Tag Archives: cafe

September 25, 2026 · 5:08 am

Friday 9-25-2026

Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack

_____________________________

I’ve had my usual wonderful Friday – gym, breakfast with Brian, and massage this morning. The cafe in the afternoon. Good weather.

The only thing that wasn’t stellar was that Ugly American showed up 20 minutes into my walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning. He came in with his phone blasting music. He finally turned it off, only to start talking to someone in a loud voice as he walked up and down the length of the gym. Such a lovely man…

____________________________

Here are my latest painted sketches –

__________________

At the cafe today, my favorite server brought my iced latte, wrapped in a brown napkin, as usual, but with this addition –

I don’t speak Thai and he doesn’t speak English, and yet he goes out of his way to do something nice like this. Isn’t he amazing?

________________________

Happily, last night Brian fixed my problem of not being able to watch YouTube on my TV. It turns out that the automatic update we thought we had set up didn’t work for some reason. We updated the software and everything was peachy again. I got to watch my music videos and was happy as a clam. Yea, Brian!!!!

________________________

Yesterday Shanfan Huang, whose art I have featured several times on the blog, contacted me, asking me if I would change the posts to list the entire address for her Substack account. I went back and made the changes on the posts involved, but I wanted to make sure that you have the information from me here in case you would like to go to Substack to see more. Her full Subtack address is substack.com/@shanfanhuang

__________________________

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

September 4, 2026 · 1:28 am

Friday 9-4-2026

LindenShieldARTs.bsky.social

________________________

Today is a different Friday than we normally have.

Brian and I went to the gym, as usual, and guess what! – Ugly American was there in all his glory. I’m not sure how he got in today, but he said “Good Morning” to us, which we ignored as we entered. He proceeded to go to the back, making lots of noise with the heavy equipment. Then the walking up and down behind me and loud talking on the phone started up again.

I definitely need to work on my character-building. I was so busy trying to ignore him that it had the opposite effect. I found myself straining to listen each time he passed to hear if he were speaking English or not. I couldn’t hear him but Brian told me later it was, in fact, English. Then I was mentally seeing news signs about “old American lady arrested for assault at a local gym, the victim sporting teeth marks on his calf that match the teeth in the old woman’s mouth….”

________________________

When we got back, my favorite cleaning lady met us in the lobby with a big bag of gorgeous bananas. Apparently, she has a banana tree and grows her own! We each had one as part of our breakfast this morning and they were delicious!

__________________________

Brian got a text from Khun Bpaum, our housekeeper, this morning saying that she was sick and so wouldn’t be here today.

I went to my massage as usual. Khun Weaw was back and I got a really nice massage. I am very, very lucky that both ladies there are so good and willing to give me massages.

Brian texted me soon after I got back to my place from that, asking if I wanted him to bring a “Sanak” as he calls it. Sanak (सनक) most commonly means a sudden whim, craze, obsession, or a fit of madness in Hindi and Urdu. As if he really needed to ask… We shared a really decadent treat and then had a glass of lemonade. Whoopeee!

_______________________

I will be heading to the cafe soon to enjoy some sketching.

These are my latest sketches.

An amazing thing happened at the cafe yesterday. I walked in and a young man was sitting at the front. I turned and started toward the back. He stopped me, stood up and said, “I’m in your spot.” I laughed and told him that it wasn’t ‘my spot,’ and that I could be comfortable at the back. He said, “No. I’ve seen you drawing before and you need the light. I’ll move somewhere else.” He insisted, and moved to a spot in the outside area. Can you believe that?

Heidi came and we had the nicest visit. I feel as if we could talk for hours and never run out of things to talk about. When she left, she was going first to Canada, then to the States, and finally to India. I’m in awe of her calmness telling me of her plans to see family. She is planning to be back here in the spring, so that gives us both something to look forward to. Meanwhile, we can keep up with each other via email and chat, and maybe even carrier pigeon… :0)

After she left, I finished the sketches above.

________________________

Sue Elliott

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

August 28, 2026 · 4:47 am

Friday 8-28-2026

Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack

______________________

Here are my latest painted sketches –

________________________

We just got some photos from the nursing home. Harvey was on the front porch in his wheelchair with some other patients, trying to sign his name on a big sign they put in his lap. First, he hasn’t agreed to allow them to try to get him into the wheelchair for quite a while. Second, he hasn’t wanted to meet anyone else there. Third, it looked like he was going to try to shake hands with another patient in one of the pictures. Definitely a good day for him. Brian just sent another picture and a video with Harvey having been wheeled out past the porch and outside the gate where he can see the progress in one of the rice fields. It looked like he was taking an interest. We will go visit tomorrow.

___________________________

I posted an article on Substack called, “Moving to Thailand – How Do You Pack 56 years into ONE Suitcase and a Backpack?”

___________________________

I had my massage this morning. Khun Weaw, my regular therapist, wasn’t there. Khun Sulee took her place. She is more aggressive than Khun Weaw, and did a fine job of folding me into a paper airplane in some cases, JUST on the edge of being too much. I drank a bottle of water when I got back to my place, hoping to prevent any soreness. I really feel good right now. I’m am very lucky to have TWO therapists that do a great job for me.

_______________________

Brian and I shared a treat at my place and then we went to the cafe to get of Khun Bpaum’s way while she was cleaning my place. I had a good time with sketching, avoided a hard rain shower, and we will eat dinner soon.

____________________________

Annette Tomplait

8 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

August 21, 2026 · 7:42 am

Friday 8-21-2026

Sue Hewson Artist – @srh_sue on X

___________________

The night crew was busy and noisy last night. (1-4am). They had a truck with a really long, heavy trailer that was carrying humongous coils of wire or pipe or “something.” They used two hoe-digger vehicles to get the coils off the truck and onto the road. One coil covered half of the road. The road was narrowed down to one lane while they did this with people directing traffic. The workers tied one end of the coil to one of the vehicles and the other to the 2nd vehicle. The first drove down the road pulling the coil straight and running it along the edge of the street. (When one man stood inside the coil, he disappeared, the coil was so big.) They did this procedure for each of the 4 coils. I don’t know what happened after that. I got 3 hours of sleep last night and wasn’t the brightest bulb in the light socket today.

