The Window of My Life

Laziness can be a motivator...

2009-11-10T21:24:00.002-05:00

I hadn't been into my studio for weeks, first because I was busy painting the living room, dining room and hallway, and then because I had the flu. But I decided Monday that enough was enough! So yesterday I told myself that at 1 p.m. I was going into the studio, turning on the stereo, turning off the outside world, and work on something for at least 4 hours. When I got in there, I remembered what a mess I'd left it in, and recalled that I had even posted photos of all my work surfaces buried under UFOs and supplies. Somehow I had conveniently forgotten all about that. I had a choice... I could begin cleaning and putting away supplies, and try to find somewhere out of the way to set the UFOs, or I could finish some of the UFOs with the supplies already setting out. It sounded easier, and like less work to just get busy finishing some pieces. The next thing I knew, it was 11 p.m. and I had finished all four of the tribal men. I did some shading on them, and then embellished them with copper wire, copper beads and findings (some of the findings were salvaged from old vintage jewelry), and turquoise beads.

Today, I put away all my beading materials, cleaned up all the tiny wire clippings, and now actually have an open area on a table! Tomorrow I'll get to work finishing the aging nude bathing beauty. And who knows- maybe I'll even get back to work on the giant gecko?!?

The answer is blowing in the wind...

2009-11-09T08:06:00.006-05:00

Though it doesn't look like Hurricane Ida will come close enough to bring us any badly needed rain, we have been getting a lot of wind.
It was a challenge yesterday to even read the newspaper while sitting on the patio, with 20 mph winds and gusts up to 30mph. And the same is forecast for today.Though not as stressful for her as the sound of rain or thunder, Isabella doesn't enjoy the wind either. It's like she doesn't understand where it's coming from, so she stands around looking in all directions with apprehension, not sure what to make of it.

That's kind of how I felt when I first heard the news about the Fort Hood massacre. I'd think a military base in our own country would be one of the safest places to be. What a cowardly act of senseless violence to gun down unarmed people! Thirteen people killed and 38 wounded.This guy is truly an evil bastard- I don't even want to dignify him by using his name. Soon after the shooting the news began trickling in that the gunman was a home grown Muslim with anti-American sentiments. Though I find all religions irrational, I'm particulary baffled by the Islamic religion that seems to produce so many people willing to kill others and themselves. I keep hearing how peaceful and loving the Islamic religion is, that the terrorist acts are commited by a small percentage of extremists, but I sure don't see any evidence of that.

But then I remember the Oklahoma City bombing- committed by good ol' home grown American men, and not a Muslim in the bunch. And it was just last week that the bodies of 11 women were found in a house in Cleveland- all raped and murdered by one man.

In fact, according to the FBI, "An estimated 16,272 persons were murdered nationwide in 2008." Spouses killing spouses, parents killing children, kids in one gang killing kids in another gang, strangers killing strangers, and the killing goes on and on, year after year.

So like Isabella, I stand around looking in all directions with apprehension and sadness, wondering from which direction danger will come. I don't know what the answer is to all the senseless killings. I guess as Bob Dylan said...

"How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind."

The things you read on the internet...

2009-11-06T20:43:00.006-05:00

... when you have too much time on your hands. This damn flu sure took the zap out of me. Though I'm not sick like "sick in bed, wish I'd die" kind of sick now, I just haven't gotten my energy back. After a few hours of chores I'm pretty much pooped for the rest of day. And when I think about going into the studio to work on some UFOs, there's just no enthusiasm or a hint of creativity in me at the moment. So I kill time sitting on my ass cruising the internet. I was browsing through the Yahoo Most E-Mailed Photos and just about wet my pants laughing when I saw this GoGirl photo. And when I went to the GoGirl website, it just got funnier and funnier. Each page of the site was hilarious, I mean laugh out loud hilarious! (Or maybe I'm just so bored from languishing in the house, I'd find just about anything funny) It's like the commercial spoofs they do on SNL, only this product is for real.
According to the website:

"Only GoGirl is made with flexible, medical grade silicone. Dispose of it after use. Or clean and reuse as you like. (Urine is sterile, but the product can come into contact with contaminates during use, so take precautions when cleaning.) Our patented splash guard eliminates messing and spilling. Once you practice a time or two, using a GoGirl is going to feel like second nature. You won’t be like a man. You’ll just pee like one."

So you can shell out $6.99 every time you pee and throw them away, or carry a urine smelling piece of silicone around in your purse- I'm assuming no civilized person would wash their GoGirl in the sink of a public restroom where other people wash their hands, but would wait until they got home to use their own sink for something so disgusting. Oh- and for the outdoorsy gals they offer GoGirl in camouflage colored tubes. I guess the camouflage color wouldn't stand out as much as the pink tubes when discarded in the wilderness? I mean, come on, nobody wants to see pink tubes with used lavender mini- urinals stuffed back in them littering up the National parks. Remember America- we're going green! (I wonder how long it takes silicone to break down?) Anyway, if you're bored out of your mind and your life has no purpose, visit the GoGirl site and have some laughs. But for gawd's sake, if you buy any please don't tell me. I don't want to know any woman who would buy and use something so ridiculous.

