Tag Archives: painting sketches

March 29, 2026 · 12:47 am

Sunday 3-29-2026

Tina Ann

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I’m having a super nice, quiet day so far.

I did my mile at the gym, ate breakfast with Brian, put my wash out on the drying rack on my balcony, and have been at the computer, catching up on email and doing a bit of research.

It’s hazy this morning, so my windows are closed and air filters on, but it’s light enough to flood my little condo with light and lift my spirits. I plan to at least start painting one of my sketches today and work on my puzzle. (I’m finally making more progress.)

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Shout outs to Cathy and Nora today. They are both in tough situations. I’m sending my thoughts and prayers.

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I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to be able to walk into a store, be able to choose clothes you HOPE might be big enough, find they ARE – some even TOO big – and walk out of the store with some new clothes.

I’m grateful to Walmart for allowing me to cover my lard for several years, always having things that I KNEW would cover me. I’m even MORE grateful, now that I have lost 93 pounds, not to have to buy my clothes there now. I’m still “covering up” – though in much smaller sizes – but now because a Shar Pei dog looks like my sibling now.

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In my current status as ‘much-pampered-lady,’ I will enjoy the mocha that my son, Brian, orders for me when we’re home, rather than out for the day, and I will sip that with a smile as I start painting a sketch…

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February 17, 2026 · 10:43 pm

Wednesday, 2-18-2026

Brian-@balail.bsky.social

This photography is so detailed it looks like a painting, doesn’t it?

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I’ve been lazy this morning.

We went to the gym, and then shared a breakfast burrito – chicken, avocado slices and salad wrapped up in a tortilla. YUM! My laundry is out drying on my balcony. Jets have been flying over this morning – not a usual occurrence – and they are quite loud, but it’s not enough to spoil my mood.

The weather is really nice here, so I’ve been messing around on the computer while enjoying a combination of open windows, nice breeze, sunshine, and a fan. I keep closing my eyes and smiling, just enjoying this wonderful time. AHHHHHHHH!

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Colorations – The Art of Learning

I want to do some painting today. Yesterday was way too busy to even THINK about that, so today I’ll enjoy trying to make up for lost time.

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Yoga stretches are on tap for today. I have found myself making some excuses for not doing them, or my water bottle exercises in the mid afternoon on alternate days, so I’ll make a point of doing them earlier today.

This is John Butler. My son, Brian, showed me this website last night after dinner. He says it’s a really good source for learning how to meditate. I have been spending several minutes each day just sitting quietly, feet on the floor, eyes closed, thinking about something I’m thankful for. I would like to expand that, and this might be a good source –

It’s called, “The Common Sense Guide to Meditation (Part 1) – John Butler’s Simple Meditation Method.” I’m going to listen to it tonight. I thought you might be interested in checking it out, too.

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I’m seeing that winter weather will raise its head again across much of the U.S. this weekend. I hope that you are able – if your weather is being cooperative now – to be able to get out for a bit and enjoy the reprieve…

Stay safe and warm.

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February 14, 2026 · 1:43 am

Valentine’s Day in Chiang Mai

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We went to see my husband at the nursing home this morning. Happily, today was one of his better days.

He actually liked the picture I made for him, and was happy when I added it to his wall.

We met his new nurse this morning. We didn’t get her name yet, but she and Brian exchanged phone information. She was very young and very quiet, but she had a new patient, her boss and several other nurses in the room when we arrived, plus meeting Brian and me. That would be overwhelming for anyone.

The staff gave me this sweet bouquet of flowers! They tried to give it to Harvey to give to me, but he wasn’t understanding. :0) When I thanked him for it, he told me he loved me. To say I will treasure the moment is a vast understatement.

On the way home I had another suprise. The GRAB driver had a valentine sticker on his cheek. I smiled and told him how cute it was. He melted into a puddle, smiling and saying, “daughter.” Then “I” melted into a puddle watching him.

Later in the drive, he handed me one of the valentine stickers. I promptly stuck it to my cheek, making him laugh. It was one of the nicest GRAB rides we’ve ever had.

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It’s sunny and 91 degrees F. here. I have my windows open and a fan on, moving the nice breezes all around my place. The humidity is only 29% – that’s why it still feels so comfortable. When you’re out in the direct sunlight, you start to feel it pretty quickly, though.

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Britannica Kids

Yesterday I enjoyed my time at the cafe, making several sketches while waiting for Khun Nong to work her magic, cleaning my place. I’m planning to try to paint at least one of those today.

David Langley

I also finished “The Haunts of Cruelty: A Jake Moriarity Novel” ( book 4) by R.G. Ryan, one of my current favorite authors.

I had pre-ordered Stolen in Death” the 62nd book in the In Death series by J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts. It was delivered several days ago, so I’m itching to dive into it. I saw that “Fury in Death”, the 63rd book, will be released on September 8th, so I went ahead and pre-ordered that one just now. 🤗

When I finish “Stolen,” I’ll continue my re-read of the R.G. Ryan series,
“The Wood Between the Worlds: A Faint Reflection of Riddles Book One (Jake – book 5).

