Tag Archives: latest painted sketches

June 19, 2026 · 12:36 am

Friday 6-19-2026

@openwings – Substack

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These are the latest painted sketches.

I’m thinking about doing a series of sketches to represent the Thai Zodiac. I’ve done a goat awhile back, for “year of the goat.” This is the year of the horse – specifically the year of the RED horse that only comes around every 60 years. There are 12 to be done, and I could research what each one means, characteristics of people born under a certain sign, etc.

I also feel that I’m on a different planet with all the different cartoon and other popular characters here. I’m going to research that, too, educating myself on why everyone seems to absolutely love these sweet little characters. I have ideas about what I can try to draw to represent this.

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I had a wonderful massage this morning, so I’m sitting here at the computer all relaxed and smiley. Brian is here because his place is being cleaned. We’ll leave in awhile to go to the immigration office to finish up the renewal process on my retirement visa. I’m really grateful an agent from our visa lady’s office will meet us there to get us through the process.

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Gulf News

Brian got us a snack this morning, but we agreed that we would get ONE treat and cut it in half, since my blood sugar has been higher than usual lately. Of course, since the shop owner likes Brian, she included an extra goodie… So, we made the supreme sacrifice and cut that one up, too, and devoured it. I haven’t been drinking water like I should, so I will redouble my efforts to drink an extra bottle three times a day, plus I’ll make a series of adjustments to what I’m eating and drinking and test myself once a week until I have a good number again.

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Imam Ali – QuoteFancy

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June 14, 2026 · 4:46 am

Sunday 6-14-2026

Today is Harvey and my 57th wedding anniversary. We’ve been through a lot in 57 years. All I knew was that I wanted to spend my life with him. Even though I threatened him through the years with calling the bulldozer guy to dig a hole in the back yard to throw him in, the love and commitment have remained strong. At 57 years, we have a good start now…

Shout-out to Donna, who recently celebrated her 58th anniversary!

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I just recently returned from the cafe. It was starting to rain, and I just got home before the rain got pretty hard. It has since rained twice. I just look out my brand new windows and grin. Not a leak anywhere!

This is one of my latest painted sketches. This sweet lizard ‘lived’ in a pot that had a big tree in it at the cafe. I don’t know what happened to him when the front porch was torn up for the redo. I hope he’ll be back. I didn’t even know he was there until Brian got a picture of him and showed him to Harvey. I had him send the picture to me so I could try to draw him.

Today I started another in my Thai street series – this time a broom seller. I hope it turns out okay.

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I’m going to take a break after finishing this and do my water bottle exercises for the day. I’m also going to try to get in practicing my guitar…

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June 12, 2026 · 8:11 am

Friday 6-12-2026

Adrian – @lead-castle.bsky.social

What a drawing!

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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.

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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.

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May 26, 2026 · 4:44 am

Tuesday, 5-26-2026

Chong Lip Mun – @worldwildlife.bsky.social

Another beautiful bird that begs to be painted.

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I’ve had a busy day. We went to the gym this morning. I walked my mile more easily today, though it still seemed “long.” I’m hoping my strength is building each day. I’m still feeling more comfortable holding on to the handle bars of the treadmill.

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We went to see Harvey after breakfast. He knew who we were, and showed it by kissing my hand as I hugged his head and kissed him. That’s where making sense ended, though. He broke my heart at one point telling us he ‘wanted to come home,’ but didn’t know where that was…

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After we got back from visiting Harvey, we went to the cafe. I finished three more sketches –

This is my interpretation of the Chiang Mai lottery. Young and old line up side by side under umbrellas to protect from sun or rain while they sit there all day selling chances to win the lottery. Some, like the man shown here, wear them as sign boards around their necks. I’m not sure of all the details, but it’s a huge business here. In this sketch, they have set up in front of some stores. You will also see a whole line of them on the sides of the roads. Some look like kids. Some look older than I am – if you can imagine that. I have noticed some ‘redemption’ places, where you can redeem your winning tickets for all kinds of merchandise…

Brian has said that Thai people delight in betting on EVERYTHING here. If it will rain – how much rain we’ll get – whether the turtle crossing the street will make it across alive – how fast the squirrel will cross from one spot to another using the wires above for ‘roads,’ …..

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I’m going to try to draw the Chiang Mai version of the ice cream man as one of my next sketches. I have wonderful memories of hearing the distinctive music of the ice cream man driving down the road in his truck and kids coming running out of their houses after having moved heaven and earth to get enough money to buy something. It’s much the same here, except the look is quite unique.