And one more chuckle I got today was from an article about discount caskets now being sold by Walmart and Costco. If you buy a casket now at a discount price, where would you store it until you needed it? Or does your family place a rush order the minute you die and just hope it arrives before the funeral? Actually I'm all for not wasting money on burial expenses. I've never understood spending lots of money for a box to be buried in the ground. I've made Mike promise me that he will not pay to have me embalmed (many states don't require embalming), have me placed in a cardboard box, cremated and my ashes placed in a simple degradable container and tossed into the Gulf. But if you'd rather spend eternity in a coffin, check out Walmart and Costco. And if you get one now, you can add some of your own creative embellishments to it- go out artistically!

I'm sure you're all hoping I'll be feeling much better next week and back to work in my studio so you don't have to read any more posts like today's. But I'm not promising anything -

I took to my bed with the vapors...

2009-11-04T08:56:00.002-05:00

.. but I ran out of clean underwear and had to get up today to do laundry.

I felt absolutely dreadful last Wed. and thought it was allergies and a reaction to the paint fumes. So I gave the entire house a thorough cleaning- vacuumed, dusted, laundered all the bedding and rugs, and bathed the dogs. All the while I thought I would die, but told myself I'd feel better once the house was cleaned and all the allergens sucked up into the vacuum. But in the middle of the day Mike came home sick and by Thursday I realized we had the flu. I'm assuming it's that damn Mexican flu because it is rampant here in Florida. Last count I heard, there have been 140 deaths from this nasty bug. We seem to be over the worse of it now, and Mike went back to work today. The plus side to having the flu- I lost 5 lbs. and Mike lost 8 because not only does this flu make you cough until you feel like your ribs are broke, muscles so sore in your neck you can barely hold your head up, and a pounding headache, it also plays havoc with your tummy.

Instead of dressing up as planned and going to the big Zombie Fest that was held downtown on Halloween night, we laid around praying the Grim Reaper would come get us. He didn't. So here I sit waiting for the load of laundry I'm doing to finish so I can shower, put on clean undies and jammies, make the bed up with clean bedding, and then I'm going back to bed. And Bella will be back to laying on her sheet at the foot of the bed.

Where did October go???

2009-10-28T13:09:00.005-04:00

I can't believe this month is almost over, though I can't say that I'm sorry to see it go. I haven't even been in my studio for two weeks. I've been blah, feeling crappy and whiney all month. And the weather has been schizophrenic- we've had record breaking cold temps and record breaking high temps. I swear Mother Nature has been as crazy me this month. Right now it's just sticky, hot and humid. Poor Mike has come home from work soaked in sweat each day this week.

I finally finished painting the dining room, living room and hallway. I love the color we chose this time, and adore the bead board. Now we need to get out and select the trim, get it stained and put up. As soon as we get the kitchen back splash tiled, we'll be ready to lay the flooring, and I can finally do the fun stuff- decorate! It'll be so nice to at least have the front area of the house finished. My goal is to have those rooms done by the 1st of Dec. Of course we still have the bedrooms, baths and computer room to do, but I'll think about that after the first of the year. I'm just going to enjoy having the front area done in time for the holidays.

I had the most awesome surprise a couple of weeks ago- the one bright spot in this month. Anybody involved in doll making or collectors of fine doll art know of Jodi and Richard Creager. They are amazing artists, and I consider them the God and Goddess of dollmaking. Though I read Jodi's blog, I've never left a comment - are you ever too intimidated to approach someone you greatly admire? Anyway, enough about my neuroses, on with the story... I was sitting here at my desk reading blogs via Bloglines and let out an ungodly squeal when I saw my name mentioned on Jodi's blog. She actually gave me a freaking blogging award! Sweet jezzuz, I thought I died and gone to heaven. Thank you so much, Jodi!

As a recipient of the award, I'm supposed to name seven things about myself that no one knows and nominate seven others for this award. So here goes- my dark secrets revealed...
1) I can wiggle my ears.

2) I make inappropriate jokes about things that upset me like horrific crimes, sad and catastrophic events. Not because I'm heartless, but because I just can't deal with all the cruel things that happen in the world. It's all just too overwhelming.

3) Unexpected acts of kindness brings me to tears.

4) I have night blindness and can't see my hand in front of my face in the dark.

5) After exploring numerous religions over the years, I now consider myself an atheist, and firmly believe in evolution.

6) I would rather die than have to poop in a public bathroom.

7) One of my worse character defects is that I hold grudges.
Now I pass on this award to:

Gerry

Shashi

Sandy

Helen

Judi

Tami

William

If you love Halloween, be sure and visit William's (I found William's blog via Jodi's), Gerry's and Jodi's blogs. They have gone all out for Halloween!

And now I will sign off with some pictures of Bella-

Here she is waiting patiently to go for a ride Sunday evening...

We opened the sunroof and Bella had some serious hair blowing going on-

And here the girls are waiting for Mike to come out from picking up supper on our way home-

Still Alive...

2009-10-24T11:05:00.003-04:00

I didn't realize it's been so long since I posted. But Serena left a comment asking if I was okay, so thought I'd let you all know I'm still alive. I haven't felt good the past couple of weeks, been dealing with stuff in real life, and busy painting. I've painted the dining room and living room a warm buttery yellow and am working on the hallway now. Hoping to be ready to lay the floors by Thanksgiving. I just haven't had anything fun or interesting to post lately.

It's that time again...

