Friday Haiku (early)

So much freakin' rain

I'm quite over it all now.

Sump pump is pumping,

my fingers are crossed

for there are rivers running

swiftly down the streets.

I'm timing the pump,

switching on every minute.

Should I sleep downstairs

with a bucket or

maybe a bunch of sandbags?

Hello fall, you're here.

Wordless Wednesday

Give me a "P"!

I've been pants shopping lately, having worn through the knee of both of my favorite pairs of jeans and, it's time folks to replace the stretched out, fuzzballed other pants in my closet. Am I asking too much for the following credentials in a pair of pants?

1) be low rise enough so that my belly can comfortably flop over the top while still accommodating my underpants

2) can do something to make my ever-flattening butt a little more shapely (I mean, they've invented the tummy-tuck jean, why not the butt-tuck jean?)

3) have enough room in the leg without making me look like two sausages stuffed into casings

What I've Learned, Week 4

Front:

Back:

Confession: I have always loved seer sucker. So there. The only new technique I tried this week with this particular card was working text in Photoshop. I eventually got the hang of it, at least the straightforward kind of text but good grief it is time consuming.

Friday Haiku

Oh, give me a break.

It's September twenty-fourth -

you can't go just yet.

It's still kind of nice

here in the north. Turn around

and stop your honking.

Wordless Wednesday

Fashionista

My clothes should come with an expiry date. I rarely know when to let them go. I have clothes older than...certainly older than the little person in my house. I think the oldest thing I have is a pair of Patagonia sweat pants that were navy blue when I bought them. I can't bear to throw them away even though they are faded and stretched out of shape and have few moth holes. I can date them back twenty five years, minimum. It's my other, everyday clothes I wish had "best before" labels on them. I would probably still wear them for a while after that date as I still eat the yogurt and eggs that are only "slightly" expired but at least I would have an idea of just how long those clothes have been hanging around. I usually shop for comfort, easy care and durability over aesthetics. I try to not look like a shlub but I probably do most of the time. I did a clothing purge not too long ago but I think I need to go back in again and toss all the long and short sleeve t-shirts that have shrunk in length and the ones that have lost all sense of shape. I am afraid I'll have nothing left to wear though. I will spare the photos this time. What is the oldest piece of clothing in your closet/drawers?

And while we're talking fashion, I can't decide if my new slippers are old lady ones or if they're cool.

What I've Learned, Week 3

Front:

Back:

My new technique this week was taken from the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors using Photoshop to create lettering. I don't feel like I was very successful but it was an interesting experiment. The front was done on Claudine Hellmuth's sticky back canvas with acrylics, collage, inktense and watercolor pencils. The back is also collaged with acrylics and some homemade stamps gifted to my by the Queen of Arts.

Friday Haiku

I'd like you to meet

Gustave. Indeed, he's a rat.

Yet, a real joy. Hmmmm...

you may screech, "a rat!!!!???"

And normally I'd screech too.

But he's a sweetie.

We met him today

Riley and I. My friend, "T"

had adopted him.

She was still mourning

her first rat she named, "Zelda",

who passed a year now.

Gotta love Gussie.

My goodness he makes me think

I could love one too.

My apologies -

the photos were taken with

my cheapie cell phone.

Wordless Wednesday

What I've Learned, Week 2

Front:

Back:

Distress inks with collage technique inspired by the book, "Artist Trading Card Workshop" by Bernie Berlin which was gifted to me by the sweet and generous Queen of Arts last July.

Back to School

Are you tired of that subject yet? All this summer I have done little art but I have been cogitating. And at times when I'm not making any art it is frustrating and I am frequently short of temper, but not this summer.

I have just started my own school year too. I'm signed up for a photo a day for 365 days (day 15 today). It's a challenge - not so much right now while it's fresh but when it's around - oh, say, day 127? I'm guessing. But the intent is to improve my skills. I am trying to do at least one shot on manual. Taking photos is like eating chips - you can't take just one. I have already found that picking up the camera with intent, and not just to capture a moment, is waking up part of my brain, my heart and my spirit.

