muscles right around my waistline on my right side. They aren’t completely fixed now, but my massage therapist, Khun Weaw. did a wonderful job. I’m so lucky that I can tell her where I’m hurting, put myself in her hands, and know that she won’t hurt me. I can completely relax and let her perform her magic. Ahhhh! (And this is all with ‘pantomime,’ since I don’t speak Thai and she doesn’t speak English – PRICELESS!)
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Facebook – traffic in Chiang Mai
In a few minutes, Brian and I will go to our cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans my place. I will take my sketchbook, drawing supplies, my kindle and my sweatshirt. I will get an iced mocha. 😃
We’re lucky to have a place that encourages people to feel comfortable “whiling” away some time. I’m hoping I get my favorite spot by the front window so I can goggle at the amazing traffic that goes by. The last time I was there, an entire family (man, woman, two children, and their dog!) went by on a motorcyle…
I have vague memories of being bored when I was a child, but that’s the last time I ever had that feeling. When I was working full time, being a wife and mother, animal caretaker, and housekeeper, I didn’t have time to be bored. I was too busy trying to keep my head above water.
When I was semi-retired, I was trying to carve out time to spend in my art room, where I could learn new techniques, trying to make more things to list on my own website, Creative Artworks, for years, and then Etsy. During that time, I was also trying to get Square Foot Gardening to work, including building and maintaining a greenhouse, learning to mix up soil alternative, keeping the plants fed, weeded and watered, etc., then harvesting our ‘crop.’ I was also taking over more and more of the yardwork, plus taking over things my husband had formerly done, such as programming the automatic watering systems in the well house.
With our full retirement and move to Thailand, I can honestly say that I never have enough time and energy to accomplish what I would like to do on a given day. I’m NEVER bored.
I move from one fun thing or chore to another, trying to vary sedentary stuff with movement, and purely joyful stuff with more challenging things. I try to keep a good mix and just keep going until I’m out of time or energy, call it a day, and then start again where I left off the next day.
I guess curiosity is at the base of not being bored. I love playing on the c0mputer, trying to find out answers to my questions or find things I want to share. I was planning to paint one of my sketches today, but I’m also needing to put in some time super stretching to get rid of some painful muscles in my back. I only have about an hour to do both, plus get my dry things gathered off my balcony. And my poor puzzle awaits – neglected.
Being enthusiastic about being in a country new to me, with customs to learn, finding out what’s happening each month and deciding which to try to participate in, trying to learn phrases in a new language, and more is a full time activity by itself.
I hope y0u never lose your curiosity and enthusiasm for the life you have. There is only so much time to try to cram joy into your life. You need to be conscientious about it or the day will pass and you won’t be able to savor one thing that made you smile.
I love this. I wish I could do this during my yoga stretches. This lady looks like she could fold herself into a paper airplane and fly herself across the room. I do ‘old lady yoga stretches’ concentrating on stretching everything I have very slowly, relaxing and breathing into the stretches. Even with that, yesterday I must have overdone SOMETHING because I’m having to dose myself with Tylenol today. That said, I managed my mile walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and I’m hoping to do some extra QUIET stretches today, trying to undo whatever I did…
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Sensory Joy
Yesterday I received the weighted blanket I ordered. It is about the size of a throw and just perfect for my needs. I restored my purple throw that Brian bought me a while back to my living area couch. It was like the blanket we loved on the luxury long flight on the way from the states to Thailand. I had exclaimed about it, and suddenly one showed up – and it was purple! Brian is definitely a keeper! 🤗
Anyway, “The Cool Season” in Thailand is definitely chilly in the mornings and at night, with a low of 50. There is no heat in Thailand, and I’m used to being able to set a thermostat for about 68, or have the luxury of a fire in the fireplace, an electric blanket, etc. So I’m wearing snuggly long pants to the gym and a jeans jacket, a hoodie over my shirt in my place, and was moving the throw back and forth from the living area to my bed and back again.
