Sunflower study for an upcoming project I want to work on. The piece was done in my Workshops journal using drawing/painting techniques taught by Kathy Milici in the The Prayer of St. Francis workshop at the Sacred Art Institute on Enders Island (Connecticut) in 2019.
Pigma pen, Kuretaki Gansai Tambi watercolors, #2 pencil on Canson Mixed Media paper.
Blogger does like back to front stories when you upload a bunch of photos at one time.
Sadness. No bird feeder. *
The buoy bell windchime relocated near the lighthouse.
Himself gave me a new windchime that's taller than I am. The windchime is musically tuned to the key of E and sound like a pipe organ.
We've had the wettest July on record. It's also been very humid so there are mushrooms growing all over the place.
No bird feeder.
A new bird feeder and a bird visiting! Birds are creatures of habit (aren't we all?) So bird sites stated that it may take a couple of weeks for the birds to become accustomed to a new feeder.
Pink clover
Hydrangea
Dedo and the Hydrangea. Sounds like a Greek epic.
Morning glories making an appearance
New, easy to clean bird feeders
A morning glory peeking through
The morning glories that pass turn a vibrant shade of fuchsia.
Another rainy day. The bunny just sat in the rain for a half an hour.
* I was very happy to find easy to clean bird feeders. Also pleased and surprised how quickly the birds took to the new feeder. Then the news broke. There seems to be some sort of neurological disease spreading among song birds. The disease which consists of crusty scabs causing the eyes to seal shut and weakness in the legs so the birds cannot stand. The disease was first discovered spreading among song birds in the mid-Atlantic states. Even though the disease hasn't spread to my state, MassWildlife is asking people to remove birdfeeders and birdbaths as a precautionary measure.
Sad to see the birds visit where the birdfeeder should be, but at least there is plenty of food for the birds to forage at this time of year.
When I was 5 years old, I was forced to take dancing lessons while the Brother was forced to take accordion lessons. I hated dancing class. The Knights of Columbus Hall where the classes were given had no heat or it wasn't turned on. I hated wearing the pink beginner tights. I liked clacking around in the tap shoes, but Ma wouldn't let me practice inside the house on the wood floors. I spent most of my time in class being miserable and crying. Eventually, I was taken out of class.
While the Brother still had to endure accordion lessons, Dad took me to the library. He would leave me upstairs in the children's library where I could look at the books and choose to take some books home with my own library card. As I got older, I would go downstairs to the adult library and wander among the stacks enjoying the scent of the books before going to find Dad in the reference area consulting the law books and catching up on his work.
So for the next several weeks, a list of my favorite books, some I have read as a child, others as an adult and some I have read more than once.
This week, Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
If you haven't read this book, you can find it in the children's section of your public library or favorite bookstore.
You can also have the story read to you by actor, Steve Buscemi
1. Himself and I called the Eldest to wish her a Happy Birthday. She wasn't home so we left an off-key rendition of the birthday song on her voicemail. She loved it. 😺
2. The Eldest has/had a favorite lovey, a lamb. My dad brought Lambie as a gift to her the day after the Eldest was born when he saw his granddaughter for the first time. The day after the Eldest's birthday, I sent a birthday to text to Lambie.
3. Took a fun trip to an outlet store and found all sorts of treasures
4. Saw a monarch butterfly on the milkweed
5. Found some fun additions for Himself's garden project.
I love thunderstorms, the dark skies, the flash of lighting, the rumble of thunder. Whenever there's a thunderstorm, I always think of Himself, Sr.
One sultry Summer day, I was next door playing with Himself and his siblings. I was around 8 years old.
Himself Sr, was sitting outside smoking a cigarette. The sky turned dark and there was a rumble of thunder. Time to go in.
As I ran across the front yard to go home, Himself Sr. called me over to him. I have such happy memories of him. Sky blue eyes, red hair. Well, he had a fringe of red hair around his bald head. He had the map of Ireland (freckles) tattooed all over him, even on the bald spot on his head.
Standing in front of him, he taught me how to count the space between a flash of lightning and the grumble of thunder to see how far away the storm was. Flash! One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. One thousand four. One thousand five. Clap of thunder. The storm is 5 miles away. We counted down until the storm was 2 miles away and then he told me to go home.
The odd thing about this memory is I don't remember running across the lawn in a panic. I don't know why Himself Sr called me over to him. I don't remember the other kids with me circled around him. Himself doesn't have this memory. Just me.
Maybe Himself Sr. was worried about me. Ma worked so I'd be home alone until she got home from work. Maybe he thought I'd panic while the storm crashed and boomed outside, and he gave me a way to keep calm. Whatever the reason, to this day more than half a century later, I still count the pause between a flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder, and I think of Himself Sr.
Home again, home again. Jiggity jig. It's been so wet the lawn guy hasn't be able to come to mow the hayfield.
Traffic from construction backed up on The Pike (I-90) so Himself decided to get off the exit before the one that leads home. We traveled some of the back roads home.
We stopped at the Savers Donation Center to drop off a microwave, toaster oven, and a blender
My kind of weather
Himself's Youngest Brother leaves stones as a reminder of his visit to the grave.
We stopped to visit Himself's parents grave so Himself could tend the plants. He usually stops once a week on his way to the dojo to workout. Somebody left a pink geranium.
On the way down, we listened to WMEX at 1510 on the AM dial. They play Oldies. This is a reboot with the same call numbers and dial setting I listened to as a kid with DJ Arnie "WooWoo" Ginsburg. Only back then the songs I listened to weren't "oldies" but the Top 40 of the day.
Breakfast. I had the Strawberry Banana French Toast Combo with scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. No, I didn't eat all that food. I ate the French toast and took the rest home. Looks like I missed my beverage which was a cup of tea. You can see the Half n Half for the tea and the bottom of Himself's Coke in the upper right of the corner.
IHOP Menu. So many choices!
The first errand of the day, the Car Wash
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.
