The final haircut day

Today Elizabeth has turned the reins over to me.  My name is Bleubeard and I am the face of our blog.  That's Bleu as in 

  bleu cheese  and beard because when I was a kitten, 

I had a distinct beard which has mostly disappeared over time as I aged.  Now we have the obligatory face or faces out of the way, I will guide you through the last of the herbs while Elizabeth gets her hair cut.

 

We left off when Elizabeth showed you her milkweed that has never flowered.  She hopes the monarch larva will still stop by.

 

On the right, sitting on a stool is what Elizabeth calls either an airplane plant, or a spider plant.  I'm not fond of spiders, so you know what I'm calling it.

 

Elizabeth's peppermint, which sits below the airplane plant, is doing well.  She told me to remind everyone it overwintered indoors and is doing well this year.

 

The empty pot in front of the peppermint once held dill, but the swallowtail larva ate it all.  Although it looks like the spearmint is about to die, Elizabeth assures me after all the rain we got last week, it is now doing quite well.

 

This is Elizabeth's fourth time cutting her basil.  She claims it always comes back stronger than ever.

 

While Elizabeth was gone, I checked and saw several new bell peppers.  One is directly above Elizabeth's watermark.  

 

I hope you found I did a good job and maybe Elizabeth will let me host again sometime.  Until then, please join us both at 

 

     these art blogs.  

 

 

 

Autumn's colors

 

I had planned to show the rest of my herbs for Friday, but I have been bringing them inside all day so they won't freeze overnight.  I'm both literally and figuratively worn out.

Instead, today I'm joining my friend Mia of Craftartista.  Mia has chosen Beautiful World as her theme for October at Art Journal Journey.  Below is my next interpretation of her theme. 

It's obvious I named this Autumn's colors.  Details are below.

 

I began by adding various spray and shimmering mists to the 8.5 X 11 inch (21.59 X 27.94 cm) 110 lb cardstock.  I used colors that reflected autumn.  I included yellow, orange, pink, red, turquoise, and green.  I added the computer generated text I outlined in red and orange Posca pens.  Finally, I added the TH paper doll.

 

Thanks for visiting today.  Also, please join us at

 

   

 

     these three art blogs.  

 

 

Haircut Day

 

Last week was haircut day.  Not for me, although I certainly need one, but for my herbs. 

Let's start on the far left and work our way from there.  I bought three lavender plants this year and have killed two of them already.  One is still surviving, but not thriving.

 

My very expensive lemon grass is wedged between two pots of oregano that I cut back. The lemon grass kept falling over due to our high winds, so I gave it a bit of help standing up.

 

The large beige pot holds thyme, which overwinters outside thanks to Erika's advice.  The dark brown pot to the right is lemon thyme.  Although it may not appear as such, it got a haircut, too.  The black pot in the center is thyme I purchased this year.

 

The two white pots on the right are rosemary.  The plant in the larger pot got the haircut.

 

The large white pot in back on the right is comfrey.

 

This is a better view of the comfrey.  The bee balm/bergamot that has overwintered two winters seems to have died.  I have no idea why.  It's sad.  In front are my chives before I used nearly half the bunch in a salad I made.  Another rosemary sits behind the chives.

 

As you can see, I cut a great deal of the sage.  All three pots (the two terracotta colors and the black) received drastic cuts, even though they don't look like I removed much.

 

The two white pots are milkweed which have never flowered.

 

I believe I will leave the rest for another day. Thanks for joining me in my herb garden.  I hope I didn't bore you.

And because I need a face, 

I give you the face of our blog, the charming and handsome Bleubeard hanging out with me in the basement studio.  Also, please join us at 

 

     these two art blogs.  

  

 

Second on the 2nd

 

As most of you know, I like my Second Look to somehow reflect what our current host at Art Journal Journey (AJJ) is featuring.  That means I had to look for something that reflected Beautiful World as requested by Mia of Craftartista.  Because it's Friday, I'm also joining Nicole for Friday Face-Off and Gillena for Art For Fun Friday.  

  This is a spread I created for an AJJ challenge.  It is all about Paris.  The original post, which was published on September 15, 2017, can be found here.  This is a great example of how a tag can be used in an AJJ spread.

  This spread is entitled Dutch Summer Vacation.  This is the first of two spreads I created in this post originally published on July 24, 2019, found here.  There is also an obligatory face in this spread.

Now it's time to share your own Second on the 2nd.  The rules are quite simple and everyone is welcome to join the fun look back.  All you have to do is bring back a post that you are especially proud of, or perhaps one you shared before anyone knew your blog existed.  It could even be one that holds special meaning.  Any post, any genre, any artistic endeavor is acceptable, as long as it's been published sometime in the past.  Then link below (direct links only, please) and Bleubeard and I, along with other Second on the 2nd friends, will be by to visit.  

 

 

 

Bleubeard and I are really grateful you dropped by for    Second on the 2nd.  Also, please join us at 

     these two art blogs.  

