Trip to La Jolla

We went on our usual Holiday trip to see my husband's brother and his wife, and we decided to meet in La Jolla this time, since it is so beautiful there, and they like it, too, and it's not too far from their home. I asked for some time near the ocean to do some outdoor painting, and I got to paint for about three hours, until it got too chilly and we had to leave.

I couldn't get to it, but there was a sea cave and hollowed out rocks down below, when the tide came in the water was swirling in it, I really wanted to go down there, but instead I watched the children, they loved it, some of them were at least 30 or 40, lol!

The sea cliffs were so polished by the waves that the harder stones looked like seal shapes lying on the rocks by the ocean. This is one of the few areas that has a rocky coast instead of sandy beaches on the Southern California coast, and it's particularly gorgeous.

It's a nature preserve, too, and these pelicans were happily sunning themselves a few feet from all the children jumping up and down and pointing at them, and they seemed to pose for the cameras. Every once in a while they would take off, one after another, find a snack, and cruise back to perch in the sunshine.

The high tide came in and washed over the whole cove that the swimmers had been enjoying all day, in spite of temperatures in the high 50's or low 60's all day, and a brisk breeze off and on. They looked kind of blue, and I know the water was chilly. So gorgeous, I wish I could have spent more time there. B*B, Ysabeau

Winter Ramblings

It has been a very busy few weeks around here, with a lovely early visit from our Susie for Christmas, a lot of finishing of projects for gifts, and sending off handmade cards for the season. I've been kind of busy... plus the computer service changed from Adelphia to Roadrunner, and has resulted in no service much of the time for most of December. Now, it seems that they are starting to get it straightened out, so to catch up, the Fall term of classes finished up, and I'm preparing for a beginning oil painting class in mid-January. The weather has been so pretty, I'm going to be spending as much time in our little patio as I can, and my dh gave me outdoor speakers for Yule, so I can have as much music as I like! I will really enjoy the music, and will be serenading the neighborhood and painting to the music, woo hoo!

I got my little dog a huuuge bone for her stocking, and she has been carrying it around and successfully trying to make a dent in it, she's a rat terrier, so this twenty pound dog is just right for the bones for the eighty pound dogs. If she can get her mouth around it a little bit, it is going to get eaten!

Fun and Games! Ysabeau

Planting flowers

Today I found the energy and, with help from my dh for lifting three huge bags of dirt, planted some low-water flowering plants in a dry spot in the front yard, sloping land, near the street. In this part of the country, this is a good time to plant, because they get a chance to get well started before the extreme heat comes back sometime in late Spring. There will be little feathery purple flowers on one, apple red petals on the other, and they should spread out well and cover the area I need covered.

I love gardening (I ended up soaking wet, filthy, and with mud on my face, woo hoo!) but I have to really be careful because it's so easy to overdo it. I'm really tired now, but didn't hurt myself, and it cheers me up to think about the flowers, plus they will be very easy care, which is a priority for later. The neighbor's incompetent gardeners that come once a week to blow leaves around, cut back my big pretty rosemary, and it's dying and will have to be removed, as well as my mature lovely pink geraniums. Neither does well after being weed-wacked, but we've enjoyed them for several years, and I'm making progress in cleaning up that area. I really enjoy all my gardening results, but doing it isn't as easy as it used to be. B*B, Ysabeau
I really enjoy all my gardening results, but doing it isn't as easy as it used to be. B*B, Ysabeau

Huntington Beach, California

When I started having problems with my mobility, I started realizing how many of the places I had taken for granted, have problems with access. There may be a way down to the beach, with a ramp, but I didn't see it! It was all steps and bars, down to the sand. Then, of course, it's a distance walking through sand to get to the ocean. I always have loved the ocean, but at least on this day, I couldn't get to it, even though the weather was beautiful. B*B, Ysabeau 

George James workshop last Saturday

I overdid it Saturday, but it was worth it! I went to a George James workshop all day, took lots of notes, while he demonstrated watercolor technique, then gave a second demo on Yupo synthetic paper, with lots of ideas about how to use it to get effects you are just not going to get on regular paper. I don't know if all the watercolor contests will allow this stuff, but it looks like a lot of fun to try, and a way to express things that you can't get any other way. Woohoo! she said, with ice on her ankle, missing her Monday classes... but it was worth it! B*B, Ysabeau

a busy week!

