Saturday, June 09, 2012
Friday, June 08, 2012
Rainbow from my sofa
Wow, I just looked up and through my backdoor ... this enormous rainbow from horizon to horizon appeared! Must be a good luck sign!
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Transformation
As much as I hate to see the Snowball's beautiful blooms start to fade in a vase, I am reminded they don't die, they only transform into something just as interesting.
More Beautiful Afterlife.
More Beautiful Afterlife.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Green and grey
It is raining and cold. I have been awake since 3am. At first watching some silly Hallmark movie to lull myself back to dreamland. Then gave up and decided to check email.
Now watching slow grey clouds float part the top of my computer screen and listening to the rain pound the skylights. The raindrops are making the leaves on the tree right outside my window dance up and down. It almost looks like a musical scale in tune with the rain. New greens leaves of the Liquid Amber tree against the grey. New green and grey - my favorite color combination.
Looking through OpenProcessing site and thinking how wonderful it would be to create these little gems. But my brain can not take on another project, new thought or want at this moment in time.
This "Particles" by Asher Salomon
Reading about Stem by Diana Lange – Building stems from colour with Processing
Rain app by developer: Rainer Kohlberger
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz [iPhone]. Created as the result of Jörg Piringer’s ongoing research, abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz is a sound toy and a performance tool. You can play with the letter-creatures and watch and listen how they interact with each other or use them to produce soundscapes like you would with an electronic musical instrument. (Makes me want an iPhone).
Created by Diana Lange, this project is a visualization of Thedor Fontane‘s poem “Brücke am Tay”. Included are 5 different applications, each one visualising the poem in a slightly different way.
Now watching slow grey clouds float part the top of my computer screen and listening to the rain pound the skylights. The raindrops are making the leaves on the tree right outside my window dance up and down. It almost looks like a musical scale in tune with the rain. New greens leaves of the Liquid Amber tree against the grey. New green and grey - my favorite color combination.
Looking through OpenProcessing site and thinking how wonderful it would be to create these little gems. But my brain can not take on another project, new thought or want at this moment in time.
This "Particles" by Asher Salomon
Reading about Stem by Diana Lange – Building stems from colour with Processing
Rain app by developer: Rainer Kohlberger
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz [iPhone]. Created as the result of Jörg Piringer’s ongoing research, abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz is a sound toy and a performance tool. You can play with the letter-creatures and watch and listen how they interact with each other or use them to produce soundscapes like you would with an electronic musical instrument. (Makes me want an iPhone).
Created by Diana Lange, this project is a visualization of Thedor Fontane‘s poem “Brücke am Tay”. Included are 5 different applications, each one visualising the poem in a slightly different way.
Eye candy
These kind of sites keep me addicted ...
Wallace Gardens
from one small seed...
what i see when i run, plant portraits
Oscar Graeme. How wonderful, I see one of my peony photos there ;) I love it when that happens.
National Library of Australia, Botany
Wallace Gardens
from one small seed...
what i see when i run, plant portraits
Oscar Graeme. How wonderful, I see one of my peony photos there ;) I love it when that happens.
National Library of Australia, Botany
Monday, June 04, 2012
Elaine Pamphilon
I am in love! Elaine Pamphilon's paintings are so wonderful, spontaneous, delightful! Loving the landscapes.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Spiders take up residence
Okay, it was an all-day-affair with the bathroom.
I am not one of those cleaners that can just dust off a surface and call it good. Once I start, I can not stop. Which is probably why I haven't allowed myself to start cleaning the little dirty spots I see hiding everywhere. I try to ignore them. Just look past them. Tell myself I will clean that later.
But today, with that power outage, I took on the bathroom. Bathtub drain needing cleaning, done. Sink drain, cleared and cleaned. Every time I have to take the stopper apart from the guts of the plumbing to clean the drain, I think ... what a crappy design! I have to take the entire guts of the sink apart to clean out hair/gunk from drain. Really?
Only a man, who doesn't actually have to worry about these minor details of every day living would design such a ridiculous drain system.
