A rainy Friday pick me up.

Okay, we need the rain. I know we need the rain. We need buckets of it. Despite this fact I still have issues with performing my Friday Domestic Goddess duties in the rain.

I don't like the rain drops on my glasses.

I don't like being fully dressed and feeling like I'm standing in a cold shower.

I don't like the fact that other people apparently lose their minds because it's raining and completely forget how to operate their vehicles in any way resembling a safe manner.

I don't like carrying in the groceries while it's raining because those aforementioned rain drops on my glasses make it hard to see and I always end up tripping up the back steps trying to get in the house.

I don't like the way Creepy makes a mad dash out the door (open so I can carry in groceries) but upon discovering it's raining her claws become anti-lock brakes and she whips a 180 U-turn as soon as those paws hit wetness on the steps and thus frantically scrambles back inside just as I'm trying to walk through the doorway laden with bags of eggs and breakable stuff.

It all conspires to put me in a rather irritable mood. Thankfully, there is really cute stuff at CuteOverload to make me smile ......

You set the NeverLost right?

Set it to go to Inspiration Point! Vaminos! [Chihuahuas peel out]

Lights, music, smoke and water ...

Okay, I just know y'all are asking, "So what do these things have in common?"

Answer - painting.

???

Yes, painting. Working in the studio. Making art.

Lights = Ott Lites at my drafting table. I love my Ott lights. I have two of the floor type lamps, one on either side of the table. My studio gets West light from a single window and it sucks. As most artists will tell you, North light is best because it's even, cool and helps show colors more accurately, yadda, yadda, yadda. Considering my lack of North light, the fact that I paint a lot at night, and such things as cloudy, overcast days when the room gets almost no outside light the Ott Lites were a good investment.

Music = 5 CD's in the stereo playing nice tunes to paint by. I like having the variety and also not having to get up and change the CD every time one ends. Today's selection is: Melissa Etheridge Skin and Breakdown, Van Morrison Tupelo Honey, Boys On The Side soundtrack, and The Bonnie Raitt Collection. I have a fairly extensive collection, somewhere in the neighborhood of 380+ CDs. It's quite varied in style of music as well. Everything from Classical to Country.

I like having music to fit whatever mood I may be in. Sometimes I'm feelin' all old school and need a little Steppenwolf or Golden Earring. Sometimes I'm feelin' a touch retro and plug in The Ramones. Occasionally I get my girl freak on an listen to Tina Turner or Carole King. Then you've got mellow days and it might be something like England Dan & John Ford Coley or Simon & Garfunkel. New age tunes with 2002, Enya or Ottmar Liebert is sometimes the flavor of the day. Once in awhile I break out with Latin music or Reggae. Pretty much whatever I want to hear, I've got somewhere in my CD library.

Smoke = incense filling the room with the scent of Fern & Moss by Maroma. I love incense and this particular scent is just too freakin' yummy for words. I get this one at GreenLife grocery in Asheville. Last time I was there I bought all of if they had. I am the kind of person who buys incense in quantity. We're talking $60+ worth or more at at time. I found a website a couple of months ago, Mystic Unicorn, which carries another brand of incense I like, Escential Essences, and I got a boat load. My mailman said it was the most fragrant package he'd ever delivered ... :)

Water = watercolor painting. Today I'm working on one of the "secret art project" images. I think I already told you I've gotten two of them finished, one watercolor and the other in acrylic. This current one, and the next two, are perfect images for watercolor work. Plus, I've done so much more acrylic work of late that I feel the need to use my watercolors again. I love the way they flow and how the brush feels on the paper. Acrylic is nice and I do like it, but watercolor is my first love. The way this particular painting is going I'm thinking the watercolors like me, too.

I use only one brand of paper, that being Fabriano Artistico Extra White 300lb. Soft Press. I've tried several others and they just didn't work for the way I paint. Too thin and I had to pre-soak and tape them to a board. Too rough and I couldn't get fine detail. Too smooth and the paint just puddled on the surface and I couldn't fight the hard edges. Then I found the Fabriano. I love it. I am a dedicated fan. May this stuff be around as long as I live. As a matter of fact, I just ordered 20 more sheets of it today. Yee ha!