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I hope that you have had a good Memorial Day weekend surrounded by love while honoring those who have sacrificed everything for us.

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“Nothing shakes the smiling heart.”
― Santosh Kalwar, I Am Dead Man Alive

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May 24, 2026 · 11:57 pm

Monday 5-25-2026

Luckas Gojda – stock.adobe.com

We have few family times where everyone can relax, have fun, laugh and play, hug, reminisce, and enjoy a great cookout where all are almost in a coma from overdoing by the end of the weekend.

This is a beautiful thing, but it shouldn’t overshadow the reason for Memorial Day – honoring all who served, plus their families – who have given so much to our country. Take a few moments, shut your eyes, and feel their presence.

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Brian and I got to the gym this morning! It’s been over a week since I actually walked on the treadmill. The power was on, but the door issue – with the key-card-door being unlocked, remained. I hope that no damage is done before the owners can fix this. My time on the treadmill seemed to go slowly. I guess that’s because I’m still pretty weak. But I did walk my mile, so that’s a good thing.

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We shared a good breakfast – “breakfast burrito”, but this one sliced chicken, avocado, salad and dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla. GOOOOD!

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These are my latest painted sketches.

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I’m going to go to the cafe this afternoon. I’m toying with the idea of trying to do a “Thai Street Scene” showing the lottery…

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May 18, 2026 · 9:47 pm

Tuesday 5-19-2026

The Sun

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Getting better slowly, but surely. Brian is getting better, too, having started the meds yesterday. We are having a very quiet day, trying to rest as much as possible. I already had a nap after breakfast…

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These cards are ones I’ve made for Khun Nong’s sister, who is cleaning our places for us in Khun Nong’s absence.

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“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

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May 5, 2026 · 10:39 pm

Wednesday 5-6-2026

Vecteezy

I’m trying really hard not to get sick. I opted out of the gym this morning. I have a bit of a sore throat, some hoarseness to my voice, a slight runny nose, a slight cough. Nothing exciting like fever, chills, not being able to eat or sleep, etc., though. If I show more symptoms, or the ones I have get worse, Brian will make me a concoction of Vitamin C powder, although he doesn’t think it helped him this time.

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I’ve been spending my time doing base painting of my sketches and working on my magificent cheetah puzzle this morning. Since I’m not feeling bad, I’m hoping we’ll spend time at the cafe, where I can do the details on finishing my painted sketches while drinking a mocha. Maybe I can luck out and get “MY” spot today!

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More of my most recent painted sketches.

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etsy.com

One thing that impresses me so much about Thailand is men not being afraid to show their softer side. I keep seeing wonderful sights like a big, burly man on a motorcycle. His motorcyle is pink and his tee with the cut off arms is picking, letting his sleeve tattoos show. Couple that with a pink helmet with bear ears attached to the top and his backpack with several cute little stuff animals attached to it. The thing that is super wonderful is that this is NOT an uncommon sight here. Grab drivers have stuffed kitties asleep on their dashboards. Grab motorcycle riders are blowing bubbles on their way down the road. Men show their emotions when something sweet touches them. What a beautiful thing!

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oprah.com

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May 5, 2026 · 4:41 am

Tuesday 5-5-2026

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…

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The Today Show

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April 30, 2026 · 4:10 am

Thursday 4-30-2026

Newest painted sketches.

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Weight Loss Progress Report – April 30, 2026 –

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.

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April 26, 2026 · 11:45 pm

Monday 4-27-2026

“What A Beautiful World” – @abbphotos.bsky.social

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.

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April 21, 2026 · 11:40 pm

Wednesday 4-22-2026

Nursery Nisarga

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.

oprah.com

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April 20, 2026 · 2:51 am

Monday 4-20-2026

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!!!

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These are my two latest painted sketches.

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Poster My Wall

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April 14, 2026 · 2:14 am

Tuesday 4-14-2026

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!

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Newest painted sketches.

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April 8, 2026 · 11:39 pm

Thursday 4-9-2026

Two new painted sketches from yesterday.

We’re planning to spend some time at the cafe today, so this afternoon will be nice, as well.

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Brian just ordered this new puzzle for me today! I think this Cheetah is stunning and I love the way he stands out from the background.

I’m finally making enough progress now that I’ve decided I WILL live long enough to finish the gorgeous turtle puzzle, though he’s still being coy about emerging, and would like to have another puzzle I’m excited about waiting in the wings.

