Itchy rashes, rain, and puttering in the studio...

Somehow I got into poison oak, I suspect my dogs were carrying the oil on their coats. I have it on both arms and both legs. OMG! I have never itched so bad in my life. I had to cut my fingernails real short just so I wouldn't scratch my skin off in my sleep. But the dogs have now been bathed, and I washed all their bedding, my bedding, and the covers I keep over the furniture. And they will no longer be allowed to play in the overgrown lot at the end of the street when we take our daily walks- I suspect that is were they got into it. Evidently dogs don't get poison ivy or oak because they seem to be fine- no itchys for them. And they look so fresh and cute after their baths- and me? I look so so lovely right now- angry red oozy blisters all over me and a big ol' scab on my knee from falling in the living room- good gawd what a mess I am! I told Mike I am not leaving the house until this clears up.


We got lots of rain this week. We got 2 inches in just one day and my yard looked like a small pond. In this photo you can see the standing water out in my lawn. It was raining so hard I had to stay on the patio and take the shot thru the screen. But everything is so green and lush now- obviously the poison ivy and oak are thriving, too-ha!
In between itching and applying benadryl lotion, I did some puttering in the studio. I cut a gecko out of copper and worked on a canvas to put him on. I used threads and stuff to give it a texture and then painted it. Now I am playing around with things to add to it. Who know how it will end up?
I've also been working on the mermaid sketch I did, "painting" her in my graphics program. But I am having trouble with my computer over heating, so I am guessing my fan is on the fritz and I need to take it in and have it worked on. I can use Mike's old computer while mine is in the shop, but I won't have my files and graphic program- damn! I hate being without my own computer.

While I am whining about rashes and computer problems, I might as well get this out of the way, too... someone left a comment taking issue with the Iraq war cost ticker I have on my blog. I realize people are polarized when it comes to how each of us feel about this war. For over 6 years it has been debated, and all the arguments from both sides have been voiced. I have no desire to debate in any further here on my blog. I am against the war and always have been. I understand that there are those who have supported the war from the beginning, and debating it here isn't going to change any one's mind. If you have an overpowering need to leave a comment telling me how wrong I am, that's fine, but it won't be approved and posted. But feel free to post anything you want about your beliefs on your own blog, or if you want to get into heated debates on the issue, there are oodles of political forums where you can do just that. Just not here.

Now that's out of the way, I need to go spray myself with benadryl again-

Peace-

Linda

Mermaid gestation, rainbows and strange ducks...

I have spent a bit of time in the studio this week- not a lot, but I did start this mermaid sculpt. Her armature is wrapped wire, and now I am putting a layer of Apoxie on her tail for strength. I have already cut one tail off her. This is the second tail, and it may have to get whacked off, too, since I am not any happier with this one than I was the first.


There were storms all around us yesterday afternoon but we didn't get anything except this rainbow. This evening we got a brief shower and another rainbow, but the photos of today's didn't turn out. I have seen more rainbows in the few years I have lived in Florida, than in all the many years I lived in IL.

Have you ever heard of Muscovy ducks? I had never seen one until we moved to Florida. They are so strange looking! They have this red warty looking stuff on their faces that I find a bit repulsive. When we lived in the apartment complex, the place was over run with them. Of course people fed them, they stayed around, raised brood after brood, until there were ducks everywhere. Which also meant there was duck shit everywhere...ewwww...

The management finally made a call, and animal control came out with nets and caught all but three. That was shortly after we moved into the apartment. Two years later when we bought this place and moved, there was already another large population of Muscoy's that had moved in and taken over. Tonight, I noticed a pair in the yard down the street. These two look like they are the results of a breeding between a mallard and a Moscovy. If so, I won't have to worry about them doing the nasty and being over run with ducks again, because they would be sterile. But if they were fertile and laid eggs in my yard, I would know what to do. As it was explained to me- if you simply remove the eggs from their next, they will soon just lay more. But if you pick the eggs up and shake them real hard and place them back in the nest, they will never hatch, but the parents will continue to sit on them for awhile (instead of immediately having hot ducky sex and laying more).

