Gypsy Gold Studio

I Just Have to Brag a Little Bit

2012-02-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

I know that most of you who read my blog have already seen this but I just have to brag a little bit anyway. My Paintings are featured here: Creative Catalyst Productions. I don't know how they found my little blog, but they contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if they could use my paintings on their company blog. I was delighted to say yes and I'm delighted about the blog post. I never mentioned it to anyone except Saint Gene because I didn't believe it would really happen. But it did!!!!!!!

Most artists want an audience for their work. Yes, we do it primarily for ourselves, but it's always more fun when you can share it. And since I am not a big name artist, I have limited avenues for sharing. I have no idea how many people will see CCP's blog post but then I don't have any idea how CCP found me! But it doesn't matter. My paintings are out there and I hope they are being enjoyed. And the joy of seeing my paintings on their blog has left me floating on cloud nine.

Joy Journal: Affirmation!

Ready, Set, Go

2012-01-31T14:13:00.001-05:00

Getting ready to start a new painting. Going to do another "let the colors go where they will" for this one. You can probably see that this is a bunch of padlocks, drawn from a photo, and padlocks don't have to be any particular color. So, in my continuing quest to loosen up a bit, I'm going to relinquish a little control. And that is not easy for me. But Linda Baker's technique is perfect for me. It gives me control if i want it and looseness if I want it. This new painting is 8"x10" and since I am still learning as I go, I make no promises. But it should be fun. I've got my supplies assembled, the design decided on and now I'm ready to go. Yes, I will use more paints than the ones in the photo, but those are just for starters. And I will actually start by masking off some areas that need to stay very light. But I find even the masking off process to be fun. Yeah, I'm strange. You're not the first person to think that. But I took a workshop a few years ago from a polymer clay artist, Dan Cormier, and one of the most important things I learned in his workshop was that you have to enjoy the process as well as the finished product. If you rush through the process, never taking the time to enjoy it, then you might as well go out and buy the finished product rather than do it yourself. The quality of the effort you put into the process directly affects the quality of the finished product. Those were not his exact words, of course, but they convey his message. If I don't enjoy the doing, the actual process of making, then why bother? And he's right. So I have forced myself to slow down and take care with each step of the process. And I am now enjoying the process and the finished projects are much better and my level of satisfaction is much higher. And I'm loving my paintings as a result.

Joy Journal: Sleeping late

The Bear Necessities

2012-01-30T10:16:00.003-05:00

Few of you have met Saint Gene so you wouldn't know that even though he IS a saint, he is also very much crazy. The picture above speaks volumes about the man. This, gentle reader, is the phone in my husband's man cave. Yes, this teddy bear is a phone. A speaker phone. And an animated phone. The mouth opens and closes as the caller talks. And it's as big as it looks like it is. And he loves it. You now have proof that he's crazy. As I've said before, we are a perfect match (except for the saint part - so NOT me).

Joy Journal: My mother smiled at me. First time in a long time.

Identity Crisis

2012-01-29T12:34:00.000-05:00

See any tomatoes in the picture above? Hmmm. Me neither. Yet the tag plainly says these should be Baxter Early cherry tomatoes. Seems we might have an identity crisis here. As you might guess, this tag is a leftover from the gardening season. At one time there were little cherry tomatoes here, but that season is long over. However, a pot about 2 feet away from this one had a rather sparse display of Johnny Jump-Ups. We were disappointed in the planting but didn't bother to pull them up. Now we have Johnny Jump-ups blooming beautifully and abundantly in all of the pots that were anywhere near the original plants. Even some in pots that were 10 feet away. Johnny Jump-Ups are like morning glories, they self-seed like crazy. We didn't expect they would do that in our case because the production from the seeds we planted was so sparse and spindly. Seems as though we planted them at the wrong time and now with the unusually warm winter we're having, they have produced a second generation of plants that are delighting us daily. And I know that this generation will also self-seed and we'll have beautiful little happy faced plants all over everywhere, in every flower bed and even in the grass. And I say, "YES!! - Go for it little beauties. Join your friends the wild violets and bloom your little hearts out."

Joy Journal: A comfortable sweatshirt and cool air.

Old and New Combined

2012-01-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

Applied an old bead style (rolled paper beads) to a new technique I learned today at my polymer guild meeting and came up with some polymer beads I really like. Of course, they aren't nearly as big as the photo would make you think and this isn't the greatest photo of them either, the longest bead measures about 1 inch, but the bright jewel colors on the gold background really speak to the "ooh sparkly" part of me. And "ooh sparkly" is a large part of me!! It was great fun getting to spend some quality time with other creative people who are also fun and easy to be around. Wish I lived closer so we could get together more frequently. But today was a good day, relaxing, fun and even productive! Now to go play with the remaining polymer.

Joy Journal: A really funny joke.

Feast or Famine, Drought or Flood

2012-01-21T12:59:00.001-05:00

We've been under drought conditions for many months with the deficit in the Atlanta area being around 11" (if I remember correctly). It felt this morning like we were going to make it all up in just a few hours! Our nice, peaceful little creek turned not so nice and peaceful this morning. It's hard to get the scale from the above photo but trust me, that is a serious amount of water you're seeing. There is normally a nice, scenic little cascade in that spot that is beautiful and melodic, great for sitting in the swing and watching. Not today. I know, in the grand scheme of floods this isn't even a blip on the radar. But it's unusual for us and since it doesn't threaten the house in the least, it's fun to watch.

Joy Journal: Deciding on my next painting subject.

Last One (for awhile)

2012-01-20T16:33:00.002-05:00

Promise, I won't make you endure another painting for awhile. At least for a week or so. It'll take me that long to get another one finished. (Gotcha!)

This is the completed uncompleted painting I talked about in my last post. It is now completely completed and ready to be framed. But since framing would bankrupt my 401K, framing won't happen for awhile. Until I can afford framing, the painting resides safely inside my portfolio. I spotted the old truck behind a chain link fence one day when I was out on a photo shoot and just had to get a picture of it. Since the gate that went inside the fence was unlocked and standing partially open I went in and made myself at home for a few minutes. The property was a car junkyard, not a private home, and I didn't have any evil intentions so I felt ok about doing that. I love both the resulting photographs and the painting. Kinko's did a great job scanning it even if I did have to wait on it - no instant gratification on the scan job. I was a little nervous about possible damage to the painting when I found out that it is run over a roller to be scanned unlike using a flatbed scanner, but it came through in great condition. I'm so glad I was introduced to Linda Baker's DVD. Fluid acrylics don't EXACTLY correspond to watercolors but it isn't that difficult to make the change from one to the other.

Now off to start on my newest new project since my old new project is finished!

Joy Journal: Saint Gene having fun with his Christmas present from me.

One Word - 2012 Edition

2012-01-18T09:30:00.003-05:00

No, I did not take the above photo, it's from the internet. But it explains my "One Word" so well.

I've decided to make "Finish" my "One Word" for 2012.

From dictionary.com:

verb (used with object)
1. to bring (something) to an end or to completion; complete: to finish a novel; to finish breakfast.
A little background, in case you need it - Someone somewhere started the "One Word" thing (I don't know what else to call it) some years back and it consists of choosing one word that you want to incorporate as part of your life for the coming year. So for 2012 my word is "Finish."

Now you may be wondering why that particular word. Well, you see, I have a tendency, a very strong tendency, to start lots of projects and never finish them. That's one of the reasons my studio needed such a major decluttering. I get excited about starting something new, about learning a new process or technique, about the possibilities of something new. And then after I've worked on the new thing for awhile, some other new project catches my interest and if the original project isn't finished, well, I'm still ready to be finished with it. So the original project goes on a back burner, "I'll finish that next week", and a new project gets started. But the original project gets forgotten, the "new" project loses that initial spark and, lo and behold, a new new project gets started. And now there are two unfinished projects waiting for my attention.

So I'm turning over a "new" leaf on "old" projects. No more new ones until some of the old ones get finished. Yesterday I put the finishing touches on a painting that was so close to finished that it was sad. But it had hung on the wall (by a clip, not framed) while I started the clothespin painting. In the spirit of my new word, I completely finished the clothespin painting, completely finished it, scanned it in and got it stashed away, then took the old truck painting and completely finished it. Now I'm finishing another almost finished painting and will have it done by tomorrow morning. Yes, I have a new painting all lined up and ready to start. But it will have to wait. I have to finish what I've already started.

Joy Journal: Comfortable sweat pants

Okay, Here's the Latest

2012-01-17T11:01:00.001-05:00

My time off from blogging, interneting, etc. turned out to be more necessary (and longer) than I had anticipated. Life never stands still does it.

But I did get some things done, like the painting shown above. It's only 8" x 8" but I intend to paint a similar one in a larger size. This painting is based on a photograph and, again, uses the technique taught by Linda Baker (on DVD). You may not be able to see the similarities of the technique from my earlier painting to this one, but they are definitely the same. The earlier painting had a much more controlled color placement, this one just let the color happen where it wanted to. I used Golden Fluid Acrylics and Derwent Inktense Pencils, using both as though they were watercolors. I'm having a really fun time with these but am going through masking fluid like crazy! I have two more paintings finished but need to get over to Kinkos to have them scanned in since they are 15" x 15" and won't fit on my scanner. Learning that Kinkos can scan larger things was great since I definitely want a digital record of my paintings.

It's good to be back blogging but I still won't be here every day. My poor camera thinks I've forgotten it. But I'm officially back and glad to welcome you back to my home on the internet.

Joy Journal: Saint Gene, always

Return Delayed

2012-01-14T21:18:00.000-05:00

My mother has had a mini-stroke and we are still dealing with this development. While we know that she will never get better, she is under Hospice care after all, it is really heartbreaking to see her condition deteriorate. I will be back but it may be a few more days.

Joy Journal: A new painting that is coming along well.

Vacation

2011-12-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize it myself for a few days, but now I know that I am on a blogging and internet vacation. My brain's supply of ideas has dried up and the inspiration isn't coming. So I'm going to just sit back and recharge the old (literally) batteries. Gonna play with my toys rather than the computer. Gonna get paint under my fingernails and glitter on my nose and maybe even make a book or some cookies!!

See you again after Christmas.

Joy Journal: Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Bread

Sittin' In the Mornin' Sun

2011-12-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

A cold day with warm sun through a window. The dogs were all stretched out in the sun and Saint Gene was about to move my mother from the dining room table to her recliner. Kinda' casually he said to my mother, "Those dogs look so comfortable. You want to join them in the sunshine?" Surprisingly, she answered "Yes." So we put on her sunglasses, rolled her over to the sliding glass door and into the sun. She was sound asleep in no time, nice and warm. I was sorry when we had to move her but she was so sound asleep she never even knew it. We take our joy whenever we can.

Joy Journal: Sleeping late then breakfast in bed.