I went to the gym and then shared breakfast with Brian. Then I came and took a nap until it was time for my massage. I got a great massage! Brian and I spent some time at my place and then we went to the cafe to get out of my housekeeper’s way while did performed miracles on my place.

While we were at the cafe, my friend Heidi came! We had a great time together, getting to know each other better (although she is someone I feel like I’ve known for years.) We had a wonderful conversation, then moved to creating some art together. I worked on one of my sketches and Heidi had brought her collage materials and proceeded to make two collage pieces – giving one to me and keeping the other companion piece as mementos of our afternoon.

It’s on my wall beside my computer where I can see it every day. She wrote a nice note on the back, too. A really lovely woman.

We came back home and had some dinner, and now I’m just betting to writing blog posts.

_____________________

I should have some artwork to show you tomorrow. We’re going to see Harvey at the nursing home in the morning and then I’ll be at the cafe in the afternoon.

_______________________

Tracy Chrest On Substack

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

August 5, 2026 · 9:12 pm

Thursday 8-6-2026

Azike Prosper – @azikeprosper– @azikesubstack

______________________________

My session at the cafe yesterday really helped me get past the emotional exhaustion of being at the hospital most of the day, not knowing who we were going to see, when we were supposed to see them, and how many we were going to see – all while trying to keep my husband from taking out his oxygen cannula.

I have a new Thai scene in mind to start today. As usual lately, it’s totally out of my comfort zone in drawing. I’ll take it slow, doing the best I can, and hope for the best. :0)

___________________________

Today I’m getting ready for my housekeeper and then enjoying all my usual pasttimes. Brian and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of one of our favorites – a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, ham, salad and dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla. Usually I bite into it a couple of times and then it’s so messy I put the rest on my plate and use my knife and fork for the rest. Today I was actually able to eat the whole thing like a burrito! With this, we each had half of a small dragon fruit.

This is a beautiful fruit, tastes really sweet and delicious (whether it’s black and white like this one or an incredible shade of bright fuchsia). Quite a fun and elegant breakfast!

_______________________

The Chiang Mai Pollution Index online shows

so I have my shades up and my windows open to a really nice (relatively cool breeze. I have my fan on, so the fresh air is swirling around, airing things out and making me smile. Whoopie!!!! The temperature will soon warm up, with accompanying humidity, and we’re supposed to get rain starting about 11 this morning, so I’ll have to close everything up and turn on the air filters again, but right now it’s fabulous.

_____________________________________

It occurred to me that I am giving you a very limited mental picture of Chiang Mai with my focusing on the old style way of doing business, decorating styles, etc. I will start a series showing you other aspects of Chiang Mai, including the touristy side, so it will flesh out your understanding of this fascinating place.

_________________________

I had a good walking session at the gym this morning, managing to walk without holding on to the handlebars again without “listing” to the left or right and feeling good. This afternoon I’ll do my water bottle exercises. I’ll also have at least one practice session on my guitar and see if I can make progress on my chameleon puzzle.

___________________________

Pinterest

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

July 27, 2026 · 4:25 am

Monday 7-27-2026

___________________

I just got back from the cafe. I had a good time. I finished another 100-page sketchbook today. I’ll paint the last two sketches in it tomorrow and see if I can finish them to show you. I did one sketch in the new book that is totally abstract. I love the colors and I have no idea if I can do it justice, trying to capture the feel of it.

Here’s the sketch I finished today. I think I told you what a happy sight it was when we were visiting Harvey in ICU at the hospital when I passed a locker room for the staff. It was FILLED with plush toys on keychains. I hope you can get an idea of it here. Even big, brawly-looking guys have plush toys on their backpacks here. I love it!

______________

Yesterday I met a lady named Heidi who was here visiting. She asked to see my stuff. She sat and we had the best visit. She does collage and had some samples with her. I loved the 3-D-ness of it. She did all kinds of things career-wise and had traveled extensively. She was from the States but described herself as a ‘nomad’ now. She’ll be here for about 9 more days. I hope to see her again before she leaves.

I visited with the owner of the cafe today. She is a small, pretty, bubbly woman who is a joy to know. She was gathering the ingredients to try a new cake today. She said if it turned out well, she would bring me a piece to try. My mouth is watering already for my session there tomorrow… 😋

_________________

http://www.skandyspine.com

I did my walking at the gym this morning and then a session of yoga stretches before I went to the cafe. It feels good to be over my sore throat and feeling mostly back to normal now. I want to start trying to use the stairs this week to go UP – if only one floor of it.

___________________

Sanjay Mahamine

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

July 24, 2026 · 7:36 am

Friday 7-24-2026

________________

I had a really good day today. It was a busy one, so I’m just now sitting down to write blog posts.

I opted out on the gym this morning, needing more sleep, but I’m hoping I can get there tomorrow. I hate to miss it, but I think I’m over the sore throat now. I had my massage, which was wonderful, as usual. Brian and I spent time at my place and then went over to the cafe while my housekeeper made my little condo spotless.

The cafe felt like an international hub this afternoon! The man from India showed up as I was getting my stuff settled, saying that he and his group were leaving and vacating my “spot.” He actually helped me move! I met his very nice wife, who had been visiting him, and another man. The man I met had shown her the couple of photos he took of my artwork and she was really nice about it. They had to leave to catch a plane out, so the visit was very short, but really, really, great.

Then, later, a man who introduced himself saying he was from China, asked if he could video me drawing! He did that, thanked me profusely and said he really liked the drawing I was working on (I finished it and will post it here in a second.). Anyway, I felt special.

Finally, a lady came and complimented my artwork, introducing herself as “Heidi.” She didn’t have time to visit, but apparently she lives close around. She said she would come back very soon, hoping to have time to visit and see more of my stuff. I think she was either a tourist or an expat from the U.S., but I could be wrong. I hope I can find out. She was very nice.

________________

This is the painting the Chinese man liked.

This is the bird that sounds (to us) like he’s saying, “Fur REAL!”

