13 July 2016

A Bit of Art, A Trip to Nickerson and Me Rambling on About it All

Hello Readers!

I went on a 12 day jaunt off to Nickerson to see my eldest son, RJ and his gang. I forget which day I left...end of June. I came home on 11 of July. 
My youngest son RW, turned 32on the 11th.

There isn't as much art as I usually show you cause art wasn't on the forefront of my latest adventure. Do enjoy what I have to show! 
I'll ramble on about the trip after art....
 Mr. Spider has come a ways since you all saw him last. I put the black glitter all over him before I headed to my son's house. I've been home for four days now and I haven't done much of anything to him except add some brown fingernail polish to his thorax. He will make another appearance here on the blog before too much time passes.
 I was very busy with other things the 12 days I was gone. I took enough stuff with me to keep me quite busy with making something or another but if truth be known, I didn't dig any of that stuff out until the last two days of my trip. This is the only thing I have photographed that got done at RJs house. I crocheted the blue backing a couple months ago. The abstract citrus is embroidered felt. It measures about 10 inches across. I call it a hot pot mat. My daughter in law Terah, says it looks more like pizza than oranges.
 These are the three bags I have crocheted in the last two days. I have another small bag similar to these that is about done that I started yesterday. It will be done before the day is out!
The yellow bag is made from some very thick, soft yarn I acquired on my trip. The green bag is made from some ribbon like yarn, and the brown one is made from thick fuzzy yarn. The brown one has a gold metal necklace tassel to keep its flap closed. Both green and brown bags have reclaimed chain for the handle. Not sure if that chain came from belts or purse handles. I got it from my sister on this last trip. 
I spent two days at her house during the trip. We had a yard sale. I took a couple boxes of my junk with me to try to hawk at her sale. I came home $42 richer and minus some useless stuff, so I was a happy camper about that. One guy paid me his $8 total in gold coins. Not sure what those gold dollar coins are referred to as. I  happy to take them off his hands. Coins fascinate me and these are some I don't see often. I won't spend them. They will go with the rest of my stash of coins. 
I did bring home a rather heavy, large box of art fodder from Sis also.

All the drawings that follow were done a couple days before I left to go to Nickerson. All are done in markers.  And none of them are larger than 3 x 4 inches except the palm tree and the blue dog.
 blue dog 4x5 inches cardstock
 blue snake 2x4 inches drawing paper
 Sunny Coffee Mug done on sheet music
 colorful zentangle on junk mail roughly 4x6 inches
 Terrible picture, sorry!
I called this a duck but looking at it now I see it has chicken feet so we'll have to change that duck to
Chicken 2x2 inches on drawing paper. I'm not certain it is actually 2x2 but its close. I just cut these papers from my little papers stash, I didn't measure.
 leaf, same size as the Chicken
 You all saw this one last post with no color on it. Palm Tree markers on cardstock 4x6 inches

I found a tutorial teaching one how to draw strings with the over and unders correctly.
 I don't know that I got it correct but I gave it several tries.
 These would all fit within a 4 inch square. They are done in markers on drawing paper.
 And then I cut them out with the xacto knife.
 All of these drawings were drawn and colored within hours of one another except the coffee mug and the palm tree. They were done a week or so before the rest. I colored them with this batch.
And I tried my hand at this. Just shapes on drawing paper with marker. I then cut it out with the exacto knife too. I think the strings will end up in my glue book.

I took my glue book apart last night. It is in a composition notebook. Composition notebooks are sewn down the center of the book and that thread will come right out of there if you start at the right end. It was a bit like opening a bag of dog food to get that string out of there. So now my glue book is out its cover, which it was outgrowing anyway, and into 8 signatures that will be sewn back together and put back in the Composition notebook where the pages will once again fit nicely.
Gee, just what I needed. Another project! LOL 

That's about all there is to the art part of this entertainment. I did finish the pink and black paper basket. I took pictures of it but the camera refused to download them to my pc. I'll give that another shot when I get something else done that needs to be photographed.

