Green Feathery Weed

I love this green feathery weed and have actually let it grow in my flower garden once. It looks great all summer, sort of ferny, then in fall it gets these whitish flowers that look so lacy. I have camera in hand waiting for autumn color but I don't think we will have much year as there has been very little so far.

We got out dogs houses and chicken/guinea coops ready for winter this past weekend, we still have more to do but are closing in on it. I have special heating pads that fit inside the dog houses and thermostat cubes that cause them to come on when the temperature gets down to 45 deg. so they stay nice and toasty. The chickens/guineas have heat lamps on cubes but I'd like to find something that safely gives off good heat but does not disturb their sleep. dh is hatching some late guinea eggs from a nest and so we will have winter babies to keep warm too.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

This mandala is made from a photo of the seed pod of Sweet Autumn Clematis Clematis terniflora which is a fall blooming clematis. It is a cultivated plant, originally from Japan that which has long since escaped to the wild. But you can't deny it's beauty, both flower and seed.

Wishing Hala Health

Hala, I just want to wish you Health, Happiness and Love before you embark on your journey to seek treatment in the U.K. God bless and keep you.

Hope Abides

I took this picture at my work today where we have a patio that is a little micro climate and butterflies seem to love it there. This Gulf Fritillary is feeding on Lantana. I enjoyed taking this photo and doing this mandala. It was a very centering activity for me. Later after reading the post on Frances' blog about John I added this message especially for him and his family.

Banner From Neda

I received this beautiful banner from Neda of Papiers Colles for my contribution to Maraya Galleries wall dedicated to Blog Action Day when all the bloggers wrote about the environment on Oct. 15th. I love being called an artist even though I am more of a wannbe. Thank you Neda, I treasure this banner.

Silk

This is something new I tried after reading Mandala, Journey to the Center, Baily Cunningham. I think the results have promise but the points are just a little heavy looking. Tell me what you think, honestly please. When I fell asleep last night I was dreaming mandalas and collages :)

Blog Action Day Oct 15th 2007

This is my entry for Rima's Wall of works commemorating Blog action Day.

We must change! We cannot continue trashing our planet like we did in 1957 when folks had never heard the word "environment". Back then DDT was sprayed regularly and no one gave it a second thought. Our manufacturing was dirty and polluted the air. Cities were grimy. Nuclear bombs were built and tested in my home state of New Mexico. But this is not 1957, still we have the same environmental issues as back then and more. Here in the Longview, Texas area we have regular ozone alert days, especially in the hot summer. It is always blamed on the gulf winds bringing pollution from Houston and Dallas. We take no responsibility for our bad air and make no noticeable change to improve it.

I've been posting early blog action day posters (here and here ) and you might wonder where I got such great images to use. Sadly I got them within walking distance of my home. Some, such as this photo, taken on my own property. I regularly clean up my road frontage and it is a constant battle between me and the non caring public. I have picked up such a variety of stuff, some I won't mention here, but is mostly beer bottles/cans, cigarette packages, and fast food packaging. When I was younger I picked up trash in a 2 mile radius, but now I only clean my property and adjacent properties about 1500 feet on both sides. Sometimes I ask myself why I continue with this battle and my answer is that I care. I also ask myself how can I help others to care. So far I haven't found an answer but have explored many hair-brained ideas :)

So, I am asking others to care about our world. To cease treating our planet like it is disposable. To stop making war on our neighbors and killing the environment and people at the same time.

We must change, we can change, we will change!

Pioneer

I was inspired by Frances' digital image "old house by the sea" and thought of doing something which had that same sort of feeling of reminiscence. My inspiration was my old home in New Mexico. The old adobe window frame, the quilt, the pioneer woman, remind me of that time. I felt as if I were making a collage. My scissors are the cut tool and my glue is the paste tool, and my color pallet is accessed by dipping an ink dropper instead of paintbrush. So, here is a question for you: If a collage is made from clips from old magazines and this is made from clips of digital images, what is the difference? Are digital images art? Why or why not? What defines art versus craft? I'll be most interested to read your answers.

I am most like Kitty Which Chimp Are U?

HSUS MySpace Page | Take the Quiz!

Kitty is the leader of the three chimps at Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch right here in Texas. She's serious and in charge of what happens with the group. She'll quickly quell any behavior she deems inappropriate.

Kitty is also a big fan of trading. If she has something she shouldn't, she's usually willing to trade it for something else. Kitty is deliberate and does not engage in frivolous behavior, nor will she waste energy doing something that won't result in getting what she wants. She seizes opportunities to act, but sometimes hesitates to try new things.

Kitty was rescued from the now-defunct Coulston Foundation in New Mexico, where she was used to breed chimps for medical research. Her laboratory caretaker feared that once Kitty was too old to reproduce, she might be subjected to experimentation herself, so she worked to secure Kitty's transfer to a sanctuary. Now, Kitty's laboratory days are behind her forever -- but not all research chimps are so lucky.

Take the quiz and find out which chimp you are most like :)

Morning Glories

My mom used to grow these in her backyard and now I grow them. She was a child at heart and would use them to blow bubbles by breaking off the stem. I have to admit that sometimes I blow bubbles too. They are just so pretty floating over the garden.