______________________

Tomorrow we will visit Harvey at the nursing home and I’ll take the picture of Calvin & Hobbes for his Happy Wall. I’m really hoping that he is feeling better and more comfortable than when we saw him last. There is a new owner of the nursing home with changes happening, so I’m hoping he will be there so we can talk with him about what to expect.

_____________________

Jill Schweizer

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

July 22, 2026 · 4:40 am

Wednesday 7-22-2026

Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack

______________

Harvey got moved back to the nursing home last night. We went to see him today. He is receiving vibration treatments to bring up the phlegm, suction to remove as much as possible, antibiotics, and oxygen. He was uncomfortable with unproductive coughing, but hopefully that will ease more every day as they remove the congestion. He was pretty much unresponsive, exhausted by the stay in the hospital and his condition, and was asleep when we left. He did know we came and squeezed our hands a bit.

________________

The rest of the day has been good. I just came home from the cafe, where I finished three paintings –

I love the way small apartment houses sometimes have three different colors under one roof.

I had a stuffed ‘angel’ with a frog’s ceramic head when we lived in AR. It was one of the many things I had to leave when we moved. I missed her, so this time I painted a male fairy god frog to watch over me.

_______________

It rained several times today, but the sun is shining now. Roller coaster weather – challenging to deal with, but I’m learning.

_________________

We got the paperwork from the hospital for Harvey’s stay. We’ll copy everything, write a cover letter, include proof of payment, and hope they will cover this and reimburse us.

________________

Preeyam Parikh-LibroWorld.com

10 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , ,

July 18, 2026 · 9:12 pm

Sunday 7-19-2026

Maje Baker via Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack

____________

No news on Harvey this morning. We’re hoping to hear from Khun Pim, his nursing home nurse who is with him, that he has been moved to a private room. We will try to have a regular day.

______________

I’ve been to the gym and shared breakfast with Brian. I will practice my guitar, write posts for the blog, finish base painting some sketches so I can work on the details at the cafe, and do water bottle exercises. 🎸👩‍💻🎨💪🏻

_________________

I’m starting a new book by I. L. Williams today called, “The Way Home.” I can’t say enough about her writing. I’m looking forward to diving in.

___________________

saruntcha

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

July 18, 2026 · 4:49 am

Saturday 7-18-2026

PictureQuotes.com

______________

We spent about half the day at the hospital. Harvey’s fever is gone and the antibiotic seems to be working to fight the infection. The doctor wants to do more to get rid of more of the ‘stuff’ in his lungs, and we don’t know the results of the A1C yet. They were going to do the procedure today and maybe move him out of ICU and into a private room tonight.

The one thing Harvey said that made sense was that he ‘thought he was going to die this time.” That tore my guts out. He was calm, though he said his right arm felt like it had been ‘chewed.’ It LOOKED a little like that, too, with all the bruising…

We’re taking one day at a time, either going to the hospital ICU, a new private room, or maybe they will let him go back to the nursing home.

_____________

These are the two latest painted sketches. The first shows that the Thai people not only work to preserve trees, they actively build AROUND them, as it shows in my imaginary cafe, though I have seen shops and cafes built around gnarled trees. I think it’s great.

The second shows a gazebo featuring an elephant dressed in gold. I took quite a few liberties with this one, wanting to get the FEELING of the place and the honor shown the elephant, rather than the actual dimensions of the gazebo. The actual one had the elephant looking smaller up on a block of cement so you looked up at him, and there were two elephants side by side, rather than only one. The gazebo was very tall and spacious – quite a sight to behold.

______________

My time at the cafe is a lifesaver for my sanity and peace of mind. It’s very calming to go to such a welcoming, comfortable place where I can sit and drink an iced latte and draw to my heart’s content.

Yesterday I had a nice thing happen. A man from India stopped and said it was a ‘beautiful sight’ to see someone sitting and drawing. We had a chat and I showed him some of my stuff. He is here in Thailand with his wife. He makes jewelry. It was interesting to visit with him.

_______________

It’s almost time for dinner, so I can’t promise to write more today, but I’ll try.

Simply True Designs

12 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , ,

July 16, 2026 · 5:08 am

Thursday 7-16-2026

Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack

______________

We spent almost the entire day at the hospital today. Harvey developed a fever and was having trouble breathing with congestion in his lungs, so they took him to the hospital by ambulance. Brian and I met Harvey and his nurse there.

They have him on antibiotics now and will probably suction his lungs today. They are running more tests and are keeping him overnight. He was really spaced out and coughing a lot. This developed very quickly, so we’re not sure what is going on. To say today was stressful is an understatement.

We made sure he was in a room in the ICU after he was released from the triage ER, and that his nurse was comfortable. We talked to the doctor.

We will go back to the hospital in the morning to see what is happening. Hopefully, the antibiotics and the suction will have broken the fever and have him feeling more comfortable and coughing much less.

___________

I collapsed when I got back home and slept for about 45 minutes. Then I went to the cafe to get a latte and destress.

These are my latest

_______________

Brian and I will share dinner very soon and then I will probably go to bed earlier than usual to see if I can get enough rest to hit the gym in the morning and see what the day holds. Not sure whether I will be able to have my massage or not, but we’ll vacate so the housekeeper can do her magic.

_______________

I hope all of you are doing well.

Shellie Atkins

14 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , ,

July 13, 2026 · 12:33 am

Monday 7-13-2026

Cristina Arcenegui Bono – womensartbluesky.bsky.social

I really can’t believe this is a QUILT. I am completely overwhelmed and just love it. I’m going to save the image and see if I can draw it.

_______________

These are my two new sketches.