As for paint, I have a variety; Daniel Smith, Old Holland, Lukas, MaimerBlu, Da Vinci, Holbein, and Windsor & Newton. Different brands produce many of the same colors but how those colors look may be very different. For example, the Windsor & Newton Raw Sienna isn't the same as the MaimerBlu Raw Sienna. How each brand performs is another issue as well. Take the same W&N vs. MaimerBlu example and one Raw Sienna tends to be more grainy than the other. Lots of technical reasons for that, but the fact still remains, they aren't the same and each one will produce a different result in a painting. I could also go into all the dozens of other reasons for using a variety of brands, but I won't. Suffice it to say, what I do works for me ... if you paint with watercolors I'm sure you understand. If you don't paint with watercolors, anymore explanations will bore the socks off of ya'.

My brush of choice is the Raphael 8408 Marte Kolinsky. I love the #8. The 8408 is well balanced, somewhat short handled. The tuft is average size around the ferrule, but the belly is narrow so that the side of the tuft continues the tapering line of the ferrule without any visible widening. The brush hold a good charge of paint and releases it very evenly. The tuft is somewhat soft (rather like ABS brushes) and quite responsive, it snaps to a needle point - which is so lovely it's almost orgasmic.

Back when I sold my very first painting I bought a set of Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes ... supposedly the best, preferred by professional artists and all that rot. Ha! NOT. I didn't like them in the least. I tossed them in a box and didn't use them again until I started painting with acrylics. I like them for that well enough. For watercolor work I kept using my old, cheap brushes until I came across the 8408 in a DickBlick catalog. A whopping $80 bucks for a brush. Kind of freaky, yet I know the old adage of "you get what you pay for" and "always get the best materials you can afford" applies to art stuff. I bought the #8 and fell in love from first time I held it and painted the first stroke. *sigh* I loved it so much that as soon as I could afford it I bought two more and the sizes #0-6 as well. I don't use them often because the #8 is so incredibly versatile. I can use it for nearly everything except large washes. It's a damn near perfect brush.

So this is my day today, all day, maybe all night. I love it. Now, back to work ....

Namaste y'all ...

2007, your days are numbered and my List isn't finished ...

Today is December 26st. Gah!

What happened to the time? Seems like yesterday was January and I was getting started on my Carol's List Of Things To Do for the coming year. I don't do New Year's Resolutions. I do a To Do list. I had some success this past year accomplishing some of the things on the List. I finished Paul's quilt. I was accepted into all the Art Societies I wanted to be a member of. I got work published in a magazine (actually 3 magazines). I sold more prints off my website and through a third-party. I had some of my art displayed for sale in a store. I got back in touch with some old friends. I paid off a few bills. I started the Kriya Yoga course. I read a few books on that never ending books-to-read list. I did my final Reiki attunement and am at Master/Teacher level. I did some other things of a personal nature I won't list here. All in all, I got some stuff done.

There were also things that happened that weren't on the List. I started a Reiki clinic with my friend Paul called Open Hands Reiki Natural Healing. I made a couple of new friends. I taught art classes at the local college and privately. I came up with a redesign for my website (yet again) that I really, really like this time. I developed to a stronger level spiritually with my Tarot readings. I was contacted about a great art project which could be very profitable - and am working on it now - have two paintings done and three more in progress.

But, ya' know, a sad number of things on the List didn't get crossed off.

Damn.

Y'all know what that means, don't ya'?

Oh yeah.

I have to tack 'em on to the List Of Things To Do, 2008.

Damn.

I guess it's a good thing I plan to live until I'm 102.

So I went to bed last night thinking about the List. What, besides the leftovers from 2007, will I add to the List for the coming year? Hmmm, let me go get a cup of tea and think about that for a minute .....

_________________

Carol's List Of Things To Do 2008

This is what I've got so far ....

1) Do more art. Of course, this means just exactly what it says ... Do.More.Art. I would like to attempt to do a minimum of at least one painting per month. This doesn't include some other things I have in mind, which leads to ...

