~~~ Wellll ~~~

This morning it seemed that there was no way to sleep in..or at least till the time that I usually wake up -- Our neighbors got up and on their way in their gigantor-huge motor home at 5:45 this morning..with the sound of the disel (sp) engine roaring away, and the 2 of them shouting at each other about this, that , an' something else...how could I sleep?

Then there was the sound of the other neighbors doin' who knows what..an' that jus' made me toss and turn till it finally became Real Clear that it was goin' to be an early day for Ms. Tulip...

>> But tha's ok, 'cause it got me out and onto the deck to sweep up all the bits from pinecones that the squirrel is tossing here and about. She did the same thing last year from wayyy up high in the pine tree next to the deck..then she hauled off and had a litter of about 4 babiy squirrels. Looks like it's gonna happen all over again. <<

Then it was time to feed Bub his breakfast..he will sit and MEOOOWWWW for EVAH 'till i get some of the dog food poured into his ittle bowl. Poor string-bean lookin' thing, but he is a Very Good Cat, which irritates little Miss Muffett no end. She'll go clumbering out on the deck, make a bee-line for the cat, bother him no end, then go out into the yard to do her business. Then clambor back on the deck, bother the cat some more, an' usually BARKKK at him, which makes him even more irritated, then the dog meanders back in the house.

And all this happened this morning before 8 a.m. ....

Then Tom had to call to tell me something that didn't really sink in, 'cause at the same time, the dog was Bothering the cat, an' I had to go rescue Bub before he swiped his claws all over the nose of said Dog...

Then the stereo was acting up an' I had to go mess with the speaker thingies..

And finally after doin' all that, I got my bowl of cereal..which I can't even remember what I ate..not Cocoa-Rooieees, or whatever Tom bought the other week..some semi-healthy sorta something this morning.

An' all I wanted to do was get a frame painted..do some Cutting of Paper...an' maybe try to sketch some fishies.

Well -- it all will get done.

Just not this morning, 'cause it is now After-noon, an' all the Things To Do got sidetracked, an' now I gotta start the Sketching For The Day -- just a couple hours later than I'd planned.

And there is no full moon. Just a weird morning that threw everything all to He** in a handbasket.

So what's new with you??

Lady of The Tulips

"Always Celebrate Laughter" -- 2009 Spring Bay Studio -- Here's the little girl that I talked about yesterday -- she is behaving herself for the moment, but I think she has it in mind to go off an' create some mayhem..probably 'cause of the hurricane churning off - way off shore.

I recently..well, wait -- it was actually at 10 to 3 this morning, that I got up (heard something outside..) an' decided to take a look-see at the weather channel..saw where the hurricane was projected to go..an' then saw the current temp's - 79 Degrees.."Feels Like - 84 Degrees" -- ok, that wasn't really the worst part..that was all well and good..then I read.."89% Humidity" --

Every feel like you could just choke an' not think twice? - Once It sank in that the humidity was really and for real at that high amount, I wondered whether or not it would be a good idea to relocate somewhere else..or until the storm, bad weather an' all THAT went AWAY -- our windows were fogged up from how humid it was..as was everybody elses...the windows, walls an' floor felt sticky, even with the air conditioning runin' as fast as it can. The weird thing, is now we'regetting the real wide bands from the hurricane, even tho it's hundreds of miles out at sea.

I'm just glad we're not in it's path. Yahoo it's been slowing it's wind speed..down to 105. ---- Well, that's not a bad thing considering some of the hurricanes we've sat thru...So - we sit an' wait to see an hope that the storm will keep chugging it's way up the coast but Away from land...just go an' bother the wide ocean!

Tom & noah are puttin' in the new cabinet we bought a couple weeks ago at a discount builders supply place - with sink!! - for $106 total!! Yay!! It looks so much better than the old an' rotting one that was in there..with a sink extension for something that never seemed to make sense..but none of which was attached to anything. So if you happened to lean on the extension portion, the entire thing would drop toward the floor, along with YOU leaning on it. A Person Whom we know had such an occurance...names will not be used. but suffice to say it scared the wholly #"^(}_2@>
So The Dynamic Duo is out at the hardware store getting calk, some kind of glue to attach Said Sink to the cabinet, and some extra washers for the faucet (it is really cute, and was already here, so that saves big $$ ) an' lawdy knows what else --

This should be interesting..

But for now, I gotta go -- check on some ink on watercolor paper...see that my paints aren't drying up - an' make a list for one of those office supply places. Gotta get some stuff after church tomorrow...ahhh..it jus' never seems to end!!


Lady of The Tulips

"Mermaid" -- 2009 Spring Bay Studio

This is one of the pieces that I've reworked, made a little bit better an' all around just got her to where she needed to be. There was a lot of messin' with this, that, and the other, but eventually she got finished.


The other little girl is sitting patiently behind me, sitting, sitting, and waiting for her day to be bright and cheerful. Well, she IS bright and cheerful, but there are other people who think that she isn't just right. There will be No Names Mentioned, but suffice to say that there are some members of a particular family who feel that I'd be better off to do something constructive with my time, and quit all this messin' around with the paints, papers and all things Collage. So. That's given me something of a blue feeling, but those persons who have these attitudes will just have to deal with it. Blah to them.

But the other little girl will have to wait till tomorrow to get posted on here, 'cause right now I have to fit some frame-ing stuff just right for this collage to fit in the frame I made just special for this mermaid. I'd thot I'd made the dimensions just right..but then, lets face it..me & MATH just are not compatible in the same sentence. WAYYY off on the sizes , corners or whatever you want to call it. Whoo Boy...no, don't get me goin' on tryin' to figure out math thangs...!!


Lady of The Tulips

Ok - here's another shot at getting a picture of my thrift store finds on me lil' blog. These were a whopping .99 apiece, so there was no way to just walk away from that. I'll do a before and after of one of them that I worked on yesterday. The difference is pretty remarkable, even if I don't mind saying so myself!!

It's a tad bit cooler today, but I have to say right here and now, that it is still Hot -- so much so, that this morning for the first time EVAH, noah actually had the air conditioning running in the kitchen (it cools mostof the cabin) and it felt absolutely Wonderful in here!! -- No high humidity..no sticking to the backs of the dining room chairs, from sticky sweat -iee's...just being able to sit down an' enjoy the morning cup of coffee!! Wow!!

Now I'm wonderin' just how hot it's going to get later this afternoon..hmmm..but that's later, and right now I'm going to yak about the little mermaid that I worked out yesterday. Got her all lined out, got her tail just about painted, an' today should get the rest of her done. I'm thinking of a neon pink bathing suit for her..maybe some pink flowers in her hair..the whole nine yards. Glitter is also lurking in the back of my mind for her, but maybe that's going a little too far. Who knows. She's definetly not like the other ones' that I've painted, so it's time for a little more wildness, yes?! Yay! -- why not!!-- Even Tom made a mumble in a sort-of "it's ok", so maybe she's not such a bad little thing. Tom has a very passive attitude towards my work, so anything that sounds like it's toward a positive nod is good!! He was even fairly happy driving up to the Beach last weekend! WOW!! For Real.

Is that along the lines of, Wonders Never Cease?

Probably.

But I gotta stop messin' aroun' an start gettin' some painting done. The little girl should be on here tomorrow..

Unless she wants to go shopping...!!


Lady of The Tulips

HA!! -- I've just sat here and typed out a whole long story on what happened to me over the weekend, even posted some nice little pictures of the frames I bought at the thrift store last weekend, and when it came time to download the whole kit and kaboddle (or however it's spelled...) the whole thing disapeared...

Not a good start for a Monday morning...

But since I'm not running short on time, I'll make this short as well -- I got the chance yesterday after church, to get up to Virginia Beach, and take some of my canvases to a shop along Shore Drive. The lady who ownes the shop wanted to take a look at some of my Beachy-things, and said that she would take them, and then I would get a portion of the sale...which isn't very much, but it's better than nothing. The economy being the way that it is, there isn't a whole lot else a lot of shop owners can do, but get what they can for their items, and that's that. So -- I'll make a pittance on the work I've done, but for now, my foot's in the door, so to speak. And the exposure is what I've needed.