I’ve never had a weighted blanket, but it sounded really good. It arrived yesterday and I immediately put it on the bed and tried it for the first time last night. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like being hugged. Heavy, warm, and snuggly. I slept super well last night. 🥰
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We visited my husband at the nursing home this morning. It broke my heart because he really wanted to come home with us. He has no concept of the fact that it takes 3 experienced caretakers to get him in or out of the wheelchair or the fact that we have hired 24 hour care to meet all of his needs. He doesn’t grasp the fact that our places aren’t set up to accommodate wheelchairs, special beds, any place for 24 hour care to live, bathing facilities, ambulances for transportation… Anyway, barring a miracle, him coming ‘home’ just won’t happen. He WAS comfortable, wasn’t hurting anywhere, was glad to see us, and was going to try to eat whatever the caretakers brought for him today. Fingers crossed.🤞
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As I type, the windows are open and I have a fan moving the air around even more. It’s sunny and 84 degrees now – simply beautiful. Brian says the season where the air quality is poor due to the farmers burning the crop residues in their fields is approaching, but I’ll enjoy this every day I can. I just LOVE it!
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I’m going to start painting the last sketch in my sketchbook this afternoon, unless I run out of time. I find it so relaxing to concentrate on colors and techniques, putting all other concerns out of my head for a while. :0)
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I hope that you are warm and safe wherever you are right now, and that Mother Nature decides to give you a break.
“Embrace the glorious mess that you are, for therein lies your unique joy.”
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My mother-in-law was the perfect role model for being happy. When she and my father-in-law were riding with us to their new home at the Assisted Living Center in Tulsa, I asked her how she felt about the move.
She said, “I love it.” Surprised, I asked her how she felt that when she hadn’t really seen it thoroughly, met anyone…. She answered, “I’m going to love it. I’m going to make my room my own. I’m going to make friends. I’m going to love the food, the activities – everything!”
My mother would have described it by saying, “Attitude is all.”
You don’t ‘find’ happiness, Other people can’t provide it for you. You can’t strive for it, search for it, yearn for it. IT COMES FROM INSIDE YOU.
Some of unhappiest people have a lot of money, houses, cars, THINGS surrounding them and they still aren’t ‘happy. Others ask others to provide it for them – they get married, have kids, get a good job, and they aren’t ‘happy.’
Happiness is a conscious decision to be happy. That probably sounds dumb, but I believe it’s true. It’s all in how how you look at yourself, your situation, your life.
To be happy, start by accepting yourself. Yeah, you might need to lose some weight, maybe you wish your nose was shorter or had a cute upturn. Maybe your clothes would fit better if you were thinner and taller. Maybe…
Accept yourself and your uniqueness, perceived flaws, wishes, and all. You are YOU. You have a unique place in the world. You have people who like you, maybe even love you. If you really want to change something, you have the ability to do that. Concentrate on the people around you who give you joy. Happiness is being kind to the people you care about first, letting them know how much they mean to you, how much you appreciate them and are glad you are that they are in your life.
Happiness is recognizing all you have and being grateful. Be happy with less. Simplify. Realize how rich you are with what you have now. Give away things you don’t really need, haven’t used in ages, don’t really mean something to you. Take the time to think about all the things you have, the fact that you have something to eat, a place to sleep, maybe even a person or pet to cuddle with.
Happiness is learning to adjust to what is happening around you, whether at your job, in your family, or in the world. If what is happening is making you upset, angry, scared – really think about whether you can do anything about it. If you can, make concrete plans to do one thing at a time to improve the situation, If there is nothing you can really do about it, accept it for what it is, then try to ignore it, if possible, distract yourself by filling your life with things that give you pleasure, make you smile.
Happiness is accepting that you, things around you, aren’t perfect and never will be. They don’t have to be in order for you to decide to be happy. Accepting what is true, being grateful for what you have, consciously deciding how to change things you can and work around things you can’t, all point to ‘deciding to be happy,’ and building an attitude of positivity.
It doesn’t change overnight. It’s a constant series of conscious, positive actions that result in your feeling better, smiling more, enjoying life more.
We are all ‘glorious messes.’ Isn’t that wonderful?
“Splish splash, I was taking a bath. Long about a Saturday night, yeah. A rub dub, just relaxing in the tub. Thinking everything was alright.” ~ Bobby Darrin
It’s “Dream Time” again – this time with bathrooms that make my mouth water.
This is the way I look after my weight loss, except I’m not this cute. I have no clue what it would do to me to spend all day and all night in one of these glorious bathrooms…
Beautiful Boxes
A world of calming green. A hot tub ready for you to ease into, leaving all your cares behind, luxuriating in the hot, fragrant water, looking out the window sometimes at the beautiful greenery. Ahhhhhh!
