"SLEEPING BEAUTY"

Okay..so maybe I'm not "Sleeping Beauty", but I think I must have been under some kind of spell for the last few months.  How else can I explain the fact that it's the middle of November and a few months have been fast forwarded from My life. 

I always hate it when people give a run down of the  they can't seem to get it together and do a consistent blog. I only have one answer for that. I'm unreliable in this department. End of story. 

I've come to realize that there is a short window in time when all is right with the world. In my age bracket its when the kids have finally found their niche in life, the grandkids are old enough that they are not pooping their pants anymore, and your friends and family are all healthy. Unfortunately, we only recognize that time after it has passed. This is the time when we must pull up our panties, suck it up and soldier on. Life and getting older is not for the squimish or faint of heart. 

So, what have I been doing to stay sane?  Funny you should ask.  The answer is simple ......ART. 
I'm sure it 's the reason that I haven't run madly into the streets swinging a machete, and yelling gibberish (believe me, I've considered it).
When our backs are up against the wall, we all have something that we turn to to get us by. 

Mine happens to be art.  And I'm grateful for that.
Grateful that I'm fortunate to be able to direct my homicidal tendencies to a more positive outcome.  
 So here's a pictorial summary of some of my art/ mental health projects.          
                    "Partners". 
              Graphite 24"x30 "

  

                  "Sing me a Song"

    

"Itty bitty Books" handmade 1"X 1" 

"The Rancher"

"THE RANCHER"

HAVING A LITTLE FUN WITH MY PENCIL!

This photo of my drawing was taken before it was not quite done, and since he is now finished and framed, a good photo will have to come later. 

This guy was a lot of fun and because this blog is about art as well as Zentangle, I'm posting it here. 

Summer is a time for kicking back and enjoying the outdoors. Hope you are enjoying yours. Postings here will be random and untimely, but that's just the way things are.  

If I Only Need a Pen, Why am I lugging Around a Suitcase?

One of the great things about Zentangle® Is the fact that not a lot of special tools or art supplies are required. I'm glad to tell people that all they need is a pen and paper to produce a nice piece of art.

I, on the other hand, need everything but the kitchen sink. Since I've started teaching I've managed to enlarge my "bye bye" arms by 50%. For those of you who are not familiar with what " bye bye arms" are, let me enlighten you.
" Bye bye arms" are the part of your upper arms that continue to wave goodbye long after you've stopped waving. Sometimes I like to call them "grandma arms", because my Grandma had them.
But I digress.

I like to be prepared for any situation that might arise when I am teaching. Hence the  suitcase.  I pack it the evening before and by the looks of it you'd think I was going on a long extended vacation . I should really be catching a cab to the airport instead of heading to the North end of the city to the Seniors Centre.  Picture in your mind my sad story of  over packing minus the holiday. Hubby is a saint by putting up with my constant rambling as item by item makes it into the bag. It goes something like this:

 Me:  ( muttering to myself)
Hubby:  "Are you talking to me?"
Me:   "No I'm packing up for tomorrow and am talking to myself. Just ignore it."
Hubby:  "You always over pack and no wonder your back is sore. I thought you only needed a pen and paper for this art."
Me:  "You do but I have to make sure I'm ready for anything these seniors throw at me. These aren't some geriatric misfits here.  They're savvy people and most of them have been taking art and craft classes since they retired. I have to be on my toes."
Hubby: "Well it's late and I'm ready for bed."

I ignore him and start putting things in my bag, still mentally checking off items and talking to myself.
Lets see, .... pens , paper, teaching lesson, pencils and pencil sharpener, change ( in case someone needs to purchase supplies) eye glass cleaner and cloth, extra pair of glasses, Paper tiles, bottle of water, tortillion, handouts, kleenex and the list goes on and on.  The bag is bulging at the seams and by now I've forgotten if I've put in my box of .005 pens. I can't spot them so I start digging in the bag like a mad dog looking for a bone. Sure enough, after I've torn out the guts of the bag, I spot them at the very bottom. Why, oh Why don't I make that checklist!!!