I'm a Bookie

2011-11-25T09:12:00.001-05:00

Yep, I'm a bookie. No, I don't take bets, I just love books. I love reading them and I love making them. Someone asked me to post a picture of some of the books I used to make so I decided to show you a digital scrapbook page I made about one of the classes I was teaching. The first time I saw this star book format I fell in love with it. And it was definitely the most popular of all the book classes I taught. But I also made journals, both writing and photo. The writing journals were the books I made the most of. I sold some of them through my office but most I gave away to breast cancer survivors to help them through their chemo and radiation.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I ate too much. And I'm not the least bit sorry. I cooked it, I should eat it, right? And it was delicious. And it was also very sleep inducing - let's just say that naps (plural) were taken at the Hendrix Homestead Retirement Heaven! It was beautiful weather and I had planned to go for a long walk. I opted for the long nap instead.

Now back to my decluttering project.

Joy Journal: My mother enjoying her Thanksgiving meal

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone

2011-11-24T13:29:00.002-05:00

Picture from the internet
Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone.

What am I thankful for? Yes, I'm thankful for the major things like a home of my own, food on my table, a loving family, but I'm also thankful for a lot of small things:

The waitress who gave me especially good service.
The cop who just wagged his finger at me the other day instead of giving me a speeding ticket.
The friend who wrote me the nice email the other day.
The unexpectedly large discount on my software upgrade.
The successful halving of a traditional family recipe (there are only 3 of us!)
An incredibly beautiful leaf that landed right at my back door.
Bell pepper plants that are still producing peppers even in the colder weather and shorter days.
Caring Hospice nurses and aides.
Getting an unexpected and very welcome personal freebie from an internet vendor I've bought from but never met.
Progress in my decluttering.
A nice little cuddle nap with my two little dogs.
Finding a lost earring that I really, really liked.
Friends who keep in touch even though I've retired.
Good memories

And now I'm going to finish cooking our Thanksgiving Dinner. Then I'll wake my mother (she sleeps most of the time), interrupt Saint Gene's football game watching and serve our turkey, dressing, butter beans, okra, green beans, macaroni and cheese and sweet tea and be thankful for all my blessings, of which I have many.

Peace and Love to all of you and Happy Thanksgiving.

Joy Journal: Being able to make "Mama J's" dressing for dinner

Almost Finished

2011-11-22T00:57:00.001-05:00

Just have a few little tweaks left and the transition to total new blogger platform (which isn't so new anymore at all) will be done. Just need to add my blogroll (updated), my Flickr slideshow and my Relay for Life links and I'll be good to go for right now.

Like the new header? Like the old one better?

Joy Journal: Breakfast at the Waffle House - I'm easy!

Decisions, Decisions

2011-11-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

As I look around me and survey my "stuff", I wonder if the proposed craft room/studio/warehouse move from one small room to another slightly larger room will ever happen. I've been on a decluttering kick as part of the move. But there's still a mountain of stuff. But now the decision, "Do I keep this or do I let it go?" gets harder and harder. The easy-to-let-go-of stuff has long since found a new home. My polymer guild has been the beneficiary of some of my stuff, Goodwill has also benefited, Hope House has gotten some and the Inspire organization comes by frequently for pickups. Now I've now reached the hard part. I used to teach classes in making handmade books but haven't done so in quite awhile. And now I have to decide if I really need to keep all those box cutters that I had for students to use, all the small glue guns (I have 12), again, for students, all the beautiful 1/3 yard pieces of fabric I/we used for covering the books. I have reams and reams of both card stock and text weight paper that we used in the books. I love making books and hope to do it again. But will I actually do it? I had big plans to paint on big canvases so when they went on sale for a ridiculously low price I bought a few. OK, slightly more than a few. But less than a bunch. So what am I painting on? Watercolor paper. I love painting on fabric and I wanted some "wearable art" to wear to workshops, etc. so I bought patterns to make some tops and jackets from the fabrics I was going to paint (yes, I know how to sew and have 2 sewing machines [3 if you count my mother's machine that she brought with her when she moved in with me]). And I have all of the paints, stencils, texture tools, brushes, etc. that I need to paint these fabrics. How many have I painted? How many pieces of wearable art do I own? Let's move on to another subject. Beautiful screen printed Japanese papers are a special love of mine and I have three large flat file holders full of Japanese papers under my bed. They are gorgeous. My heart tells me they are far too wonderful to use, because if I use them I won't have them anymore. And many of them truly are irreplacable. I know already that they aren't going anywhere. Mine! All mine! Preciousssses.

No, I'm not a hoarder. You can walk around and sit down in my house quite easily. The kitchen is clean, the dining room table is clear, my clothes hang neatly in my closet. But the craft room/studio/warehouse? I am a pack rat. I have 4 paper cutters, large, full-size paper cutters. One of them used to live at my office with me - but I'm retired now. But it's a nice paper cutter. Not as nice as the really expensive one I have, but still...

Ok, I can do this. I can let someone else enjoy all those cigar boxes and all those spools of ribbon. I can. I know I can.

But hands off those Japanese papers!!

Joy Journal: A lap full of a sleeping little black dog

Deprive Myself?

2011-11-20T08:00:00.018-05:00

Been having a little problem lately with acid reflux so I went online to see what I should do for it. Found the following on a website:

"Treatment

To prevent heartburn, avoid foods and beverages that may trigger your symptoms. For many people, these include:

•Alcohol
•Caffeine
•Carbonated beverages
•Chocolate
•Citrus fruits and juices
•Tomatoes
•Tomato sauces
•Spicy or fatty foods
•Full-fat dairy products
•Peppermint
•Spearmint
If other foods regularly give you heartburn, avoid those foods, too."

Geez, what I am supposed to eat? Life without tomatoes would be no life at all. We had 15 heavy producing tomato plants this summer!! Don't they know that the best part of waking up is Folgers in my cup (or, in my case, Maxwell House)? No carbonated beverages? Then how can I Teach the World to Sing in Perfect Harmony? No spicy foods? My middle name is "Tex-Mex Restaurant." No fatty foods? Bacon, bacon, bacon!! Steaks, hamburgers, fried chicken, bring 'em on! No, really, bring 'em on. Just writing about them makes me hungry.

Ok, I think I've got it figured out now. I'll give up peppermint and spearmint.

I just threw away my chewing gum. I feel better already.

Joy Journal: UGA - 9 in a row

Warning!

2011-11-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

Over the holiday week I'm going to be making some changes to my blog. Some time back Blogger changed it's platform ("Blogger in Beta") and I was dragged over to the new platform kicking and screaming. I was perfectly happy with my blog the way it was. Fortunately, one of my options was to be "sort of" on the new platform which would allow me to still have my blog the way it was. So I left it that way. But now, I want to change it so have decided to jump in with both feet and do a blog redesign. It won't be anything dramatic, I'm a simple life kind of girl (old girl, yes, but still a girl). Saint Gene keeps telling me I have to grow old but I don't have to grow up, so I haven't. But I want to have the little features like "Previous Post" instead of the archives (just in case someone in the wide open world of blogging is interested in knowing what I wrote three months ago). What I really would like to do is to use my own domain name - GypsyGoldStudio - after all I already own it! But I'm not sure I'm savvy enough to do that and real personal help with Blogger is non-existent. Anyway, this simple little changeover from partial new Blogger to complete new Blogger could leave me befuddled and out of circulation for a few days. Or not. We'll just have to see. So, anyway, if you happen to visit and things look weird, just give me time. But then again, I may be going for weird. But probably not.

Joy Journal: Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit with coffee - in bed.

Enough with the Tobacco, Already!

2011-11-17T08:00:00.016-05:00

Last post about the tobacco barn, promise. You know, it didn't strike me until just yesterday why they call the tied bunches of tobacco "hands". I mean, it was really a serious d'uh moment! It has to be because the size of each bundle is about the maximum amount of leaves you can hold in one hand - a hand full. Tobacco leaves are quite large and you hold them together, stem end up, in one hand, wrap the stems together with string with the other hand and then tie the string off. You can see the tied bunches or "hands" in the above photos.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Joy Journal: Napping while it was raining

Memories Are Made of This

2011-11-16T20:48:00.001-05:00

Writing the post about my tobacco barn experience got me to thinking about other members of my extended family and I went through my stash of pictures just remembering each of them. When I came to this picture I just had to stop.

This beautiful woman is my maternal great-grandmother, Minnie Lee Gassett Durden (1886-1974). The oral family history says that this picture was taken when she was 16 years old, just after she married my great-grandfather. Wasn't she beautiful! Not too many people of my generation had the privilege of knowing their great-grandparents but I did. My great-grandfather died just a few years before I got married and my great-grandmother attended my wedding. She was always a petite little woman and always immaculately groomed. She did exquisite needlework and I'm proud to have a few pieces of crochet and tatting that she made. And talk, the woman could talk! She was a very social, outgoing person and she just loved to talk.

Can you imagine wearing those clothes? She was definitely particular about her clothes. But most of my memories are not of her in her dress up clothes but rather in the simple yet beautifully made housedresses that she wore for her everyday life.

I'm so glad I came across this wonderful picture. I'm enjoying my recent strolls down memory lane.

Joy Journal: The sweet smell after the rain.

I Spy

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

If I had my "druthers", I would have these in bunches all through my house. They are paper stars with lights inside them. They are wonderfully, gloriously colorful and fun. And expensive. And I love them! They grace the windows of the Chevron Trading Post & Bead Company in Asheville, NC. Their home page has a nice picture of the store taken at dusk with the lighted stars that makes me want them even more. Guess I had better start playing the lottery. If you look closely, you can spy the photographer in the photo - she forgot to put on the polarizing filter to cut down on reflections.

Joy Journal: Warm sunshine

Digital Magic

2011-11-13T13:15:00.005-05:00

Digital photography is amazing. And the key word is "digital". Above is a before and after picture I took while at the old tobacco barn in North Carolina. When I opened it on my computer I was very disappointed in the exposure - it was obviously underexposed and way too dark. But through the miracle of a graphics program and a lot of adjustments it was salvaged. I need to put in the normal disclosure: This would have been a better picture if it had been properly exposed in the camera. Adjustments of the magnitude that I had to make to this photo to get it "right" alway destroy some of the integrity of the finished product and print quality is often compromised. And I would not have been anywhere near as successful if the picture had been overexposed. But being able to "save" photos that you might otherwise have to trash is a beautiful thing.

Joy Journal: Georgia 45/Auburn 7 - Go Dawgs!

Tobacco Road

2011-11-10T19:04:00.004-05:00

Thank you, friends, for wanting me to keep my blog going. I guess I just needed a little affirmation that it made a difference to someone other than me.

