Tag Archives: motivational quote

June 20, 2026 · 10:03 pm

Sunday 6-21-2026

@oldandcranky.bsky.social

Isn’t this an amazing photo? I’m going to try to draw it.

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Facebook

I know it is still early to wish you a Happy Father’s Day, but the time difference makes this the best way to reach you before your celebration is over. Good fathers are beyond price and should be celebrated every day of the year.

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These are my latest painted sketches.

Hill Street Grocer

Food Experiment:

“Gaeng Jued Wonton” (a clear, soothing broth with pork-filled wontons and vegetables) – Brian and I ate this last night for dinner. It was good, but the broth, which was supposed to be ‘soothing’ was actually hot – to the point this wuss was breathing fire when I was finishing. It tasted good, though. In the middle of the night, though, I had super intense heartburn that woke me up and had me scurrying for the Thai equivalent of Alka-Seltzer. My throat was sore and irritated, making me cough after I took that, so I ended up sucking on one of the lozenges I got when we were sick with the cough/runny nose/sore throat thing that was going around earlier. That finally made it so I could sleep. I ended up sleeping well the rest of the night and had a good session at the gym this morning and good appetite for breakfast. We agreed that we will try the pork dumplings in another dish, but without soup. (meanwhile, I’ll try to stock up on the Alka-Seltzer type stuff.)

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Sprout

Hope in a bowl.

This is the jackfruit seed (one of the three I kept and tried) that is showing a teeny, tiny sprout. I have no idea if this will continue to grow or not, and I’m not looking to grow an actual fruit. I would just like to enjoy the leaves of the plant, if I’m successful. It’s fun to try.

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Today is a quiet day. I did well at the gym, and later today I’ll do exercises with my water bottles. I’ll practice my guitar chords, too. Brian took pics of the Cats on the Beach finished jigsaw puzzle, but ‘warned’ me to slow my speed on finishing the puzzles. I see no problem, since the next one, “Abstract Cat” is labled ‘difficult to impossible.’ I’ll spend time at the cafe, seeing how I do on some new sketches. I’m also researching the Thai Zodiac, preparing to try to draw a sketch to go with “Year of the Horse” which is THIS year. It’s actually “Year of the Red Horse” – something that happens once every 60 years.

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June 17, 2026 · 9:44 pm

Thursday 6-18-2026

Petra Michaela-@petramichaela.bsky.social

This makes my mouth water! Such a happy place to spend some time!

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Yesterday I practiced tuning and playing chords on my guitar twice. I am GRADUALLY building some callouses on my fingertips, but still don’t last long before they are screaming at me. I’m going to try for two or three practices a day. I’m getting a BIT clearer sound, but nothing to write home about. 🎸🤭

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I’m hoping to finish a sketch or two today. I’m doing some base painting and hope to spend some good time at the cafe this afternoon. Otherwise, I’m doing my chores to get ready for my housekeeper tomorrow (did you hear that? “My housekeeper.” Having never been able to enjoy having help in my life, I treasure each and every day she (or her sister right now) comes.

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Yesterday we took the bank paperwork to our lady at the visa place. She had me sign a gazillion other pages ( I had already signed enough to buy a house!) Tuesday – and finally she was finished and confirmed that we now go to the immigration place tomorrow to finish.) Even though it’s a hassle, I think it’s good that the Thai people know who is in their country, pay attention, and can tell at a moment’s notice if you’re here legally or not. If you’re not – out you go!

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June 2, 2026 · 11:14 pm

Wednesday 6-3-2026

Free Vector Art & Graphics

I’m grinning as I type this. I looked up, “Broken Record” to find a picture, and found it described as a “round vehicle used for listening to music.” Do I feel old or what????

To add insult to injury, I was looking up the phrase to apologize for once again having to tell you I’m having a relapse of my digestion problem from a couple of days ago, sticking to home and ‘facilities’ today. UGH. So I’m not feeling well and feeling OLD, to boot – and that makes me think probably my phrases “to add insult to injury” and “to boot” are older than dirt, as well. My reaction to all this is that I’m delighted to be alive to BE ill and to spout old-time phrases that many of you are probably too young to understand.

Vecteezy

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One good (or bad) thing – depending on who’s looking at it – is that I just finished my “Rooster Runway “jigsaw puzzle. (This is one of the things that happens when I’m sick.) I know Brian will be THRILLED to have to come take another photo and order a glass print of it. (We haven’t received the print of the Cheetah yet and he’ll already be ordering another. )

This is the puzzle that is on its way. I laughed aloud when I found this one – particularly when I saw the cat upended in the bucket.

