Tag Archives: painting

January 26, 2026 · 2:18 am

Monday, 1-26-2026

Tracy Chrest – Substack

This photo is gorgeous, isn’t it? I would love if one day I could try to paint something that resembled it.

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CBS News

Today has been a quiet, nice day for me. I have my windows open again, enjoying a nice breeze. I’ve been checking on my friends to find out how they are weathering the winter storm so far. I’ve reached a bunch, and so far, they are fine, but I haven’t reached everyone, and the weather is still causing havoc.

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Deposit Photos – Kiddipedia

I’ve started a painting. Hopefully, I can finish it soon and can share it with you. I’ve been grinning the whole time I’ve been painting! 😁

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My turtle puzzle is super challenging. This is definitely the hardest puzzle I have ever tried to work. I may die of old age before this one is finished….

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Pinterest

I will do a session of yoga as soon as I finish writing blog posts. On my yoga days, I’m also doing an exercise where I’m standing up straight, reach up for the ceiling as high as possible, then bend over and try to touch my toes – doing it several times slowly, putting as much stretch into it as I can. I’m also doing mini sit-ups, with legs straight and then with legs bent, plus trying to hold a plank position. My plank is pathetic. It hurts my TOES to get into this position. I tried wearing my slippers, and that helped a bit, but not enough to really try to concentrate on my core. Today I’ll try wearing my tennis shoes and see if that changes my focus…

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123RF

Tomorrow we’re leaving early to meet my husband and his nurse at the hospital for his routine blood work and exam with his main doctor there. We want them to okay removal of my husband’s nasal feeding tube, since he is now able to eat and drink without choking or aspirating anything into his lungs. We want him to be able to eat and drink normally when he’s hungry or thirsty, not to be force-fed nutrition. Fingers crossed that we are all in agreement tomorrow. 🤞

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Stay safe and warm!

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January 20, 2026 · 10:20 pm

Wednesday 1-21-2026

Hug – Giphy.gif

Did you know that today is National Hugging Day? Neither did I, but I think this should be celebrated at least once every DAY…

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It’s a really lovely day here in Thailand – sunny and 77 degrees F. right now. I just turned off the air purifiers and threw open the windows to bring the warm air in. I’ve been standing in my window in the sunshine from time to time while the temperature warmed up. Really nice! 🌞

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This is the jigsaw puzzle that is stumping me now. I love the colors, though, and some of the fish on either side are emerging. I have two of the smaller turtles ready, but not attached to anything – the last thing will be the main attraction – the big turtle in the middle. I have only found some pieces of his stomach so far…

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Picklebums

Today I’m going to concentrate on sketching. I only did one yesterday and didn’t paint anything, so my art alcove is calling to me.

Tenor

This is Wednesday, so I’ll do a session of my old lady yoga stretches this afternoon.

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And that’s my exciting day! I can’t tell you how much I enjoy finally being retired, pampered, able to choose an activity that gives me joy to do with few interruptions!

Do something FUN today. It’s good for your health!

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January 11, 2026 · 9:05 pm

Monday, January 12, 2026

In Otter News – Substack

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My son, who does computer work, asks me, “Mom, are you bored all alone in your place?” 🤣 I LOVE days where I can do whatever I want for as long – or as little – as I want to. No one is here to tell me I ‘should’ be doing anything in particular. The only thing I want to accomplish today is taking my clothes to the laundry. (I think I can handle that… )

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I try to limit myself to 3 posts a day, though sometimes it’s hard. I keep finding interesting things or people I want to share with you! I look at the limiting as a character-building exercise, making notes on where to find the information I want to share next time.

Latest painted sketch

I’m flattening this one face down on my shelf with some books on top to give to my adoptive grandson the next time I see him.

And this one is also flattening to go on the wall when I take it to the nursing home for my husband on Valentine’s Day.

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123RF

Today I started adding stairs to my exercise regimen. I live in the same building as my son, and I walked down from his place to mine after breakfast (4 floors) this morning. I kept my hand on the hand rail and paid close attention so I didn’t end up on my head. There were only lights on MY floor, but I could see okay and the flights were clearly marked. I had no trouble, so I’ll continue walking down several flights once a day, and then will add at least a couple of flights going UP soon.

