Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Lisette Oropesa is singing Violetta’s ‘Sempre Libera’ when student Liu Jianwei decides to join her !

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Calli and Quill didn't put up the usual fuss about going into the cat carriers for the vet visit. They weren't happy, but it didn't take long to wrangle them into the carriers.

2. The new television was delivered. The picture is WOW!

3. An afternoon spent with The Brother and His Wife, The Nephew and his family so the little ones could see Santa come by the house on the firetruck. Santa was late and it was very cold and dark so after an hour we all went inside for dinner. While we were eating, the firetruck roared by the house. The kids waved to Santa from the window.

4. Haircut day and I checked us in just in time. When we got there there were 6 people on the waiting list behind us.

5. Play day with Teague and a nice lunch at Owen O'Leary's

How was your week?

I sure As Hell

 

ain't working in the studio/office today

Doodling for Stress Reduction

 

On Mondays via Zoom, I participate in a class where we spend  a half an hour doodling our stress away.  

The class was a couple of days before Halloween so the theme was spider webs.

T Stands for Admiring the Christmas Cards

 

I was hoping that one of the Christmas cards had a picture of a beverage, but not in this group. So, here's my morning cuppa.

Thank you to Lisca, Lambie, Robin, Phillip, Tiggy, Lisa, and Val for your greetings. Doesn't that sound like Miss Jean? 😺

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monet and Me

 

are going to be putting up the creche

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

A week ago, snow and another meticulously, hand-crafted, shoveled driveway, and maybe the last time.

The Yarbo, Himself's new toy arrived with the snowblower attachment. Of course, because he bought this, it will mean no snow for the rest of the Winter. I am not complaining.

Red sky in the morning

came with heavy rains and wind. A lot of the yard decorations got blown around.

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Meet Yarbo: Introducing Yarbo - An Intelligent Robot to Take Care of All Your Yard Care Needs

The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week.

1. The day before she had to leave, the Young One and I took a trip to the mall, lunch at Panera, bubble tea, and Crumbl Cookies to take home

2. After taking the Young One to the airport, we stopped for breakfast at IHOP. Then had a shopping spree at Ocean State Job Lot and the Dollar Store.

3. Took a trip to the cemetery to lay a wreath and then stopping for lunch at J. Anthony's Italian Grill

4. Himself's Yarbo arrived.

5. Cleaning and getting ready to decorate after the new television is delivered.

How was your week?

2OLOTR - Mad Magazine Exhibit at The Norman Rockwell Museum

Two Old Ladies on the Road. Besides visiting Richard Widmark's grave in Roxbury, Connecticut, I wanted to visit the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 

On our runaway trips, our pace is leisurely. If we want to do something, we do, but not necessarily at the crack of stupid. Per the Rockwell website, I purchased tickets online for a Monday visit. We figured all the Leaf Peepers would have gone home. So we had a leisurely morning and arrived at the museum around 11 AM only to find it was packed with Weebles (Elderly. Even though we are now in that category we're at the young end of the spectrum) Not only packed in the parking lot, but people were arriving by busloads! 

Teague found a place to park We were greeted by these whimsical sculptures by sculptor, Peter Rockwell, one of Rockwell's sons.

The day we visited there was also an exhibition What Me Worry? The Art and Humor of Mad Magazine.

Before Alfred E Newman became the face of Mad Magazine, there were earlier prototypes like Billy Riley for cigars

and these characters selling World War II War Bonds

Alfred E Newman, the man, himself.

My dad was a voracious reader, but he didn't like us to read comic books. They were verboten especially Mad Magazine. That didn't stop The Brother from bringing them into the house and letting me look at them even though at the age of 8 or so (The Brother is 6 years my senior), I didn't really understand a lot of the magazine. . So wandering around the exhibit gave me the same feeling of doing something I wasn't supposed to. Sorry, Dad.

The height of the Cold War brought us Spy Vs Spy. This was my favorite. I hope you'll be able to embiggen the images to read text.

Son of Mad

The Headless Horseman

A rather unflattering satire of The Girl with a Pearl

Scully and Muldar from The X-Files as American Gothic

Famous Aliens

Doodling for Stress Reduction

 

On Mondays via Zoom, I participate in a class where we spend  a half an hour doodling our stress away.  