And I will close this entry with photos of something a wee bit prettier than warty faced ducks- a hibiscus bloom at the side of my patio, taken after the evening rain. Hopefully they will enlarge when you click them, but I can't promise- just depends how the mysterious blogger gods are feeling at the moment.

Peace-

Linda

Drug abuse and Baby, The Rain Must Fall...

Remember that old Glenn Yarborough song, Baby, The Rain Must Fall?



But, baby, the rain must fall


Baby, the wind must blow



Wherever my heart leads me


Baby, I must go Baby, I must go







Well, I found myself humming that to Isabella most of Saturday. All day it rained, and rained and rained... We are officially now out of the drought category. Which is great for my yard, plants, and the Florida landscape, but agony for Isabella. I didn't even need to check the radar to know we were going to have some big storms.

Hours before the first rain drop falls, Isabella starts insisting that something horrendous and dire is soon to befall us. She starts pacing, panting, and following me around, staying as close as she can get to me. As the storm gets closer, she starts trembling and drooling until eventually she is shaking so bad, her front feet slip out from under her, and she slips into the pool of drool on the floor. If it is going to be a brief storm and it is too late for a pill to get into her system, I make her suck it up and deal with it. But if it's going to go on for hours, I give her a pill, which helps tremendously. Even with her meds, she is still terrified, but doesn't drool or shake near as bad as she does unmedicated. Well, Saturday was a three pill day. It rained so much and for so long that Mike had to run the sump pump under the house several times.

I spent the day gazing at the following view out my windows:

I watched movies and spent some time in the studio playing. I sketched a mermaid and then scanned her into my graphic program where I will "paint" her and create an ocean type background. I'm not sure what I will do with her then- maybe print it out and place it on a canvas? I also started a mermaid sculpt- started sculpting her tail first, but the bottom of her tail looks too thick to me now. So I will cut it off and redo it.

We were supposed to have the same kind of weather Sunday, but oddly enough, as the storms approached our coastline, they would split... going a few miles north and a few miles south of us. We got a some sprinkles, but for the most part, our day was dry and sunny. But Isabella wasn't convinced- she kept looking at her pills and then staring at me as if she could will me to give her one. Me thinks my little Amy Winehouse (Isabella does have that Winehouse beehive thing going on) may be a bit too fond of these pills! What next? Tattoos? Bad boyfriends? Clubbing all night? Photos of her not wearing underwear appearing in the gossip columns? Calls from the police station? Will the papparozzi camp out in front of our house trying to snap naughty photo of her?

After several trips outside to see that is was not storming, Isabella forgot about her drugs, finally relaxing and frolicking in the sunshine. Maybe if Amy got out England, visited Florida and soaked up some rays, she could forget about her drugs, too? But in all seriousness, if only in real life the nightmare of drug addiction could be so easily treated... a devastating tragedy for so many families.

Peace-

Linda

Crow update and my hero...

Remember the injured crow I mentioned yesterday? Well, when Mike got home yesterday evening, I told him there was a dead crow somewhere along the side of the house, and asked him to dispose of the body. I had no doubt that the poor thing was dead, as it appeared to be dying when Emmy found it earlier that afternoon. Mike went out to take care of the unpleasant chore, but a little later walked into my studio to tell me that the crow was still very much alive, though unable to stand or fly. I was just sick at the thought of it laying out there dying a slow agonizing death. But Mike calmed me down and told me he had already made arrangements- he had made some calls and found a wildlife rehabilitator out on Anna Maria Island that would take the crow. And why does this make Mike my hero? He had been up since 4:30 a.m., put in a long day at work, and at 9 that night, instead of relaxing in his living room chair, he was putting a crow in a box and driving it out to the island. You have to love a man who cares enough about an ordinary crow to go out of his way to help it- that makes him a hero in my eyes! Whether the crow makes it or not, my hero did all he could to give it a chance.