The work I've done isn't something that sells at all here in our little farming community, and tha's posed a problem for me. So I've been looking here and there and all over for somewhere to sell my collages. So it's worked out good that there's a shop owner ready to sell some work! And along the part of Shore Drive that her place is located, gets a good amount of traffic, and since Danny drives that highway everyday in his delivery truck, he sez that it's a busy place. Yay!! More People!!

Sorry this is so short, but I've got to run...I'd planned out some stuff to do, an' once my work on this here 'puter went poof, now I gotta make up for lost time..blast...


Lady of The Tulips

Well, here is little miss sara, escaping to somewhere ELSE, so she won't see the camera. I've never seen a dog who so badly, and i mean BADLY hates a camera. There's something in the sound that it makes that does some kind of thang with her hearing, and that in turn makes her do THIS..

An' when you think you've got a nice picture of her, off she goes in a complete other direction, and all your left with is a blur..I think it all started last summer/fall when I kept trying to get a picture of her with that horrid cone on her head, from when she had surgery. Ever since then, she gets up and moves like all $#^&"*(" and get out when she sees me walkin' toward her with the camera.

How do they know what our intentions are? I could have been gettin' ready to take a picture of the little antique bank on the coffee table..I mean, Come ON! --

Well, so...now she's sittin' on the floor, actually on the right side of this very same coffee table, with noah sittin' on the couch, watching something on the BBC...no clue what...sometimes I'm scared of what's on tv these days. No -- I mean, he doesn't go for any risque type things, it's one of those neat antique/auction shows actually, but sometimes he turns on these odd ball shows where some dude is climbing up an horrendous mountain, and eating lichen and mosses to keep alive. Noah thinks it's pretty great. I think the guy needs some serious time in a psych. office, but whadda I know.

And we are once again in the rain/clouds/dampness EVerywhere and no relief in sight. First this week was the 96 Degree heat, and no breeze to make you feel better. Then it was the heat, mixed in with some fierce storms..then it was the storms, winds, trees swaying like they were in a dance contest, and now it's cool, but damp and sprinkly. Is that even a word? -- Well, if it wasn't, it is now. It's sprinkly outside, and the dog wasn't impressed when she went outside to do her thing. So now she's pouting, sitting next to noah, and milkin' it for all it's worth. Feel sorry for ME!! - I had to go OUTSIDE, and it was WET in the GRASS! UGH! -- Oh, the very THOT of it!!

She really does act that way.

Then I have to give her a stern look and tell her that she's absolutely spoiled ROTTEN!!,. an' should just get OVAH it.

Fat Chance.

So I've got some of my canvases in their sweet frames -- that was an act of congress --well, not all of the canvases were difficult to frame..but one of the frames that I got at the thrift store the other weekend, is made out of some kind of cheap wood, and the dye that was used on it and with the varnish, has an undercoating of a rough red..almost a pink undertone, that kept turning pink every time I'd get some primer on it. I had to slap on 3 coats of primer, then 2 of plain white, then to antique the frame some more, I had to go back over those coats with a thin coat of brown sienna, and THEN go over that with a thin coat of white acrylic. It absolutely wore me slap OUT -- serious. By the time I was done with all the sanding, the painting, and the sanding in between coats, it'd been something like 2 hours spent on the thing.

And that's only the BACK of the frame.

I haven't even gotten to the front of the frame yet. I set the frame against the shelf next to the work table an' told it to try TRY to behave itself an' I'd get back to it sometime today.

An' then maybe tomorrow...

But for now I gotta get a check on my laundry -- I've got some things to do this weekend, but I don't wanna spoil things yet by blabberin' where all I"m goin' -- I'll just say that I gotta get my stuff around here done, 'cause I've got no idea if I'll be able to get house - stuff done over the weekend.

I'll fill ya in on what happens after the weekend is over.


Lady of The Tulips

"Sailing Vessels"

Spring Bay Studio -- 2009

Here's another piece that I've been workin' on the last week or so -- it'd been one of those canvese's that'd started out as one thing, and as time went on, poof!! -- it became something else. I guess that 's how it be some times.

The heat is starting to build up this morning - so I'm thinking that it's going to probably storm like all $%^&#@ and get out. The Dog will not be impressed, but then she never is when it comes to strong and loud storms. I've got my sketch book out, to get some new things done up, and hope that those will go onto another canvas that's sittin' behind me on the work table. I also got some new papers over the weekend. I actually went into one of those large stores that are horrid and terrible..with a gazillion people all yelling into cell phones, or parents yelling at their children (back to school shopping..) or elderly couples yelling at one another. Not a very condusive environment for deciding on art paper to buy. BUT -- I did the best I could, grabbed what I needed. Then had to sort of meander around, 'cause I didn't know where tom was. Hmm..checked out the paint isle in the hardware section...looked at plastic storage bins, in bright purple and pink..looked at some incredible thin-legged tables that The Dog would probably knock over in 5 minutes.

And still waited for tom to show up..

An HOUR later, he finally came strollin' along, lookin' like he was just as pleased as punch. He'd been outside doing something (somewhat vague answer on that question) and had been inside, but didn't come into the section where I was deciding on papers, pens, scrap packs and embellishments.

What the%?&$" ???? -- "But I told you where I"d be!"

"Yup -- an' all I did was go to the pen isle..."

Men.

What more is there to say...they make hair color companies a LOT of money, from tired and irritated wives...

Gotta go -- it's hot an' it's only 9 a.m. -- an' here come the clouds...eeekkssss

Lady of The Tulips

"Explore Wonderful Treasures"

Spring Bay Studio -- 2009

Back in june I posted this canvas..but there just didn't seem to be something right about it..so I sat down with it today, and we had a talk.

It's hard to say flat out that something just sucks, but that's what I had to contend with once I took a good look at this canvas..where it was originally. So, with some other papers - paints - stickers and a couple beads, it's a whole new ball game . Well, at least, it's a new canvas.

Yeah - that's what it is. And probably feeling a lot better about things.

There are some other pieces that I've updated, but I've been painting like a mad person for the last couple days, an' right now I'm just thinkin' of sittin' back an' havin' a cold one. There has been some other things going on, too, that have just about worn me out..but tha's all another story for another day. Right now I'm just thinkin' that it's a good idea to stop my work for the day..chill out an' look out the window at the woods.

Why sit Inside? -- WEEELLLLL...tha's 'cause it happens to be over 95 DEGREES outside, and with the heat index..uhhhmmm...le's see..at noon it was 92 an' combined with the heat index THEN..it felt like 103 outside. And it's gotten hotter since then...

THAT'S why I'm gonna be sittin' INSIDE and look at the birds flitting from tree to tree, and hopin' they have some water to drink, some bugs to eat, and won't fall outta the sky on the way to get either item.

That'd be the pits...


Lady of The Tulips

"Roadtrip" - 2009 Spring Bay Studio

>> What more is there to say? <<

It's that time of year to jus' haul off and hit the road..who cares where, who cares for how long, an' lets jus' get Goin'!!

Lady of The Tulips

"She Knew How To Giggle Her Sweet Life Away" - 2009 Spring Bay Studio

She just sorta popped up the other day, made it known that she was HERE, an' by golly, that's all there is to it!!

Lady of The Tulips

Some of our flowers and bulbs are just about done for the summer, but here is a shot of one of the plants that just seems to say Phooeeeyyy!! on that!! Even with the high heat and humidity, these flowers just seem to keep blooming. This stand of flowers are just to the right of the rose of sharon I took a picture of last week.

We had a terrible storm yesterday -- pretty much out of the blue, it just popped up from what looked like just a couple clouds. HA!! -- Noah was looking at the radar map online, and happened to say, "Well, it looks like we might get a little rain, but this looks like it's going in the opposite direction.." within less than 45 minutes, we had an absolutely horrendous storm -- lots and lots of lightening, tons of water just smashing the treelimbs and pounding the roof. What really got me scared was the sudden wind...once it started shaking the house, then i got a little worried.

But after a half hour or so, we finally listened to the last of the storm, and when I went to look out in the front yard, to see how many tree limbs fell, I noticed that the water was rushing across the drainage ditch, and pouring onto the far southern side of our yard. YIKES!! -- It was like somebody turned on a faucet on high..I've never seen something like that ever. EVAH! -- Tom said when he took miss sara for her walk later in the evening, that down the one road across from us, the drainage ditch was rushing across the base of one of the culverts, and pouring down onto a little inlet from the river. "It looked and sounded like a waterfall..." WHOA!!