No one ran off and left me to my own devices while I was away is the reason nothing got done in the art department in 12 days time. Only 2 things finished and both were worked on the last two days I was there. And at the last moment of the last night there, Annie wanted me to make her and Bailey a braiding  disk. Those two little girls were headed to bed and I was leaving first thing in the morning. Long before they would be awake. I don't know if the effort put forth with the braiding disks was successful only on my end of the deal or if the girls finished the braids I had started on each of the disks. None the less it pleased me greatly that she needed a braiding disk, let alone two of them! I will have to ask the son if she finished the braiding. 
Annie and I played with the rainbow loom and the rubber bands (which I call rubbers. I see no reason to add bands. I have always called them rubbers. It sometimes confuses people when I do that, not thinking beyond what I know. So here I will call them properly!) We made a couple bracelets and I added about six inches to my fishtail string. It's maybe 12 feet long. I've never measured it. I really don't know what else to do with the 10000 rubber bands I bought for that rainbow loom other than turn them into a giant long string.  I'm sure I'll show you the rubber string sometime or another. Annie dragged it out from the sofa where I sitting, across the room and down the hall passed the bathroom door. I'm totally guessing that that is about 12 feet. She thought it was pretty neat. She only plays with her rainbow loom when I come around. Rainbow loom lasted a few hours and we neither one touched our loom the rest of the visit.

These folks wore my hide out! We went here and there and everywhere! 
I have no pictures from the fourth to share. That's not to say I didn't take any...oh there were many many many terrible shots of fireworks! But we won't see any of them today.

 On the 5th of July...I think...it rained like 6 inches in twelve hours of time. It rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock early that morning before the sun was up and still raining come noon. The later that evening the deluge came again. This time with tornados along for the ride! Luckily I only heard about the tornadoes, I didn't see any. It again rained like a cow peeing on a flat rock for a few hours. The river came out of its banks! This picture of RJ and the younguns was taken on the 8th I think?  The Arkansas has been not but a small brook running down the middle of the riverbed for quite some time! All this water is wonderful, but not so good when it comes all at once!
 On the way home driving the Old Blue Beast with Fluffy Frank in tow, we discovered cow chow everywhere!
 Hay bales. Wheat biscuits. Cow Chow.
I can't tell you where these pictures were taken. I took the usual route home other than skipping the short cut because of potential flooding upstream. Might be the road between Luray and Osborne. Or it might be between Lucas and Luray.
 And some more cow chow sitting out under a clear blue sky! bbbb
I am thankful for air conditioning in a car that the windows will not roll down in!
 Fluffy Frank was ready for this trip to end and at this point had only gotten started!

 His name was Fluffy when I put him in the car. It still is his name when Annie comes to visit, but I call him Frank. He has some beautiful blue eyes!
 It took everything in me to not bring one of these little guys home with me and Frank.
 There are four of these little guys. Two girls, two boys. Not sure where the other white one was at this time. I love kittens!!! Who doesn't love kittens???  
Annie had a meltdown upon my departure. She knew Fluffy was going home with me. I had him fixed five days before I came home! She was cool with Fluffy going home with me until I woke her up to say goodbye. She gave Fluffy some lovins , crying the whole time....I gave her hugs and told her I'd take good care of him. He's settled in quite nicely and no one has beaten him up. 
Ma says we have to fatten the boy up! He is skinny compared to Murray and Lola. Everycat is skinny compared to Lola though.... He's a nice boy. I think we'll keep him. The girls will learn to love him.
 My fence with all the license plates attached. It has nothing to do with this post at all. I showed it someone and realized I hadn't shown it to the blog. Well there you are, a fence of license plates.

On my drive home I had a minor emergency which required stopping the car to ensure a major emergency did not occur. Mission accomplished! I'm still here to finish the story.
 I noticed this big pile of wheat on the ground in Woodston. I didn't think they put wheat on the ground after harvest. Apparently the wheat yeilds were over the top this year in my neck of the woods. There is a pile half the size of this one laying on the ground at the Coop in Stockton as well. 

Almost every morning there is a brief airshow at my son's house.
 The man who flies this little yellow machine lives around the corner....about three fourths of a mile as the crow flies. He takes his plane for a short run and turns around above the field across the road from son's house.
 He basically makes a circle from his airfield and turns around half a mile from where he started.


 there he's headed back home.  It's a crop duster plane.

Me and RJ were making yet another run into Hutch as he was flying over the house so we drove by the airfield on our way to town. Which we would have done even if he hadn't been out that morning. It cool to see. I saw the air show, as I call the morning flybys, three times while there. He usually made only one pass by the house. The morning I got these pictures, he flew by three times in a row. When we went by the airfield he was working in the engine. I hope he got it fixed good.

That's it for today. I have another blog post to write before calling it a day so....
Remember to be good to one another!
It matters!
Peace
831

21 June 2016

June's Progress....

Hello Readers!

I've been neglecting the blog. That means there will be a lot of pictures and a bit of chatter from your's truly. It has been better than a month since the last post. Lots of things have occurred.
Better get a cuppa something and settle in for a spell. I'll try not to bore you all to tears.

