The Crone's Corner

Wanda's Art Challenge

2010-10-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

My haphazard attempt at Wanda's current art challenge. Link here.

Below I was just doodling around. I ran out of paper, too. Couldn't get those adorable little feet.

I had to force myself to do even this small amount. I could list out some excuses, but I won't. I think I might also be experiencing some blogging burnout. It will pass.

They're Baaack!

2010-09-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Group is back.

A week or so ago I mentioned my daughter and two grandsons moved in with a friend. Well, that didn't last long... about a week and a half. I can't say it was a surprise, but I was thinking it might last for a month or two. It didn't have a chance. Not given the personalities involved.

Its as though they were never gone..... (whimper)

And aren't I just too lucky for words. I get to continue an apparently life-long bonding session with the boys. What gramma wouldn't want that? Seriously.... what gramma would want it! I mean't wouldn't want it.

They bring so much to my life. Cartoons, endless mindless cartoons. Little boy farts followed by giggles and more farting until it turns into a little accident in one of their pants. (Now that was funny! The look of shock on his face was priceless, especially since I'm not the mother.) I get to look forward to possible head lice, possibly some scabies, but for sure there will be lots and lots of colds throughout the year. I could go on.... but I won't. Lucky you!

But for now I have to go wipe down the kitchen garbage can. Apparently no one has a decent aim when tossing things into the can.

Timeout - A Magpie Tale

2010-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Jack sat in the chair with his head down, his arms leaning on his lap, fists clenched. He darted a glance over at the timer. The white sand slowly dripped from the top chamber to the bottom.

Oh gawd, its taking so long. People just don’t get how long a small amount of time can sometimes take.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of happier times. Summers. Blue skies. Skinned knees. Sunburns. No, no. Winters. Snowmen. Tube slides. Frostbitten fingers. Sinus infections. Oh gawd.

Another glance at the timer brought a loud sigh.

That’s it! Breath deeply. How long can this torture last?

It already felt as though he had been sitting in the corner for decades, even if it would not take longer than three minutes, tops.

Jack looked again at the timer. He felt so edgy. Half the sand remained in the top chamber. He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it through this “consequence” without going stark raving mad. He could see it now. He would go screaming out of the front door, naked except for his boxers, arms flailing wildly, jibber jabber coming from his mouth. Maybe he would be able to work up some foam, too.

Jack played with the daydream so long that his time was up when he next looked.

“Hey mom… My times up, okay” he called to the next room.

Jack’s mom looked out from the kitchen door. “And now what are you going to do?” she asked sternly.

Jack hated pop quizzes. “I’m going to… go pick up my clothes and put them in the hamper” he asked.

“Oh Jack. You’re 32 years old for crap sake. When ARE you going to grow up?!!!”

Check out other Magpie Tales here.

Vyron's First Day of School

2010-09-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

My five year old grandson finally got to start kindergarten. His mom sent me this picture from her phone. They have a "uniform", however it looks more like a dress code, but I'm just splitting hairs. I think Vyron is going to love school..... until he gets bored. He's got a good mind, so far.

Mom says he loved his first day. It was all he could talk about.

I mentioned in an earlier post that my daughter and boys moved in with a friend. I'm already hearing "but" comments, so the move isn't a firm one yet. I suspect my solitude may be short-lived, so I shall relish it as much as I can... much like waiting for the hatchet to fall.

Apparently my daughter worked very hard cleaning the whole house (except bedrooms) and it was back to dirty in a heartbeat. Hers. Karma came to mind, but I kept the word quiet. The timing wasn't right to be accepted as constructive criticism. Snort.

So it may not work out. Wow. Who could have seen that coming. (should you be wondering, that is dripping with sarcasm.)

And speaking of empty intentions, for the last three days I have held a sincere intention to get a cat drawing done for Wanda's Art Challenge. Sigh. I have the paper, the utensils right at hand, but alas.... no mark has been made yet.

I've heard/read so many people say things like "I was born with a paint brush in my hand" or "If I don't create something every day I will just shrivel!" Well, not me. Not to worry with that one. Sigh. I still hold my intentions... perhaps later this evening.

The Parrot

2010-09-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sandy had posted a couple of photos of a parrot. You can check the photos out here.

I took the easy way out and eliminated the claw.

On a different subject.... I'm getting my space back. My daughter informed me today that her and the boys are officially moving in with a friend. Be still my heart. I am completely giddy, although I'm holding it in well. No cartwheels or jumping about... but I have started cleaning already. You know, because it may stay clean for a day or two. Especially the toilet bowl!! TMI? Oh well... its the small things that brighten one's life.

"Happy days are here again....
The sky above is clear again... "

Good Luck Renting this One

2010-09-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Every so often I check out rental opportunities as found on Craigslist. I want to see what the going rate is for apartments or houses. (A lot of the scams are easy to spot... an $800,000 house available to rent for $700 a month.) I also look at the pictures of apts/houses to see what $2,000 or $5,000 a month will buy. ("They want WHAT for that?!")

I happened to check one and saw this picture below. I can rent this house for $750 a month (or close to this amount)... if I want to move to another city.

Did you notice anything interesting about the house? Like, oh I don't know, maybe the amount of space between the ground and the house (right side of photo). Good luck renting this house. I'm guessing you'll need it.

Figs Suck - An Art Challenge

2010-09-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at doing a plate of figs (see Wanda's Challenge here.) Figs are not my friend.

I tried to do the figs a second time....

Worse than the first, but I'm not going to continue trying. I've had enough of figs, thankyouverymuch.

(done with oil pastels, should you be wondering.)

The Gift - A Magpie Tale

2010-09-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Teacher Sarah sat at her desk looking at the apple. It had seen better days. No telling where it’s been on its journey to her.

Soon the noise of the boisterous children brought her attention back to the task at hand. Teaching.

She gently tapped her ruler on the wooden desk to get their attention.

“Children… quiet now.”

It took a while for everyone to settle down. As she patiently waited, Sarah looked around at each student to see if she could find a hint or clue as to who left the apple. In the far back corner sat little Donny Brown, his head down as though that would make him invisible. The Brown family struggled the hardest in this small farm community. She knew that giving up an apple, even one that was nicked and bruised and half eaten, was a far greater gift than the most perfect apple given by another.

The room became quiet.

Sarah stared at the back wall as she tried to figure out whether or not to publicly acknowledge her gift. She decided against it.

“Students… I’m having a hankerin’ for some apple pie. If we can get through this afternoon’s lessons without too many distractions, I will bake one tonight and bring it in tomorrow so we can all have some.”

No sense in wasting an opportunity to bribe for compliance, she thought to herself. I’ll need more apples.

The children cheered. Folks didn’t do a lot of baking since ingredients were so precious. This would, indeed, be a treat. Teacher Sarah smiled at her students as they murmured among themselves. And when she finally caught the eye of little Donny Brown she gave him a quick wink.

Check out the other entries in this week's Magpie Tales challenge here.

"I can't buy green bananas anymore."

2010-09-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

Do you like to see colorful personalities? Then check out this 4 minute video:

Was It Something I Said?

2010-08-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Will I never grow up?

ah... probably not. Not completely.

Do your feelings get hurt when a blog you've been following for years suddenly goes private? I'm talking about a stranger's blog. Someone you have not and will never meet or anything close to meeting.

I have an instantanous reaction that lasts maybe a nano second... I'VE BEEN (GASP) REJECTED! Then I get a grip and remember its not real. (oh, just to be sure you have an accurate picture... I don't even comment on these blogs. I just follow them because they're interesting.)

On a cranky day, if someone writes that they are taking an extended break from blogging and are not sure they will return, I'll delete the link from my favorites list with a huff. "Fine then.... go take break, but don't worry about coming back for me. You're deleted!!" All the while I know that I can do a google search and no doubt find the link again. You know, if I want to find it.

These childish reactions always surprise me a little when they jump out of the closet at me, but I recover so much faster than I did in my youth. And there's not a permanent scar or anything.

Need I mention I just visited a blog that is suddenly private? No matter that its been three weeks since my last visit. Huff!

Another Hawk

2010-08-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

A different pose of the cooper hawk that is part of Wanda's art challenge. The second drawing is a duplicate of the first but in a "soft focus" mode.(see post below for links.)

Hawk - Wanda's Art Challenge

2010-08-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Cooper Hawk curtesy of Abe Lincoln's wonderful photography skills found here. Check out his other blogs, too. You will find Wanda's art challenge here. Join in... the more, the merrier. Or something.

I'm Too Damn Slow

2010-08-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm hanging things up (Wanda's Art Challenges) by being too damn slow so I'm posting a work-in-progress of the horse so others can move on to the next challenge. First, I apologize for the picture quality. I took the photo at 5:30am.... a few minutes ago. Its dark outside, as it is inside too, so the flash had to be used. That causes reflections, etc.

Second, I want to acknowledge how outstandingly brillant I am for selecting paper about the same color as the horse. You know, cause it makes the drawing stand out so well. I certainly hope I never do that again. (ever optomistic.)

Third, I don't really have a third.

I was close to throwing the towel in several times, but the drawing kept pulling me back into it. "Maybe the perspective can be fixed." "hmmmm.... I like how that spot right there turned out, maybe the rest will too." "Ohmygawd... neon turquoise?!? Really?"

If I get anything half way decent from this drawing, I'll post the final version. Otherwise, lets just move on, shall we?

The Garden - A Magpie Tale

2010-08-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Old man Brown’s body was withered and bent into a permanent question mark. His face, laced with wrinkles and punctuated with sagging jowls, was surprisingly serene as he stood on his back porch and looked out over his garden.

The garden had been his obsession for years. Everything had to be neat, orderly, and perfect in all respects. Visitors would often ask him if the garden was real or if he had taken a photograph and had it blown up to mural size. They usually thought it sounded humorous, but it wasn’t funny to old man Brown. He dominated his garden. He ruled it completely, that is until Effie died ten years ago.

