Tag Archives: sketching

January 30, 2026 · 12:19 am

Friday 1-30-2026

“Gnarly Birch” – Matt Oliver – “Among Trees” – Substack

This photo takes my breath away! What a life this tree has had…

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Thai Gestures: Learning the Thai language is coming very slowly for me. I AM learning essential phrases, such as,

“Hello – may you have a blessed day,” (pronounced “sawat dee Ka’ah)

“Thank you,” (pronounced “cawp coon ka’ah”) and

“I’m sorry.” (pronounced “caw toad ka’ah”)

I’m also learning essential Thai gestures – ones to make and ones to avoid at all costs –

When you say “hello,” you perform the “Wai” (pronounced “Why“). It’s the praying hands and bowing gesture. This is many times complicated because you’re carrying things, so doing it with one hand is okay – and be sure to smile! 🙏🏻

If you gesture “Come here” with the waving toward yourself gesture common in the States, you have just performed a major insult. You have called them an animal or treated them like an animal.

When you want to gesture “come here,” in Thailand, you make a crawling or digging gesture with your fingers, palm down toward the floor.

Got that? There will be a test later…

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4 GIFs.com

I had a massage this morning. I had some really sore muscles right around my waistline on my right side. They aren’t completely fixed now, but my massage therapist, Khun Weaw. did a wonderful job. I’m so lucky that I can tell her where I’m hurting, put myself in her hands, and know that she won’t hurt me. I can completely relax and let her perform her magic. Ahhhh! (And this is all with ‘pantomime,’ since I don’t speak Thai and she doesn’t speak English – PRICELESS!)

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Facebook – traffic in Chiang Mai

In a few minutes, Brian and I will go to our cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans my place. I will take my sketchbook, drawing supplies, my kindle and my sweatshirt. I will get an iced mocha. 😃

We’re lucky to have a place that encourages people to feel comfortable “whiling” away some time. I’m hoping I get my favorite spot by the front window so I can goggle at the amazing traffic that goes by. The last time I was there, an entire family (man, woman, two children, and their dog!) went by on a motorcyle…

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January 19, 2026 · 1:34 am

Monday 1-19-2026

“Someday perhaps the inner light will shine forth from us

And then we’ll need no other light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

@TracyChrest989204 on Substack

I think this post from Tracy is stunning.

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We went to visit my husband at the nursing home this morning. It was a disappointing visit because it wasn’t a good day for him. He was fixated on me lowering the railing on his bed and finding his shoes so he could “get out of there.” He has no concept of his condition or situation, so it’s challenging to get around this when it happens. He was comfortable, though, and had no major complaints. He was happy we came. When I described working on the turtle jigsaw puzzle, he said, “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

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I took a bag of clothes to the laundry this afternoon, taking a nice walk in the sunshine. I visited the koi fish while I was out –

and continued my walk after visiting with them for a few minutes. They are huge and beautiful. I could watch them for hours. The sun felt good and I finally warmed up after being too chilly all morning. I stayed on my side of the street, not attempting to cross any major streets. Doing that here is a major skill involving lots of judgment and experience, so I wait to do that when Brian is with me.

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Pinterest

Today is yoga stretching. I’m pairing that with stretches Brian showed me, plus some mini-sit-ups.

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When I finish my blog posts and yoga, I’m going to try to concentrate on sketching today. I have my windows open and a delicious breeze is going through my place. Opening the windows adds a lot of traffic noise, but I’m learning to embrace that as part of living in a city of 1.2 MILLION people…

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I hope you have a satisfying day.

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January 16, 2026 · 6:18 am

Busy Friday 1-16-2026

Nature Nomad – @naturecompass.bsky.social

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Today we were gone essentially all day. It’s now after dinner and I’m preparing for tomorrow – getting up at 4:30 a.m. to go to the gym.

I went to the gym, showered, had breakfast with Brian. I had a massage soon after that. It was absolutely what I needed. For some reason, I was tied in knots that Khun Weaw patiently kneaded out. I changed clothes quickly and we traveled to visit my husband at the nursing home. One bright spot on the trip over was they were getting ready to have a parade for the Bo Sang Umbrella Festival that started today and will run through Sunday, with ladies in traditional Thai dresses carrying handmade bamboo umbrellas. There will be classes in how to make the umbrellas, contests on painted umbrellas, the parade, a talent contest, and more during the three days. It was nice to catch a glimpse of the finery.

My husband wasn’t having a good day today. He was constantly routing around on the sides of the bed ‘looking for his gun.’ He insisted that he needed to be ‘ready.’ He insisted that he could get up and walk – which hasn’t been true for several months now and was frustrated with us that we were discouraging that. (It takes 3 people now to get him up into a wheelchair… ) He was also complaining that some ‘crazy’ lady came every day to hug him. When we talked to him about it some more, he agreed to give her some slack, that she was trying to be nice to him, and that just because he felt he didn’t know her, he should give her the benefit of the doubt and accept the fact that she was trying to make his day more pleasant.