When I was a little girl (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth) my brother and I spent part of each summer with some of my father's family, usually my grandmother. But one summer we spent several weeks with an aunt and uncle who lived in Quicy, Florida (near Tallahassee). My uncle was a tobacco farmer and while we were there we spent about three days working with the tobacco. I don't remember exactly what part of the work my brother helped with since he was younger than me, not used to hard, physical labor and definitely inexperienced with the machinery used in growing tobacco. And believe me, I wasn't acquainted with hard physical labor myself. I was assigned to work in the curing barn. I don't know which one of us got the worst end of the deal. But neither part was fun. We got up early to beat the heat and spent the daylight hours tying "hands" of tobacco leaves. A "hand" consists of about 20 tobacco leaves and we gathered them together and tied them with string so they could be hung from the barn and seasoned. After months of seasoning, the tobacco would be taken to auction and sold. It was hot, hard work and I was probably more a hindrance than a help, but it wasn't from lack of trying. I wanted so badly to tie the hands as fast as the experienced workers. Which, obviously, wasn't ever going to happen. But whenever I think of farm work I think of that experience. When I saw the tobacco barn above during my trip to Asheville it brought back all sorts of memories - the energy-draining sticky heat, the dust motes floating in the streaks of sunlight coming through the boards of the barn, the pungent (but surprisingly pleasant) smell of the tobacco leaves, the taste of the sweet tea we drank constantly and the blisters that formed on my city girl hands even under the gloves I was wearing. But I also remember the friendly camaraderie while we worked, the gentle teasing the older workers gave me all the while helping me out and giving me credit for far more work than I did. And being paid something in range of $10 for my three days work. I also remembered fishing in my uncle's pond, catching tiny little fish coming through the overflow pipe and my aunt cleaning and cooking them for us even though they were barely more than minnows. I remember how good it felt to crawl into my bed at night feeling the window fan blowing over me.

My, how life has changed.

Joy Journal: 27 goldfish

Thinking

2011-11-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of discontinuing my blog.

It doesn't seem to garner much interest. I don't lead an exciting life. I'm not famous. And I'm not sure there is a real point to keeping it going any more. My page view stats tell me that very, very few people visit on any kind of frequent basis (thank you Shelley and Sherry for your loyalty). Consequently I've grown very lax about keeping it updated. If no one is interested in reading it, then why am I bothering?

Can you tell I'm in a bit of a downer mood today? Not sure why, I just am. Would have loved to sit out on the deck today, the sunshine was beautiful and it always makes me feel better. But the wind was so gusty that it wasn't really pleasant to be outside. Tomorrow and Sunday I'm going to a workshop but I'm not even excited about that!

Ok, I've whined enough. I think I'll call it an early night. Because, after all, in the words of Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day."

Spooky

2011-11-03T19:46:00.005-04:00

There is something about this picture that is just a little spooky. Other than resizing for the internet and the resultant need for a little sharpening, this picture is straight out of the camera with no alterations. It was taken at mid-day off the side of a road in the mountains of North Carolina. The sun was shining just right throught the trees and gave certain of the the green leaves a surreal glow. But it has an eerie quality to it, almost like the colors aren't natural. But they are. It looked sort of spooky in real life, too, and I was surprised when I opened the picture on my computer to see that it retained that quality. What's really spooky is that I like it!

I've started sketching out my next painting. It's going to be a cropped down version of one of my photos and you can expect old and rusty for sure. But it will also be 15" x 15" and is intended to be a companion piece for the first painting. I'm going to have to find some way to get them scanned into my computer!! I would welcome any suggestions.

I took my little 5"x8" painting to the framers for an estimate. YIKES!! Guess it will just have to be happy in an inexpensive little frame from Michaels. It is now hanging in my studio/craftroom/warehouse and it gives me a lot of pleasure. Saint Gene is going to have to get his workshop cranked up again and spend some quality time with his router to learn how to make picture frames!

Joy Journal: Rain

Old Trucks

2011-11-03T01:44:00.001-04:00

I still don't understand my fascination with photographing old, rusty vehicles. But I guess I don't really have to understand it, I can just enjoy it when I find a good subject. These two old trucks were sitting in the front yard of a home outside of Asheville, NC. When I stopped to photograph them the owner of the home came out and we chatted a little about the trucks. Seems they belong to the previous owner who is supposed to come get them in the near future. Apparently, the previous owner expects to sell them for a goodly amount of money. When I told the property owner that I was glad I got there before they were hauled away, he told me that people often stop by to photograph them. What? You mean I'm not the only one doing this? (just joking, I know old vehicles are popular subjects) The current homeowner didn't find them nearly as interesting as I did. He just wants them off the property, said he was tired of his yard looking "red neck". I can understand that. Being a great photo subject doesn't make them great yard art. But I'm still glad I got there before they were gone.

Joy Journal: Moonvine seeds, lots of them

The Dangers of Shooting Manual Mode

2011-11-02T15:37:00.002-04:00

There's a certain danger in shooting manual mode. You have to pay more attention to what you are doing as well as what you've already done. Ask me how I know this. The above photo is a good example of what I mean. What I was doing was shooting in manual mode in beautiful full bright sunshine and what I had already done was shoot indoors with the white balance set to "incandescent." What I didn't do was set the white balance back to either auto or sunshine. What I got were some very blue pictures of what otherwise would have been an interesting subject, The Gypsy Mermaid. Live and learn - I hope.

Joy Journal: Large and small pinecones

Love That Color!

2011-11-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

For someone who loves color, it doesn't get much better than fall. The beautifully clear skies and low temperatures of the last few days have created a spectacular show of color. The brilliance of a red sugar maple leaf in the golden light of October can be breathtaking. The sweet and simple mums in their planters give just the right contrast to the bright leaves falling all around them. Perfect days for sitting on my deck.

Joy Journal: A good printer

Hawk

2011-10-31T23:46:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure exactly what kind of hawk he is but I do know that he's pretty self-confident. I was walking outside the Dillard House a few weeks ago looking at the farmland out in front of me when I noticed him sitting on the fence. He noticed me, too, but chose to ignore me. No way I could ignore him, there was just too much temptation to try to get a close up picture, so I employed my best "cat sneaking up" moves and managed to get close enough for several good shots of him before he decided he had done enough posing. He would gaze out over the farmland, probably looking for prey, and I would advance a few steps. He would turn sideways and look at me and and I would stand very still. We repeated this little scenario probably 5 times before he left. I've seen hawks before, but I've never been around one that didn't seem at all nervous at having me so close. I was afraid the camera shutter noise would scare him off but he ignored it. Hawks are big birds and this one seemed huge. And powerful. And so, so beautiful.

Joy Journal: Beautiful red maple leaves

Well, Here it Is

2011-10-27T20:00:00.002-04:00

I promised I would show my painting so here it is. It's a 1948 Chevy Coupe. A very talented photographer friend of mine took the picture and I loved it so much I wanted to try to reproduce it for my watercolor-style acrylic painting. Yes, I had her permission to do so. (Thanks, Suzanne!) It's small, only 5" x 8", which actually made it a little harder to do. Many layers of masking fluid and many layers of watered down Golden fluid acrylics later, this is the finished piece.

This is actually the second watercolor-style painting I've done, but the first one is too big to scan and I haven't managed to get a good enough photo of it yet. It's 15" x 15" and, surprise!, it's of the side of a rusty old car. Ok, so you aren't surprised. After all, you know me and my addiction to rust.

Both paintings use a technique I learned (and am still learning) from a DVD by Linda Baker and from the experience and guidance of a friend who is also an artist. She and I had more fun painting our little hearts out in her home studio, pouring paint, flicking paint and just generally making a mess while also creating paintings that we were both proud of. Then I came home and used those same techniques to create my painting shown above. I'm addicted now. The technique is designed for watercolor but I didn't want to invest in a whole new medium - watercolor paints can be ridiculously expensive - so we decided to use fluid acrylics thinned down like watercolors. Both mediums have their advantages and disadvantages. If you make a mistake with watercolors, you can usually lift the color off the paper and get pretty close to being back at pure white. If you make a mistake with acrylics, you live with it or disguise it. However, watercolors dry lighter than they look when wet, whereas the color you see is the color you get with acrylics. But the major advantage of acrylics was that I already owned the acrylic paints.

I don't want to imply that I've never painted before. I have done a little bit of painting, not much, but always non-representational, all abstracts and collages, etc. And I loved them and will continue to do them. But this watercolor type of painting is a whole different animal for me and it's an exciting new adventure for me. I'm excited to see where it takes me!

Joy Journal: A warm, sunny fall day

Don't Go Alone

2011-10-07T10:56:00.008-04:00

Oh my goodness! Whatever you do, don't ever go to the Dillard House alone. See that massive spread on the table in the photo? It was all for me and only me. The Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia is one of the famous country eating places in Georgia so I decided on my trip up yesterday to stop there for lunch. I knew they served family style and that usually you sit at a table for eight with your party and other people. Well, they sat me alone at a table for two (which I much preferred) and started bringing out the food and they didn't stop until the table was completely covered - and the photo doesn't show the dessert! There were two large pork chops, two beautiful pieces of fried chicken (including a wishbone, haven't had one of those in years!), a bowl of pulled pork barbecue, two slices of country ham, a bowl of speckled butter beans, a bowl of green beans, a bowl of homestyle potatoes and onions, a bowl of mashed sweet potates, a bowl of cole slaw, a bowl of apple salad, a bowl of tomato and onion salad, a bowl of something suspiciously like squash (squash makes me sick so I didn't check it out), a bowl of Brunswick stew, and a baked apple and they were going back for the fried okra which they forgot but I stopped them. Did I mention a huge basket of biscuits, dinner rolls and cornbread and the fresh apple butter that came with it? The dessert would have been blackberry cobbler but I begged the waitress NOT to bring it to the table. And, deliver me from evil, they even offer refills!! When I finished you couldn't tell the bowls had been touched!!!! Then the waitress offered to box up all the leftovers and send them home with me. Was it good, you ask? Oh my heavens, yes!

Joy Journal: A COLD motel room for sleeping

On the Road

2011-10-06T22:54:00.001-04:00

I headed to Asheville, NC today for a polymer clay play day with friends and decided to take a round-about way to get there. I got lost twice (and I NEVER get lost) but I still had a great time driving to Asheville. The weather could not have been any more perfect, the sky was ultra blue, the air was clear with no summertime haze in the mountains and traffic was light. I enjoyed my time seeing once again the real Georgia (which doesn't include Atlanta) and reconnected a little with my "Georgia-ness", probably even increased my drawl a little. The leaves in the mountains are just starting to show their beautiful fall wardrobe and I had a delightful trip. The beauty of the north Georgia mountains gives me a profound sense of peace and I feel at home in them, even though I'm really from the peach orchard area of middle Georgia. And my ancesters are from the true farmlands of South Georgia where the peanuts and soybeans grow (love me some boiled peanuts). All of those places are the real Georgia, not the skyscrapers and harsh traffic and non-Southern accents of Atlanta, and it felt good to be out in them. I don't think I got over 65 mph, which for me is something of a miracle - I have somewhat of a lead foot when driving.