G – Pinterest
I LOVE the artistry of the flowers on the mosaic tub and floor! The huge windows bring the outside in. The rocks on the wall and floor make you feel a part of nature as you enjoy adding more hot water to the tub from time to time…
Kathy Linsay – Pinterest
This is a fantasy-come-true for me. The combination of the wood and stone, plus fireplace in the bath (!) and beautiful window with a stream outside? An inside lagoon, candles, plants, lanterns… I WANT THIS!
Outfit Store
I love the tall shower you can stand under, pretending you’re standing in the rain. The tiled cubbyholes are wonderful. The fact that the lavatory is part of the whole design. A place to sit while you dry off, plants everywhere…
I wouldn’t get anything done if I had any of these bathrooms in my home. My water bill would be astronomical, my whole body would be a wrinkly prune – but what a way to go!!!! If you’re going to dream – dream big!
“Sunset Color Burst” – @Dreamcatcher01.bsky.social
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It’s a beautiful day here in Chiang Mai, Thailand today. It’s now Wednesday, Jan. 28th, 10:25 a.m. The sun is shining brightly. Though it was chilly this morning, it’s supposed to get to 85 this afternoon. I’m TRYING to send warm to all the people in the deep freeze in the U.S. melting the snow and ice so they can get back to their normal lives. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to throwing open my windows and enjoying a warm, wonderful breeze through my place this afternoon.
If we were “home” in Arkansas, we would have put up this mailbox decoration. We had such fun using our CNC set-up in the shop to cut the designs out of 4×8 sheet metal on the special table we made. We could capture an image from our computer, my husband would apply a program that changed the image to computer coded instructions, and then we would take the thumb drive to the shop, plug it into the computer there, and the ‘system’ would guide the torch to cut out the design.
In this case, there were two pieces. We welded the head to the body of the snow person with rod. We then welded the design to the mounting bracket we needed to attach the design to the mailbox pole. I painted the piece on both sides with weather resistant paint and then we would spray the whole thing with polyurethane for as much protection from the elements as possible.
We had SUCH fun deciding what we would make, then ‘discussing’ details of mounting, painting, colors, etc. It would make our day when someone would start to drive by as we were getting our mail or changing the decoration and they would stop, telling us how much they enjoyed the changing designs and would drive past just to see if there were a new one up. 😁
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My day will be a happy one. I enjoy writing posts to you that I hope will make you smile or add joy to your life in some way. I love finding talented artists, writers, photographers, and more and sharing their fine work with you. It makes my day when you take the time to like or comment on what you see here.
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When I finish writing my posts, I am planning to tackle my jigsaw puzzle. I haven’t been making much progress on it at all lately. I’m starting to DREAM about working on it, so I know I need to spend some time so I can feel I’m making progress.
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I’m starting this book on my Kindle today. I stayed up late finishing the last one in the series. If you haven’t tried the Jake Moriarity series by R.G. Ryan, you’re missing a real treat.
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I painted this sketch yesterday.
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Here’s hoping you are somewhere where you can stay warm and have a joy-filled day.
I have never been able to afford much in the way of beautiful room designs or fancy stuff to furnish them, but due to my active imagination, I can enjoy picturing myself in fantasy rooms I find on the net. I hope you enjoy dreaming, too…
Color Harmony Palettes
We don’t have to worry about “money”. We don’t have to consider “practicality”. We can just relax and enjoy the idea of living in these rooms…
I love the emphasis on plants in the actual plants, the green of the pillows, and the art behind the bed. I love the wood and the texture of the rug under the bed. The color scheme is quite restful.
Freepik
Wow. And wow, again! Talk about a view! What a luxurious place this is! Hopefully, they don’t have any neighbors close by… :o). My word for this is PLUSH. I want to crawl into that bed and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Treza Karg
This room really is on my wave length, really speaking to me on so many levels. The design of the windows really showcases the beautiful woods outside. Again I love the plants and the rock wall and fireplace are to die for!