These are some of the paintings I did in watercolor, all in the last couple of weeks. These are in the school display case right now, along with wonderful paintings by my fellow students. I feel really honored to have my paintings up for other art students to see, and some people have told my teacher they like them. In fact, one of the teachers was really enthusiastic, and had my teacher introduce her to me, so that was nice, because she seemed to see what I hoped to put into them.
B*B, Ysabeau

Creativity resistance!

I have spent many fun hours doing immersion dye on extra-high quality cotton, comparable to the tightly woven fabrics used in Batik work. I have washed, dried, pressed, and hoarded my results, and gifted a few special people with a piece here and there, for a birthday or special event... but I have had a terrible time using any of it myself!

I used a bit of my early pieces to make some small items, bags, but I just couldn't bring myself to slice it up into parts for a quilt, so yesterday I started cutting pieces for some Seminole style strips to put into a quilt. There are glowing shades of yellow, turquoise, green, cobalt, purple... and wonderful muted tones with streaks of magenta or crimson, and I'm just wacking it into strips of 2", 3", or 4", which should be adequate to play with the patterns in my Seminole book, and the advantage is that since I intend to machine quilt it myself, I can work up the quilt one strip at a time, and hope to manage the super-Cal-King on my home machine.

Why is it so hard to cut the fabric? Do I feel like I don't deserve to use it? I have no problem cutting the fabrics I don't really get the big charge out of, so why not use them on my projects when I'm going to spend lots of my limited time and energy, so my results will be as good as possible. Hmmm.

B*B,

Ysabeau

...but wait, there's more!

Watercolors everywhere!

Here are some bits of what I've been working on lately, and I tried to take pictures, but lighting is an ongoing challenge.


I enjoyed painting them, so I hope you enjoyed looking at them. B*B, Ysabeau

Acrylics are driving me crazy!

I've been struggling to get a feel for really painting in acrylics. How much medium to use, which brush for which technique, and it dries before I can quite get it. Here is an attempt at some fruit and flowers that I managed, and a version of the Cycladic scupture "the Harper". Patience! Please just give me some patience. B*B, Ysabeau

Adventures in Oils

We went to Mother's, a local health food store, and I wanted to find some more amber perfume, since it's my favorite, and I was running out of the tiny bottle I had been streeeetching out for months. They had some that had a good fragrance, but it was very diluted, so you almost couldn't smell it, and a tiny bottle was about $15.

So, I had a thought, and I went to the incenses, and found a couple of chunks of amber resin, one "golden" amber, one "spicy" amber, for $3.99 each, and a pint bottle of expeller pressed almond oil. I got out my trusty mortar and pestle, and a few minutes later, voila! A full cup of very wonderful, concentrated perfume that will do me for at least a year, and I can use it as often as I like.

Funny how I don't think of these things until I can't find what I expect to find. B*B, Ysabeau

Went to Huntington Beach

On Friday, and it was such a beautiful day, sunshine and light breeze, not too crowded because it was a weekday! We walked up the pier and I took some pictures, and we saw a family of dolphins swimming by the end of the pier, ok we just saw Part of them when they surfaced, but it was still exciting. I haven't been able to enjoy an outing like this for a while, so I was so happy to be at the ocean. We had a cup of coffee at the Ruby's restaurant at the end of the pier, people watched, and tried not to get too much sun. I didn't feel too bad the day after, either, but we were pretty careful not to overdo.
My only real problem was that I still have to get used to the thought that "going to the beach" does not necessarily mean I get to go in the water, or play in the sand. sigh. But, the air was fine, the water was beautiful, watching everything was really fun, and I was able to walk down the pier, so that's enough for this trip. B*B, Ysabeau

Q is for...