She used to bitch about how much time and effort he put into his garden and how she felt some jealousy at times. Finally, however, she accepted his obsession and let him spend all the time he wanted in his garden. In fact, there were times when she would encourage him to “go garden, damn it” so she could have the house to herself. Some say she died from loneliness, but it wasn’t true. She died from boredom.

Brown stood there gazing out over the garden and smiled to himself. The garden looked completely different now. Most folks wouldn’t even call it a garden. To them it was just an overgrown backyard that desperately needed to be cut down.

Brown grabbed the handrail and carefully stepped down the few steps. Once on the ground floor, so to speak, he hobbled over to the lawn chair and lowered his fragile body down slowly. When settled he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He continued to sit there with his eyes closed as though waiting for the overgrown plants to envelope him.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Soon enough, my garden, soon enough. I’ll be joining you soon enough.

He sat there a while longer while the sun heated up the garden, then he called to the house.

“Hey sweetie! Bring me a beer, will ya?”

In a few moments out came a drop-dead gorgeous young beauty wearing shorts and a can of cold beer in her hands. She danced down the steps, sat the beer on the small table next to Brown, bent over and kissed him on the top of his head and then turned and bounced back into the house.

No need to start thinking dirty-old-man thoughts about Brown. He may have let his garden return to nature but he still needed his house cleaned.

This is an entry for the Magpie Tale writing challenge. Check it out here.

The Dancer

2010-08-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Colored pencils on colored paper.

I couldn't get a photo that wasn't blurry. All things considered... its not bad for me.

How Now Brown Cow? Wanda's Art Challenge

2010-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, what can I say? The poor baby looks like he got caught in a giant blender full of hair. Good thing its all about the process and the end result is secondary. That's my story. Its theraputic.

Here's the original challenge post over at Wanda's place. Check it out here.

A Glimmer of Hope for the Future

2010-08-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

If you have a few minutes you may find this validictorian speech refreshing; commentary on the state of our robotic educational system. It gave me a glimmer of hope for the nation's (and the world's)future.

Read it for yourself and see if you agree or disagree with the speaker's sentiments.

Butterfly - Wanda's Art Challenge

2010-08-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

Prismacolor pencils on cardstock.

I quit. This is done! Who would have thought a butterfly would have me climbing the walls! Certainly not me, but it happened. I have the scuff marks on the walls to prove it, too. However... I did manage to stop myself before scribbling all over the picture in frustration. That's new for me.

Wanda's art challenge post can be found here.

Where's the Fly Swatter When You Need It?

2010-08-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

The other evening as I was engrossed at the pc I felt someone come up from behind me and stand there. I thought it was my grandson. Nothing was said, so after a few moments I turned to look and this is what I saw...
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"EEEECCKKKKKK!"

I grabbed the rolled up newspaper thats always kept at hand for flies and started to bat this bug around its head and shoulders. Finally it turned and skittered out the door. Just as well. When they are that big, smashing them just creates a big mess.

Blueberries - Wanda's Art Challenge

2010-07-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Prismacolor pencils on Strathmore "art paper".

Whew! Made the deadline with a day to spare. Check out Wanda's blog here... and the specific art challenge post here. (currently it takes you to the same post, but in a day or two the links will take you to different places, same blog.) Its easy. Its fun. Anyone is more than welcomed to join in whenever they feel like it.

Wisdom from Over the Years

2010-07-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Not my wisdom... this list came to me via an email sharing so I don't know who to give credit to... sorry.

1. Aspire to be Barbie - the bitch has everything.

2. If the shoe fits - buy them in every color.

3. Take life with a pinch of salt... A wedge of lime, and a shot of tequila.

4. In need of a support group? - Cocktail hour with the girls!

5. Go on the 30 day diet. (I'm on it and so far I've lost 15 days).

6. When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.

7. Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this IS your personality.

8. I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here.

9. Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.

10. Don't get your knickers in a knot; it solves nothing and makes you walk funny.

11. When life gives you lemons - buy some Coronas.

12. Forget about the perfect man - he's living in San Fran with his boyfriend.

13. Keep your chin up, only the first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

14. If it has tires or testicles it's gonna give you trouble.

15. By the time a women realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

Scene of the Crime - a Magpie Tale

2010-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

She stood at the top of the stairs leading to the attic and looked at the bed. Was that where the dastardly deed was done? Of course it would have looked different so long ago. Probably all dark and dirty back then. The bastard.

If abortion had been legal back then, the rape would not have gone any further than the act itself. Now its evil seed continued through future generations.

You dirty stinking bastard. I’m glad you died a long and painful death. You deserved it.

She turned and went back down the narrow steps. In the kitchen she paused at the back door and took some matches out of her pocket. She struck one and it lit instantly. The woman looked at the match for a moment as if in prayer and then tossed it into a spill of liquid on the wooden floor. With a whoosh, flames flashed to life.

Emotionlessly, the woman stepped out, closed the back door and slowly walked down the steps to her waiting car.

“May you rot in hell.”
This is a contribution to the weekly Magpie Tales challenge. Check out the site here. Why not join in?

If You Can't Say Anything Nice....

2010-07-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been a whole week since my last post. Man, time is really flying.

My living situation has turned me from a grouch to a real bitch and there's nothing I can do about it because the consequences would result in homelessness. Not mine, but others. Its a no-win situation all the way around. If I did throw the guests out I would have to live with enormous guilt. Can't do it. I have to turn in my Total Bitch badge 'cause thats too extreme for me.

Ya do what ya have to do... and now I've got to go do dishes. Apparently no one else gets the thrill that I do when cleaning.

Dance of the Fusia

2010-07-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

My friend had hung a huge fusia plant on her porch. I guess the sales person didn't think she could get it in her car because of its size but she made it okay. Did I say its huge? Dance little fusia ballerina, dance!

Its our turn now. Our turn for H.O.T. weather. We may hit a hundred degrees today. omg! Fortunately for us, its suppose to cool down a bit by the weekend.

"Wait... "

2010-07-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

"Wait... just one more bite."

That's five year old Vyron taking just one more bite of his food that had been put in the refrigerator. I thought it made an interesting composition. V is a very picky eater. No carbs allowed, and only limited food items are consumed. The fact that he went back into the refrigerator to eat just one more bite is note worthy around here.

I hope ya'll had a fun and safe Fourth of July.

Truth from A Louisana Resident

2010-06-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

I came across this video on Sandy's blog (Sandy's Walks About Town) and felt it needs to be heard by as many people as possible. It is a mother speaking at the Gulf Emergency Summit about her own personal experiences with BP and the oil spill. Its outrageous!! (15 minutes long but worth it.)

Dads' Life (3 minutes)

2010-06-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Super Glue

2010-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

With a post title of "Super Glue", you probably already know where this is going, right? If we haven't personally experienced the amazing bonding effect of Super Glue, then we've heard stories about how it will glue anything. ANY. THING.

Darius now knows about it, too.

I was trying to fix a broken toy for the 5 yr old grandson and I asked him to get me the glue. Elmer's glue. In the background I heard 6 yr old Darius say in a helpful tone "Mom has some super glue!" I called back to him that super glue was too dangerous and that I don't touch the stuff.

After a few moments I gave up on trying to fix the broken toy. Then Darius slowly walked up to me from behind and softly said "gramma?" in that tone that says he's not sure how the conversation is going to go from that point on. Yup. He had glued his finger to the tube.

Confession. I totally lost it then. I'm sure it is going to cost me my nomination for gramma of the year award, but I couldn't help it. If you tell someone don't put your hand in that vat of acid and they turn around and put their hand in the acid, well, it has a tendency to totally tick me off. Sigh. But lets not dwell on this.

The only thing I could think of doing is to soak his finger (and tube) in some rubbing alcohol.

What doesn't show up in the photo is D's face as he wails about his dilemma. One of my endearing terms for D is Mr. Dramatic because it fits. Also, the poor dear was probably scared to death thinking he would spend the rest of his life with a tube of super glue on his finger.... or maybe something WORSE!

When his mom got home a few minutes later, she called the Advice Nurse to see what they knew. Fingernail polish remover with acetone was mentioned, but it could cause some irritation. Darius has sensitive skin, so that was a no-go. The next alternative was baby oil and yahoo... we had some. Well, we had a little.

We had just enough baby oil to cover the glued spot if the container was tipped in a certain way. It was, however, plenty of baby oil to soak the mattress and the front of D's shirt. Oh... and one of his mother's blouses. Ain't life fun?

The Group, as I sometimes call my daughter and grandsons, left and didn't return until evening. No tube on D's finger. Apparently the tube was stuck there all afternoon, but finally one of D's little friends helped him get it off. (Darius wasn't allowing any adult to try to remove it, no doubt thinking we would simply rip off his finger. It crossed my mind, but only once.) I don't know what happened to the tube of super glue. I'm guessing mom probably threw it away.

Retro Retribution - A Magpie Tale

2010-06-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

19 year old Suzie hunched over the lamp scrubbing decades of grime out of the indentations as though she were digging for treasure. In fact it was treasure of sorts. Suzie had spotted the 1960s lamp in a secondhand store and squealed like a stuck pig, albeit a cute one. She was into ‘retro’ anything and this lamp was definitely retro. Except for the dirt.

Her first cleaning didn’t bring the results she had hope for, but the toothbrush was a perfect cleaning tool. It wasn’t long before the lamp looked almost new.

As she began putting away the cleaning supplies she heard her mother call from the bottom of the stairs.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay. Be right there.”

After putting the small bucket and detergent under the bathroom sink she quickly put the toothbrush under running water for all of two seconds before putting it back into the toothbrush holder.

So my dear brother… remember my blouse you used to wipe off the engine of your car? she thought to herself. Well, I do. And revenge IS sweet. I don’t care what they say.