It is Tuesday, 5:35 a.m. 21 June 2016

Ma turned 84 yesterday. 
She and I went on a mini vacation to see my sister Kathy in Abilene for two days back around the 5th of June.
It was hotter than the hubs of hell that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when we went to Abilene. The cows took full advantage of their recently filled water holes. This is what is called a rainbow herd. There are cows of many breeds in this herd. I think these cows were at the junction of K18 and 181?  I could be wrong about those roads...over by Bennington. 
I wish I could show you all the video of the really cool dust devil we saw less than 20 miles from home. I can't do that though because I don';t know how to put video here (or anywhere else for that matter.) 
I can show you all some of the art along the road to get to Abilene. 
This fella sits along K18 in Lincoln County, Kansas. There are several of these metal statues along a stretch of that highway. Look at that gorgeous wheat field in the background! The 500 or so miles we traveled on our trip gave us many views of wheat fields, golden, bursting with wheat kernels, ready to be cut. I'm sure all those fields are cut by the time I'm writing this. 
The combines were already on the job not far from the roadside monster.
 Those full water holes for the cows were a bit detrimental to some of the wheat fields. Hail flattens wheat and those rain storms that filled the water holes dropped hail and heavy rain. Along with a tornado or two as well. Here the grain hopper is being emptied into a farm truck to go to the elevator.
And there's the combine cutting along. 

While in Abilene with Sister Kathy, we were in a hot barn-like building, going through box after box of junk. Mostly just filling boxes, sorting somewhat and readying those boxes to be moved to another location. There were spiders and mud daubers to contend with. I was more supervisor than anything as I can't lift heavy boxes. I did a lot of sitting and exercising my jaws while Ma and Kathy did most of the work. It was a fun two and half day diversion. Was good to see my sis and her clan. That hadn't happened in a few months.

I came home with about three pounds of chocolate from the Russell Stover's plant in Abilene, so all in all it was an excellent trip!

I had a yard sale since I was last here. I deemed it a Make Me An Offer Sale. That worked out well. Folks would bring me a pile of crap they found among the tables and boxes scattered across the front lawn and I would ask them how much it was worth to them. I got some very generous contributions to my cause and I got some miserly contributions but all in all, that too was an excellent trip! I hate having yard sales. They are a lot of work! As I've already stated, I am a terrible worker. A lazy bum! But I'm a great supervisor. Ma and I worked our butts off for a week, out in the burnt house (aka storage shed) going through all my accumulated crap and the boys came along to help set the sale up. I ran it all by myself for the last two days. Youngest son, RW, came along and helped put it all away. This successful sale of mine would not of been possible without their help! Thank you much Ma and RW! I love you both beyond words!
I was sitting in the bright orange dentist chair in the driveway when I took this picture while Ma and RW were hauling things into the burnt house. Ma and I had got most of it boxed back up or thrown in the dumpster by the time RW showed up. That boy was in a FOUL mood when he got here but was smiling by the time he went home. His wife pissed him off earlier in the day. 
If you are wondering where the bright orange dentist chair came from, I'm not exactly sure. Brother Sammy dragged it home, along with two other dentist chairs (in pieces), an xray machine and a beat up old cook stove. He said the dentist in Smith Center gave them to him. 
I had a few offers on the dentist chair but it wasn't mine to sell. One lady said she'd be back to talk to Sammy but she didn't come back. It's too late now if she's changed her mind. That chair is gone! The bright orange faux leather cover is laying on my livingroom floor waiting for me to cut it into more manageable sizes. I'm thinking Annie's Kitty Book will be covered in bright orange vinyl.
I wrenched my back the day before yesterday and haven't had the energy, or flexibility, to pick the dang thing up and cut it into smaller pieces. A dentist chair has a LOT of space to cover! There's a ton of that vinyl.
I have no pictures of the dentist chair. Brother junked it.
I guess I should get on with what I've accomplished since the last post instead of prattling on like this.
 I've been doing a fair amount of crocheting since the last post. This is a little crossbody bag crocheted from crochet cotton with little silver rings crocheted into the design. It's about 6x5x3  inches or so. I didn't really measure it other than to put a water bottle in it to see if it would fit. It did with the closure open. It has a long handle so you can wear it across your body.

 I'm still working on the crocheted paper basket. I'm ready to unwind another hank of paper yarn and roll it into a ball so I can add it to this basket. At the moment I'm dealing with some blue rug yarn that is in need of untangling and rolled into balls so this basket is going rather slowly. And paper yarn is not a quick material to crochet up either. This will be a pretty cool basket when it's done. Not sure how tall it will be but it's roughly 9 inches square on the bottom.