And speaking of ridiculous. I told my plumber years ago to design a toilet seat that we (the house cleaners) can detach from the bowl. I said, "you want to make a billion dollars? Design me a detachable toilet seat." I mean, really, how easy would that be? Just unscrew two little screwy things in the back of the lid, take it off, wash it in the bathtub, wash around the back where the lid was ... Come on! Toilet lid designers, get with it!
Went through every bottle of something and threw away stuff according to the expiration date. Combined "like" things, two half full bottles of baby shampoo (I keep for the dogs). Pulling out the travel version of something to take on my trip.
So six hours of cleaning, I am almost done. A break to watch Nightly News and give my back a break. Just the bathtub left. Taking interior protective shower curtain liner to wash in the washing machine. I wash them, let them dry out a little outside. I also pour several pots of boiling water down the drains after I have thoroughly cleaned them.
The spiders were a little surprised since they had taken up permanent residence in the corners.
Tomorrow, I might take on the kitchen!
I am not one of those cleaners that can just dust off a surface and call it good. Once I start, I can not stop. Which is probably why I haven't allowed myself to start cleaning the little dirty spots I see hiding everywhere. I try to ignore them. Just look past them. Tell myself I will clean that later.
But today, with that power outage, I took on the bathroom. Bathtub drain needing cleaning, done. Sink drain, cleared and cleaned. Every time I have to take the stopper apart from the guts of the plumbing to clean the drain, I think ... what a crappy design! I have to take the entire guts of the sink apart to clean out hair/gunk from drain. Really?
Only a man, who doesn't actually have to worry about these minor details of every day living would design such a ridiculous drain system.
And speaking of ridiculous. I told my plumber years ago to design a toilet seat that we (the house cleaners) can detach from the bowl. I said, "you want to make a billion dollars? Design me a detachable toilet seat." I mean, really, how easy would that be? Just unscrew two little screwy things in the back of the lid, take it off, wash it in the bathtub, wash around the back where the lid was ... Come on! Toilet lid designers, get with it!
Went through every bottle of something and threw away stuff according to the expiration date. Combined "like" things, two half full bottles of baby shampoo (I keep for the dogs). Pulling out the travel version of something to take on my trip.
So six hours of cleaning, I am almost done. A break to watch Nightly News and give my back a break. Just the bathtub left. Taking interior protective shower curtain liner to wash in the washing machine. I wash them, let them dry out a little outside. I also pour several pots of boiling water down the drains after I have thoroughly cleaned them.
The spiders were a little surprised since they had taken up permanent residence in the corners.
Tomorrow, I might take on the kitchen!
Coffee without email
It is strange to wake up without electricity. Scary at first, when I think, what about not having my coffee ... then remember I have the gas stove and french press. Strange thoughts at first about nation-wide power grid outage ... terrorist attack ... then say, oh calm down! Enjoy.
The silence starts to sink in. I realize I could have my coffee, outdoors, listening to the birds sing. Not drinking coffee over my keyboard, checking email.
I could hear the neighbors scoot their chair up to the table, the kids next door laughing over something their grandmother had just said. My cell phone charge went out just about the time I text my neighbor to ask if his electricity was out ... and he shot back that his wife was making him take a walk since he couldn't work at the computer. Power keeps us so connected, maybe too connected for our own good.
Thoughts of cleaning my bathroom with no distraction! Without guilt that I should be working on something computer related. No bad news from the television.
Life was delightfully quiet and subdued for about 40 minutes.
How connected we are and how to disconnect ourselves. That is what I am going to focus on. Someone that works from home was telling me ... you must take a "sabbath". A day off. It is a must. I agree. How to allow myself to do that is what I am working on.
The bees don't care that the electricity goes out ... they are busy at work regardless.
Cup of coffee sans email! (My favorite saucers from Goodwill so many years ago ... still trying to find the perfect mismatched cup to go with them ... I asked my ceramics friend to make me some cups with those beautiful colors and patterns on them!)
Taking a moment to see what is blooming out there. (I agree, Maggie, need to find new sunny places for the peonies!)