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Earth Rangers

Since there is no “heat” as such in Thailand buildings, “The Cool Season” (Nov. 1st-Feb 15th) is a bit of a challenge. I’m a wuss, since 50 is not cold, and it gets up to the low 80s most days in the afternoon; but I’m used to having central heat set at 72 degrees F., a fireplace to burn logs if desired, an electric blanket for the bed, etc. Space heaters and electric blankets are not considered safe here, so I’m learning to dress in layers, heat up hot water to drink, sit under a towel on my couch – or, better yet, in the window where the sun is shining in – and I have the throw my son, Brian, got me on the bed, adding socks there, too. 🥶 Starting later in February through May, Brian tells me I will start griping because of the HEAT and HAZE… Right NOW, that sounds really good.

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Other than write my blog posts, I will spend time with my turtles puzzle and

KinderCare

painting in my art alcove, sitting in front of the window to warm up in-between.

I LOVE having the day to NOT have to plan!

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September 18, 2025 · 4:46 am

Thoughts on Thursday 8-18-2025

Carol

“Celebrating my life for everything that it is” includes being grateful that I can visit my husband, hug and kiss him, tell him I’m glad to see him, and be happy that he’s not hurting, even though he wasn’t cooperating with the nurse on taking his medicines and made little sense when we visited today.

It also includes the fact that on the way home from the visit, we went to an arts and crafts store called, “Chunya Art & Craft” where everything in the store was handmade by the owner/artist.

I bought two things: a handmade notebook and a tablecloth.

The photo doesn’t do the notebook justice. The painting on the front is very subtle, but shows an elephant with a beautiful cloth on his back walking in dense jungle of green, blue and purple. The rope that ties the pages together is done in an intricate, lacy pattern that allows you to open the book, lay it flat. I thinks it’s wonderful.

The tablecloth is batik. The card that came with it says, “Each piece of Batik painting has a unique feel as a result of endless combinations of the dye coloring., wax effects, the fabric typs, and most importantly the story-telling of love and joy we want to pass on. Hope you love our Batik!” – Nisa C. Tanakorn.

I think it’s a work of art. I LOVE the way it brightens up the whole end of the room.

The owner/artist of the shop could not have been nicer to us. She answered questions and was honestly thrilled I was so happy with my purchases. I can’t recommend her shop more highly. I left a review with pictures on Google Maps that I hope will send more appreciative customers her way.

I’m getting my place ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow. I’ve changed the sheets, will change out the towels and empty the trash, trying not to leave a mess (other than my puzzle table, where there is only so much I can do to neaten it up.)

I’ve been sketching, working on the puzzle a bit, and reading, since I haven’t been able to get to my computer until now because it was in the middle of doing an upgrade. It turned out that it didn’t work the way it should and Brian said he would try to get it to work again later.

This has been a good day. We’ll share some dinner soon and then I’ll enjoy listening to music on YouTube. I like it that I can use the remote on my TV to request music by people I like or want to hear for the first time, just relaxing with my headphones so I don’t bother anyone. 😁

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August 3, 2025 · 11:37 pm

Thoughts on a Monday 8-4

This is my new haircut. It feels good and is super easy to care for, with my just having to blow it dry when I shower each morning.

I’m having a quiet day today. I walked a little over a mile on the treadmill using my new ‘slow-then-fast-for-me’ walking method. (Japanese Walking). I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks now. The video says that this method is much more effective for health than the ‘set-the-speed-and-walk-for-30-minutes’ method I was using before. It sure keeps me more ‘engaged’. I’m walking for a slow speed for 2 minutes, then fast-for-me for 3 minutes in 5 minute increments over and over for the 30 minutes, so I have a slow speed to warm up and one to cool down at the end.

Today is a quiet day for us, with nothing we HAVE to do, so Brian and I ate breakfast and talked a bit, and will meet again for dinner this evening. Otherwise, we are free to do what we want. Brian will work and I will play. I feel a bit guilty about that – but, having worked all my life starting with summer jobs at 14, I feel I that embracing my fun and sloth is a wonderful thing.

I’m working on painting some sketches I started recently. I’m also making progress (in fits and starts) on my owls puzzle. Sometimes I think I won’t live long enough to finish this one, which is truly challenging. You can’t tell what part you’re working on, even after studying the picture. I’m looking forward to the day when I can display the finished puzzle for you!😋

I’m exercising with Mike, from More Life Health on my computer. He gears his workouts on various parts of the body so that you can choose what you feel you’re missing from your other exercising, geared to seniors. I do one of his workouts several times each week. No special equipment needed and the site is free.

I’m reading a good book on my Kindle; enjoying finding things I think are great on the computer; writing blog posts I hope you’ll enjoy; doing my yoga stretches and other new exercises; and more. The biggest problem is deciding what I want to do when!