2) Do more small art. Get busy doing things like my greeting cards, ornaments, bookmarks, and so forth. I enjoy doing them and they don't take a lot of time to do. It's like a "quick fix" when I feel the need to create something but don't have an idea for a full size painting ... or when I'm stuck on a work in progress.

3) Cafepress. Time to get that ol' Cafepress account dusted off and fix the files for having t-shirts, coffee cups, journals, etc. available on my website. Getting all the image files sized and such is time consuming and yeah, I've been a slacker. But I think it would be a really good addition, like the aforementioned small art items, to the shopping area of my website.

4) Get new website design complete and published by end of January. That's a daunting deadline. When I think about all the work needing to be done I cringe. Yet I know the new design is a good one, it really fits me and is so much more suited to the way I want my online presentation of my work, and my self, to be. In the long run, the amount of work will be well worth the effort.

5) Work on children's book. Oh how this weighs on my shoulders. In my mind's eye I can see the book completed. The problem is getting it worked out on paper. Sort of in a stuck spot with it. My muse isn't being very helpful.

6) Make quilt for bed. Actually, this is more of a part of my plans for redecorating the whole bedroom. Drives the husband crazy that I take so long to make up my mind when it comes to decorating. The bedroom decorating had been several years in process because I just can't settle on the colors. After all, considering the time it takes to make a quilt, which will be the focal point, I want to get it right. I want to be able to walk into the bedroom and sigh with satisfaction.

7) Work on snuggle quilt for best buddy Kasey. This project has been a long term work-in-progress. Kasey has a lovely sense of style, is particular about color and fabric design, and I want to make a snuggle quilt she will love snuggling with. So, collecting appropriate fabrics is taking time.

8) #6 & 7 means I need to get some more fabric collected.

9) Submit art to art shows. Now that I am a member of several large art groups like the National Watercolor Society and the International Acrylic Painter's Society I want to submit work to their shows. It's all juried, so being a member doesn't guarantee acceptance into the shows. But if my work was accepted, it would travel around and gain exposure for my art.

10) Spend more time with Zachary, my Godson. I can't help it. Kids just wig me out. I love tiny babies but when they start crawling or walking and can start getting into stuff it makes me a nervous wreck. It's that three-four year range when you can't take your eyes off 'em for a second or they are stuffing everything they get their hands on into their mouths or pulling anything breakable off into the floor. They can't talk so you don't know what the heck they want, which usually leads them to a minor, sometimes major, meltdown.

But Zachary will be four this coming year. He can talk and communicate his needs. He understands "Don't touch that." He knows how to "behave" long enough for me to go to the bathroom without fear he will be choking to death or fracture his skull while I'm out of the room for 30 seconds.

11) Spend more time with all my friends. 'Nuf said.

12) Get camping gear out of closet and re-waterproof all my stuff. Repack backpack. GO CAMPING! I love camping. I love camping alone. I miss camping. I haven't gone in a couple of years. That's bad. I really need to go camping.

13) Take a real vacation, maybe two vacations. When I got the keyboard desk for the husband this year the agreement was that I, in turn, could take a solo vacation in 2008. I'm still slightly undecided as to destination, but that's okay. Most likely it will be the beach because the husband doesn't like the beach and it's not a destination he would enjoy. Dragging him along wouldn't be much fun.

But he and I are due for a real vacation somewhere. It's been a couple of years since we have gone anywhere. Last trip was to visit his mom and step-dad in New Mexico. Maybe we'll go to see his brothers and sisters in Texas this year. He owes me a real cowboy hat from San Antonio. Shoot, I might even wrangle me some boots from Houston, too! Yee haw!

14) Advertise Open Hands Reiki Clinic. Paul and I opened the clinic at the end of September but, as things often go, I didn't get to spend as much time promoting the business as I wanted, as needed to be done. I think this area is desperate for alternative healing resources and Reiki is an excellent choice for anyone and everyone. Thing is, people here are old school and need to be educated as to what Reiki is, and that it is available.