Quinn
Quit
Quiet
Quill
"Q" from Star Trek Next Generation
Quince

P is for...

Peace
Peach
Penis
Poach
Pariah
Please
Pinch
Prude
Pouch
Pieces
Pink
Particolor
Plow
Partridge
Pneumonia
Pistol
Portrait
Pint
Pickle
Poodle
Ping!
Priority
Pill
Puce
Power
Pal
Pale
Pell
Pool
Pile
Palooka
Pride

O is for...

One
Only
Oil painting
Oil blending
Ocean
Ochre
Oasis
Ore
Onion
Ouch!
Oestre
Old
Obi One Kenobi
Open
Odor
Oats
Omen

N is for

Nasturtiums - I've been growing them every year, and they are so easy and pretty
Neighbor - My neighbors run a tutoring class in their garage, and it gets loud, plus the teenagers waiting for class right by my front window get tiring
Neverland - give me some fairy dust and I'll be ready to fly!
Now - the most important time for everyone
Null - empty - void
Nag - am I nagging, or reminding? It's all in the viewpoint
New - is overrated, but sometimes interesting
Nurture - yourself as well as others, you are important too
Nature - affects me more than I want to admit sometimes, but I'm very connected
Narnia - my favorite fantasy world as a child
Noodle - I used to eat way too many cup-o-noodles, because they were really cheap!
No - I'm practicing saying "no!" when I need to, instead of saying "yes" and regretting it
Nacre - pearlescence, layers of beauty in a pearl
Nickle Song - ... they only put in a nickle and they want a dollar song...

That's some "N"'s!

B*B, Ysabeau

M is for

Moon rises in the East, I can see it from my bedroom window, and I open the curtains and let the light come in through the crystals in the window and cast moon rainbows on the walls and bed and people...
Miracles happen every single day, but we tend to take them for granted
Maybe, If, Perhaps, Almost... all those "in between" words, that sort of end up keeping situations in limbo and unresolved
Mince herbs into food and skip most of the salt, and people will wonder why their food suddenly tastes so wonderful! I grow my own herbs, mostly in pots, and tuck a sprig of fresh rosemary in roasting chicken, or French tarragon minced into eggs, fresh marjoram in chicken soup... and the aroma adds a whole new dimension to the food.
Mink is a beautiful color, but I don't want to rip the fur off the beasties and wear it, that's a turnoff and not practical. If I'm not going to use the whole animal, I'd never kill it for the skin, and minks aren't on my menu.
Murky motives behind recent politics have me avoiding the inflammatory propaganda that passes for the news
Millions of grains of sand on the beach, I love the crunchy/soft feel of it on my feet, but I don't like some of the places it tends to gather later
Munchkins are strange little people, when I saw the Wizard of Oz the first time, I thought they were scarier than the witch!
Metaphysical teachers can't agree with each other any more than art teachers, I guess it's usually a "YMMV" situation, and use what works for you
Metabolism - what's that?
Mehta practice is a wonderful exercise in seeing yourself as part of a larger picture in the world
More is not always better, even if it's quilt fabric or art supplies!
Minty fresh - that's better than dragon breath
Mule skinner's blues
Misty - sung by Carmen McCrae - is a golden classic
Mother should be a nurturing connotation, but that's not always so
Marciano Martinez is my wonderful Watercolor art teacher at school. A good teacher and a good friend, I'm learning a lot and enjoying it.

That's most of the M's for me, of course, I'll think of more later, but oh, well!
B*B, Ysabeau

Art Department asked me for a picture!

I got a surprise yesterday... the head of the school's Art Department asked me for a picture to use on their website. They needed it right away, and a certain size, so this is what I came up with for now. I feel honored, and also feel like this picture wasn't good enough, but it is all watercolor techniques, and due to the small size they needed I didn't want too much details, and this is simple.

