Which Way?

While it has been so ridiculously hot, I have been entertaining myself with photoshop. One day next week, it is supposed to get as hot as 111 degrees Farenheit. That is hotter than Las Vegas and one reason I have never wanted to live in Las Vegas is because of the heat. Las Vegas is in the desert. Supposedly, we are NOT in the desert. However, it feels like the desert, looks like the desert...must be the desert.

In the aqua colored piece, I am typically wishing for rain and cooler weather while pondering what would be the ideal location to live. In the blue piece, I was trying to get myself out from under the fan to go sew an apron. I never made it. I am not sure how well these pieces here will go over when I try to give one of them as a gift rather than a thoughtfully sewn handmade apron.

WhichWay to Move

I Should Sew

It Was an Eerie Night

Eerie Night

Just a little something I made focusing on one of my many obsessions, the moon. I love the moon. I could live on the moon just as long as they have cats there.

 

Our First Doctor Visit

It is official. Little Baby went to the vet today and got his clean bill of health. He does have one problem which I have known about since his first appearance here and it has worried me. He has a bad eye. I feared he might have a bacterial or viral infection in it which can happen with newborn kittens transferred from mom to baby during birth. However, he did not have that. That is a good thing. Those are difficult to cure or put into remission. Instead, he has a very bad scratch on his eye. We are doing all we can to save his little eye. If it does not improve soon with his regular vet's recommendations, I will take him to a vet opthamologist. They have vets of all kinds and we have been to most of them at some time or another. Only a few hundred miles away is an exceptional veterinary university. There is nothing quite like bonding on a few hundred mile drive with your cat unless it is taking one on board an airplane. Did you know that you can take your pet with you on board an airplane in the cabin as long as there are no more than two other people trying to do the same thing? It can get quite exciting! Not to mention loud. I am not planning any plane trips with little baby anytime soon. However a nice long, hot road trip might be in our near future. We are both hoping that eye heals quickly!

Baby at Vet's Office

It's A Supernatural Delight

"Dancing in the moonlight. Everybody's feeling warm and bright."
Underline warm. I love that song. It is very happy.

Fat Feet

I have short fat feet. My feet are not pretty like some people who have elegant feet. However, this much is certain. I really love to paint my toenails. I have a 'thing' for nail polish. Lately, I have been searching for the perfect turquoise polish. You know the shade I am trying to find. The shade of turquoise of those kitchen appliances in the 50's. That perfect shade of turquoise of those powder coated candy bouncer lawn chairs of the 50's. Do you become obsessed about finding items like that? Suddenly, I decide I 'MUST' have turquoise toenails then try to move heaven and earth to find it. Next week, it will be something else. But anyway, I have found something else I like. It is called shatter polish in OPI and crackle in China Glaze. It is really cool. You paint it over the top of your base color. It shatters. This is how turquoise shatter looks on my fat little short toes. I should have painted the base coat silver instead of hot pink but it will do. It sort of creates a zebra type effect.

 

Feeling Exposed in a Happy Way

"Ahem..." she says as she steps up to the microphone about to make an annoucement to the entire world. Blogging is funny. I can easily write about almost anything in blogs except my vulnerabilities. Exposition does not come easily to me. I make these little art things that show up here because well...that is what 'they' teach you to do. If you have an artistic bent (notice I did not say necessarily an artistic talent), often to find your muse,'they' say switch gears. If you are a writer, paint a picture. If you are a painter, write a story. Yes, that is what 'they' teach you to do to find yourself. If you are a writer, 'they' tell you to change your style by writing on a paper bag. Write on a piece of adding machine tape. You will alter your style to fit the paper. 'They' tell you a lot of things like that. Okay, here is where things get vulnerable. Writing is like, well, majorly important to me. Okay, do not judge my writing by what I write here. I do know how to spell, place punctuation, use the correct tenses of verbs, write in the active voice, draw an action picture with words but admittedly, I do not put it here for several reasons. Here I do not put my blood, sweat and tears.