Remember how I described the crows circling the injured one, cawing and diving at Emmy? Mike said that evening when he was putting the crow in a box, there were crows circling over head and some in the trees watching him, but none dive bombed like they tried to do with Emmy. Tonight when we were taking the dogs for their walk and went by the side of the yard where the crow had been, there were crows circling over that exact area. I hadn't seen any all day, but at dusk, there they were. It made me curious about the dynamics of crow flocks so I did a bit of research on the 'net. I found a site that told the story about a crow funeral, and The Humane Society had another interesting article about crows mating for life and how their offspring live with them for years.

And as if I didn't already adore this man enough, today he came home with this fan that lights up a letter at a time. It can be programed to say anything, but look what my hero made the fan say? Okay- too much sweetness in one post? Are you now ready to barf? LOL! I will be sure and make a bitchy post someday soon- about how he leaves fingerprints on all the stainless steel appliances, the stainless steel wastebasket and the the glass sliding door because he doesn't use handles. I am not above being petty and bitching about trivial stuff. But today he is my hero and I love him to pieces!

Peace-

Linda

Egrets, storms and magical mushrooms...

I'm still feeling uncreative and uninspired. I sat in the studio yesterday trying to generate a creative spark, but it just wasn't there. Two hours passed and I realized all I had done was sit there and watch TV. So I gave up, put my swim suit on and went to the pool-LOL! I did get my sketch pad and pencils out, so perhaps this afternoon I will go in and just draw. I should be working on finishing all the sculpts I have in progress, but am just not in the mood.

The pot my rubber tree sits in seems to be a favorite place for some kind lovely mushroom. I took this first photo last month before our rains started. At that time there were two large mushrooms that formed. I had never seen this kind of mushroom before and thought it was beautiful- lovely yellow color and intricate texture and details. After about two days, they began to sag and decompose. (Click all the photos to see the full size image.)

Then two days ago, a whole crop of yellow 'rooms shot up in the same pot. Perhaps these lovely yellow mushrooms will attract the fae to my yard for Midsummer's Eve, which is fast approaching. Of course my yard won't be near as appealing to the fairies as Mari-Nanci's gorgeous flower garden. Look at these beautiful flowers on her blog at Smilensigh.



I happened to look out my window the other day and saw this gorgeous Great Egret across the street in my neighbors' (Donna and Phyllis) yard. And of course I had to run outside with my camera and take pictures. Notice the greenish stripe of color on his face? That means it is in breeding mode. They get the green face stripe and lacy feather plumes during breeding season. Sadly, the lacy plumes didn't show up in the photo.

Yesterday evening a storm blew in from the Gulf and once again I failed at getting photos of the lightning that lit up the sky. I always clicked just a moment too soon or a moment too late. We didn't get much rain from this storm, but another moved in early this morning before daybreak, and for hours gave us a nice soaking rain.

I have a drama going on in my yard this afternoon. I just had Emmy out for a potty break and luckily she was on a lead. She rushed to the side of the house, trying to get to a crow that was sitting under the shrubs. Of course I held her back so she couldn't harass the poor thing- he appears to be seriously injured, unable to fly or walk. And no, I am not taking photos of this scene playing out- it's just too sad and unsettling for me. I hate seeing any creature suffer. But his flock has not abandoned him- there are crows filling the sky on that side of the yard, circling and calling to him. I think if Emmy had gotten any closer to him, the flock would have attacked her- their cawing became deafening when she rushed toward the injured crow and they began to swoop down, circling closer and closer. This poor guy sure has some great friends- the kind that we would all love to have in our lives... a flock that is always there for us, watching our back, and staying near us in a time of need.