_____________

Brian and I took a really nice walk this morning. We left my laundry, and then we were free to roam. We went to visit my huge koi fish. They happened to be feeding them automatically while we were there. All of a sudden soft pellet-looking things were floating on the surface. The fish didn’t have a frenzy or anything because apparently they are well enough fed that they are interested, but not frantic. There was a steady swimming around by all parties, each scooping up a couple of pellets. I swear they were ‘chewing.’ I KNOW fish don’t have teeth and don’t need to, but the motion they made with their mouths and jaws imitated the action….🐠

We also saw a huge gazebo with a double elephant statue in the center. It was really impressive. I took some photos and hope to be able to draw it well enough to share soon. 🐘

The last thing I took pics of was a humongous snail sitting on a step. He was beautiful. 🐌

The frogs were quiet, or have all left as of today. It was the first time they have been quiet in several weeks. I guess the mating season is over. 🐸

_____________

I have the base painting done on one sketch and one Christmas card. I’ll take these to the cafe this afternoon to add the details, and then get started on something else fun. 🎨

_______________

Today is yoga stretches day, so I’ll do that when I get back from the cafe, before dinner. I did pretty well on the treadmill this morning, keeping up my speed and adding some incline. 🚶‍♀️🧘

_____________

The weather forecast is for ‘heavy rain warning’ for the foreseeable future, with the LOWEST chance of rain percentage 70%. It is quite cloudy right now. I’m trying to be like the Thai people, take my umbrella and rain suit and continue on with whatever I wanted to do – unless the rain is really pouring on us right then – and then we just wait it out. ☔️

_______________

Joan Kempiak – Sweet Pea’s Whimsy

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

June 26, 2026 · 4:05 am

Fabulous Friday 6-26-2026

John Rinaldo – The Positive Pen – Substack

________________

This is another Fabulous Friday, starting with the gym, shower, and breakfast, then great massage, then spending time with Brian in my place while the housekeeper is cleaning his, then going to the cafe to get out of the way while she cleans mine. Today she wanted to come early, so that worked out fine.

_______________

These are the latest painted sketches.

I had a nice thing happen on the way to the gym this morning. As we walked through the lobby, one of the cleaning ladies for the building greeted us. I said my usual version of a Thai ‘hello,’ and she said to Brian that my Thai sounded GOOD! Then, delighted, I turned and said my version of Thai ‘thank you,’ and she hugged me. What a beautiful, encouraging person she is!

_______________

I had fun sketching at the cafe today. I got ‘my spot’ – something that I haven’t had this week, so I was super comfortable with my picture window, a table, two chairs, and a wide window ledge where I can spread out my supplies. I had a latte with ‘less sugar,’ so the atmosphere was perfect. I can watch people come in and out of the cafe, watch people and traffic on the street, and sit there comfortably working on one of my sketches.

Today I did two simple sketches and have started one that I HOPE will give people the idea of what goes into the planting of rice here.

_________________

Brian ordered new air filters for our systems and they were delivered today. We brought them up, got the old filters out which were completely filled with ‘stuff’ from the hot and hazy season – produced by the farmers burning off the residue of their fields and getting ready to plant again. We are now able to dial the intensity of the systems back to a more regular level, making them quieter and not having to work so hard. We won’t have to change them again until the NEXT hot and hazy season.

_________________

I have my a/c on and my fan swiveling in my clean condo, so I’m sitting at my computer happily talking to you now. I hope that things are good where you are, too.

Ingenious Umbrellas

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

June 12, 2026 · 8:11 am

Friday 6-12-2026

Adrian – @lead-castle.bsky.social

What a drawing!

_____________

I’m finally settled after a really nice day. We went to the gym – getting a bit wet in spite of umbrellas – but I felt good about my walking this morning. No handlebars and the time seemed to go fast. I went for my massage and came back feeling totally relaxed and happy. Brian and I worked at my place until it was time to go to the cafe.

At the cafe, the owner came in. She came over and, after we visited a bit, I thanked her again for the glorious bouquet of miniature pink “fairy” roses and gave her the greeting card of the goat. She was surprised, having forgotten that she shared that the goat was her animal icon for the year of her birth. She teared up and hugged me. She insisted we take a selfie together and both of us felt good about the friendship we’re building.

These are my latest painted sketches.

_______________

Brian and I had a delicious dinner of cheese lasagna with chicken with a side of black beans and rice. We share one order, and I eat 1/3 while Brian eats the rest. It works out nicely.

When I got back to my place, Khun Nong’s sister, Khun Bpaum, had left these!

It’s hard to bring plants home here, with riding in a cab, the heavy pot, soil, plant, elevator, etc., so I have made do with the plants I have received as gifts. Today I now have two more wonderful plants that I hope will thrive. I also am sprouting a jackfruit seed – it’s sprouting! – just for what I hope will be some nice leaves.

And finally,

The cheetah puzzle print was delivered yesterday! I’m delighted with how it looks. The Rooster Runway puzzle print has been ordered and so should arrive in a couple of weeks or so.

8 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 5, 2026 · 12:30 am

Friday 6-5-2026

Mr. Natural – @neilmathestonb66.bsky.social – Diane Leonard

I’m in awe of the person who painted this. The light here is magnificent, just glowing – through the air, bouncing off the girls’ clothing, showing in the reflection in the water!

________________

I’m just back from my massage, feeling loose as a goose and smiling. Khun Weaw, my massage therapist, is getting better and better at zeroing in on different ways to reach the areas where I tense up the most – and then fixing them for me. There is no way to thank her enough.

________________

Brian and I are at my place, doing this and that until it’s time for us to get out of the way so Khun Nong’s sister can clean my place. I’m hoping that I can write the posts I have planned before we need to vacate.

_________________

My new puzzle “Beach Cats” was delivered yesterday, so I told Brian I had finished the “Rooster Runway” puzzle. He took a picture of it and sent it off yesterday for a glass print to be made. We haven’t received the glass print of the Cheetah yet, so he’s looking down his nose at me, saying I picked a puzzle that was too easy and didn’t take me long enough. It’s true – the Rooster one went fast, but I choose based on the picture and how I’ll feel while I’m trying to put it together, so Brian will just have to “deal.” (Actually, he’s being wonderful about my new past time.)

__________________

Brian has decided that we should have a “snack” on Fridays when we’re both here at my place before going to the cafe. He usually orders it from the same place – the place that makes the to-die-for ‘creme brulee’s or whatever they are that we love and we are enjoying a lemonade with that. Today we opened the delivery bag to find this nice note and the sweet little drawstring bag as a ‘thank you.’ Isn’t that amazing?

