Both Brian and I had our colds get worse yesterday. We opted out of the yesterday and today. We shared breakfast, then I took the new medicine. Two and a half hours later, I woke up from a ‘nap.’ One good thing, these meds are helping me get rid of the congestion in my chest. The bad thing, I’m using up an entire box of Kleenex blowing my nose….
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I’m beginning to paint my impression of a “house shrine.”
“In Thailand, a spirit house (known as San Phra Phum) is a miniature, ornate shrine built on a pedestal to shelter the guardian spirits of the land. Found outside homes, businesses, and temples, these shrines are actively maintained with daily offerings of food, incense, and brightly colored drinks to ensure good fortune and protection.” ~ Wikipedia.
My understanding is that the Thai people are thanking the spirits for allowing them use of the land and they are promising to maintain that land for the spirits and themselves. You will see the shrines all all over the place here. They are quite beautiful – all different – all beautifully maintained.
I will see how the painting goes, and may be able to share it tomorrow.
I also did some other sketches, plus 4 more ‘thank you’ cards for our housekeeper’s sister. We don’t know how long Khun Bpaum will be helping us, and I want to be sure I have enough cards to thank her for her good work.
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The cheetah puzzle is coming along nicely, although this last part is the most difficult. All the pieces are basically the same color, no outstanding shapes, no way to put together a group that might slide into place…. Character-building time for sure.
My cold symptoms seem to have returned – sore throat, cough, runny nose – so I opted out of the gym this morning. When we got back from seeing my husband, we got new medicines that I took. I then took a nap and felt better. I spent a couple of hours at the cafe after that, and Brian will text me to come up for dinner soon.
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This was not one of Harvey’s better days. He was cooperative, though, in our getting the thumbprints on the paperwork needed to renew his medical visa for another 90 days, and the pictures we needed. We will meet him and his nurse, plus his main doctor at the hospital for a routine visit Monday and get the paperwork the doctor fills out for the visa, plus the meds we buy from the hospital. Hopefully, we can be finished with the visa renewal stuff in the next few days.
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Yesterday I told you that I was going to put my carrier and my art backpack in the chair beside me to discourage people from coming and wanting to visit the whole time I was there. Now I feel stupid because NO ONE ‘bothered’ me. I had prepared for a problem that didn’t exist. I have tried to learn to go with the flow, rather than worrying all the time, and this shows what happens when I forget that….
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I found out recently that a couple of my long-term friends from Lunch Bunch are now in long term nursing homes in Arkansas. I know things always come to an end, but it’s hard to let go when people mean so much to you. I’m going to concentrate on remembering what beautiful people they are and how much I have enjoyed their friendship over about 20 years.
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This is an example of how well I am spoiled here. The lady server noticed that I came back after my drink was delivered and quietly got a couple of napkins. I set my iced mocha on one of the napkins and wrapped the other one around the glass so I could keep my fingers dry while I sketched. Instead of just letting me continue to do that, this is what she brought me… I LOVE getting spoiled!
Brian and I finally feel well enough that we went to the gym this morning for the first time in a week. We are still coughing, but it’s just leftover stuff now. It was good to be back to our normal schedule this morning, although it seemed like the half hour walking went slow for me. Shows how much I NEED it!
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I have the sheets changed on the bed, trash gathered, and things picked up and mostly ready for Khun Nong’s sister, Khun Bpaum, to come clean tomorrow.
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I’m going to head for the cafe soon, getting money to pay my massage people and the cleaning lady, on the way.
I had a really nice time with the lady who owns or manages the hotel connected to the cafe yesterday. I had brought my older sketchbook and she had time and wanted to look at my stuff. I’ve never had anyone ask to do that before, so it was really a thrill. After she looked a while, I told her about the “Thai Street Series” I was trying to do. She was interested, so I riffled through the sketches to find them. I held my breath when we got to the shrine, because Brian told me that I could offend someone if they didn’t like it. The wonderful thing was that she was pleased with it. She liked the calm and reverent feeling I had gotten. I was so relieved. She said the one thing that was missing was some moss, so I added some to the painting this morning.
She wants to draw, too, and even bought a sketchbook. I encouraged her to do it. It would relieve her stress.
This is my new haircut. Not quite where I want to go yet, but he’s getting closer. At least it looks like someone had a plan now, rather than my former dandelion-gone-to-seed look.
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The visit to Harvey yesterday was mixed. Most of the time he made little or no sense. He looked at me for a long time and then said he liked my earrings. Then after we sat silently a while longer, he said, “I like waking up to the pictures on my wall. They make me happy.” I thanked him for telling me that and then had to excuse myself to cry in the bathroom for a couple of minutes. This Saturday we do all the thumbprints and pictures needed to Harvey’s renewal of his medical visa. Monday he has an appointment at the hospital with his main doctor, and that doctor will fill out the rest of the paperwork we need. We’ll probably stop by the visa lady’s office on the way home from seeing Harvey Monday at the hospital.
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Yesterday at the cafe I felt someone looking at me while I was sketching. I looked up out the window and there was a man standing there grinning at me. He pointed to my sketchbook and then did a thumb’s up, continuing to grin and bow. He did that a couple of times to make sure I got the message and then went on his way. Honestly, it astonishes me how nice people are here.
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This is the newest painted sketch.
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Meet “Gus.” He’s my resident gecko. He moves from my bathroom, to skittering across my art alcove counter, and elsewhere, moving from a complete standstill to running as fast as he can. He is probably 1-1/2 inches long at the most, and is as cute as geckos get. I’ve decided to name him and call him a pet, since he seems to have adopted my place. Hopefully, he’ll eat any bugs he finds.