If you’ll look carefully, the part in the low center that looks like someone lost their dinner is actually the stomach of the beautiful turtle – anchored by his foot between the red fish and the blue fish. His beautiful head will probably be the last thing to show itself…

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pattaya.holidayinn.com

Brian and I are stocking up on supplies a bit for the Songkran Celebration next week. It’s the 13-15th (this coming Monday through Wednesday) and is Thailand’s largest celebration of the year, proclaiming a new year, washing away of bad luck, bringing new luck for the coming year. They are selling machine gun looking water guns and the young people are all gearing up to hose anything that moves outside if they haven’t already dumped a bucket of water on the people below.

There are 4 classes of humans who are NOT supposed to get hosed: monks, old people, babies, and pregnant women. Tourists, just out to have fun, routinely ignore rules, and some who DO know the rules simply get caught up and ‘forget.’ We plan to keep a very low profile, going out as little as possible through the middle of the week, although we will try to get to the gym and we will plan to visit Harvey at the nursing home on Tuesday. Maybe I can see something out my window…

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Freepik

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March 8, 2026 · 3:30 am

Sunday, 3-8-2026

This is a sample of some of the beautiful flowers all over the place in Chiang Mai. Just a FEAST for the eyes and heart!

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Freepik

I walked my mile this morning on the treadmill at the gym, then shared a sumptuous breakfast with Brian of 2 fried eggs cooked together with slice sausage on one part and chicken slivers on the other, with 3 slices of a Thai apple on the side. Chaga mushroom tea with bone broth added. Just the thing after the gym and a shower.

Etsy

We visited my husband at the nursing home this morning. We had to get Harvey’s thumbprints on 30 pages or so of documents (again!) for renewal of his medical visa. We have to do this every 90 days in order for him to be here legally. The government is really picked about how pages are copied and where the thumbprints are, so we had to do it twice this time to get it right. Thankfully, my husband was feeling cooperative.

He knew who we were this morning and was happy that I brought the 2nd book in the Jake Moriarity series for him today. Other than that, he made little sense – he had ordered another phone plus a luxury electric hybrid car, AND he and 20 young women were going to make an x-rated move today….

I am concentrating on him being comfortable and calm, and what I can do to make him glad we came, rather than internalizing what he says or doesn’t say – the key to sanity – at least I HOPE!

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I rested a good while when we got home. I’m planning to paint some this afternoon.

My latest painted sketches.

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I’ve been enjoying doing some research, finding some things I want to share with you here. I’ve also been pouring through the new sketch book getting new ideas about things I want to try. I get started and my day just zips past my head, making my hair blow!

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Facebook

The severe weather across the U.S. was awful. It’s so sad when lives are cut short like that. I checked on my loved ones, and all were good. I’m very grateful. One of the bad things about the spring is the amount of severe weather as the temperatures change so drastically. Please keep an eye out for what is happening in your area and try to stay safe.

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February 23, 2026 · 3:28 am

Monday 2-23-2026

Tina Ann

I can’t imagine my life without music. I sing, I play, I dance, I listen. EVERY. DAY.

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All 6 blooms have opened! Hooray!!!!!

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My two latest painted sketches

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I love the chat part of my phone. I just talked to a dear friend/relative-by-marriage, catching up after a bit. My heart is full. She is such a wonderful lady. The only thing missing was being able to hug her neck. I love you, Murray.

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My painting fell off the wall in the middle of the night a few nights ago. I got up and looked all around, but couldn’t find anything. The next morning I saw the painting had fallen, tearing the stick-on thingie and part of the wall paint with it. The painting is fine, thank goodness.

Brian and a friend are coming to see what we can do to hang it up more securely. Hopefully drill a small hole and put a screw in. We’ll see.

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I hope that your day is a good one, and that you’re not in the path of the snowy stuff today and tomorrow.

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February 15, 2026 · 10:35 pm

Monday 2-16-2026

My latest painted sketches

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123RF

Tomorrow may be a really busy day for us – making my hair blow. First, the gym. Then, instead of breakfast, we’ll go to my routine doctor appointment with labwork, followed by a visit to see Harvey at the nursing home. I will pick up my laundry. Brian goes to the cafe because Khun Nong will be cleaning his place and he will bring dinner to my place, and we’ll back up my computer and phone data while he’s here. I don’t know if we’ll have time to cram in some food before dinner or not…

So, I will make every effort to write to you, but can’t make any promises. Too much depends on timing 😳

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I wish you a quiet day – whether you’re finishing up Sunday evening or starting Monday morning. One step at a time.