__________________

Rebecca Verastigui

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 29, 2026 · 12:26 am

Friday 5-29-2026

Mike Saunders – @hardwaterhacker.bsky.social

I love this place. My husband and I used to ‘judge’ whether or not we would like to live somewhere by ‘whether Fedex probably delivered or not.’ Noooo – I don’t think this would be practical, but I DO love it.

_________________

This is my latest painted sketch – “The Ice Cream Man – Thai Style.” Hearing the music played when he came down the street brought back some wonderful memories. Back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid, we would hear it and run like nuts all over the house, trying to gather enough money to buy what we loved. Then we would run out of our doors to meet him. We lived in a neighborhood in Tulsa, OK then, where there were two mile-long parallel streets, each with a house in the middle of an acre-and-a-quarter piece of land. You could see the kids running out, exactly as I was, all with happy faces in anticipation.

THIS ice cream man does not have kids running to greet him. He is traveling the super busy streets of Chiang Mai, with what to MY eyes is traffic that would challenge the most experienced driver. Kids are taught at an early age to not dart out into the street. There WERE 6 to 10 ladies who worked at a nail salon across the way who did rush out to meet him, money in hand. He stopped, apparently knowing this was a good stop on his regular route. All looked happy.

My son says the people who come by selling veggies (I haven’t seen one of these yet) have a “squawking-rubber-duckie-or-chicken” noise that is equally distinctive…

I will try to finish the elegant lady sketch when we go to the cafe in a few minutes. I’ll share that probably tomorrow.

_________________

On Fridays now, with Khun Nong’s sister taking her place as our housekeeper, our timetable is different than it used to be. When I come back from massage, Brian is here working, because the housekeeper is at his place.

He surprised me with ordering a to-die-for cream brulee treat and some lemonade for us. They surprised HIM with an extra one as a thank you for being a good customer! It is so wonderful to be able to splurge like this every once in a while without blowing my whole diet. My numbers are still good and my weight is holding steady, so I can indulge without guilt. Hooray!

__________________

The “Bucket and Towel Brigade” seems to be pretty much retired! We had some hard rain last night that would have triggered a much of the night vigil with towel wringing into the bucket and rolling the towels back up to catch as much water as possible as it leaked in onto the the window sills, down the walls and onto the floor. Last night I got up, checked, and then went back to bed. I checked again first thing this morning, saw there was not a drop of water anywhere, and texted Brian. Maybe THIS rainy season we’ll be able to see that it’s raining, smile, and enjoy the fact we’re inside and dry. :0)

__________________

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 22, 2026 · 11:30 pm

Saturday 5-23-2026

“Huskies” – Anna B – @bornforart.bsky.social

I wouldn’t want to BE out in this, but I think the photograph and the huskies, are amazing.

____________________

The electricity was still off at the gym this morning, so Brian and I walked through the park again – a different route this time. Mostly, I am better from being sick, but both Brian and I are noticing that I’m a bit short of breath. My ears are also clogged up, so my hearing is more muffled than usual. Other than that, this chicken is clucking up a storm.

____________________

I wil have some painted sketches to show you tomorrow. (I know, I said that yesterday.) But it’s TRUE this time. I have some details to finish on SEVERAL sketches. I’ll share a passel of them tomorrow.

___________________

I’m making a bit of progress on tuning my guitar with the use of my computer and then practicing some chords. I have three down now, though my fingertips are still lacking the callouses I need. I’m doing it two or three times a day, though, trying to build them up, so hopefully things will improve soon. The sick frog I sound like is alive and well. I don’t know if that will improve or not. At least I’m giving you the gift of not having to LISTEN…

______________________

We’ll probably go to the cafe this afternoon. We are moving into the rainy season now. It really rained while I was sketching. I was sitting at a side table (someone obviously didn’t REALIZE they had taken MY spot!) The rain was quite peaceful right beside my chair. Quite calming. The last half hour one of the servers came and told me my spot had opened up, so I moved and thanked them profusely.

________________________

I wish you a happy weekend.

“Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel. TRUST. HOPE. LOVE. WISH. BELIEVE. Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go.”
― Mandy Hale, The Single Woman–Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass: Embracing Singleness with Confidence

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 8, 2026 · 12:27 am

Friday 5-8-2026

“Burning Horizonz’ – Mira – @deepgreens.bsky.social

I think this is stunningly beautiful.

_______________

Today is Friday, our ‘out-of-pocket’ day, as far as schedules go. My throat is still sore and I was coughing much of the night, so opted out of the gym this morning. Brian was the same.

I have just come back from a beautiful massage from Khun Weaw, and am feeling really good, otherwise, now. Brian had to vacate his place because of Khun Nong’s sister cleaning, so he has been working down here. He just went to pick up a snack he ordered for us. YUM!!

After a while, we will pack up and go to the cafe to spend the afternoon so that the housekeeper’s sister can clean MY place.

Happy Birthday Messages

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 7, 2026 · 3:13 am

Thursday 5-7-2026

I just finished this latest painted sketch. This one intimidated me because it’s a shrine, a holy place, a sacred place, but I wanted to try to capture the quiet, the calm, the reverence of the many shrines everywhere we go in the city. On many days there are flowers left, soft drinks, snacks. It is said the spirits are fond of sugary things, and people want to please them. Piles of flowers, garlands, lights – all kinds of things are left to honor the spirits. None of these things are ever touched. I guess someone finally clears things out, but that happens when people don’t see it. This is one style of shrine. The other major one is a “house,” usually meant to thank the spirits for allowing the person to build a house or open a shop on a piece of land, and the house is meant to make up for that. I’ll try to find a good image of that sometime soon.

This is another one I finished today.

“Mr. Natural” is the first in the series of Harvey’s long time favorite cartoon characters that I’m painting and will add to his “Happy Wall” tomorrow when we go visit.

“Mr. Natural (Fred Natural) is a comic book character created and drawn by 1960s counterculture and underground comix artist Robert Crumb. First appearing in Yarrowstalks (1967), the character gained a following during the emergence of underground comix in the 1960s and 1970s, and has been extensively merchandised in various products.”

