MY Friday Five

 

My internet friend CJ has a weekly Friday Five.  Hers are all about the good things that happened that week.  Mine will sound more like her Whine and Cheese posts she writes every Thursday.  However, there is NO cheese here, just whine.

Let me begin late Monday when I was writing a comment to Iris.  Those of you who visited for T see how far I got before fate intervened.  Just as I began my comment, lightening struck my house.   My neighbor saw it and tried to call me.  By this time, I had no electricity or phone service.  And I was afraid my computer was fried, too.

My TV was plugged into this.  Little did I realize I would need a surge protector for it.

While sitting in total darkness, the rain continued to fall.  Then came the over 100 mph winds (as recorded at the airport).  That was not all.  We were then pounded with hail, some as large as golf balls.  One town south of Wichita recorded baseball sized hail.

My sweet next door neighbor called the electric company, who came out the next morning after the lightening had subsided.  I had electricity again, but no TV or computer.  Luckily, my friend Scott, who I hadn't seen in months, picked that day to visit.  He checked my computer and found I had lost a fan.  He immediately ordered one on Amazon and showed me how to assemble it once it arrived.  Cheaper by far than a new computer, but he ordered a new one for me, anyway.  However, since it had Windows on it, he had it sent to his home in Pratt, KS so he could trade it out for Linux.  It may be awhile before I get my new one, but I'm just glad this one is back up and running.

Late Tuesday afternoon, after Scott left, I decided to check the damage to my herbs.

Not nearly the amount of damage I expected.  And to think, I had just mowed two day before.  How fast my grass grew with all that rain we had.

Looks like the only damage was to some of the sunflowers that had popped through the tarp.

My bee balm that overwintered outside is doing great.  My comfrey is starting to come back strong, too.

My peppermint is doing great, too.

My Genovese basil in the large white pot is doing great.

I couldn't get a good photo of my comfrey because of the wind.

I still can't believe my bee balm overwintered outside, although I have yet to see any flowers.

Thyme in the back pot and oregano in the front.  I'm hoping both thrive and overwinter outside.

If I remove the weeds, these chives might have a fighting chance. 

Lots of people had downed limbs.  This was the only one I lost.  In fact, the county dump is allowing people to bring their downed limbs to the dump on Saturday for no charge.

Now that my computer is once again working, I will be around to visit my T Tuesday group.  Thanks for sticking with me through this mess Mother Nature got me into.

Her ticket to love and happy belated Juneteenth

 

Happy belated Juneteenth!  I had planned to write about this U.S. Federal holiday but I was offline due to the storms and my computer malfunctioning, so it wasn't possible to create a post in time.  Instead, I give you the post originally planned for Wednesday.

It's once again time to join Matilde from Craftowanie, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  Her theme, in case you didn't know, is People.  Because there are multiple media, I am also joining Creative Artiste's 116th challenge, where the theme is always Anything Mixed Media Goes.

For lack of a better title, I named this Her Ticket To Love.  Detail shots are below.

The background is cardstock I cut to 5.5 X 8.5 in. (13.97 X 21.59 cm).  I colored the background using a yellow water soluble crayon.  I first laid down the girl to see where to position her.  Once I knew where to place her, I removed her and adhered the three tickets.  Next I adhered the brown paper doily, but only glued it the length of the center because these flimsy doilies have a tendency to buckle when glued.  

 

Earlier I sprayed several of my handmade shimmering mists onto a used file folder.  I then cut the heart freehand.  Unfortunately the scanner doesn't show the shimmer.

I bought two packages of TH paper dolls at different times.  I was surprised I got this woman in both packages.  Both packs had three sizes of the same lady.  I believe this is the last one of her.  

 

I adhered the paper doll to the page.  When she was in place, I added the two rows of washi tape to the bottom of the page so she would have something on which to stand.  I then glued her legs in place using a glue stick.  

Media used include a water soluble crayon, three tickets, doily, various shimmering mists, used file folder, paper doll, and washi tape.

Thank you beyond belief for stopping by.  Bleubeard and I would love to see you today at both Creative Artiste and Art Journal Journey.

 

 

T Stands For Random Mugs

 

I've got some random mugs from The Spice Merchant I recently ran across.

Let's start with a Starry Night.