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I’m closing in on finishing the cheetah puzzle. I just love how he stands out in this photo.
I found another puzzle I love and looked on Lazada (our Amazon type place) to find it again. After looking and looking, I finally decided they no longer offered it. I looked on Amazon and FOUND it! I texted Brian and he just told me he had ordered it. He really spoils me, and I make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.
I painted these for Harvey’s “Happy Wall.” I’ll give him the “Tasmanian Devil” a week from Saturday, spacing these out, hoping he enjoys adding them to his wall.
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We will go visit him today. Nothing special is going on this week, but NEXT week we have to get his thumbprint on about 20 pages and pictures of him in the bed to apply for another renewal of his medical visa. We have a lady who helps us, so we are just go-fers on this, thank goodness. It would still seem obvious that Harvey isn’t going anywhere soon, and you would think they would have different KINDS of medical visas, but we will do whatever we need to do to keep things legal.
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Yesterday at the cafe I had the nicest thing happen! The lady that I told you brought me the fresh Thai bananas recently came in. We smiled and I motioned her over, telling her how wonderful I thought the bananas were and how much Brian and I enjoyed them. I then gave her a thank you card I had painted. She looked at it, teared up, and hugged it close to her. Then got up and hugged ME. It turns out that she speaks pretty good English (!) and she said she had wanted to see my art work but was afraid of ‘disturbing me.’ (Can you imagine that?) Anyway, I told her I would be happy for her to look through my old sketchbook, and that I would start bringing it in my art bag in case she had the time to look. The Thai people are SO kind!
This is one of the priceless drawings a friend of my family growing up did for us. It’s the same man who drew the picture of me singing at the Dust Bowl that I posted recently. This time his vision of Mother’s Day became a treasure on what we called, “The Thomson Wall” at our home in Tulsa.
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My Mother kept a garden,
A garden of the heart.
She planted all the good things
That gave my life its start.
She turned me to the sunshine
And encouraged me to dream.
Fostering and nurturing
The seeds of self-esteem.
And when the winds and rain came,
She protected me enough.
But not too much because she knew
I’d need to stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example
Always taught me right from wrong.
Markers for my pathway
That will last a lifetime long.
I am my Mother’s garden.
I am her legacy.
And I hope today she feels the love
Reflected back from me.
—Unknown
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Little Hiccups
This morning I’m getting a haircut! To say I’m overdue is an understatement. To be able to shower and simply blow it dry in the mornings again will be wonderful. I’d really like it to stay longer on my forehead, so I’m taking a couple of pics on my phone to show him. Fingers crossed.
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Newest painted sketches.
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I hope you have had a wonderful celebration of Mother’s Day, with memories, old and new, and lots and lots of love.
Happy Mother’s Day for those in my time zone. (We’ll celebrate for everyone else again tomorrow. :0) )
“When you’re a child she walks before you
To set an example.
When you’re a teenager she walks behind you
To be there should you need her.
When you’re an adult she walks beside you
So that as two friends you can enjoy life together.”
—Unknown
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Harvey didn’t smile, but he took the painting in his hand, looked at it a long time and said, “Good.” I asked him if he wanted me to add it to his wall, and he nodded. I am planning to take him another cartoon character every other week, unless there is a holiday or other special day to celebrate instead. Harvey wasn’t making a lot of sense, otherwise, but he seemed content and comfortable. He did tell me he loved me when I told him and hugged his head. A good visit.
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Newest painted sketches. I will finish one sketchbook today and have started sketchbook #3. Between sketching, painting them, writing blog posts and researching to find more things to share, I have such a happy life. Both of these things are challenging, fun, and fulfilling.
And THEN I add trying to re-learn to play my guitar and sing, working on a beautiful jigsaw puzzle that lives on my puzzle table ready for me to come work on it whenever I can make the time, listening to music, reading, doing my exercises, taking short walks, going to the cafe, I’m a lucky, spoiled-rotten, very happy and grateful lady.
I just finished a very short session of trying to learn and get my guitar sounds to sound clear. I remembered that I thought I had a picture of a drawing a friend of my family growing up drew when he and his wife came to see me perform at “The Dust Bowl” in Tulsa, OK when I was starting high school and continuing through college. The date hanging from my foot says, November 2, 1964, so this was in the dark ages. The next summer I would meet and fall in love with my Harvey and he would soon join the Marines for the next 4 years.
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We will leave soon to go visit Harvey. I have “Mr. Natural” ready to take to him and put up on his “Happy Wall.” It would be nice to get a smile, but we’ll meet him where he is and try to brighten his day a bit. We’ll probably stop for chocolate on the way home, regroup, and then spend some time at the cafe.
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Brian opted out on the gym because he’s still coughing hard. Hopefully, in another couple of days we’ll both feel like resuming our normal early morning schedule. He did find some cough medicine that seems to be loosening his cough and helping him get rid of the problem.
“Burning Horizonz’ – Mira – @deepgreens.bsky.social
I think this is stunningly beautiful.
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
This tree is at Harvey’s nursing home. I have no clue what it is. I’m amazed at the huge green ‘fruit’ hanging from some of the branches.
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Mango.org
Speaking of fruit, Brian received a gift when he was out walking yesterday afternoon. A lady who runs a Thai food shop stopped him. (He really likes that place, but her hours run such that, since we don’t eat lunch, we basically can’t go while she’s open.) She gave him a mango (a yellow one), just to be nice. We shared it for breakfast this morning and I don’t see how a fruit could taste better. It was perfectly ripe and very sweet. Absolutely delicious!