We got back from the visit in time to grab our stuff from Brian’s place and head to the cafe to be out of the way while Khun Nong cleaned my place. I had a good time sketching, reading, and then watching the traffic outside my favorite spot at the front window. A man came over and introduced himself. He was an ex-pat, also from Arkansas, if you can believe it. He was a former teacher, like I am, showed interest in my sketches – telling me he had seen me in the cafe before and ‘stole’ a look at my sketch as I worked. He showed me a painted sketch he had done of a building near here somewhere. He was a much better artist than I. He goes back and forth from Chiang Mai to Vietnam, but has pretty much decided to stay here. It was an enjoyable visit.

We went back to Brian’s for dinner and now I’m finally back in my place. Whew! A nice, busy day. Tomorrow is a free day after the gym, so I can do some catching up, including writing blog posts.

Sorry I’m shorting you today. I’m too sleepy to do more. I hope your day is wonderful.

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December 12, 2025 · 12:38 am

Friday, Dec. 12, 2025

@dailybunnies.bsky.social

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Tenor

I went to the gym, ate breakfast, then went for a terrific massage this morning. Ahhhhhhh!

Be Secure Locksmith

A locksmith came to add new locks to Brian’s and my doors – ones that use the same key – for security and to bypass the keyed doorknob on mine that is a pain. He got the lock installed in Brian’s, but needs to come back tomorrow to do mine, after he discovered he’ll have to modify the hole to make it larger before he can install mine. I’m happy that (1) my swollen door has been planed and repainted, and (2) that tomorrow the lock will be one that locks and unlocks my door easily. It’ll bring peace of mind that Brian will be able to get in here, should an emergency occur. 🔑 Being able to use the doorknob to simply open and close the door will be so good!

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Soon we’ll go to the cafe to get out of Khun Nong’s way while she cleans my place. I have my sketchbook and supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt ready to go. I’m looking forward to doing some sketching, and then I’m starting Book 3 of ‘The Lost Bride” trilogy by Nora Roberts, “The Seven Rings.”

I’m hoping to get ‘my’ favorite seating place by the front window where I can watch the amazing traffic go by. There are two official lanes in both directions, with vehicles steering around each other when the opportunity occurs (or they can MAKE one occur), plus a gazillion motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles who have brought weaving in and out between vehicles on both sides to an art form, plus the pedestrians walking up and down the street on both sides, or trying to cross the street. Good luck! 🤞

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This is ‘my’ chair. We have passed it a couple of times in our travels, and I love it more every time I see it. I can just picture it in one corner between my dining and living areas. It would look absolutely GREAT. The fact that it will take me winning the lottery in order to buy it, and then pay to have it delivered to my place are annoying ‘details.’ When we passed it recently, there was a white cat asleep on the cushion! As I looked at it, assuming it was a stuffed animal, it opened one gorgeous blue eye and yawned and stretched. I. WANT. THIS. CHAIR!!!!

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November 7, 2025 · 9:08 pm

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Unsplash

My day started with walking a mile on the treadmill at the gym, then breakfast with Brian, followed by a glorious massage. I look forward to my massages each week. I will NEVER forget Lynn Moody, and my wonderful massages in Arkansas🙏🏻, but I’m grateful I found another really skilled massage therapist I can trust here.

It occurred to me that I might not have left a review on Google about the place I go, so I checked this morning and I had NOT! So I rectified that just a minute ago, basically telling people my life has changed since finding a beautifully run, clean, caring place that has experienced people who care about their clients. Khun Weaw has her work cut out for her, dealing with a 78-year-old with a lot of stress. She knows just how much pressure to use to give me relief, but not ‘break’ me! 😁 🙏🏻

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I got back to my place, changed clothes and Brian and I went to visit Harvey at the nursing home. We had to pay an upcharge and long wait time to get a Grab, but I guess that was because of the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng celebrations. A lot of shops close, and maybe Grab was short of drivers with people going home to be with family. Also, people come from all over the globe to see these remarkable celebrations, so demand was probably very high for transportation.

Harvey was more alert than he was the last time we saw him. He wasn’t making a lot of sense, though.  I was talking about something about the condo, and he asked “When did you move?” He said to Brian, “I thought you lived on Earth.” He talked about starting an import/export business, and then wanted us to bring ‘a dozen’ things from the grocery so he could sell them at the nursing home… He did acknowledge we were leaving and said, “See you soon.” He seemed comfortable, wasn’t hostile, and seemed glad we were there. 

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By the time we got back, it was already time for my terrific housekeeper, Khun Nong, to be cleaning my place. We didn’t need to bother her because I had taken the things I wanted to take to the cafe to Brian’s place when we shared breakfast. We grabbed our stuff and left.

I enjoyed making some more sketches, read more of my current book in my Kindle, people and traffic watched – since I got my favorite seat by the front window – while enjoying an iced mocha and later a lemonade.