(Each week Willow, over at Magpie Tales, posts a picture as a writing prompt. Go check out the poems and stories by going here.)

The Watering Can

2010-06-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Wanda posted a photo of some watering cans and a few of us decided to try to "capture" them. I laid the trap but the can skittered by me. No "capture" today, but it was entertaining. For a while.

Check out what others have done (so far) here. To see the source photograph, go here.

(Wanda had gotten the photo from Abe Lincoln. Unfortunately I don't have his blog link right now.)

Coffee

2010-06-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite, now. I was a Starbucks consumer (from grocery stores, not retail coffee shops) but I am now a Seattle's Best fan. Do not cry for me, Argin... Starbucks, because there is no need to feel rejected. At least not in the corporate sense of the word. Seattle's Best is a subsidiary of Starbucks.

(Seattle's Best history is interesting if you're bored and are curious about hearing how startup companies become national products. Check out Wikipedia's article.)

This month I managed to get a bag of both Starbucks and Seattle's Best coffees together. (I bought one, my daughter bought one.) This was the first time I could compare the coffees to each other, back to back. I typically use Starbucks and occasionally I have had Seattle's Best. (When its a case of needing to count each penny...Seattle's it is, otherwise its Starbucks. And this is because of the consistently good taste of Starbucks, not because I'm a designer snob.)

I remember the moment, the sensation, when I switched brands. It was much like today. I was sitting at the computer having a cup of coffee when I suddenly became conscious that the coffee was tasting especially good.

"yummmmm... this coffee is tasting especially good."

The next pot I made was Starbucks. It was fine. Nothing to complain about. The following day it was back to Seattle's Best.

"yummmm... this coffee is tasting especially good."

That's when I knew for sure... I'm a Seattle's Best fan, now.

I don't think Seattle's Best is available nation wide currently, but if you wanted to try it, I suspect online ordering is available. Do not misunderstand things, though, I'm just voicing a personal preference based on my personal taste buds which may be different than yours. I'm just saying....

oh... oh... speaking of coffee, I have a little fun with iced coffee when the boys are around. They see the dark liquid in the glass with lots of ice cubes. The glass shimmers with beads of condensation. It looks good to me, so I know its gotta look delicious to the boys.

"Is that pop, gramma?"

"ah, ah, why no, its not. Its iced coffee."

"hmmm. It sure looks like pop."

"Well, do you want to taste it?"

"Yes."

And thats the fun... watching their faces squinch all up when they taste it.

"Yuck."

And because they're such bright young boys, the second one still takes a drink, too. You know. Just to make sure.

A Studio at Last - A Magpie Tale

2010-06-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah sat at the drawing table and looked about the room. She had worked hard to remove the bedroom furniture. Thank goodness it hadn’t involved stairs. The furniture was now waiting in the garage, its fate unknown.

In its place sat a drawing table lined up parallel to the window for the light. Of course it wasn’t the famous ‘northern exposure’ artists were suppose to seek, but Sarah felt fortunate just having a studio, period. In the corner stood a large wooden easel waiting for duty. A few random paint splotches rested on the frame, proving it had been used at least once.

Two shelves sat side by side against one wall holding Sarah’s art books, pads of various sized paper and colored pencils, pastels, all the little supplies one picks up over the years. The overflow sat around the room on the floor.

Sarah turned back to the table and pulled out one of the sharpened pencils from their container. A large piece of paper sat directly in front of her. She looked at its huge blankness. It was so damn white!

She tentatively made a few pencil marks.

Three hours later Sarah still sat at the drawing table, a blank whiteness still staring at her. In the wastepaper basket near her feet were four crumpled pieces of drawing paper. She finally stood up, threw the pencil against the wall and walked out of the room mumbling sarcastically to herself.

“Just follow your passion. What if you don’t have any passion? What then!”

“Just express yourself. Yeah, right… gawd damn it!”

“I’ve been painting since I could pick up a brush, blah blah blah. Well good for you. Aren’t you special!”

When she reached the end of the short hall the sarcasm was gone. Sarah went into the kitchen. “Well, I think I can fix dinner okay… but we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we.”

She opened the freezer and grabbed a TV dinner.

This is an entry to Magpie Tales' weekly challenge. You should go check it out here.

Work of Art - Bravo TV

2010-06-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

Did you happen to see the premier of the show Work of Art: the next great artist last night on Bravo TV? Its a reality show set up like Trump's The Apprentice, except its showcasing artists. (although it looks like the boardroom is a gallery.) Sarah Jessica Parker is the exec producer.

If you missed it, you can watch the episode on your pc (45 minutes)... check it out here. (I had to do some searching to find where to click for the full episode, but it could just be me. They also have it separated into individual video segments, too, about 7 minutes at a time. Either way, you are forced to watch some commercials, but I'm just glad its available to view. Thank you, Dove.)

They have all levels of artists.... professional, probably students, a self-taught artist, etc. Plus a wide range of personalities. Of course, one of them has been assigned to be the one everyone hates. The one that makes you turn on the show to see if she got her butt kicked, figuratively speaking. No matter what she does artwise, she'll last a few episodes to help with ratings. (Based on what she created, I thought she should have been send home first, but I don't disagree with the judges choice, either.)

I thought I'd just spread the word about the show a little.

Still Missing

2010-06-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Seven year old Kyron Horman is still missing after a week. Today is day 8 in the search for him. Perhaps you've seen a quick mention of it on the national news. You probably won't hear about it again for a while because the national news staff have left. There's nothing to report on because the authorities are keeping quiet. They have from the start and its the first reason one would have to wonder what the hell is going on?

The whole thing seems very strange. Very strange, indeed.

Kyron was last seen by his stepmom as he was walking down the hallway towards his classroom after they had both gone thru a science fair at the school. The mom had taken a picture of Kyron standing next to his entry in the fair. (His display was about tree frogs. I'm guessing some of you might wonder.) Apparently he never made it to his classroom and the substitute teacher marked him absent. It wasn't until Kyron didn't get off the school bus that afternoon when they realized he was missing. The mom called the school right away and then called the police. The search was started immediately.

They are only allowing certified searchers to work the case. The area is in a semi rural area, some places are very rugged and they don't want Joe Public to get lost or hurt themselves.

The parents are "cooperating fully" which, I think, is police talk for they are not people of interest. I read a comment of someone who said they knew the family and it was a very loving situation.

The police hold press conferences every day to state that the search continues and they have no comments. They aren't sharing any information. Its all vague. For example they may say something like this: "We are searching specific areas as well as the general area around the school." That tells you nothing. (They have searched the school three times.)

We also have not seen the parents at all. They finally gave a statement that was read by the police officer who has been staying with them. Apparently they aren't appearing in public because they want to keep the focus on Kyron and not them. Okay.

The police claim it is still a missing-child search but their actions scream criminal case. Very little has been mentioned about the biological mother. I seem to have the impression that she lives in another state, but I don't know that for sure. And the authorities have interviewed her... but that's all we've heard about the birth mom.

After 8 days, I'm hoping for an abduction. That would mean there is still a chance that Kyron is still alive and hopefully being taken care of... by someone who is not crazy. (Odds of that last part being true is slim.)

Little Kyron has touched a bunch of hearts around here. Even the police get emotional at times. I hope there's a break in the case soon.

Rain

2010-06-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Rain. Its raining. Its been raining. Its been raining for months!! Did I mention how wet it is? Rain. Rain. Rain. What's the forecast for tomorrow? Rain. Gasp... no! You mean its going to rain again, and again, and again.

Its been so wet around here we've got mushrooms growing every where.

I know nothing about mushrooms except that some will kill, some will taste wild (aka dirt), and some will take you on a trip from which you may or may not return. I'm not much of a risk taker either, so I will leave them alone.

I'm just tossing this photo in because I haven't posted it yet and I've got nothing else to share.

Coming next: whining about hot weather. Stay tuned. Film at 11.

Miscellaneous Monday... again

2010-06-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try my hand at foreshortening.

This little sketch pad caught my eye... first it was because of the square shape, then I felt the paper. Its heavier than regular paper so it will take a light wash better.

Yesterday it stopped raining for about 5 minutes. During that time my five & six yr old grandsons grabbed the squirt bottle and ran outside, cause you know, the grass needed more water. They forgot a couple of things out there when they came in; they remembered them right when we were having a hard downpour. "Gramma! (gasp) The skateboard is still out there!!" I don't think I need to describe their stunned looks when they were allowed to go get the toys. In the rain. In the hard rain. "But it was a warm wet."

They really enjoyed that... running like crazy in the rain. They were all smiles and giggles when they dashed back inside. Ah, the small things. Try to get away with that when they're teenagers. "Oh Look... its pouring. Lets go play in the rain, whadda ya say, guys? Guys?"

ohmygawd, you know you're old when you turn into one of those crones who fall asleep mid-sentence. I did that on Saturday. It wasn't mid-sentence, but I was in the middle of a Big Boggle game. I was trying to spot words, I was actively using my mental abilities... sort of, and next thing I know my friend is calling my name. I had fallen asleep. (00) I repeat... OH. MY. GAWD!!! I'm blaming it on the allergy pill had I taken. The non-drowsy kind. And it had nothing to do with being bored. (I managed to lose the game by two points. If I had been awake, well, it would have been a different outcome.) Now I'm going to forget this whole incident. It shouldn't take long.

Hope you had a good weekend, cause another one is coming up in five days.

Art Masks

2010-06-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

I watched Oregon Art Beat last night and saw a segment about Deb Fisher, Maskmaker extraordinaire. Check out her web site here.

There's a video available of the tv segment HERE if you wanted to watch it. (I don't think it will be available for long.)

If you have a few minutes, check her out. The masks are fantastic!

The Fancy Shoes - A Magpie Tale

2010-05-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

82 year old Annie sat quietly at her small kitchen table looking down at the old shoes that lay haphazardly on the floor.