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AND, speaking of how NICE people are here in Chiang Mai, when we were at the cafe this afternoon, the nice lady server I gave the earrings to brought me my mocha. She had noticed that I always get up soon after my drink arrives, and get two napkins – one to fold under the glass and the other to wrap around the drink. (The glass gets wet and I can’t do my sketches or finish my painted sketches with wet fingers. ) Today without a word, my drink had a napkin folded under it, and another napkin wrapped around it in such a way that she had ‘TIED’ it to stay on the glass. She is really spoiling me. (The other two servers, including my guy I had the water fights with) don’t do that, so I’ll just enjoy the spoiling when it happens. :0)
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AND – a special treat while I was at the cafe – a lady stopped by my table, looking amazed. Then she had a delighted look on her face. She asked me if she could take a picture. She did, and thanked me. I told her I was just trying to teach myself how to draw and then painting the sketches. Before we left, I stopped and thanked her for making my day. 🎨
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These are new painted sketches.
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We went to visit Harvey this morning. He was comfortable and calm, but basically wanted to watch TV instead of talk with us. We confirmed that he is reading his book – not whether or not he’s using the reading light he asked us to get for him – but that was the whole of the conversation today. I’m thankful he was content and interested in the pretty ladies doing something similar to a QVC channel.
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Acoustic Guitar
I’m making a bit of progress on relearning my basic chords. I can now play “A” and “E minor” without referring to anything and they sound okay. “C” is still a disaster – I can hear my teacher from the Dark Ages telling me to “keep your flesh off the box, dahlin'” as my strings are all flat and muffled. I’m trying to learn to change my grip so my fingers will stretch, and push hard enough, but the fingertips give out before I can get the clear sound I want. I keep practicing really short sessions several times a day, trying to build up my callouses so I can practice longer…
I LOVE the light in this photo and all the different shades of green. What a beautiful place to spend a lot of time!
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Brian was better today, so we went to the gym this morning. He’s still not 100%, but he was exercising, eating, and we went to the cafe to spend some time this afternoon. He wanted to take a long walk in the sunshine. “Long walk” means MILES in “Brian-speak,” so I opted out. I’m so glad to see him perking up.
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I finished several painted sketches today. I’ve been doing the base painting here in the condo and then taking my colored pencils and other detail finishing supplies in my art backpack to the cafe. I had gotten way ahead on sketches, and I’m almost out of space to do new sketches in this book, so I’m doing some catch up.
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123RF.com
I’m having to pick and choose what I will do with my time these days, running out of time long before I have done all I wanted to do. Frustrating to be so spoiled that I can’t decide which thing will bring me the most joy to do next….
“Sunrise over Lake Superior from Grand Marais” – Bryan Hansel – Substack
Isn’t this glorious?
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Brian is trying really hard NOT to get sick, so we didn’t go to the gym this morning. He is resting and loading up on Vitamin C. We shared a Thai breakfast this morning of a rice porridge dish called, “Joke,” a combination of rice, chicken and nice spices all mortared and pesteled into a nice dish. We had a side of watermelon. I’m not sure if we’ll go to the cafe this afternoon or not.
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Two latest painted sketches.
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This is for everybody, but especially for Donna, who takes almost as much interest in the puzzles as I do. The border doesn’t show here, except for the black part under the cheetah.
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I’m moving from guitar practice, to puzzle, to blog post, to painting and then back again. It’s been a very nice morning. I will plan on adding my exercises with water bottles this afternoon since we opted out on the gym this morning.
Happy May! I hope this month brings you nicer, calmer weather, some flowers pushing up confirming Spring, and lots and lots of smiles.
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Two latest painted sketches. I tried to show in this one that it doesn’t matter what kind of shop it is, the people use lots of plants to make it inviting.
I’m into a fun pattern now, where I paint some sketches at home, then take them to the cafe to add details and finish them, then do more sketches.
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Yesterday at the cafe they were taking pictures of drinks for some kind of promotion. I wasn’t in the way and they allowed me to watch. They would make a drink – for example, a pretty one with purple froth on top. Then they would go outside and find some tiny purple flowers and greenery to add to the top of the drink before photographing. It was beautiful and fascinating. They saw I was taking an interest, so they started looking at me for at thumbs up when I liked what I saw. 😁
I used Google Translate yesterday to thank the lady server there who has been so kind to me. She watches for ‘my spot’ to open up, for example. She came and got me recently and helped me move my stuff! Anyway, I thanked her for being so kind. I told her I had made some wooden earrings and wanted to give them to her as a gift for her kindness. I thought she was going to cry. It was a really nice moment.
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We are going to visit Harvey this morning. The nursing home sent Brian a picture of him READING! He wasn’t using the reading light (it was in bed with him) but he was reading again for the first time in a long time. We’re hoping to encourage that today, show him how to use the light again, if needed, and hopefully brighten his day.
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I’m practicing with my guitar – though progress is painfully slow – and learning one chord at a time now. I’m learning “A”, picturing it in my mind rather than referring to diagrams, and doing as well as I can placing my fingers as near the frets as possible, continuing to work at it until I get a good, clean sound. I do this several times before my fingertips start yelling at me. I’m building callouses as I practice. 🎸
As of this morning, I’ve lost 92 lbs and 89 inches. I was to lose 3 more pounds and then hold it steady there. I’ll still eat two meals a day, watching my portions, but I won’t have to obsess about not being able to eat any particular kind of food anymore.