When I rode my bike this morning, there were still lots of spaces along the road where all the leaves were piled up in the drainage ditches, and stagnant water everywhere. The river inlet near the marina was dirty brown from all the runoff, and the crab boats that were tied up looked like they'd been kinda rocked all over the place. That wasn't something I wanted to see this morning!

But it is much cooler for the first time in probably 3 weeks, so the breeze from the Sound felt absolutely wonderful!! Cool, and noah and I still haven't turned on the airconditioner - and it's after 11:00 in the morning!! Whoo - Hoo!! But I can't get too excited, 'cause the weather people are saying it's going to turn much hotter over the weekend, and by sunday it's going to get up to 95...that's without the heat index!!

Must be time to figure out a way to a Very Cool Place!! Yup. Tha's the ticket!!

In jus' a bit I'm gonna post a couple pieces I've finished this week -- their kinda groovy..well, to Me they are!! Ha!!

Must get some ice coffee...my word, the breeze in here is just right, and with a nice cold coffee...more like a latte...ohhh...it just makes up for the past few HOT dayz!!


Lady of The Tulips

>> I think I probably said I'd post some more pictures on here today, but after I got back from my afternoon bike ride, for some dippy reason, I happened to turn on the tv, to check the weather, and saw that outside the actual temperature was 85..but with the Heat Index it actually felt like 95 DEGREES <<

This could be the reason I'm feeling light headed and altogether ickieee..

So I'm sittin' in the little studio ENJOYING the air conditioning...even noah, who is loathe to turn the air conditioning on, even HE said that it feels bad outside.."The actual air temps aren't so bad, but that HUMIDITY!!" -- Yup -- it matches the air temperature, which makes for an altogether damp and sweltering feeling all about ones person. The weather people said that tomorrow is going to get even hotter, but there is a possibility that the humidity will DROP - which is just a Miracle!! if it happenz. So Let's All Send up Prayers for LOW HUMIDITY!!

There are some new pictures on me little camera, which I WILL post tomorrow..I'm also going to get some pictures of my other Rose of Sharon plants -- we have a purple, pink an' of course, another white. Oh they just make it feel so SUMMER around here!! -- And add to it, the Crepe Myrtle is also blooming like Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah, and oh my stars!! -- What is just more SUMMER than THAT? I tell ya, I just can't THINK of anything else...'cept watermelon...tomatoes...oh, uhmmm...le's see..oop..AND fresh corn on the cob.

That about rounds out THAT list!

Must go an' check on some STUFF that's drying behind me over there...see?? NO -- Over THERE!! -- 'K..now you got it...

Lady of The Tulips

Ok -- I started a post a couple minutes ago, but the whole thing went poof into the never never land of computer-something,so here we go again.


I wanted to share a picture of both our rose of sharon and the tippy-top of the crape myrtle -- they are just bloomin' their little heads offff, what with this heat, humidity and all the rain, rain, rain we've been having -- the weather people say it's going to be a couple more days of all the water, then it's supossed to be done with. Ahhmm...I'll believe it when I see it. Or until I can stop melting just while I'm sitting still. It's getting a little old at this point, and there are parts of the country that would jump up and down and kiss the old hound dog sittin' in front of the town hardware store, just to have a sprinkle of rain at this point. And we're havin' storms that have ratttledd the windows, made the dog go and hide in the bathroom, and given me fits and spits with all the water bangin' against the side of the air conditioner....

But on to other things -- it's the weekend already, and now I'm gettin' some "plans" in order to go thriftin', junkin' and doin' all things yard sale for tomorrow. Tom doesn't know it yet, but he's gonna be my driver for the day -- He'll get over it, 'specially if he finds some old tools to keep him happy -- there are usually some good yard sales in the neighborhood, what with some of the seniors moving away. The family rarely wants to keep all the old stuff."It's just old junk.." they say -- WHOA!! -- I say, bring it on!! -- What with a little coat of paint, some distressing that's already been done..Boy Howdy!! -- just what the Dr. ordered!! Yess Inddeeed!!

Gott to make this short -- this desk is just about crawling with ants all of a sudden -- Noah has this rediculous (sp) habit of eating candy, donuts and whatever else in here, and the crumbs naturallly don't get swept up..the ants love him to pieces, but MOTHER is not so impressed, what with the little teeny black ants all of a sudden EVERYWHERE..and they BITE -- OUCH!! -- and it hurts, and it makes me irritated..grrr..


Lady of The Tulips

Summertime!! -- here are the daylilies that are around the tomatoees..all of them, that is, the daylilies, maters, peppers and all the Rest..they are just as happy as a clam in the best of dayz. The rain, rain and more rain has made everything take off like there was no tomorrow. Actually, as far as I know there will BE a tomorrow, but you get the picture.

I just got back from my morning bike ride, and there is a breeze coming off the river, and it feels like in the next couple hours we'll have more storms. That's all it's been doing the past week -- when I think it's gonna just sprinkle, or have a nice little rain..Ho-Ho!! -- it just explodes! -- lightening like it's the 4th of July all over again...thunder that shakes the poor little cabin, and then just sheets of pouring rain. I thot I'd left my Very Fine Automobile window open after I got home from church on Sunday night..poohey--al I could see were $$$$ signs all over the place, if the electric wiring got fried from all the water coming in the windows. BUT --- Yay!! -- tom went out like a Good Doobie,and made sure the windows were Rolled Up!! Double Yay!! -- no more repairs on the car - well, for now!! HA!! --

Noah is just about dancing in the streets -- well, maybe not dancing,but he is a happy person 'cause he finally got a job that will last more than a week!! -- The packing house up in Va., has him lined up for this week at least, and maybe for the long-term. The plant is getting warmed up for some kind of big Something, and noah just happened to get to talk to his boss at just the right time for one of the shifts that needed somebody Not Afraid to come in at 4:45 a.m. -- 'Course it means that Tom & him have to leave here no later than3:25 or so to make it up to the plant by 4:45, but tha's ok -- it's a Job!! -- So we have our fingers crossed that it's gonna last.

Must go finish some gluing on the canvas over on the table...I'll get a W.I.P. on here tomorrow -- later on today I'm also gettin' a shot of our Rose of Sharon that is just blooming it's little head off -- actually there are 4 outside that are just goin' along like Zoooommm..Wow. The previous owners just loved to plant lotz of flowers! Yay!!

Lady of The Tulips

Here's one of the little projects that is nearly done -- W.I.P. -- I'm just not sure where I wanna go with it, so it's sitting in the hutch, waiting for some kind of inspiration or something...maybe a good cool soda at this point --

It's been horriblyy y humid the past couple days -- yesterday before11 a.m., it was 80 Degrees with 75% humidity..I'm sittin' here at the desk with more humidity floating all over, OVAH me -- I'm melting I think. But it's been raining for the last week -- off and on, so the tomatoes are taking off, the grass is growing like wildfire, and noah has his work cut out for him with the lawnmower. Thank heavens he likes to do that mowing, 'cause if I tried it'd just be slap ugly. Well -- what I mean is, after I had heat stroke a number of years ago, it just makes me ickiee if I try to get out in the heat & humidity and work really hard. I have this silly tendancy to just haul off and fall over..which makes it hard to get any work done at allwhen I'mlaying there all sprawled out on the grass. Besides, it irritates the ants when some big ol THANG like me just goes kaa-p-lop on the ground.

They have no sense of humor.

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready to sand and repaint a frame I found at the local thrift store last weekend - $1.00 -- whoo hoo!, just my kind of price, and there were 2 of'em, so I had to grab 'em while I could get tom to agree to buy 'em. HA! -- jus' get him sidetracked an' it works like a charm! -- I'm also debating on entering a piece I worked out last fall...into a show at the local art league. My past experience with them was pretty bad, so that's kinda holding me back. Maybe this time things will go better...jus' kinda-sorta-gonna play it by ear.

Must go & get some other stuff done..and get the air conditioner running..it's humid like crazy again...

Lady of The Tulips

Here's wilbur..well I shouldn't say that 'cause it may be a female but this little friend of ours has been in and out of the yard for it seems for-EVAH -- just when I think it's gone and county, wandered out toward the water or just vanished...noah hauls off and finds it again..just cruisin' along in the grass, havin a good time.