 

  

Falling Leaves

 

Because it's Friday, I'm joining Nicole for Friday Face-Off and Gillena for Art For Fun Friday.  I'm also at Art Journal Journey where I'm joining Sharon from That Girl Fritchey. Sharon's theme is Hello Autumn. This may be my final AJJ entry for September. 

It's obvious I named this Falling Leaves.  Details are below.

 

 

I've often said I can't draw.  However, I attempted to draw and color falling leaves.  I was inspired by the leaves falling in my back yard as I watered my herbs.  

 

I was impressed by the different colors of the leaves and I tried to reproduce those on my 5 X 8 in (12.7 X 20.32 cm) 110 lb white cardstock using watercolor pencils.  I used nine watercolor pencils to color the leaves and two to color the stems.  When all the leaves were dry, I added the computer generated text.

 

Bleubeard and I hope to see you and your interpretation of Hello Autumn inspired art at Art Journal Journey.  There's still ample time to join in.  I'm also joining

 

   

 

And because there were no faces in those leaves,

 

     

here's a photo of the face of our blog. 

Happy Faces

 

Please be aware, the blogs I love to visit in my left sidebar have not updated for over a week.  Blogger needs to get its act together.  Looks like I got my wish after all!

Because it's Friday, I'm joining Nicole for Friday Face-Off and Gillena for Art For Fun Friday.  I'm also at Art Journal Journey where I'm joining Sharon from That Girl Fritchey. Sharon's theme is Hello Autumn. 

I call this Happy faces.  Detail below. 

 

I began by adhering a napkin from my stash to 5 X 8 in (12.7 X 20.32 cm) 110 lb white cardstock using a glue stick. It was far easier to write these words than it was to get the napkin adhered without a lot of wrinkles.  When it was as smooth as I could possibly get it, I added the computer generated text.

 

 

 

    Please visit Bleubeard and me today at these three art blogs. 

    

9/11 25 Years Later (AKA Patriot Day)

 

Because it's Friday, I'm joining Nicole for Friday Face-Off.  Sadly, there is no Art For Fun today.  This is all about loss, sadness, and hope. 

  The horror of that day still haunts me, even though I didn't know anyone who died in the Twin Towers. 

  I watched for days on end as the fire brigades and NYC volunteers sifted through the rubble desperately searching for even one living soul.

I can't fathom anyone reading my blog doesn't remember 9/11 and where they were that day.

I write a post every year on 9/11 because we must

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

  

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  

 

Statistics provided by CNN in 2017 (found here)

19: Hijackers of four fuel-loaded U.S. commercial airplanes bound for West Coast destinations

2,977: People killed in New York City, Washington, D.C., and outside Shanksville, Pa.

2,753: People killed at the World Trade Center (WTC) site in Lower Manhattan

343: New York City firefighters who died in the initial attacks and subsequent collapse of the WTC towers

23: New York City police officers who died

37: Port Authority officers who died

2: Age of youngest victim

85: Age of oldest victim

184: People killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon

40: Passengers and crew killed when United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pa.

1,641: WTC victims’ remains positively identified as of August 2017

$500,000: Estimated amount of money it cost to plan and execute the attacks

$123 billion: Estimated economic loss during the first two to four weeks after the WTC towers collapsed in New York City, as well as decline in airline travel over next few years

$60 billion: Estimated cost of the WTC site damage, including surrounding buildings, infrastructure and subway facilities

3.1 million: Hours of labor to clean up 1.8 million tons of debris

$750 million: Total cost of cleanup

22: Governmental agencies rolled into a single Department of Homeland Security, including the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after 9/11

Statistics provided by NY Magazine on the anniversary in 2002 (for NYC only)

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. 

• Total number killed in attacks in New York: 2,753

• Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343

• Number of NYPD officers: 23

• Number of Port Authority police officers: 37

• Number of WTC companies in the towers that lost people: 128

• Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402

• Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614

• Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658

• Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 2,343

• Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115

• Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1

• Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39

• Bodies found "intact": 291

• Remains found: 21,906

• Number of families who got no remains: 1,717

• Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000

• Total units of donated blood actually used: 258

• Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609

• Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051

• Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20

• FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274

• FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661

• Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300

• Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200

• Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98

• Tons of debris removed from site: 1.8 million

• Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99

• Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100

• Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6

• Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81

• Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26

• Total number of civil rights complaints reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide from 2002 to 2008: 12,962

• Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks: $105 billion

• Estimated cost of cleanup: $600 million

• Total FEMA money spent on the emergency: $970 million

• Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities: $1.4 billion

• Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11: $40.2 billion

• Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $7.5 billion

• Amount of money granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways: $4.55 billion

• Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families: $500 million

• Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25

• Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow: $1 million

• Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9

• Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40

• Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50

• Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150

• Number of mentions of 9/11 at the 2002 Oscars: 26

• Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 23,000

• Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,167

• Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million

• Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000 
•  22: Governmental agencies rolled into a single Department of Homeland Security, including the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after 9/11 

 

Patriot Day 2026 is observed on September 11 to remember those who were injured or died during the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. It is not a public holiday, but many people participate in ceremonies and moments of silence to honor the victims.

I'm also joining Nicole at Friday Face OFF. 

I will never forget and I hope you will share your experience, too.