I'm thinking of trying a photographic series about "My Georgia", trying to recreate some of the Georgia I grew up in - assuming that it still exists, of course. I noticed on my drive today how generic things are becoming. All of the little towns had their McDonald's, Arby's, Wendy's, CVS, Walgreen's, Applebee's, Red Lobster. The little hometown "meat and 3" restaurants are few and far between. But the people are still welcoming and friendly, they wave when they see you drive by and they smile at you when they pass you on the sidewalk.

The "watercolor" painting should be ready for unveiling one day next week. Be forewarned, I don't do pretty flowers, etc. You know I like old, rusty things, right? Just sayin.......

Joy Journal: Lone*Star Steakhouse Ribeye

Tiny Thing = Big Joy (Part Five)

2011-09-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

If you have never smelled a flowering Sweet Olive shrub then you have missed out on one of the great joys of life. We have about 20 of them growing along our back property line and the smell this morning was truly intoxicating! The shrubs grow large and are evergreen so we used them as a sight barrier along our back fence - our neighbors apparently have something against trees and they cut down virtually every tree in their yard so we were looking right in their back door! The flowers on the sweet olive are very insignificant looking and usually hard to see. You can walk close to them and not be able to tell where that divine fragrance is coming from because the flowers are so small and hide inside the leaves. Not this year!!! They are covered in blooms. The fragrance is delicate, not over-powering, but still very noticeable especially in the early morning or early evening. The picture below may give you some idea of how large the shrubs are in comparison to the flowers, but it can't convey to you that wonderful, gloriously soft but totally mind-boggling smell

Joy Journal: My first almost-finished watercolor painting!

Zydeco T

2011-09-12T19:53:00.000-04:00

Oh, the simple joy of sitting out in the open and listening to fun music. Saint Gene and I spent Saturday night listening to the music of Zydeco T while eating our low country boil at our wonderful little downtown plaza. Zydeco T is a local (Atlanta area) group of musicians and they had a rollicking good time and so did the audience. There was a good turnout, too. Yes, I've heard better bands, but this one was fun and we had a great time. As a matter of fact, we had so much fun we're going again this coming Saturday to listen to some old-fashioned rock and roll. You know, old-fashioned, like us. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Joy Journal: Vivilan

Heart in Hand

2011-09-08T00:11:00.000-04:00

He holds my heart in his hands in the most gentle of ways. It's wonderful to be able to trust someone enough to trust them with your heart. (And, in this case, your heart-shaped tomato!!)

Joy Journal: A good night's sleep.

The World of Coca-Cola

2011-09-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

Had a really fun day the other day and it didn't cost me anything. I have been doing a little "secret shopping" just for the fun of it and my assignment last week was the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta. Coke got it's start in Atlanta and has remained here. I've always been a big fan of Coca-Cola, both the drink and the company, and was delighted to get a chance to tour their tourist attraction, The World of Coke, for free! While it is primarily a large Coca-Cola advertisement from start to finish, I didn't expect anything else. It is interesting and was a fun way to spend a few hours.

If you're in Atlanta and don't mind the $16 entrance fee, it's a nice place to spend some time - and you get a commemorative bottle of coke at the end. But be warned, the seat movement in the interactive 4-D theater can be rough!

Joy Journal: A spurt of creativity

For Shelley

2011-09-05T17:34:00.000-04:00

Shelley, here's the more accurate face of kudzu. It covers everything. This photo shows full size trees covered by kudzu.

Joy Journal: Rain

Playing with Light

2011-09-03T10:18:00.001-04:00

Our little city and county will never win any awards for beauty. But there is one little spot that is almost always a joy to visit, O'Neal Plaza. The city some years ago closed a street and turned the street into a wonderful little plaza that hosts concerts, movies, craft fairs, etc. And one of it's prettiest features is a fountain that creates sparkling little splashes of water. I've photographed this fountain before but wanted to give it another go while playing with my new "skills" in manual mode on my camera. It was late afternoon and the light was surprisingly good, not too "hot" but still bright enough to give the water some sparkle. I was sweating like crazy and the occasional spray from the fountain felt great. The hardest part was waiting for people to go by as it was a busy afternoon at the little plaza. There are several nearby restaurants, Gumbeaux's, a Cajun restaurant, and The Irish Bred Pub, so people will often walk through the plaza to get to those restaurants. But I was happy to wait, it was good to see people using and enjoying our little hidden gem. The city and plaza will be hosting a low country boil followed by a concert of some local musicians next Saturday and I am seriously considering paying for someone to sit with my mother so Saint Gene and I can go and enjoy it.

Joy Journal: Organizing my polymer clay supplies

Peace and Quiet

2011-09-01T20:30:00.000-04:00

It was such a peaceful evening here last night. The temperature was somewhat moderate, the humidity wasn't too bad, the neighbors were gone so their dogs weren't barking and the moon vine was putting on a show. We (Saint Gene and I) sat outside for a long time while my mother slept peacefully. Even the mosquitoes weren't a problem.

I'm trying to organize my bead stash and have about decided that it's impossible. I just have too, too many. And so far I haven't devised an organizing system that really works. I'm trying to organize them by color but that isn't as easy as it sounds. If a bead is half blue and half orange (yes, I have some like that) does it go in with the blues or with the oranges? If a bead is sort of green and sort of blue, which group does it go in? And I'm running across quite a few "why in the world did I buy these?" beads. But it sure is fun looking at all of them. They satisfy my need for color in a big way! We won't even go into the "expensive" side of this issue. And I have to stop every now and then and make a pair of earrings just because. I may have told you this before, but the longer I'm retired, the longer my earrings get.

Joy Journal: Ooohhh, sparkly!!!

Success

2011-08-31T19:12:00.000-04:00

Remember these little babies?

Well, here's how they turned out. Love me some marigolds!!!!

Joy Journal: The first day of my new walking program.

Kudzu

2011-08-28T23:31:00.002-04:00

Kudzu, also known as "the vine that ate the south". If you've ever been to the south in the summer you've seen it's huge leaves covering everything in sight, growing over the tops of trees, and smothering everything underneath it. Kudzu is an extremely invasive import from Asia that was originally expected to be a roadside saviour - it was brought in to control erosion. Instead, like a lot of other things, it decided it really liked the south and it took over. It can grow 12 inches in one day. And it spreads by underground roots so you can think you've killed it and, Surprise!, it shows up someplace else. But it does have one good point - it has beautiful, fragrant flowers. Kudzu isn't covered in blooms so it's easy to overlook them. But if you are anywhere near them you know they are there. They have a wonderful, sweet grape smell. The blooms remind me somewhat of an upright wisteria, but they are more red purple than lavender purple. Wish I could share the smell with you over the internet but you'll have to settle for a picture.

Joy Journal: The company of creative people.

Where Have All My Bloggers Gone?

2011-08-26T15:00:00.002-04:00

I don't actively keep up with too many blogs and lately it seems that the ones I really do (did) enjoy have begun quietly disappearing!! Is it because it's summer and they are just too busy to blog? Have they all lost interest? Yes, I read a lot of the "big name" blogs, Pioneer Woman, Dooce, etc. but my favorites are the personal blogs and they seem to be fading away. Come back, dear friends! I miss you! I know, I know, I don't post that much anymore either, but almost no one reads my blog so it doesn't matter. It matters when the blogs I read start disappearing. So please, blogger friends, come back online. Show me once again your paintings, your 300 pairs of socks, your beautiful sketches. I'm getting lonesome.
Joy Journal:

The Long Journey

2011-08-25T18:53:00.001-04:00

The journey with my mother continues. Her quality of life is so sad. She sleeps most of the time and is unhappy during the times she is awake. Conversation with her is very limited. It's sometimes almost as if she doesn't really exist. But I thank God daily that her dementia, as terrible as it is, isn't the Alzheimer's form of dementia. She still remembers all of her family and most of her life events up until the time she had her stroke. Everything after that is pretty much gone but since so much of it has been painful it's probably just as well. She's right here in the room with me as I type this and yet she isn't. And I miss her.

The photo above was taken at a very small private lake about 10 miles from my house. It isn't the best photo I've ever taken and yet there is something about it that really appeals to me. I wish I were there right now.

Joy Journal: A beautiful bright yellow bell pepper.

Poke Salad

2011-08-24T18:13:00.001-04:00

Summer is beginning to show signs of aging. But unlike me, Nature gets more colorful as she ages. At least for a while anyway. Poke salad is one of the plants that really turns on the color in late summer. The dark purple berries, the bright fuschia stems and the greenery seem to glow as the afternoon sun shines through the plant, a plant that is sometimes synonymous with the south. But summer isn't finished yet. Sweat was dripping in my eyes as I was taking this picture, reminding me (as if I could forget) that summer in Georgia is serious business. But I do love it. I get a little tired of the heat and a lot tired of the humidity. But I'll take summer over winter any day.

Things are still quiet here at Hendrix Homestead Retirement Heaven. I've been using some of my time getting the inside of the house in a little better shape, some of my time organizing all of the gazillions of my craft room/studio items and some of my time taking naps. I love being retired.

Joy Journal: Air conditioning in my car!

Shoes

2011-08-12T18:33:00.001-04:00

I have gained weight since retiring. Partially from inactivity after the knee surgery but mostly from over-indulgence in one of my favorite activities: Eating. And my doctor gave me the "lose weight" lecture. So today I went to buy some walking shoes so I could start my walking program now that my knee seems to be healed. Have you priced walking shoes lately? Yikes!! After walking the length of the mall twice, I finally had to order the shoes to get the ones I wanted. After all that activity it's only natural to be hungry, right? Today's lunch is shown above. Those shoes better come soon!!

Joy Journal: Charming Charlie's jewelry displays. Drool.

Hands On, Definitely

2011-08-11T12:45:00.000-04:00

I took my first "hands-on" photography class Saturday and I have to say, hands-on ROCKS! It is definitely better than on-line. Much. Many much. Mucho. Many more betterer. We had two instructors, one was very much a Canon person and one was very much a Nikon person (I own a Nikon). It was wonderful having someone who spoke "Nikon" and could immediately answer my question about my particular camera. And the amazing thing was that she was equally proficient with all of the many different models of Nikon, not just the big, expensive professional model she used. The Canon instructor was equally proficient with all of the models of the Canon cameras. Yes, all of the information can be found in the camera user manual. But have you ever tried to read one of those things? They are written by non-English speakers who got their doctorates in Chaos Theory. Then they are translated into English by non-native English speakers who formerly worked for Basement Cat (a LOL cat reference). And this isn't to say that on-line classes are bad. I took several and learned a lot from them. But for actual "How do I use this thing?" information, hands on is definitely the way to go. If you live in the Atlanta or Birmingham area, I can definitely recommend Click Workshops to you. They are great! I am so much more comfortable shooting in manual mode now. I already understood the concepts of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO, but the class and the hands on work made the light bulb go on over my head as to how they need to interact. Thanks, Jody and Elizabeth, you were wonderful.

[Sorry, no pictures for this post. Our models for the class were young pre-teen and teen girls and I didn't think to get permission to use their photos on my blog, so decided it was best not to post them without permission.]