We also have a possum that comes and checks out our garbage every now and then..I've named him Arthur. No -- I've never known a person in my entire life with that name, but it just fit for the possum somehow. Tom just laughs when the little thing starts fumbling around under our bedroom window, rattling the bags of trash, and crashing along in the grass, daylilies and irises. I have no idea how the critter hasn't smashed the plants to smithereens, but the plants have hung on for dear life, tolerating the smashing of a VERY fat possum. When tom scared the little booger one early morning ,it waddled away so funny..he looked like he just couldn't decide if he could run/waddle/stumble or WHAT -- and that NOSE..ugh...but he does have a funny little fat body, and a tail that looks like it got washed badly in the washing machine. Our Little Friends.

I've got some more 'maters on the kitchen sink -- noah brought them in last night just after a brief sprinkle...we keep getting drips and drabs of rain, and I'm beginning to think I'm going to develop gills...it's not that I'm complaining -- we so terribly need the rain, and there are some folks that haven't seen a rain cloud in about for-EVAH -- so it is wonderful and a miracle we have these pop-up showers every now and again in the past week. The garden of noahs is all done -- he picked the last of the corn he had and now he's pulling the weeds around the edges of the plot, and getting ready to put in some collards. He doesn't like the idea of trying to plant a short crop of beans, since we don't have a frost 'till late in october, and that would give us plenty of time for a couple batches of beans for the freezer...but I cant change his mind for NOTHIN' -- so I shall not attempt at this point in time...

Meanwhile I'm thinking of ways to use the green tomatoes...FRIED!!..'course..JUST don't let my Dr. know!! He so hates anything fried...maybe if I just say it was from a wave from some Ya-Ya's that did it..!! -- Tha's the ticket!! The Ya-Ya's made me fry those 'maters!! HA!!

Gotts to go -- I'm not riding my bike this morning, as I'm in the middle of something...will discuss that later, but have to go do some things for now...wheeeee..


Lady of The Tulips

Thrift Store Find!!

~~ this was sitting all by its lil' ol lonesome, near a window in the local teeny thrift store, and right away I knew I had to have it!! Woody Woodpecker was always one of my favorite cartoons and when this series of lunchboxes came out about 10 years ago, it just made me laugh.

So with a little arm twisting and some sighs, I convinced tom that it had to come home with me. The funny thing is, noah had a lunchbox that was a reproduction too..'cept it was the Lone Ranger. He paid something like $9.00 for his...I feel kinda like I made out, 'cause this was only $2.00 -- !! -- Shhwwoo, Yeah!! ~~

Now it's sitting happily on my work table, with a batch of my thread spools inside. The spools had been on a big rack that I bought way back in the day, but during our move last year, the rack got broken, and the spools had no where to go..cept in a bag that took up too much room in the closet inside the studio. So this little pal of mine will take care of all my threads, and make sure the spools are safe and sound. Or at least keep them from getting dirty and have some kind of bug attack them in the middle of the night.

I'm doing the normal, "Waiting for my paint to dry.." thang at the moment. Tom always thinks it's funny when he calls and asks me what I'm doin' -- "Waitin' for my paint to dry..." -- I can't help it, it's just one of the daily things that happens to me..if I'm working on a piece of collage, naturally I'm going to be doing some kind of painting or cutting fabric, or gluing some kind of tidbit onto the canvas..I MEAN -- what does he expect me to be doing? -- sitting at the tv? -- Well...I'dBE sitting at the tv if there was a baseball game on, but there isn't one on at the moment, so I have to check the schedule and make sure...

Anyway --

Back to the paint -- there is some matte medium on a piece of fabric, and once it gets done drying, the I'll be able to get it and my canvas board all finished up. Drives me crazy to sit and wait for something, but it's the last piece of my puzzle on this canvas, so that's pretty good for the afternoon...

Noah's watching some movie out in the front room that I can hear from here -- sounds like a fight, drunken brawl or something he's watching...yee gadz...reminds me of some baddd days wayyy back when...glad I survived THAT!! -- So while the movie goes along, I'll get some other things taken care of and see what the garden is doing..we've had rain for the past 3 or 4 days, and it's turning everything green. My skin feels like it's turning green too, but maybe it's just my imagination...

The 'maters are happy, the basil is pouting in it's flower bed, somaybe I'll have to go outside and have a lecture with said basil and let it know it's not keeping up with it's end of the Gardening Bargain...like GROWING. Maybe a stern LOOK will do the trick..

Must check on 4 other things while I have the chance..will yak later..


Lady of The Tulips

"Navigating The Fish Bowl" -- 2009
Spring Bay Studio

Here's a collage that I worked out the other day -- it was kinda fun to mess around with all my little goodies and play with my paints. The weather outside had been just this side of a melting mess, so I wasn't about to try and go do something like pull weeds, or mess with the firewood.

Besides, we have some kind of slithering thangs in the one pile of firewood..and the weeds aren't going to go away any time soon, so they can just stay around outfront in the one flower bed..

In the meantime I'll mess with my paints, glues and fibers, and see what can come around when I least expect it.

Today marks Tom & my 33 Anniversary..!!!..YIKES!! I honestly don't believe it's been that long, but since we're both still alive and kickin' it seems like we are honestly and for real still married an' still threatening to kill each other with the least little provocation. JUST KIDDING!! We always have little barbs to one another, but hey, after all these years, it seems like it's gonna be ok between us.

Least it seems so.

Onto other things -- I've got some things getting put together over on the work table, and there are some papers that I'm thinking of buying tomorrow -- I'm thinkin' too on goin over to the thrift store an' see if there are some things for this here studio -- I need some type of storage boxes, or baskets..preferably not something new..maybe a little worse for wear an been thru better days -- that kind of thing, so it won't look too far off from the wonderful antique hutch I bought last fall. Yup -- something a little rough around the edges..sorta like a bad hair day!! HA!!

Gotts to run an get some painting done -

Lady of The Tulips

Here's a picture of Bub -- Shhhhh..he's sleeping!!

Doesn't he look jus' as cute as can be, all curled up, making sure the firewood box is safe from any kind of Bad Things coming near? He's such a funny little stray kitty-cat!! He & I had a discussion just this morning, about how he has a badddd case of the shed's -- his fur seems to be everywhere, and one of the chairs on the deck is nearly covered with it. And I just cleaned that chair off the day before. I'm going to say he's shedding 'cause it's so blasted hot. Yeah. Tha's it...

We are finally in the midst of the HEAT & Humidity -- shwwooo -- I'm sitting here with the air conditioner OFF -- Noah is such a tight-wad, he doesn't like to run the air conditioning, so it's melt-ville for ME - - and it's supossed to get hotter for the next couple dayz....the humidity is going to be climbing too, so the Melt-Factor is going into overdrive...But after the cool spring we had, it's ok...the heat is here and it is after all, the middle of summer. That time of year when the old saying, Dog Days of Summer come along...not that there is anything wrong with dogs, but they seem to not do as well in this kind of heat as they do, when say, it's 80 Degrees, with a nice breeze blowing, and the humidity in a pleasant range of 40 %. Our Dog, however, just doesn't seem to like much of anything these days, so she's no gauge of what to expect for the rest of summer...


There are some things I need to take care of, an' messin' around here just aint gettin' my Stuff DONE -- I did, however, get a good soaking of the 'maters with some compost tea, and even tho they look miserable, I'm still trying to get my sickly basil plants to do SOMETHING -- they aren't doin' much..and the bugs are starting to attack them again. Blast. And I sprayed the basil with the organic insect spray, but it looks like my spraying isn't doing enuf, and the bugs may be winning the battle. Grrr...Maybe next year the basil will do better..

Lady of The Tulips

"Triangular Melody" -- 2009
Spring Bay Studio

This is one of the pieces that got finished just the other day -- Just wanted to post it this afternoon before the storm rolls in -- Tom called from the Port of Virginia, and said it's starting to rain pretty good up there, so I thot it'd be best to get something on here before the electricity goes out.

This piece just sez what was goin' on around here for a couple days...kinda off the wall, and some things just can't be explained other than that.

Lady of The Tulips

Look At Them!! -- Yay!! -- 'Maters are comin' along in the garden now, and they are gettin' me Huunngry for some fresh salsa, an' all things nummy.

