Jun5

Dianne the portrait artist

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1978-86

Why these dates? I haven’t draw anything like these since Sean was little!

Here are some drawings I did way back in the late 70s when I was between 19-20 yrs old. Yeah, Al Pacino looks like Jesus a little, but that was his character in Serpico. The lady was an Irish actress Mary Larkin who appeared in a mini-series in 1980 called ‘Against the Wind’. I remember drawing this and the other-not shown (from the local tv magazine) down the shore while staying at a beach house with my mom, grandmom and little brother) I was at the age where I felt I was getting too old to go on trips like this. I know, she has a long neck! The baby was a drawing assignment from ‘Drawing from the right side of your brain’.

My mom is a terrific portrait artist and still draws when the mood hits. She is draws in a more sketchy way where I like to shade more. Mom and I are both lefties.

Al Pacino as Serpico

Al Pacino as Serpico
Mary Larkin
Mary Larkin

Baby

Jun4

Rainy days

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Yesterday the rain held off until later in the afternoon. Bri was able to go to his dad’s house and plant a few tomatoes (like he does every year). Then the deluge started from Hurricane Barry. This morning a huge branch from our apple tree in the back is broken off! It’s still raining this morning.

Personally I had a strained upper back just to make me feel a bit miserable. I used the heating pad while watching the next Food Network Star challenge. My back seems ok when I am laying down, which is good, but as soon as I start moving around-tightness. I have some major cleaning to do as my friend, whom I have never met in person, is coming for a visit this weekend coming up! So exciting. The next 3 weekends will be crazy.

Update-what a fun morning. I felt super anxious and what I think is wrong with me is a tummy bug. I did try some of that Danactive drink yesterday for your immune system-not sure if that agreed with me. I actually called my gyn and a midwife called back who is a year older than me. This is such an unpredictable age for women-we feel good one day and out of it the next.

Bri is getting a mole (or whatever it is) checked out on his forehead this afternoon. In fact, I hope the dermatologist gives him a once over as he has lots of moles and skin tags. I think he wants me to go with him. Wish him well.

Update-all the moles, skin tags were benign! Yeah. So happy. He even went out and cut down the apple tree branch after dinner. I’m feeling a little better, though tired. Hoping for a better tomorrow. Stomach bugs are the pits.

Zoey asked about the Food Network Star show-I too liked Amy the leader of the one team for the wedding. Thinking about the others, I agree, none are really jumping out at me either. I think Amy is the best right now.

Jun1

Enchanting orchid

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Brian gave me this last year and it really likes the garden window in the kitchen! The first blooms got stuck in part of the window. Now I see it has these two and some new branches coming out. I noticed they don’t like to be watered a lot.
Orchid from the garden window
Orchid from the garden window
The air conditioning is fixed or adjusted. A nice man who looked like actor Jason Robards (I compare everyone to a celebrity) thought it had something to do with our old dehumidifer and the air getting really cold from that (say what?). He put some kind of a vent in there and closed it up.

Jun1

Waiting on the service man

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I get up this morning and Bri had left me a note that says there was water on the floor near the air conditioner unit in our basement and that the coils had ice on them. We’ve never had the a/c serviced in about 9 yrs, so it’s getting looked at today. Oy! When it rains it pours. Sean is complaining about how much he has to pay on his car insurance-he wants to buy PSU football tickets instead. Welcome to the real world fella, right? I did find out that our insurance covers the tow fee. We actually paid for it in the long run.

Still no email.

Did you know there was a ‘blue’ moon last night? If there are two full moons in one month, the second is called the blue moon. It only occurs every 2.5 years or so. Check out this blog for some interesting facts about the blue moon.

I have been enjoying stitching and watching some new summer shows. I need to print off my bingo cards for the ABC show tonight. There’s a new Survivor type show called ‘Pirate Master’, not too bad. Glad I don’t have to watch reruns like I did when I was a kid.

Cosmo is a member of Animal Internet. He (I) was asked to join after one of the writers there (mostly tv writers) found his blog. The community was asked to write about how global warming would effect us and Cos wrote an 11th hour entry about ‘glow ball warming’. He made the front page, but we don’t think he won the $100 prize, but we don’t see any other entries concerning global warming. We thank the talented writer who read it and for his embellishment of our editorial.

Have a cool weekend! I hope we do here!

May31

Every which way but down

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I’ll tell you it was a crazy day. I called our internet provider (if you know my email address you know which company this is) to order a router so Sean could get online with his new laptop. They are coming next Thursday. To do this took about 40+ minutes as they kept moving me from one department to another. Don’t other customers call for the same thing?

