Sunday, October 25, 2020

HOW TO SPEND QUALITY TIME DURING A PANDEMIC...






SPECIAL ADDITION


Due to possibilities beyond our control,
 this is a special edition of this week's blog post. 
 There is a distinct possibility
 that our power will be shut off sometime today and 
not be back on until sometime Tuesday. 
In reality,
 that could mean sometime Wednesday or beyond! 
 We just never know for sure. 
The computer is not hooked up to the generator 
so if you don't hear from me for awhile, 
that is the reason. 
 Enjoy the week and
 stay well.. xxoJ





 

I think we have all 
figured out by now
that spending a day during a pandemic 
can be one of two things.
 
 It can be either 
a day that just moves quickly by 
or it can be
 a day that leaves too much time 
on your hands and 
too much time to think about 
all that you 
are missing...







...such as 
how long has it been 
since you have seen or hugged your kids, 
how long has it been 
since you got dressed up and 
had someplace to go, 
or how long has it been since you just
 got  dressed!






I have a little secret.
 
 Something that takes up
 a lot of time, 
something that keeps 
your mind occupied, 
something that you can 
put as much time and energy into 
when you want to and
 something that really 
makes you feel pretty good
 about yourself 
when you are through.






That something is 
a paint by number art project.
 
 It is so easy
 that even someone with 
no artistic ability 
or someone with
 a lot of artistic ability 
can do.
 
 If your reflexes or your eyesight
 are not what they should be 
 there are compensations that you can make
 so the process is easier.
  Time doesn't matter,
 you can take as much or as little 
as you need, and
 the finished project will be 
something that will surprise you 
more than you ever
 thought possible.






Once you have finished a painting, 
you can have so much fun
 playing around with 
where you want to put it,
 trying to have art imitate life, 
as I have done with this one.
 
 You can order the kits 
already on a stretched canvas,
 which costs a little more, 
or just stretch the canvas yourself. 
 Or as I usually do, 
take the canvas to a craft/framing shop and
they will put it on a foam board and 
for $12 at my local shop
that is the way I like to do it. 
 I am too far from Michael's
 but I imagine 
they would do that too.








All the kits that I have seen,
 and there are numerous companies
 that offer them for sale over the internet,
 are 16x20 and 
the costs run around between $20-$30. 
 This includes all paint and instructions.
  What I have been doing,
 since I have 
many bottles of craft acrylic paints on hand,
 is mixing my own. 
 I just look at the paint
 that comes with the kit and 
then mix my own paints to match.
  They are not always perfect 
but I find that 
there is very little difference
 in the end project and 
I think my acrylics 
give better coverage.

  No matter how you choose to do it,
 the finished picture 
is really a work of art.
  I find that
 viewing the painting from a distance,
 like you normally would,
 looks no different to me 
than one done by
 an accomplished artist.










I need to get a frame 
for this one I just finished. 
 With the others I have done, 
I have used the same frame, 
just exchanging the pictures
 as I want to change up my decor,
 as they normally go 
in the same place, 
but if you want to use them 
in a different room
 then you will need more than one frame.
 I am on a quest to find 
an outlet for some cheaper frames. 
 Ones that I can paint or stain like I want.
  Frames can get pretty pricey. 
 If you are able to use the same frame 
it is also easier
 to store the paintings 
when not 
displaying them.






I have set up this display
 in the kitchen,
 but it won't necessarily stay like this. 
 I had hopes of hanging it
 in the kitchen window and 
doing the rest of the display 
on the table,
 but without a frame 
I can't do that yet.






So there you have 
one way to spend quality time
 during a pandemic.
 
 If you want to have something 
to show for all that you feel
 you are missing during this time, 
take up a paint brush and 
complete a beautiful work of art 
that you will be proud to say 
you created, and 
you don't have to tell anyone
 that you did it all
 with dirty hair and
 no makeup!






In the beginning,
 before I set it up in the kitchen,
I had planned 
on putting this new painting 
in the same frame as the others, 
but it evidently was cut 
a bit too small and wouldn't fit, 
so I just slipped a little piece of wood 
under it and 
you almost can't tell 
that it isn't actually in the frame.  
See,
 the possibilities are endless
 when you take up a 
paint by number project.


Stay smart

Stay well,

Vote

and

Wear the mask.



...Judy...





 
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020

JUST NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE...

 







Since last weekend
 still had some 
beautiful weather to enjoy,
 we thought we would attempt
 another road trip. 
 It is beginning to seem
 that these road trips
 are just not what
 they used to be.