Looks like I waited too long, doesn’t it, sis Annie thought. Soon she was lost in her memories.

Her older sister Susie had been sunshine personified. There wasn’t a room she didn’t light up, there wasn’t a stranger she didn’t get to know. A cynic didn’t stand a chance. Suzie brought about a new hope for the human species.

Annie remembered when Susie was able to finally buy the open-toed slings that now lay on the floor in front of her. Back then you didn’t waste hard earned money on fancy shoes. There was a war going on and money was tighter than tight. You were expected to do without for the war effort.

And Susie did her part just like everyone else in those hard times. But when she saw these particular shoes in the window of Viter’s Shoes and Boots, she became obsessed. She had to have them for the final dance of high school. It was her last hoorah as a young lady. After the dance, she was expected to take her place in the adult world and get married. She would be expected to wear sensible shoes and practical clothing, to become a serious and responsible adult. Susie was willing to do that… but after the dance. Until then, these beautiful shoes represented the existence of possibilities.

Her sister worked hard to earn the money for the shoes. She put in extra hours on her part time job at the drug store whenever she had the chance. She became a popular babysitter who was liked by the children as well as the parents. Susie even hired out as housecleaner a few times, but she wasn’t a good one. She tried, but housework wasn’t something she took to naturally. No one minded, though, because she was such excellent company on boring afternoons.

Susie was finally able to buy the shoes in time for the “Big Dance.” She looked beautiful and the fancy shoes were perfect. They were sophisticated yet fun. They made her feel glamorous. Susie and her boyfriend Teddy Spencer were the hit of the dance. It couldn’t have been any other way.

It was a week later when Teddy was drafted. It wasn’t a surprise. All the young men were being drafted.

The other shoe had finally dropped, so to speak. There was a tearful goodbye but Susie held up well. Once Teddy left for boot camp, Susie put up her fancy open toed shoes. “I’ll wear you again to dance, but not until the war is over and Teddy is safely back home.” And she put them up on the closet shelf.

And not to worry, because Susie was able to dance in her fancy shoes again. Teddy made it back home and all in one piece. He had emotional issues that typically accompany war, but he seemed to be adjusting as well as could be expected. It wasn’t long before Teddy and Susie had set the date for their wedding, but for efficiency sake they ended up eloping. Most people secretly felt a sense of relief. It was less stressful and certainly less expensive.

In the mean time, Annie’s boyfriend Billy Johansson had been drafted and still remained over seas somewhere secret. It was assumed that they, too, would marry when he returned. It’s what was expected of you.

One day when Annie was visiting Susie she did something she thought she would never have done. She stole something. She stole something from Susie. Annie had noticed the shoebox sitting in the back of the closet on the shelf and she took Susie’s fancy shoes. In her childishness, Annie wanted to have the shoes to wear when her boyfriend returned from the war like Teddy did.

“I’ll wear you when I dance with Billy after the war is over” Annie made the same promise to the shoes. “Please just bring him back safe and sound.”

But Billy never returned. He was killed in action. The news was hard to take. Everyone in the small town grieved for him as they did for all the servicemen like him. It was hard on Annie too, of course. The promise made to the fancy shoes hadn’t worked to keep Billy safe like it had Teddy. The shoes were forgotten in the grief.

Life has a habit of moving along even if you’re not looking. Each sister went through the same ups and downs as everyone else; there were marriages, divorces, children, grandchildren, good health/poor health. Throughout the years, each time Annie would pack to move she would come across Susie’s fancy shoes and make herself a promise to return them. And each time, because life can be so hectic, she would forget. Now it was too late. Susie was the first sister to die.

“I waited too long, didn’t I. I’m sorry” Annie said to the room. “I’m going to ask that I be buried wearing your fancy shoes. I hope you don’t mind, Susie.”

Annie stood up and started to put on the shoes so she could dance in them, but stopped midway. Oh no I don’t. I have better sense than that! I’m not going to put these on so I can fall and break a hip. Annie had always been the practical one.

As she picked up the shoes again and shuffled out of the kitchen Annie began to sing to herself.

“He makes the company jump when he plays reveille….
He’s the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B…

A-toot a-toot diddle-ee-ada-toot…
He blows it eight to the bar……. “

(Check out Magpie Tales for more entries in Willow's weekly writing challenge.)

Well Fine Then!

2010-05-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm having a crappy day. A crappy day, week, month, year. Everything is ticking me off. The damn air is even ticking me off, truth be told. Its too humid and wet.

Bloggers that I've read every day are leaving bloggerland. They start off with "taking a break" and before you know it, they're signing off for good. Another one bit the dust today for me. And just because it was another damn straw, I deleted their bookmark so even if they change their mind, its too late. That'll show 'em!

I finally thought of something to write for Magpie Tales (the shoes)... got to the end of the first sentence and the rug rats started making their demmands for the day. Now their very breathing makes me growl under my breath. However, soon they will be taken away to the babysitters. (I refused to babysit when mom goes to work. Its my only alone time.) I might get 5 hours to myself. Just enough time to clean up after everyone. If I put my mind to it.

Sigh.

Miscellanous Monday

2010-05-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

This picture is a still from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. (I got it from Hooked On Houses) I like it and thought it might be make an interesting painting. I seem to have a thing for the type of robe she is wearing. (Surely there must be a better word to use than robe, but it escapes me at the present. I'm so not into "fashion.") I'm guessing it comes from seeing some old 1930s movies with glamerous women wearing them. When I've tried wearing one I would just get the sleeves caught on door knobs and skillet handles. I would also get the sleeves wet by either drifting it across a full cup of coffee or over a sink full of water.

I'm getting over a messy head cold. Now I may be just dealing with allergies. Colds and allergies are basically the same, except one is contagious and the other isn't. Messy, either way.

My car is sitting on a flat. I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with this situation yet. If someone had their shit together they would have already joined AAA.

Weekend television programming (network channels) really sucks.

I wonder if my camera still works.

Time for my second cup of coffee.

55 Words

2010-05-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

She looked in the mirror.

“Where did I go?” she whispered. “What happened to that beautiful, intelligent woman I use to be?”

The image returned her stare with the same look that she was feeling. Disappointed confusion.

You’ve got to be kidding, the answering thought persisted. I’m still here. You’ve just got me buried. Alive!

DISCLAIMER: This is a fictional piece for '55 Flash Fiction Friday', where participants are required to tell a story in 55 words. If you give it a go, be sure to go tell g-man.

In An Ideal World

2010-05-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'd be beautiful and wealthy in an ideal world. But face it, that ain't gonna happen.

Every child needs to come with a control panel. A control panel and a user instruction manual. Its ridiculous to give us total responsibility for a living creature and no training or anything. Ridiculous, seriously.

Wouldn't it be great if they had control panels?

On/Off switch, of course. This would be available, but hopefully would go unused. On, you have a living creature. Off, you have a doll.

Volume control. An absolute MUST HAVE option. It would include a mute button, of course.

Stand-by Mode. Same as being asleep, but will perk up immediately upon being awakened.

Reset Button. Basically, a do-over. Child has made a great mistake and heads will roll, unless the reset button is pushed.

Upgrade Button. As child matures, different options are made available.

I suspect there may be a lot more options needed that I haven't thought of, but this is what might work.

The Blue Willow Plate - A Magpie Tale

2010-05-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Magpie Tales posts a visual prompt each week and invites others to write a short story or a poem about it. Check it out here.

The two older women sat across from one another at the small kitchen table, coffee cups close at hand. With just a slight turn of their heads they could each view the sunny courtyard on the other side of the twin windows. It was going to be one of those rare perfect days. Warm, but not too hot.

“How are you holding up?”

Annie looked up at her friend Ruth and slowly shook her head. “If I have to move one more time I think I’ll just…."

She didn’t know what she’d do if she had to move again so she let her answer drift off unfinished.

“They always say they’ll help, but they don’t. My seven year old grandson Tommy was more help than all of them combined.”

Ruth nodded her head in agreement. She knew exactly what Annie meant. The younger generation seemed to abhor physical labor. Their intentions were sincere and true, but they all had lousy follow-thru.

“Where is Tommy?” Ruth asked.

“He’s next door playing. They have a couple of kids around Tommy’s age, which is handy. Now he’ll have something to do when he comes over to visit. Grace is going to pick him up later tonight.”

Annie put her hands on the tabletop and pushed her stiff body up, joints creaking. “Gawd, I’m too friggin old for this shit!” she muttered as she shuffled over to the counter. Every muscle yelled at her. She moved the sugar canister and grabbed the pint of brandy from behind it.

“Want some meds?” she asked, waving the bottle a little.

They each poured a little brandy in their coffee. Annie started quietly singing as she added some sugar to her cup.

“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, medicine go down… “

Ruth inspected the room.

“Looks like you’ve got everything put up or put away.” She turned her head to look at the whole room again. “Where’s your great grandmother’s plate?”

Ruth was talking about the blue willow plate Annie had always guarded with her life. The one Annie’s mother had handed down to her with great ceremony.

“I don’t have to worry about it any more.”

Ruth’s question displayed on her face. “huh?”

“Well, I was in my bedroom and Tommy was helping by putting things in their proper room. I heard this loud crash and rushed out to the living room to find Tommy standing over a pile of blue and white shards. He was paralyzed with fear. He knew how important that plate was to me.”

“oh no” gasped Ruth.

“Oh Ruthie… you should have seen his poor little face. He looked like someone had just told him that he had killed Bambi!”

“Ohmygawd… what did you do?”

“What could I do? I said Thank you."

Ruth just stared.

“I told him Thank You! I’ve been worrying about that plate for years and years. Now I’m free. Thank you very much! I don’t have to worry about it any more.”

A small smile spread across Ruth’s face as Annie continued.

“I made him clean up the mess, of course, then we walked around the corner to the little café and had a treat. Afterwards Tommy looked at me very seriously and said if I ever needed anything else broken to just let him know and he’ll take care of it for me. I thought that was very sweet of him.”