Joy Journal: Rain

A Little Bit Country

2011-07-12T12:40:00.002-04:00

And yet another photo from the old barn shoot. I should probably put these in an on-line album and just post the link but it's more fun to me to post them individually.

It's a quiet, lazy Tuesday here in the west Atlanta area. You can tell that summer has set in. The air is hazy and the humidity, well, you know the old saying, "It isn't the heat, it's the humidity". It's true. There will be a 20% chance of rain in the forecast for the next three months. We could use about a 100% chance right now - everything is so very dry that even the heavy rain of a few days ago wasn't enough. We need one of those good old 2 day soaking rains.

Life's been quiet here at the Hendrix Homestead. We're loving being able to eat our homegrown tomatoes, our homegrown cucumbers, our homegrown potatoes and even a few homegrown beans. Next year add okra to that list.

Joy Journal: Sleeping late this morning

Fading Glory

2011-07-08T12:32:00.000-04:00

This has been a wonderful year for bright, glowing colors in our yard. But this hydrangea bloom is beginning to fade and lose it's electric blue color. But I found it beautiful nonetheless and very much liked the composition of the flower against the fence.

Joy Journal: Watching my 28, yes 28, new goldfish in my newly renovated fish pools swimming around the base of the waterfall.

Leaves and Swirls

2011-07-07T15:59:00.006-04:00

It felt so good to be creative last weekend. I love working with polymer clay but sometimes it takes a little kick in the you-know-what to get me going. Working with the sparkplug that is Christi Friesen (I'll bet the woman never sleeps!) was just the thing. Her endless energy, enthusiasm and joy in her medium makes her classes so much fun and so inspirational that you just can't help yourself - You just have to enjoy and create. I wish the colors in the photo were a little more true to the piece - the foundation is a variegated blue-green-turquoise marbled mixture and the leaves are much more "leaf" green - but overall you get the idea. I'm going to enjoy wearing this.

Joy Journal: Creative energy

Feeling "Spritely"

2011-07-03T20:24:00.002-04:00

I don't have a name for her yet, she was just created Saturday, but I love her. I took a polymer clay class with Christi Friesen on Saturday and Sunday and this is the project I completed on Saturday. My little Sprite has an Asian look to her and while that was unintentional it always make me happy. She was originally designed to be a pendant but I made her a little large - she's about six inches long. Saint Gene says she should be a wall hanging instead. But I want to wear her as a pendant by golly! I'll just call it a "statement piece". Now that I'm retired I can do that. The class was "Things with Wings" - so here she is, my Thing with Wings.

Joy Journal: Breakfast for lunch in an old-fashioned Southern eating place.

A Tale of Two Weeds

2011-06-11T13:28:00.008-04:00

One day, a month or so ago, Saint Gene and I were out and about in the back yard admiring the small little impatiens plants that he had grown from seed and planted under one of our big trees. I noticed two weeds that seemed to be growing from beans and knew they weren't impatiens. When I pointed them out to Saint Gene he immediately pulled them out of the ground and tossed them aside. We really didn't want weeds to compete with our wonderful new little plants. On a impulse I decided I wanted to see what the weeds would grow up to look like and I talked Saint Gene into putting them both in a single plastic pot in some potting soil. By this time they had been out of the ground, laying with the roots exposed for about an hour. They obviously weren't going to make it but seeing as they were weeds anyway, it didn't matter. And being weeds they defied the odds and managed to perk up over the next few days. So we laughed, placed them in an out-of-the-way spot on the deck, watered them and left them alone. They straggled up into the sun with very little help from us. They were certainly not very attractive but they were determined to grow. Their skinny but sturdy little stalks kept on going up and their sparse little leaves got brown on the tips but managed to survive. And this is how one those weeds paid us back for our efforts:

A beautiful, beautiful sunflower. The second weed will probably open it's flower in about a week. We are guessing that the sunflower seeds were carried from the bird feeder by birds and dropped over the tilled flower bed which had been prepared for the impatiens. I really don't know what it was that made me want to grow two weeds. But I'm sure glad I did.

Joy Journal: Bright yellow

Traveling Art Journal

2011-06-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

I've been asked by several of you to show some of my art in addition to my photos so I decided to show you the art work I did in my traveling journal. This journal is making the rounds for several other artists to add their art work (and I do some art in their journals). Unfortunately, the colors aren't quite as colorful in the photo as they are in real life and the metallics don't show up as metallic at all. The quote on the left hand side reads, "Art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves all at the same time." And just wait until you see the art that Odd Chick did in my journal. Wow! I'll you show you that in another post.

Joy Journal: Fireflies and crickets in the early evening

Cooling Off

2011-06-10T12:50:00.001-04:00

The weather has been SO HOT lately. Temps in the 90s in late May and early June? Not fair. And my poor hydrangeas have been struggling from the heat and the lack of rain. So I watered them and here's how they rewarded me. Beautiful blue booms. A nice cooling color.

Joy Journal: Found the right pot for my bubble fountain

I've Been Dismissed

2011-06-07T22:27:00.000-04:00

Another picture from my Old Barn shooting session. Got a little busy the past few days (hey, I'm retired and that isn't supposed to happen!) and didn't have time to process the remaining pictures from the shoot.

But I did manage to make it to the doctor and he dismissed me. Said my knee is doing well and I should expect to have some soreness and swelling for another month or so but that it would be less and less. I love my orthopedic surgeon. He gives me Tootsie Pops and has the most wonderful sense of humor. He came into the examining room, looked at my knee, moved it around, stood up and told me, "Get out of here, I have patients who really need a doctor!" He was, of course, joking but I love the fact that we can do that! As I was walking out, he gave me my Tootsie Pop and said, "Now don't eat too much sugar!" I had that sucker finished before I reached home.

Joy Journal: A 4-inch long cucumber growing on our vines!

We're Perfect Together

2011-06-05T00:50:00.004-04:00

He's laid back and easy going - I'm uptight and "assertive"
He understands how electricity works - I know if I flip the switch the light comes on
He built his woodworking shop - I supervised
He's a hard worker - I'm good at naps
He can drink iced tea without sugar - I'm from the deep South, for Pete's sake, iced tea needs lots of sugar
He can do algebra - I can use a calculator if it isn't too complicated
He's a doer - I'm a dreamer
He reads instruction manuals from front to back - I jump in with both feet and assume I'll figure it out
He's an early bird - I'm a night owl
He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt - I give them the doubt
He plants things - I buy plants
He waits on me hand and foot - I let him
He drinks his coffee black - I have to have cream and sugar
He has an identical twin - there's only one of me, thank goodness
He brings me coffee in bed every morning - I drink coffee in bed every morning
He likes to sit on the deck - I like to sit on the deck
He loves me - I love him

See, we're perfect for each other.

Joy Journal: Electric blue hydrangeas

Tiny Thing = Big Joy (Part Four)

2011-06-04T16:28:00.002-04:00

On my recent picture-taking outing at the old barn I happened to catch the light just right as the sun lit up these horse hairs caught in the barbed wire. I had a longer lens on my camera than I usually use so I was able to get a close up on the subject before the shaft of light moved away. And thanks to manual focusing I managed to get the hairs to be the mainpoint of the photo. I love this photo.

Joy Journal: A long, peaceful nap

Just Sayin...

2011-06-03T22:55:00.000-04:00

Joy Journal: Lunch on the patio at my favorite Mexican restaurant

Operation Nice

2011-06-02T12:40:00.001-04:00

Today I noticed for the first time a little button on a blog I frequent, A Little Hut, and I decided to check it out. It leads to another blog, Operation Nice, that is all about trying to be a little nicer to each other every day. I think that is a wonderful goal and I would like to encourage everyone to visit this little blog. The world sometimes seems like a mean place that is getting meaner. Maybe my little effort to add more daily "nice" can help make a change! Any maybe my acknowledging the small, nice things that people do for me can make me more aware and encourage me to do more for others.

Joy Journal: My PhotoYear Yahoo friends

The Old Barn

2011-06-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

I was out and about last week, making a trip to the Social Security office (ouch, that hurts to even say it!) and on the way I saw this wonderful old barn. All of a sudden the photography bug bit me and I couldn't wait to get finished at the SS ofice so I could come back and take photos. It felt really good to have the time to play with my big girl camera again. Unfortunately, the sun was already high in the sky when I got back to the barn so the exposures are kind of "hot" but I'm still very happy with the resulting pictures. The old barn looks abandoned but it really isn't. It is actually a working horse barn (even though I wouldn't want to be the horse who had to stay there). I walked around for over an hour taking pictures and never saw a person. I did see some horses coming in and out of this and another, newer barn but they weren't too sure about that old woman pointing that big black thing at them so everytime I would approach the fence they would move behind another building. So, no horse pictures (this time). I am definitely going back to this location, and I'm going soon. I think there is some serious potential in this location. I'm going to try to get up early (groan) and see if I catch better shadows and also go late in the day during the "golden hour".

It feels good to once again want to go out and take pictures and I couldn't have found this old barn at a better time.

Joy Journal: Peggy's GORGEOUS artwork in my journal!

My Theme Song for This Year

2011-05-30T18:51:00.001-04:00

Most years at the beginning of the year I choose a "Word of the Year" to try to incorporate into my life. And in that same vein, this year I am incorporating a "Song of the Year" that I think best suits me. So, for your listening pleasure, here it is:

Joy Journal: TIVO

THANK YOU

2011-05-30T00:01:00.002-04:00

Joy Journal: My husband, my brother, my uncles, my grandfather and my friends who served their country in the military.

While We Sleep

2011-05-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

While we sleep, they are busy working. What amazing creatures these little spiders are. Constant vigilance, continuous web repair and cleaning. A dew covered spider web is a thing of beauty.

Joy Journal: A lazy, quiet day.

Tiny Thing = Big Joy (Part Three)

2011-05-24T14:35:00.002-04:00

The photo above gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's the last few of my little French dwarf marigolds happily growing in their baby beds, the egg cartons. There were 36 "cups" in the egg cartons and we had about 45 little plants (some of the cups had two seeds in them and only 3 cups didn't produce at least one plant). All of the marigolds have now been moved into their permanent homes - flat saucer-like planters. I'm not sure how they will do in these planters since the planters are relatively shallow but we're going to try it anyway. This has been a season of exploration for us in our gardening and we are having a blast.

And I didn't eat the little cherry tomato yet. It stills needs a few more days on the vine. But it won't get too many more days - my taste buds are primed!!

Joy Journal: Playing with my big girl camera this morning!