We've picked a few that looked like they weren't going to make it, mainly 'cause they got bumped off the vines, so noah felt sorry for them an' brought the little paste 'maters in the house. I cooked 'em down an' made some stewed tomatoes the other night, with chili powder, pepper an' garlic. YUM!! - mixed those in the pot with the Cowboy Goulash an' we stuffed ourselves. As you can see, the 'maters are starting to get big, an' my hope is that they will get taller than this. Right now their 'bout 2 1/2 ' high..maybe I'm just impatient, but I want them BIG!! NOW!!

Patience has never been one of my stronger points...

But onto other things -- Tom sez that the ports are starting to get more freight in, so that may bode well for this Fall -- This time of year is when all the Fall and Christmas items get sent from overseas, an' then shipped to Distribution Centers, and then to company warehouses for their final trip to your local stores -- Department, Home Improvement..whatever. This may be a sign that our poor economy is slowly turning the corner from the nightmare it's been going thru for the past year. I just hope that it's a sign that's going to STAY from now on!! Too many people are too hurt from the Greed-Heads that started all this 2 years ago...I just hope THOSE people are giving themselves a good talking to!!

Not much else is goin on -- I'm not gonna tell what's over at the work table...it'll be a suprise!! HEE!! You'll just have to Wait and See...

Lady of The Tulips

I'm not sure what this picture is that noah took the other afternoon, but it's kinda intriguing (sp) -- I think it's some of the funny mold spores that keep popping up in the garden, and even tho I try to think it's totally harmless, it still makes me a little afraid to get near it. Fuzzy little weird STUFF growing in and around the plants...mushrooms are bad enuf, but then there is some of this stuff, an' I just don't know what to think about it.

I'm waiting for some paint to dry over on the table..an then I'll get a shot of my recent work. The funny thing is that when I started my last project I had no idea of what direction it was going to take. So I just ran with it, and it ended up being one of my favorite things in the last 6 months. How weird is that?? So now I've got odds and ends scattered all over the studio, the cat is overtaking the deck and the deck chairs, the dog is snoring in the dining room, tom called an' is complaining about some dolt not doing his job...

An' I just wanna go fishing...

but I don't have a license. NO -- I will not take a chance an' just go plop myself over on the dock, 'cause shure as $%#^* the Game Warden would show up an' THAT'S not what I've got planned for the week...

So I'm gonna go play with my paints instead!!

Wheeeeeee

Lady of The Tulips

Over the weekend noah & tom went meandering away to go and do something...said they were getting oil for the cars, check on some odds and ends at the hardware store, an' then came back home, with noah sayin' "Hey MA!! -- Check out what I got at the thrift store!!"

At first tom sez the cool antique chair cost $5, but then today, noah sez, "$4.00!! Huh?! Cool!!" I about jump up and down at the great find to begin with, an' then find out it was even less than first told -- WHOA!! -- How this kidgets these great findz beats me, but he has a knack for gettin' antique goodies for about Free. He bought a collection of antique glasses, 5 of 'em, for something like $8.00 -- WHOA!! -- An also came home a couple weeks ago with an old vase he paid 50 CENTS for...Huh. Just amazes me, I'm tellin' you.

Gotts to make this short, as The Husband is on his way home, an' I barely have anything set up for dinner...well, I got some fresh 'maters from the garden all cooked up for a stew - type thing, but thats it...some chili flavored 'maters does not a dinner make...

Lady of The Tulips

Here He Is!! -- Bub in all his glory!!

Actually he doesn't have much glory, he's jus' an old barn cat that made his way to our yard. He is pretty funny, tho. He and little miss muffett have a thing with each other. Actually he has a Very Good Way of making the dog Behave herself when she gets too nosey with him -- he just hauls off and smacks her nose 4 or 5 times, then she backs away from him and all is well.

This has happened in front of me a few times, and as hard as I try Not To, I still end up laughing like crazy. That, or else when I try to let the dog out, she stops stock STILL and wont go out the door, if the cat is standing at the door waiting to try and come inside. I have to start yelling at the dog, "MAKE YOUR MIND UP!!" -- she acts like she is absolutely petrified of that cat..what with him and his little sharp claws..and here she is 5 times bigger than he is, and nearly shakes when he stands up to her.

Pretty cheap entertainment...

On another note, the 'maters are growing along, and it should be a couple more days before I can start gettin' some of those tasty goodies into the kitchen for a good batch of salsa. YUM!! -- an' then it's probably going to take off on me, and I'll be mumbling under my breath about why in the @#$&$ did I ever EVAH plant so many tomatoes...ahh well, the joys of gardening. The Basil is slowly growing out front, but I think if I give the plants another good shot of compost tea, they should start going better. Tha's what I think, but they must have a mind of their own, as I've been thinking that for a few weeks now. -- Do plants have a mind of their own?? -- Well...


Tom is working a few more hours these last couple weeks, but the owner of the truck company is trying to keep the drivers from any overtime, so it seems like he's cutting the chance for the company to make more money from the shipping companies. But whatta I know?? -- And considering it is summer, naturally a lot of the drivers want to take some time off, so that gives tom some more out of state trips, which he doesn't mind, But -- then he gets back into town so late, that he has to stay up in VA . He's had to do this a few times in the past couple weeks, but he's not complaining!! -- He usually stays at Danny's apt, which is close to the terminal, but it is after all, a Bachelor Pad...and along with that is the dirt, dishes piled up in the sink, clothes all over the front room..a Typical Bachelor Pad!! -- Noah stayed with tom one night, and the next day he tried to clean up the apartment..said he worked for 4 hours and "You still couldn't tell if I made any progress.." -- I'm Tellin'you, I DID NOT raise that child to live like a pig...but it is HIS apartment, so what can I DO??!! --

Tom did say that if he has to stay overnight again, he's going to make sure and buy a can of bug spray and some cleaning supplies -- just in case...

Not much else to say, 'cept that I have to go check on the dog..she got all fired up and irritated when I got the camera out..she doesn't like the sound it makes when I take a picture, so she now is hiding under the dining room table, in a definite funk..jjeeeessshhh..

Lady of The Tulips

~~ For the life of me, I can't figure out why this picture came out lookin all weird and yellowwieee -- maybe it's because there will be a full moon tomorrow..yeah, tha's what it is..

Actually I wanted to get a shot of this little guy that sits over on my antique hutch, 'cause the little babiee is just so darn cute -- he's made out of brass, i think, and is pretty heavy -- i looked around the entire piece trying to see if there's a brand name somewhere on the piece that sez where it was made, but so far there hasn't been anything discovered. The whole thing is actually a lamp part..on the underside is the holes for stringing in the wires, and the top of his little head is where you would put the finial..our middle son got this for me some time ago at one of the local antique/junk shops..for something like 95 cents. Whoa. I love to just sit an look at the baby, and try and think of what the manufacturer had considered when they were making this. And of course, the FISH -- !! -- Another WHOA!!

>> As for the holiday, it was very very quiet around here -- tom, being the grump A-- he is, didn't want to go and watch any firework displays,so we just sat and listened to all the fireworks going off over at the Clubhouse. 6 blocks away, an tom didn't want to go over there..naturally the dog was beside herself with all the noise, and nearly tore the door off of our bathroom, trying to get in the room...beats me why she chose that room to go and hide in, but I am not a person who sits and tries to figure our dog out on a daily basis. My brain would smoke too much from the overload with the weird things that dog does. <<

Dan, the oldest, came down and barbequed the most AWSOME dinner for us -- he had the local butcher by his apt., cut some steaks for us that were an inch thick..must be nice being a bachelor & afford that kind of cost!! But he was more than happy to get the steaks for us, and I made up a big ol batch of potatoe salad and some beans..all the trimmings with each one!! YUM!! Yup -- after eating all that you better believe I went on my bike ride!! SHWOO!!

Got some more done on the abstract I've been pieceing together (man I really butchered that spelling..) -- over on the work table -- I hope the camera will take a better picture of that for the post tomorrow. Le's HOPE SO!!

Must run and get some fibers attached, an need to get my glass of water too.

Lady of TheTulps

Here's another shot of the little daylilies we have along the deck -- they look pretty happy in the sun, plus we've had tons and tonz and TONZ of rain the past week or 2. So the plants are cheerful and havin a good time.