They wrote back and said it was ok, so I feel relieved, but I know there are much better artists in class - but it's nice to be included!

B*B, Ysabeau

L is for...

Leora, that's me! Named for my grandmother, an old family name that goes back to Helen (Light), and a very popular girls name in Israel, meaning approximately "my light"
Libraries, favorite places to "be" for me, all my life
Lima beans, I love baby green limas, and butter beans... and my lima bean soup is wonderful
Lemur, aren't their eyes fascinating?
Leo, my sun sign is in 3 degrees of Leo, with Libra rising, moon in Gemini
Languages fascinate me, and I had a little Latin, German, some more Spanish, and French in school, and enjoyed the windows into other cultures that brought
Lyre is a type of harp, always looked so pretty and interesting
Lists, I'm a sucker for lists, can't you tell?
Lotus, so much beauty and fragrance coming up out of darkness and muck
Lint, what I've got in MY pocketses, precious!
Llama, an obscure Monty Python reference that I couldn't resist adding (also, the Larch!)
Lunar for the Moon, a big influence for all women
Lorien, the name of my baby daughter who lived one day, but was a big influence on my life
Licking, that would be my dog's worst habit, she likes to sneak up on me and lick my face to make me giggle
Limitations are so hard for me, I keep pushing my limits because I somehow feel like if I just keep going I can do anything I have to... but that's not always the BEST thing to do
Landing - on my feet, like a cat!
Links to friends, to community, to learning from the past to make a better future
Llewellyn - lot's of "L"s! and fun to say
Laura, a song, a movie, and what people wanted to call me in school, because my name was "different" and Laura was more familiar (or Leona, sometimes!)
Light is what I try to capture in my watercolors, and use to say something special
Legionnaires, I used to want to run away and joing the Foreign Legion... why do they wear those funny hats? and, do all camels spit? maybe I won't join, after all.
Little details can make all the difference
Latin, I studied one year of it in high school, and really enjoyed it, especially the times the teacher let me go off to the park by the Rogue River, to read a book
Lowlands and Highlands, someday I want to see Scotland
Lancre is a really interesting Terry Pratchett place I often visit
the Lottery - a short story that really affected me in school, helped me to understand people better than I did
Lyrics of songs are poetry, and I love to sing a song with beautiful lyrics
Lentil bean soup - my soups are slightly famous
Larkspur - a flower for July, my birth month
Loser is a label I don't really understand... nobody "wins" all the time, and when you win, what does that really mean? I'd rather be a consistent "B+" than an "A" in only one area
Lime tree in my front yard has beautiful ripe fruit right now, so wonderful to cook with
Lemonade especially Pink, is a favorite for Summertime!
Limberness, something I've always taken for granted, which is slowly deserting me. I do stretches to try to keep it (hatha yoga style).
Long Beach, CA is one of the closest beaches to where I live, and I enjoy going there
Love, that's the big one, all we need is Love, right?

So many L's so much time... I guess I should break down and post this, right? B*B, Ysabeau

Back to School!

Today was the first day of classes, and I know I'm going to enjoy them. My watercolor class is short a few students, but the teacher is trying really hard to fill it, and we are all asking friends if they are interested, so I hope it will work out. I felt so excited about art class starting, I swear that I felt like I was in grade school again, in a good way. I hauled my stuff around in my new purple bag, which really helped me, but it was a little hard to get it in and out of the car, so I need to stay aware of the weight of anything I put in there. Lockers will be available Wednesday and that will help because I can put the heavier things in there so I don't have to bring them back and forth.

I got all carried away and started painting like mad, but it was really fun. I finished a small seascape, did a beginning layer of a woman's head and shoulders, wax resist and background on some pale flowers, and first layer of a balancing figure with ocean behind... just felt very free with color and layers. I like watercolor a lot, and I hope acrylics and oils turn out to be as interesting.

