Howdy and Bye

This is a group photo although you can barely see
Spike, he is the white and black blob next to Max
on the chair. Mr. B is in the light :-).
Since I am in a sort of thinking mode, not so much
a writing mode I will just say hi and have a wonderful
rest of the week. I am taking the next couple days away
from the computer to think and paint and see some friends.
Take care and be kind.

Sad, but happy

This photo is my attempt to capture a sunset here
in New Mexico. We have the most wonderful sunsets
in the world, but you will have to go here to see them.
My friend Geraint takes the best sunset photos ever.
Of course he has a real camera with fancy lens' and stuff.
Do I sound jealous? Well, I am just a tiny bit, yes :-).
I am feeling a wee bit down these days. As detached as
I am from Mr. B it still makes me sad that things are not
going well. It is a lot him and a lot me and I think really
the main thing is that we are not in the same city. I also
have some issues and confusions as much as he does, but
I am more willing to take a risk and ignore my doubts than
he is. We are taking a little time away from each other and
I miss him, but it is probably for the best. Actually I feel
that everything that happens, no matter how it looks, or
feels is always for our best. I know that many would disagree
and even get angry at that thought, but is is just how I believe
and it gets me through a lot of crap :-). Makes me happier to
believe it than not. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Sick

I have no photo today. I am sick and I will spare
you the details as they are not pretty. Have a wonderful
day everyone and stay well. I will write more when I
feel better.

Detachment

Took this photo of Max yesterday, the little camera
does okay for close-ups. Isn't he a doll? He is also a
devil, but makes up for it by being a very funny, smart cat.
On my mind today is love. Things are not going too well
with Mr. B and even though I love him and he loves me,
sometimes love is proving to not be enough. It is hard to
work out things from so far away. Time will tell what will
finally come of our relationship. I am pretty detached and
that has come with getting older. I am very happy with
my life and while I would love to share it with another
person, it has to be the right person, or what is the use?
I do not settle anymore. I used to date men, just to date,
but no longer, it just is not worth it. It may still work out
for Mr. B and I, but I will have to wait to find out.
I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!

Random thoughts, again...

Do you see that tiny black speck on the sign?
It is a huge Raven, but you can't tell, because I
have a camera that is a point and shoot and after
using said camera for a month, I want the real thing,
you know a camera with lens' and stuff. A real camera.
However, those cost a lot of money and I can not buy
one for a while, so you will have to put up with my
photos of tiny ravens :-).
I had a great couple days cleaning and painting. It felt
good to work on my real work. The painting is still a
month or so from being done, but it is starting to look like
something now. I also watched movies. I am a movie addict.
I love a good movie and a good book more than men :-).
I watched "Eastern Promises" again. I had to because I am
in love with Viggo Mortensen. I mean this guy is a wonder.
He speaks a zillion languages, he paints, he is a photographer,
and a jazz musician and a horseman. Just to name a few things
I love about him and he is also beautiful. I have left Johnny Depp
and I now live with Viggo :-).
In other news I read something today that I want to share:
"There are no neutral thoughts". I have been thinking about it
all day. Your thoughts are either negative, or positive.
Think good thoughts people :-). Have a wonderful weekend.

Sweet

Look at this sweet face, it belongs to my dog Zeus.
I myself am not feeling very sweet at the moment.
I have been noticing something of late about all
(okay, not all, but most) of the men in my life.
Is it just me or do men seem to be ALL about them,
their issues, their problems, their angst? What about us women?
Do we not have issues, problems and angst? Do they
care? Non. Now I am not talking about sweet men like
Neil, who is in a bit of angst right now. I am talking about
in general has anybody else noticed this, or is it just me?
I love men I really do, but at this moment in time I think
I will just live with my four boys (pets) and leave the rest
of the men alone. I do have a few male friends who care,
but all in all I think I am done with men, at least for a
couple days :-).
I am taking a couple days away from the computer to
devote to painting and cleaning my house. Have a great
rest of the week. Love ya.