Sorry I have no art work to show. I am sure you are all tired of photos of my plants, toads, clouds, storms, and such. Hopefully my creative imp will return and inspire me again.

Peace-

Linda

Love and marriage for all!

I have nothing artsy to show or talk about it- still in that uncreative mood. But I do have some thoughts to share about a current news topic- gay marriage.

"The May 15 California Supreme Court ruling that overturned the state's bans on same-sex marriage became final at 5:01 p.m. Monday, and clerks in at least five counties extended their hours to mark the occasion." You can read the full article here.

I know the subject of gay marriage stirs strong feelings in some people. Many believe that gays choose a gay lifestyle, but scientific studies are showing that being gay is biologically determined. And many people see homosexuality as a moral issue. I won't debate this as a moral issue because we each have our deep seated beliefs in what is moral and what isn't. What I will comment on is the legal issue of gay marriage. I feel the religious rite of marriage is being confused with the legal right of adult people to enter into a civil marriage. I have no problem with religions/churches deciding if they will or will not preform the religious rite of marriage for gays, but I do have a problem with the government relying on religious doctrine when deciding that gays can not obtain a marriage license and be married in a civil ceremony. A civil ceremony is a legally sanctioned contract between two adults ( that's why we have to go to court to have the contract (marriage) legally terminated), and it is unconstitutional to deny gay couples the legal benefits of a civil marriage contract.

I have been fortunate to have had several gay friends over the years- all who were great people. I also have a gay brother who has been in a committed relationship for 18 years. He and his partner are devoted to each other, living their lives just like any other other couple- they work, pay taxes, vote, have cared for elderly parents, stood by and helped out family during rough times, they go to church, have bought homes together, stood by each other through illnesses and hard times, been involved in community events... all the things heterosexuals do and go through during life. Their love, devotion, and loyalty to each other is greater than I have seen in many heterosexual relationships. My brother is a good person - it hurts and angers me that his legal rights are denied him and he is treated as less of a person than heterosexual people.

Please don't leave anti-gay comments, as I will not post them. I am not making this post to debate the issue, but just to express my feelings. You have the freedom to blog about your feelings on this issue on your own blog and I respect your right to do so.

Peace-

Linda

Plants, a frog of a different color, and girls gone wild...

This is why I hate doing domestic stuff- once you start it is hard to quit. Like cleaning- I can not clean just one room. Once I start, I can't quit until the entire house is clean. I noticed how perky and nice all the bromeliads looked in their new pots, and then started feeling this nagging urge to repot some of my other plants. I tried to ignore it and tell myself the plants were doing just fine in last summer's pots, but every time I would walk out on the patio it was like the plants were calling to me- repot us, please, please repot us! There was the crown of thorns that has spilled out over its pot and growing in the strangest shape because I didn't have it supported. And she is now in a new larger pot, but still shaped oddly-LOL!


After the crown of thorns was sitting pretty in her new pot, my miraculous jade plant got my attention. I bought this jade plant as a tiny stem with a few leaves when we still lived in the apartment. She sat out on the patio, got tipped over and lost half of her soil. She sat like that for two years, never growing, but not dying either...just hanging on. She was so pitiful looking, I almost pitched her when we moved to our current house. But I didn't have the heart to toss her out after she struggled so long just to survive. The first summer we were here, she didn't get repotted because we spent the summer dodging hurricanes. The only care any of my plants got that summer were to be moved in and out between storms. But the next spring, I finally got that little stem with a few leaves planted in a nice roomy clay pot with lots of fresh potting soil. That poor little thing took right off and began to thrive. Three years later, here she is in the brand new pot she got this weekend.

See the stand sitting by the back door of the patio? It was completely covered in philodendrons. And when I say completely covered, I mean completely covered! The plant stand looked like a tall rectangle of leaves and vines. It was even hard to water the plants because the vines were so thick it was hard to find the pots. I knew they all needed new digs as it had been a couple of years since I had potted them. The only way I could get them out of the stand to repot them was to take the scissors to them and cut most of the vines away. After thinning them out, I ended up with just two pots of them. I so wish I had taken photos before I cut the plants back! I have quite a few of saved vines from the clippings and have them sitting in water to root.