Another good thing – with my lard loss and exercising, I now take 1/2 of one blood pressure pill every other day, keeping my numbers under control, where I was in danger of real trouble when I first moved to Thailand. So that and my thyroid pill (I had mine radiated due to Grave’s Disease several years ago) are my only prescription drugs now.
My focus has now turned to adding more movement every day –
I’m walking a mile on the treadmill every day – trying to increase my speed and the incline percentage as I can while concentrating on my balance
On alternate days I do either a session of yoga stretches or exercises with water bottles.
I’m taking the stairs in my building coming down routinely. I’m going UP when I’m not carrying anything.
I’m putting on some heavy beat music on my computer, putting on my headphones, and dancing to a couple of songs at least every other day.
I’m trying to use opportunities to get extra movement in as they arise – for example, today we needed to get cash for tomorrow, but our regular ATM wasn’t working. We walked to another one, and then took the long way home, stopping to visit my Koi fish on the way back.
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StockCake
I’m consciously trying to ‘up my game’ on my sketches, trying to do some I wouldn’t have considered before. I’m sketching every day, particularly since we’re spending time at the cafe, with Brian working and my sketching, reading, and watching the traffic, so I have dedicated time now to concentrate on what I consider more difficult challenges. Drawing every day, doing the best that I can, and then having the fun of painting my drawings, is filling a good part of my day with joy.
I’ve had a good, busy day. It’s just after 4pm on Wednesday here, and I have been going non-stop the whole day. It has been glorious.
When we aren’t going to visit Harvey, I’m starting to paint one of my sketches when I get back from the gym and breakfast with Brian. While the paint is drying, I’m answering email and blog post comments, then doing a session with my new guitar. This morning I then did good yoga stretches, then did another layer of painting, another session with the guitar, and then it was time to go to the cafe. I did some good sketching – starting out at one place and then getting to move to ‘my spot’ to spend a good while. Brian, who was already wearing a sweatshirt over his tee, was too cold, so we came home.
I’m starting a new sketchbook (#3) very soon, so I got that ready this afternoon.
I laughed when I started trying to work with my guitar this morning. When I first learned to play, my teacher, who was from the deep south, would say, “Keep your flesh off the box, dahlin’.” You’re supposed to put your finger TIPS down close to the frets, resulting in a nice tone. When you “put your flesh on the box, dahlin’,” the sound is completely deadened. I was, indeed, puttin’ my flesh on the box, dahlin’ this morning – the neck of this guitar is quite wide for me, so I’ll have to work on techniques to get my hands and fingers to stretch to position them correctly so my chords sound like music, rather than noise.
It has been around 60 or so years since I played and sang at my high school, at my college, and at “The Dust Bowl” in Tulsa, a place where folk singers were welcome, so to say I’m starting over, learning the chords, finger positions, how to use a new style capo, is an understatement. There’s a YouTube site that helps you tune your guitar, another that shows basic chords and finger positions. When I’m ready, YouTube also offers songs with lyrics and chords! I basically play by ear, so this will help me out a lot.
My fingers hurt after only a few minutes, so I’ll do a session, rest and do something else, and then do another session, building my knowledge, calluses, and hopefully learning the proper finger positions so I can actually play some chords.
This is a wonderful way to learn. I have absolutely no pressure. No deadlines. No one will hear me croak or play. The insulation in the building is good so my neighbors won’t hear me. I am really, really happy to try to add back making some music to my new life.
We had a challenging visit with Harvey this morning. He thought I was his mom and that Brian was his dad, even though we tried to correct him. He also announced that the nursing home had served everyone ‘dog’ with mashed potatoes for dinner last night; specifically, ‘your dog’ meaning his parents’ dog, Gypsy. He said he recognized her, but they were getting low on food… We took the reading light, and he seemed to think that would work well. We’ll see if he actually uses it.
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The rest of my day was super wonderful, though. On the way home from the visit with Harvey we stopped and found a used acoustic guitar! The shop owner through in the case, and Brian gave me a capo and a pick.
I feel as if this is Christmas, my birthdays, my anniversary, and National Pickle Week all rolled into one. The neck of this guitar is much wider that the guitar I had so long ago, so I’ll have to completely start over with learning and being able to play the chords, as well as build the calluses I used to have on the tips of my fingers, plus I sound like a sick frog – but I don’t care. I’m ecstatic! I found a Youtube site that shows me the basic chords and I’ll practice those until I know them again. I figured out that it has been over 60 years since I played and sang in college – so to say I’m a bit rusty doesn’t begin to cover it. 🤭 I have the perfect situation for starting over. No pressure. No time limits. No one listening. Just me and the guitar, croaking together. PERFECT!
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I spent a couple of hours at the cafe this afternoon. I did a sketch for our 57th wedding anniversary which I’ll paint and take to Harvey in June. I also did a sketch for Father’s Day, plus two sketches of his favorite cartoon characters.
This is a beautiful photo with the background suggesting it’s a painting. Just beautiful!
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I’ve had a great morning, moving from painting some sketches to working on my Cheetah jigsaw puzzle, to working at the computer, to running a couple of errands, and more. It’s a beautiful day here.
Brian and I will probably go to the cafe. He tends to stay most of the afternoon working while I usually come back home mid afternoon to write more blog posts, catch up on email, etc. before dinner.
These are my latest painted sketches.