The two old ladies chuckled as they lifted their cups to toast Annie’s finest hour as a grandmother. And to bid farewell to the blue willow plate.

Promoting a Charity

2010-05-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

I don't usually promote a charity but I came across this site and it struck me as a terrific idea. 800 Charity Cars. Check them out HERE. They help struggling families with transportation in the form of giving them their own cars. It looks like they accept cars or you can donate money (scroll to the bottom of the home page for $$ donation link.)

If you don't have a car to donate now, maybe you can bookmark it. Later, when your neighbor is trying to figure out how to unload his hooptie you can come to his rescue and give him the link.

I just know from personal experience how difficult it is to raise a family without personal transportation. Doctor appmts, emergencies, getting to the stores with the best sales... sometimes just getting out of the house for a short drive to keep a mother from leaping off Insanity Ledge.

(for those who may not be familar with a "hooptie", just think of a car costing $500 or less.)

Untitled - Another Magpie Tale

2010-05-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Check out Magpie Tales here.

The room was dim. The light from the computer monitor was the only illumination. The old woman put on her reading glasses and leaned in closer to the monitor.

What the hell… she thought to herself.

She sat back and continued looking at the image on the screen. A slow grin appeared.

What kind of weirdness is this? Geesh, Willow likes to set a good challenge, doesn't she. Crazy woman. Where does she get these images from anyway?

The woman, hair askew, leaned forward again to study the image as she tried to think of a story line.

“Fried eggs, anyone?”

“Wait a minute… I wanted my eggs scrambled!”

None of them worked for her.

Well, that’s okay, the wrinkled woman thought to herself. Its all voluntary and I just won’t volunteer this week.

Without moving her body, the woman turned her head slightly to the right and stared over her shoulder at her readers. “Okay… then you do it. You write a tale. Just let me know by leaving a comment. I want to see what YOU come up with. K?”

Chit Chat

2010-05-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Things are boring around here. The group (daughter and her 2 boys) have been gone for almost a week so its been very quiet.

Does the devil have a conscience?

Portrait of gramma captured just after one of her power surges and just before shot of scotch.

I told you its been boring around here. These guys were high for a while, but they didn't do anything crazy. I couldn't work in high places. I always seem to want to jump and that can't be good.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (A Magpie Tale Presentation)

2010-05-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

Magpie Tales posts a visual prompt each week and invites others to write a short story or a poem about it. Check it out here.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. That was Bob's motto to live by... and it was evident by the decor of his shabby little apartment.

He stood in front of the fish bowl and watched for a while.

"What do you think, Dorothy. Will it brighten up your life?"

Dorothy refused to answer. In fact she purposely ignored Bob and just kept swimming angrily back and forth, but Bob was use to it. He waited for her to calm down. She didn't. Finally his shoulders slumped and concern showed in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'M SORRY, DOROTHY! I just... I just didn't know what else to do with a broken lava lamp."

Keeping It Real

2010-04-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

Did you ever meet a young child that you just didn't like for no apparent reason? Say, for example, you met a five year old towheaded, blue eyed little princess... and you just wanted to sock her in the nose. Have you ever had that happen?

What if she was a snitch and a tattle-tale, or a manipulator who whispered in the other kids' ears telling them to go ask for this or for that? What if she was perfect and to make sure you knew it, she would yell out "I didn't do any of that! I was a good girl" when you were chewing out the other kids for some infraction or another? What if she had to know everyones' business, be they adults or children, and she watched your every move.

Have you ever met a child that caused negative feelings to be felt? No? Yeah. Me, either.

Who Are These Clowns?!

2010-04-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

My sincere intention was to use another photo of a clown and produce a magnificent drawing of said clown. It ain't gonna happen. (source photo from wetcanvas.com/portrait/April Challenge) I couldn't catch a likeness, I couldn't get myself in the zone, so instead I went for a blind contour drawing. Only I peeked. A lot. I tried two times. Results below.

On a different note, 5 yr old Vyron was showing me a toy he had. He said he had borrowed it from his playmate Aubrey. He waited a second and then said "I've been borrowing it for 5 years."

The Walking Stick

2010-04-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

(Over at Magpie Tales a weekly photo is posted and those who want to can write short stories or poems that may be triggered by the photo. They then post their link to the story at Magpie Tales. I thought I'd give it a try this week. How about you?)

The click of her heels on the tile floor echoed through the empty house. Well, almost empty. Placed in strategic locations were a few large and colorful bouquets. Silk flowers.

The woman walked to the mantle and adjusted the placement of the vase by moving it off center. She stepped back to view it. Yes. Off center was best.

When she had first started using flowers to bring some warmth to an empty room she used real ones, but it didn’t take long for her to see the folly in her ways. The real flowers triggered allergic reactions in a couple of viewers so she quickly switched to silk. Besides, they could be used over and over again. It saved her money.

The woman turned and looked around critically at the space. Everything looked in order for the open house. A card table with four chairs sat in the corner out of the way. Flyers were stacked neatly and flowers were placed for dramatic effect. Sunlight flowed into the rooms. All was well.

There was one last thing to do. The woman walked over to the table and grabbed a black walking stick and took it into the den. She leaned it up against the wall. If she was going to sell this house she would, indeed, need a miracle. Who knows, perhaps a viewer would remember the movie and the importance of the walking stick and what it represented. Stranger things than this have triggered a sale.

“Besides” she thought to herself, “this house screams for a walking stick. Its on 34th street, for gawd sake!”

More Amazing Paper Art

2010-04-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have to bring this link out in public so folks can take a look at the site. OMG... its AMAZING paper art!

Check it out here.

Alices Wonderland left the link in a comment and its too juicy to have any one miss out on seeing it. Thanks Alice!

Bring In The Clowns

2010-04-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, I finished the boy clown painting even though I would have normally tossed it.

Here's the resource photo again, from wetcanvas (portraits, April challenge):

I would like to keep trying this one, so I'm keeping the reference photo on hand. Now, on to another clown.

Paper Art

2010-04-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

OMG, You've got to check out this paper art. Its amazing... at least to me. Lorraine Nam.

There are others who do awesome things with paper, too. Check out Dude Craft's blog. He shares things he's come across and its amazing what can be done with paper.

Looks Like a Do-Over to Me. WIP

2010-04-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

I checked out wetcanvas.com, in the portrait section (see April 2010 'challenge'), and decided to try to do the April challenge. (Sorry, I don't remember exact words... challenge or some other word.) They had posted a couple of photos and I liked the one of the child dressed as a clown.

Here's a WIP that went horribly downhill from this stage. Its a Try it again, Crusty, 'cause this ain't gettin' it.

Here's the original photo.

On another note, 6 yr old Darius has another milestone going on, he's losing his front teeth.

His front tooth has been loose for a while. Last night he was drinking from a pop bottle and somehow got his snaggled tooth caught in the opening. I think he said he bumped his tooth hard. Anyway, it was bent back and looking sad. This morning he came out to show me his treasure. He had his tiny front tooth in the palm of his hand. D said it came out during the night and we both agreed he was lucky to not have lost it. A Tooth Fairy alert has been sounded.

Birthday Boy

2010-04-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

One of my grandsons had his fifth birthday party this past weekend.

He doesn't look a day over four.

He got some pretty good gifts. This was the only picture I could find that did not show the chocolate around his mouth and cheeks and on his shirt sleeve.

The two brothers could not be more opposite. D is slow moving, tall, and stocky like a linebacker. V is short and slender like a little firecracker. V doesn't just walk across the room. He shoots like a rocket and then just flops his body down on the couch. Sometimes he misses. Other times he just stands in place doing mini jumps, you know, just to release all his pent up energy. "Where'd he come from, anyway?" said the slug-like grandmother to the empty room.

He will never ever have to worry about putting on extra weight. His may be the opposite concern, how to keep the weight up.

"Where'd you say he came from?"

For Those of a Certain Age (6.5 minutes)

2010-04-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

Those of a certain age will get the humor. Those younger, not so much. Tim Hawkins - Old Rock Star Songs.

I pilfered this from Coal Creek Farms dot com. Hey. I'm a Gatherer. What can I say? I go out and gather things and bring them back home. Blame my ancesters, k?

She tried

2010-04-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Angela tried to suppress the laughter that she felt bubbling inside as her 13 yr old daughter shared her dramatics. "I fell, mom. I tripped and fell UP the stairs while everyone laughed at me. I can't go back there. I will NEVER go back there again!"

(sorry for the faint photo)

all i did was listen

2010-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

"all i did was listen" is the name of a blog I came across that contains a very colorful character and wonderful examples of what can be expressed with a simple line and lots of color. I was impressed with how many different feelings could be felt from just the lines. No facial features at all.

Check it out here.

Random Memories

2010-04-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Random Memories

*When we would have family gatherings the kids (adults) would reminisce about their childhood, usually with a lot of laughter, and most of it at my expense. One time my son was talking about how, if they asked to do or go somewhere, I would say ‘no’ and then continue on with an explanation of why.

“We couldn’t ever get just a ‘no’… she always had to explain why.”

Then others would join in with examples and lots of laughing would follow. But I’m here to say that I was being efficient. Any mother knows that when you tell a child no, the next thing out of their mouth is always a loud, whiny “why not?” I just eliminated that step.

*Manipulation. My then teenage son came to me one day to share that he was smoking. “I want to know if I can smoke in front of you. Isn’t it better to be up front then to sneak around and do it behind your back?” I told him he couldn’t smoke in front of me. I couldn’t stop him from smoking when he was away from home, but I was not going to make it any easier for him smoke by allowing him to do it in front of me. The wind left his sails. (he smoked in his late teens and early 20s then he quit. I continued.)

