I've Been Tagged

Maria-Therese from Afiori tagged me.

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. Going to Seattle to see THE grandson
2. Opening of the new Arts of India Gallery
3. Spending more time on crafty things: art, crochet, knit, cross stitch
4. Beginning research for the Arts of China Gallery
5. Eating the first tomato from Musashi’s Garden
6. Taking some more online art classes
7. Reading Brain Candy
8. Summer!

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Went junking in The Heights
2. Read blogs
3. Listened to music
4. Mailed packages
5. Had lunch at Fish City Grill with Mr. Dragon
6. Watched the Mariners and White Sox on TV
7. Listened to local news
8. Went to a Rice Owls baseball game

8 Things I Wish I could do
1. Speak more than one language
2. Travel more
3. Pay the mortgage off
4. See a rainbow every day
5. Cross my fingers and toes and have world peace

8 Shows I Watch
1. NCIS
2. The Tudors
3. Brothers and Sisters
4. Baseball (where ever we can find it)
5. CNN
6. Tonight Show with Jay Leno or David Letterman
7. Late evening local news (mostly for the weather)
8. You get the idea that we don’t watch a lot of TV?!

Wabash Antiques And Feed Store

Wednesday is our day to do errands and just play around in Houston. We call Wednesday our adventure day. It is our no computer day. (Try that one on for size!)



The Wabash Antiques and Feed Store: Bees Buzzing, Pigs Flying, Spring is Here! YeeHaw! We've driven by the Wabash many times on our way to and from the parking for the Bayou City Art Festival that is held in Memorial Park in the spring. We decided our adventure for last Wednesday would be to stop and visit the Wabash.




This had to be a very quick picture as cars were coming and going the entire time we were there. Folks knew what they wanted (everything from pet food to fertilizer to plant seeds to animals), got it, got back in their cars and off they went. The Wabash had lots to pick from including chicks, hens, roosters and kittens. Oh, the kittens. Mr. Dragon just shook his head. I knew he was thinking three fur babies are enough!

They did have *flying* pigs ... made of scrap metal.
They had lots of scrap animals.

A very large chicken of scrap metal.

Beautiful swans-
They really didn't want their pictures taken.
One would bob and the other weave as the photos were taken!
Perhaps it was a game for them.
Let's drive this woman nuts!

Amongst the pots and other outdoor accessories we found
the fish, crab and behind the fish is a scrap metal swan in the water.

The herbs were an herb gardeners dream!
They also had fruit and citrus trees just for our area.

We haven't decided what our adventure will be for tomorrow.

Think you know all there is to know about where you live?
Try an adventure day and find out!

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today

Outside my window ... The sky is partly cloudy. Perhaps we'll get some light showers today.

I am thinking ... How much I enjoy hearing the birds every morning. One of the first things I hear after the neighbor starts his truck (vroom, vroom) and leaves for work. Blessed birds!

I am thankful for ... Another beautiful day on Mother Earth

From the Kitchen ... I have delicious strawberries from the Farmers Market. I think a strawberry cobbler is in order!

I am wearing ... Gray shorts, a gray Austin City Limits T-shirt, no shoes.

I am reading ... one of my favorite series ... set in Tibet ... Beautiful Ghosts by Eliot Pattison.

I am hoping ... to work on a knit shawl.

I am creating ... a journal page as prep for a new mixed media canvas on cats!

I am praying ... for Coy. He has a viral infection. Carol ... as she undergoes a procedure this morning.

Around the house ... all is quiet! I have the urge to clean out cabinets again!

One of my favorite things ... my cup of tea in the morning. This morning Jasmine Green Tea.

A few plans for the rest of the week ... Rice baseball starts again after a week off for finals, make dental appointments, read. It's nice to be retired. There is a lot to be said for slow motion! Dance and sing!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you ...

To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Pay It Forward

Look what arrived in the mail!

All the way from Sweden from my dear friend Maria-Thérèse!

One of the things I enjoy the most about Pay It Forward
is the nice things I can say about my friends and their blogs!
I can *show case* their work and urge YOU
to go and visit!

I posted the above on the bulletin board at work!

Just look at all the goodies that arrived!
Cards and mini journals...

Aren't they beautiful?!!!!

The rose is one of my favorite photos at Afiori.
It is already in a frame and lives in my bedroom.
(Mr. Dragon likes it, too!)

The scarf is finished.
The body is knit in a fan pattern.
The flower is crochet.

The pink and purple shawl is all finished, too.
All crochet.