2009-10-10T21:11:00.002-04:00

... time to clean my studio. Believe it or not, I'm very neat in the rest of the house. No clutter, everything in it's place, and all my tables, counters, and end tables are clear. But my studio is absolute chaos most of the time. I have so many UFOs going which adds to the clutter, and I have a terrible habit of not putting supplies away after I use them.

But as you can see, I have ran out of work space.

All my work surfaces are covered with stuff- paint stuff, beading stuff, sculpting stuff, drawing stuff and various other stuff. So it's time to bite the bullet and clean up all this frigging stuff! I really should take my entire studio apart and reorganize it, but I'm much too lazy to do that-LOL

Mike and I have had the sniffles and coughs all week, so we are staying in this weekend. I don't know if we have colds or just allergies, we just feel blah. We don't feel bad enough to be in bed, but just crappy enough that we don't want to go out and do anything. All I did today was take photos of things to list in my Etsy shop, vacuumed, bathed Bella, and did a couple loads of laundry. And now I'm bored-LOL Which is why you are seeing something as uninteresting as my cluttered studio. I figure if I'm bored, I might as well bore all of you, too.

I hope you all are having a much more interesting weekend than I am-

Monday Photo of the Week

2009-10-05T11:35:00.002-04:00

I haven't been taking many pictures in the past week. Just haven't been inspired or interested in much lately. Which is probably why the dogs look forward to Mike coming home every day-

Every day at 3 p.m. they take to their post, watching out the window for Mike's truck to come down the street. The minute Isabella spots it, she begins barking for joy and runs for the door. When Mike walks in she dances in circles on her hind legs and Emmy pees her pants (that's why Emmy wears panties- she tends to tinkle when she gets excited). I don't dance or pee my pants (but I do wear panties) when Mike comes home, but I'm glad to see him-LOL

I didn't take any videos at Cortez Kitchen this past weekend but did take some photos of popular foot wear for locals. I'm sure people wondered why I was taking so many photos of feet- probably assumed I had a foot fetish.

I just have to share a headline in today's local news. Listen up, kids! This is why you shouldn't take drugs- you have no idea where they've been before you bought them:

Tampa police say man took kids to drug deal, hid cocaine in his buttocks-

"TAMPA — Police say a 30-year-old man took his children with him to a cocaine deal Friday night and then tried to hide the drugs in his buttocks."

My Family Is all Back Together!

2009-09-28T00:17:00.003-04:00

Well, most of my family. My brother, Tommy, is still down in Mexico, why I'm not sure. Holly decided not to press charges against him, so he's free to come home. What was it he was going to be charged with? I can't even remember now, last season seems so long ago. Oh, how I've missed my Brothers & Sisters! It was so nice to catch up with them after the long summer... Kitty and Robert's marriage is still iffy, and Kitty may be seriously ill, Sarah hasn't had any luck finding love with the whole on-line dating thing (dontcha' think you should at least see a photo of a guy before meeting up?) so she's headed to France to try and find a man before her kids come back home from visiting their dad (who was really icky and hit on Rebecca when they all still thought she was Nora's husband's love child which would have made Rebecca and Sarah half sisters), Justin is marrying Rebecca now that they know they really aren't brother and sister but they got into a big fight at their engagement party (Justin was stressed out because he's flunking out of medical school) and then almost got into a bad wreck, Kevin and Scotty are discussing either adopting or having a child by surrogate (Scotty doesn't seem to be too keen on the idea), Nora and Holly continue to butt heads (but I mean, really- you can't expect Nora to just forget that Holly had an affair with her husband (who conveniently dropped dead before Nora found out about the affair) and tried to pass her daughter, Rebecca, off as Nora's husband's love child. That reminds me- what happened to Ryan, the creepy kid who turned out to be Nora's husband's real love child? Hmm... I can't remember. Damn, I must have more dead brain cells than I realized. You know you're aging when you can't even remember your favorite TV show's plot line from season to season. And that reminds me....

... recently I was trying to remember my confirmation name. Tonight it suddenly popped into my head ( why? I have no idea) - Margaret Mary or was it Mary Margaret? I know it is one or the other! But now I can't remember why I was even trying to remember my confirmation name. This seems to be my thought process lately- just random firing of brain neurons.

Now what were we talking about? The weekend? Well, we went out to Cortez Kitchen last night, had supper and listened to the band. And we actually danced to some fast songs! I added some new videos to my You Tube. If the video seems to catch, just pause it and wait until the red bar goes all the way from left to right, then hit play and it should play smoothly for you. I was bummed that my No. 1 dancer wasn't there. The waitress said he had been there the night before and she showed him the video I put on You Tube of him dancing last week. I guess he liked it because he hasn't threatened to sue me if I don't take it down. Oh- and I called Jacque so she could listen to a bit of the music, but it was so loud we couldn't really talk.

Today we were going to go to the beach, but the radar showed showers moving in from the Gulf, and the forecast was for scattered showers through out the day. So we stayed home but it didn't rain a single drop all day. Around 5 p.m. the radar looked clear, so we took the dogs for a walk. We walked about 1/2 a block and it started raining. We hurried back home and by the time we got there, the rain stopped. Obviously it wasn't meant for us to go out today. This is pretty much how we spent our day and evening-

And yes, she does sleep with her eyes open. Creepy, huh?

Last Saturday Night...

2009-09-25T16:32:00.004-04:00

I had intended to post these pictures Tuesday but the days just got away from me. Anyway...