“They say people wear their hearts on their sleeve. I say most people wear their hearts on their faces. But it takes a connoisseur to see it. I am that connoisseur.” ― Alma Brooke, Four of a Kind
“I don’t want people to fall in love with my smile, my face or my body. I am waiting for somebody to love the mess I can be and fall in love with my emotional scars.” ― Karon Waddell
“Our mouth speaks sometimes but our face speaks all the time!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
“The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero
I love faces with character, wrinkles-lines-creases that show habitual expressions when dealing with life. I can appreciate a pretty or a handsome face, but I prefer those that look lived-in, showing there is depth of experience, living and feeling. I find myself wanting to touch these faces, seeing what the reaction would be. (They might deck me for being rude, not knowing I would be doing it out of intense respect and awe of the beauty that shines out at me.)
I found all of these wonderful images on Pinterest. There was no attribution given for me to share with you. Sorry.
We just got back from meeting my husband, his nurse, and his main doctor at the hospital for a routine visit. The doctor was happy that Harvey was alert and seemed happier. We talked about the possibility of removing the nasal feeding tube. His nurse said that, though he was able to eat and drink without choking, he wasn’t eating enough. We asked Harvey was HE wanted to do, since this isn’t about US. He said the tube wasn’t bothering him a lot, so we decided to leave it in for now. I encouraged him to eat small bowls of whatever the rest of the people at the nursing home were being served and he agreed to try. I also talked to the nurse, asking her to keep the amount small at first, so he wasn’t overwhelmed. We’ll see how it goes.
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This is the latest painted sketch.
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Kinship-Pexels-Rodnae-Productions
I’m planning to do an extra long session with the exercises with the water bottles for my arms today, along with some other extraneous exercises, to make up for the fact that we opted out of going to the gym this morning so as to be able to eat breakfast and get to the hospital on time. I’ll also make a point of climbing up the stairs to my place at least once.
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I hope that those of you in the path of the winter storm still have power, and are staying dry and warm. I’m thinking of you
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” ~ Will Rogers
“Yesterday” can be a source of beautiful memories of cherished people in your life, wonderful experiences, and joy. It can also be the source of feelings that limit you in your life today.
We hold onto yesterday as an excuse for why we haven’t accomplished something, pointing to failures, harsh criticism from others, humiliation, self-doubt and more. We cram hurt feelings way down deep inside that squash our self-esteem, make us shy away from opening ourselves to love, trust, and putting ourselves out there once again to try something new.
I think we all have a bucketload of these yesterdays that we need to shed in order to live our present lives to the fullest. I’m suggesting that we all dig deep, look at these things, realizing that yesterday cannot be changed. We can build a stronger, fuller happier TODAY by letting all of that go.
This really speaks to me now. My life has changed completely since last February when I died twice in the hospital and was given a second chance via surgeons and a pacemaker when my heart stopped. I had never had heart problems before, but would have been gone if I hadn’t heeded the strong recommendation that I head for the ER after I saw my clinic doctor.
Our son flew 24 hours from Thailand to take care of my husband and me when we were suddenly too ill to take care of each other. We had to face some harsh realities in Arkansas, where we had lived for almost 40 years. We couldn’t take care of our home, 8 acres, and our pets anymore. We made the decision to get rid of everything in the States and move to Thailand to be close to our son. We would retire, rebuild our health, shed the responsibilities we had been shouldering, and concentrate on enjoying life. Leaving 40 years worth of my art and our ‘stuff’ was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done. Re-homing our pets was the hardest, but we found the perfect homes for our dog and cat, and so could leave knowing they would be loved and well taken care of.
2 weeks after we moved here, my husband fell and had a stroke. He is now in a nursing home, completely disabled with a damaged brain. Unless we have a miracle, he won’t be able to leave the nursing home. Thankfully, we have found a truly wonderful place with caring people. We visit my husband 3 times a week now, rather than sharing the retirement we planned.
I am in a new country, living by myself for the first time in my life, trying to learn some Thai phrases, learn about the money, learn the customs here, learn how to get the basics done, grateful that our son is here to help both of us.
I am learning to embrace TODAY. Yesterday is full of some wonderful memories, but NOW is what is important. What used to be doesn’t apply. I have some wonderful opportunities to shape a life that makes me smile all day long, moving from one fun activity to the next, learning new things every day, rebuilding my health.
I am concentrating on living my life to the fullest, making each day count, concentrating on what is WONDERFUL about my life now, grateful for all I have.
Yesterday is gone. I don’t make ‘plans’ anymore, embracing NOW. I am feeling stronger for it, concentrating on being the best person I can be TODAY.
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