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February 10, 2026 · 12:06 am

Tuesday, 2-10-2026

@spiritualrefuel.bsky.social

We’re just back from visiting my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home. I’m grateful that he was comfortable (except for a bit of a cough) and wasn’t in any pain or upset.

There is very little left of the man I married almost 57 years ago. He lives in his own world now. He can’t tell you how old he is, what country he’s in, why he’s in a nursing home, and has no interest in things he used to care about. He did recognize us, though, and that’s good. The rest of the visit was a complete bust.

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These are my latest painted sketches. I have one more in my sketchbook, and I’ll try to work on that today.

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Airswift

Khun Nong is coming to clean Brian’s place today, so he’ll bring dinner to my place this evening. We’ll also back up my phone data and my computer data while he’s here. That has become routine now, and I’m pleased I don’t even need my notes on how to do it now!💪🏻 😁 I love our visits after dinner and backups. He’s such an interesting man, with a quick mind, sharp sense of humor, and interesting world view.

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Anne Grady Group

Well, our big street event for which a large sign was posted – saying to be off the street from 5am to 9pm Feb. 8th and 9th turned out to be a non-event. Nothing happened that we could see. Brian thinks it had something to do with one of the university’s graduations, and we did see a few dressed up people, but all I could find on the computer was that the general elections were happening at the same time.

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https://hoaxes.org

Today was Day 2 of going back to the gym after being sick for a week with a cold. Yesterday I added yoga stretches and the stairs. Today is arm exercises with water bottles and the stairs I’m officially back!!!!

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We will visit Harvey again this week. The usual “every-3-day” visit would be this Friday; but Friday is our busiest day, so we usually go a day earlier or later so we can have a good visit and ease the Friday schedule. Whether we end up going Thursday, Friday or Saturday, I will take the Valentine’s picture I made for him –

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Put some fun into your day or evening!

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February 5, 2026 · 11:35 pm

Friday 2-6-2026

“Pancho-The Pine Marten”–Remy Michaels – @remyscameraeye.bsky.social

I can’t say enough about Remy Michaels’ talent in photography. He gets me every time with photos that are unusual and beautiful. You can find him on BlueSky.social

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Vecteezy

I’m at about 90% this morning. I feel even better since I just came back to my place from a massage (ahhhhh!) and another of Brian’s doses of Vitamin C. My plan is to get back to the gym starting Monday morning.

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This afternoon Brian and I will go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s -my housekeeper’s – way while she cleans my place. As usual, I’ll take my sketchbook and supplies, Kindle, plus sweatshirt with me. I now have some ear buds to use with my phone to listen to music on YouTube, but it’s a little much to try to use those with my hearing aids in. (One of the many perks of getting old. 😁) If I can snag the table at the front window, I’ll enjoy goggling at the insane traffic…

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I took some thank you cards to my massage therapist (Khun Weaw) and the lady who also works there who substituted for my therapist once (Khun Sulee.) I remembered how to say ‘thank you’ in Thai (sounds like, “cawp coon ka’ah!” plus bow and do the ‘wei’🙏🏻 while the cards were in both of my outstretched hands together to show they were for each of them. 🙂 I can’t WRITE ‘thank you’ in Thai, so just hope they have a translator on their phones. From their faces, I think I got it across how thankful I am for them.

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These are my two latest paintings.

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It’s a beautiful day here in Chiang Mai. It was 63 this morning and is supposed to get to 89 this afternoon. (The only reason I’m taking my sweatshirt to the cafe is that they tend to keep the temperature like a freezer for some reason, and both Brian and I tend to freeze after being there a while 🥶)

Make this a great day!

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February 4, 2026 · 8:38 pm

Thursday 2-5-2026

Cristina Pedrazzini-Science Photo Gallery

I’m better, but still ‘blowin’ and goin” as my mom used to say. I think I’ll be good in another couple of days. I have been drinking large doses of Vitamin C in orange juice since I woke up with the sore throat a couple of days ago. I have to say that it seems to have stopped the sore throat in its tracks, and lessened the severity of my cold.

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Since I was home, instead of at the gym this morning, I captured a picture of the dawn here to share.

These are my latest painted sketches.

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Today I’m doing my ‘chores’ to get ready for my housekeeper, Khun Nong, to come clean my place tomorrow – changing the sheets on my bed, changing out the towels, gathering the trash.

