drawing from life

Long ago I wanted to be a fine artist...and by that, I mean working for Hallmark. I actually had a chance to design something for them once, not sure if they made it but hope they did, so I can cross that off the bucket list.

Drawing has always been a source of comfort for me, very much like a favorite blanket or teddy bear. It's not something I do well enough to continue to feed the bulldog, and with photo shop it may well become as relevant as devining, but its my thing and I enjoy it.

I draw to keep me from killing people.
I draw to avoid housework.
I draw to make me feel like I am doing something relevant and useful.
I draw because I can't sew.
I draw to avoid reality.
I draw to make me happy.

And sometimes I draw for people who actually pay me money, but those gigs are few and far between. In fact, while getting my taxes ready for last year I realized I haden't designed anything for a paying customer last year...or the year prior.
Guess that part of what I do is over. *sigh*

So now I dink around with pencils, crayons and pastels, for no other reason than because I can.

And that makes me happy.

vacation time, revisited

So onward and southward we head for South Carolina. The basic idea it to look at retirement porperty, get me out of the snow and shut me up for a while. (meanwhile, back in Michigan its a balmy 40 degrees and no snow)

We head for our hotel and tuck in for the night.

The next day was suppose to be for driving around and looking at property...but turned into driving around, eating fabulous sea food, driving around some more and then being too sleepy to do anything else

The hotel we were staying at had a wonderful buffet breakfast that ended at 9:00 am, so I had a small wedge to get the hubs out the door before noon. They changed the time to 11:00, so all bets were off. I spent the rest of the vacation having this conversation:

me: when do you want to start in the morning
him: I'll get up at 7:30 and we can have breakfast and go talk to some realitors
me: really??
him: sure

what actually happened:
him: oh! I didn't hear the alarm, what time is it?
me: 11:30
him: sorry...
Me: here's your damn poptart

We did drive to one location that was perfect in every way...homes with existing trees, 24/7 security, 4 on site resturants, a pier, a co-op art gallery and even their own church...
now all I gotta do is win the lottery.

Then we continue the perpetual conversation about retirement and what exactly that means. To me it means spending quality time in an environement that is secure and dosen't freeze your boogers. To him it's here, so he dosent have to move his crap.

We spend a week down there not talking to realators or banks, but manage to hit one flea market and eat a a bunch of seafood. The drive home consisted of me bitching about the point of driving down there and not looking at any thing, and him telling me it is a good thing to be thinking this far ahead, but he didn't see any reason to go beyond driving around.

Coming home we found the house smelled like a kennel and some of my items were chewed beyond redemption. The neighbor had assured us everything was going smoothly, no worries, but that was a wee bit over stated. The dogs actually pooped on and in everything and we were never told so we wouldn't worry.
First day home and I get to clean and mop the entire house...yippie.

They chewed my best throw blanket, my slipper, my teddy bear, my hat and my cloth doll...
I think they were trying to make a point.

So, as far as vacations go, I think I will avoid anything longer than 3 days, take the dogs with me and leave the hubs behind...then we will both enjoy our time off.

back from the vacation...everyone survived

This is a necklace I made from some of the findings from my vacation. Vacation: a time to relax and unwind, to regroup and recharge, quality time spent with the ones you love...

Yeah, not so much.

I am finding in my old age that my ability to roll with the flow sorta flowed right on out that door. Now, I find I have no patience with a few things...most things...oh hell...everything.

Driving with the hubs use to be the time away from phones and interruptions...not any more. Now we spend the entire time checking if our phone just chirped or did we run over a squirrel.

Finding quiet out of the way places to eat have now become dashboard dining at fast food restaurants we don't have locally...why-oh-why don't we live near a jack-in-the box so the hubs can eat his weight in those gawd awful tacos and be done with it????
(seriously, for our 25th anniversary we went to Hawaii and on the taxi ride from the airport he damn near jumped out of the car when he spotted a jack-in-the box...guess where we ate that night???)

And trips that use to fly by are now an excruciating time spent dodging break lights, talking to 'on star' and bitching about leg room.

The itinerary goes like this:
leave 7:30 am (or some time that has a 7 in it, like 10:17)

drive to local gas station buying just enough gas to get to state line in case gas is cheaper in next state. Tank up on gas station cappuccino

stop at gas station in next state to fill up on gas at the same price, but able to pee...more coffee

stop to pee at rest area

stop to pee at gas station 100 miles into trip, think about getting more coffee...decide to get bag of doritos instead.

20 minutes later gagging on salty snacks and need drink...stop for water and a cappuccino, sneak a pee.

continue for the next 800 miles until I am virtually stabbing hubs by the nads and demanding we stop for the night.

series of heavy sighs

drive in circles trying to find a place to stay that doesn't charge by the hour, check in and fall down.

day one complete.

to be continued

images

We all have idealized images of ourselves. The ones we think we look like versus the ones that we really look like. You know the ones...the pictures we delete, the group shots taken by someone else that make you cringe...drivers licenses pictures. Those are not us.

Nope, we think we look good when sporting that new $3 big-lots dye job or Dollar General track suit.

We insist that our comfy bra is fine even though the 'girls' are hanging in your lap and your shoulders have permanent dents.

And blue eye shadow was all over the runway in Paris last year.

Jeans that double as tourniquets are fine...

and that diaper bag from the 80's is a perfect solution for a purse.