If you’re celebrating today, or your celebration is tomorrow, make it a day full of memories with your “special valentine.”

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February 8, 2026 · 10:52 pm

Monday, 2-9-2026


“I found this picture and it spoke of joy. It made me wonder why people forget the importance of living. Maybe we get busy surviving and miss the simple truth—that life is not meant to be endured alone, but noticed, felt, and quietly appreciated.” –

John Rinaldo– “The Positive Pen” – Substack

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It is a glorious day today here in Chiang Mai. It’s 81 degrees, F. The sun is shining. My windows are open to a wonderful breeze.

DepositPhotos

I went to the gym this morning for the first time in a week! I walked a mile on the treadmill and still felt good. No sneezing, blowing my nose, almost passing out, or any other drama. HOORAY!!!!!

I plan to do yoga stretches later and I used the stairs in my building this morning!

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I’ve started painting a sketch I did Friday, and hope to do several today. Brian and I aren’t going out any more today since there was a sign posted for all vehicles to keep the street clear yesterday and today. I do hope that something happens today on the street; otherwise, people may ignore a sign to stay off the road next time.

We just had a tremendously loud BANG here. I texted Brian and he said it was “probably a transformer explosion.” Apparently, this is quite common, though I have to admit, it will take some getting used to… 💥 I did have to restart my computer before I could continue here, but Brian seemed unconcerned, saying “there might be other weird electrical problems for a bit.”

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In my efforts to lose my lard, my son Brian and I agreed that we would eat twice a day, breakfast and dinner, and have something like an iced mocha in the afternoons, or chocolate drink after we visit my husband, Harvey. Most of the time I do quite well with this, and am now within 4 lbs of my goal. Other times, though, my stomach insists my throat has been cut, demanding food. I usually drink a glass of water, but decided that if I had a bite of beef jerky, that would tide me over on those challenging days. Part of Brian’s text about the explosion included, “Jerky at your door.” I now have a package of “Natural Smoked Pork Jerky!” I will try to only eat a bite when my stomach is really growling after a glass of water. YUM!

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I’m trying to figure out a way to repost an article on cats that made me laugh out loud. It’s being recalcitrant so far, but hopefully I can share it with you.

Have a joy-filled “noticed, felt, and appreciated” day.

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January 29, 2026 · 2:22 am

Thursday, 1-29-2026

Tina Ann

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I love this. I wish I could do this during my yoga stretches. This lady looks like she could fold herself into a paper airplane and fly herself across the room. I do ‘old lady yoga stretches’ concentrating on stretching everything I have very slowly, relaxing and breathing into the stretches. Even with that, yesterday I must have overdone SOMETHING because I’m having to dose myself with Tylenol today. That said, I managed my mile walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and I’m hoping to do some extra QUIET stretches today, trying to undo whatever I did…

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Sensory Joy

Yesterday I received the weighted blanket I ordered. It is about the size of a throw and just perfect for my needs. I restored my purple throw that Brian bought me a while back to my living area couch. It was like the blanket we loved on the luxury long flight on the way from the states to Thailand. I had exclaimed about it, and suddenly one showed up – and it was purple! Brian is definitely a keeper! 🤗

Anyway, “The Cool Season” in Thailand is definitely chilly in the mornings and at night, with a low of 50. There is no heat in Thailand, and I’m used to being able to set a thermostat for about 68, or have the luxury of a fire in the fireplace, an electric blanket, etc. So I’m wearing snuggly long pants to the gym and a jeans jacket, a hoodie over my shirt in my place, and was moving the throw back and forth from the living area to my bed and back again.

I’ve never had a weighted blanket, but it sounded really good. It arrived yesterday and I immediately put it on the bed and tried it for the first time last night. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like being hugged. Heavy, warm, and snuggly. I slept super well last night. 🥰

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We visited my husband at the nursing home this morning. It broke my heart because he really wanted to come home with us. He has no concept of the fact that it takes 3 experienced caretakers to get him in or out of the wheelchair or the fact that we have hired 24 hour care to meet all of his needs. He doesn’t grasp the fact that our places aren’t set up to accommodate wheelchairs, special beds, any place for 24 hour care to live, bathing facilities, ambulances for transportation… Anyway, barring a miracle, him coming ‘home’ just won’t happen. He WAS comfortable, wasn’t hurting anywhere, was glad to see us, and was going to try to eat whatever the caretakers brought for him today. Fingers crossed.🤞

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As I type, the windows are open and I have a fan moving the air around even more. It’s sunny and 84 degrees now – simply beautiful. Brian says the season where the air quality is poor due to the farmers burning the crop residues in their fields is approaching, but I’ll enjoy this every day I can. I just LOVE it!