Tiny Thing = Big Joy (Part Two)

2011-05-22T11:56:00.000-04:00

Tired of my gardening pictues yet? Sorry. Well, sorry that YOU are tired of them cause I'm sure not. These perfect little cherry tomatoes came from Costa Farms by way of Lowe's. I went in to buy something totally different and saw these forlorn little hanging baskets with a "clearance sale" price on them - $2.50 each. The plants were straggly, neglected-looking little things and I thought I was probably wasting my $5 - but they were covered with flowers and trying their best to survive. And survive they did! They are now totally wonderful looking - tiny little dark green leaves on tiny little plants and in small, small black plastic hanging baskets. But check out those tomatoes! And tomorrow I intend to do just that myself - I am going to harvest that largest one and pop it into my mouth fresh from the plant. If it tastes as good as it looks, I will be a happy girl. (I posted two photos so you could get a feel for the true size of the plants and fruit.)

Joy Journal: Hummingbirds, cardinals, towhees, nuthatches, chickadees, catbirds, woodpeckers and blue jays - all in my backyard at the same time.

Tiny Thing = Big Joy

2011-05-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

I love marigolds.
I love their color.
I love their brightness.
I love their willingness to grow.
I love how easy they are to keep.
I love that this tiny 1-1/2 inch flower is growing in a pot on my patio.
I love that the ones I planted from last year's seeds are doing fantastic.
I love that next year I'll be able to grow these from seed.
I love marigolds.

Joy Journal: Finishing my round-robin journal and being happy with the artwork in it.

Jungle Exploration - Part Two

2011-05-08T19:08:00.000-04:00

Exploring the jungles of the Hendrix Nature Preserve (otherwise known as our back yard) can be so exhausting. The danger, the unknown, the terror of the wild noises - well, they can just wear a girl out. While Ebony is out exploring, looking for beetles, chipmunks and other wild kingdom creatures, Tisa stays behind at the base camp making sure it isn't overun by ferocious birds and butterflies. It's a tough job, but she's willing to sacrifice herself if it comes to that. I mean, they don't call it "monkey" grass for nothing do they? Well, do they? Better safe than sorry.

Joy Journal: Little green sprouts from marigold seeds planted two days ago in styrofoam egg cartons!

Justice for America's Most Wanted

2011-05-02T17:41:00.000-04:00

Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin' her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it's gonna be hell
When you hear mother freedom
Start ringin' her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you courtesy of the red, white and blue

Lyrics by Toby Keith

Jungle Exploration

2011-04-29T16:17:00.000-04:00

When you weigh every bit of 8 lbs., the world is a big, big place. And Ebony (also known as Dora the Explorer) intends to investigate every inch of it that her legs (and our fence) will allow. She absolutely adores being outside exploring the "back forty", wandering through the jungles of monkey grass and impatiens, her little black spiky tail going 90 miles an hour. That little tail is often the only thing we can see as she travels her special trails in and out of the flower beds, weaving her way through the forsythias, down through the Solomon's seals and out the hydrangeas. When we first got her we weren't sure she could bark. She can. Believe it. It's not a very effective bark, but she barks. She and Harley (our back yard neighbor dog) have a wonderful time standing at the fence ~~shouting insults~~ barking at each other. Harley probably weighs about 40 lbs. to Ebony's 8 lbs. but she isn't at all convinced that he's bigger than she is and she KNOWS he's not tougher. Their little barking sessions last all of 10 seconds then they both go off on their merry way, with a kind of "let's do it again soon" joie de vivre. I've never been around another animal (human or doggie) that lives as joyfully as this little sweetheart. She has a lot to teach me about living life to the fullest.

Joy Journal: 70 degree weather with beautiful blue skies.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-04-28T17:42:00.000-04:00

Our garden is mostly in containers and here you can see some of the Earth Boxes lining our front walkway. We tried them for the first time last year and found they are perfect for us. The original 5 were pilfered from my mother's patio. We thought we would at least give them a try and find out if we liked them. Well, we did and we did (try them and like them, that is). Our yard, as you can sorta' see on the upper edge of the picture above, has lots of large old trees and lots of shade. Only the areas closest to our house get any significant amount of sunshine. And we like it that way. We bought this house because it had those large trees around it and it had a wonderful creek for a property line. (Another picture for another post.) But those same wonderful trees mean that gardening, which is all about sunshine, is quite a challenge. Hence, container gardening. We are now the proud owners of 11 Earth Boxes and 16 round plastic terra cotta-looking containers. The ones you see above are on the front walkway and they will soon be joined by three more (we're trying the red covers to see if they really do increase production), all with tomatoes in them. Choosing between house guests walking up the walkway and tomatoes? No contest. The tomatoes will always win. The round containers are on the deck behind the house. We should have some serious amounts of tomatoes and bell peppers this year. And if the container with the cumcumbers works out, I guess I'll have to learn to make pickles! Hmmm.

Joy Journal: Saint Gene serving me breakfast on the deck.

A Feeling of Softness

2011-04-21T19:50:00.001-04:00

There's such a soft feeling about spring, the beautiful pastel colors, even the air feels soft. I sit on my deck (loving this retirement) and the light surrounding me is soft. I rooted a cutting from one my hydrangeas over the winter. This spring, while still indoors in the window, it produced a beautiful soft pink bloom. It's hard to convey just how soft this pink was - but it will disappear the next time it blooms. Our soil is naturally slightly acidic and hydrangeas turn blue once they are planted. And planted this little beauty is. Saint Gene put it in one of the flower beds and I can't wait to see it produce its beautiful soft blue blooms this summer.

Joy Journal: A really short haircut!

Strawberry Fields?

2011-04-18T16:41:00.003-04:00

Spring is such an amazing time of year. I cannot imagine anything more beautiful than watching the trees fill out with bright green new leaves. Or the sight of the sparkling whiteness of a dogwood in full bloom. The lushness of rich red and pink azaleas covering yards and gardens can't help but bring smiles. It has been a joyously colorful spring in our city and our neighborhood. We had plenty of rain last summer and the plants have rewarded us bountifully. And I've been able to be at home to see most of it happen.

And now comes the summer plantings of tomatoes and peppers and the above-seen strawberries. Trying to grow these in our heavily shaded yard is quite a challenge so we have to grow in containers and have more plants to make up for the smaller harvests we get. Our deck is once again being covered in large pots and Earth Boxes filled with tomatoes and peppers. We're growing Celebrity, Parks Whopper and Goliath Hybrids and Brandywine and Delicious Heirlooms and we are still awaiting seeds for a new hybrid, Brandy Boy, which is a cross between Brandywine and Better Boy. We're also growing Juliet and Bonnie grape tomatoes. This is the first year we've grown directly from seeds rather than buying plants and we've already learned some lessons. We need to plant the seeds in late January/early February next year (rather than late February). And I shouldn't forget that we're gowing Romaine lettuce and a salad bowl lettuce mixture and red potatoes and sugar peas. Yep, we're trying them all. And I do use the royal "We" (Saint Gene).

Joy Journal: 70 degrees with sunshine

This "Retirement" Thing

2011-04-17T18:16:00.003-04:00

This new stage of my life, this "retirement" thing, has me doing a lot of thinking. I wasn't prepared to retire. I hadn't given the idea much thought at all until I realized that Saint Gene needed help with my mother, that he had become a virtual prisoner at home unless someone was paid to come in and sit with her and those arrangements needed to be made in advance. No quick trips to the garden store when he ran out of fertilizer or fast trip to the grocery store when we ran out of something unexpectedly. So while the decision to retire was truly carefully thought out, it was mostly thought out in terms of finances. Not in terms of what do I do after I retire. So now, two weeks after the fact, I'm trying to give it some thought. What will I do with my time? Yes, I do intend to spend more time on my hobbies but I don't want them to become work. After all, a woman who is now living in blue jeans and t-shirts (and loving it!) really doesn't need that many pairs of earrings - I already have 80+ pairs. (Can you believe I haven't had the first smidgen of makeup on in over two weeks!!)

I spent the first week at home mostly in and out of bed - I had arthroscopic knee surgery that turned out to involve a little more interior decorating work than the doctor anticipated. And walking, well, not such a pleasant activity after having my knee cleaned out. Did I mention that I live in a tri-level house? Trips up and down stairs are necessary to do much of anything.

The second week at home was sort of a repeat of the first week except with a greatly improved ratio of out of bed to in bed. Walking still isn't much fun but it is getting easier.

Today is Sunday, the start of my third full week of retirement. And I'm not yet used to not thinking of tomorrow as a work day. But I plan to start giving my days a little more structure. Yes, I'm going to sleep late. But not THAT late any more. I think I've caught up on sleep now. And I'm going to stay up and watch all of "Dancing With the Stars" instead of watching half and TIVOing the second half. And I'm going to schedule Mondays as clothes washing day, Tuesdays as, well, who knows.

I'm going into ease into this "schedule" and "structure" thing. After all, I'm retired now. If I don't want to _____, I don't have to _____ (fill in the blank). Now, I'm the boss of me.

Joy Journal: Watching the tomatoes we started from seed going into their Earth Boxes.

Constant Companion

2011-04-15T11:24:00.014-04:00

I was playing around with my iPhone today, and just like everyone else I have to have "Hipstamatic" as one of my apps. I didn't really intend to take this picture, after all a photo of my mother in her hospital bed isn't something most people would really want to see. But the poignancy of this vignette really got to me so I'm posting it. My mother's constant companion is her little 10-year old toy poodle, Tisa. Where my mother is, Tisa is. Always. And that just seems to come across in this picture. Tisa has integrated beautifully into our household, loves our dog, loves us, but she is absolutely bonded to my mother. And this picture seems to capture her total devotion better than any picture I could have taken on purpose.

Joy Journal: Hanging basket tomato plants

Going, Going, Gone

2011-03-25T23:12:00.000-04:00

What a great day at work today. I turned in my retirement notice on Wednesday, March 16, and my last working day is April 1. Today many of my friends had a potluck luncheon for me. It was a really special occasion for me, sitting around a conference room table with friends from my 27 years with this law firm. The food was wonderful (and I felt like it was my duty to overeat!). So I did. But the company of so many of my friends on such a relaxed occasion is a memory I will always treasure. I hate to leave these wonderful people, I wasn't ready to retire. But my mother needs me and Saint Gene needs me to be at home and help. Caring for my mother has become more stressful and while he wouldn't ever admit it, I can see his stress level building and he needs help. So retiring is something I needed to do. But I will very much miss going to work everyday. I will miss the structure this gave to my life. I will definitely miss the paycheck. But most of all I will miss these wonderful people. The photo above is of the flower arrangement that they had for me. It's almost as beautiful as they are.

Joy Journal: A fun picture collage filled with memories

My Prayers

2011-03-11T16:07:00.004-05:00

My prayers are with the people and the nation of Japan.

Doorway To ...

2011-03-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

Another one from the archives. It's hard to believe that this door is on one of the newer buildings in our little downtown. However, the newer building was built as an attachment to an older building and I guess they decided not to go the expense of building a new, updated door in the back of the building. Whatever the reason, I like the look of it. But, yikes, I sure hope they've updated the electrical system.

Tomorrow I plan to work all day on the roaming art journal. I've set aside the entire day (with time out to use my 50% off coupon - Can't let that go to waste!) and hope life doesn't intervene and get in my way. Laundry will just have to wait.