This is my Red Emerald, another member of the philodendron family. She has taken over her plant stand, too. I haven't gotten her repotted yet, but she needs it. She is another one I should have provided a support pole and trained her to go up instead of down.

I finished one of the little frogs today. I don't care for how it turned out, and have lost my interest in finishing the other two. I think perhaps I am burned out on frogs? I'm just not feeling creative right now.



Mary O. said she hasn't felt creative since the recent loss of her dear cat buddy, Moses. I think a road trip in her beautiful new car would cheer her up! Mary, Karen, Jacque, Sherry and I were just chatting about how much fun it would be to drive cross country in Mary's new car all the way to Judi's. We all chat together online in the evenings, and it would be a hoot if we could meet up and take a trip together- we could call it our Girls Gone Wild Road Trip. Okay, it would be more like The Golden Girls Gone Wild Road Trip...

Peace-

Linda

Endings and losses, angry skies, and life goes on-

I decided to tackle a job today that I have been avoiding. But since it is costing me money every month, it was time to get it over with. Since 2001 I have had a website where I posted letters, pictures, and stories to my oldest grand daughter who I have not seen since 2000. There was also a section where I offered free graphics. In the past year, I started a blog where I began posting her letters, and haven't been updating the website. So I spent today printing out each of the letters posted on her website, in hopes that some day they can be given to her. It was interesting reading back through all the letters I wrote, and also very sad to realize how many lost years have slipped by, and how we have missed most of her childhood. Here is the stack of letters that represent all those lost years.


Just before I heard a TV news report announcing the sudden death of Tim Russert, I took this photo of today's afternoon storm looming over us from the east. It seemed symbolic for the sky to darken with the passing of a great American political commentator. I didn't always agree with him, but I respected him.

The storm wasn't as ominous as it looked- just a little wind, a bit of lightning and lots of welcome rain. There was no damage from wind like there was last night.

Tonight our neighborhood amphibian chorus is engaged in a repeat performance of last night's concert. When I was just outside there was a little tree frog hanging on the patio door screen. After I took this photo, I carefully and slowly opened the door so I could get a photo from the other side. He stayed put as I carefully shut the door, but just as I pressed the button to take his picture he leaped from the door into one of the nearby plants, disappearing into the foliage. Evidently he is camera shy.

But this guy? He seemed to love the camera, posing with confidence and holding his pose like a pro.

I also got some great shots of a slug, but ended up deleting them as I know most people aren't dying to see photos of slugs. I realize I am odd and find some things interesting that other people may think are gross.

Peace-

Linda

Storms and painted butts...

The day started out warm and sunny, with the sound of lawn mowers and trimmers throughout the neighborhood as the lawn care people worked. They always work early in the day, quitting by mid day to avoid our late afternoon storms and the heat. Which today was a good thing because as the day wore on, clouds began to move in from the east of us, slowly sliding in front of the sun.

By late this afternoon darker clouds formed and came thundering toward us. I hurriedly medicated Isabella as she was already trembling and drooling. This poor dog needs a desert home where it rains maybe twice a year. Living here is pure agony for her most of the summer.

I went outside with my camera, hoping to get lucky and snap a photo of the lightning. I took picture after picture, always clicking just a second too late. I didn't get one single photo of lightning. But here is a photo of the dark clouds moving towards us from the north east. There was a lot of wind, rain, and lightning with this storm. Luckily we only got lots of much needed rain, but in other parts of Bradenton there was damage from trees that were toppled, lanais destroyed, and the cages over swimming pools plus some carports were blown away.
Since I couldn't do anything outside, I didn't feel a bit guilty about playing in the studio. I pulled the little frogs out and got their butts painted.
And then flipped them over and continued with their painting.