This week and the next few weeks, I am taking an alternate road. Some of my writing is being submitted to a professional editor for criticism. Ooh, it hurts. Ouch!! It is like walking into a party wearing only your underwear and everyone is examining you with magnifying glasses!!! It is scary. It is like getting a tooth pulled not that I have ever had a tooth pulled except baby teeth. I have had teeth surgically removed. That did not hurt while it was being done because I was asleep but afterwards it hurt like heck. Okay, maybe it kind of hurts like that now. One good thing that has come out of this editing stint so far is that I have learned that I have 'a style'. That is a good thing. People want style, right? Whatever I learn from it is all good. It helps me to grow and that is what I want to do. I will keep you informed of my 'growth' now that I have exposed my true passion that I never share here. If I have kept you interested enough to read to the bottom of this, I have used just enough of my writing skills. Writing makes me happy. Can you tell? Later gators!

Still Thinking of Winter or Something

I realize this one may seem morbid but I placed some green ivy in it suggesting the circle of life, right? Winter comes but Spring always follows. Winter? Sounds good, doesn't it?

Life on the Sun

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, summer is my least favorite season. I try to focus on the good aspects of it. Not worrying about icey streets. Not having to keep up with a sweater. And what was that other thing? I can't remember. Summer here in Texas is like winter in North Dakota. However, I know just like all time,this summer time will pass all too quickly. I cannot afford to spend any of my time wishing it was some other time. No, I have to enjoy all of the days regardless of how hot they are.

Vintage Blue and Green Star

I was playing around in PSE not intending to make anything really and just mindlessly started putting odds and ends together. Look what happened? Mindlessly, I selected blue. Mindlessly, I selected green. Blue and green my favorite colors! I have to tell you another combination I love is blue and purple. I have some vintage jewelry with dark blue and dark purple stones. I just love it. I have noticed that I often put blue and purple together for backgrounds in PSE.

Old Mother Westwind's Uncle Billy Possum Knock Off

Do you remember those Old Mother Westwind stories? I loved them as a kid. I still love them! I am kind of like an old mother westwind myself.. in a way... in a sense... if you think of me with your eyes squinted and maybe have had one or two drinks.

First, I have the 'old' thing down pat. I can claim that for my own without any qualms or hesitation. Check that one off.

Secondly, I am not a mother but I am an aunt. Okay, I will use that. Check that one off too.

As far as the wind is concerned, I used to work with an old, cantankerous man that insisted on calling me "Wendy" not "Cindy". Almost daily he would say "Wendy, I need to ask you something." and I would correct him with "Cindy" and he would always retort "Whatever". Okay, so I will go with Wendy or rather Windy.

Okay, that is my name, "Old Aunt Windy". And here is the character, Skanky Possum.



Skanky Possum



I realize the quality of the picture is very poor but it is amazing that I got a picture at all considering that it was dark and I only had my phone with me. I lightened it up using PSE.

It is one thing to feed cats but look, I am not going to start feeding every possum in the neighborhood. The profound thing that I was unable to capture in this picture is that Shoog, Petrie, Bella and Bodie were all just huddled up to the side in a tightly knitted pack staring at this skanky possum while he ate up all of their food. If I had yelled 'boo', they would have all jumped 6 feet off of the ground. I did manage to run off the possum unlike some times when they choose to sull and play dead. I know how to beat them at their own tricks though. When one of the possums chooses to use that sulling tactic, I just pick up all of the cat food and go back in the house. When they realize all of the food is gone, they suddenly awake from the "dead" and go back to the trees. And that my friends concludes this episode of possum hunting in the city.

Fireworks All Around

I don't like to rant. I don't like to espouse my unsolicited opinions. But sometimes situations really get my goat! (By the way, why do I always use animal euphemisms?) How do people get on television as 'experts' in their field? Are any qualifications required? Must they submit a resume? Are their credentials verified?