Backyard Happenings

The Piney Woods Where I Live

I live in the Piney Woods of East Texas and so it is appropriate to attempt a mandala using a picture of pines. I was surprised, as almost always, how beautiful the mandala turned out. Not complementing my work you understand, but in complementing the pine's inner beauty which produced this wonderful mandala. When the wind blows through them it makes the most wonderful whooshing sound as they sway back and forth. The squirrels love to eat the pine nuts and sometimes I find huge piles of spent pinecones where they have dined. I hope this pine speaks to you as it did to me while I was making this mandala.

Goldenrod And Why I Love Nature

The wild goldenrod is blooming now and it is one of my favorites. It is so lacy and free and it's yellowness appeals to me. I've included the source image here to satisfy your curiosity. One can never make a mandala without meditating on the soul of subject. This one has the essence of goldenrod stored in it's turns. I love seeing each season progress and the delights nature has in store. I never tire of nature, it renews me and invigorates me. And so I dedicate this mandala to Hala and wish for her the essence and health of the goldenrod's soul.

Getting a Headstart on Blog Action Day

This is a photoshopped picture of my woods in East Texas. Looks wonderful and serene doesn't it? Like the hand of man has never touched it. But when we bought this property I single handedly picked up 9 dumpsters of trash out of these woods. Even today it continues to be an uphill battle. Beer bottles, fast food wrappings, and yes even disposable baby diapers (what are mommies thinking?). It is like seeing a pile of litter gives you permission to throw out your own. I care, do you?

p.s. I reworked the text on this image at Sue's suggestion and voila! What do you think?

Mandala Mania

This mandala is made from the above (bad) photo of a yellow sulphur butterfly and cypress vine which is threatening to take over the covered wagon filled with caladiums that you see in my blog header. The butterflies and hummingbirds love the vine and so I've let it take over. If anyone wants cypress vine seeds (while supply lasts) just email me your address and I'll send them as soon as they are ready to gather, which should be in the next month or so.

Still Nuts About Mandalas

This mandala is made from a picture of some chrysanthemums by my door. I'm enjoying making these very much and took some photos today on my way to work of some wildflowers and grasses that I will try to turn into some mandalas. I ordered two mandala prints from Sue O'Kieffe and received them earlier this week and wow, they are absolutly wonderful! I got the lacy one called We are all Connected and another one called Releasing To The Four Directions.

The Game of Tag About Your Man

I have been tagged by Antigone of a little bit of country and Windy of Everything Hannah
about my man. Well here is a photo so you get an idea of my dh. I think he is very handsome!

So I'll start with Antigone's tag first (I think she makes these questions up)

1. Who is your man? Bill, otherwise known as dh

2. How long have you been together? 24 years

3. How long dated? it was love at first sight, only 3 months!

4. How old is your man? 60 (he is younger than me, tee hee)

5. Who eats more? dh does, after all he is 6ft tall

6. Who said "I love you" first? he did

7. Who is taller? same answer as Antigone: ha ha ha, who isn't taller than me?

8. Who sings better? he does and he has a beautiful baritone voice

9. Who is smarter? we can be equally smart or equally stupid depending on what we are doing

10. Whose temper is worse? mine, mine, mine. It is a curse!

11. Who does the laundry? i mostly do, but sometimes he does

12. Who takes out the garbage? we share

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me

14. Who pays the bills? me, again

15. Who is better with the computer? me, but he is learning and catching up

16. Who mows the lawn? whoever has time

17. Who cooks dinner? we share depending on who has time, but he is the better cook

18. Who drives when you are together? whoever feels like it

19. Who pays when you go out? dh does, what a gentleman!

20. Who is most stubborn? i am, sorry to say

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? me

22. Whose parents do you see the most? oh how i wish we could see our parents again

23. Who kissed who first? he kissed me, then i kissed him back!

24. Who asked who out? he did but I didn't want to go, more about this later

25. Who proposed? he did and i was overjoyed!

26. Who is more sensitive? we are both too danged sensitive

27. Who has more friends? we both have about the same number of friends

28. Who has more siblings? he does, 3 brothers and 3 sisters

29. Who wears the pants in the family? we share

Now for Windy's tag "How did you get engaged":

We met where we both worked in Odessa, Texas at OPI a manufacturing company that made oilfield equipment. He was the service manager and I was a computer programmer. His office was near the coffee pot and whenever he saw me go by he needed a cup of coffee. It got so I needed coffee more often too. OPI had a big Christmas party and he took another girl there, later on he told me "let me take her home and then we will go dancing". I said, No! What kind of girl do you take me for? But later on a bunch of us decided to go dancing and so he took her home and showed up there. He looked so handsome in his western boots, cowboy hat, and sheepskin jacket and so after he asked me to dance about 15 times I said ohhhhkayyy as I could see he was a really nice and sincere man. We had so many things in common and enjoyed each other's company so when he asked me to marry him, I could only say yes!


Now, the fun part: I tag Irene, Frances, and Rima!