And now the day has come to an end, the rain has stopped, the moon and stars are shining in the nighttime skies, and Isabella is sleeping peacefully beside me. I wish you could hear the frogs celebrating today's rain. I was just outside and all I could hear were frogs singing- one is so loud he sounds like a horn honking, and others are singing softly in the background. Ah- summer nights...pure magic!
Peace-
Linda

Flooding in midwest, a graphic and new chairs...

I'm sure you all have seen the news about the flooding going on in the nation's midsection? This severe spring weather has hit Jacque and Sherry's area with a vengeance. Their area has a lot of flooding- Sherry had to vacate her house due to rising water in her basement, and Jacque's town is like an island with all the roads leading out of it closed due to flooding. I was just on the phone with Jacque and there was another band of severe storms moving in on them. This is the same storm system that earlier this eveing spawned a tornado that killed some boys camping at a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa. Why in the world there were children camping this week with record levels of rainfall and severe storms in the forecast, I haven't a clue. It's just so sad to think of those kids in such a horrible situation. Please keep a good thought for Sherry and Jacque tonight!

I had another busy day, but this evening I just had to do something creative- anything! It has been too many days. I was tired and didn't feel like actually going into the studio and working, so I took the elephant drawing I did last month and played with in my Paint Shop Pro program as I watched So You Think You Can Dance. I cropped the image of the elephant from the drawing, and put it on a leather textured background and added some darker shading to the elephant, then I gave it a red frame.

Late this afternoon, the chairs we bought Monday arrived. I just love them! But.... we found that the dining room chairs won't slide under the table. The chair arms are like an 1/8 of an inch too high. So we will have to sand the under lip of the table down so the chairs will fit under it. As you look at these pictures, pay no mind to the yucky floors. We are laying Pergo floors after everything else is done in those rooms. But for now we have subfloors and old nasty tile.



Peace-
Linda

Summer rains begin, grass turns green, and planting is done!

Remember when I planted the bougainvillea and how brown my grass was? As Chad and Jeremy sang- well, that was yesterday and yesterday's gone. ( The line of that song popped into my head, and then I couldn't remember who sang it or any more of the words, so I had to stop and look it up- ever get something stuck in your mind and it drives you nuts until you look it up and find the answer?). Okay, back to my grass and bougainvillea... The vines I planted in the pot are filling out nicely and the bougainvillea is still blooming. Our summer rains have arrived, and we have been getting our typical late day summer showers the past few days. Amazing how fast the lawn turns green and how the plants start growing like crazy. I planted some more of the purple potato vine late this afternoon in the planter that runs along the front of the house, and all the planting for the spring is done. I won't plant anything else until late fall. Hmmmm.... there is that empty pot in the rock garden and it really does need something in it....maybe I am not done-ha!

The bromeliad pups are all in their new pots and back in the clay stand on the patio. I forgot to take a photo of the ones that I placed back in the front frog planter and the ones I sat around it.

And here are the homeless ones. I need to get a plant stand to place against that wall so they have somewhere to sit besides the floor. Oh by the way... speaking of plant stands- remember the ones I painted recently? Well, they won't go with the carpet we are getting, so they have to go. I will get new ones, stain them and then apply a couple coats of a clear sealer. Perhaps one of my neighbors can use the painted stands.

Even the hibiscus growing beside the rock garden are celebrating the return of our summer rains.

I've rambled on enough so I will wait until tomorrow to tell you about our Monday shopping trip. What we bought will be delivered tomorrow so I can even show you pictures.

Still nothing artsy to show you. Due to our three day weekend, I am behind on all my regular household chores, plus Isabella has a vet appointment tomorrow, so that day is already spoken for. Maybe I will get into the studio Thursday?

Peace-

Linda

Mystery Plants, Yard Critters, No Sex...