I am referring to a program that I was casually listening to earlier as I was working on something else that required more of my attention. These 'legal experts' were bantering around the topic of presumption of innocence. One of these 'experts' that I had already and quickly developed a dislike for said "This is America! In America, we are innocent until proven guilty! This is NOT England where you are guilty until proven innocent!" Uh oh. I immediately looked up at the television so I could glare at this woman who made this statement  and I could forever identify her in my mind as someone that knows NOT what she is talking about. And I hate to say it but I was angry. I was angry that a person can get on television and spout untruths. Someone that might not know any better might have heard her say that and made the mistake of thinking that in England people are guilty until proven innocent. England has a much older civilization than we have here and most of these ideas that we have adopted along the way such as 'presumption of innocence' came from them. Anyway, I just had to get that out of my system. I just wish that before making a statement especially when many people are watching that people would research their subjects more thoroughly. (Like who was Paul Revere?) As I asked in the beginning, are NO credentials required in any field these days? Okay, rant over. 'Nuff said.

Full of Spit and Vinegar

Please watch my little Petrie. He is feeling gooooood.

In the Heart of the Milky Way with Petrie

I have been busy lately because well...uh...yeah...a new baby has arrived in the backyard animal sanctuary. I do not know where he came from but methinks Shoog had something to do with him. I honestly think Shoog might have 'catnapped' him. Anyway, Petrie is very small but just as cute as a button and wild as a deer. So far, I have gotten many hours of entertainment out of him. He was scraggeldy and thin when he first appeared but he is looking fine now. I got him some kitten food and his own fresh watering station. All of these things are very important for the little ones. Their little systems are fragile. I am going to help him grow up into a big, strong boy. I see him outside climbing a tall tree right now. More about Petrie later though...

I love the stars. I love the moon. I love the Earth. I guess you could say that I love all of creation. I am not that crazy about snakes but hey, they even have their place...as long as they stay in their place, I am cool with them. I was just thinking about the Milky Way tonight so I created this little piece as if it is in the heart of the Milky Way.

Happy July 4 and other things

I had to change the background of my blog as I found the pink too busy. I liked it for awhile but it got old very quickly. I would not describe myself as pink person. I would describe myself as a blue-green person or earthy colored person. I am more of a forest creature with a pulse on nature.

It is the 4th day of July yet my mind wanders to royalty. Perhaps that is natural. It is the day we achieved our Independence after all. I love my country. I love my ancestral country too. I have NO idea why I find such a fascination with British history yet there is no denying that I do. It is part of my DNA. I believe there are many aspects of ourselves that we have no control over because they are part of our DNA so to speak. For example, I hate eggs. I loathe eggs. Often depending on how my stomach is feeling, I cannot stand the smell of eggs. I must remove myself from an 'egg' situation. I learned by speaking to a friend of my father's family that this was a familial trait. I had no idea that is where this loathing of eggs originated. I mean I so badly hate eggs that I will often not eat a cake if I 'see' someone put an egg in it. That ruins it for me. Any good cake is going to have an egg or two or three. I can eat it if I am certain of the quality of those eggs but if there is any doubt, no, I cannot go there. So long story short, perhaps this fascination with all things British is another factor of my ancestry. I do know it is not anything I picked up from my mom. My mom had many interests while she was young but British history and British literature was not part of them.

Another reason I believe that I may have a fascination with royalty is that I can confine it in a picture and I have trouble envisioning large concepts. One such concept that I continually grapple with trying to get my hands around is the passage of time. Time is so very fleeting. We are here one moment, gone the next. Is this really life? Is life something that lasts a brief second in the vastness of all time? These royals were as big as life can get during their brief moment on planet Earth yet they are gone. They are dust. The sadness of life is that my beautiful Kate and Will are youthful now but tomorrow, their young lives will be past them. Such is the nature of life as I know it. That is with what I am continually reckoning. I will not reckon long though because in seconds it seems, it will all be over. I will be a memory for a short time, forgotten completely for a very long time. Is that life? I am not smart enough to know.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Duke and Duchess of York and baby Lilibet