I've been making some other things, but I haven't been painting much this Summer, so it's very nice to have time set aside to paint again. It's not that I have so much talent, there are so many more talented people in the world, it's more that I just get a special kind of satisfaction from watching the colors move around on my paper, blending and feathering, and making something that is a unique expression - even if it's true that the picture I'm doing isn't very good, just ultimately going to be just a step towards improving, it's still something special to me.

So, I'm tired, and achy, and happy. B*B, Ysabeau

Progress not Perfection

I have a long list of things I want to get done, and a short list of energy, and physical strength to do it with. The frustration is that I know how to do a task, my mind is ready and willing to do it, but my body just can't keep up right now. I'm not sure if it ever really kept up, but I'm much more aware of it than I used to be. I try to break tasks down so I can do them a little bit at a time. I try to be patient with myself, but patience is not, and has never been, easy for me. I also have trouble being organized, and tend to get sidetracked, or do too much and hurt myself.

K is for...

Kwan Yin, Kwanin, Quan Yin - my favorite goddess of mercy, compassion, and generosity
Kids are so much fun, but such a challenge to keep a balance with them. I like to borrow them, then give them back, all spoiled, at this point in my life
Karma is a wonderful concept, as long as it isn't used to punish people who are already being hurt by life
Kkkkaty ... an old song
King me - used to play checkers very seriously with my grandpa Claude when I was a kid
King Kong - only the original classic for me, thankyouverymuch
Kismet - oh, the lavish Hollywood musicals! Bad Costuming, bad Dialog, but wonderful singing!
Klutz Kits - a fun way to try something new and a little weird, that's how I learned to do a little bit of macrame
Kiddy Karz - I loved them, thought I was really truly driving when I was six
Kiss me Kate - another chauvinistic script, but I keep being drawn in by the staging and classic style
Katherine Hepburn - a personal favorite, and a real class act
Kudzu - would you believe that the local city PLANTED IT all over the freeway walls, and WATERED IT?!!!!! It is self seeding and migrating all over the area, eating trees and yards as it goes, but they planted it because it's easy care.... oh, my.
Kathereen Mock - a dear old friend of mine from Canada, I miss her sweet face
Knee - mine hurt
Knead - fun to knead bread, but what to do, I can't eat it any more!
Krab (not Crab) imitation fake seafood that sneaks into my food
Kangaroo - what has it got in it's pocketses, precious? I think they are really fascinating, but I have no urge to get one for a pet!
Kilamanjaro just sounds so exotic and foreign, someplace I'll never be going, like Kalamazoo
Keen, neato, swell - acceptable exclamations when I was a kid
Kansas (I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto!)
BB King plays the blues on Lucille, says why should he retire, when he's having fun!
Knitting, I've just learned the very basic stitch, but so far I prefer to crochet, but once in a while I try it again.

I'm slow, but having fun with this wordplay list - B*B, Ysabeau

J is for...

Jazz music is great to listen to especially live. I've done a little singing in that genre, and had a great time with it, but prefer the vocal type of Jazz (and Blues) as a rule. From Ella to Billie, Al Jarreau, Joe Williams, Etta James, Willie Nelson (yes, he's done Jazz and Blues... and Reggae!) it's gooood stuff.

Jasper is a stone that comes in many colors and shines up beautifully. I love to work with it because it is inexpensive for the lovely quality you can get, and it is so durable, as well as being so colorful to make designs with

Jets, (Benny and the) was a hit song when I was in college, along with Rocket Man and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and I'd hear it played over and over while I studied in the Student Union (at University of Oregon)

Janette is the name of my next younger sister who is about 9 years younger than I am. My, she was a bald little baby, but she has glorious blonde hair now. She grew up to be an artist, a writer, and an English teacher in an inner city school... why would anyone have five Masters degrees?

the court Jester - Danny Kaye plays a wonderfully silly role, it's one of my very favorite movies to watch, it always cheers me up when I worry too much or lose my sense of the ridiculous. I like all the Danny Kaye movies, but this one is hard to beat, with costumes from all over history, and the Pellet with the Poison is in the Chalice from the Palace.