...I figured the "no sex" would get your attention-LOL! I suppose you are now expecting me to tell you that I am either sex starved or am declaring no to sex. Nah...it's nothing that interesting, just that my plans to see Sex and The City fell through once again. The woman I was going with had to cancel, and even though Mike gallantly offered to go with me, I didn't go see it. Drats! I have come to the conclusion that I need to put some effort into finding a BFF here in Bradenton. I so dearly miss my old girl friends, but for some reason, I haven't made it a priority to cultivate close girlfriends since we moved here. And lately I have realized that's been a mistake, and I miss those times spent with girl friends. Maybe I need to run an ad in the local paper for a new BFF. I'll have to give some thought to what the ad would say and the characteristics I would want in a new BFF. I have certainly had some interesting and colorful ones in the past- oh the stories I could tell- and I loved them all.

So instead of going to the movies, I went to Home Depot and Lowes to get more pots, bark planting mix, and more sweet potato vine. Both stores were out of the purple vine, but they had the green. We looked for plant stands but didn't find anything we liked or would work in the space I have available. I did find some on the internet I like and would work. Two of these tiered ones would fit on the corner by the water fall thingie. And I loved this leaning one but I'm not sure where I could put it. I will have to rearrange and see if I can find a spot for it.

I still don't have photos of any creative work so I will fill in with photos I've taken around the yard the last couple of days. And perhaps someone will know what my mystery plants are and can enlighten me?

Hopefully, all the following photos will enlarge to full size when you click them with your mouse. This palm tree is in the front yard of the house several doors down from me. I love this palm but have no idea what kind it is. I asked the owners but they didn't know either. They said the previous owners had planted it.






The photo below is the rock garden on the side of my patio- farther down but not shown is the back door. You'll notice the one barren planter sitting there. Two months ago I meant to clean that out, put in some fresh potting soil and plant some colorful annuals. But there it sits still empty- shame on me!



We had a brief rain yesterday evening just before sunset, and I got this photo of a little gecko hiding from the rain on the trunk of this corn plant by the patio front door.

Late last night the yard was alive with toads and singing frogs after the rain we got earlier. I always look forward to nighttime after a nice rain because the frogs fill the night with their songs. And with luck, a nightingale or catbird will join in the starlit concert. I have lived here almost 6 years and it still thrills me to hear a bird singing on summer nights. I had never heard birds sing at night until moving here. Can you tell I love summer nights? LOL!

And now here are the mystery plants! A couple of years ago a friend gave me pots and pots of various succulent plants. She had no idea what the names were of the plants, so they are referred to as the mystery plants. I sat the pots in my rock garden last fall but hadn't gotten around to taking them out of the pots and planting them. I was so surprised this spring to find that they had spread through out the rock garden. They are certainly hardy little things! Here is a photo of some of the originals that are still in their pots- any idea what they are? The sweet potato vine, of course, I know.

The plant below is very interesting. When I had the pot sitting in partial shade, it did nothing. But once I sat it in full sun in the rock garden, it suddenly began growing like crazy. It is now about 2 feet tall and it has a very sticky surface. After touching it you are are left with sticky fingers. You can't see the sticky substance, just feel it. And it has these little red and yellow flowers, and odd little green balls that look like tiny unripe tomatoes. Any idea what this plant is?

Tonight, about 11 p.m., I spotted this darling little tree frog sitting on a leaf of one of the frangipani plants. I wish I had gotten a better photo of his eyes because they were amazing.

Peace-

Linda

Bromeliad pups in pots -

I think I need to put these bromeliads on birth control! I got some of them divided and new pups in pots, but still have oodles to left to do. I ran out of the bark mixture and pots (even thought I doubled up some of the pups), and need to make another trip to Lowes. I was looking at the newly potted pups today and there is yet another pup forming on one of them! At this rate, they are going to take over my patio. I had never grown bromeliads until I moved to Florida. In IL. they would have to be an annual. Even if I had brought them in the house for the winter, they wouldn't have done well due to the low humidity in a heated home. But here they thrive on the heat and humidity, and the cooler winter temps don't seem to faze them.

