an afternoon when a great feeling came back to me

Watching our latest and greatest western (yes i love westerns and i do love clint eastwood)

anyway one of the characters very handsome long haired cowboy southern soldier gallops across the land .  The camera is at an angle that reminds me suddenly of what it feels like to go really fast across the field on a horse.

My horse riding days were brief but very much appreciated.  Against all better judgement my Einstein  helped me purchase a young horse.  I spent several months of learning about and caring for my horse, Shadow.  These where some of the hard days of having 4 children and 2 wild crazy teenage boys - ESCAPE to the barn was mental therapy.

Then one day my own cowgirl voice said get on a let him run...
it was the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced.  So much so that i did it several times just in that one afternoon and fell head over hills in love with my Shadow.

Another afternoon he was way out near a large creek and I had to walk  out for him (honestly i loved walking the pasture as well as riding in it)  Any way I happened near a fallen tree that I stood on and called for him.  When he came to me it just felt right to just climb on - bareback - simple head harnessed.  a few steps and a couple of click sounds and we were trotting ever so smoothly back to the barn for saddling up and cleaning for a good rumble across the open land

And i had almost forgotten that amazing feeling....

Thank you memory cell!

Summer leavin'

Summer colors give way to fall breezes and long shadows instead of long days....

*************************Doodles from the driveway*********************************

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we all long to leave our mark here so others will know we were here....

but it is truly hard to know who is being remembered here the tree or the fence?

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and yet some are so grand it takes a while for them to be let go-(the tree not me)

And while it was a good summer it was a hard summer.  So hot and dry in july and August that my small garden fruit battled daily to survive.   So i will not exactly "embrace" this season but live it! yea I will live it like a vacation! (stolen from my son)

Here's to living fall!

not gonna be a cry baby

When you sink your life,  your 24/7 for 30 years into someone,  well, you get attached.
 it is hard to step away and embrace the shell you become when they are not a part of even your long weekend life. especially when you truly enjoy their company.  but hey i can be a big girl too.

Note to reader: I had beg for the oldest son pic 

so i promised you that i would be your dragon slayer for all eternity and you NO longer have need for dragon slayers.  So what you are enjoying yourself with out me AND dont think you need to include me in any of your visit plans - ha - i just want you to be the happy healthy adult that you are despite my best mistakes!

Note to reader: I had to invite myself over to his friends pool for a visit with  him --- thankfully i love his BFF and BFF's wife:


***I would share text messages I got from my daughters but I don't know how to take a pic of the screen but i need to learn that because texting is a HUGE part of our communication****


Embrace it? No not my terminology, I say Fuck it! I am over qualified (new term for old)
and it sucks but not a damn thing I can do about it.

My art space is exciting to me

AND very exciting to FATCAT (Alias "Ollie" and "Toby")

getting all the accessories in view and know exactly where they are-- (Ok maybe not exactly but a good idea of where they are:

love this little collage of Brave Girls Club Art  

and here is to small bottles:

arts*ing around

After the kids finished moving out and leaving what they didnt want in their house well my house was a mishmash of such random things in random places.

So today I took some of the treasures to the rooms i think they belong in and started my own art room (right now it is more of an art corner but it is in front of the window)  and during the blue moon weekend nature has taken on a fall tone even though it is still very hot and humid.  There is something different  something particular about the shadows and how they fall now.  I had to sweep of the driveway 2 times today just to keep the leaves from getting in the house through the garage -

Weigh in Wednesday-- hump-day hollers....

Weigh in well that sux!  diet has gone to hell and hell again- who wants to diet let me see a show of hands!  didnt think so!  Now i am miserable and dont like myself and certainly hate getting dressed~~ got on the scales at the Drs office and right back where i was pre diet pills

Christmas 2008

Sept. 2009

june. 2010

April 2011

August 2011

and now same damn big arms and i cant turn my head enough to hide the chins:

SO weigh in at 155- and i am not happy with myself- 

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so perhaps I need to stop giving myself permission to start dieting tomorrow....cause to day is the tomorrow i was waiting for.

"all art is magic...." Andrew Schweigert

one dried and pressed leaf -- August is folding into September.  The heat of summer spills over into the cool changes of fall and creates magic

I woke early 5:15 (before my 5:20 am alarm) and now I am going to be late!  well not late but not early - 

so much to do to get ready for the long weekend - my job is in my way!

nature is my nature--

when i was a stay at home mom of 1 then 2 then 3 then 4!! i thought i needed more hours in the day to get all of them well fed, washed, edumacted, (I home schooled a couple of the smartest kids in the universe!) and groceries and cook...and blabla bla

Now the oldest is about to get married at 31 just before he turns 32! shewwww I had 3 by then and 11 years under my belt!  love you guys!

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Our oldest Daughter (22) married 2011 and just recently moved out of state!

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Our second born and our second son- moved away in Feb of this year- it was a sudden job transfer and it was very hard for me but man has he made a wonderful wonderful choice
He is not a cowboy and he is not a redneck! he is very successful poser!

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and last but certainly not lease is the remaining college student that traveled 4 hours away from home to go to college!  She teaches Ballet to little ladies and studies, goes to the library to use the large screens for PINTEREST! 

So my point in all of this bla bla is that they are all moved away and I STILL need more hours in a day! to work at my job 8hrs, go to the gym/ run (slim down for that wedding) water my flowers

*******************Feed the wild things!************

And think and create for the Ode to Nature class offered by Alisa Burke

***********************and doodle and water paint***********************

And low and behold try to mingle with others in my class--when suddenly i remember I have to pack!!! I am going to see by married daughter for the weekend!! HOORAY!

destined to be behind the rest of my life but oh am i loving it!