I hope you are finding things that give you joy in your day.

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August 3, 2025 · 2:53 am

A Beautiful Day

It wasn’t raining when Brian and I made our way to the gym this morning! Later the sun came out, and it’s a lovely day here.

We went to see my husband at the nursing home. He has a new full time caregiver who is very nice. She suggested we get him toys to give him something to do with his hands, so we’re looking into that. We stopped for a chocolate drink on the way home, having a nice conversation.

I have the afternoon to myself. I’m going to paint some of the drawings I did recently after I finish writing my blog posts. Such a great way to spend the afternoon! 😃

I am learning gradually to eat Thai food. Brian supplies me with a glass of water, plus I am learning to combine bites to include something that makes the ‘hot and spicy’ easier on my mouth.

Also, we’re drinking some mushroom tea in the mornings with breakfast. It’s Brian’s idea that the worse the tea tastes, the better it is for us. 🤣 He got us two teas – one container each from two different mushrooms. We also add bone broth to it for added health benefits. Both have long lists of all the wonderful stuff they provide. One doesn’t taste like much of anything except hot water. The other tastes truly awful. Of course, Brian thinks the latter is ‘better for us.’ We trade off on which one we drink each morning. There is no telling if either one really are that great health-wise, but it’s worth a shot. Plus, it gives us something to laugh about every other day…

Have a wonderful day!

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June 20, 2025 · 10:24 pm

Making it Mine

I showed you the painting I chose as the first art for my condo. I looked up Kaew to find out more about the artist. I love supporting local people, and I fell in love with this painting.

“My name is Saengkaew Bongkotmat, but you can call me “Kaew” which you will see signed on all the paintings. I was born in Krabi province, Thailand on August 22, 1975. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education technology and I studied art as a minor, also. I like painting when I was young. After University, I worked in business, but was not happy. I was making money but not finding fulfillment in my work. Because of the unhappiness in my business life. I returned to painting full-time about 10 years ago, and discovered that this is really me. I began selling my art at the Chiang Mai Night Market, and now have a gallery and art shop in The Old City. Art is my passion and now my full-time job. My goal is to capture Thai culture in the style of my paintings. I intend to continue my best artistic work, and improve my painting.“

I think maybe it was his wife who packaged the painting for us so well. This is a small family shop exquisitely arranged to grab your interest and delight the senses the minute you enter.

Brian and I discussed where to hang the painting. I immediately chose what I thought was the perfect spot on the wall behind the sofa, where the wall has a section with the same rectangular shape. Brian thought the hanger wasn’t as secure as we would like, and so switched it to the spot where I posted the pics. (He then said THAT hanger wasn’t very secure, either.)

One of the things keeping me up last night was the placement of my very first purchased original painting. Today I have moved the painting to the spot I think is where it should live – celebrating the beauty of the busy, robust, creative, and colorful Thailand street.

Kaew captured one of the many things I love about Chiang Mai. I smile each time I raise the shades showing my wonderful views of the buildings and the streets and shops below. Now I have an original artist’s creation on my wall where I can celebrate the country and its people – shades up or down!

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June 19, 2025 · 1:20 am

Super Adventure Day

After our errands this morning, my son asked me which art gallery I would like to visit. I chose a place named Kaew Gallery, which is near the old part of the city. I had looked at their website, seen several photos of the type of products they sell, and decided I would love to see them in person.

True to their photos, the shop was beautifully laid out with souvenirs, post cards, prints, jewelry, and more, but the main focus was on original art. My mind was boggled on the first pass through, so I gathered my impressions and was determined to take a more careful look the second time.

My son helped me up some pretty steep stairs (for me), and was I glad he did! A painting simply jumped off the wall and into my heart. It was a delicious blend of all the bustle in Chiang Mai, electrical wires strung across buildings and streets, flags and signs, the street crowded with vendors and vehicles – all the things I find fascinating about Chiang Mai, all painted in black and white.

The painting was a vertical rectangle. The bottom third of the painting was the part that captured my heart. Colors simply leaped from the canvas, bringing the city to even more life, adding the human element to this beautiful city. There were a couple of similar paintings on the first floor, but the rectangular shape was perfect for me.

The painting was apparently done by Kaew, the owner of the shop. I’m not sure if she was one of the nice ladies who helped us today, but we couldn’t have gotten better customer service. One lady took payment while the other carefully wrapped our painting so that we could carry it in the trunk of the
Grab we called.

Brian helped me figure out where to hang the painting – my first really personal pick for MY place. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

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