Later, around 1:30, I get on and my email isn’t working-I can’t receive new email and my password is rejected. I call them back and then the internet goes down. The guy said it should be working ‘by the end of the business day’. Yeah right.

So at 6 pm I let Brian take his turn with them. The new order was messing up our present account. A nice man from Oregon got us online and receiving email again, but an hour later, the email was down again. It looks like I won’t be getting email until next Thursday! I won’t be calling the idiots again. I sent them a message through their website.

Not only did that happen, but it was so hot I couldn’t do anything outside. I watered stuff later. I did try to take the cat out for a walk (he had just woken up and was dopey)  and something really spazzed him out near the door-he went straight up in the air 2 feet and kicked into (like karate) a small table that is holding a doll house I made and have set up there. I grabbed the house, which didn’t fall, but one table leg was completely broken off! I got the wood glue and rubber bands to try and fix it. It belonged to Bri’s grandmom too. Cos felt bad and stayed away from me the rest of the day.

So it isn’t ‘every which way but ‘up’, its what went down today. Hoping for a better tomorrow.

Please don’t email me, just leave a message here.

May30

This is all I have

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A slow day because I did so much before noon! Not a morning gal, but Sean wanted to get his car early to go work out at the ‘Y’. So we got the car at 11:15 (which is early for me), then I went to the produce place, the drugstore, Acme and McDonalds all before 12 struck. And you know it wasn’t as crowded at the above places then. ; )

Here’s what I did to entertain myself-take photos of Cosmo. Check out his blog .
Here’s a teaser for you…

Looking for a green snack
Working on another cross stitch UFO called ‘A Walk in the Woods’ even though I cut the fabric too short and can’t add the second violet border. I completely forgot it had two until I saw the ‘repeat above design here’. It will look fine without it. I’m excited about getting the final project for the Neighborhood Round Robin that my pals and I have been working on. I hope to have it by the middle to end of June.

May29

Cape May finished!

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Cape May design
Stitched off and on from about Jan/Feb ’06 until May 2007. Cape May by Valentine Stitchery stitched on Ocean Fantasy 28 ct. lugana.  (opps-it’s on a pillow, the top isn’t crooked). Think I’ll get this professionally framed when I find a coupon from Michaels or AC Moore.

Off to the dentist again…soon. I’m feeling eating ‘bad foods’ like donuts and grilled stuff. I should know better not to schedule the dentist after a holiday.
Sean’s car needs a starter and I hope we can pick it up today as I will probably be at the dentist an hour or more.
Update-OUCHIE! It was not a pleasant dental visit (gum scraping hurts). Sean’s car is still at the shop and he has my van. Here’s what I am doing to take my mind off my sore mouth:
5-29-07 collage
White clematis in a pot (where should I plant this?); the orange flower from my window box; apricot nemesia; the first tiny leaves of my new waterlily; one of the first roses of the year; Japanese irises near the pond.

May28

There is a secret!

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We had the best hamburgers on the grill tonight. After I made the potato salad (I used red potatoes), I got the hamburger meat out. I usually buy the frozen disks of meat. This time I caught a sale and got 4 lbs for only about $7.50. When we go to Rudy’s Diner the burger platters for one person are about that price. So I divided up the meat when I bought it and took out 2 lbs for today. I got out my fairly new Martha Stewart Everyday Food book (compiled from the terrific magazine) and looked under hamburger-nothing! I then looked under ‘beef’ and low and behold it said the world’s best burger. So I anxiously turned to the recipe-salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce! That was it! I used the last tablespoon I had of the sauce (whew) and stuck the patties back in the frig for a bit. I was anxious to taste my cheeseburger and it was delicious! Moist and thick. The guys said they were soft-are they nuts?! They were just crisp enough on the outside and done perfectly. We’ve had so many barbecue fiascoes that I am happy they were so good.

May28

Whenever I see your smiling face…

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Tomboy Tori
I have to smile myself, ’cause I love you!
My high school pal just sent me this in the mail. Seems her granddaughter and my niece are on the same softball team called ‘The Pixie Chicks’ in our hometown. What a nice surprise.
We had a hectic early afternoon here. Sean’s car has been acting funny, meaning when he tried to start it. It finally died up at the high school where he was parked after watching the local Memorial Day parade. Luckily I found a tow place a few blocks away, but the price was high and Bri had it towed to a place that ripped him off last year. Why? We’re thinking it’s the starter or alternator. This is the intended vehicle we plan to take to NYC in a few weeks. If it had to happen, glad it did locally.
Off to mix up some potato salad.
Hope you’re having a nice day. ☺