This is one of the mailbox decorations we made when we lived in Arkansas. Anyway, I’m hoping that Harvey will get a kick out of putting these up on his wall and give him some happy memories.

____________________

Brian came up to my table at the front window at the cafe early today, saying he was ready to go home. When we got home, he steered me to the pick up area where there was some type of ‘goody’ waiting. It turne out to be the to-die-for delicious cream-filled, no-name “thingie” that we love. We snarfed it down handily. Then he tuned my guitar, and we talked about the fact that it seemed a little unusual that this guitar needs to be tuned every day. He then showed me another way to do the “C” chord that might help with my finger-stretching and flesh-on-the-box problem. I’ll try it after dinner.

__________________

Medium

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 3, 2026 · 1:00 am

Friday 4-3-2026

“Sunset” – Michael Hall – @mhallarts.bsky.social

____________________

Caroline Gardner

Today would have been my parents’ 85th wedding anniversary. My dad, who had an amazing sense of humor, wanted to get married on April Fool’s Day. My mom looked him in the eye and said, “I’m not foolin’.” They married in Chicago in 1941, had my brother and me, moved to Levittown NY. My dad had a chance to do the advertising for a company in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was 5. We moved to Tulsa in 1952 when there was almost nothing there yet. I lived in the home they had built until Harvey and I got married in 1969. My dad had started a one-man advertising agency with my mom acting as an unpaid ‘do-everything-else-but-write-and-record-the-radio-ads’ person -ads that won The Silver Addy Award for Lifetime Achievement from the advertising community. They made a mark.

______________________

This is my latest painted sketch.

I am now using one of the small backpacks we used to move here as my ‘Friday Pack.’ Every week I have crammed my carrier/tote full of what I needed for our afternoons at the cafe while Khun Nong cleans my place. I carried what wouldn’t fit in my carrier, trying not to drop or lose anything.

I had a “Duh!” moment when I figured out I could use the backpack, putting everything in it I wanted for Fridays at the cafe and just keep it packed. I’ve been working out of it this week and it’s working well. When we leave, I’ll just zip it up and carry it and my tote to the cafe! Sometimes it amazes me how long it takes me to figure out a solution to a ‘problem-I-didn’t-realize-I-had.’

______________________

This is the reading of the air pollution index here now.

Yesterday it got my attention because the reading was 216 – into the ‘very unhealthy’ range. It has only been that high for that one day so far. I’ll just monitor things, keeping my windows closed and my air filters and a/c on.

____________________

Pet Nurture

I got a massage this morning. Ahhhhhh! My regular therapist was back! With the magic of pantomime and determination, I figured out that Khun Weaw’s place was being remodeled, so she had to move EVERYTHING out, have the remodeling done, and then move EVERYTHING back in again. A lot of work!

She again mentioned my weight loss. I was able to show her the numbers on the calculator on my phone and pantomime, doctor/keeping my mouth shut/ and exercising.

I hugged her, and the nice lady, Khun Sulee, who substituted for her, today, thanking them for taking such good care of me.

_____________________

Good Housekeeping

10 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 26, 2026 · 12:08 am

Thursday 3-6-2026

FlipKart

___________

I’ve been getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow – changing the sheets on my bed, gathering trash, getting out fresh towels…

Do you realize what i just said? “Getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow.” What a joy this is. I’ll never even really get USED to it, much less take it for granted. I’ve never been able to afford to have help. All I have to do in my sweet condo now is keep things picked up. “My housekeeper” handles everything else, and she is quite thorough. I’m absolutely thrilled. 🤗

__________________

Lingokids

I’ve been doing a bit of sketching, but I haven’t had a chance to paint any of the sketches yet. I’m hoping to make some time this afternoon.

_____________________

I am FINALLY beginning to make a bit of progress on my puzzle! You might notice a small detail – I haven’t even BEGUN to put the big turtle together who lives in the middle of this. He is hiding in a gazillion pieces and I’ll have to work my way to the center before he emerges…

__________________

Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

  • We go to the gym first thing as usual
  • Shower and share breakfast
  • I go for a massage (Ahhhh!)
  • We go to the big mall to the immigration place to finish renewing Brian’s passport
  • We may do a bit of shopping at a clothing store we both like after
  • We will come home – but to Brian’s place – where I have stashed my stuff so we won’t bother Khun Non who will be cleaning my place
  • We will gather our things to go to the cafe to wait the rest of the time while Khun Nong finishes creating her miracle.
  • I will sketch, read, hopefully getting my favorite seat where I can watch the traffic
  • We will go back to Brian’s to share dinner
  • I will come home. (WHEW!)

I say this because I MAY be able to write a post tomorrow or may not, depending on timing.

_____________

“There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are.” ―Chief Tui, Moana

6 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 13, 2026 · 1:20 am

Friday 3-13-2026

Freedom to fail is a beautiful, freeing thing. Then you can enjoy no pressure, just pleasure, concentrating on what you’re trying to do without inner or outer voices making you doubt.

_________________

MrFunnyMals – YouTube

I had a really nice massage this morning. The lady who works with my therapist told me that my therapist couldn’t be there today, but that she would give me my massage. I was grateful.

I had decided to take the St. Patrick’s Day cards there this morning, since the next time I see them St. Patrick’s Day will be over. Khun Sulee, the other therapist, was delighted that the shamrock meant good luck and put it with the other cards I have given her on the wall of the shop. I also gave her the card for Khun Weaw to give her when she returns.

Every therapist has a different style, a different emphasis. I am very lucky to have two ladies who understand that I’m old and might break if moved too abruptly or they use too much pressure. I am feeling wonderful right now.

Oh, last week Khun Weaw made a motion with her hands after my massage that I didn’t understand. I asked Khun Sulee, hoping that she might be able to explain. It turned out that they had noticed I had lost weight. I got out my calculator and put in 68.3 kgs (150.5 lbs.) (what I weighed when I got my first massage there) and then a subtraction symbol, and then 52.15 kgs (114.9 lbs) (what I weigh this morning) showing a weight loss of 16.15 kgs (35.6 lbs.) She understood the word “doctor” 🩺 and I pantomimed zipping my lips 🤐 and then exaggerated walking motions , followed by 💪🏻. She smiled and gave me a big hug.