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123RF
Soon Brian and I will find good places to search for a used acoustic guitar for me. I’m missing playing and singing. I haven’t done it for years – and in fact sound like an ill frog when I try to sing along with YouTube right now, but this would only be for ME. I used to sing in high school and in The Student Entertainers at Oklahoma State University to help pay for my schooling. I sang folk songs then, and it was a fun, fulfilling thing to do. I don’t read music and would just work songs out that I liked by ear. Now you can find songs on the computer that show the lyrics AND chords! I’m hoping we can find something at a reasonable price. It would be a great addition of my fun things to do.
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Rover.com
Today when I get home from the cafe I’ll do a good, long session of yoga stretches. I opted out of the gym this morning, feeling that I needed another hour of sleep. When Brian and I shared breakfast, I discovered HE had not gone, either – feeling lazy, he said. The yoga stretches will loosen me up and make up for my sloth this morning.
Patty Tait sent me this photo she took of female elephant seals lying on the beach on the coast of California on a short trip last week. I have never seen anything like this. Wow. Just wow. Thank you, Patty!
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Women’s Health
A big shout-out and THANK YOU to my wonderful sister-in-law, Mary Lou Lewis, who took us with her this past week for a vicarious trip to a beach on the coast of North Carolina – and not only that – but sent terrific pictures that made us feel we were there with her. Many of you wrote nice comments about both her photos and the fact that she let us come with her. I forwarded them to her so that she could read first-hand how what she did was appreciated. :0)
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I’m just back home from spending some time at the cafe and sketching. I got my favorite spot this time and was very comfy with my pillow to sit on, my mocha to drink, and my supplies ready at hand. I did several sketches. I’m in the process of painting several of them and will probably start posting some of them tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, I’ve been working on my Cheetah puzzle. I have the border done and the cheetah is emerging!
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I got the idea of drawing some of my husband’s favorite old school cartoon characters – like some of the ones we did for our mailbox decorations – to paint and add to his ‘happy wall.’ I’ll see what I can come up with. I hope he’ll be happy to see them.
Here’s another place I would love to spend some time. Want to come with me?
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Two beautiful words –
We went to visit Harvey at the nursing home this morning and just got back. He was glad to see us, was comfortable, and mostly made sense. When I showed him the picture I painted of the water gun that also shoots LED lights for his wall,
he looked at it for quite a while and finally he said, “It’s good.” Those two words made my day – quite a bit more than that, actually.
This is his “Happy Wall” now. (The poster on the right is the “Reward” one Brian did for him about three of the things Harvey thinks have been ‘stolen’ since he went to the nursing home. The poster clearly states (in Thai) that these things are NOT missing, and thanking everyone at the nursing home for their patience with Harvey. (There is one on the outside of his room door, as well, at his insistence.) Today we clipped his fingernails, and then he used the fingernail file we brought recently. He wanted me to leave my fingernail clippers – and then proceeded to slide the fingernail file between his arm and the wristband on his watch, saying it will keep the people there from ‘stealing’ them. We told him we’ll bring him some clippers, and I managed to put the fingernail file back in the book – where it was as I left it last time.
He actually told us that he had read a lot of the RG Ryan book since we saw him last, and told us he would tell us when he was ready for us to order the next one in the series. We showed him a picture of the light we ordered for him, and he seemed to think it might work for him. (It was delivered this morning while we were visiting him, so we’ll take it to him Tuesday with a battery installed and a spare.) Finally, he wanted Brian to order French fries for him, so Brian checked on it while we were stopped for a chocolate after the visit, and it was being delivered as we checked.
So, as visits go, this one was a stellar visit.
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I’m working on my new Cheetah puzzle. I have some various pieces put together in ‘clumps,’ and I can tell it’s part of the cheetah. One of the clumps shows his whiskers!
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Next we will probably go to the cafe for a while. It gives focus to the afternoon and lets us enjoy a drink. Hopefully, my favorite spot will be free. I have a problem I haven’t had for as long as I remember! With my weight loss, I don’t have nearly as much padding on which to sit as I used to, so many chairs are now uncomfortable. I tried bringing a towel to add to the chair. Yesterday I stuffed a small pillow in my art backpack and that worked really well. I think it’s funny that my new problems with my size are so different than having problems squeezing into smaller spaces without running into things or knocking things over, or sitting on a bench seat rather than a chair with arms to give me more room. Change of focus can bring a smile…
I want to take a walk here and play in that wonderful sunlight! What a gorgeous place!
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Today has already been a nice day. After the gym and breakfast, I did some chores and then went for my massage. I feel loose as a goose now. The only problem is that we have things to do and I could use a nap… 😁
Since our regular housekeeper, Khun Nong, is out of town, our schedules for Fridays are different, starting with Brian having to get out of the way for Khun Nong’s sister to clean his place this morning – rather than in the afternoons on Tuesdays. He was at my place working on his computer when I returned from my massage. Khun Nong’s sister is coming to clean MY place at 2:00, so we have to be out of here then. We’ll go to the cafe, as usual.
Brian said he was going to get us a snack a while ago. This is very unusual, as you know I’m still trying to lose the last of my lard. Anyway, Brian came back with two to-die-for custard pie type things and twisted my arm off as I yelled for help, finally succumbing to his superior strength and the offer of a napkin and a spoon. It was delicious. 😋
So Brian is working at my dining area table while I work at my computer table. We will have to leave in about an hour to get out of the way. I’ve brought in the laundry from the balcony and put it away, and taken out the trash, so things are ready for cleaning.
Today has been a good day, but flew past so fast my hair blew! Actually, it was 100 degrees earlier while we were at the cafe. All of a sudden the sky was a lot darker, and the app on my phone said “thunderstorm,” so I headed back home. It rained, but not enough to even test my new windows, so I still don’t know if they will actually keep the rain out and not leak, but this is the first rain we’ve had in several months now.