My niece Allison asked me to make her a prop to take to a Comic Convention earlier this month.
 She gave me four choices of the characters she was interested in. I chose Cactuar because he looked like something I could pull off in 9 days time.
 He's made from felt, stuffed with polyester filling and embroidered with crochet cotton and embroidery thread. His antenna are supposed to be black but I couldn't for the life of me locate a black pipe cleaner in this house at the time. A few days after I had already sent him off to Allison, I found a whole bunch of black pipe cleaners! Go figure!
She was pleased with him. He's about 10 inches tall or so.
 And yet another crochet project. This one is fuzzy yarn crocheted around yellow poly farm rope. I really like how this bag turned out! The rope is entirely hidden by the yarn and it's a very sturdy bag. It's quite large enough to take to the farmer's market or the beach.
I can't tell you why there's a winter scarf hanging off the back of the rocking chair when the weather outside is decidedly NOT of the winter variety! 
I did some drawing a couple of evenings since the middle of May.
 All drawings are marker unless otherwise stated.
Blue Cat on drawing paper. 3.5x5.5  inches
 Crazy Old Girl
not sure how big this one is...three inches by six or so. This one is done on the back side of a card that came with my electric bill last month.
 Solemn Flamingo
3.5x5.5 inches on drawing paper
 Funky Bird
3.5x5.5 inches on drawing paper
 Gray Cat
3.5x5.5 inches on drawing paper
 Snake
2x4 inches or so scrap of drawing paper
 yellow lizard
same as the snake
 This is a little book I'm working on. Not sure just where it's headed but onward I will plow because it will morph into something eventually. At the moment is it just one signature of a potential book. Painted newspaper on copy paper. It's about ATC size.

My spider friend isn't done yet.
 I spent the last three days working on this fella. If you are afraid of spiders, I'm sorry I didn't warn you about this one. He is rather life-like except that he's silver.
 His legs will be bulked out some. They're rather thin for such a big spider.
 Here's his underside. I think I will cover him in masking tape and paint him black before covering him with glitter in shades of black and brown. His body needs a little bulking out to make him thicker but I think I'm onto something with this critter. Thanks to Mel for sharing Mr. Finch's critters. That's where the inspiration for the spider came from. Though my spider looks nothing like what Mr. Finch creates! Wow! His creatures are fantastical!!! You should take a peek if you haven't seen these delightful pieces of art!
 Fish #1
paint and glitter on cereal box chipboard. I covered it with a layer of gel medium so that glitter isn't going anywhere it shouldn't. This one will be headed out in today's mail as a post card.
 Fish #2
This one doesn't involve glitter, just paint and a googly eye. This one will also be going off into the postal system on today's mail run.
 And still more fishes. The two on the bottom are done. They are made from toilet paper tubes and painted with acrylics. The top fish needs an eye still. He's cereal box chipboard painted black with acrylics. The flowers are fingernail polish and the fins and tail are covered with glitter. It will get a coat of gel medium to tame that glitter before it goes anywhere.
 I call this one Cellular Activity. It's done in markers on drawing paper. I was surfing the internet, wasting time and came across a picture of cells. My muse screamed about wanting to draw pink cells so I went with it to avoid a disagreement. I'm not particularly fond of the color pink but I seem to use those pink markers a lot.
 Just a simple mug on a piece of sheet music. 3x4 inches or so. I'll give it some color one of these days.
 If you look up in the side bar at the top right you'll find a link to Drawing School. I can't for the life of me remember that man's name at this moment but I drew this palm tree and the coffee mug at his direction. I will give this one some color some day too.
 I've made a few balls of plastic bag yarn, cut a bunch more bags into rings in preparation of making more balls of plarn and I've got this market bag well on its way to being a market bag that is functional. I have lots of crochet projects in the works so don't expect this one to be done too awfully soon. I did a couple of rounds on it today.
 A bunch of tiny fishes in the works. Not sure if these will become little book covers or magnets. They are not done yet. I still need to give them fins and whatnot. You'll see these guys again. Glitter seems to be on the muse's radar this week.
 Another crossbody bag. This one crocheted from VHS tape. Six hours of cartoons! You can't really see the silver rings incorporated into the bag, but they are there. This bag will be done as soon as I finish sewing rings along the handle. I'm about a third of the way done right now.
This isn't really art yet. I put tiny screw eyes into these little doodads yesterday with the intention of making a junk necklace, maybe a bracelet. The banana is too big for a bracelet though. Putting tiny screw eyes in is not an easy task! I used my screw drill to start the holes. I need to drag out my tiny vice and I think the hole making would go faster. I got a few new holes in the middle finger of my left hand! 

That's about all from me today. 
A run to town to the grocery store, Jmart and the post office is the only thing planned for my day!

Thanks for hanging in to the end!
Remember 
Be kind to one another!
It matters!
Peace 
831

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