This morning we got woke up by the local police/sheriffs department --- seems some of the local teens were bored during the night and went around and smashed mailboxes up and down the roads. Ours was one of said mailboxes that got hammered with something, then ripped off the wooden post that it WAS nailed to. The whole thing just seemed so weird, and then this morning noah went out to see what kind of damage the kids did, and the holes under the mailbox in the wood that was left, told the story.

The first thing noah said, was, "I hope they hurt themselves when they did this!!" -- he wasn't impressed by the vandalisim...I jus sorta think it's pretty sad that there is so darn little in the county for the kids to do, that they resort to smashing mailboxes up and down the roads for excitement. I mean,sure, it is a very small community, but there should be something for these kids to do. But I guess with the amount of people living day by day and holding on for dear life, there just isn't the $$ for any kind of programs for the kids to go To. There's alwas 2 sides to living in a place like this -- for some of us it's a quiet relief from the city life, and for others, it seems to be holding them in a kind of "HoldingPattern" -- not quite where they have far too many things to do, and too much money to spend...to where they actually are -- living within very thin means, and have little to show for it. Pretty strange.

So the Dynamic Duo are at the local hardware store, buying who knows what to fix the mailbox. There is the very distinct possibility that they'll come back with tons of junk that is not remotely connected to the mailbox..an' then of course, that will give them the excuse to go BACK to said hardware store, and buy more junk that is to "Help" put the mailbox back together. Kinda like Humpty Dumpty....

SO -- what I want to say before this big holiday weekend in the States -- is all of you out there (YES!! -- I'm talking to YOU!!) -- keep yourself safe over the weekend..no crazy parties, no wild and crazy pictures appearing online of YOU an' all your rowdy friends, "just havin' a little get-together" -- BEHAVE YOURSELVES!! --

There. That's about all of That that needs to be said!!

Oh -- an' don't get yourselves hurt messin' around with firecrackers, either!

Lady of The Tulips

-- Jusst a QUICK note here to say it is just tooo darn HOT today -- I MEAN -- when i crawled outta the bed this morning, I could hear the poor dog panting away in the hallway, just sounding like she was melting ...which scared me about to pieces. Then when i went into the front room and starting getting the curtains open..checking the front yard and sauntering into the kitchen, i stole a glance at the thermometer that reads the inside temps...at 8 a.m. (OK!! -- yea, I overslept..so deal with it!!) -- it was already 83!! SAY WHAT??!! -- no wonder poor little miss sara was melting in the hallway!!

So for the first time this summer, i hauled off and cranked up the air conditioner...noah is such a TIGHTWAD that he will NOT turn it on, but once i heard the poor dog sounding like she was about to melt and drift away down into the sound, I HAD to do SOMETHING -- and it felt so much different!! I guess I've been sorta getting used to feeling melt-iee this summer, without having the air conditioner on. WELL -- this morning was about the last of THAT!! --

So with all THAT -- it quickly got up into the 90's really fast, so i decided that it would not do me a bit of good to try and go peddaling around the community on my bicycle..as I've already had a close call with heat stroke some years ago. Plus my little mini-stroke 2 years ago. Jus' sorta kinda seems like a good idea to try and keep myself in one piece rather than melting all over the place while riding my bicycle. Think what i'll do is try NOT TO SLEEP IN AGAIN TOMORROW n' get up earlier and get my bike riding in before the temp go up into the skkkiieeee...

Bub is begging for food out on the back porch, even tho i discovered some little bit of fluff out in the yard, that looks like he helped himself to some sort of animal somewhere along the line today..I think he's already trying to find the Soft Spot I've got for little lost and forlorn animals. Blast it all..I think he's got me pegged an' I never even saw it coming. I mean, Sara beg's all the time (oh hush, i know i spelled that word wrong..give me a break...) - I mean the dog will honestly and for REAL walk up to me if I'm ignoring her, and SLAP me with one of her front paws....And it HURTS!! -- I mean DAYUM!!! --It hurts an' then it piss---me off..then I start to laugh..then I try to lecture her, an' then all she does is start to bark at me..which makes me TRY to lecture her AGAIN.which makes her BARK LOUDER..

It's a never ending cycle...

An ' it all started today (again) with Bub meeeeooowwwwwiiing out on the deck Early this morning...

LAWDY -- can I go on a Vacation yet??!!

Lady of The Tulips -- waiting for the next cruise ship to suddenly appear over by the crab boats at our marina an tell me their waiting for me to board the ship..
HA!!

we have several daylilies in the garden that are doing much better this year than last an this one is the brightest one of the bunch -- it doesn't look as bright onscreen as it is in the garden -- but it almost has a neon color about it. i went out the other afternoon to take this picture and the color seemed to glow -- we just had had a great rain storm and the whole garden just wanted to take off. the grass is also taking off, much to the dismay of noah, since he's the one who mows all of it.

But the fun thing is that the flowers along this side of the deck seem to cheer things up quite a bit, and it makes for a good time in the shade of the oak trees. When it cools down a little bit in the afternoon today, I'll get some other shots of the darker lilies in the bigger flower bed -- so far they've reached up to nearly 5 feet in height!! -- Yay!! -- an they have a very deep color around the edges, plus the other flower bed has some "double's" == lilies that have double petals on them, that make them appear fluffy when in bloom. They just blend in so well with the shade of the pines and popular trees above them..it's a very calming flower bed.

I took some pictures of our tomatoes, but they got erased on my camera -- noah was messin with it so i gotta find out what he did -- he's in a grump right now cause the temp company where he gets his pay from, shorted his paycheck from last week, an when he opened his check last night he was furious..an still is this morning. so i don't think it's wise for me at the moment to haul off an go into a rant about the stuiped tomatoes, for cryin out loud...I'll just take some other pictures in the afternoon!!

Gotta go on my morning bike ride - if i can get permission i'm gonna ask the people over at our little local marina if I can get some shots of the crab boats along the shore..they look pretty cool all decked out with the pots lined up on deck. plus that part of the shore is really full of wonderful shade trees and feel fabulous when i ride into all that cool shade..ahhhh....

Lady of The Tulips

!! WOW -- I just have to say that today is finallly one day where I didnt have to fight tooth and nail with my internet connection -- tha's cause I finally got the new computer that I talked about the other day..an it works like a dream!!

Now the fun part is going to be to learn all the cute little bells and whistles that come with this little bugger -- what is sooo cool for me is the larger monitor -- i MEAN!! -- the old screen had the total size of 8 inches - EEIGHTTT -- so you fan imagine how hard it was for me to see what I was trying to read or write. It sometimes left me literally on the verge of having a hysterical crying jag. BUT NO MORE!!! All the new wires helped, I'm sure, that the poor repair man put in under the house the other week..poor guy. At least it wasn't during one of the recent heat spells, so he wasn't boiling under there..it was just when we had about 4 days of steady rain..an' then the guy had to go crawling around under the house. BUT -- ALL IS GOOD -- So I no longer listen to the sound of a garbage disposal next to the table here..Huh. Whatta difference!!

I'm also learning how to down load my pictures onto this new system, but the sad news is that some of the shots I got last week are gone..noah hauled off and erased some wonderful pictures I took of our BIG Bee Balm Plant. I almost cried!! They were so big and full of blooms...Truly. But now Ill have to wait till next year. I may experiment an' see if I can cut the plant back a little an' see if it can rebloom. But there are some shots of an electric yellow bloom on one of our daylillys..not something that we had in bloom last year, so it's pretty cool to see this year.

AND -- the cat!! We -- well, actually noah named him - Bub -- kinda/short for bubba.we couldn't think of anything while we were sitting out on the deck in the heat, so that's the closest we got to a name for the little guy. He was abandoned by some flakey neighbors that just hauled off and disappeared a few weeks ago..slick. And there have been several companies driving by their place trying to find them..slick. BUT - we got a pretty cool cat, even tho the DOG doesn't like him. She ignores him, or walks away from him every chance she gets if he's out on the deck when she goes out the back door. It's really funny to see her FACE -- HA -- she looks REALLY uncomfortable. Something tells me she must've gotten her big ol' nose slapped years ago by a cat...she doesn't like it if I laugh at her..but to SEE the two is really pretty funny.


Must go get dinner off the stove!! YIKES!!