Brian texted me a few minutes ago, asking if it was okay if he came by with a few things. He brought some medicine we ordered, but ALSO cream-filled-something-or-others that are to die for! We sat right down and scarfed them down like we were starving. Oh! SO GOOD!!!!
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Well, this is the water gun that also shoots LED lights that Harvey wanted me to draw and paint for his wall. I will take it Saturday. I have no clue if he will like it or not, but this is the best I can do.
This is my latest otherwise.
I spent my time at the cafe today creating some thank you cards for Khun Nong’s sister, who will be cleaning both Brian’s and my places every Friday while Khun Nong is gone.
Thanks to my good friend Sheila Murrey we now know that the gorgeous blooming tree I was talking about a couple of days ago is called “Peacock Flower,” “Pride of Barbados,” and “Dwarf Poinciana.” The only thing different out the one I was pointing out is that the center cluster in mine is yellow and the spent flowers are more orange. The tree is stunning and the spent blooms grab my attention each time we pass it. THANK YOU, Sheila.
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My wonderful son treated me to a mani/pedi this morning. Both he and my husband were remarking that I needed work, so this morning was the morning. Now I am sparkly green! I’m still looking for sparkly ‘cyan’ to please my son, but I only saw a pale sparkly blue, not the more turquoise shade I was looking for. Anyway, I’ve never had this color before, so I’m grinning from ear to ear as I share my ‘elegance.’ We’ll show Harvey Saturday.
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We are planning to spend time at the cafe today, and I’ll try to get started on the sketch for the water gun that also shoots LED lights that Harvey expressed interest in to go on his wall. I’m REALLY out of my comfort zone on this, but I’ll just do the best I can and hope for the best. I’m supposed to take it to him Saturday.
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These are my two latest sketches.
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Can you see the Cheetah? Oh, come on, you can if you look carefully. Look on the left side of the photo toward the bottom, and you can see the tip of his foot. That’s the ONLY part of him that is anywhere on the border of the puzzle. Needs work, I know…. hahahahahahahah 🧩 😂
Bamboo Garden Yoga
Today is yoga stretches. I’m looking forward to a nice long session where I can loosen everything up.
I am having a good day. I was able to increase my speed just a tad on the treadmill this morning and didn’t notice any difference! I will do my water bottle exercises after I finish this post.
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We visited my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning. Mostly it was pretty good. I got the idea of having him choose a water gun that also shoots LED lights, as he expressed interest in that the last time we were there, because I thought he might get a kick out of having a sketch and painting of it on his wall. He chose one he liked, and it will be a real challenge for me. I’ll do the best I can and hope he likes it…
The visit was heartbreaking at the end because he was asking about a pair of blue shorts and later about a wheelchair. He wanted to come home with us. The list of why that isn’t possible would fill a book, and we glossed over it as best we could, but the fact remains we simply can’t do it. He said he was comfortable and seemed glad to see us. 🥺
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Brian and I spent some time at the cafe. I did a sketch for Father’s Day that I’ll paint later, and I’ll get started on the water gun tomorrow, since he wants me to bring it on Saturday. No pressure….
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Brian took more pictures of the turtle puzzle. I took it apart today and put it out for adoption this afternoon. I opened the box and the Cheetah isn’t muffled anymore. The image of it is so good it looks like it should roar! I’ll start it soon.
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My SIL is having a much-needed, much-earned time at the beach this week. You and I are the recipients of a wonderful virtual vacation because of her generosity in sending photos. I’m sharing three with you today of the fact that she can enjoy views of the sunrise AND the sunset from this place!
Another flowering tree in Chiang Mai. I have no idea what this one is. The amazing thing about this tree is even when the flowers drop spent to the ground, they are lovely. That’s how I first saw this tree! The blossoms on the ground were bright orange with streaks toward the middle of a beautiful pattern of leaves as if the bloom had opened before falling. Leaves in the center of the spent bloom were bright yellow! You miss the whole thing if you are just looking around. The clusters of blooms are way high up in the trees; so unless you’re looking UP – which I only do when Brian is holding tightly to my hand – or looking down at the ground – as I was, paying attention to places I could trip – you miss it. I’ll try to draw one of the spent blooms and show it to you.
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My glorious turtle puzzle is FINISHED!!!!!!!! 🎉 🥳 🧩. I finished him this morning. Brian has taken a picture of the finished puzzle and will order a glass print of it, the way he has done for the previous ones so that I can display his gorgeous face on my statement shelf. I’m going to leave him up for a couple of days so I can enjoy running my hands over him before taking him apart, bagging him up, and giving him to someone else who will enjoy putting him together again.
The Cheetah’s voice is getting a bit louder as he calls to me, but he’s still muffled inside his box…
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I tried out my Google Translate app on my phone at the cafe yesterday. I wrote, “You are a good water fighter. I had fun. Thank you” and showed it to my favorite server who had thoroughly drenched me in Songkran two nights running. He read it, then broke out into a HUGE smile and bowed. a few minutes he was back, asking me to read HIS phone. He said, “You are good, too, Auntie.” This again shows how NICE the Thai people are. I’m really happy the app worked!!!
This is another of the gorgeous flowering trees that are blooming profusely everywhere now, even with 101 degree temperatures and no rain. All this beauty makes my soul smile.
Shout-outs to 3 of my favorite people:
Shout-out to Cathy, who has been very ill, but is getting better now. 🙏🏻
Shout-out to Nora, who is trying to get ready to leave her long-time home.