There is a small town 
fairly close to us
 by the name of Georgetown 
that we used to visit pretty frequently. 
 They had a really good little cafe
 that served an outstanding breakfast. 
 It was a small place and,
 truth be told, 
it hadn't been updated in many years, 
in decor or in customers,
 even back then,
 but the food was 
just plain old fashioned good! 
 Also there were really nice 
old, colorful, 
farmhouses, Victorians and cottages, 
well maintained 
with pretty gardens and
 you know I could 
drive and look at sights like that 
for hours.






Here is the little cafe, 
as it looks today,
 unkept and locked up.
 There was a sign on the door
 stating Covid-19 was the reason,
 but it looked like
 that may not have been
 the only reason. 
 It appears that this customer
 has been waiting 
quite awhile!




Dead Naked Ladies flowers
In keeping with the sign of the times



It is not a ghost town. 
 There were plenty of people milling about, 
most without masks, and 
when I told the Captain, 
"There is a naked lady",
 ha ha 
made him look! 






I remember this 
pretty B&B from long ago and,
 actually, it looks as pretty 
as it did back then, and
 apparently is still 
open for business...






...but this is one 
of the old farmhouses 
that we used to admire. 
 It was nicely kept up back then 
with a welcoming wreath
 on the front door and 
a pretty front garden. 
 Now it is a jumble of 
left up old, faded, Christmas decorations,  
broken washing machines and
 numerous other appliances 
alongside broken down cars and trucks
 in place of a pretty garden. 
 Most of the houses 
look exactly like this one now. 
 Some are boarded up
 but you can see everything
 but the kitchen sink
(that is out in the front yard) 
stacked up through the windows. 
 One out of every two houses 
look similar to this one.






We did see 
a great old faded red barn driving back,
 but we came away with
 a sinking feeling 
about this little town 
that we used to love.






 Try as we might, 
we could not find any 
changing leaves on this trip either.
  The closest things were 
the buckeye trees
 which were a different color and texture 
but just from dying foliage,
 still an interesting sight
 with the hanging fruit 
left exposed.






All was not lost though 
as we just happened to pass by 
this place on our way home. 
 We go through 
the drive-up and eat in the car, 
so we don't have to 
get close to anyone.






On a much brighter note,
 you may remember 
I mentioned that we had 
another anniversary present on the way 
from Tami and Tim. 
 It arrived and 
the box was big and heavy and 
we couldn't imagine 
what was inside...






...we were so delighted 
when we pulled it out of the box.
  We feel so blessed 
that our kids see us 
in this light and
 we thank them from
 the bottom of our hearts. 
 It is a truly beautiful sign
 printed with a
 beautiful message.






I think we picked 
the perfect place to hang it.  
I love it here. 
 It brightens up the dining room and 
adds a feeling of love and family
 gathered around the table
 even if it is not possible 
to do so, in person, 
this year.






Even though some things are
 just not what they used to be,
 remember
 the things that are
 treasured and most important in life 
do not change.


Stay smart

Stay well

And remember
 in the time of Covid-19:

We are not a herd of cattle.
 If we don't keep our
 humanity and our empathy,
 there is a good chance 
that a number of our fellow human beings
 may not survive.
 
Human beings
 just like all of us
 that have families and loved ones
 to protect.

Wear a mask and don't forget to vote.



...Judy...



Thank you, Linda, 
for including my post from last week 
as one of the features on
 I appreciate it so much.  
   








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and




Tuesday, October 13, 2020

COMFORTABLE AND COZY IN THE COTTAGE...







Before we get started,
 did you notice my new header? 
I figured out how to do it 
with the new blogger,
 whether right or wrong,
 it works for me.
 
 To whomever changed my old one,
 I thank you, 
as it gave me a new idea,
 BUT,
 don't change this one
 because I will change it right back..
 
Now on with the show...






   Being comfortable and cozy 
in the Cottage
 is the name of the game around here. 
 A few short weeks ago 
it would seem insane 
to be showing the above photo 
but times are changing. 
 The days are shorter and 
the nights are 
definitely cooler.








Robin 
has taken to lying
 in her clam shell
 as opposed to on it,
 with her Stinky Skunk
 never far away. 

 The rest of us 
just keep plugging along 
as there isn't much happening 
any different
 around here.








 One bright spot
 was the arrival of 
this beautiful bouquet 
from Jake and Jacenda 
for our anniversary.
  It is so pretty and 
definitely brings a touch of autumn
 into the Cottage.