Lady of The Tulips

~~ This will be a short post, as I am once again dealing with internet/computer problemz ~~

I finally sat and counted how long it takes for my internet connection to actually start working -- this morning it was 45 minutes. So -- with that, and some other things and THANGS -- I made a decision over the weekend to haul off and ORDER A NEW COMPUTER!! YESS!! --

We've put aside some $$ here and there, so that will definetly help with the Cost of the new machine. This poor old ( >> 10 YEARS!! << ) thing has HAD IT -- even with 2 days and several phone calls to try and make things better, it had become a NIGHTMARE -- so even with some new wires, boxes, lines, an' other assorted STUFF -- the repair man even said that it was probably time to get something new. An' like The Husband sez, "Well ma, it's not like you've not gotten your moneys worth outta that old thing!!"

I hate when he's right...

So, I made the order at the first of the week...an' in the meantime have been VERY PATIENT with this one...it has constantly been freezing up when I'm trying to just READ MY EMAIL...jus' tryin' to find out what my son'z doin' up in the city...to read that one (ONE!!) email took over 1/2 hour. I can feel my blood pressure goin' thru the roof, an' finally tom said for me to make arrangements to get the new computer.


And with that, I've started a Very Different Collage/Painting on my little table. I've got some pictures of our garden that I took over the weekend, too, so in the morning when I've gotten some sleep (Noah waz sick on the way to work this morning, an' once he & tom came all the way back home..well, it was an early/scary morning to say the least..more o' that later...) an' am feeling a little more with the World As We Know It.

For now, I'm gonna check some stuff yonder..

Lady of The Tulips

HA!! -- Jus' when I thot that the World waz coming to an end...or ...That all contact with other humans was a thing of the past...

My phone company/Internet provider sent a Repair Person to "Fix What is Broke" -- or something to that effect.

2 days later...many hours of flailing, and new wires, modem, and other pieces and parts...I now have my Internet Connection Working..And it wasn't easy.

But I am back in the land of Computerz..or something close to it -- I was going to try and Test the Internet Gremlins and see if some pictures would post on this particular afternoon, but after waiting for an hour and 55 minutes for my connection to just actually WORK -- I decided that I better give things a break, and try to post some pictures of our yard and the Flowers, Bird Nests and a Stray Cat that has decided to adopt us...Shwoo -- no wonder I'm tired!!

I've also got a new canvas sitting on me little work table...it is just shy of being finished, but there is a spot of about 1 & 1/2 inch that is giving me fits -- Something about some color and paint that is just making me have a headache..Why is it that such a small section decides to DO THIS to me?? Ahhh well -- it's wayyy to hot and humid today to bother with too many ickiee things..

We had storms, and I MEAN --- STORMZ last night -- for close to 2 hours...so much lightening..and the thunder did a number on the pictures on the walls..shook them like there was a test to see it every picture would come crashing down off the wall...then the RAIN -- And -- naturally, yesterday around noon, I made sure to give the tomatoes, basil, peppers and STUFF a good little soaking with my nifty little watering can..sweating away, but MAKING SURE that they got a good drink of water...

Ha. Shoulda known.

The light in the sky was INCREDIBLE for the longest time last night...then it started getting closer..

And closer...

And I MEAN -- WHAM!! -- there it WAZ -- in YOUR FACE and THERE YOU GO!! -- the dog hid somewhere, I've got no idea where...Tom sat up an' said, "Ya think we'll get some rain?" -- I just sat and stared out the window, wondering if my eyes were ever going to adjust after all the HUGE lightening bolts were flashing EVERYWHERE...

An' now today it's 90 degrees..the humidity is somewhere over 89%...Yup -- I feel like I need to go hide in an igloo some where..

But the closest I can get to that, is to turn on the air conditioner...sit with a cold soda, and hope that I'll make it to this evening to watch baseball on t.v. --

Other than that, it's all been pretty quiet here..

'cept for the stray cat that adopted us..it keeps MEEEOOOWWWW - ing out on the front porch..

My word...


Lady of The Tulips

~~ WWWEEELLLLLL ~~

I originally started this post about 2 hours ago, but as is the case, our little phone company/internet provider had some, uhhh..Issues..yeah, that's it. Issues.

And the post literally disappeared off the face of the earth. I went into another room to do something, came back in the studio, and discovered that the connection had completely gone away. Like ALL GONE --

Needless to say I was not impressed.

And the phone company sez it's all my fault..And they can't do anything about it.

So -- with that thot in mind, I've told tom to stop at the store on the way home and pick me up something a little stronger than lemonade..

OH CALM DOWN -- just a lil' pak of beer, cause as weird as this week has gone, it's gonna taste real good to have a beer. And like tom likes to point out, it takes me over a WEEK to go thru the 6-pack of beer.

"Ma!! -- you REALLY are a light weight!!" --

"Yeah..I'm pretty hard core here, havin' 2 beers every 4 days..."

>> But on to OTHER NEWS << I'm ready to take some pictures of a little project I came up with last weekend...I have a flower pot that I spray painted a very COOL color..an' right now it's got some beads decorating it, and there are some OTHER things that are ready to get on the sides of the flower pot as well. THEN -- there's also a canvas that's ready for the final coat of matte medium, so that's exciting too.

And my blouse is just about finished. SHWOO -- no wonder I slept till almost 8:00 this morning!! Yikes!! For Real!! 8!! I had felt tired, but didn't think I was THAT tired.

Shows what I know..


But have to make this quick, as the paint on my pallette is gonna dry if I don't get it goin' over there..An' I gotta get with the local gallery, as they've hauled off an' done something with my address and my file in the shop.

Never a dull moment around here.

>>Lady of The Tulips <<

"In The Wrong Place" - 2009 Spring Bay Studio

Here's one of the pieces that I finished just at the end of last week -- it'd been messed with and messed with for what seemed like for EVAH -- but I finally for it done. There was something with the base coat that kept giving me fits and spits, but I finally got it DONE!!

Now I've got a couple other pieces in the works, and hopefully by the end of the week they'll get them selves together. Or, maybe it's gonna be like this one..sitting on the table lookin' at me like there's something SO OBVIOUS (sp) but my little brain just sometimes doesn't wanna work too hard to SEE what's so obvious...gives me a headache, tha's what it does..


There are some other pieces of paper that have to get sprayed with some matte medium to hold the watercolor paint in place, an' then those will all get put together on a canvas -- I'm not sure where the whole thing is going right now. That's the problem sometimes -- I start out with what seems a GREAT idea..get painting lots and lots of little papers -- making them into fish, or seaweeds, or Something.Then the whole idea goes out the window and I have to start the whole process over again. And those are the projects that want to STAY not-so-obvious. Thus the never ending arguement on whether or not to get Hair Color to cover up the grey's that are continually popping up on my head. HA! -- an' you jus' thot it wasTom giving me all those grey hairs..

Well -- actually 96% of the time it IS tom that's givin' me those grey hairs, but I feel like bein' Kind and Sweet to him today..well, at least for now. By the time he gets home an' starts runnin' his mouth about some stuiped little thing, well, tha's when all the SWEETNESS goes out the window. Then I attack some paper with some horrendous paint just to work off the irritation (s) --


Must go an' check my laundry -- it's making all sorts of noise in the laundry room...the washer needs to be balanced again -- the floor has these little slopes all over, n' if you're not carefull, you find yourself slippin' down one of them. And the washer jus' happens to sit on one of those little slopes..so it makes itself go off balance when it whips into the spin cycle..WHOA..then starts shakin' the whole place. Makes for an Exciting Time..


Lady of The Tulips

~~ I think somewhere back in, ohh, say, 2003, I

started to ask tom if I could get a bicycle...nothing fancy, just a basic sorta thing that could get me around the neighborhood fairly safe. Nothing that would attract too many glares, stares, yellin' or whatever.


Then, one day about a year ago, after we moved here to the little cabin by the Sea..Tom & Noah went into the "City" to check out what they'd been told, was the local bicycle shop. BUT -- with tears in their eyes, and vowedto come back someday...Mainly because the shop was closed for some indefinite amount of time.

HOW-EVAH -- this last weekend, we were out on the "Town", doin' some Junkin', an' sniffin' around the thrift stores, and seein' what there was -- an' I FINALLY put my foot down an' said, "I WANT to GO TO THE BICYCLE SHOP!!" Tom started to mumble, an' I think I threatened something or another, an' tom finally relented. Noah was in the front passenger seat, sayin' NEGATIVE things, like, "Ohhh..you'll never be able to find anything..you just don' have enuf money.."