*I learned about party phone lines when I was around seven, I guess. Three short rings was my grandmother’s line. I would sometimes quietly pick up the phone and listen in to other people’s conversations. I didn’t do it more than a couple of times, not because I got caught, but because the conversations were boring.

*Playing kick-the-can after dark. The streetlight was home base.

*My grandmother seemed to always have on an apron. I remember clean sheets and towels on the clothesline fluttering in the breeze. Those same sheets would feel cool and fresh when I climbed into bed in the guest room.

*I can remember the shocked look on my grandparent’s face one time when I was spending the night. I must have been around six or seven. It was about 6:30pm when I asked my grandmother if I could go to bed. It was a surprise to have a child ask to go to bed… and that early in the evening. Lawrence Welk made me yawn. (The downside to this is that I’d wake up before dawn and have to be quiet for hours.)

*Saturday afternoon matinees at the neighborhood theater. $0.25. After spending a couple of hours in a dream world, walking out the side door into the alley was always a shock. (I can even remember the name of the little theater. It was the Bob White theater. And I never once wondered who Bob White was.)

*I thought Elvis was corny as were The Beatles.

*Bucky Beaver sold toothpaste in ads.

*Romper Room called my younger sister once. We were watching tv and the Romper Room lady picked up her magic mirror to look out at the audience. She’d call out different names, and then she picked up the phone and dialed a number so she could talk to one of us. Our phone began to ring. Mother and I were practically shouting at my sister. “The phone. The phone is ringing. Go answer it, sis. Its Romper Room calling!”
(I don’t remember what happened next.)

Got any random memories to share?

"Can I wash the dishes?"

2010-04-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

How often does a mother, or grandmother, hear that request? Not often at all. In fact, about the only time one would hear that is if it comes from someone who is not responsible for cleaning anything. A child.

There was only V and me at home at the time. I was ready to surf the web. V was ready to interact with me in a very engeric way. When he asked if he could do the dishes I said sure. I figured I would simply clean up the mess afterwards.

When I went to check on him I was a little surprised at his style. V has his own style of performance sometimes.

The mess in the photograph? Just keepin' it real.

Some People Love Coffee Too Much

2010-04-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Census

2010-04-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Have you sent in your Census form? I misplaced mine for a while but came acrossed it last night. Its completed and waiting to be taken to the mail box.

A little bird told me that if you don't send it in the government tracks you down and harrasses you until you scream UNCLE...UNCLE SAM, STOP!

We had a monsoon yesterday. Today is just normal rain. Cold rain at that.

Owwww

2010-03-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

This old drawing has nothing to do with this post. I just wanted a picture.

My back is staging some kind of protest over being used. Each time I move, it screams back at me "Oh no you don't!" with some serious pain. It seems to have the most power right now, damn it. It hurts to lay down, sit up, walk, breath, everything.

Oh.. didn't mention but the staycation is over. It was sweet while it lasted. The "group" returned Monday from their vacation. And that's all I have to say about that.

Crap... gotta step back from the pc for now. mumble owwwww

And I Only Had One

2010-03-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what got into me last night but I baked cookies. From scratch. Big deal you say and I say yes, it is a big deal... for me. I've probably baked cookies from scratch perhaps 3 or 4 times in my life. The last time was probably over 40 yrs ago. (yes, I'm that old.) And none of them burned!

A domestic goddess I'm not.

I googled a recipe. There are a lot of variations for oatmeal cookies, but I picked what seemed to be a traditional one with just some extras items popped in for interest. We had all of the ingredients except for a couple of minor things. No biggy.

I remembered to take a couple of pictures at some point in the process. The photo below shows the first batch taken hot from the oven. We didn't have any raisins so I used white chocolate chips. The cookies were sweeter than I had anticipated. They were good. They were rich, but just a smidgeon too sweet for my preferences.

I had been thinking about this 'project' all day long and it wasn't until last night that I decided to do it. I slapped the ingredients together, made sure the oven was fully heated, and most importantly I removed the cookies from the oven while they still looked a little under done. (That's the well known secret for soft cookies. Non-bakers may not know this.) By the time I reached the last of the dough I was sleepy so I just wanted to be done with it so I could go to bed. None of the cookies burned but the best part was that I only had one cookie. Can you guess which one?

Desparate for Something to Post

2010-03-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

I played a diva the other day. My plan was to use acrylic paints (like/as watercolor) and put some random pale colors in a small watercolor paper pad and then to try to make an art journal. My first. I began to gather the few things I would need when a big bolt of frustration hit me... and I just threw my hands up in despair. My work surface was a tv tray. WTF! I CAN'T WORK LIKE THIS!

I'll probably try it again, but only when I've feeling very very mellow and philosophical. (who knows when this will happen!)

Out of desparation for something to post, I did a couple of quick sketches in a tiny sketch book. (I figure the smaller the surface the faster it would go... or something like that.)

My daughter has been bringing in little knick knacks and thingamabobs. Little things that suck up space. Small thingamabobs like what I use to gather to use in nesting and creating a home. (Thank gawd I'm over that!) She picked up a salt & pepper set right out of the 1950s. (She hasn't cleaned them yet so please excuse the crud on them.)

Every time I look at them I am reminded of large noses. The design just brings nostrils to mind.

Staycation

2010-03-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm on Staycation this week. You know, a vacation where you stay at home. And I'm wallowing in it.

But how can you be on a vacation/staycation when you are retired and don't work anyway?

Well, a vacation/staycation indicates a beginning and an end. My retirement goes on forever but my staycation lasts only until my daughter and grandsons come back from their vacation. Out of town. Way out. No surprises, no early re-entries.

'Mom' has joined some friends for a road trip to Vegas. The boys are spending the week with friends. Be still my heart!

I began to make a list of all the things I would do... a to-do list for cleaning up the place. Then I got a grip. Crusty, get real. You know yourself better than this. You aren't going to do all this stuff! I had to agree, but there are two things I WILL ACCOMPLISH.

I am going to clean the toilet. The cool part is that it will stay clean for longer than an hour. Cackle. The other thing I know for sure that I will do is to catch up on my naps. 'nough said.

I did, however, accept the responsibility of taking care of Darius' pet rocks. Rocky and all of his offspring.

I think its going to be pretty easy.

Speaking of Rocky, Darius gave him a bath the other afternoon. That kind of deflated my plans to take Rocky and the kids and return them to the wild. Darius would notice their absence.

I Gotta Get Me a Couple of These!!

2010-03-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

I think these are cute and are perfect for crusty old crones to have fun with.

(pilfered from someone's blog. shame on me. SHAME.... but I had ta share the product/picture! The pics from online catalogs don't show the tee shirts as well. Gawd, I'm gonna burn in hell or get sued some day. But don't sue me. You would win, but I don't have any money. How many Hail Marys should I pretend to say, since I'm not Catholic?)

Chores

2010-03-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

My two grandsons have been assigned a chore each. The six yr old takes the garbage out (if its not too heavy) and the soon-to-be five yr old is responsible for putting the silverware in the dishwasher away. Now our challenge is to remember and not do it ourselves.

Yesterday I remembered. I remembered to take the garbage bag out of the container BEFORE it became too full to tie the bag... cause every mother knows to never have a six yr old take an opened bag of garbage anywhere. Seriously. So yesterday Darius took the garbage out, but Vyron had to wait to put the silverware away. They had been playing outside and were filthy. I wasn't ready for them to be done playing outside either, so he had to wait.

Later that afternoon, after they had taken a bath, I reminded Vyron that his chore could be done now that he was clean. What does he do? He goes to his mother and whines Do I have to do my chore? She says yes, of course. He turns around and pretends to be stomping over to the dishwasher all the while a sly grin is playing hide-and-seek with his lips.

How quickly we learn the meaning of chore.

I Got Nuthin'

2010-03-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Not much going on here. A little rain, a little sunshine... a mild winter. One day flows into another.

The exception to a mundane life is life via the grandkids. I never knew this could happen. I suppose its because I never considered it happening. At least not to anyone in my world. My six yr old grandson has been kicked out of kindergarten. (00) WTF?!? He couldn't even make it through six months of school...if you want to count kindergarten as school (and I do. D read a page to me from his book. He couldn't do that before school started.) He's too disruptive and does not do as instructed. Since he's a transfer student (lives outside of the district) they are not obligated to put up with him. I don't blame them, either.

He's a regular Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. He's knocked me on my ass by being totally polite, kind, and thoughtful... all without any thing being said to him. "There's my boy!!!" Then he can pitch a fit because he's asked to put on a jacket. "Its cold out there. Put on your coat." ohmygawd, you'd think a stranger took his candy or something.

I am soooo glad I'm not directly responsible for him. What a heavy responsibility that is going to be. But let me be optimistic and hopeful. Perhaps another school/teacher will be able to deal with him successfully. At the very least, lets hope there's something that can be done to help D maintain order and focus. Otherwise, we're up the infamous river without a paddle.

On to another opinion. I've been art-blog surfing for a few days. It was probably overload, but this is what kept coming to me...it all looks the same. I can't tell one artist from another by their paintings. Have you noticed this? Its becoming one big blur.

We've got sunshine today, folks. I've gotta go get my 10 minutes of vitimin D.

Marsha was ready.

2010-03-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

Marsha was ready for her debut as a flapper.

She only hoped no one noticed her hat was really a floppy purse turned upside down.

The Old Spice Ad

2010-02-21T10:26:00.001-08:00

Have you seen this ad yet? Its humorous.

But wait... before you look at it (perhaps 'again'), read this from one of our local news stations:

"The ad has hit two million views on Youtube. It's a one-shot ad done in-camera with no cuts."

No cut-&-paste, no green backdrop, nothing but a straight shoot. I find it amazing and so kewl! (Plus it was made by one of our local businesses but I didn't catch its name.)

The actor's not hard to look at, either!

Web Jargon

2010-02-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

Been wondering what a spider is when the subject is the internet? Check this link out. Its a glossary of internet and web jargon.