I'm packaging both of these up with an extra surprise.
They'll be in the mail, with a little luck, tomorrow!

Camera Critters 55

Today my Camera Critter post is in memory of
Musashi.
May 1990-April 25, 2004

I've posted about Musashi's Garden before here and here.

Whatever he could get himself into, he used as a toy.

The dining room table wasn't used for dining!

Majestic kitty he was.

Ruled over his staff wisely and with love.

Followed Mom from room to room.

Read? Nope. Rub!

Ceiling Fans ... hmmmm.

Friends.
Musashi with his buddy Quinn (who passed at age 16).

He had his own basket.

He started off small.
Had to be bottle fed.
Grew to be a big, beautiful boy.

We miss you Sashi.

Peace

Potpourri

Friday is Potpourri day.

I'm going to start with the latest journal page.
For some reason, my muse has taken a short vacation.
At least, I hope it is short!

I decided to use this journal page as a diary.
I went out and bought one of those *old-fashioned* date stamps.
I'm not sure you can see it in the photo, but I've date stamped each entry.

It was fun and I'm going to do another page similar to this.
I got a kick out of the background:
little gold, gold fish, giant angel fish swimming in the trees,
a pink palm tree on one side and a yellow palm tree on the other side.
All hard to see in the photo, but they are there.


It is almost time to announce the Edgar and the Agatha award winners.
I've posted the Agatha nominations previously.
Here are the Edgar nominees:

Best Novel:

Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster - Scribner)
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House – Delacorte Press)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)



Best First Novel By An American Author:

The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)
Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster - Touchstone)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House - Doubleday)


Best Paperback Original:

The Prince of Bagram Prison by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House - Dell)
China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library – Obsidian Mysteries)
The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House - Bantam)

***

Among the Mad: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear. This is the sixth Maisie Dobbs novel and, I believe, the best yet. Even Mr. Dragon reads the adventures of Maisie. These are historical mysteries set after World War I in Britain. Mr. Dragon has always read histories about WWI and, along with the mother/son team Charles Todd, these are his favorite historical mysteries.

It's Christmas Eve 1931. Maisie Dobbs is on the way to see a client when a man commits suicide by detonating a bomb on a busy London street. The following day, the prime ministers office receives a letter threatening a loss of life if certain demands are not met and Maisie is mentioned in the letter by name. Maisie joins a Special Branch investigative team to try to avert disaster.

Miss Winspear does a wonderful job describing London between the wars. These books are another example of falling in love with the characters and wanting to find out how they are doing! While there is a story behind each novel, it is the characters and the history that carry the day. If you haven't read the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, I'd recommend starting at the beginning and reading them in order. You need Maisie's history to completely understand the nuances.

Pay It Forward

Look at the surprise Pay It Forward the postman delivered.

I wish we all had smell-a-vision!

This beautiful heart was stitched by the lovely and talented Sharon
at Wild Flower House and stuffed with lavender.

How she knew what to put on the heart, I'll never know!
She got four of my favorite things:
the heart shape, lavender, the music note and sea shell.
All things I love.

Thank you Sharon.
Be sure you go and visit Wild Flower House to see her beautiful work.

My first Pay It Forward will go to its new home the beginning of next week.
Lori, be on the look-out!

Enjoying Your Age

I took this picture yesterday.
Teddy came to me and said *Mom! You have to come look!*
I looked. There was Momma Dove with her baby.
By the time I returned with the camera,
Mama was on the fence in her sentinel post watching out for her baby.

We checked this morning and all is well with this little family.

I caught up with my email and thought the picture of the baby dove and the Daily OM went well together. Here is the Daily OM. I hope it calls to you as it did to me.

April 20, 2009
Appreciating What Is
Enjoying Your Age

In each stage of life, there are wonderful experiences one can savor and valuable insights one can absorb. Every new decade and, in fact, every new year brings with it wisdom, transformation, and growth, as well as ends and beginnings. Many people, however, believe that there is one age that eclipses the others. They expend energy trying to reach it and, once it has passed, trying to retain it. But wishing to be younger or older is a denial of the joys that have been and the joys yet to be, as well as the beauty of your life in the present. Holding on to one age can make it difficult to appreciate each new milestone you reach. Taking pleasure in the delights of your age, whether you are in your 20s, 40s, 60s, or 80s, can help you see the magnificence and usefulness of the complex seasons of your life.