Another year-long project I've signed myself up for was inspired by Caroline Myss' suggestion that on our birthdays we ask ourselves, "what can I do this year to learn more about myself?" I've tweaked that to asking, "what am I learning (about myself) this week?" I'm on week 2 now and in being aware of that ever-present question I'm discovering a lot about myself and my world. This week I had a hard time narrowing down from my list which image I want to work with. In the spirit of the 52 questions I participated in in 2009 created by Emily Falconbridge, I've picked up a pack of flash cards and am going to make art on one side, journalling on the other over this next year. In my cogitation this summer I also wanted to try one new technique a week for an undetermined time. Here is my card for week 1, using Kim Klassen's free Friday photoshop textures. On the front I blended a simple photo with her mustard seed texture and used some distress inks, the back I used her Break Free and Fly texture with simple text on top.

Thursdays

Oh but I love Thursdays! My work week is done and my real work can start. In the spirit of kind over matter, and in the hope I am not infringing on any copyrights, I wanted to share a couple of the cards I received recently.

The bottom one says, We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success. Yowza!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday

to me! I found this a few weeks ago, have been itching to shout about it. Odd, I thought, with my own reachings for this milestone birthday.

The video is short, but wonderful. For the entire essay, go to Katherine Center's site here. Wheeeee!

Friday Haiku

Once again I will

be incommunicado.

Last summer escape.

First Day of School (a few days late)

Wordless Wednesday

Calling All Animal Lovers

I was gifted this incredibly beautiful book recently. Have you see this?

It came to my attention that a Spanish edition of Eckhart Tolle and Patrick McDonnell's stellar book, "Guardians of Being" had just come out. I couldn't believe that I had missed the original English publication in 2009 even though I am a big Tolle fan. So under the rubric of "ask and ye shall receive", I came home to a copy of the book in my mail box about two weeks ago. The collaboration of Tolle's teachings and McDonnell's drawings is a magical match. I laughed at many of the illustrations, so close to my heart they hit. The pages are filled with Tolle's ideas and observations on what function our pets and nature fill in our human lives. McDonnell takes these ideas and boils them down to their essential essence with stunning lines and vibrant washes of colour. Am I gushing? I was trying to choose my favorite line in the book, there are so many that resonate with me, but I think this is it:

"The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn't been fully recognized. They keep millions of people sane."

I highly recommend it if you are looking to treat yourself or looking for a gift for someone. I can already think of two people who will be finding it under the Christmas tree this year (indeed, I have already started my shopping, but that's another story).

International Lego Day

Betcha didn't know that it's International Lego Day.

See? It says right here on our calendar.

This day was planned awhile back and the boys are having so much fun, we've decided to declare another one next March. The rugs have been rolled up and they are only stopping for lunch.

Before the whole thing kicked off, Riley and I took a walk by the lake, something we haven't done in quite some time. This guy was completely oblivious to the fact that he shouldn't just be hanging around, he should be getting out his legos.

And while you're at it, when you're dreaming, why not dream BIG?

Right now I am dreaming of finding one measly plastic orange duo-tang with crimps and inside pockets. One like this.

Yes, I have one but I need two. Actually I need two each in the colors of red, black, light blue, dark blue, yellow, green and orange. Finding the school supplies this year has been like going on a treasure hunt. I ended up emptying and cleaning up the folders from last year. They are a little beat up but they are plastic and have both crimps and inside pockets. But it seems only one orange duo-tang came home at the end of June instead of two. What would be dandy is if the schools would liaise with the stores and see if they can't order up what parents need to buy. An even better idea is a school committee to prepare packages of the needed supplies at a fee, goodness knows I would still save a bundle between the cost of gas and my own time. Or how about this: I supply the kid and the enthusiasm to learn and the school supplies the rest. Dreaming? Maybe.