A Learning Experience

2010-02-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

My six year old grandson, Darius, had one of those learning experiences that life gives you. The kind that stays with you forever, like when you learned what "hot" meant. But not to worry, no physical pain was experienced. Only a slight deflation of a growing ego. I can do it myself. A little humbling of an indepentant child.

After claiming his mother never did anything for him, Darius stubbornly began fixing his own dinner. Top Ramen noodles.

He put the bowl with the noodles in the microwave, pushed buttons, and began to dance around a little as he waited. It seemed to take a long time. From my place on the couch I hear the following as the microwave was still going...

whoa, steam...

Mama, there's a lot of steam coming out of the microwave.

By now I'm smelling something burning and I blurt out "Turn it off!"

Darius is still dancing around a little, but now it was because he wasn't sure what to do.

"TURN IT OFF" I yell a little louder as dirty gray smoke seeped into the air.

Darius pulled on the door which turned it off immediately. Dirty smoke came billowing out and filled the air. It had that burnt smell, like popcorn.

'Mom' came and pulled the smoking bowl out of the microwave and dropped it in the sink and ran water over it. More smoke. Below is what the bowl looked like.

I was watching Darius' expression as his mother questioned him in a calm manner.

What did you do?

I put the noodles in the bowl and put the bowl in the microwave.

Did you add any water?

At this point I could see his face crumble as he retraced his steps. When he mentally got to the "add water" step his face froze for a second and then his shoulders slumped.

Oh No! I forgot the water!

I know that feeling. I've lived that feeling way too often. I'm feeling for the little guy. Fortunately for him, his mom has a memory issue, too, and could relate to it being an unintentional accident.

That's okay. Don't worry about it.

But it did bother him for a little bit. He wanted to show his independance and it didn't work out that way. Life has a way of keeping us humble, doesn't it.

The Male Species

2010-02-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

It starts early, doesn't it. "My light saber is longer than your light saber!"

All I can say is No... that is NOT six inches! But it wouldn't count in this incident, huh.

"Yo, Adrian"

2010-02-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

"Be mine cause, you know, you're my valentine. And don't you ferget about it, either."

This hunk a man caught my attention this morning. He looked like he was trying to attract attention and since its Valentine's Day, I decided to use him... since, you know, I ain't gonna get anythin' else done to post.

Hope your day is a pleasant one. I'm watching the boys. They are tearing up the place now as I key this. And what fun... tomorrow is a school holiday, too.

I Got My Car Back!

2010-02-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

When my daughter and her two boys moved in with me last September, I lost my car. I lost my car to my daughter. I've finally got it back. My daughter has filed her taxes, received her refund, bought a used car, paid back loans... and 5 days later she's broke and borrowing money from me again. Just like old times.

She got a '92 Ford Explorer.

When your funds are limited, your choices are too. A bit of a gas guzzler, but she looks good in it. The boys do too. And its hers. All hers.

Do you remember your first car? Not a shared car, but your own personal vehicle. I've got just one word for it.....

FREEDOM!!! As long as you had gas money. But even if you didn't, you could go sit in your car and be alone with your own thoughts. Damn, I wish I had some gas.

Three Days

2010-02-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Three days. Its been three days since I've had any coffee. Its been okay, but now the coffee bean is calling out to me.

I've got coffee. I've got my flavoring I like to put in my coffee. The hold up has been that its whole bean coffee, not ground. Sigh.

Guess what I've been doing this morning.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Once again I am crushing coffee beans using a pair of pliers. Not as quick or tidy as a coffee grinder, but it will get the job done. You know, when its necessary.

Precious little coffee beans.....

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2010-02-04T04:43:00.000-08:00

Vyron was in the Reuse step.

Looks like he was trying to come up with another use for the grocery bags. I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. I suppose its not everyone who would think of a "secured hat". Yet on the other hand....

The Universe Has Smiled on Me!

2010-02-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

It has to do with a car problem. Car problems, to me, equal BIG BUCKS. But the Universe smiled on me and the problem was taken care of with a $20 used tire. Whew!

Being a semi-pro hermit, I didn't drive my car often but since my daughter and her two boys moved in with me I seldom see my car now. She's always driving it and she doesn't like staying at home. This is fine with me, cause she does all my errands for me. About the only time I drive now is to go visit my friend each Saturday.

This past Saturday I go hopping in the car and pull off. Wobble. Wobble. Wobble. OMG! It feels like the wheel is about to fall off. I go around the block and return to the apartment. I keep myself under control and do not blow up like a... like a... well, like a bad tire exploding, although that's what I felt like doing.

I confront my daughter

It feels like a wheel is going to fall off! Did you know this?

Yes.

When did it start?

Oh... a day or two ago.

A couple of days? You drove the car like this for a couple of days and you didn't mention it?!? And now its the weekend and everything is close so we can't have it checked!!!

(Maybe I wasn't suppose to notice it.)

I continued to explain to her how dangerous it could be... wheel falling off, tire exploding, etc. And it was bound to happen in the middle of traffic. And just to be a good mother I also threw in how this kind of behavior (ignoring things, cutting corners) brings a lot of problems to her life. I stopped myself before I started reeling them all off in detail.

I had visions of a broken tie rod or rotten struts, things that cost a lot more than I had. This morning my daughter asked to drive to the store (just a few blocks away) so she could get some needed groceries. 'Need' was the operative word. Since she was going to be driving it anyway, she took it to our indepentant tire shop where they checked it out.

Hooray us. It was a bad tire. That was all! Hip Hip Hooray! Do a little dance, get down tonight.

And just to top the day off as a good one, I remembered to activate my new debit card (expiration date on the old one was Feb. 1) BEFORE trying to use it and I put the new car insurance card in my wallet. Damn. I should go buy a lottery ticket today!

Little Sketches

2010-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

I did a couple of small sketches based on the photos (and friendly challenge) posted onRosy's blog.

The keys are included so you can see how small they are. I used pencil because it was handy. If I had to get supplies out I probably would not have doodled anything. In my head, one would have been done in pastel on colored paper and the other one perhaps a watercolor. But the true goal was/is to get something posted, so I took the direct route.

I didn't catch a likeness on either person, but I didn't want to stop to correct anything. You know. Tunnel vision. Do some kind of art... puleese! Get something posted!

The Bloggies

2010-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

I read on PW's blog for today that the Bloggies are here for 2010. Blog awards. Its various categories with the nominations being whittled down to five or so for each category and the public now gets to vote, if they want to. Check it out here.

I read several of the nominations, but what I'm going to do is to see what other great blogs I've been missing. Lots of archives to check out.

Look.. its doing this or I'll be forced to clean or (gasp) work on some drawing or something. A woman has to do what a woman must do. Its not easy, but she's my brother.

Julie & Julia, the movie

2010-01-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I'm a little late in viewing the movie Julie & Julia, but better late than never.

I liked it. I liked it so much I will probably watch it again. Meryl Streep is magnificent. What a wonderful actress!! She wasn't an actress in a movie... she was Julia! I thought all the folks did a great job.

I heard one review that praised the portions of the movie that was about Julia and said the parts about Julie were bland. (my word, using faulty memory) Well, all I can say is that Julie's portion of the film was about someone much younger and who had not traveled as much as Julia. I don't think her portion of the film should have been as colorful as Julia's. So there.

**The sets and costumes were superb! Anyone half interested in France will love the sets. France was beautiful.

**The movie is long. 2.5 hours long, so be sure to have a comfortable place to sit.

**OMG... everyone was eating. And eating. And then eating some more. There were a few scenes that I wondered how the actors could talk because their mouths were so full. Viewing the special features, the actor playing the young husband said he purposely didn't eat until filming. The director, the wonderful Nora Ephron, made the actors actually eat. I know they don't film the scenes in order of appearance, but I swear it looked like all the actors put on weight. Meryl said she gained 15 pounds.

**OMG... the butter!! Need I say more?

**I have a new appreciation for Julia Childs. And her sexy marriage, too!

Everyone has their personal preferences in books and movies so this one may not be for everyone. But I enjoyed it. Am I the last one to see it?

Am I Ever Coming Back?

2010-01-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

That's the question Wanda asked... am i ever coming back? YES... yes... my plan is to come back... to come back bigger and better than ever. Well, maybe the 'bigger' part isn't a goal to have since it seems to simply be a part of life now. And I don't think I'll ever be better than I am now, but miracles do happen. I'm going to be back though. Just as soon as.. hell, I don't know. As soon as i'm back in the habit again.

Its been too long for me to be off my blog. I don't know why except I'm boring myself. Maybe that's it. But no matter. I will be making an effort to post (and I don't mean its a real effort... I just need to get it to become a habit with me once again.)

I'm only up to letter D for the ABC art project. Letter D, fer gawd sake. (she stops and listens to the song dancing in her head "Hold on... I'm coming.") And speaking of letter D and dancing, Wanda I just wanted to let you know I had picked dancer as my letter D prior to your ballerina painting. Not that it makes any difference. I share it only as trivial information.

I've got my dancer sketched out. She's been waiting for some color in her life for a while now. Luckily for me, she's very patient. (She has no other choice. snicker.)

But.. thanks for asking your question Wanda. I've been feeling negligent towards my blog, anyway. I need to participate more. And I will.

First I have to go watch this movie... my daughter borrowed Julie and Julia dvd and I'm going to watch it now while everyone is gone. Maybe I'll do a short review later. It would be something to blog.

To The Pieces of Shit Who Crap on My Blog

2010-01-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm referring to the anonymous comments left buried deep in my blog that spew stinking crappy links and who knows what else.

May your computer crash and burn. May your debts double and your cash flow decrease. And most importantly, may you be able to relate it all back to your spamming actions and your karma.

There may be a couple that I've missed, but I'm letting you know that I am deleting the comments as quickly as I can. I am also paying attention to the companies behind the links so that I do not do any business with them.