_________________

Gleem Cleaning

I’m pretty well ready for my fabulous housekeeper, Khun Nong, to come this afternoon to scrub my place. I’m trying to be neat in my new life here, and I keep things picked up and put away for the most part. I change the sheets, gather and empty the trash, and put out fresh towels before she comes. I feel like a slob because she scrubs everything within an inch of its life and lines everything up. She even washes and dries my bars of soap!

________________

I’m anxious to go to the cafe this afternoon, where Brian and I go to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she’s working. I started a sketch yesterday with leaves and I want to see what I can do with it. I don’t know if it will turn out somewhat as I envision or will be a mess. It’ll be fun to work on it. PLUS, I’ll be drinking an iced mocha while I draw, or I can switch to reading my book on my Kindle, or – if I get my favorite spot – I can goggle at the incredible traffic going by. Last week a motorcycle went past with a man with his child sitting on his shoulders, 3 kids behind him, and then his wife, who was laden with packages hanging from her arms. Amazing.

___________________

“Despite March’s windy reputation, winter isn’t really blown away; it is washed away. It flows down all the hills, goes swirling down the valleys and spills out to sea. Like so many of this earth’s elements, winter itself is soluble in water…”
― The New York Times

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , ,

February 20, 2026 · 12:29 am

Friday 2-20-2026

This little guy says he wants to watch over us and keep us safe. I think we should give him a try. What do you think?

_____________

Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota

I am loose as a goose after my massage this morning! Ahhhhh and ahhhhhh again. I am SO relaxed I could easily just sprawl on my couch and doze off. We are leaving soon, though, to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she makes my place shine, so no sleep for me.

_____________

Taipei Times

It’s 87 degrees F. right now and quite sunny. I had the windows open this morning but actually closed up and turned on the a/c this afternoon for the first time since “The Cool Season” started several months ago. It looks like I won’t need my hoodie, jean jacket, and sweatshirts for much soon…

_____________


Kudos today to ML – a wonderful person, a dear friend, and my SIL! She helped Brian and me with a problem we could not solve here. THANKS, ML!

🎶 You’re simply the best! 🎶

______________________

I hope you have had a wonderful day.

4 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

January 30, 2026 · 12:19 am

Friday 1-30-2026

“Gnarly Birch” – Matt Oliver – “Among Trees” – Substack

This photo takes my breath away! What a life this tree has had…

_______________________

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…

_________________

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!)

__________________

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…

______________________

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

December 12, 2025 · 12:38 am

Friday, Dec. 12, 2025

@dailybunnies.bsky.social

_______________________

Tenor

I went to the gym, ate breakfast, then went for a terrific massage this morning. Ahhhhhhh!

Be Secure Locksmith

A locksmith came to add new locks to Brian’s and my doors – ones that use the same key – for security and to bypass the keyed doorknob on mine that is a pain. He got the lock installed in Brian’s, but needs to come back tomorrow to do mine, after he discovered he’ll have to modify the hole to make it larger before he can install mine. I’m happy that (1) my swollen door has been planed and repainted, and (2) that tomorrow the lock will be one that locks and unlocks my door easily. It’ll bring peace of mind that Brian will be able to get in here, should an emergency occur. 🔑 Being able to use the doorknob to simply open and close the door will be so good!

________________________

Soon we’ll go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans my place. I have my sketchbook and supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt ready to go. I’m looking forward to doing some sketching, and then I’m starting Book 3 of ‘The Lost Bride” trilogy by Nora Roberts, “The Seven Rings.”

I’m hoping to get ‘my’ favorite seating place by the front window where I can watch the amazing traffic go by. There are two official lanes in both directions, with vehicles steering around each other when the opportunity occurs (or they can MAKE one occur), plus a gazillion motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles who have brought weaving in and out between vehicles on both sides to an art form, plus the pedestrians walking up and down the street on both sides, or trying to cross the street. Good luck! 🤞

__________________________

This is ‘my’ chair. We have passed it a couple of times in our travels, and I love it more every time I see it. I can just picture it in one corner between my dining and living areas. It would look absolutely GREAT. The fact that it will take me winning the lottery in order to buy it, and then pay to have it delivered to my place are annoying ‘details.’ When we passed it recently, there was a white cat asleep on the cushion! As I looked at it, assuming it was a stuffed animal, it opened one gorgeous blue eye and yawned and stretched. I. WANT. THIS. CHAIR!!!!

_____________________________

8 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

December 5, 2025 · 12:46 am

A Happy Friday, Dec. 5th – 2025

Avera Health

_______________

I have had a really special day.

I went for my massage. My therapist was back and I received a fabulous massage. I gave her the Christmas card I painted for her. She smiled and seemed very happy. The other massage lady was busy with a client, so I’ll check back later to see if I can give her her card then.

After my massage I went out to the garage of the building and gave the garage attendant his card. He seemed quite surprised and had tears in his eyes as we bowed to each other. I then found the lady who brings us chairs when we have to wait a while for a GRAB ride. She is also one of the housekeepers in the condo building. She took one look at her card and hugged me!

About half an hour my doorbell rang. The nice lady was there, handing me a roll of bamboo full of something I gathered was something to eat. We smiled, bowed and hugged each other again. 🙏🏻

I texted Brian and he came to my place. He thought it was some kind of a Thai desert. We ate it and found it to be wonderful. It had rice, coconut and something else – sweet and delicious. Brian looked it up and sent me this YouTube video of what is called, “Bamboo Sticky Rice” –

Bamboo Sticky Rice

She speaks no English, and I speak no Thai, but we had a beautiful exchange nonetheless. I will thank her for her beautiful gift the next time I see her. 🙏🏻

We will leave to go to the cafe soon to get out of Khun Nong’s (my housekeeper’s) way while she cleans my place. I’ll take my sketchbook, drawing supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt. I will give a Christmas card to one of the servers there.