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We met my husband, Harvey’s, new nurse in the nursing home yesterday. Her name is pronounced, ‘la moon, la my’ and she has a very kind face and nice manner. She and Brian will be in good contact via phone, and that brings us peace of mind. Yesterday’s visit was challenging. Harvey just wanted to watch TV (the news in Thai – when he doesn’t understand a thing going on. ) He wanted to talk about investments, plus was talking about building our new ‘estate with a pool, with banana trees in the front yard and lots of dogs.’ We will go and visit again Saturday.

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I hope you’re doing well, staying safe and warm, and hopefully grinning from ear to ear sometime today.

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February 4, 2026 · 2:05 am

Wednesday, 2-4-2026

I don’t look this good today. With the two big doses of Vitamin C my son mixed up for me in orange juice yesterday, my sore throat is relieved, but I seem to have degenerated now into an old fashioned common cold. UGH.

Brian and I went to visit my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning, and I was very careful not to touch him, hoping I wouldn’t give this to him. When we got home, Brian mixed me up another dose of Vitamin C and I took a long nap. I hate being sick…

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These are the latest painted sketches. Painting today is helping distract me from how yucky I feel 😁

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I signed up for Substack about a month ago. I am really enjoying looking at the articles on there and meeting new, interesting people.

Sheila Murrey – @sheilaspiralsister is my friend, and she writes articles for Substack. She is a multi-talented lady I am proud to know and I’m happy to recommend that you look for her there. She just included a chapter from a book she’s writing that discusses sounds and frequencies and how they affect us.

R. G. Ryan – @rgryan is an author I met through reading his Jake Moriarity books via X, and then he decided to start writing serious opinion articles on Substack. I followed him there and was happy I did. Now he has changed his focus from opinion pieces to ones such as, A Lot to Carry Pain Is Not Passive, where he is focusing on what we as ordinary people are carrying around on our shoulders that is affecting our ability to live life to the fullest and to interact with others.

AND there are several people who post pictures and videos that make me laugh or bring me to tears, or both. Very talented artists and photographers post there, as well. I find this platform well worth my time. I thoroughly recommend it. Substack.com

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I hope that Mother Nature has decided to give you a break now, and will let the ice and snow melt, raise the temperatures, and allow you to enjoy your days more.

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January 13, 2026 · 1:22 am

Tuesday, January 13th – 2026

This is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. “Little Dude” was created by Victoria Maderna of Substack. Here is a link to her website.

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We went to visit my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home today. It was not one of our better visits. He wasn’t feeling very well and seemed down, though he was glad to see us. He drank the grape drink our son, Brian, brought him, but didn’t want the pineapple pie. I showed him some photos on my phone, and he seemed to be interested in those. He thanked us for bringing an electric razor (we didn’t and couldn’t find one). He wanted us to bring him some jeans so that he could ‘get out of there,’ though he said he was being treated well. When I was telling him I loved him, he raised my hand and kissed it. I almost lost it. That made the whole visit worth it.

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I’m continuing my new exercise of negotiating the stairs in the condo building. Yesterday I went down 4 flights from Brian’s place to mine – twice. Today I have come down once so far. I will go down 5 flights to pick up my laundry in a few minutes – and then see what success I have in coming back UP! It’s comforting to know that if it becomes too much, I can just go around the bend and get into the elevator…

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Latest painted sketches

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I have just bookmarked a url that shows a calendar listing the holidays in Thailand for 2026. Brian doesn’t pay attention to holidays, but I want to know what is happening each month – whether I want to actually go to participate or not – and if the celebrations may affect our ability to get a GRAB for transportation of not.

I have found it’s already not showing some things – like Children’s Day we just celebrated….My work is cut out for me.

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Make this a terrific day!

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December 29, 2025 · 10:21 pm

Tuesday 12-30-2025

These are my two latest sketch paintings.

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Tina Ann

I didn’t feel well this morning, so I opted out of our walking and also skipped breakfast. I finally managed to get warm enough putting a sweatshirt over my clothes, plus the throw Brian gave me, and later, when the sun came up, sitting in the sunshine beside my window. I’m feeling functional now, so all is good. I’ll just rest and take it easy today, so I’ll be in fighting form again tomorrow. 💪🏻

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I would love to be a fly on the wall when my housekeeper, Khun Nong, comes in and sees my finished dolphins puzzle Friday. She very carefully cleans around my puzzle mess each week. I hope she smiles when she sees the finished product. 🧩. Brian came and took pics to send to the glass printer, so another treasure will go on my signature shelf in my living area. Friday after Khun Nong finishes, I’ll bag up the dolphins puzzle carefully and donate it. I’ll take out my new turtle puzzle – cleaning the table thoroughly first – and will start a NEW mess!