After our day at the beach last weekend, we went home and got cleaned up, then headed to Cortez Kitchen for dinner and music. No flooded streets to block our way that weekend!

Cortez is a small fishing village between Bradenton and the bridge to Anna Maria Island. Cortez Kitchen is a favorite local hang out with a relaxed family type atmosphere, fresh yummy sea food, and friendly people. The seating area is outside under a tin roof, but they have plastic drape like thingies that can be pulled down to enclose it when the weather is bad. But last Sat. night the weather was great- a few storms out in the Gulf and we could see lightning, but it didn't move on shore so all was well.

People not only come to Cortez Kitchen by car- they also come by boat and tie up to the dock connected to the restaurant. Here's a diner's boat tied to the dock ...

Here's what I had for dinner- a platter of fresh peel and eat shrimp. Oh so sweet and delicious! Mike had shrimp and also a grouper sandwich, which he ate before I could get a picture.

I just have to include this photo. This little guy was there all evening, and he had a ball running around! Isn't he just too cute with those long blond curls? He was all smiles all evening, never a whine or a whimper, just having fun. I could've easily taken him home with me.

Cortez Kitchen has live music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. The night we were there the Michael Mac Band was playing. The regular bass guitar player couldn't make it, and someone else was filling in, but they seemed to do just fine with their substitute. Michael Mac has a bluesy (is that a word?) voice and we really enjoyed listening to him. There was a big table of women having a girls night out and those gals sure had fun, I don't know if they were celebrating something or just a girls wanna have fun kind of evening. And you can see it all on my You Tube page. I've added four videos from Sat. night that I took with my Flip camcorder. Love, love, love my Flip!

And here's the link to the videos, if you'd like to see them.

http://www.youtube.com/user/suncoastlinda1

What is it about sunshine?

2009-09-20T21:56:00.007-04:00

The last few weeks haven't been a lot of fun- leaky roof, day after day of gloomy skies, storms and a storm phobic dog, and a personal disappointment. Some of you know that I had a website and blog where I posted letters to my oldest grand daughter that I haven't seen or talked to since the year 2000. Someone recently sent me an anonymous e-mail with a link to my grand daughter's You Tube site. I sent her a message a few days ago hoping to reconnect with her but was rebuffed. Though I was disappointed, it has brought me some closure and at least I know she's okay.

So by Saturday morning, I was ready to get out and have some fun. And thank ya jezzuz, the weather cooperated! It was a cloudless day and the sun owned the sky, so to the beach we went! As we walked to the beach, I noticed how the sea oats and sea grapes had thrived this summer. We haven't had any tropical storms or hurricanes to erode the beach this year- now if our luck just holds through Nov.

Being in the sun, listening to the gulls, and floating in the Gulf water made my spirits soar. The water was so calm, barely any surf at all. And the water was a balmy 86 degrees. These little girls were so cute as they played in the sand at the water's edge.

The water was so calm, lots of people were enjoying bobbing around in tubes and on rafts-

On our way home, I spotted this houseboat at the end of a private dock. I had Mike stop the car so I could get a closer look.

As I approached the dock, I noticed this plaque in the crook of one of the trees-

This is what I wanted a photo of... look at all the potted plants on this houseboat!

I think I could live quite blissfully on that landscaped houseboat!

As if a day on the beach wasn't enough fun, we went home, showered, dressed, and headed to Cortez Kitchen for an evening of yummy food and great music. I'll post those photos tomorow...

I hope you all had a bit of sunshine and fun in your weekend-

If my life...

2009-09-16T17:47:00.003-04:00

...got any more boring, I'd be dead. It seems for the last couple of weeks it's either so freaking hot and humid you can barely breath, or it's raining. And if the rotten weather hasn't been bad enough, there's not a damn thing to watch on TV.

Last Saturday we just had to get out and have some fun, or I feared I'd go mad, strip naked and run screaming down the street. So we decided to go to Cortez Kitchen, eat a bucket of peel and eat shrimp, then hang around and listen to the band. It poured rain all day (we got over 5 inches and not one single leak with the new roof, thank ya jezzuz!) and was still raining when we left the house Sat. night. We'd heard on the news there was flooding in areas of Bradenton, but assumed it was mostly neighborhoods close to the river and creeks. I was amazed to see all the drainage ditches full of water and retention ponds overflowing as we drove through town on our way to Cortez ( just a little fishing village on the intercoastal waterway a few miles from Bradenton). When we were just a block from Cortez Kitchen we ran into a flooded street and no way around. So we had to turn around, go back to town and have dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Had a great steak, but wasn't near as good or fun as eating shrimp and then dancing at Cortez Kitchen would have been. But we are going to try again this coming Saturday night- hope springs eternal, dontcha' know?

You'd think I'd be spending all my spare time in the studio completing all my UFOs or working on the house renovations- nope. Evidently my artisitic muse has been as unhappy with the weather lately as I have, because She's gone missing. But I did motivate myself to go into the studio today and start applying paint washes to my naked old lady. After her painting is done, I will add her hair, hat, and jewelry.

I hope you all are having a lot more fun than I have been lately...

Photo of the Week-

2009-09-07T12:51:00.002-04:00

The roofing company we contracted with, All Weather Roofing, called Friday evening and said they were sending two crews to put our new roof on Saturday morning. I was amazed they were working on a holiday weekend, but relieved we would have a new roof before it rained again. They showed up early Sat. morning, got to work and by the end of the day our new roof was on! And we haven't had a drop of rain since- LOL But for what we paid for this new roof, there better not be any leaks. Unbelievable how expensive roofs are.

