One Year 9 months

 Big 
Changes

I don't live here any more.

I live here now.

Golly, gee whiz. She's not dead.

Nope. Here I am alive and cookin'.   I sure haven't felt like I had anything to blog about for months.  Now suddenly, the weather is cooling down and I feel like cooking.

No recipes here.  Just photos.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Brussels sprouts, bacon, and brown rice  #1

Brussels sprouts, bacon, and brown rice #2  Parmesan added

Brussels sprouts, bacon and brown rice #3 Parmesan and spaghetti squash added

Next day.

Baked Spaghetti Squash,  Pumpkin with Everything Good #2 and 

Baked Pumpkin

So why, you may ask, all the squash?  Well, I went to 24 Carrot Farm and bought 29 lbs. of winter squash.  So now I'm loaded up.

This is not all of them.  I gave one away and brought 4 inside.

That's all folks.

Hey, Seventy Two!

Yup, it's my birthday.   I am a happy 72 year old.  Today I offer a short history of me.

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on this date in 1946.

My dad holding little old me.

Yesterday, my dad would have been 110.  We had cake, but I didn't remember to take a photo of it.

Mom putting my socks on, apparently I would begin to undress myself once placed on a blanket

Here I am, now living in California. The sun and wind are in my face, hence the look there.  My dad holding tight and my dear cousin, Charles Clark to my left.

It's Easter, I'm about 10. Pink and grey suit, gloved and a little hat that is not visible.

Sixteen and trying to get a good smile going.

Wedding day July 22, 1967. My mother and me.

I love you, mama.

A kiss for luck and we're on our way.  My Don and I leaving the wedding reception. The first day of 41 1/2 years together.

We've got 2 girls that fill my heart with love.  I'm about 28.

There came a son also. Filling my heart even more.

I am closing in on 40, if not already there.

Birds of prey and 60ish me.

Then before you could blink an eye, I was 70.

There I am at my 70th birthday with my sister, Patricia.

But today, July 20, 2018 I am 72 and so thankful I could write a blog post all about myself.  Wait, I'll go take a photo.

I give thanks to the Lord for my life, for my family, my friends and my good health and for my home.

Putting It Off a Little Longer

Procrastination.  If you look this up in the dictionary, you might find my picture there.  Here is an online definition, no photo available.  I contend that not all procrastinators do it purposefully. Sometimes they just keep doing something else until it's bedtime and then realize they didn't do "that something" they were supposed to do. I believe I, er, they are busy perhaps, Very busy, doing anything else.

This photo has nothing to do with the post.

What's she going on about? Why is she talking about this?  Perhaps you will get it, if I mention the title of this post.   Oh, there you go. You're right I am definitely 'putting it off a little longer'.

 This photo has nothing to do with the post either.

Perhaps you are wondering what it is she's putting off?  Perhaps you don't give  a fig what it is.  That's okay.  However I do have a deadline. Definition #1  is how I feel, but #2 is the correct one for this situation.  I have the actual deadline and I have the one I set for myself.  Sunday for me, Wednesday (July 4) for sure.

This bunny is not procrastinating.

Dear Anyone who might be reading this, may I just add that I don't want to do it (oh, yes I do), but I want it to be already done. (oh yes I do).  Is it done? No.  How shall I get it done?  You know, don't you?  You have to start it before you can finish it.  I'll just repeat that a bit louder.

You have to start it before you can finish it.

This photo has everything to do with this post.

Perhaps you may hear more on this subject in future. 

Photos #2 and 4 are from the internet.



UPDATE!

5 July 

It is finished. Completed this morning at 0630.

Thank you, Lord.

Playing in Paint

                       

A visit last September to my niece in Oklahoma, who is an artist as well as a nursing instructor, led me to explore painting.  I had taken a class the previous November and had some pieces I liked, but after visiting Tricia, I wanted to do more. I had fun finishing up the class art and then going on.

The art above I did the last few days (I cannot account for the color discrepancy. The true color of the painting is more like the first three.)  I had tried for the look of an old wall using molding past in the aqua paint for texture which I think you can see in the 2nd picture.  In the end I added some magenta (3) and then more gold and azo gold (4).   I may still fuss with it, but it's on the wall for now.



This is very small and just on paper.  I used it as a gift enclosure.

  This one is really big is on a 5x4.5 ft canvas. It is finished and stretched. It started like this.

This one has a name.  It's titled "Two Black Cats."   It once looked like this.



No, it's true.  I went to a "paint night" at our local chocolate lounge. Annabelle's.  After looking at it for a week or two, I covered it in gesso and did "Two Cats".  It is at my daughter's house now.



About a year ago, I was trying to do something difficult (not art) for a month, so I took a 20x20 stretched canvas and some acrylic markers and decided to write the date every day.  Sometimes big (center) sometimes small and in Spanish. See below.



Eventually I painted over this one too, but first added torn paper and at the end some other paper pieces. This one may be titled, "Kite". 



Is that a kite?

Last and, perhaps, least is another canvas where I am definitely having fun playing in paint.  Lots of layers here.  Tissue underneath, Montana spray paints, Krylon, interior house paint, Golden bronze, magenta and gold.












I am having fun.

Montana, Krylon and Golden are brands of paint.  I'm not sure which brands of house paint I used.  It is interior semigloss.

Lest I forget whose work got me on the road to art bliss. Here are two of my niece's art.



Love it!



Pretty fabulous, eh?

                           Thank you, Lord. for art in all it's forms.

Roses and Peonies

About 18 months ago, I visited the home of a friend for the first time.  Her husband is an avid gardener.  It was there, I fell in love with roses.  I have loved peonies for a long time though I never had any. but I always thought roses were just 'okay'.  Admittedly, I love a fragrant rose, but it seems to me they don't smell as delicious as they once did.

This is the Sarah Bernhardt Peony ( photo from Google search and nydecay.org)

Yesterday, I went back to Micki's home and I, along with the rest of the guests, were invited to help ourselves to any of the roses and peonies.  Wow, I went crazy, but as I live 40 miles away over very winding roads, I would have to carry them.  I restrained myself Thankfully, another was driving.

Photo by moi

The blossoms on the left are peonies. The ones on the right are roses except for the large yellow one. That is a Lithuanian peony.

Photo by me a bit blurry.

In this one you can really see the Lithuanian peony.

Last week was Mother's Day,  You knew that, didn't you?

 I had a lovely visit with my oldest daughter and her family, with delicious burgers and gifts I love.  My other daughter, who lives far away, sent some flowers which arrived Monday.  She knew I wouldn't be home for a Sunday delivery.

I had beautiful flowers.

 The full view

The overhead view showing the peonies. This was the next morning.

These are the same peonies four days later. See the color difference and how large they opened.

Here are some roses I love. Some are mine, some are hoped for.

This is St. Patrick's Rose in my yard.

Gold Strike Rose

A new favorite. The Jude the Obscure Rose. It's gorgeous and it smells wonderful.  I mean, amazing.

Both of these Jude the Obscure photos were from Google search.  I didn't get a photo at Micki's. She has a lovely, large bush  covered with them.

Jude again.

And for my last photo for this post, a still life.

This photo by me is titled:

Still Life with Rose

Let's all be thankful for the beauty of flowers.