Pixel having her morning stretch.
The silence starts to sink in. I realize I could have my coffee, outdoors, listening to the birds sing. Not drinking coffee over my keyboard, checking email.
I could hear the neighbors scoot their chair up to the table, the kids next door laughing over something their grandmother had just said. My cell phone charge went out just about the time I text my neighbor to ask if his electricity was out ... and he shot back that his wife was making him take a walk since he couldn't work at the computer. Power keeps us so connected, maybe too connected for our own good.
Thoughts of cleaning my bathroom with no distraction! Without guilt that I should be working on something computer related. No bad news from the television.
Life was delightfully quiet and subdued for about 40 minutes.
How connected we are and how to disconnect ourselves. That is what I am going to focus on. Someone that works from home was telling me ... you must take a "sabbath". A day off. It is a must. I agree. How to allow myself to do that is what I am working on.
The bees don't care that the electricity goes out ... they are busy at work regardless.
Cup of coffee sans email! (My favorite saucers from Goodwill so many years ago ... still trying to find the perfect mismatched cup to go with them ... I asked my ceramics friend to make me some cups with those beautiful colors and patterns on them!)
Taking a moment to see what is blooming out there. (I agree, Maggie, need to find new sunny places for the peonies!)
Pixel having her morning stretch.
Speaking of dogs
I got a sneak peak of Pixel's portrait in Robin's book "A Letter To My Dog". Be sure to "like" A Letter to my Dog Facebook page! (I have taken over updating that FB page every day ... so give it some love!) Can't wait for the book to come out. I have pre-ordered my copy. ;)
Friday, June 01, 2012
Blooming
I looked up from my computer today and everything seems to be blooming at once! I don't think the Honeysuckle has ever been so dense with flowers! Very few peonies ;( I guess I need to move the remaining from under the trees (trees were planted to be a visual barrier). Laura and I were talking the other day about how garden design just changes as plants/shrubs/flowers grow and spread out. Her landscaper had warned her about that. Now I am trying to re-imagine my garden and where stuff should be moved, new beds? I only know, that the peonies are not happy, have not been happy for many years, and I must figure that out. Or give them away to someone who has a "happy place" for them to grow.
I admit, I am addicted to Words with Friends (Scrabble). Is that bad?
Trying to finish up outstanding projects before I begin my road trip in a couple of weeks.
I am researching something that might help my mom with her current medical situation. It is a weird, gross but a common sense idea to her problem.
Making BIG Brantlers this weekend! Must get to the studio!
I admit, I am addicted to Words with Friends (Scrabble). Is that bad?
Trying to finish up outstanding projects before I begin my road trip in a couple of weeks.
I am researching something that might help my mom with her current medical situation. It is a weird, gross but a common sense idea to her problem.
Making BIG Brantlers this weekend! Must get to the studio!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
An arenophile with a band saw
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. I remember saying to myself ... why haven't I been doing that all of my life with all the great beaches I have visited. But then I forgot about collecting sand until a couple of years ago and that image popped back in my head.
I don't have a spot in my house for a long, single shelf, nor do I have enough bottles of sand/dirt yet. Using this little cabinet I bought many years ago as a model, I made myself a larger version to hold the taller bottles that Tara found for the sand collection. (Thank you, Tara). At first I was just using old, odd bottles, but wanted something uniform. I used the band saw, odd pieces of molding and wood around the garage. I finally finished painting/distressing it tonight. I would call it cutely quirky in the fact that it is a little "off", meaning one shelf is about 1/4 inch unlevel. But, hey, it is my first effort. And even better, I finished something this week! I am so in love with my collection all ready! Tara brought some from a couple of her trips. I have been asking all my friends going on vacation to bring me back a snack baggie of dirt or sand.
More wonderful sand collections, A Sand Collector is called an ARENOPHILE, did you know it? Egg2Cake has a wonderful display of sand.
A great website called "sand collection" by Daniel Helbers. He documents and maps his collection. Impressive! Below, 300 samples of sand from his site. Cool!
Mark + Kim Pinkerton on Flickr have a great collection on just the shelves I would love to have.