Looks like this week is going to be a complete wash out, as to getting any art work done. I didn't get anything done in the studio all week. In fact I probably won't get back to work in the studio until next Tues. Tomorrow I need to clean and do some laundry, Sat. I have plans to go see Sex and the City, then some shopping Sunday, and Mike is taking Monday off from work to celebrate our 24th anniversary. We haven't decided what we will do to that day- maybe go to the beach? Of course if we plan on going to the beach, it will probably turn out to be a stormy, rainy day-LOL! We are still in drought mode here, even after getting that nice rain a few weeks ago, but sure as hell if we make plans, it will rain-Ha! June 1st was the beginning of hurricane season and the summer rains should be arriving soon. I wouldn't mind if they stayed away until after Monday- crossing my fingers!

Peace-

Linda

The day everything went out

The word "out" has many meaning and uses. One can step out, come out, strike out, cross out, etc. You can run out of something, have a blow out, or out source. And something can go out- like my computer and back did Saturday morning. The day began innocently enough... I got up, felt fine, got on my computer to check e-mail, and received a message that I needed to re-new my Norton virus protection. That's when the day began its downhill slide. I re-newed my subscription and did the download, waited while everything loaded and when finished, re-booted my computer. When the computer came back on I discovered I could no longer connect to the internet- nothing can make me as crazy as computer problems can! I tried the usual cures- unplugging my computer from the power strip, unplugging the internet modem, and then plugging everything back in, rebooting- still no internet. Then I ran through the Roadrunner diagnostics and got a message that something was wrong with my network card. By this time I am cursing and totally frustrated. After messing around and trying to solve the problem for several hours, I gave up and Mike dropped it off with the geek squad in hopes they could find the problem and correct it. So the computer was the first thing to go out.

While Mike was gone, I went out on the patio to make a phone call to a neighbor to arrange a time to go see Sex and The City. I was dying to see that movie and hoping to go that day. The person I was calling wasn't home so I left her a message to call me. As I stood up to walk back into the house, my back froze at a 90 degree angle and I couldn't stand upright without experiencing the kind of pain that makes you wet your pants. And now my back was out. My computer and back went out, and I sure as hell wasn't going out walking all bent over with my big ass stuck out and up, so no going out to the movie. Such a lovely looking walk, dontcha' know?


So from Sat. until today I have been without a computer and a working back. I have discovered I would make a terrible invalid. I don't handle inactivity with grace and dignity, I get snarly and bitchy. But I decided this time I was going to handle this back episode with grace and dignity- no whining, cursing, or complaining that I am bored. So I laid on the couch with my heating pad and alternating between heat and ice. I watched more movies than I usually see in a year, and caught up on some of the reality shows on E and Bravo. By the end of the day, I was feeling quite sorry for myself- no computer, no going to the movies to see Sex and The City. So to make myself feel better I had Mike go out and get cinnamon sugar donuts and milk- love to dunk my donuts in milk, dontcha' know? And there went the diet - I ate an entire dozen over the evening! I am now afraid to weigh myself- I probably gained 5 lbs back. I hung on to the grace and dignity crap until mid Sunday- then the whining began: "I am so bored" "this sucks!" and as my complaining and whining continued my language got more colorful. We won't talk about the following days as it got worse and worse.

But the worse is now over, my computer is back home and my back is getting back normal. According to the geek squad when Norton uninstalled the old version they some how messed up my network card. No more Norton for me- I deleted it from my computer and am now using a virus software that the geek squad recommended.

I haven't a thing to show since this is the first day I have been up all day. And since I have no photos of my work to show, I am posting one of my favorite photos of Isabella




Now that my computer and back are back to normal, I'll be back to blogging daily.
Peace-
Linda