Shout-out to Mary Lou, who will hopefully be on her way to the beach tomorrow for some much-deserved relaxation time!
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This is my latest “Thai Street Scene” painted sketch of a balcony with windows below. I love the basic design of the building, the elegance of the balcony and the windows, once pristine black and white, and now with a fascinating design of mold adding character. I love the fact that plants in all shapes and flavors are an integral part of each place I see.
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My SIL suggested that I get one of the free language translator apps on my phone to help in situations where I’m resorting to pantomimes and sign language. :0). There were so many listed, I took my phone to Brian and asked for his recommendation. He uses Google Translate, and installed that on my phone for me, setting it for translation from English to Thai. I can type in what I want to say, or say it with the use of the microphone, and it will print it out in English for me and Thai for the person with whom I’m trying to communicate – another tool in my arsenal. Sometimes a good photo is all that is needed, as in the case with the Songkran bowl ceremony and the nursing home staff honoring my husband in that way. I feel good, though, having this translator on my phone that will help me if I need it!
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We have a quiet day today. Brian and I will probably end up at the cafe at least part of the afternoon. Brian has started going over, checking to see if my spot is available, then texting me. I love it!!! I am finding lots of things I want to sketch. I’ll try to paint at least one of them today, plus work on my turtle puzzle.
This is a yellow wisteria – one of the many flowering trees in bloom right now.
Today was a pretty busy day. We went to the gym, shared breakfast, then went to see Harvey at the nursing home. It was a pretty good visit. Brian had redone the ‘reward’ poster, listing 3 things that Harvey thinks we brought here but have ‘been stolen’ at the nursing home. Brian made two copies of the poster. We put one on the outside of the door to his room and replaced the other one on his happy wall. He calmed down when we did this. Afterwards, Brian told me that the poster clearly states in Thai that these things ‘have not gone missing’ and thanks the staff for their patience. :0)
Harvey also stated that if we had gotten him the Galaxy 26 phone he wants, he would have called me Thursday when they had him up in the wheelchair for the Songkran bowl ceremony and told us to “come get him.” I am SO glad he doesn’t have a phone, although I don’t think he could enter the pin to get it to open…
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We have just come home from spending time at the cafe. I did some sketching, and I finished the latest in my series of ‘Thai Street Scenes’ that I have been trying to do, showing my take on the flavor of things I see that I find fascinating and wonderful in Chiang Mai.
This is a balcony with some windows below. It was once pristine white, but has since been pretty covered with the mold that covers a lot of things here. I love the dignity of the design, the plants that decorate everything here, and even the design of the mold that adds character…
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I’m closing in on finishing the turtle jigsaw puzzle. I’m down to the super hard part, where all the background pieces are essentially the same color with few distinguishing characteristics. I’m plodding through, though, because the turtle is truly gorgeous. I’m looking forward to showing you the finished puzzle and running my hands over it. Also, the cheetah puzzle came two days ago and I can HEAR it calling me, although its voice is muffled inside the box. :0)
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Our regular food places are still closed. We’re hoping they will reopen Monday. Brian is having a harder time finding things to be delivered, but he’s doing a fine job. By the way, I’m two pounds away now fromf my final weight goal. I may reach it this month!!!!
This is a sad part of Songkran. People showing really poor judgment get out in the already challenging traffic here while intoxicated, causing trouble for everyone, injuries, and even fatalities. The last number I saw was that 154 people lost their lives.
Drunk driving accounted for 3,726 cases recorded during the 2026 Songkran Festival, with Chiang Mai reporting the highest number, according to Thailand’s Department of Probation.
As of April 16, 2026, Chiang Mai has reported among the highest, if not the top, number of drunk driving cases in Thailand during the 7-day Songkran “dangerous days” campaign. While overall national accident rates decreased, high-speed and intoxicated driving remain the primary causes of fatalities in Chiang Mai.
2026 Summary: Chiang Mai topped the national list for drunk driving cases during the 2026 Songkran Festival.
Safety Record: Despite the high incidence of drunk driving, the province generally remains among the top provinces for both total accidents and fatalities, alongside Bangkok.
Key Risks: The highest numbers of injuries and fatalities are usually reported among individuals aged 20–39, particularly on local, rural roads.
• • Main Causes: Speeding and drinking, particularly while riding motorcycles, are the leading causes of death in Chiang Mai and nationwide.
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BUT HERE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING –
Daily Sabah
The Songkran water bowl tradition for elderly, known as Rod Nam Dam Hua, is a deeply meaningful ceremony where younger generations gently pour scented water over the palms of elders’ hands to show respect, ask for blessings, and seek forgiveness. Held on April 15th, it signifies washing away misfortune and welcoming prosperity.
Key Aspects of the Tradition:
The Ritual: Participants use small bowls containing water mixed with fragrant flowers (like jasmine) and sometimes traditional perfume (Nam Ob).
Action: Younger people bow and pour the water over the palms of the elderly, often accompanied by offering garlands or new clothes.
Significance: It symbolizes cleansing, gratitude, and filial piety. It is a time for family reconciliation and honor.
Blessings: Elders, in turn, provide words of wisdom, advice, and blessings for the coming new year.
Modern Adaptation: While historically it involved washing hair and feet, it is now commonly done on the hands, often held at family gatherings, local communities, or the La Green Hotel & Residence and other community events to ensure the tradition continues, as seen in this YouTube video.
This ceremony is considered the “true” heart of the Songkran festival, setting it apart from the modern, chaotic water fights.