Adam Hally has a great collection. As well as some great close up photos of the sand collection.
This is a great New York Times piece about Dr. Holman and his collection found via Completely Coastal's nice blog post about sand collections. (Wouldn't you love his collection!) Is that color-coded? ;)
Bakerella has a great collection from all over the world.
Would love to visit A Museum with Sands. Photos of grains of sand. For me, the variations, colors, the different grains is almost mesmerizing. I love it. I just wish I had been collecting my entire life. A collection of scans of the variety of colors from different countries at Science Art. The international meeting place for sand collectors at arenophile.com.
Through the Sandglass is such an interesting site.
Maybe I should make it official and join the The International Sand Collectors Society, discovering the world grain by grain. Isn't that cool??? Or the Sand Collecting group on Flickr.
So some day, I might have enough vials of sand and a wall space for something grand like this, a collection of over 8,000 samples by Marco Bonifazi.
I don't have a spot in my house for a long, single shelf, nor do I have enough bottles of sand/dirt yet. Using this little cabinet I bought many years ago as a model, I made myself a larger version to hold the taller bottles that Tara found for the sand collection. (Thank you, Tara). At first I was just using old, odd bottles, but wanted something uniform. I used the band saw, odd pieces of molding and wood around the garage. I finally finished painting/distressing it tonight. I would call it cutely quirky in the fact that it is a little "off", meaning one shelf is about 1/4 inch unlevel. But, hey, it is my first effort. And even better, I finished something this week! I am so in love with my collection all ready! Tara brought some from a couple of her trips. I have been asking all my friends going on vacation to bring me back a snack baggie of dirt or sand.
A great website called "sand collection" by Daniel Helbers. He documents and maps his collection. Impressive! Below, 300 samples of sand from his site. Cool!
Mark + Kim Pinkerton on Flickr have a great collection on just the shelves I would love to have.
Adam Hally has a great collection. As well as some great close up photos of the sand collection.
This is a great New York Times piece about Dr. Holman and his collection found via Completely Coastal's nice blog post about sand collections. (Wouldn't you love his collection!) Is that color-coded? ;)
Bakerella has a great collection from all over the world.
Would love to visit A Museum with Sands. Photos of grains of sand. For me, the variations, colors, the different grains is almost mesmerizing. I love it. I just wish I had been collecting my entire life. A collection of scans of the variety of colors from different countries at Science Art. The international meeting place for sand collectors at arenophile.com.
Through the Sandglass is such an interesting site.
Maybe I should make it official and join the The International Sand Collectors Society, discovering the world grain by grain. Isn't that cool??? Or the Sand Collecting group on Flickr.
So some day, I might have enough vials of sand and a wall space for something grand like this, a collection of over 8,000 samples by Marco Bonifazi.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
A little distracted
A crow is softening something in the bird bath. That crow lives at the bird bath when she is not walking around on the roof.
I have 8 snowballs blooming after hard pruning. (Waiting for next year). Have purchased another to plant to block a view in my backyard.
To stay off the computer yesterday, I had marathon-Netflix-movie-day. I felt better for it.
Honeysuckle blooming after a very hot day yesterday.
I have been very distracted lately. Trying to catch up with all of my projects. Making Brantlers. Cleaning house. I am getting ready for a big adventure in a couple of weeks. So much to do, so little time.
Found this little chive flower in the dirt. ;(
If your photo doesn't turn out, add an filter and make it look like it was on "purpose". ;0
I have 8 snowballs blooming after hard pruning. (Waiting for next year). Have purchased another to plant to block a view in my backyard.
To stay off the computer yesterday, I had marathon-Netflix-movie-day. I felt better for it.
Honeysuckle blooming after a very hot day yesterday.
I have been very distracted lately. Trying to catch up with all of my projects. Making Brantlers. Cleaning house. I am getting ready for a big adventure in a couple of weeks. So much to do, so little time.
Found this little chive flower in the dirt. ;(
If your photo doesn't turn out, add an filter and make it look like it was on "purpose". ;0
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
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