This was another take on a neurographic drawing combining the neuro with patterns. Rather than color the spaces between the squares/rectangles/triangles black, I decided to use blue. I also like adding red to Connie sneakers when I draw a spider. 

T Stands for Christmas Mugs

 

This coming Sunday, the town fire department will be driving Santa around my part of town as part of the department's annual tradition. That is if the fire department doesn't have to rush to an event, the weather holds out without snow, and if there is snow, Santa doesn't fall of the back of the truck when the truck makes a turn as he did a couple of year ago.

I thought my grandniece and grandnephew would enjoy waving a Santa as he races by lights flashing and siren wailing. Then for hot chocolate, pizza, and cookies. Except I didn't have any nice Christmas mugs so I Merry Christmased some for myself. Can you guess which mug is mine?

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monet and Me

 

went into the studio to make a tag for a gift.

When we reached for our favorite kneadable eraser, we found

it had been turned into a pig.

When the girlies were little, they liked to take my kneadable eraser and sculpt it into various things. I've found a cat, whale, mermaid, and a bird. 

While the Young One was visiting she had an online meeting. I told her she could use the studio/office for privacy. It must have been some meeting. When I found the piggy, I laughed. Some things never change.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The big event in this week's garden was the snow.

Calli enjoyed watching the snow fall.

Ink, the original Watcher

House Finches at the back feeder

and a Snowbird (Junco)

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Sonification of a Hubble Deep Space Image

The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week.

1. Nostalgic fun we watched some Christmas movies with the Girlies. We watched The Muppets Christmas Carol and Die Hard.

 

2. I bought the pieces parts I needed to make this year's wreath

3. I had lunch with my calligraphy teacher and a classmate. I hadn't seen them in forever so it was fun to catch up.

4. The new oven was delivered 

5. Had a crafternoon session with the Young One.

How was your week?

2OLOTR - The Search for Elizabeth Freeman Known By The Name Mumbet - Part 2

When we last left our intrepid travelers, they were wandering around Stockbridge Cemetery looking for the Elizabeth Freeman known as Mumbet. She had been a slave, but in 1781 sued her owner and won her freedom.

A large and beautiful Celtic cross

The back of this stone had interesting glyphs. Were these symbols of things he liked to do? A tree in a pot or bed. Gardening? An eagle with a fish. Fishing, watching eagles? An airplane. Was he a pilot? A horse and rider, but the rider is standing up in the stirrups like a jockey. Did this gentlemen like horse racing? Was he a jockey? A plane. Was he a carpenter? Interested in woodworking. I'm not sure what the other two symbols are. A pitchfork or rake and two animals. The top one looks like a cow. Was he a farmer.

Norwood Penrose Hallowell III. That's quite a moniker. Nicknamed Buck. Was the beloved husband of Marjorie, loving father, son, brother, and grandfather. 

Still no sign of Elizabeth Freeman

We entered another copse

A little lamb marking the grave of a Sedgwick child

and another monument to the Sedgwick children who had passed before their time.

We wandered around. There were a couple of dozen graves in this area and then

We found her. Carved on the gravestone:

ELIZABETH FREEMAN

known by the name of

MUMBET

Died Dec 28, 1829

Her supposed age was 85 Years She was born a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior nor equal. She neither wasted time nor property. She never violated a trust, nor failed to perform a duty. In every situation of domestic trial, she was the most efficient helper, and the tenderest friend. Good Mother, farewell.”

Visitors to Elizabeth Freeman's grave have left stones on her grave. A tribute to a remarkable and brave woman.

She as buried in the area known as the Sedgwick Pie, a round dais with the monuments of Theodore Sedgwick, the lawyer who represented Elizabeth Freeman in her case to sue for her freedom and his wife, Pamela. Visitors have left stones on the grave of Theodore Sedgwick.  A testament to a man that took a case in the name of justice.

The other members of the family, including Elizabeth Freeman are buried around the circle "from generation unto generation, are all buried with their heads facing out and their feet pointing in toward their ancestor. The legend is that on Judgment Day when they arise and face the Judge, they will have to see no one but Sedgwicks.” —Excerpt from an interview of John P. Marquand, Jr., Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity, Stephen Edelston Toulmin, Stephen Toulmin"

If we had paid attention as we were wandering around, we would have noticed this letter S which marked the Sedgwick family plot.