Sunday, March 19, 2023

Little pity party

Nothing can make you feel smaller than to discover your neighbor has been going through months of hell. 

Matt came over and FIXED the honeysuckle. It had fallen to the ground almost two years ago, so long that it had all taken root in very strange places. My Japanese Anemones have disappeared. My Peace Rose was growing up through the honeysuckle fallen to the ground. And I have bitched about this for years. David had started a fix, over-complicated trellis cemented in the ground and steel beams to stabilize. 

Every Christmas, Mother's Day, Birthday, I was promised my honeysuckle was on the list of presents. And today was my gift was delivered. I got to trim the Mock Orange that had grown out of control that I had no access to. 

Yesterday, I was thinking about the guy who mowed the yard last year. And I swear, not one hour later, he was in my front yard! I saw him through the window and gave him the thumbs up for mowing and cleaning up. He does not speak English. I was so happy. I probably paid him more money than I should have.

But then my neighbor came over to ask me a question and then told me 3 weeks after D's heart attack, he also had one and was rushed off for a quadruple bypass. OMG, I said. Then on top of that, he was also going through prostrate cancer treatments. Then he fell and had a big gash and stitches in his head. And his wife fell in the backyard and broke her arm. I mean, please, that is enough for one family to go through!

I was talking to Matt later, saying how badly I felt for my neighbor while I was going through my little pity-party next door. How small I feel. Getting old is not for the faint of heart.

Arresting outcome

If they arrest trump, I am drinking Mimosas ALL DAY.

Cut it out

Raymond SaĆ” paintings and paper collage.

MINI ROTHKO - Color Play On Cardboard

Friday, March 17, 2023

The story behind the book

Robin just posted this on Instagram. I had forgotten she made this video but I watch it and it seems like yesterday that we were on the road. 

 Last Leg 

 Home again

   

And her newest reel 

 

This was a great trip and meeting Neltje was a true experience 

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Life goes on, but who's life?

You can skip this post, it will be boring for most. I have all ready blogged about most of this. 

I have started having itchy skin, usually in the middle of the night. It has been going on for a couple of weeks. Last night I got up at 3am and ordered some oils and stuff off of Amazon. I am sure it is just dry skin but it is very annoying. 

I have been watching a old British crime/police show Trial and Retribution I ran into on YouTube. The story plots are pretty interesting. 

I was thinking this morning, Life Goes On but it does not seem like MY life. I feel like a foreigner in my own skin. I am sure I should start being more social but I have absolutely NO interest in talking to most people. It feels like I still have so much to do to tidy up everything and start LIVING again. I am starting to feel overwhelmed again. Although, I have been marking off projects off my list of things to do.

I was looking for an image that I thought I posted in early October so I started scrolling through my blog. Gee, I love every image I see. I LOVE my blog. I know I have stated this many times. It has been a constant in my life for so long, through my mom, brother, uncle, David's death, my beloved dogs, the kids growing up, remodeling and of course all the great things I find on the internet. It makes me write, read, dream, be curious, think! I seriously don't know what I do without it. And thank you for coming along for the ride!

 

Why do you collect sand from my Sand Blog

Kristina Kallur is asking why do you collect sand and I want to answer that. 

My husband and I are great collectors. So it is no surprise that sand became an obsession.

It all started with this image from a magazine so many years ago. Small bottles of sand from around the world displayed in a single row on a small shelf. Instantly in love with the idea. The variety of subtle colors of the earth gave me a chill.

I lived all over the world with my step dad working for an oil company and I soooo wish I had started collecting when I lived in Malta, Scotland, Majorca. But then I forgot about collecting sand until a couple of years ago and that image popped back in my head. I think I started when I was laid off from MSNBC, my job for 14 years. I was a little depressed and in my 50's. I am now 67 so I have been collecting for some years. This sounded like something to take my mind off of that blow, while I freelanced and traveled with a friend of mine as a her photographer assistant. It was a perfect time to start my collecting. I put the call out to my traveling friends to bring me back a surprise! Now I am a little possessed. I have not successfully achieved to build a wall full of sand but I have big plans.

