My Adoptive Children

Do you want to know something particularly funny? I sort of think of these two as 'my kids'. I am very protective of them in my mind's eye. As in always being interested in their welfare and searching for signs of continued happiness. I want them to be happy...forever...just like I would my own kids. This may seem odd yet I am betting I am not the only woman out there that feels this way. Catherine is particularly lovely in blue.

Gecko Bath Salts

You know how they say things happen in 'threes'? Oh, dear. I am worried already. Remember how I said I always keep the bathroom door closed? That also includes when I am in there. Okay, where to begin? The beginning, I suppose.

Often when it is stifling hot as it is, I take a bath in the evening to cool myself down some. Tonight, I did just that. After returning home late tonight from visiting my mom, I went in and drew up a nice, cool bath. I was in there relaxing and enjoying the cool water applying some body scrubs, putting a mask on my face. The bathroom door was almost closed but not quite. The catch was not completely in the lock. A slight push would have flung it wide. As I said, I was relaxing, enjoying the coolness when suddenly I hear some cat(s) barreling down the hallway like a run-a-way train. With a major shove, the door flies open and in tears Ollie as if he was running to a fire! He had something in his mouth. Oh no, on closer inspection I see he has caught one of those geckos!! He runs up to the bath tub and throws it in on me as if he is attempting to drown it! His plan must have worked because it was just lying there in the water lifeless and floating upside down. Ollie with his front paws up on the edge of the tub stared at me as if he was saying "Close call but fast thinking was the answer." Needless to say, my relaxing bath was over. Let's hope things do not really happen in 'threes'. I say that is just an old wives tale.

Ollie Wants a Toothbrush

Usually I keep my bathroom door shut all of the time because there are too many tempting baubles in there for little curious paws to confiscate. For example, I had a beautiful, plush make up brush that was almost brand new only having used it a few times. Once, I forgot to close the bathroom door and went off to work. I came home to find my beautiful make up brush all spit covered and extremely dirty with lots of hair torn out of it. I washed it and still use it but not for its original, intended purpose.

The other day, I came out of the bathroom and left the door open...again. I was planning on going back in there shortly so I thought it might be safe to leave the door open for a short time. Wrong! In no time at all, I heard 'goings on' in there...little, tinkling sounds, moving, scraping...something falling. I had left a pair of earrings in there that I am particularly fond of so I immediately went to check on them thinking I would probably find them missing perhaps permanently. When I arrived into the bathroom, my earrings were right where I had left them. Good. But what was that noise I had heard? What was missing? I saw my toothbrush laying on the base of the toilet. Ooogey!!! No way was I going to use that again. Fortunately, I always keep a spare. (Note to self: buy another spare toothbrush.)

There have been times when the vet has told me that I needed to brush my cats teeth. I have tried and well, to say it is not an easy thing is a bit of an under statement. I suppose there is hope they can brush their own teeth now.Apparently, there is at least an interest in the possibility.

Fool on the Hill

This reminds me of the Beatle song, "Fool on the Hill". That song has an odd lyric in it that I have always wondered about. "And nobody seems to like him. They can tell what he wants to do." What did he want to do?

Nowhere Woman

Maybe I can do better with my posts this week than I did last week. Folks, I am telling you that Summer + Me = Complete Lethargy. I just do not do well with it. Summer just began though so I have a good three months of this ahead of me and more than that, really. Along about mid-October, it will begin to feel cooler again. Someday (two years and 4 days), I will no longer have to post this type complaint because I will be someplace cooler. Yippee!

Don't you wish some decisions were as easy as the one depicted here? A directional sign pointing to the obvious choice?

A Man and his little Hippo

It is Father's Day. Maybe that is why the last dream I had before I awoke this morning was of my dad. My dad is no longer of this life. He has been gone from it for 10 years now. He is in another life now one I cannot  begin to comprehend.

My dad speaks to me a lot via dreams. At least, that is what I believe. In this dream I had this morning, I was sitting all alone in a big stadium. I was up high in the stands. I could have been sitting in the front row after all, all of the other seats were empty. But no, for some reason I preferred the midway up the stadium seats. I knew a rodeo had just ended at this stadium. I do not think I was at the rodeo. I had no memory of it yet I knew a rodeo had just concluded. Then, I see a man coming out one of the gates ambling along in a manner slowly. He was leading a baby hippo. They slowly walked to the middle of the arena and the man lead his little hippo around in some circles and was speaking to it in a kind and soft way. I realized the man was my dad and this hippo was his new pet. I tried to call to him. "Daddy, hey, I am up here!!" He did not look up. I yelled louder. "Hey, daddy, did you get a hippo???" He did not respond. Suddenly, I hear a voice over the public announcement speaker. It is the voice of my mom. My mom says "Cindy, he cannot hear you where he is." I can't see her but I talk back to her "Yes, he can mom. He hears me. Look, he is looking at me." and he was. Again, I call down to him "Daddy, did you get a hippo?" and he said "Yes, he is my new pet." I call down, "Ah...I love him!! Daddy, I always knew you loved animals just like me." then, he called up to me "I named him Trap." Then, in the dream, I thought to myself "There is just nothing cuter than a man and his pet baby hippo."

A New, Fun Game...for Me

Long after refrigerator poetry has gone the way of many trends, I discover it! I am having so much fun with it, thanks to Linda. What do you think of it? The words are unpredictable. You get what you get and make what you can. I made the PS piece to put it on. Bathing is the only way I can stay somewhat cool this day.