Hope you all had a fun holiday weekend!

Rain, leaking roof, fungi and dabbling of art...

2009-09-03T12:59:00.007-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I was bitching about our drought? Actually, we're still way behind in rainfall, but it's been gloomy, rainy and drab for the past two weeks. Normally our summers are bright and sunny, with a daily late afternoon shower during our rainy season. I think Mother Nature must be going through menopause or something because she's all screwed up. Instead of daily brief afternoon storms, we're having day after day of heavy cloud cover and with periods of rain. And now toadstools are popping up all over our yard.

And the rock garden is thriving...

And the palm trees are flowering and producing berries or whatever the hell they are called:

And I just took this photo a few minutes ago. See that bank of clouds? That's where the sun should be-

During one of our recent heavy rains, we discovered we have yet another leak in our roof. Remember a year or so ago when during a stormy period a section of my bedroom ceiling caved in from a leak we didn't know we had? We got that section of the roof repaired, but Mike thought the rest of it was okay. Now we know it isn't, so time for a new roof. This freaking house has turned into a real money pit. We should've just had a new place built instead of trying to renovate this mess. Anyway, depending on the weather, a new roof will be put on sometime next week. Now, I just hope we don't have any heavy rain and get any inside damage before the new roof can be put on. Have I mentioned how much I hate being a home owner?

With the depressing weather and on going house problems, I hide in my studio, blast my stereo and play. This week it's mostly been Santana ( the Supernatural album- was that not the best album ever!?!) and Amy Winehouse. Amy really needs to get a handle on her addictions and craziness so she can cut a new album. I love her music, but that girl is sure a mess. What is it with so many talented and creative people who ruin their lives with drugs and alcohol? Such a waste.

And of course with all my time in the studio, I'm completing ufos at a record pace! Nah, not really, that's another one of my big fat lies as you can see from the pile of unfinished projects on one of my tables.

These are some more images I did for magnets. Using watercolors pencils, pens, markers, acrylic paint, and colored pencils. I just need to put a matte finish on this and mount them on the magnet sheets. They're 3"x4". Not a good photo of them but the lighting is crappy today.

I hope you all are getting more sunshine and blue skies than we are-

Monday Photo of the Week-

2009-08-30T20:16:00.011-04:00

I haven't gone anywhere to take interesting photos lately. Sorry about that. Mike had a few tough weeks at work, my allergies have been awful, it's been so hot lately, and last week it was dark and overcast every day (but still hot and humid). Sssooo ... due to all those reasons and half a dozen more, I've spent most of my time in the house. I took Isabella for a long walk late last night and again this evening- now every time I blink it feels like sandpaper is being rubbed against my eyeballs. I've taken some allergy meds and put eye drops in my eyes, so hopefully the irritation will ease. There seems to be so many people now days that have allergies. And have you seen all the OTC meds there are? Lots and lots, but none yet that relieve all the symptoms of all allergies. Doesn't say much for the vigor and fitness of the human species when so many of us are allergic to the natural world, does it?

Being inside so much meant I spent a lot of time in the studio and computer room. I really need to move my computer to my studio or get a laptop so I don't have to run back and forth between rooms. But then again, going from room to room gets me off my ass for a few seconds- a total of 16 steps. Yes, I counted them. Why? I have no idea. Just a little bit of trivia from the land of Linda.

In addition to working on Mike's blues collage and some other things, I made some art magnets. I finally got some light weight water color paper and was able to print out some backgrounds. The backgrounds were created in Paint Shop Pro using actual sunset photos I've taken on Anna Maria Island beaches. I then used water color pencils, pens, colored pencils, and markers to add details and shading plus intensify the colors. After several coats of a matte water based varnish, I mounted the images on a magnetic sheet and cut them out. I love that they originated from one of the many beautiful sunsets I have been blessed to witness on the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned...

2009-08-23T19:40:00.005-04:00

When I was a kid, every Sat. was the same- catechism and then confession. Which always started with "Forgive me Father for I have sinned" followed by a list of the evil deeds I had done or thought since my last confession. Then the trick was to not commit any new sins before I received communion on Sunday morning. Wasn't so hard when I was younger, but as a teenage it was a bitch trying not to think any impure thoughts. Have you ever tried NOT to think of something? Ha! Especially when you're 16 and drowning in a flood of teenage hormones. There isn't enough catechism, fear of hell, or lectures in the confessional to keep impure thought out of the minds of teenagers.

I think I was 16 the last time I went to confession. I parted ways with organized religion of any kind some time ago. But at my age I wouldn't have much to confess- all the tantalizing temptations of my youth are no longer so appealing. I'm now too old and lazy to commit any big juicy sins. Except for one- lust.

I have an unquenchable, throbbing, all consuming lust for art supplies. Pencils, paints, clay, textures, canvases, pens, markers, papers, tools, brushes, heat guns, beads, wire, metal.... I WANT IT ALL! I try to control my unholy lust for art supplies, but when you have a group of art friends that have to tell you about every new art product they try, I sometimes cave to temptation. Okay, that's a big fat lie.... I often cave to tempation. And art technique books, oh lordy they lead me astray, and I find myself ordering any and all supplies they mention. I can go a year without buying a new piece of clothing, a couple years with no new shoes, years and years with no new jewelry. With most things I am frugal, and not really into materialistic things. It's just my lust for art supplies.