 
I also love this display.
 

I don't travel as much as I did in my youth, thankfully, I have friends who never forget my hobby! Just think of it as a cheap but well-loved birthday or Christmas gift!

My husband and I recently took a road trip through new Mexico, Arizona and Utah and got some lovely samples! I think he was more excited than I was about the wonderful samples we had!

 

I purchased 8 Dram / 1 oz / 30 mL, Clear Glass Sample Storage Specimen Vial Container w/Black Screw on Caps for a consistent display. Mind you, these vials have become so much more expensive, I will need to rethink my display once I use up my present supply

I also collect seedpods and feathers, rocks and shells.


 
I am a part of Sand Collectors United and International Sand Collectors Society on Facebook. I want to go to some meetups. I want to join the Everett Rock and Gem Club for grins. I have meet some wonderful people online that I chat with all the time. Mainly I ask them about the ins and outs of collecting since I still consider myself a novice. One of my friends is Jim Rienhardt. He shared his Excel reference example for keeping track. He sent me lots of samples from New York and encouraged me. I think we met on Pinterest! I am not as diligent as a serious collector of the cleaning, and measuring and documenting for me to be confident to trade. I do send off samples to friends. And I am much better at getting all the information correct. I guess I just feel a little intimidated.
 
I consider myself an internet sleuth and LOVE looking up the area on Google maps where my sand comes from, what the sand consist of, about the area where people found it. It is a mystery always worth exploring which is one of the reasons I started my Something Sand blog, for myself to document my discoveries. Also books and videos that I had found interesting. There are also wonderful groups who make natural pigments, like the Wild Pigment Project.

My husband LOVED my sand collection. Always encouraged me. He passed away recently which makes our car trip through AZ, NM, and Utah even more precious. 
 
My kids want to keep it once I have passed. My granddaughter stood looking at my display of sand and shells and collection of art, she stepped  back, spread her arms to the heavens and said "Just think, all of this will be mine some day". Boy, did I have a giggle inside but I am thankful they are interested in my favorite hobby.
 
I don't see any downfalls of this hobby. Just take a small amount. Make sure you identify it while you are taking it because trust me, you will forget. I have lots of samples that are unmarked. I think this is a great project for school kids and younger adults. It is not expensive, it is very interesting, it gives them something to do on vacation instead of buying knick knacks. It teaches them about earth, geology and geography.
 
For 10+ years now I have wanted to put together a sand collecting kit for kids. It would include some bottles or vials, a printed log book and an example of how to note your sample, a nice box to keep your collection safe, maybe a FB group just for them to share their finds, a program for their school. I just love the idea.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Sense of fun and whimsy

I LOVE Randy Rainbow! 

 

Paul Sumner is a mixed-media craftsman hailing from North Carolina’s Piedmont region. For the last 35 years Paul has produced hand-crafted wood and metal sculpture from his home studio in Summerfield NC, just outside of Greensboro, where he resides with his wife and fellow artist Linda Sumner. His work can be found at galleries and craft shows throughout the country. I would love to have one of these for out fish wall!

Use this a template

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Poignant and sad

Before I go to bed I must mention this movie, The Door, I just watched on Amazon Prime.  

When Emerenc, the central character of IstvĆ”n Szabó's "The Door," sweeps the pavement to rid it of snow, she looks like she's fighting an enemy. Every sweep is fierce and deliberate and there's a determination to the old woman's movements that testifies to far greater battles she's fought in the past. By the time she's done, the snow has covered the pavement again — which for Emerenc doesn't mean defeat. It just means more sweeping. 

  

Looks like you can also watch the full movie here on YouTube.