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Xmas 2025 – Gift from Server

My favorite server at the cafe where we spend time while Khun Nong is cleaning waved me over to show me a note written in Thai – then translated to English via his phone – apologizing that his gift was so small. I showed him I was USING the cute pouch he gave me, with the stuffed handmade Christmas tree attachment, to hold my sketching supplies. I thanked him again. What a nice young man he is!

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My son checked on me a while ago, wanting me to eat something. I asked for a tuna sandwich with avocado that we had recently. When he texted that the delivery was in the lobby, I went down, got my laundry, and the cleaning lady came over and hugged me! She then got the elevator for me, but I showed her I needed to go and pick up my ‘brunch,’ so she waited while I got it and then ushered me into the elevator. I’m am completely overwhelmed by how nice people are here!

2025 is almost over. We need to embrace 2026 with all the possibilities and opportunities it will offer.

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December 27, 2025 · 1:40 am

Saturday 12-27-2025

These are the last two sketches I painted.

Today is a good day. We didn’t have anything on the schedule after going to the gym, so I’ve been able to bounce from one activity to the next without worrying about what time it is.

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Sew Fabulous

I did a bunch of sewing today. I only do rudimentary sewing, but I have a very small sewing kit and have been doing things like taking in the waist of my jeans until I got to the point where I wanted to buy more. Today I darned a sock; I rolled up the pants legs of my new jeans and tacked the rolls in place so I don’t fall on my head tripping over my too-long jeans. The style here seems to be long jeans, though, so my shortness isn’t a problem, as long as I don’t sprawl headlong into something. I also shortened and hemmed the sleeves of the 3rd blouse that needed that. I put a gold star (mentally) on the calendar today for all this. 🌟

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Reddit

I have 4 more pounds to lose to get to at least my interim weight loss goal. The end is in sight after over two years of trying to lose the lard. The new jeans were a celebration of getting to this point. Even if I decide to go for 9 more pounds, these jeans will be fine. I still can’t believe I’m almost there. You will be able to hear me cheering when I reach the final goal and begin maintenance!

Marao.ge

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Today I have done a piece of this, a little of that, and back again, varying my activity to try to stay productive. I’ve been working on my puzzle, closing in on finishing it now. My son will get to gripe when I show him the finished puzzle and ask him to take a pic to send to the glass print place.! 🤭

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Khun Nong, my wonderful housekeeper, left me a little surprise yesterday. I had received a really nice gift from one of the servers at the cafe where we go regularly to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans. There was a zippered pouch, a bunch of stickers, a stuffed Christmas tree, a stuffed cute critter, etc. I loved it. I’m using the pouch with the Christmas tree attached as a holder for my sketching supplies. I put a couple of stickers on my sketchbook. He was really happy when he saw I was using his gift yesterday😁.

If you’ll look closely, you can see a couple of additions to the corner of my art alcove – a cute stuffed critter is hanging from my plant spritzer, and there is a small thing sitting on one of the leaves of my orchid plant.

This is another of the things the server included in my gift – at first glance it looks like a frog, but it’s a cute little kid wearing a frog outfit. I never would have thought of putting it here, but it looks like just the place.

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I hope that you are enjoying your Christmas weekend, whether you’re into it, as I am, or just starting it. Have fun!

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November 5, 2025 · 9:50 pm

Snafued

PsychAlive

We just tried to go visit Harvey. We wanted to go today because Fridays are super-busy for us. I just wrote the post about the Yi Peng Lantern Festival and the Loy Krathong Festival. Apparently, the fact that the 2nd night of both festivals is tonight makes traveling anywhere really challenging. We ordered a Grab and then information came up while we were standing outside, saying they would charge more than twice the normal fare one way and that our wait time would be ridiculous. So what is a wonderful celebration tonight is not without problems for us today. We will go visit Harvey tomorrow.

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These are my latest painted sketches.

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Pixabay

I finished “Next of Kin: Rebel Ridge Book 1” the Sharon Sala book I told you about. I enjoyed it and would recommend you check her out. Now I’m re-reading “Watercolor Dreams” by R.G. Ryan, which is technically the first book in his Jake Moriarity series, though I just finished the “Prequel: The Last Happy Summer” that came out recently. I am looking forward to re-reading the 6 books I have and then getting more.

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I have rolled up towels on my window sills, hoping to contain whatever leaks I get from still more rain. I hope the rain doesn’t make the celebrations tonight impossible.

I wish you a grin-filled day.

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