When the Dick Blick 2009/2010 catalog appeared in my mailbox last week, I had the same reaction a porn addict might have finding his annual Best Of Porn edition waiting in his mailbox. (I detest porn so have no idea what the annual edition of ultimate porn might be called) I couldn't wait to get in the house and pour over every page. And here are some images of the object of my lust and adoration properly displayed on my St. Dick Blick altar-

Isn't that wood carved bust lovely? I can't remember when or where I got it. The signature on the bottom says "Maria Clara" but no date. And it has two holes in the bottom, as if it had been mounted on something.

Hope you all had a great weekend!.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

2009-08-21T21:57:00.003-04:00

Today is my sweetheart's birthday- the big 60th! He's been dreading it, like he did his 40th. He moped for weeks before his 40th birthday, lamenting all the things he hadn't done and places he'd never been. But he seemed to handle today's milestone with ease. I think he's just relieved to make it to 60 without having a joint replaced, all his own teeth, and still have bladder control. Actually, he's in damn good shape and just as handsome as the day I married him 25 years ago. He still makes my heart sing and pulse race.

We decided to go out to eat tonight, and of all the places to choose from in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, he picked Red Lobster for his birthday dinner. The man just loves Red Lobster seafood! Here he is giving his just delivered platter some serious consideration- what to taste first?

And here he is, just as his eyes began to roll back in his head with his first bite of lobster...( You must click this to see the close up detail of his rolling eyes and the food he's shoveling into his mouth- WARNING: May not be suitable for sensitive people)

I quickly smacked him and brought him back before he went into a full blown seizure. And notice how he has food in both hands. Watching him eat seafood is scary.

I had planned on having photos of Mike blowing out candles on his birthday cake, but he cut into it this morning and started eating it before I was even up.

Evidently, he's decided since he is now 60 he doesn't have to follow any rules anymore. And by gawd if he wants birthday cake for breakfast, he's going to have it! I say- Go Mike! Live with gusto and eat cake any damn time you want!

Happy birthday, Mike. I hope the next 25 birthdays we spend together are as good as the past 25. Love you!

Peace-
Linda

Is It Art?

2009-08-19T12:03:00.003-04:00

There's been a lot of local buzz recently concerning the display of "Unconditional Surrender" (nicknamed The Kiss) in Sarasota's bayfront. Though it is popular with the public, the Sarasota art committee recently decided it isn't art and they want it gone. The committee was quoted in the Sarasota Herald:

"Members of the public art committee say the "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture is "ornamental and decorative," which disqualifies it from being in the city's collection of public art."
You can read the entire article here.

When it was first displayed on the bayfront several years ago, Isabella and I had our picture taken in front of it (and no, we weren't kissing-LOL) . I can't find that pic- somewhere buried in a folder on my computer, but here is a photo that was in the newspaper with the article.

Is it art? It was sculpted from a photograph, so does that mean it isn't art? If that were true, portrait paintings wouldn't be considered art, or still life painting and sketches. So I'm not sure I buy the argument it isn't art because it was sculpted from a photo. It certainly isn't one of a kind because there are several others on display in other areas of the country. But is it art? I've seen this topic discussed so many times in art and doll makers forums, and there seems to be a variety of opinions. I do have to wonder about the wisdom of something this size on permanent display in a hurricane prone area.

In my own little world, what I produce with my own hands (or camera) and my own creative vision is art, and what I make using things created by others is crafting. The Anna Maria canvases I consider art because everything, other than the shells, I created myself. And Mike's blues canvas? To me, it's crafting. All of the images I am using were created by someone else- the photos were taken from old album covers and the sheet music came from a book of music I bought. I'm taking images that already existed and embellishing them, then arranging them together on a canvas. I would never consider selling this canvas because of copy write issues.

Here are some photos of materials I've altered for Mike's blues canvas. All these strips of music that I've painted and splattered will be the background for the photos of the blues artists.

But here is some original one of kind art that appears weekly on my patio glass sliding door - nose art...

I used to clean it several times a day but finally gave up and only clean it once a week now. I have no idea why dogs have to put their noses directly on the glass. I could see them doing it once or twice thinking perhaps they could get through the glass. But don't you think they would figure out there was no way to go through? Having one tall dog and a short one, a large area of the glass gets "painted", with many interesting designs. Too bad paint doesn't come out their noses- I could get them to do some abstract paintings to sell on EBay. Remember a while back the elephant that painted canvases? Those sold for a pretty penny. Now if I could just think of a way to make this weekly nose art into a money maker....

Peace-

Linda

Not a day at the beach...

2009-08-17T00:48:00.005-04:00

This weekend was sure a change from the weekend before. Long gone were the sunny skies and gentle surf at the beach. This weekend we had heavy cloud cover, wind, periods of rain and choppy waters. So not a weekend to spend playing on the beach.

I spent most of Sat. messing around on the computer looking for personal information. I found more than I expected and am now putting the pieces together, trying to make sense of things.

Sunday I played in the studio, finally feeling a spark for Mike's blues collage.
I started painting strips of sheet music, using Golden fluid medium to thin the paint.

And I even got one layer of paint on the aging bathing beauty nude.