Kid's play

I have this great Pinterest board for art ideas for Mason and me. I have lots of ideas for us this summer. I definitely want us to paint some sticks

Carolyn Gavin

Famille Summerbelle, painting and collages
Sunflower Puppets — ART CAMP
Handmade Charlotte - Make A Bouquet of Flower Cards for Mother’s Day
Studio Legohead
Sally Payne 


 

 Bright Swatches - by June Erica Vess

And for all of that extra wood in the garage? Unusual Abstract Mixed Media Rainbow Colored Recycled Sari Ribbon Original Hand Painted Textured Textile Collage Totems Sticks Panels
How I love these prints by Jessierainbowprints on Etsy

MAGA madness

I bought myself a nice bottle of red with my new debit card, sang myself happy birthday and ate a half piece of cheesecake LOL after I spent some times with the kids! 

Batshit crazy MAGA crap

 

TRUMP-PAC or TPAC. A place where they peddle trump-Chinese-produced-shit! 

 

  

  

Psycho bitch, what makes a person so crazy?

 

Monday, March 13, 2023

The weight of being

I am so mad at myself for letting yet another cucumber die in the veggie bin, along with some bell peppers. While I am waiting for my new debit card, I have no cash to go the store so I am really trying to just eat the food I have here, which is plenty. I made a trip to the freezer in the garage, brought out some hamburger and a whole chicken I had bought (.99lb - back in the good ole days) for the dogs. Boiled the chicken. Salvaged what bell peppers and the onions that were not sprouting and made some spaghetti sauce. I don't want to brag, but I finally made something that tasted good! 

Yesterday I was reminded of the poverty days of college when I would put $2 worth of gas in my car to get to work. I am counting my cash and calculating how much gas I can put in the tank. I am hoping the new debit card shows up today or I am going to need to go back to the bank. And I will be tempted to take a out a huge sum of money in response to the banking bad news. Mason wanted to see where I live in Scotland and I actually found a photo of the house. Called Claverhouse in Dundee, Scotland. I read about the history. It was such a lovely place with a conservatory on the left. The large front lawn would be completely full of daffodils in the spring. And it had the largest Rodies (purple) I have ever seen. More like trees. I wish we had taken photos of some of the rooms. I never thought about it.

Friends and family called this morning to remind me it is my birthday. I had honestly forgotten this day was rolling around again. I never thought about being 60, or 64 or even 67 ... which I am today. I think I was so engrossed in work and life in my 50's that I didn't realize how fast it was all sneaking up on me. My friend can't understand why I don't want a big celebration but honestly, even before I hit my 60's I was never a big birthday celebration kind of girl. I will take Mason's advice ...

The girls spent Friday night with me and it was great having them here, laughing and talking. And when they left on Saturday, the house felt even more empty than ever.  Mason found my Estate Planning folder and asked me about it. After I explained what it was ... when she realized she might be getting this house in the future, she started telling me about the changes she would make. It was hysterical and fun. She has a lot of plans for the kitchen LOL. Today, Monday, is the day I collect them from school so I will get a little dose of love today.

Toni Hamel  and her Instagram.







Saturday, March 11, 2023

Another day in crazy-ville

Between banking failure news, historic snowfall and now flooding in CA, I guess I am glad I had to go purposely look for news. 

Now that I have switched over to Roku, looks like it just lost 25% of its cash in SVB failure. I love the way billionaire Theil and the SVB Chief, Greg Becker, sold $3.6 million in stocks days before failure ... pretty sure this is illegal? I guess many other SVB bank executives sold many shares as well! So they were aware something terrible was about to happen while telling clients to stay calm. When will these people start going to jail for these crimes? 

And then there are ridiculous stories ... Florida woman calls for Sugar Daddy Appreciation Day at board meeting, TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A woman took the podium at the Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board meeting on March 2 with an unusual request. She asked the board to designate March 10 as “Sugar Daddy and Mommy Appreciation Day.” WAIT, WHAT???

This is heartbreaking

Ribbeting

schalleszter
Travis Foster
Jenn Ski
British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
 Andrea d'Aquino