Jingle Bells is Not my favorite Yuletide song, but it can get stuck in my mind because you just can't avoid hearing it, and then you can't get rid of it!

Joy - I love to use symbols for joy in my home, rainbows from crystals, hummingbird feeders to attract the flying jewels along with flowers that they like, which happily come in joyful colors and scents that I can enjoy, too.

Journey - every day - one foot in front of the other on a path towards the future. "The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began..."JRRTolkein

Junk can be treasure, it just depends on your viewpoint, and what you end up doing with it. A little paint, a little sandpaper, and Voila! ready to use once again

Juror - I love the movie "12 Angry Men", and I think it should be REQUIRED viewing in our schools because it teaches a lot about jumping to conclusions and human errors

Judge - "...I'll be Judge, I'll be Jury, said cunning old Fury, I'll try the whole case and condemn him to death..." L. Carrol - So important not to judge too quickly or too harshly, yourself or others, because it's often not your best choice

Jenga is a fascinating game of balance and steadiness of hand and mind

Jasmine grows as a perennial in this climate, and I have some star jasmine vines as ground cover, and trained up on supports so you can really see the white star shaped flowers with their rich scent on warm evenings. It's really tough, but looks delicate.

Jewelry design has been a semipro/hobby of mine for over twenty years, now, and while I was very burnt out for a while after producing large quantities of one-of-a-kind designs for several "one woman art shows" of my designs, which seemed to involve repairing everyone's broken jewelry as well, I'm enjoying it again as long as I don't fall into the trap of trying to do too much at once, or letting someone tell me what to design.

Jealousy is something I've seen destroy people. There's all kinds of jealousy, but whatever the cause it's like an acid, destroying friendships, relationships, and setting barriers between people for no good reason.

Justice is important in daily life, being fair to oneself and others, but Not Revenge! Justice.

Jerusalem has been desired by many people, and caused wars to be fought over it for religious beliefs, with crusades, deaths, and ruin. Maybe it could be set up as an area that NObody owns, and the wars could cease, like an International Park/site? I don't know, just seems like there should be some compromise that would work and stop all the nonsense.

Jar - a good tool that I've used in the past is a "fun jar", with outings and fun projects written on pieces of paper, and then you draw one to do when you have a free day! Great for motivating groups, kids, and adults who can't decide what to do first.

I think that's all the "J"s I need... B*B, Ysabeau

New dolly for my art supplies!

I found this at Art Supply Warehouse on sale for about half price!!!(of course, I ordered the purple, didn't like the green, my usual color choice) so I'll have something really practical for hauling my art supplies to school, for my classes next month. The dolly I used last year was much less practical, and is pretty worn out, too, so I was delighted to find this one. I ordered it and it will be on its way soon.

Since I'm taking (oil and acrylic) beginning painting, as well as continuing my watercolor class, it is really nice that this will hold the heavier supplies and liquid solvent and mediums I'll need, then I can just use them right from the organizer. I won't have to pull everything out, if it turns out I don't need it all that day. I can strap my paper or canvases to the handles, and I can also have a "set" of oil, and a "set" of acrylics, and just drop in the container I intend to use that day. I'll get a locker, but I know it won't all fit in there, and I'll probably use that for the watercolor supplies and extra paper and canvases.

I think it's going to be a great way to make the painting classes more accessable, since parking is going to be a real bear (with construction expected for at least two years taking up over half the adjacent parking). I have limited ability to lift and drag my equipment and may have to transport it quite a distance some of the time, and I've been concerned about it. Woo hoo! Ysabeau

I is for...