I also spent some time rough housing and playing with Isabella to try to keep her mind off the weather in between storm squalls. She loves to chase me through rooms, hide around the corners and wait for me, and then she changes the rules and I have to chase her and hide. I can only keep up with her for so long before I'm wheezing and coughing- right about the time she's just getting warmed up. I bet she and Emmy wish they had younger and healthier humans-LOL

I don't know how much Bella will feel like playing during this coming week.

After an unusually quiet hurricane season, we went from having no named storms to suddenly having 3- Claudette, Ana, and Bill. I listened to the Sat. 11 p.m. weather and at that time, Claudette didn't have a name, she was just a tropical wave. And they said there was very little chance she could turn into a named storm. Just before going to bed about 4 a.m. Sunday morning, I checked the National Hurricane Center and was shocked to see that Claudette had been born. At that time Claudette was moving up the Gulf and was a little south of us. Isabella was freaking, so I gave her a xanax and went to bed. All we were getting was a stiff breeze and heavy clouds.

At the moment, Claudette is moving into the panhandle area where she will dump a lot of rain. Actually Claudette would have been good for my area- we could used the rain. And now we wait to see what Ana and Bill decide to do. The current prediction is that Bill will start to turn north and stay out in the Atlantic. I don't think I'll have to run out and buy hurricane supplies in preparation for Ana and Bill, but hurricane season is far from over. I'm sure I will have to stay close to home for Isabella's sake. She will be sensing all these storm systems- fronts, low and high pressures or whatever the hell it is she reacts to.

(The pink X is my location)

To those of you that made suggestions about the wc paper- yes, I intend to buy a lighter weight of wc paper and trying again. I've also been looking at printers that can take heavier papers and print larger images than the standard paper size. I really don't need a new printer, but I couldn't help looking, dontcha' know? ;)

I hope you all had a great weekend, regardless of the weather.

Peace-

Linda Fleming

Piddling,doodling, and early evening glow....

2009-08-14T21:45:00.004-04:00

I didn't accomplish much in the studio this week, played around with a little of this and a little of that. Just couldn't stay focused on one thing for any length of time. So I decided to do some simple projects that didn't take a lot of thought or effort. My intent was to create some basic little designs in my graphics art program, print them out on watercolor paper, then add details and shadings with water color pencils. Why is nothing ever as simple and easy to do as I think it's going to be?

I could not get my printer to take the water color paper. I tried repeatedly, changed settings, attempted to shove the paper in, did a lot of cursing, and even sweet talking- aw come on, try it you'll like it, just try it once for mama? Nope. My printer wanted nothing to do with that heavy paper. I did a search on the internet looking for any tricks I could find that might fool her into accepting the wc paper. Finally found a page that explained how you could feed the paper in from the back. Full of hope, I took the back off my printer and offered her a lovely piece of wc paper. No way. She wasn't falling for it. Each time I tried, she came to a halt and flashed a message that there was a paper jam. What a shameless liar- how could there be a paper jam when the picky bitch wouldn't even touch the paper?

So I ended up printing the images out on plain card stock, and doodled on them with colored pencils, markers and pens. As you look at them, the ones on the right are the original graphic and the on the left are the ones I doodled on. Still wish I could have printed them on wc paper and finished them with water color pencils.

I sketched a face, but lost interest in her before I gave her hair...

All I did with Mike's blues collage was lay out some images of his favorite blues artists and quotes on a blank canvas. Just haven't gotten a feel for it yet.

Our skies were mostly cloud covered and gloomy this week. Lots of storms all around us, and though we could hear the thunder and heavy clouds hung over us, very little rain fell. Just 2 or 3 miles away, the storm would dump an inch a day, but not enough right here to even dampen the sidewalk. Unfortunately, Isabella's inner barometer was telling her every day that the sky was going to fall on her any minute. Poor girl. If I could, I think I would place her in a home in a desert state that has very few storms. I can't imagine the stress she goes through living in an area that has a 5-6 month rainy season. Though it would break my heart to give her up, I hate seeing her so miserable all summer.

After a dark cloudy day, this evening just before sunset the sun came out and lit up my copper disk lamp sitting in the window.

The lamp sits in a bay window in the dining room. The sun streaming into the room lights up the yummy gold color I recently painted on the new beadboard walls.
And how was your week? I hope it had more sunshine than clouds... and enjoy your weekend doing what you love and makes you happy.
Peace-
Linda

When life gives you lemons...

2009-08-08T19:56:00.002-04:00

... go to the beach. And that's what we did. As for the lemons...

Have you ever had a dream, something you wished for with all your might? Something so important to you that you were willing to wait years for it to happen? And then one day that dream comes true. But instead of being the dream you thought it would be, it turned into your worse nightmare. That's what happened for me yesterday. I spent the evening watching something unfold that I never ever wanted to happen. Instead of the dream I had held on to for so many years, I discovered all my darkest fears and worries had come true.

What has happened is completely out of my control. There's nothing I can do to stop it or change it. So after spending last night alternating from hyperventilating, crying, and feeling as though someone had ripped my heart out, Mike and I decided we needed a dose of the island- sand, surf, and sun.
After a day on the beach, warmed by the sun, soothed by the sound of the surf, and caressed by warm Gulf water, I came home relaxed and for now have put the my dream that turned into a nightmare aside.