By now Hubby is fast asleep and here I am back at square one. I put back everything and try to zip it up. That zipper is stuck fast and isn't going to budge! I squish down the top of the suitcase and grab a pair of pliers and pull that stubborn zipper closed. By now I'm exhausted. I haul my wheelie bag to the front door so I can make the early morning get away. I want to be ready and calm when my class gets there.

Only one thing left to do... pack up the projector and document camera.
 
Good thing this art form only takes a pen, paper and is so darn portable!
 At least that's what my students think, God bless their hides! 

Zentangle Post For Today

Just keep on Truck'in Along

I Can't Measure Up!

'

Men and women speak different languages, and relate differently to certain situations. A case in point is how we measure things. I am the first to admit that I am, what Hubby lovingly refers to as, “Measuring impaired.” He, on the other hand, is then King of the tape measure. In our house we have several measuring contraptions. Drawers in every room shelter at least some device for calculating how long, short, or wide something is. Rulers, meter sticks, tape measures and a host of other devices, lurk in every nook and cranny. Hubby even wears a tape measure strapped to his belt, like at any moment he’ll be called upon to solve a critical “measuring dilemma”#

I’m only good for holding the end of the tape. Occasionally, he asks me to read
it and give him an accurate count.

Hubby:  “Okay how many feet is that?”

Me:  “I’d say 6 feet and a little bit”.

Hubby:  “A little bit… like what? An inch, two inches, or a quarter of an inch? Be a little more specific, okay?”

Me: “Alright, it’s about six feet and five of the big thingee marks. Plus, maybe seven of the little thingee marks after the big ones.”

Hubby: “You’ve got to be kidding me? What kind of measurement is that?”

Me:  “The more specific one you asked for. Most women wouldn’t have a problem understanding that. That’s how most of us measure.”

I proceed to tell him the dynamics of how the female mind works when it comes to measuring. For example, we’re  comfortable measuring three yards of material, string, wool, etcetra, by holding the end and stretching it out from our nose to as far as we can reach with our arm.  Do that three times, and voila, three yards. No problemo!  If we happen to need a square, round, or triangular shape described, we simply use our hands to indicate what shape and size weneed it, and use the phrase “ about so”.  In a nutshell, it’s clear and concise, and universally understood by the majority of ladies. This eliminates the usage of confusing things like, metric, or imperial systems. Sometimes, when we have to measure things more accurately, we use the “little line thingee” technique, which brings us back to the situation at hand.

Hubby:  “You’re full of baloney. Nobody with half a brain measures like that.”

Me:  “Yes they do. That’s why I always tell you to build things to LOOK level not BE level. Something can be level, and still look crooked.”

Usually, if I want to yank his chain, all I have to do is mention the fact that what he’s just built is crooked. That really pushes his buttons, and sends him into a re-measuring frenzy.

Me:  “Oh by the way, “can you cut a piece of mirror for a friend of mine”?

“I guess so, but I’m afraid to ask.” “What size does she need it?”

I put my hands up to convey what size and shape I mean, adding the magical words, “just so”.  “And, add six of those little thingee lines. We had to be really accurate with this one…. it’s going in an existing frame.

Getting back to business.

 Blogging for the "fifties"  generation should be mandatory. This is something that doesn't come naturally to anyone over 60. I'm not saying that I'm over 60, but let's just say  i'm looking at the back end of 59.
 I'm sure I'm not the only one who has trouble with this blogging thing, but I'm going to try to muddle through. And I'm not gonna make any apologies for my lousy blogging skills.

 I always thought that I had pretty good diction, but when I dictate to the microphone I get some really whacked out words coming out. Trust me they can change the whole meaning   of things. So I would like to apologize in advance for any unauthorized off-colour words, misspellings or general gobbledygook that may occur.  Also, I have two other blogs floating around in the cosmos that I can no longer edit, or apparently see. "I" can see them but apparently blogger cannot and I cannot fix it.   This is going to be another one of those learning curves. I hate those learning curves,  at least while they're occurring.  I'm always grateful that I learned something afterwords, but up until then it's a battle.
 So here's my disclaimer in advance, and I'll learn to have fun and maybe have some sort of blog be born out of this frustration. I'm  posting this now in the hopes that it will be saved for all posterity!