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I’m going to start painting the last sketch in my sketchbook this afternoon, unless I run out of time. I find it so relaxing to concentrate on colors and techniques, putting all other concerns out of my head for a while. :0)

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I hope that you are warm and safe wherever you are right now, and that Mother Nature decides to give you a break.

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January 6, 2026 · 1:00 am

Tuesday, January 6th, 2026

@likecatsanddogs – Substack

This is a ‘throw-open-the-windows’ kind of day here, with lots of sunshine. My son, Brian, keeps telling me that the ‘hazy season’ where the farmers burn off the residue from their fields is coming soon; but for now I’m thoroughly enjoying opening a couple of windows in my dining area and one in my bedroom to create a wonderful cross-breeze. I’ll close up again in an hour or so, turning my air filters back on, but for now I’m grinning as I type. 🪟

I have my headphones on so I don’t bother my neighbors, and I’m enjoying some really nice music now. I don’t know of anything more transformative than music, calming you down, comforting you, making you smile and want to get up and dance, bringing wonderful memories and more. 🎧

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We went to visit my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning. It was a pretty good visit. I thanked Khun Archiang (pronounced, “Coon Ah chi ahn’ “) for sending us a picture of Harvey enjoying one of the pineapple pies Brian left for him. Harvey seems pleased with her so far, which is a huge thing for us. About the only thing we can do for him at this point is try to make sure he is as comfortable as possible; gets to have his bed rolled beside the window so he can feel the sun and watch the birds flying around and the people working in the rice fields; gets a trip outside in the wheelchair to visit the doggies through the fence; gets to eat fruit-filled pastries with a cup of coffee; drink the 0 sugar grape drink Brian brings him; and see us. He mostly made sense today, even though he briefly talked about finding his jeans so he could ‘escape.’

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Freepik

I’m about to do my water bottle exercises for my arms, and today I’ll add the music to the exercises and see how that goes.

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I’ll spend much of the afternoon painting some of my sketches and working on my puzzle. The puzzle is kind of overwhelming right now, but I’ll just keep working on it a bit at a time. I love the final picture of the large turtle and colorful fish, so it’s well worth the challenge.

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Khun Nong is cleaning at Brian’s today, so he’s working elsewhere to get out of her way and will bring dinner to my place this evening.

Don’t forget to appreciate all the good things today.

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October 31, 2025 · 7:16 pm

This n That – Saturday in Chiang Mai

@cristy75.bsky.social

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The rain stopped for a bit, but is coming down hard again, so I’m checking the window sills every few minutes to see if I need to put more rolled up towels on the window sills. Though it’s a pain, it IS good exercise….

I’m trying to make sure that Mother Nature gets the memo that TODAY is the official start of “The Cool Season” here in Thailand where the temperatures drop a bit and the hard rains STOP.

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Since I read “Prequel: The Last Happy Summer “ by R. G. Ryan, I want to read all the Jake Moriarity series books again. I made sure I either had them on my Kindle or downloaded them again this morning so I can reread the first 6 books again. If you want to get them, here is a source – https://www.amazon.com/The-Jake-Moriarity-Novels-6-book-series/dp/B07H9JMTN5

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I’m looking forward to painting more of my sketches today. I’m lucky that I have a lot of fun things to do – around wringing out wet towels from the window sills. 😄☔️

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Have a happy day!

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October 21, 2025 · 9:43 pm

Wednesday, October 22nd

Brian bought this for me yesterday, left it at my door, and then texted me. I’m thrilled. It’s a wonderful shade of purple, is large enough for all my things. I love the crochet work on it. Brian got it so that I can now wash the other carrier I’ve been carrying!

This is the older carrier. I love it, too. The same lady made both of them. I have this one out on my drying rack on my balcony now. I want to take good care of these. The workmanship is beautiful. Brian took a picture of me with one carrier on one shoulder and the other carrier on my other shoulder to send to her. She was very happy, and so am I!

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We are going to the visa place this morning to finalize the paperwork on our 90-day reporting for our legality in Thailand. We think she will either stamp or put a piece of paper showing we did the 90-day reporting into our visas. Then we’ll get my husband’s medical visa back, also with proof he qualified for that, plus did the 90-day reporting. Then we’ll be fixed until mid-January, I think.

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I’m enjoying working on my puzzle. It’s a difficult one, with a whole lot of black throughout, plus a lot of the same flowering tree throughout, making it really difficult to figure out where you’re trying to work. Some of the black has a HINT of green, or a HINT of flowers, but not enough that you can group them well. Challenging – fun – pretty.

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When we get home from the visa place, I plan to paint another sketch I did at the cafe last Friday. I also downloaded a friend’s book (“The Last Summer: A Jake Moriarity Prequel” by RG Ryan) and want to dive into it today.

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It’s a beautiful sunny (!) day here so far. I have lots of laundry drying on my rack on my tiny balcony. I hope Mother Nature isn’t playing games with me…

Have a happy day.

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