When I rotated it, I was disappointed it was the same on both sides.  Note I failed to get a photo of Van Gogh's irises.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme

or reason to the mugs on this shelf.  Maybe they were supposed to be for Dad, who got his own day this past Sunday.

More for Dad.

I'm sure some of you who have children can relate to the mug on the left.  I laughed at the one on the right.

I know someone who can relate to the mug on the left.  I think she can relate to the one on the right, too.

I wonder if some of you grandparents feel like that.

I've shown you mine, now it's time to share your own drink related post.  It can be photos, a place you visited, movies, postcards, books, sketches, mixed media, drawings, paintings, tags, scrapbooking, or other art that is digital, hybrid, or traditional, as long as it in some way relates back to a drink, any drink.  Regardless, please share below and Bleubeard and I will gladly visit, as will other T participants.  Please link only your T post and not your blog in general.  Bleubeard would like to remind you that old photos are acceptable because they may be taken any time, not just on Tuesday and not just this year.  Please remember to visit your fellow T participants. 

 

I'm still waiting to hear if anyone wants to participate in our 12th Anniversary, which will be on July 14/15. For those who were not here last week, you can trade a postcard, a tea bag, or ATC within your own country to save on postage.  If your partner wants to send a postcard and you want to send an ATC, that is OK as long as both agree.

 

 

ICADs Week 2

 

This is my 13th year creating these Index Cards A Day.  Every year I try to come up with a new and different way to create them.  This is my most ambitious year to date. 

This year, there will be no cute sayings or clever puns.  Only single words.  Each index card will contain paint, book pages or sliver of a page (including sheet music), some form of mark making, a postage stamp, and the word of the day.  Please enjoy.

Day 8: Blessed

Day 9: Trust

Day 10: Swap

  Day 11: Fly

Day 12: Cheerful

Day 13: Crash

 

Day 14: Control

 I'm playing along, but I'm not on the sites where Daisy Yellow posts.  However, as I have said in the past, this is the ONLY place you will find Bleubeard's and my ICADs.

Thank you for your visit today.  I hope you will continue to join me every Sunday as Bleubeard and I continue this annual journey.

Poetry in Motion

 

I'm back today joining Matilde from Craftowanie, our host this month at Art Journal Journey.  Her theme is People.

It's obvious I named this Poetry in Motion.  A detail shot is below.

I copied the dancers from the internet.  I believe it was from The Vintage Moth.  I cut the image to fit the page.  I "colored" a sheet of vintage music using a white water soluble crayon and water.  I added the sparkly white fiber that scanned green.  I then added the computer generated words. 

Thanks for dropping by today.  Bleubeard and I hope to see you and your People entries soon at Art Journal Journey.

 

Herb Garden update

 

I thought it was time to update my herb garden.  I like to do this at least twice a month.

The rain has finally stopped, so I went outside to assess the damage.  Looks like the wind has taken its toll on at least one herb marker. 

I planted the new herbs I purchased last week.  I get the feeling most of these herbs are for the butterflies, not my culinary pleasure. 

Surprisingly, my lavender seems to be doing well, as does my new rosemary I purchased. 

I originally purchased these two high end (and high priced) tarps five years ago in an effort to get rid of the bamboo I planted that eventually took over my back yard.  I believe the bamboo may be gone, but it appears my late summer sunflowers have encroached and now found a way through this tarp.

 

My dill seems to be doing well.  I start all my dill from seed.  The rosemary is from my recent purchase.

In the large pot in the back is my new thyme plant.  I've been told it will overwinter outside and return in spring.  To the right of my rosemary is my new oregano plant.

 

I couldn't get a good photo of my comfrey because it was so windy.  I think I bought it for the birds and butterflies.

I bought a new bee balm plant this year, not realizing this one overwintered outside and came back to life stronger than ever.

Here's another new rosemary plant.  Seems my chives didn't make it, though.

New lavender on the left, milk weed next to it, and marjoram and more dill in the cart.

My Genovese basil is growing by leaps and bounds.

My sweet basil, in the other large white container, isn't doing so well.  My peppermint is also thriving after spending the winter inside.

My airplane or spider plant will soon put out new babies.

I love cilantro and have two pots of it.  My fennel, on the other hand, seems to have died.

One of the very expensive sage plants I purchased on Herb Day.  The other one died.

And finally, another pot of dill.

Thanks for your visit.  I am delighted you stopped by.