So my day has been a happy one, of thank you’s, Christmas cards, happy smiles, hugs, and more. What a beautiful place this is!

2 Comments

Filed under Wonderful Things about Thailand

Tagged as , , , , ,

November 28, 2025 · 10:21 pm

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025

stelar.pl

Today is special for at least two reasons: we will be attending a wedding this afternoon; and I’m having the ‘great window opening.’ 😁

__________________

I about froze my parts off going to the gym this morning. It was 50 degrees F. and there was a light wind blowing. I wore my hoodie, so it was better than it could have been. It might have actually caused me to put a bit more ‘umpf’ in my walking on the treadmill – trying to warm up!

It’s supposed to get to 77 degrees F. by 2 this afternoon – and that’s when the ‘great window opening will occur. I am now able to open 4 of my large windows – two in the living area, one in the art alcove, and the last in my bedroom. I’m going to turn off my air purifiers – not wanting to cause them any stress – and will open the windows (sliding the screens into place) and enjoy airing out my place for a few minutes (and cheering, knowing these won’t LEAK, either!) before returning things to normal. My place looks bright and airy, welcoming, and I love it. 😻

_________________________

The Knot

Later on this afternoon is the wedding of one of my adopted family’s nannies. I’ve never been to a Thai wedding, so it will be a sight for the eyes and heart. They will be moving to Germany soon after the wedding, so have requested no gifts. I will follow the lead of the other guests on whether it is okay to take some pictures or not. I couldn’t be happier for them!

________________________

I’m working on my sketched Christmas cards. These are the ones I’ve finished so far. I’m hoping people will enjoy them.

______________________________

Dogs in Motion Canine Rehabilitation

I had my massage yesterday morning by the different massage therapist. It turned out to be the older lady who is there each time I come, so I immediately relaxed and told her I was grateful she was giving me a massage. Her touch and techniques were different, of course, from Khun Weaw’s, but I had a really great massage nonetheless. I discovered that there was death in the family, and that was the reason Weaw was out of town. I’m trying to see if I can bring a small bouquet of flowers to each of them next week.

__________________________

We went to the cafe to get out of my housekeeper’s (Khun Nong’s) way while she cleaned my place. I did several sketches and finished the first book (“The Inheritance”) of a trilogy by Nora Roberts, called “The Lost Brides.” I’ll start Book 2 (“The Mirror”) today. I wish I could have seen Khun Nong’s face when she saw all the new windows! (The above pics show some of the decorations at the cafe.)

______________________________

I’ve been neglecting my jigsaw puzzle lately, due to errands, our having to be out of my place, and work being done ON my place, so I’m looking forward to putting in some time on it today.

I hope your Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it) was good, and that you’re either still there enjoying the love, or have a safe trip back home.

Leave a comment

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 24, 2025 · 12:42 am

Friday Thoughts 10-24-2025

Father Time – Mikki Life – Pinterest

_____________________

I asked Brian if I could leave another review for each of the two shops from which we bought the crocheted carriers and smaller, zippered bags. He said he thought that Google Reviews only allowed one review per customer.

Happily, I discovered that, though he was right, I COULD ‘edit’ my original review. I did that, adding a paragraph about the second purchase and the fact that the carrier and pouches washed just beautifully. 😃

______________________

We got a good report from Harvey’s nurse this morning. They had to suction him again to clear his lungs (and hopefully avert pneumonia). That, and the supplemental oxygen allowed him to sleep well last night. Although he is still using a nasal tube for most of his nutrition, they are starting to give him small bites of fruit and crackers in addition. He was in a good mood and talking. HOORAY!!!

_______________________

I had a fabulous massage this morning. For some reason, I was really stiff and sore when I got up today, even after I walked my mile at the gym. Now I feel absolutely GREAT. Thanks to Khun Weaw for her caring expertise in making me functional again.

________________________

Since it looks like I may actually finish my current jigsaw puzzle in the near future 😋, I’ve started looking for another puzzle to order. As I’m finding each, I’m bookmarking the page with the puzzle I’ve chosen and putting it into a folder on my computer. It’ll be fun to choose my next challenge.

I’m going to have Brian take a picture of the finished puzzle -when it’s finished and being shown off in all its glory on my puzzle table – so that we can order a glass print of it, as we did with the owls puzzle, so I can keep it on my special treasures shelf in my living area.

__________________________

Later today we’ll go to the cafe to spend time while we wait for Khun Nong, my cherished housekeeper, to do her thing to make my place shine. I’m taking my sketchbook and drawing supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt, because it tends to be cold in there.

About half of the blossoms are gone from the spectacular bouquet she left for me last Friday, but I think it still looks great, and I smile every time I see it!

I hope that this day is a fun one for you, full of family and friends.

2 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

June 27, 2025 · 6:11 am

Busy Friday

The Dodo

We had a very busy day. I’ve been out since 5:30 this morning and am just home with dinner coming shortly.

I walked my mile on the treadmill at the gym, showered, changed clothes, ate breakfast with Brian. I had a beautiful massage from Wey-o, who takes such wonderful care of me. I came back to the condo, changed clothes again, and Brian and I went to visit Harvey. We came back in time for me to grab my book, sketchbook and pencil supplies and my jacket – we had to vacate so that my wonderful housekeeper, Khun Nong, could come clean. (I’m still thrilled when I say this. I may never get ‘used to’ having help.) We went next door to the cafe, where Brian worked and I did a combination of drawing, reading, and catching up on my phone.

I came back to this –

This was left by Khun Nong. Aren’t they lovely? AND I have a spotless place!

I left her my usual thank you painted card. The cards are always gone when I come back,. I’m not sure she actually likes them, or just takes them so as to spare my feelings … She has also made my fake green leaves that usually live in this pot disappear once again. Do you suppose she might be trying to send me a message about them?

Brian will call me for dinner any minute now. I think we’re both tired from a really full day. Mostly a really good day. Lucky, lucky us!😁

8 Comments

Filed under Thoughts on a ________

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,