I remembered to take my Flip camcorder today and shot some video. The first one is me babbling, but the second on is just the the sight and sound of the surf. Is there anything more relaxing than the sound of the surf lapping at the beach? Oh- and I found some more sea rocks, but no pics of them.

The Surf-

Peace-
Linda

My bit of paradise...

2009-08-06T20:18:00.006-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that my favorite place on earth is Anna Maria Island. Of course, like most finer things in life, you have to be seriously wealthy to live there. But living just a few miles away, and being able to go to the Island anytime I want, is fine with me.

When I started practicing on a couple of canvas boards with the Golden art mediums, without even thinking about it, the theme became Anna Maria Island. The text reads:

Weary of the long cold winters, she gave her snowboots away, packed her flip flops and drove south.She kept driving until she reached a stretch of powder white beach, where she sat and gazed with wonder at the Gulf of Mexico. She had found her paradise. A magical place of mermaids, seahorses, dolphins, manatees, star fish, sand dollars, and palm trees. And warm sunny days that end with bold splashes of color across the sky as the sun drops below the sea... vivid blues, violets, reds and golds.She found her bliss on Anna Maria Island...

Click photos to see full size images-

Since I had another canvas board available, I just had to do another one. I love working with the Golden mediums, and think I am ready to do one on a real canvas, to which I could even add beading and wire.

And just because they make me smile, I have to throw in a photo of my Keepers of the Shells- the old sailor I sculpted on a gourd, and the cute little wooden flamingo I bought in a shop soon after we moved to FL. And no, I don't have a collection of tacky flamingos- this is my one and only. Doesn't he look darling sitting on the box Hoppa and Bruce sent me?

Hope you all have a great weekend...

Peace-

Linda

Dog Days of Summer....

2009-08-05T23:26:00.005-04:00

... are good for only one thing- playing on the beach. And that's exactly what we did last weekend. We are just reaching midsummer here in Florida, and it's hot. And humid, of course. Florida summers are best spent on the beach looking for sea treasures and floating around in the Gulf water.

I have baskets, boxes, bowls, and baggies full of perfect seashells we have gathered over the years. So this year I decided to collect only the imperfect. The pieces of shells and rocks that have traveled with the tides and currents year after year. Washed up with the tides on countless beaches, and washed back out to sea over and over again. Some are pitted by time and the constant movement of the ocean, and some are polished smooth. And some shells merge together to create a collage of lives that once lived in the sea.

This sea rock is about 7 1/2" long and when you look at it closely, you can see that there are hundreds of tiny shells melded together. It feels surreal to gaze at this rock of shells and realize that at one time each of the shells held a living creature. As soon as I saw this rock on the beach I knew I wanted to sculpt a mermaid to sit on it. Click pictures to see full size and details:

This sea rock caught my eye because of the streak of turquoise color on one side of it.

Mike went on vacation to Sanibal Island in July and brought back bags of shells. When he showed me the following pieces, I feel in love and claimed them for my art material stash. Aren't they gorgeous and amazing?

I wasn't feeling well in July, and decided to spend that month putting some order in my life. I'd been spending too much time on-line, and not enough time in the studio and taking care of myself. So I'm eating better, taking vitamins and nutritional supplements, trying do get more low impact exercise (walking and swimming), and spending more time in the studio. And I'm repainting the dining and living room in bolder colors.

I finished sculpting the nude aging beauty but she still needs painted and hair applied. I also finished two practice canvas boards using the new (to me) Golden art mediums. Now that I've played with these new materials, I'm ready now to try playing on a real canvas.

I hope you all had a wonderful July. I'll be visiting all your blogs this week and try to catch up.

Peace-

Linda

Just giving you a head's up-

2009-07-06T22:20:00.002-04:00

I am going to take the month of July off from blogging. I need to make drastic changes in my life. so for the next few weeks I will be focusing on these issues.

Now don'tcha all forget me ;)
Peace-
Linda Fleming

Isabella-my storm forecaster...

2009-07-01T10:28:00.003-04:00

Isabella woke me up at 7 a.m. by trembling so hard she was making the bed shake. I listened for a minute but didn't hear any rain hitting the roof, no thunder or wind, either. I tried explaining to her it wasn't storming, there was absolutely no reason to be afraid, and damn it- I didn't go to bed until 3 a.m. and wasn't ready to get up yet! But she wasn't listening to me- she was cued into her inner barometer and it seemed to be telling her the mother of all storms was coming to kill us all. So I got up and took her out to potty. It was cloudy but didn't look like a deadly storm was headed our way. When we got back inside I checked our local weather channel and discovered there were severe storms, flooding and a tornado in St. Pete and Tampa area (about 25 miles north of us) and there was a huge storm in the Gulf heading for us in Bradenton.

When we came back inside I tried to get her to eat her breakfast, but she immediately went and sat in front of the cabinet where I keep her xanax. It was as if she was saying "Screw the food, I want my damn drugs, and I want them now!" So I gave her a xanax, and as I read my e-mail she went to work nursing on Little Puppy.

Soon the thunder started booming and some serious storm clouds rolled in...

Now the rain is pounding the roof, thunder is booming, and water is already standing in the street out front. I just checked the radar and behind the storm that's over us now, there is a huge red and yellow glob out in Gulf moving our way. We are under a severe storm and flood warning, and it looks like it is going rain most of the day. Instead of going shopping as I had planned, it appears I will be spending the day with a drugged dog under my feet.

Peace-

Linda