Boring

Not Mr. B, I am the one who is boring.
Mr. B is the cat who needs to gain weight.
It is too early to tell if he is gaining with his new food,
but he eats a lot and that has to count. Isn't he
pretty? And he is sweet too if you don't count
his yowling in the mornings to get me up :-). But
hey they all yowl to get me up. Who needs an alarm
when you have three cats and one dog? Not me.
I have precious little to say as you can tell, but
I feel I must post if I can even if I have absolutely
nothing of interest to tell you, :-), sorry. I am
just so boring right now, work, paint, work, paint,
run, work, paint, read, work, paint. You get the idea.
Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone. Love you.

MUD

The snow is melting, see proof in this photo.
This is my yard, and it gets no sun all Winter,
so the melting is a bit slow going. I should
have taken a photo of the roads where I run,
but they would not be very nice pictures as it is all
pretty much mud, lots, and lots, of brown, gooey
mud. This morning I was lucky because it was
so cold that the mud was still frozen when I went
out to run. I love Spring except for the mud :-).
Did I say I HATE mud? Well I do, I hate it.
I want to thank Nina for posting a comment in
my last post, she is a real blog friend now as she
is the only one so far that has taken pity on me.
If you know what is good for you, go check out her
blog, because she will make you laugh. Another
blog that will make you smile is Neil's except today's
blog is kind of sad, so go say hello to cheer him up.
I think that about covers it for today.
Live love, have a great day!

More random thoughts

On my mind today: time, spirit and art.
I am still working hard on my new painting.
It takes me about two months to do a large 47"x47".
Now if I was not working a full time job I could probably
get one done in three weeks, perhaps even two. But I do
work a full time job, so there you have it. I was figuring out
how long I actually spend a week painting and it boils
down to about 9-16 hours a week. I also realized something
I wonder if married people understand, or even single
people like me for that matter: If you are single you end up
doing twice as much as your married friends, twice as much!
You are the only one who goes to buy groceries, does laundry,
cleans the house, gets an oil change, goes to the Post Office.
People with a partner only have to do some of that some of the
time. You get what I am saying? Now, if said people have kids
forget the comparison because you have no time for anything :-).
So I figured out after errands and chores (with four animals there
are always chores) and making dinner and eating, and dishes, and
after working all day, I am ready to paint at around 8:30 and I go
to bed around ten or eleven as I get up at 5:30. That leaves me an
hour and a half to work on my painting. Then of course if I get a
phone call or two, or something else like taxes has to be done,
I don't get to work on it at all. I was thinking perhaps I should try
sleeping less, but that never works for me :-). I just have to
find a way to stop working. That is all there is to it :-).
On the other hand I know that we are all at the right place
at the right time and I do trust that, with all my heart. So
that is what I am thinking about today :-). Also I notice I still
don't have any comments :-)... Have a great week end!

Cranky

Me, not my cat Spike, he is almost never cranky :-).
I know you are reading my blog, because you tell
me you are, but almost none of you are posting a comment.
Would it kill any of you to spend the two seconds it takes
to sign up to send me a little, tiny bit of encouragement?
You see I am new to blog land and as near as I can tell
by reading other blogs, the comments are proof you
have readers and that they like you. There are even some
bloggers who give away prizes to get people to comment on
their blogs. I seem to be very unpopular right now, and I
know sometimes I can be at a loss for words, but my blog
is not that bad is it? I don't really want an answer to that
question, but if it will get you to comment, then okay, but be kind:-).
I am partly kidding here, but I do want to be popular,
and I am feeling just a tiny bit insecure. Just ever so
tiny a bit. Okay, I have used tiny three times in this post,
now four, so I will stop before I use it again. :-)
I love you all, even if you don't comment, but please do.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am kind of busy for the next couple of days, so I
won't be around, but I wanted to say have a very
wonderful Valentine's day. However, I feel everyday
should be a day to remember your loved ones.
EVERYDAY :-).
Not just one day of the year during a mass market holiday.
Hold them close and don't take them for granted. Ever.
Easier said than done, but we can always try.
I love you. Each and every one of you :-).