All that you have accomplished
 
and will accomplish
 
is what we see 

as our inspiration.
 
 We are so proud of 
both of you and 
love you both 
to the Moon.
  
We also talked to Tami 
on the phone and 
she said we should expect
 a package on our porch
 in the next few days,
 so (hooray!) the celebration
 continues.





A little 
soft and sweet garland, 
a present 
to myself!







The ongoing saga 
of the paint by numbers
 is continuing with 
the addition of 
some brighter colors.







I was daydreaming
 with the front door opened and 
actually saw
 our first small bit 
of changing leaves
 in the garden.
 
 A treat for sure.





 

We did our part 
this week.  
Don't forget 
to do yours.


Stay smart

Stay well


Wear the mask!

and

Remain 
comfortable and cozy 
wherever you are.




...Judy....










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Tuesday, October 6, 2020

ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND OTHER DELIGHTS...

 









Because things are moving slowly around here
 with all the autumn decorations in place and
 nothing going on for Halloween,
 I thought we might take a break and 
go out on the road 
to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and
 maybe spot some changing colors 
of the season
 at the higher elevations.





Well,
 it turned out to be a big bust. 

 We drove up to 5000 feet and
 this was the best show of color 
that we could find. 
 Even the greens that change 
right here on our street
 are not showing yet, 
as proof in last year's post.  
I guess it is another part 
of the global warming problem. 
 The whole trip turned out 
to be a
sorry set of affairs.







We stopped to let the dogs out for a bit and 
the Princess Diva, aka Robin,
 stepped on a pine cone oozing sap and 
it stuck to her foot and 
she spent the whole way home 
worrying about it...






...Kai, on the other hand, 
needs a new car bed 
so he spent the whole time 
whining with his head 
hanging down.






The bright spot of the trip 
was the sighting of this old crow,
 huge and noisy. 
 Have you ever heard
 them make that knocking sound? 
 I had not and
 it was really weird. 
 At first,
 we thought it was a woodpecker, 
but it is something 
that comes out of their throat.
  I googled it and 
the sound is called a rattle.  
It is used when the bird sees something
 that is of interest to it, 
such as another crow, humans, or otherwise.
  Maybe he/she had a nest close by and
 it thought the dogs 
were a little too close.
  Old Crow 
was so large 
that I bet it could have 
picked Robin up easily and
 carried her off.






The skies are still full of smoke 
no matter where you go. 
 Certain times of the day 
are worse than others
 but it is always there.






We are still ordering 
our groceries from Raley's and 
it is really turning out well.
 If we ever are so lucky 
to get over this pandemic and
 they still offer the service,
 I think I will continue to do so.
 It is so easy
 to fill your cart 
from the abundant amount of products 
that they offer. 
I get fresh flowers each time 
for the same price 
that you would pay inside the store. 
The only draw back is
 that they are the 
same flowers each time. 
It is nice to have a variety 
so I have just added 
some faux stems
in autumn colors and 
it looks all
 brand new.






I am getting anxious for Christmas and
 have been ordering a few things on line. 
 I did not order this sleigh, 
as you know that I have one 
that my dad made that looks similar, 
so I thought I might paint mine
 to look like this one.






A harvest of hydrangeas. 
 To adorn the Christmas tree?..
..Maybe.





I am working on 
my latest paint by number picture and
 have gotten this far.  
I always seem to do 
the plainest colors first and 
now I can't wait to put 
some more color into it.






Other than the fact 
that in a couple of days
 the Captain and I will 
celebrate another year together,
 the big 60,
really nothing new here
 so not a very interesting post but, 
hopefully, things will pick 
up in the future.


New Blogger Problems:

I figure there are bound to be some, so thought I would make this a little permanent fixture that will pop up from time to time.


No matter what 
I set my font type or size on 
when I start typing,
 it just slips back to something else altogether. 
Instead of trying to change it each time,
 or letting myself get frustrated,
 I just keep typing and 
let it do what it wants to 
but when I am all through, 
I highlight all the words and 
then set it to the type that I want and
 that takes care of it. 
If there is an easier way, 
let me know, 
I just thought if others 
are having the same problem 
this is one way 
of fixing it.


You know the drill...

Stay smart,

 Stay well,

 Wear your mask 
(obviously, they do work!)
 
and Vote

 if the time is right for you to do so.
 
 We just got notice that
 our ballots are in the mail.


Enjoy the week.



...Judy...






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