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One additional reason I’m talking about this beautiful tradition is that the nursing home sent us pictures of my husband, Harvey, receiving this gift from the staff! They had gotten him up in a wheelchair (it takes 3 now to do this) and brought him to a common room. He was wearing a different real flower necklace and had the bowl in his lap. The staff was on the floor around him, pouring the scented water over his hands. He looked quite calm and almost touched in a couple of the photos. I can’t say enough about the loving and caring atmosphere here. Harvey is receiving the best of care and SO MUCH MORE from these wonderful people. Happy Songkran!!!!
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Things have not returned to normal for us yet. Khun Nong, our housekeeper, is away for an extended vacation. Her sister, Khun Bpawm, will clean for us until Khun Nong returns. That starts today. Brian’s usual day is Tuesday and mine Friday. Until Khun Nong returns, both of our places will be cleaned today. Brian will come to my place to work while I get my massage this morning, and then we will get out of the way, but earlier than usual, and go to the cafe this afternoon so my place can be cleaned. Our food is still different, but we ate another Chinese dish last night and an all meat breakfast this morning.
My son, Brian, continues to be the resident curmudgeon about the Songkran New Year’s celebration. The photo below gives you a bit of the flavor of the water fights part of the celebration. Truckloads of people, plus motorcyclists, bicyclists, tuk-tuks, and pedestrians fill the streets. People on both sides of the street, plus the people in or on the vehicles are armed, as well. As people pass each other, water goes everywhere, shot out of guns, thrown by the bucketful… Laughter and screams fill the streets and wide smiles are everywhere.
Watching it from my window wasn’t enough. I just bought the water gun above and will fill it before I go down to my spot late this afternoon. I already caused a bit of a stir. The ladies in the 7-11 seemed surprised that this old lady was buying a water gun. Then, when I went to check my mail, one of the ladies in the office had a water gun in her hand (not ready to shoot it), I held up my gun and she and the man in the office stopped in their tracks and then laughed. It’ll be interesting to see if the ‘rule’ about not shooting ‘the elderly’ still applies if an old lady is shooting at YOU… 😁
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Brian and I braved the elements this morning and visited my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning without incident. He seemed down or tired, but perked up during the visit. His new signal that he’s had enough is to use the remote to laboriously turn on the TV. The nursing home staff gave Brian and me one of these beautiful real flower necklaces as a gift for Songkran!
Today is the official start of Songkran, or celebration of the Thai new year. Things ACTUALLY started yesterday afternoon, with overflowing streets. a float type vehicle with people playing music and dancing, and of COURSE people lining the street hosing down everyone in sight with water guns and buckets, and having a wonderful time.
Our son is the resident fuddyduddy, not having the least interest in even watching the celebration. I’ll try to get some pictures to share with you.
Our gym is closed, so I’ll add some dancing to my yoga stetches today to make up for my not walking my mile this morning. Our cafe is closed, as well, so I’ll so my painting here today and wait for Thursday or Friday to do more sketching in my favorite spot. I did a bunch of laundry in my bucket in the sink yesterday and today because the laundries are closed, as well. All is drying on my drying rack on my cute little balcony.
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This is my latest painted sketch. I’m looking forward to spending a good amount of time in my art alcove over the next three days.
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Brian will decide tonight or tomorrow if he thinks it’s safe enough for us to try to go visit Harvey tomorrow, or if we should wait until Thursday. He says this celebration is sadly the most deadly week for the inhabitants and foreigners of the year, mainly due to the effects of drunk driving, and particularly to motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
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The lovely turtle is finally coming out of hiding! It’s still really slow going, but it’s exciting to watch his beautiful face emerge.
Yesterday I had two interactions that are still touching me and making me smile. The first was with one of the wonderful housekeeping ladies for the building. She came around the corner while I was sitting waiting for Brian to come down and us to go visit Harvey. She pointed up and I nodded that I was waiting for Brian and we were going out, but I bogged down when I couldn’t explain “husband,” “Brian’s dad,” “nursing home.” I finally got out my phone and showed her a picture of Harvey in his bed with his nasal tube. She looked at it, and then watched me hug it, and then I pointed to my wedding band. THAT got it. She smiled, hugged me, and then pointed to Harvey’s picture. She then used her hands to make her self smile. I pointed to Harvey again. She understood. She was hugging me when the elevator door opened. Brian looked surprised then showed her a big smile.
The other interaction was with my favorite server at the cafe. He brought his phone over and showed it to me. He wanted to know what I was planning to do for Songkran – I looked at him, mimed shooting a water cannon, then put my hands up in a ‘no’ gesture, then put my hands over my head and crouched down. That made him laugh. He is obviously looking forward to the festivities.
We will go to the cafe this afternoon, but probaby not again until Thursday. Lots of places will be closed for the holiday, including our gym and probably the cafe, so we have stocked up a bit and don’t plan to go out. We are still considering if we might be able to go visit Harvey Tuesday or not. There are two humongous water barrels in front of our condo which will be filled with water for people to ‘reload’.
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I’ve been enjoying trying to draw more difficult things lately. I don’t know if I will be successful or not, but I’m giving it a try. I will have lots to paint in the coming days, so I’m really looking forward to that.
Also my turtle puzzle is coming along, though his gorgeous eyes and head are still hiding.
I’m also going to enjoy a book on my Kindle, listening to music on my headphones, adding dancing to my exercises, and researching more things to show you on the blog.
I hope that spring has finally sprung where you are and that you’re able to enjoy more time outside.
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