Joy Journal: 30 minutes extra sleep this morning

Vinson Drive

2011-03-09T20:40:00.004-05:00

Watching my mother shrink further into her shell is a painful process, both for me and for her. She knows something is wrong but she doesn't know what it is. The chances I have to talk with her and ask her questions and learn more about her life are becoming fewer and fewer. But today was a good day, a day when she was lucid and her memory was good.

We talked about our memories of the house above, the house where my Grandmother (her mother) lived when I was very young. It was across town from where we lived, but it was still in walking distance (tells how small a town it was, right?) so we often walked over there.

We talked about the next door neighbor who gave me, a skinny little 6-year old, 3 or 4 old formal dresses (or "evening gowns" as they were known then) to play with. I felt like a true princess when I had on one of those old, frilly gowns. Of course, they were huge on me, but that didn't matter. I was beautiful when I had them on.

We talked about the time my brother and I set the side porch on fire (it's hidden by the big camellia shrub in the picture). We took a box of matches outside, snuck them out of course, and started lighting them. The porch had a sheet of plastic over it to screen out the weather and we caught the plastic on fire. No serious damage was done to anything but our little backsides, but it sure is a clear memory!

We talked about the fireplace in the living room which would keep you warm but only one side at a time and kept our hands dirty because my grandparents burned coal, not firewood.

We talked about the moon vine that used to be planted on the fence you can see and how we used to sit out at twilight watching fireflies and trying our best to see the flower move as the beautiful white blooms opened in front of us. They would open in a matter of minutes but we never could see them move! It was such a mystery.

And then she got sleepy and we weren't able to talk anymore. But the short interlude was a true blessing.

The picture was made about two years ago. It was much, much longer ago that my grandparents (and sometime my family, too) lived there. The house is much smaller than it was in my memory. I remember the yard being huge. It isn't. But it was big enough for us to have our Easter egg hunt there! Memory is such a fragile thing.

Joy Journal: A really funny email.

A Little Tiny Rant

2011-03-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

I was talking with an artist today who has a relatively popular blog. She was complaining that comments were down lately even though according to her stats her readership was still high. I tried to sympathize with her, but found I really couldn't. I read her blog regularly and I've commented on it fairly often. But she has never once commented on my blog, I'm pretty sure she has never read it even though we are friends and she knows I have a blog. And when I responded to her complaint by asking her how many blogs SHE comments on, her answer was that she was just too busy to comment a lot. Being the quiet, shy person I am I immediately asked her, "Do you think you are the only busy person around? Don't you think your readers would enjoy an occasional reciprocal comment from you on their blogs? Don't you think it's a little one-sided wanting people to comment on your blog when you don't comment on theirs?" (Tactful R Not Always Us) I'm not sure I got through to her and I am suffering slight pangs of "rudeness" remorse. But only slight.

No, I'm not begging for comments - this isn't about me or my blog. I guess it's more a rant against rampant "It's all about me" self importance.

Now I'm climbing back down off my soapbox and will return you to regular programming in my next post.

Joy Journal: Taking a fun beading class today

Gentrification

2011-02-28T14:40:00.001-05:00

Went by my favorite spot to photograph some old, rusty things the other day and found many of them had been woefully desecrated - someone had painted and refurbished many of them! NOOOO!!! Seems the owner has some notion of actually trying to sell these items and figures people will be more likely to buy them if they've been spruced up. Sacrilege!! Fortunately, there were still a few things left to photograph (like the old tractor part above) but they had all been moved around, and the most interesting things were inside a large building being cleaned and painted. A large building with terrible lighting and no way to get good pictures. My heart is broken. There was an old, old car with seats missing, etc. that was surrounded by weeds, some of which were growing up through the interior of the car. Gone. Weeds cleaned up. Life just ain't fair sometimes. Gentrification has just reached out and bitten me on the, uh, well, uh, on the hand.

Joy Journal: New art supplies

I Just Can't Stop!

2011-02-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

I just can't seem to stop taking pictures of old, rusty or worn out things. Things that need a paint job, things that have been abandoned or abused. I'm in a rut but so far I'm loving that rut!! I just love playing around with the photos, even if you can't tell what they were originally. The item above is another view of the side of the old abandoned building that I showed you in an older post. I'm thinking of taking a third view that I have and making a series by mounting the three of them on some 8x8 wrapped canvases that have been painted black. I made three of the canvases (with different photos) and gave them to one of my bosses for Christmas. I LOVED how they turned out. And she special ordered a fourth one - she apparently liked them, too. So, now I can't go a week without going to Michael's and buying an 8x8 wrapped canvas (OK, sometimes I cheat and go twice in one day - thank you, Michael's, for those 50% off coupons last weekend!). Today is Saturday (my getting out and shopping day), and one of the first things Saint Gene said to me this morning was, "What time are you going to Michael's today?"

The art journal came yesterday in a beautifully hand-decorated envelope. My mind is just spinning with things I want to try, now to get it to stop spinning and settle on just one of them.

Joy Journal: My Nikon lens coffee mug

A Ghost of It's Previous Self

2011-02-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

I stopped for lunch at a somewhat deserted off ramp on I-85 a week ago (Waffle Houses are usually pretty safe places even on "iffy" interstate off ramps). While eating I noticed this apparition on the wall of a closed service station across the street - the ghost of a way of life that is almost gone.

I'm going to be trying my hand at doing a page in an artist journal soon. An on-line friend, Odd Chick, has an art journal round robin going and I'm taking part. Should be a lot fun if only I can come up with something worthy of putting in it - Odd Chick is a true artist and I'm looking forward to seeing her journal!! Of course, somehow or other I'll need to incorporate my photography on my page. I have some ideas but won't really know what I'm going to do until I receive the journal and see the format. But I'm excited about it! And I'm going to start one of my own journals circulating. That way I'll have one of my own to keep when it's finished!

Joy Journal: Venti whole milk vanilla latte

In Honor of the Super Bowl

2011-02-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

In Honor of the Super Bowl tomorrow, I give you one of my all-time favorite SuperBowl commercials:

Joy Journal: New sparkly beads

Artist? Artisan?

2011-02-04T14:50:00.006-05:00

For many years I've questioned whether or not I'm an "artist" (I still do). I've always felt that the term is tossed around a little too lightly. Describing myself as an "artisan" comes more easily for some reason. Maybe it's because I enjoy creating regardless of whether or not the things I create attain the level of "art" - they are things I like. I enjoy many different kinds of creative things and I'm pulled in many different ways by the things I enjoy. They all involve a lot of time and to reach the level of "artist" in any of them would involve an investment in time that I can't give - and also assumes I have the talent to reach that level. Who knows?

I enjoy my photography and recently I've enjoyed taking some of my older photos and playing with them in various ways. Cropping in tight on a certain area, bumping up the color and turning them into something more like an abstract painting. To me this is a form of creating and I like the results I'm getting, the results feel artistic. The photo above has the feel of a modern abstract painting - but it's really a photo of the side of an old abandoned house. I love it. But is it art? Who knows?

But really, who cares? I did it, I love it and it's mine. That's enough for me.

Joy Journal: Having "The Stripper" as the ringtone on my phone. Feels naughty!

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

2011-02-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Our local Lowe's store had a beautiful display of orchids recently and I just couldn't resist taking some photos. I know everyone that walked by me in the store thought I was little crazy - I sure got some funny looks. And I gave an exasperated look myself - one woman and her husband just couldn't resist standing in front of and examining every orchid almost as soon as I tried to photograph it. Not sure what she was doing, other than driving me crazy of course. But I finally walked over two aisles, turned around and came back and they were gone. Kinda' weird.

Saint Gene gave me an orchid plant for my birthday and it STILL has the same beautiful blooms it did back in July. And the blooms are still beautiful. And, no, it isn't a fake orchid, it's a real live plant. It's called an "Ice Cube Orchid" (that's a brand name, not a variety of orchid) and you water it by placing 3 ice cubes around the plant once a week and letting them melt. Guess it's happy living in the Hendrix Homestead.

Joy Journal: Little baby blooms on my little hydrangea that I rooted last fall!!

Point of View

2011-02-01T14:29:00.002-05:00

It's amazing how changing your point of view can make a difference.

Saint Gene and I had a rare chance to go out for breakfast last Saturday and we decided to go to the Cracker Barrel. The place was running over with people which meant that there were no convenient parking spaces. So we had to park in the back of the building, way out on the edge of the parking lot, next to the dumpsters, an old sign pole, etc. Not the most scenic of spots. As I was walking toward the sign pole I noticed that at one time it had been painted, obviously a long-past time since the paint was in pretty bad shape. I thought to myself, "They really should spruce this area up a little bit." But as we came closer I noticed what a great pattern the peeling paint made. Getting closer had literally "changed my point of view." I physically saw it in a different way. So I took this picture.

One afternoon back in the fall I went to a coffee shop which had the most gorgeous Bradford Pear trees along the side. The leaves had turned a dark, purple red but they came out really dull in the photographs I took. So I put my camera away and went in and got my coffee. I decided to sit outside and drink the coffee and walked to a table that was on the other side of the trees. Wow, what a difference my changed point of view made. The leaves now had the sun shining through them rather than on them. They looked like they were on fire. No longer a dull red, instead a brilliant lit-from-within orange red glow.

You think maybe there is a life lesson here?

Joy Journal: I gave my boss some prints of some of my photos as a Christmas present, a little unsure about their suitability as a gift. Today, she asked if she could BUY another one! Guess she liked them!

Renewal and Restoration

2011-01-28T11:43:00.005-05:00

I've had quite a few days off this month, 11 days between Christmas and New Years and then another 7 days for "Snow Week" (I live in Atlanta). Consequently, I've had more time to play and above is one of my attempts at digital playing. I don't know any of the people in the photos, they are just old photos found on the web (on royalty-free and non-copyrighted sites) that I liked and I decided to incorporate them. The other elements are from different digital scrapbooking sites that I used to frequent. I love old photos and used to collect them until the sheer number of them got unmanageable. I love to restore them, digitally cleaning up the tears and folds, trying to retain the old look and yet make them look like "new" old photos at the same time. I don't want to lose the vintage look or turn them into black and white. The sepia tints look better to me!

I would love to know the story behind the photo of the two women. There's something about this photo that speaks to me - it's mysterious, it's well composed and the generational difference between the two makes me wonder about their connection.

I've also been doing a lot of beading and have made some (to me) gorgeous bracelets - lots of glitter and glitz and "ooh, sparkly!!". Sorry, no photos yet. Photographing jewelry requires either some expensive (again, to me) equipment which I don't have or good daylight which we've had very little of lately. But I WILL get some photos of some my jewelry pieces. Promise. Sort of. Maybe. Saturday is supposed to be nice so maybe?.....

Joy Journal: The house painter really liked my choice of colors!