Real Good Vibes comin' from the front of the car...(an there I am in the back all smooshed up...)

So -- we find the shop, and LO!! -- There in The Light...the SHOP IS OPEN!!

Batches of Bicycles were out on the front sidewalk..some were "FREE!!" to a good home (teeny little childrens bicycles...which I never knew were even made THAT tiny..) -- and inside were every kind of old, antique and patched together bicycle(S) that could ever be. What the owner does, is basically put together pieces and parts of old bikes, clean 'em up, and send 'em on their way. We saw a few that could have been ok, but the owner was only going to be in town for 'bout a week, as he & his wife have to go see family in the Mid-West this next week..


So, we looked high & Lo -- and had Discussions...an' finally the owner sez, "WAIT!! -- Hold on a minute!! - I got a bike right out here just for you!!"


Almost sounded like a Used Car Salesman for a minute, which Put The Fear in me, of gettin' something horrid...


But -- HE WAS RIGHT --- and the little picture you see is the "New" (to me) bicycle I got, for the grand total of $44.00 -- Not $45, 0r $50...$44..Ok.


Tom & the owner an' Noah got it stuffed in the back of the Honda Car (With me in the back seat, too...) an' off we went joyfully and full of Gladness. Well --- at least I was full of gladness..


The bike rides like a dream -- pretty smooth, considering it's probably an early 70's bike -- Tom replaced the original seat, which was a little tough to take (no padding..ouch..) so that's all the fixin' it's gotten. I'm doin' little 10 minute trips on some of the streets along the water, an' within the next couple weeks hope to increase my time to about 25 minutes. That way, with walking Little Miss Muffett in the mornings, and sometimes the afternoons, and then riding the bike twice a day, that should bring my weight down, an' by the time I need to go back to the Dr. for my check-up in Oct., I'll have my BAD cholestrol lowered even more.

At least, tha's the thought.


But the bike is pretty cool, don' ya think??!!


Lady of The Tulips

2009 - W.I.P. --


Here's a little something I've been messin' around with for the past couple days -- I started out with it just very plain, and then sorta-kinda-somehow it got carried away, and now it's at this point in time.


The pale turquoise is one of my favorite colors, but the others are just as spiffy. There are some other pieces that I've worked out that I'm debating about -- whether or not the papers will co-exist happily with the painting or not. One of the Great Mysteries of Life. Well.

Maybe not.


This weekend I'm getting some planz in GEAR to go thrifting!! -- Is there any other way to spend a weekend?? -- I think Not!! There's a thrift store that I went in last winter, but I didn't really get a chance to look at -- I was with my neighbor, an' she has a tendancy to sorta fly thru the store -- and complain about "These high prices!!" --

Say What??!!

It's a THRIFT STORE, for cryin' out loud!! -- Well, there were some other scary things that happened on that trip, but the story will come along later...But back to THIS story -- the store is REALLY good size, and with a total of 4 rooms loaded with stuff, my brain was just takin' aback -- so my thinkin' is that if I can get Tom sidetracked, then I can start gettin' some stuff for the porch -- my lil' porch/hammock swing needs some more company, an' even tho I put a sweet little table, plant and 2 chairs out there, it jus' NEEDZ something...so -- A-HA!! -- Here we come thrift store!!


So -- oh my stars..Sara's jus' come in the room, all a-tither -- an' now that I've looked out the window, it looks like we're in for a Frog-Strangler...that is, a big ol' rainstorm. We've had rain off & on since last night, an' naturally, Sara's been a WRECK -- she's such a wimp...but the flowers are LOVIN' IT!! -- an' I think the tomatoes have grown 4 inches...hmm...should probably start thinkin' about gettin' a freezer for all those veges...welll -- maybe I should WAIT till Said Veges are HERE -- YA THINK??!!


Gotta run -- it's REAL quiet out in the front room, an' that makes me nervous as H***...



Lady of The Tulips

>>> This is just going to be something of a short post, as there are some paint things waiting for me over on the work table. I don't want to get part way into the canvas, and then totally forget where I was going to place a large swath of cobalt blue <<<


The fun and games went along with me & tom yesterday...I don't mean that it was a bad day, actually it all went quite well. We both had Dr. appt's -- his at 9-ish, and I had one for 12:30 -- the good thing is that tom has discovered a couple different ways to get around all the horrid commuter traffic early in the morning, and even tho we left down here at just past 7:30 or so, yes, it took us till just after 9 to get to his doctor office. That's how bad it gets with the traffic where we need to drive. BUT -- The very VERY good thing, is that after a couple visits, tom has reduced his blood pressure, and is now all compliant with the DOT regulations for his health. He'd been trying to get his bp lowered, but the dr. just had to tweak his meds a little more. Yahh---ooooo that she kept at it, 'cause it's all good. Thats the BIG relief.


Then we had some time to kill, so we went and had breakfast/lunch at Dunkin donuts that's just across the street from my Dr.'s office...we still had a touch of time left over after having a nice sandwich, so we got some odds & ends at Kmart, then went to my appt. -- Yahhoo again!! -- my bp is EVEN LOWER than it was 3 months ago!!Hoowww cool is that?!! I was pretty suprised, but even the nurse had to say "Well, isnt this nice?!" And the Dr. Assistant had to do some poking and prodding all over, and with a fine tooth comb to boot. But the outcome is all fine and dandy, so with all that, it only took just under an hour!! Whoo!! Hoo!!!


So Tom & I "celebrated" by stopping on the way home and he bought me a ice cold pepsi...I only had a teeny cup of coffee at 6:45, and by 1 p.m. it was WAYYY past gone..so the little jolt kept me awake for the rest of the afternoon, but by 8 p.m., it was lights out for this girl!! HA!! -- Such a party-hardy-animal am I !!! HA!! But it is a relief to finally have our health numbers where there supossed to be.

And now that all that is over, I've gotten a canvas all DONE -- I'll post that tomorrow, and I've also got another one with some of it's paint drying..tha's the one I told about earlier...

And with that I've got to dash...it's starting to get cloudy outside, and The Dog is starting to act all funky...here come the thunderstorms, and it may be a big ol' frog strangler by the time it's all said and done...


Lady of The Tulips

~~ A couple days ago, Noah was outside lookin' at the well-house, checkin' on the plot of corn he's got growing in the backyard, and deciding whether or not to paint the woodbox ~~

He had the camera with him, for what reason I've no clue, but suffice to say, that when he went to do something with the woodbox, this little guy was jus' hanging out, doin' his/her(??) thing and minding it's own business...

Which I have no problem with...I just have no, and I MEAN, NO idea of what kind of little critter this is. We seem to have a pair of them -- every now and again I catch a glimpse of them, skirting under the back deck, or running from under the steps from the deck to the backyard. They don't always move very fast, as you can tell by this picture...this one either had a hangover for the morning, an' just couldn't get it in gear, or else it had it's eye (s) set on something on the other side of the woodbox.

I was REALLY suprised the first time I caught a glimpse of this critter...I'm thinkin' it's a salamander of some ilk...I'd made the mistake of asking tom if he knew what it was, and I won't EVEN go into what that conversation turned in to...but I'm kinda glad I've got these two (Even tho only one is in the picture...) little friends outside. They get rid of the ants, some of the weird crawly bugs that suprise and altogether irritate me when I go out to check the tomatoes in the bed...So they sorta/kinda make their home in and alongside our little cabin.

An' I guess that's ok.

I gotta run for now -- the weather is supossed to turn REALLY hot tomorrow...like in the 90's, so I need to go soak the garden good and muddy. I got some of the flowers and perinnials that the hose can't reach alongside the front of the cabin, but some of the other places along the side of the property just do fine with the hose all strung out along the grass. NOW -- if I could afford to get rid -- and I MEAN tear it OUT -- kinda get rid of the grass, I"d be a little happy girl.

But I haven't won the lottery yet...

Matter of fact, I've never EVER EVAH played the lottery a day in my life..

So having the $$ to tear out the grass, plant nothing but tons of flowers, shrubs...well, that's just a pipe dream for now..

But one can always hope...

Lady of The Tulips