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I have a sketch to paint today and another couple of ideas for more bouncing around. My guitar is calling to me, and – on a more practical note, I have some laundry to do and some jewelry to clean…

I hope your day is a fun one.

Quotefancy

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June 1, 2026 · 8:32 pm

Tuesday 6-2-2026

“Autumns Past” – Paul Willson – @pauljwillson.bsky.social

I LOVE the light in this photo!

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I am in the land of the living again, I think. I feel MUCH better this morning and went to the gym as usual. I even walked without holding on to the handlebars! Whee! Unless either of us have problems this morning, Brian and I are planning to go visit Harvey this morning.

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These are the last painted thank you cards, and then my interpretation of an alterations lady who has her entire shop on a three-wheeled bicycle so that she can stop anywhere, and repair or alter something as you wait. (This sewing machine looks very smiliar to one my mom had when we first moved to Tulsa OK in the 50’s. Hers was pedal-powered, and she was able to do incredibly fine work on it for years before she finally replaced it with a Pfaff.) I’m not sure of all of the details on this one, except that it’s belt-driven. The creativity and can-do attitude of the Thai people really impresses me.

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Two days ago a man and a young boy came into the cafe and asked if I would take a 3-minute interview to be conducted by the young man as part of an assignment for his learning-English class. The man was the instructor and the boy was in 5th grade primary somewhere local.

The questions were general, and the boy stumbled a bit over the more challenging words, but he certainly did better in English than I would have in Thai. I told him at the end that I thought he did a wonderful job, and his face simply lit up the room with his smile.

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I’ve been practicing my guitar tuning and chords daily (except when I was sick). Things are coming along slowly, but I WILL get it. I’m also making really good progess with my roosters jigsaw puzzle. I’m going to look into order the next one today.

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Quotefancy

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May 31, 2026 · 12:03 am

Sunday 5-31-2026

Duncan Crombie – @theartofweb.com – “Mystical Forest Series”

I love the light and whole FEEL of this painting.

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Newest painted sketch and some thank you cards.

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GETTING THE LARD OFF PROGRESS REPORT – to date, I’m down 94 lbs and almost 92 inches from my heaviest and widest. I’m finally to my goal weight. I’m 5’4″ and shrinking and I this morning I weighed 111. I’m trying to stay in a 3 pound range of 110 now, monitoring my various ‘numbers’, watching my portions, and making changes as needed to stay here.

My biggest challenge is to undo the damage being in the hospital and dying twice a year ago did to me. It’s amazing how much that messes you up. Trust me, you don’t want to do it. I had significant hearing loss with accompanying balance issues plus I have the normal getting older issues of stamina, flexibility, strength, etc. I am working on getting back into my regimen after having the ‘cold from Hell’ for over a week.

Brian and I got to the gym this morning. I walked my mile, but I didn’t feel steady enough to do it without holding on to the handlebars of the treadmill. I will give it a better try tomorrow.

This afternoon I will do my water bottle exercises for the first time in a week. I may do a shortened version, but I WILL get back into my routine!

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I had ‘firsts’ yesterday and today on my art! Yesterday I was sitting at a table on the side of the cafe. All of a sudden there was a tapping on the glass beside me. A muslim woman (I’m assuming that, as she was dressed head to toe in grey dress, head covering, etc.) Her face was not covered, however. She had a huge smile on her face and pointed to the bird I was sketching (above.) She made a thumbs up gesture and smiled again. Then she pointed to her camera. I said ‘yes’ and she took a picture. Made the thumbs up gesture again and left. I walked 3 inches off the ground the rest of the day.

Today I had a long time Internet friend ask me for a favor. He wanted me to make a birthday painting for a friend of his who is getting married. His wife to be is having a birthday on the 3rd, and he asked my friend was who did the drawings he had been shown. Long story short, I just did the base painting on a birthday painting and will finish up details at the cafe this afternoon so I can send it to my friend today. 😁

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Yesterday we visited my husband. He was alert and glad we came. He was drinking the tiny bottle of good-for-the-digestion stuff we bring him. All of a sudden he stopped, looked at me and said, “You’re wonderful.” That’s it. He went back to drinking. And I sat there, having melted into a puddle for seeing my husband for a few seconds. Otherwise, he was mentally back over 40 years ago when we visited a place called Tate Mountain in North Georgia. He wanted his notebook and I gave him a pen. He wanted to try to draw a diagram of the layout of the place. He was quite engrossed. Though his hand shook, we were able to calm the tremors by merely putting our hand over his for a few seconds and he would continue. The finished drawing wasn’t meaningful, and his mumbling about dams and bedrooms didn’t make much sense, but this is the definition of a good visit now.

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Quotefancy

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