Each new year gifted to us by the universe is replete with exciting and unfamiliar experiences. In our 20s, we can embrace the energy of youth and the learning process, knowing it’s okay to not have all the answers. As we move through our third decade, we grow more self-assured as the confusion of our young adulthood melts away. We can honor these years by putting aside our fears of aging and concentrating instead on solidifying our values and enjoying our growing emotional maturity. In our 40s, we become conscious of the wisdom we have attained through life experience and are blessed with the ability to put it to good use. We are not afraid to explore unfamiliar territory or to change. In our 50s, we tend to have successfully navigated our midlife reevaluations and have prioritized our lives. In the decades beyond, we discover a greater sense of freedom than we have ever known and can truly enjoy the memory of all we’ve seen and done.

Try to enjoy the age you are at now, for each age presents its own unique wisdom to savor.

For more information visit dailyom.com

Sunday Morning

From Musashi's Garden

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love,
they will bloom like flowers."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Camera Critters 54

Last week I shared one of my Little Cats.

This week I'd like to share with you one of my favorite Big Cats.

This is Jonathan and he is magnificent.

He has a story. He was raised as a pet and then got too big.
(Well, DUH!)
He was lucky. The Houston Zoo had room for him and now he lives here.

The lions have a wonderful area to roam.
This is their door. Really cool.
The gate lowers (where the keeper is standing).
From here the keepers can *play* with the lions.
They go through different commands.
This one makes Jon stand on his hind legs
and allows the keepers to check his belly area.
Jon was declawed by his former owner.
Occasionally Callista will swipe Jon a good one!

Jonathan, the King!

We took this picture last week.
For those who have cats, this pose will look familiar!
Life is good!

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great weekend.

Potpourri

It's Friday so it must be Potpourri time! I'm going to start with the latest, finished, journal page I call TO DO. Everyday, I should do the following: Dance, light a candle, hum or sing a tune, have a cup of tea, listen to the birds, smell a flower and give someone a hug. Good thing Mr. Dragon likes hugs! Dancing came from a Tut note from the universe -- that I was to add *do a little dance* to my To Do list. There you go ... TO DO EVERY DAY!

Here's the TO DO page with its buddy, TAKE 5.

Pay attention. Listen. Take a few minutes for myself every day.

Things are moving at a little slower pace around here.
I finished one of my year long projects this last Thursday.
I decided it was time I sat down and started thinking about Pay It Forward.
Just what will I make for these two lovely ladies?
I asked Berry Chocolate Pie for her help.
She was more than willing!

Miss Pie and I looked in my yarn stash.
She loved this Homespun yarn by Lion Brand.
It's so cuddly and the color was certainly hers!

She helped me look through this pattern book for ideas.
We both are in a spring time mood.

Perhaps a scarf with flowers.
But which one?

This one?

Maybe this one?

Or a combination?

I ran across this pattern from Knit Picks while searching.
Three scarf patterns all knitted at once!

Oh, my. This looks like it is almost finished!

Miss Pie and I came up with some good ideas and some surprises
for Pay It Forward. I'm going to have some fun and
I think the ladies will have some fun, too.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Do a little DANCE!

Musashi's Garden

We have a busy day today, but I promised to post more of "what's blooming" in Musashi's Garden. I walked out into the garden yesterday and was almost overwhelmed by scent. The gardenia's are blooming (no photos yet) and the freesia are still going strong. Here are a few more photos of "what's blooming". I hope you enjoy them.

Pink Geranium on the Balcony

Red Hibiscus by the Front Door

King Alfred Daffodils

Mr. Dragon's Bouganvilla


Have a beautiful and inspiring day!

Special Goodie!

I have a special date coming up -- my birthday and my blogoversary. Not the same day, but close enough to celebrate them at the same time. I've been collecting my birthday presents ... or I suggest loudly to Mr. Dragon that something would be good for this year. !!!

I've always wanted one of Vanessa's little elfin people. Let me tell you, if you don't hit her Etsy shop just as she posts them, they are gone in a flash. All the little elves were gone, but I saw something that I loved just as much and I knew if I went away and thought about it, she'd be gone. So I clicked and ordered and look what has arrived!

All packaged up and tied with a lovely pink ribbon.
I've never seen so much tape and the care of wrapping.

Here she is! My own Berry Chocolate Pie!
Isn't she divine?!!!
Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your talent with us every day!
Be sure you visit Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist.

(Hmmmmm, Twist ... Fanciful Twist and Twisty Lane ... meant to be?!)

PS. I still want a little elfin critter ... perhaps with a tea pot?
!!!!!

Stay tuned. There will be more photos of Berry Chocolate Pie and
her adventures here at Twisty Lane.