I is for I, simple and complex me, myself, and I

Iris, the colors and textures are really so fascinating, I participated in a quilt block swap of appliqued irises, and each person showed a different perception of them - also goddess of the rainbow, and looking at all the colors in my photos of them, that's appropriate

Ideas, my head is stuffed with them, some good, some, well.... debatable

Ink for writing, drawing, painting, stamping

Ice, really popular with everyone in the Summertime! It's 100 right now, more ice please! Ice tea, Ice cream, Ice coffee...

Ivy, ancient symbol of healing, reincarnation, growth

Illusions, trying to keep the good ones is a challenge

Indigo, one of my favorite watercolors to experiment with, and perhaps more flexible than black for showing tones and shadows, I did some figure studies that were satisfyingly expressive in indigo

Ill, I hate to be ill and I'm a lousy patient, always think I should be "all better right Now!" but the fact is, maybe I'm not... but every day I'm better and better

Isis, a very ancient goddess of protection, healing, mercy - spreading her wings over us

Intelligence, I have survived and thrived in difficult circumstances mostly due to the fortune of having a high level of intelligence, which has helped me to adapt, learn, and grow in the face of overwhelming odds in my environment

Irridescence, chatoyancy, that elusive quality of shimmer like scales on a fish, surface of moving water, subtle, but that makes me want to look again

Igloo, have you ever wanted to go live in one, when it's really hot in the Summertime?

Ignorance, which is NOT bliss, not by a long shot, and which causes a lot of the trouble in the world

Igor, (not eeegor, of course)

Ok, out of I's but of course, I'll think of five more the minute I hit send!

B*B, Ysabeau

H is for...

Herbs, I grow rosemary, French tarragon, lavender, chocolate mint, thyme, cilantro...

Hands, busy doing so much that I want them to do

Hollyhocks, I grow them every year, pink, white, fuschia, red, and all variegated and mixed, wonderful old fashioned flowers

Headaches, I get migraines, but not as often as I used to, and not as badly, either. I do have one right now, lasts several days, but milder than it could have been

Heart, as in willingness to keep on trying in spite of obstacles, also had a bad heart murmur when I was born, now it is just loud but no physical problems any more, guess I grew out of most of it

Hiccups, I used to get them pretty badly, sounded like a dying chicken or something, my mom said that I used to get them before I was even born

Hobbies, I tend to learn to make all kinds of things, and make stuff with my hands, especially anything to do with color

Harmony, I tend to see things in terms of balance and harmony, and love to listen to all kinds of vocal harmonies, from the Carter Family through gospel, blues, folk, jazz... and strive for harmony in my relationships

Healing, health, and a healthy mental attitude are all a big focus in my life right now, healing from three surgeries, dealing with health issues like diabetes and arthritis as well as old injuries, and overcoming anxiety and depression on a daily basis

Home, I love to spend time on my home, fixing it up, gardening, making food or seasonal decorations, even cleaning when I'm in the right mood, all towards making it a wonderful place to share with my dear, wonderful husband, and to enjoy myself, and I'm sad that I can't do as much as I used to in that direction, but try to take it in small steps. I'd rather spend time here, with it fixed up as well as possible, than go on a big trip somewhere else, does that make me a Hermit? I hope not

Haven Hearth, the name we gave our home with a hand painted sign on the mantle

Hope, there's always hope and I really think that I've developed a talent for finding it, and can usually find silver linings around even the darkest clouds, even if they are a little bit tarnished

Higgledy-piggledy, technical term for the condition my studio is in

Hallowe'en, or Samhain, always was my favorite holiday, I loved dressing up and going trick or treating, the last year I went I was 19 and in college, using my younger siblings as an excuse, er, I mean REASon to go

Hair, I used to wear mine really long, down to my knees, but I'm not really sure why it seemed so important to me at the time, just vain I guess

Himalayas, one of many places I visit online in photos, but will never go to

B*B, Ysabeau

Completely renovated bathrooms - never again, I hope!

Everything raised up higher for 6'5" dh, tiled, replumbed, new fixtures, new sink and marble countertop, medicine cabinets, lighting, tub...




too much fun.
and never again, I sure hope! B*B, Ysabeau