Oh... and one last thing. May your dreams become nightmares where you end up homeless in your attempt to make "easy money."

(Have you ever considered how these companies are using you. I bet you don't make diddly squat compared to what the company may rake in from this form of spamming. Fool.)

Anyone Need Some Photo Reference Pictures? PS Link Fixed

2010-01-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Pioneer Woman, Ree, has a file of photographs that she is allowing public access to anyone who has a use for them. Check it out here.

I've bookmarked it for future reference.

PS: My hmtl coding was missing an "=" so it didn't take. I've fixed it now. Coding is where you learn just how important each and every character is; forget a comma and you are dead in the water.

Looking for a challenge?

2010-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Myrna Wacknov has set a goal for herself of creating a self-portrait each day of 2010 and has invited others to join her. She has started a separate blog for this activity. You can find it here.

For a more fuller explanation of the challenge, check out this blog entry.

(As for myself, I know me well. I stopped making resolutions or setting goals a long time ago.)

Art Journaling... What's your take on it

2009-12-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

I'm curious. What is your definition of art journaling?

Why am I asking? Because what I see out there (in the deep regions of cyberspace) doesn't seem to really be related to journaling. It seems to be folk art in a book. And I'm wondering if I should just work on changing what my internal definition is of journaling. At least when thinking of art journaling.

To me journaling would have something to do with daily life... what's happening in the creator's world. (the person creating the art journal) Or simply what is in the artist's world. A cup of coffee, shoes laying next to the wall, or maybe a sketch of the kitchen.

Even as I write this I find myself answering... a person can put anything they want to in their journal. Its their journal. And stop trying to put boundaries down as to what constitutes an art journal.

So... never mind. But if you'd like to respond, I would be interested in your take on it. You know, just out of curiousity. (I really shouldn't post this, but its been so long since I've done anything. Sigh.)

ATC Book

2009-12-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

Want to make your own book of ATC art? Check out the short video at the bottom of this blog entry. It looks like a fun project.

(The blog belongs to Myrna Wacknov. I've mentioned it here before. I love her art. Its so alive. Check her out.)

Oh.. and I wanted to give a wave to Ann, a new "follower". It looks like she doesn't have a blog so I can't go leave a thank you comment... so I thought I'd just embarrass her here by the shout out.

On the sad side, I wanted to note the passing of flydragon. I didn't really know her (as much as cyber blog buddies know one another), but I have enjoyed her blog. She will be missed.

ABC Art Project

2009-12-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

I'm late in starting, but here's my first three sketches representing the first three letters of the alphabet.

A is for Attitude. Attitude equals Bad. I drew this from imagination, but my imagination was fueled because this is how Darius behaved a few days ago. He stomped into the room, flopped his butt down on the chair, folded his arms across his chest, and stuck his lower lip out like he was an 8 months old baby. And guess what.... he recognized himself. We both smiled about it, cause you know... its been a few days. (I did these drawings sitting at a table and I can see how it distorted the perspective.)

B is for Barney Bear, bed mate of some mystical child who is perfect at all times. She can often be found in story books written by authors who has never had to care for a child or they have and are simply trying to make their fantasy real. (The mystical children can also be found in Disney movies. Sometimes.)

C is for cantalope. I know. I know. How damn clever is that! Falling back onto food when you can't think of anything else.
Darius was pretty taken by this one. He seemed to really like it, even though he couldn't remember what a cantalope looks like. I kind of swiped the method of depicting the mellon from something I have seen on the web... but I can't remember who or where. (Its been months.)

To find others who are participating, check out Sandy's art blog here. This link takes you to the home page and you will need to look around for her (and others') ABC entries. Like I said, I'm way behind.

To The Cowardly Spammers

2009-11-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

To the anonyomous bullshit commenters trashing my blog with your crap.... I curse you and your family. May your house be cursed with abject poverty for three generations. And may your dogs eat from your table while you eat from the gutter. YOU COWARD!!!

And if you're going to post on English speaking blogs, my gawd, at least know the fricking language.

Where'd They Go?

2009-11-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

The tweezers... where'd the tweezers go? That's our latest quest, to find the tweezers for gramma. Gramma REALLY needs them, or at least one of them.

I use to have three tweezers. Don't ask me how I got that many because I don't know. They just showed up. I've been hanging on to these tweezers for several years now. I got so cocky as to give one of them away. Down to two tweezers....and poof! Just that quick I was down to none.

Thankfully, one of the boys discovered where they were hiding so all is back to normal. If they had not been located I would have ended up looking like Andy Rooney's eyebrows. Not that that's any worse.

My eyebrows are grateful, as are my chin hairs. For several years now I can say I could honestly quote the following and know it applied to me:

"...not by the hairs of my chinny, chin chin."

Chin...chin... chin... ya, that's about it.

Do You Like Color? Loose Paintings?

2009-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

If you like paintings done loosely and with a feeling of spontaneity... if you love rich colors... then go introduce yourself to Sarkis Antikajian.

He was featured on OPB's Art Beat this week. You can view his Oregon Art Beat episode here (around 7 minutes) and/or visit his web site here. (If you watch the episode, they show his studio for just a moment...ohmygawd he has so many paintings done!)

Friday the 13th

2009-11-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Its a lucky Friday the 13th for my daughter.

She's often tries to enter call-in contests on the radio but with no luck. She can't say that any more. This past week she has been trying to be the correct number calling in to a show. Today was the last day of the contest and she thought what the hell, I'll give it one last try and she was the tenth caller. Yay. But all that means is that her name gets put in with bunches of others for a random drawing. Hers was the last name to go into the barrel and as luck would have it, her name was pulled. She won a free cell phone and 6 months free service.

She's off getting her certificate for the phone now. She is always struggling to pay her phone bill and now she will have a six month rest period. Plus a little extra money for Christmas... if the money lasts that long.

Saturday was kind of a weird day. Nothing was going smoothly. It was going but its like walking upstream in a river. You get there, but it doesn't flow easily. Even the Upwords game had weird words.

We had a monsoon. Streets temporarily flooding all over the city. It was easy to spot the people who didn't have a clue as to how to drive thru standing water. (Especially the little pricks in big SUVs, god bless their little hearts. Their really tiny little hearts.) As I drove to my friend's place I saw lots of people standing in shin-deep water as they cleared away the drains. What is this.... the tropics??

My friend was a little distracted and feeling weird herself. She had an angio scheduled for this past Tuesday and it was not something she was looking forward to. Conversation was jumpy too.

She had a lovely bouquet of tulips. She buys herself flowers each week.

Because it was a very dark and gloomy day, my friend decided to light a candle. She had a large round 3-wick candle and she couldn't get it lit with a lighter. She needed something long. My friend grabbed some paper and twisted it. I suggested she take the candle in by the kitchen sink and light it there. Then she could toss the burning paper into the sink. "Good idea" she replied... then proceeded to light the candle where it was. As I mentioned, she was distracted.

She came back to the table and turned to look at the candle. This (below) is what she saw.

"Well isn't that a nice blaze" she said.

We then cracked up. A new portable fireplace.

My friend had her angio thingy and it was a walk in the park. No pain to speak of, no horrible procedure. Oh, and all is well. They will do it again later on the other leg.

Taking Turns

2009-11-08T17:54:00.001-08:00

Mom and the boys went to a movie this afternoon. They came home early. Vyron hurled at the movies.

Darius had been sick and now it looks like its Vyron's turn. It seems to last from 24 to 48 hrs. A slight fever and throwing up if eating is attempted. Otherwise it wasn't too bad getting thru D's bout. (I'm not the one who has to clean up after them.)

The bucket is now moved to wherever Vyron lands.

Children's Illustrator

2009-11-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

I watched Oregon Art Beat on public tv last night and they did a segment on Johanna Wright who is an illustrator, author, musician... I can't remember everything they said she did. Her illustrations are colorful and whimsical.

Check out her illustrations here.

If you wanted to watch the segment, go here. I think it is maybe 7 to 15 minutes long... not sure.

(She also keeps a blog. Ya gotta love those art bloggers.)

Mommie Hell

2009-11-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

The apartment stinks. I mean really stinks. Well, okay then, it just doesn't smell pleasant.

We have the stomach bug or something going on here. Darius threw up early this morning when he was still in bed. He was actually sleeping when it began. He shares a bed with his mother. Fun times.

Later this morning he hurled again and just a few minutes ago, as he was trying some soup, he hurled once more.

All I have to say is THANK GOD HE MADE THE BUCKET!!

In any event, the apartment needs cleaning and when you add illness to it, it makes for some unpleasantness. Its not easy cleaning in a small spot with little bodies bumping into you all the time, tripping you, and just generally having fun. And when you do finish a spot, say the kitchen area, then its time to dirty it up again.

Its like digging a hole so you can fill it up again. Its just never ending.

And I know the details weren't necessary. I think my readers are all mothers of some sort or another, and explanations aren't necessary. I just needed to put words around it so I can... well, I'm not sure why. It doesn't end with words.

Thursday

2009-11-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

From a magazine; oil pastels. Oil pastels are soft crayons.

I haven't listened to the news for about a week. Today I did and wouldn't ya know it... another "disaster" on the army base in Texas. I feel so sorry for the families and friends of those lost. Lost because of a crazy man. A crazy man who was a psychiatrist. Ironic, isn't it. Its not going to make life any easier for those here who have muslim names, either.

Two Boys in the Home. Need I Say More?

2009-11-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

November 3 2009

2009-11-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look good. I had decided to try to post something in the art category each day for the month of November. I'm only three days into it and its very shaky already. I'm hanging by a thread. And what a sight that is!

Here's an unfinished female from the imagination.

I'm even surprised that I was able to get on the pc this evening to even post this drawing. But the "group" left for the night so its all mine. Its available and I can't even think of anything to say. So typical, huh.

November 2 2009

2009-11-02T15:23:00.000-08:00