Random thoughts

This is the view where I run. I wish I could get
a better photo of the mountain, but this is the
best I can do with my camera. You can go HERE
to see a bunch of wonderful photos by my friend
Geraint Smith. He takes beautiful shots of the land
I live in, check him out. My thoughts these days are
on my show and my cat Mr. B, he has been losing weight
and they cannot figure out why. Send up some good
thoughts for him, okay. Other than that I am void of
anything interesting to say :-). Have a great day
and be well.

Wishes

I believe in magic. I believe in dreams coming
true. I believe in making wishes. My wishes for
today are pretty much the same as my wishes
of the last few years: To be painting and writing
full time, to be in a happy, loving relationship, and
to have enough money to travel more. Really simple.
I want to go to Paris and Alaska first, then Morocco :-).
And I would visit my family more often.
If I were painting and writing full time I would spend
most of my day doing one or the other and running in
the woods for longer than I can now. I would also see
my friends more. If my relationship wish came true
(not yet sure what is going to happen with Mr. B)
I would spend a lot of time lavishing my man with
attention and affection :-). This is the year for me to
make these wishes come true, or at least one of them.
What do you wish for? May your wishes be blessed :-).

Relax

This is Max, my youngest. He can sleep
anywhere :-). I am in a quiet mood, not
much I want to talk about right now, but
I do have some exciting news: I have been
offered a gallery show. No, not in the gallery
I covet, but in a lovely gallery owned by good
people. I get two months, March and April.
That is not the busiest tourist season, but it
will be nice to have them up and out of my
house! That's all for now. Have a wonderful
weekend and be kind, especially to yourself.

More Snow

This is the yard at the gallery I work at.
It has finally stopped snowing after three days
thank god. It was just becoming too much, if you
know what I mean :-). Now it is all white and clean
and lovely and we have no more snow forecast for at
least ten days.
I am out of words and out of thoughts. Time to go play.
Be kind. I love you.

Nurture

This is my front yard right now. It has been snowing
for a few days. We thought it was done snowing,
but we were very wrong:-). It is so white and quiet
out right now, I just love it. It would be even better
if I did not have to go to work, but I do.
What is on my mind today is relationships and how
most people (but not you of course :-) neglect them
and then they wonder why lovers leave and friends
stop calling. My thoughts on this are that love and
friendships take a little work. You have to nurture
them and tend to them like a plant. If you neglect it
or leave it too long on it's own it dies. We all know this,
but we get busy and forget. This is just a reminder.
Tell the people you love, that you love them. Call
someone you have not talked to for a long time. I
am guilty of this too and I hope my good friends that
have not heard from me for a while will forgive me.
I am calling soon, I promise :-).

JOY

I am in a really joyful mood today.
Even though it is grey and cold outside.
Even though nothing special is happening.
I really feel good. Hey, I just looked outside and
it has started to snow:-). I don't really have a lot to
share at the moment. Life is really quiet and work
is even quieter. I am working on a painting and have
been for a month or so. My paintings are labor
intensive and take up to four months to complete.
Part of reason for that is because I work a full time
job. I am still also working on my book, but I needed
a break and I was having a painting craving, so I am
following my heart. I am taking photos of each step in
my painting process and will share the photos as I go.
Well, that is all for today. Love strong, be kind and
have a wonderful Sunday. I love you.

Warmth

Everyone needs to feel warm and happy and loved.
Everyone should at the very least have a little of
all three of these things at some point in their lives.
I have been very lucky to be warm and loved for
most of my life. I also learned that being happy is
up to me. No one can make me happy that is the
one thing I must do for myself. Sometimes it is easier
said than done, but it is the only way. If you are
waiting for someone or something to come along
and make you happy, it is not ever going to happen.
Most people are waiting for their love life to make
them happy, or for success or money. All those
things are nice, but they will only make you happy
for about a day or two. Real happiness comes from inside :-).
In other news:
I have great news about Bernie(see other posts),
she did not win the contest for the animal shelter, but
she did raise enough money to build a smaller shelter
and that is going to help her a great deal. Thank you
to anyone that donated :-). Have a wonderful weekend.
Be happy :-).