Sometimes You Just Have to Wonder...

2010-11-29T13:01:00.000-05:00

Joy Journal: GOOD store-bought cookies

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

While life sometimes seems hard these days, I still have a lot for which to be thankful.

For each of you, I wish you a wonderful day and I ask you to remember your blessings.

Joy Journal: Hospice

A Riotous Profusion of Color

2010-11-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

That's a mouthful to say - but the gorgeous color at the end of my driveway is an eyeful to see! Really stunning. We don't often have the leaves remaining on the maple and dogwood at the same time the sasanquas are blooming but this year all three are in full glory. I know I posted a similar picture in my last post but you have to remember - I really like color. And to have this display in my very own yard is super special. In a few days, maybe by this weekend, the trees will be bare, the leaves having given up the fight and settled on the ground beneath them. But the sasanquas, ah the beautiful little sasanquas, they will bloom for the next month or so. The bountiful little pink/fuschia flowers will be burned by freezing temperatures and within a day or so many, many more fresh-faced little beauties will take their place and the cycle will be repeated for well over a month.

Joy Journal: Having my home network up and running again

Spectacular

2010-11-14T15:00:00.010-05:00

The Sugar Maple in our front flower bed is putting on a spectacular show this year. And the dogwood tree beside it is trying it's best to compete. The Shi Shi Gashira sasanqua bushes are just going crazy with pink and fuschia blooms. But the maple is winning hands down. What a sight to see on a gloomy, overcast day. Now THIS is my kind of color display!!!

Joy Journal: Making a beautiful, sparkly crystal bracelet!

Falcons Win 27-21

2010-11-08T14:03:00.001-05:00

And we're taking ALL of the credit!!!

Saint Gene (in the middle), my brother and Me.

Me and Sweet Brian (My Falcons Organization Hero)

So I'm talking one day to one of the attorneys for whom I work (Courtney) about the Atlanta Falcons games and how much fun it must be to go to the games - she's married to a guy who works for the Atlanta Falcons in their public relations department. Next thing I know she's on the phone with her husband, Sweet Brian, and I am the recipient of 4 tickets to the Tampa Bay game!! Plus an extremely valuable parking pass for a VIP lot almost RIGHT AT THE DOOR to the Georgia Dome. Wow! I immediately sent my brother an email and invited him and my sister-in-law, Jane, to come to Atlanta and go the game with us. He and Saint Gene really deserved a special day. I scheduled a sitter for my mother through a program we have here at the office.

We parked in amongst all the huge RV's and Monster trucks and their incredible tailgating outfits (and did it ever smell good in that parking lot!) and walked across the street to the Dome. We made it to our FRONT ROW second level seats. We hadn't been seated very long when Sweet Brian showed up with a gift package - Falcons hand towels, tote bags, banners, Chick-fil-A cow toys and even a Falcon's hat! Talk about feeling special!!!

We had a wonderful view of the field and it was a great, exciting game. I tried not to yell too much, didn't want a sore throat since answering the phone is part of my job, but it was hard to hold back. And the Falcons won, 27-21. They managed to keep Tampa Bay from scoring from the 2 yard line with only a minute or so left to play!

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law had to cancel at the last minute so she didn't get to join us and the only thing that would have made the outing more fun would have been to have her with us.

After Johnny got on the road back home, Saint Gene and I went out to dinner together for the first time since Memorial Day Weekend. It was wonderful having a date night with my husband and a fantastic end to a fantastic day! What a wonderful memory we now have.

Joy Journal: Just about everything about the day!

Things I'm Thinking About

2010-11-05T11:34:00.001-04:00

Another picture from my Asheville trip. I always have been and I guess I always will be fascinated by color. I am happiest with bright and spicy colors. I'm drawn to reds and yellows and oranges. When I make jewelry I almost always make it in bright colors and add some sparkle to it. I'm an "Ooooh, sparkly" kind of gal, a natural born magpie.

So why did I have on all black Wednesday, all brown yesterday and brown and tan today? With only plain and simple earrings.

I'm thinking of donating almost all of my clothes and starting over with bright colors, slinky fabrics and sparkly things around my neck, silk scarves all over everywhere and earrings and bracelets that make a statement!

Wait - that could get very expensive. Maybe I better think this through a little more.

Joy Journal: a tiny little space heater illegally tucked under my desk keeping my feet warm.

Serenity

2010-11-04T15:44:00.006-04:00

What is there about a scene like this that makes it feel so serene and peaceful? It can't be that it's totally about nature. There's nothing "nature" about fencing and hay rolls, both are man-made objects. And yet looking at this scene does help make me feel quieter and easier. And being there and taking this picture was a quiet yet exciting experience. It was taken during the same trip to Asheville that I mentioned in the previous post. I left early in the day so that I could take my time and stop whenever I wanted to take pictures. I decided to exit off the interstate to a little town that has been around for a long time. Surely there would be something interesting in the small town square or it's downtown area. Wrong. Just a little run-down town that had seen better days and wasn't decaying very gracefully and whose main businesses were McDonald's and Wendy's. But on the way back to the interstate I saw two silos off to my right and decided to turn down the road that seemed to go past them. In a very short distance the road turned into a dirt road with a "dead end" sign. And that's when I started having a good time. There was a lot of open land with hay rolls strewn all across the landscape. There were even small mountains in the background (though none are seen in the background of this photo). I was there for an hour and a half, traipsing all over this field, camera in hand. I didn't see a single other person the entire time. And I found out that dead end roads can go a long, long way before they dead end!

Joy Journal: Light, light traffic coming into work!

Changes in Life

2010-10-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

The seasons change. Life changes. The tree trunk above is on the shore of Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border. I took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, a couple of weeks ago and stopped at the lake to take some pictures. The leaf color was just beginning to change and it was beautiful to see. The tree above was only a ghost of what it used to be but it still retained a strange and stark beauty.

But not all changes are beautiful. We've found out that my mother most likely has several cancers that are untreatable. That is, they are untreatable if we want the rest of her life to have any quality at all. So now we wait. She was scheduled for a PET/CT scan but, because of her dementia, she couldn't cooperate with the technicians and couldn't stay still for the scan so it was unsuccessful. Now we have to rely on the oncologist's best guess about things. But one thing we know for sure, my mother can't tolerate radiation or chemotherapy. As the oncologist put it, she's "fragile at best." Yes, she is. She's very fragile.

And right now, so am I.

Joy Journal: Caring friends

Beautiful Colors Make Me Happy

2010-10-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

I've always loved glassware. I used to have a family Christmas dinner (not THE Christmas dinner) every year and my favorite part of the preparation was setting out all of the sparkling clear glass plates, cups, glasses, etc. The table was always colorful and the clear glass made a perfect foil for all of the color. But I've never owned any of the bright colored glassware. And I confess, I lusted after these red beauties. But since I am fighting the "hoarding" urge (have you seen that program? Yikes!!!) I didn't buy any. But I WANT!!!

Joy Journal: Nice, cool, Fall weather.

Is it Christmas Already?

2010-10-13T10:57:00.001-04:00

Stopped in a store on the way home from a recent short trip and the place was filled with Christmas "stuff"! It can't be getting that close to Christmas can it? Nope, just another case of trying to make Christmas buying last all year long. But the ornaments were gorgeous to see with the sun shining through them and I think they made a nice picture.

Joy Journal: Two sweet, happy, fun little furbabies.

Dementia - Not Easy to Explain

2010-10-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

Interesting evening at my house yesterday. My mother has dementia and she went off the deep end around 4:30 yesterday. Saint Gene said it was like turning off a light switch, almost instant. Very hostile. When I got home Saint Gene had mistreated her something awful, nobody would let her get up and go to the ball game, if I didn't get her out of that chair and to the church she would never forgive me, don't ever speak to me again, all you do is lie and I never thought I would see the day when I couldn't trust my own children, etc., etc., etc. A lot of this at full volume. I got her to take one of her anti-psychotic pills and she calmed down some, still angry and hostile but not trying to get out of the chair, etc. Around 7:30 I managed to get her to take her regular nighttime meds and included another of the anti-psychotic pills. "Dancing With the Stars" came on and my mother's sitting there gloomy, glowering if I talk to her and then, out of the clear blue sky, "What is that dancer's name? She's really good isn't she." All with a big smile on her face. The light switch had come back on. She went to bed at nine and slept all night (for a change).

When I walked by her bedroom this morning I heard, "Are you feeling better this morning?" I said yes, I was, and asked how she was feeling. "Feeling pretty good". Said she was ready to get up so Saint Gene came up to the bedroom to get her up. "You ready to get up, Mama J?" "Yes, but I can't right now. I have an arm full of fish."

I left to go to work.

Joy Journal: Ebony and Tisa, they are so sweet.

Can You Guess What it Is?

2010-10-04T13:10:00.001-04:00

Don't be surprised if you can't. Chances are good that it's something you've never seen before. I work in a humongous building (55 floors) and building management has been doing some maintenance on our elevators. I walked into the elevator lobby on my floor (notice the possessive? "My" floor. Yeah, right) and saw some strange looking items laying next to the elevator door. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a close up picture. But what are they? Turns out they are graphite cable connectors. The cables holding the elevators were being replaced and these graphite cable connectors were used to splice the new cable into the old cable so the new cable could be put into place. The sparkly, shiny bits are actually a form of gritty adhesive to help the cable "get a grip" (I'm sorry, I couldn't resist). Unfortunately, the focus on the picture isn't very sharp. It's hard to take close up pictures hanging over the "Do Not Enter" barriers - a camera held extended way out in front of you is not a steady camera. But I still think it's a cool picture.

Joy Journal: Friends who put you in their "Favorites"

Sweet Little Ebony

2010-09-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

Sweet, wonderful little Ebony, she's such a trooper. If you read about when we got her you know that she had a bad eye caused by some old injury. Well, one day very recently the eye went from bad to very, very bad. I won't go graphic on you but it wasn't pretty and I'm sure it was very, very painful. It had become extremely infected without any outward symptoms until it was too late. As soon as we saw it we took her to her vet who let us know immediately that the eye would have to be removed. But just to be sure we took her the next day to a veterinary eye specialist who concurred, the eye would have to be removed. So the surgery was performed and we brought her home that night. Now she is sporting a collar (which she hates) and bright pink stitches which she has to have for another week.

But someone forgot to tell her that she was supposed to be quiet and calm and remain in her bed. No way. She isn't having any part of that. She's happy and bouncy and full of life. We did keep her mostly quiet the first two days by using some heavy pain medication which kept her a little groggy. And we tried our best to keep her from jumping up or down from the sofa, going up or down our stairs, etc. But she's a quick little thing and would be up the stairs before you even knew she was around. And now that the danger of bleeding has passed she's doing wonderfully. But she still hates that collar.

Joy Journal: Kind, caring veterinarians and their equally kind and caring employees

And the Third Place Winner in Abstract Is:

2010-09-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

ME!

Joy Journal: A celebratory cookie!