Listen Up Sports Fans!

Around here, we are sports fans. Long ago, some kind of professional sporting event could hardly garner any of my attention. I had bigger fish to fry as they say. Who are they anyway? You know, those that say 'bigger fish to fry'? I digress. Who are 'they' is neither here nor there, back to the subject at hand, sports.

My history with sports began back in the glacial age. I was only a toddler when the woolly mammoth still roamed the earth. That is probably why to this day, I have issues with 'heat'. It is a difficult transition tolerating the 100 degree weather that I live in today having been born in an igloo during subzero temperatures. Most likely my love for felines came from having a pet Sabre-tooth tiger as a small child. Again, I digress. The point of all of this background information is that I am old. K? I just do not want anyone to laugh at this ancient picture of one of my early favorite sports teams.



Ancient Texas Rangers

 This picture was taken back when they threw a boulder instead of a ball. As you can see though, they are posing for pictures.

The next type sport that I developed an interest in was football. I 'had' to develop an interest in football. It was either that or be an outcast in my family. Back in the days when my family was young, they all "lived and breathed" football. Pretty much, they still do. The biggest fan passed away last year though so now when the subject of football comes up, as it often does, a long shadow falls. Even so I have very happy memories of being at the game where Emmitt Smith became the Cowboys leading all time rusher and it wasn't just because it was my birthday. I do love that team..not so crazy about the owner though. I wish I had a picture to insert here but I do not. Next year, right?

Almost simultaneously I developed a passion for hockey and basketball. I love these games!! I love the speed with which they are played. You cannot take your eyes off of the ice while watching hockey or you might get hit by a puck. It can be dangerous for the fans as well as the players.

Maybe because they play in the same venue but I also developed a passion for basketball which is another fast game. Seeing the professionals play whether it is football, hockey, basketball or baseball is awesome. It is a thrill and I love it.

All this to say, my basketball team is pretty awesome and I am very proud of them. Go Mavs!

My sister and niece at Mavs parade

Dirk and Kidd at Convention Center

Do Cats Dream of Elephants? Yes.

Look at this cat. It appears he fell asleep while reading the paper and having a cup of tea. He removed his spectacles then quietly drifted off to lala land. Appearing on his dream horizon is a camoflauge elephant made from... yes, another PS brush. By the way, it is still very hot here. Expect more brushes.

Twilight in Paris

It is no secret that summer is my least favorite season. So when things begin to heat up and grass begins to turn brown, I begin to dream of cooler climates. I begin to dream and make some more brushes. I made one of the Eiffel Tower.

When Volkswagen is in the blood...

You can make a PS brush out of anything even your favorite car! Do you think this lady will get a new Beetle? I think she will! She is carrying her gold purse so she must be planning on turning loose of some cash. It seems to me, she still may be contemplating the color though.

Crown Brush

What ever took me so long to make a brush?! I must have been mesmerized by all of the other tools in PS. I made a crown brush tonight. I sense a bunch of 'royal' brushes about to come over the horizon. I would have made more styles of crown brushes but we had an interloper in the backyard nature preserve that disturbed the peace in the neighborhood. Anyhow, I had to get out there and ask the little guy to leave in a slightly more diplomatic way  than Sugar was doing. Sugar probably awakened anyone on the street that was sleeping. He is a little bit protective of his nature preserve. He is willing to share it with Bodie, Puff Daddy, Bella, and Patch Adams but no, not one more.

Altered Composition Notebook

While I was in school which has been my entire life, I came to love composition notebooks. I use them for everything. I have one that I use to record all of my intended home improvements. I use them for lists. I use them for scribbling. I love them.

Recently, I wanted to make something for a friend, Mary, that is undergoing extensive medical treatments. She is someone who loves to write. I thought she might enjoy these composition notebooks as much as I do. So I altered one for her using encouraging pictures and words. I have not given it to her yet but I hope she likes it. I think she will find it useful.

Back Cover of Notebook

Cover of Notebook



Inside Back Cover



Inside Cover

Self Study in PS

I am still dabbling in the PS brushes. This time I wrote a little biography and saved it to a pdf. Then, I converted that to a brush. So it is kind of personalized. The woman could be me but my hair is longer now and I DO have a nose. I could NOT get the nose I drew to stay on her. I drew it in Illustrator and tried to move it to PS. It would not stay on her. Plus, I have not been as thin as this woman in a few years and I NEVER had great lips like that. And she is younger...should I keep going? No, I think it is time to stop. It is just about PS anyway, right? Right.

East or West?

Are you west coast or east coast? My niece who has very similar tastes and interests to me is definately an east coast girl. She lived in NYC for 4 years and loved every single second. That is understandable. I can see why she loved it. However, I am more of a west coast girl. L.A. was my dream hometown. While I would probably have to commute into town for work, I would live near the coast. I dream of the cool, Pacific winds blowing through my open windows. I dream of hiking in the mountains. I dream of walking along the San Diego beach. I really had intentions of making it my home once. Then, the dream faded but it still comes around from time to time. Every hot summer, it crops up its little head. However, now I have a tendency to dream a little further north from there. Which are you? East or west or neither?

More brushes....

I am still testing my chops with the creation of brushes. As you can see, I was giving myself a few 'high fives'!