My housekeeper did a stellar job as usual. There isn’t a particle of dust anywhere, and everything is scrubbed. Things on tables are straightened and all is neat – not one of my strong suits! Today I sat down at my computer to catch up on email and saw this! The white flowers are in a shot-glass size glass vase and were left on my computer table. I just couldn’t stop grinning. I’m so grateful to have found her.

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We were gone from just after 11:00 until about 5:30. Then we had dinner and visited awhile. When I got back to my place and had caught up on email, I was so tired and sleepy I just didn’t write any posts for the blog. Apologies.

I hope you’re having a really nice day/evening today.

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October 16, 2025 · 8:59 pm

Full Friday

I’ve been to the gym, showered, eaten breakfast, and will soon go to get my Friday massage. This is truly a gift that I am giving myself. Khun Weaw is a master. She knows without words where I’m sore, where my tensions have settled, how much she can do to help without breaking me me each week. I consider her time and care part of my new health regimen.

The image above is the card I painted to show her in a small way how much I appreciate being able to come to her each week. I know how to bow and SAY “Hello “(and best wishes for a blessed day for you) and “Thank You” now – in awkward Thai, and say these each time I go, but I have no idea how to WRITE “Thank You,” so just had to write that in English.

Brian told me something I hadn’t realized before. He said that when I give someone a gift, I should bow 🙏🏻 and present the gift with BOTH HANDS so that the person understands it’s a gift, so I’ll be sure and do that this morning. I hope it makes her feel special.

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When I finish my massage and get dressed again, Brian and I will go visit my husband in the nursing home. I’m hoping he’s alert and more comfortable than the last time we saw him. He’s having more trouble eating. There are various options, none of which we like. We’re taking this one visit at a time and making decisions as we go. Going to visit him is a 3-hour round trip.

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When we come back from visiting my husband, we will gather the things we need from Brian’s place and prepare to spend the rest of the afternoon at a cafe where they make you feel comfortable to sit as long as you would like. I get an iced mocha, and sometimes Brian and I get a fresh lemonade for the last bit of time we’re there.

I take my sketchbook and supplies, and sit there happily trying to draw images I find on my phone that I’ll paint later on in the week. I also take my Kindle, where I’m in the middle of a book from an author new to me.

Finally, if I’m lucky enough to get the seat at the front of the cafe, I can watch the activity on the big street outside. I’m fascinated to watch the many lanes of vehicles – cars, buses, trucks, Tuk-Tuks, a gazillion (give or take one or two) motorcycles, motor scooters, and bicycles zipping in and out of the lanes of traffic almost without slowing down or stopping. Finally, the pedestrians walking on both sides of the street, crossing the road (some carefully, using good sense – others waiting, then RUNNING full speed, hoping they make it to the other side.)

It’s intelligent chaos. Everyone is used to the flow. They know what to do and not do (except for the runners.) I’m fascinated, and VERY glad my husband and I don’t have to try to drive in this.

(Brian and I use Grabs for wherever we go. It’s amazing how fast they come and how expertly they drive, using their GPS’s to take you right where you want to go, whether they have been there personally before or not). PLUS, I get a lot of practice trying to say “Hello” and “Thank You!”

We’ll get home around dinner time, and then I’ll end the busy Friday lounging on my couch, wearing my headphones, and listening to and watching YouTube before bed.

I hope you have a fun time today. Make yourself a priority for at least a while during the day, doing something you truly enjoy. It’ll fill up your heart and have your smile spilling over onto all around you!

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August 1, 2025 · 9:23 pm

More Pampering!

Freepik

I had a lovely day yesterday with a massage in the morning, time in a cafe sipping an iced cappucino while drawing in my sketch book or reading a book on my new Kindle while my housekeeper (woo HOOO!) made my place spotless. These were topped off by a trip to a street market and beautiful dinner.

Brian had bought the new Kindle for Harvey to use in the nursing home. My husband has always been a voracious reader, reading paperbacks plus books downloaded on to his Kindle at the rate sometimes of a book in one day. Since his stroke, the old Kindle was too much for him to handle, so Brian ordered a new, simpler one which only had the reader without any other bells and whistles. It turned out that the simpler one was too much for him, as well, so we brought it home with us last time. Brian wiped the books off, downloaded all of MY books onto it, listed it on Amazon so I can continue to download books from Kindle Unlimited, and synced it to the Wifi in my place, as well as an alternate if needed. Is my son a keeper or what! 🙂

And the pampering continues today! Two months ago we found a hair stylist who looked at a picture I brought in on my phone and tried his best to emulate it – taking into account that my hair won’t do ANYTHING on its own. It’s thin, fine, and totally uncooperative. I came out looking as if ‘someone had a plan,’ rather than an exploded mushroom. I’m hoping he can work a miracle again today.

After my haircut, fingers are crossed that Brian will be able to find some tennis shoes to replace the ones he is using now which have the tread totally worn off. I hope he finds something he is happy with today at the big mall.

I hope that YOU are being pampered, too, or that you figure out things you can do for yourself that make your face explode into a wide, wide grin today.

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