Yeah, we can rock both mini's and platforms as long as walking and sitting is not involved, and lets not forget the cutesy T-shirt from back when we were groupies for the local country band that use to play at the bar...the one that burned down 20 years ago...

and then you go to the store and get given the senior discount without being asked

AARP are the only stalkers you have

your wardrobe is considered vintage

kids ask you about the good old days back in the 70's

you remember things like cassette tapes, film for cameras and rotary phones...and realize you still use all those things.

and then it hits you...

you aint cute anymore, at best you hope for handsome with flashes of long lost beauty...no one is 'carding' you again... ever, and the only thing you have to look forward to be being one of those wacky old ladies who bungee jump on their 80th birthday.

Suck it up, nothing anyone can do...own your age, dress like you want and be happy.
And if you can't be happy, go for wacky.

Images of love.

As yet another holiday approaches I am thinking about the concept of true love.

Interesting how it changes and evolves as the time goes by. When I was a kid on the playground I thought true love was when a boy socked you in the arm and ran away. Later it was when a boy returned your call, or sat by you at the football game. Later still it was spending money on you and remembering stupid made up anniversaries.

Now, after being married for 32 years it amounts to helping with the dishes, putting laundry away and bringing home ice cream.

Yeah, true love can take many forms...

holding your purse while you shop
holding your hair while you puke
eating that dinner you know was terrible
wiping out the sink
pumping your gas
having pancakes for dinner
calling before coming home to see if you need anything
gagging down Italian sausage on the pizza cuz I know you like it

Back in the day it might have been fabulous birthday presents and expensive dinners, now its more like fast food and a night of tv.

Or grabbing the vacuum and sucking up them tumbleweed sized dog hair clumps,
leaving the last 'little debbie' or cleaning up the fur balls instead of pointing them out for me to do it.

But mostly its being BFF's forever. It's when you look at that other person and know in your heart of hearts that you want to stab them with a fork in the throat as well as spend the rest of your life with them. That my friends is true love.

Some handy tips from the Queen.

While I know I seem to be the kind of person who has it all together it really is a challenge to keep up this fast paced lifestyle. Keeping a hunny happy, the career, the kids and a house has become such a challenge that I have developed a streamed line way to make it easy. Follow these tips and you too, can a poser like the Queen!

First and foremost...don't have kids. This cuts your work in half. Not having kids means you can eat what you like, spend your money on things need like beer and cheese cake instead of pampers and cell phones and you can use cheap shampoo. Not having kids means no car seats, baggies of cheerios and gogurt...the expensive ice cream is all yours and no one rolls their eyes at you. Its a good thing.

While pets are essential for keeping you sane, please make sure they clean themselves. Feral cats are perfect for this. Dogs are good too, as long as you get short hair ones that are already past the cute stage. After all, you need pets to clean up leftovers, bark when a leaf falls and blame farts on. They are a great excuse when you get that fugly sweater from your mother in law...who could blame fluffy for eating that lovely work of art.

Carpets are from Satan himself and should be banned from all homes. Carpets require more upkeep than an elderly relative with lots of cash and are about as grateful. Carpets catch dog hair and get stained if you look at them too hard. Make your life easier and rip them suckers out.

If you can't live in the boondocks like me, I suppose curtains are a requirement. Neighbors can be such a bother and who needs to know that you watch tv in your camo colored snuggie...so if you have reached maturity and decided sheets are not the adult method of window treatments, try wooden shutters...they don't need ironing, and can be nailed shut if you have wayward teenagers.

Here are some quick tips that will make you the Queen of your household.

Run the vacuume while playing marjohong...anyone listening will think you are working your delicate, well manicured nails to the bone.

Spray endust on the light bulbs so the whole house smells fresh and clean.

Place locks on the outside of bathroom doors. This keeps your precious little one inside the room till he cleans up his own freakin' mess. This works especially well if the shutters are nailed in place.

Butter dishes are trash, do not wash them, store them, and keep them for leftovers...thats what dogs and husbands are for. You have a totally different set of problems if you are keeping them as your 'good dishes'.

And finally, fabreeze is your friend, this invention will not only keep your family fresh, it cuts your laundry in half. Just a flip and a spritz and you are fresh as a daisy for another day.

I know these tips will keep you in a manner that we have all become so accustome too, and after all, you're woth it.

new years resolutions

well, that first one about not procrastinating is not going as well as planned...

But, onward and upward. This year has already offered me a chance to really spend time exploring my creativity. And while that sounds wonderful and uplifting, it basically means I have given up trying to find 'real' work and am now going to start crocheting pot holders and apple cozies.

There are some things I am going to make a concentrated effort to change. Really...honest.

Like:

I am going to stop sitting around in my housecoat all day telling myself I am saving the planet by decreasing the amount of laundry I do each week (month, year).

When the Fed-Ex guy shows up at 4:30 and I am still in my jammies, I am going to stop wrapping my head in a towel so he thinks I just got out of the shower.

I am going to stop eating fudge for breakfast..
I am sleeping in till 11:30 so I can eat fudge for brunch.

I am going to wait until after Judge Joe but before Judge Judy to start the daily Marjong marathons.

I will learn to text.

I will learn to use the DVR without throwing the remote against the wall...again.

I will cook...occasionally...at knife point...

I am decreasing my intake of gas station cappuccinos in favor of nice refreshing water...but as soon as it stops snowing, all bets are off.

and hopefully, I will stop neglecting this blog...
but don't bet on it.

happy New year, and happy Friday the 13th.