More thanks

Two new oil paintings have been listed for sale in my etsy store today. They are 12 x 12 x 2.5 inches, and I called them "Transparent Bubbles" and "Transparent Bubbles II". I just wanted them to be playful and fun.

5 things I am grateful for today:
1. Music that gets you right in the center of your body.
2. The smell of fresh herbs
3. Bubble baths with lots of foam
4. warm sweaters
5. crisp apples

Giving thanks

5 things I am grateful for:
1. phone calls from my traveling husband.
2. Hot tea, especially Earl Grey.
3. The crescent moon
4. well-written books, and eyes that see well enough to read them
5. long, meaningful phone calls from far away friends

I can't remember if I have posted this photo of a horny toad or not.

Pono goes to a river

...and other exciting adventures! Last week, Matthias and I decided to get in the VW Van with Pono and drive to Las Cruces, NM. My parents have a little condo there, and they are there for a little vacation. We took the scenic southern route, driving through Tombstone. We camped one night on the way there. The next morning, just before we reached Tombstone, AZ, we came upon the San Pedro River. We decided that Pono needed to go for a little splash in the river. He loves rivers, since he grew up in Salida, CO, where the Arkansas river runs right through town. He used to wade in that river every single day. We had to duck under a barbed wire fence, and scramble down a bank to get to the river. As soon as Pono saw the San Pedro river, he got SO EXCITED!!! He actually bounded a couple of times before tearing off towards that water as fast as his fuzzy paws would move. It was so much fun. I haven't seen him that happy in a long time. It made me think that we need to move near a river again. I wish I had a photograph or movie of Pono bounding toward that water. It was the embodiment of joy.

It has probably been a decade since we have been to Tombstone. For those of you who aren't old west buffs, Tombstone is the old mining camp where the famous shootout between Wyatt Earp, his brothers, "Doc" Holliday and the Clantons and McLaury's took place near the OK Corral. If you want to read more about Tombstone, click here. I like Tombstone, and it hasn't changed much since our last visit. It was a little too windy to enjoy much walking around, but we still had some driving to do anyway.

We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with my parents, and Matthias had to leave from El Paso to go to work. I'll tell you about the rest of our trip tomorrow!

I want to list 5 things I am grateful every day this week. So here goes:
1. People who love me
2. The rain that fell here this week
3. The sun that returned today
4. My dog Mr. Pono and his fuzzy ears
5. The Bobcat that visited us this morning, especially his enormous paws.

Things I've done, things I haven't done

I got this from Carla's blog. You are supposed to bold the things you have done. FUN!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does playing in a quartet count? I played the violin.)
4. Visited Hawaii (lived there.)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis (wrote an illustrated story about it, too!)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (does picking up hitch hikers count?)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I've only visited SOUTH Africa, not the same)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (both!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper(just live in a small town and this one is easy)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury!
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Tuesday

I am still serving my jury duty. It has kept me busy. I am finding the process interesting and enlightening, although I am ready to be done. Today we start our deliberations, so perhaps we will finish soon.

Here is another new painting, called "Gemstone". It measures 14 x 11 x 3 inches, and you can see how it looks hanging on the wall. I promise I will write more when I have a little bit more time! I have missed you, my blog readers!

Quick post

One of the coolest things about desert plants is that they are opportunistic. If they get enough rain, they bloom! So I stumbled upon a paper bag bush in bloom a couple of days ago, and here is the photo. What a cool bush.

Just a quick post, because I have been working on the computer all day, and I am tired!

I got selected to be a juror! The trial starts tomorrow, and the judge said it could last until the 22nd of November! wow. So, even though I cannot blog about the case, I am excited to be a part of this important aspect of a free society.

Here is a monotype for you to enjoy, until I have a chance to write a more lengthy post. This one measures 14 x 11 inches, and I have entitled it "Blooming". Good night!

My new desert friend and some art

I had another visit from Mr. Roadrunner the other day. This time, I was quick enough to snap a couple of photos. Isn't it cool? I was so excited to see the roadrunner again. I am hoping to do some drawings, but I need to get over my reluctance to draw from a photograph. At least for this speedy bird.

I have been in the studio. I don't know why, but sometimes the creative process is a painful one. Lately, I have been suffering from a heavy dose of self doubt. It makes it hard to even put the brush to canvas. I will mix colors, load up my brush, and stand there for an eternity, trying to overcome my doubts. ugh. It is not fun. (Does anyone else have this problem?) I finally was able to overcome it, and this is what I did. This is a small canvas, measuring 14 x 11 x 3 inches. I love those deep edge canvases, and the way they become almost sculptural, hanging on the wall. Once it dries, I will take a photo of it on the wall so you can see how it looks hanging. (I realize my photos are a bit blurry. Please excuse the lack of quality photography!)

I am hoping to have enough new paintings that I like to take down to the gallery in Palm Desert. I have two other paintings in the same size, which I am slowly bringing to a place that I am satisfied with. Here is a photo of two of them together. For some reason, the colors make me think of gemstones. I guess I needed some shiny gemstone colors in my life!

I am interested in what you think of these new paintings. Any feedback will be welcome! It's okay if you don't like the paintings, but try, if you can, to tell me what it is that you don't like. Otherwise, how will I improve??? Thank you thank you thank you! I appreciate all of your comments more than I can say. Have a grand weekend, my dear blog readers!

New Day

Many new things today! New president being foremost on our minds. It is an historic event.

I can't write much, as I have jury duty in about 30 minutes. But I did want to post a photo of one of the new paintings. Oil on canvas. I think it measures 30 x 30 inches, but I am not exactly sure.

Election Day

We awakened to a cool and windy day. I think there is a chance I am going into hibernation, because I slept for over nine hours last night!!! Sheesh. Cold weather just does that to me, I guess. Also, I think having my husband home helps. I sleep better when he's home.

Little hints that colder weather is coming appear. The leaves of the cat's claw acacia (acacia greggii) are just beginning to turn yellow. I am developing a fondness for this desert shrub, now that I have forgiven it for its mean thorns.

I have been in the studio a little bit. Not as much as I would like, but I am making progress. Hopefully, in a few more days I will have something to show you. I have a busy week, as I have been called for jury duty. I have never served as a juror, and I have no idea what to expect. My husband is also planning a short overnight to Las Vegas, which I hope to accompany him on. (jury duty permitting) I am planning to squeeze in some studio time when I can.

A short note about the photos in my previous post. They are not flowers, but the bracts leftover after the seeds of a flower had been dispersed . I am not sure which flower they used to be, but if I had to guess, I would say it was one of the many yellow flowers which I saw blooming in the spring.

For my readers in the US, don't forget to vote today, if you haven't already! I did!

Dyslexic Trick-or-treat

I managed to get into the studio yesterday. Hopefully, I will succeed in that today, also! I am ready to have new paintings to show you.

I didn't get one single trick-or-treater at the house. I tried really hard to resist buying candy. In fact, I had purchased these funny Halloween pencils and erasers to give out. Unfortunately, at the last minute, I was ambushed by a large candy display on my way out of the grocery store. I was defeated. Now I have all this stupid candy. So I decided to do some "dyslexic trick-or-treating". I go to my neighbors houses and ring the bell. Then, when they answer, I give THEM candy!!! That's one way to get rid of it, right? Of course, I have managed to eat a great quantity of it, myself. Not good. I better do some more "dyslexic trick-or-treating"! Happy November, everyone.