15) Make all my Christmas ornaments for next years' tree. I wanted to do that this year. Yeah. Well. Didn't happen. Because it didn't happen I ended up not even bothering to put up a Christmas tree at all. For those who know me that's a biggy. I LOVE Christmas trees and for many years (until I got the monster tree I have now) I put up two trees. I don't care if I don't have any other decorations as long as I have my tree. Alas, this was the very first year that I can recall not putting up a tree. I suppose it was because I have in mind my "dream tree" and I knew, even though I love the tree I have, I love all my ornaments I've collected or been given over the years, it wasn't what I truly wanted. The tree I envision having is specific; I want all hand-made ornaments, very organic and earthy, and pagan in theme. Yep, I'm going to have to make making my ornaments a priority for the coming year.

16) Blog every day. This is tough. Weekends will automatically be out of the running 'cause the husband will be home. I know it's weird but I'm just not comfortable writing my posts when he's home. He likes to come see what I'm doing and I while I don't mind if he reads it I don't like having him lurking over my shoulder while I'm trying to compose the post. It gets me all out of kilter. I need quiet and alone time to write all this crap.

17) M.E.B. (private and will not elaborate on that)

18) Garden. Ever since we moved into this house I've wanted a real garden. Both flowers and vegetables. I want to be able to grow tomatoes and can my own sauces. I want to fill my big freezer with stuff. I want fresh herbs, and to be able to dry them for later use as well. Unfortunately, this is something that has always managed to find a way to the back burner. There are various reasons, but it's a List item that gets carried over every year.

19) Redecorate the living room. Now, the first few months we were here in the new house we had 'donated' furniture from my Aunt Zelda. We were still what you would call newlyweds. I had sold everything I owned when I moved back home the year before. The husband lost what little he had in his divorce from his first wife. Combined, we didn't have much. Aunt Zelda had moved from her house into an apartment and was stuck with extra furniture ... we gladly accepted the hand-me-downs. Anyway, after awhile we were finally able to afford to buy our own stuff for the living room and dining room. So, technically, those rooms are already decorated. Thing is, I'm sick of the look of the living room. The husband, on the other hand, could live with it for the next 50 years and still be content. It's taken me a couple of years to nudge him into being okay with a redecorating venture. I won't be changing the big stuff like the sofa and chairs (which he promised I could have reupholstered in 10 years after we bought them 'cause I wasn't crazy about the upholstery to beging with - I've still got three years to wait), but I will change the curtains and such. A few small changes will give the room an entirely different look.

20) Shopping. I tried to get this organized last year and only partially succeeded. The game plan is to go to the grocery store once a month for the major stuff and once a week for small stuff, like the fresh strawberries and bananas the husband thinks is a must have for his sundae/movie watching fests. Sadly, strawberries don't last a month.

The part I did manage to get working into monthly (or less!) is the Wal-Mart shopping. I don't like Wal-Mart. I don't like going into Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, in a town as small as where I live, there aren't many alternatives. It's the only place which sells some of the things we use on a regular basis. Believe me, I've looked everywhere else in this town and it's a no-go.

21) Health care. Generally speaking, I'm a healthy person. I'm still working on making the complete switch to being Vegan, but I began that process knowing I would do it slowly, therefore less traumatic and problematic. I got the treadmill from Mother and have been walking for at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week. But I do need to get outside and do things in the fresh air more. It's sometimes difficult when I'm working in the studio all day.

The health care areas I'm talking about is stuff like going for an annual physical exam. I'm pretty slack about that. I also need to truck myself to a dentist's office. Haven't been in years. I've got some ancient fillings that probably need to be replaced by now. I would also like to check into having the fillings replaced with something other then these amalgam of metal filling which are composed 50% mercury. Scary. I would like to have the alternative, white resin fillings, if at all possible. Heck, we pay for dental insurance ... why not use it???

22) Working in the studio. Here's an area I've tried to get going for a couple of years. Another carry over to the List. As much as it shames me to admit this, I'm not as dedicated to being in the studio on a regular basis as I should be for a full-time artist. My goal is to work in the studio, on whatever, for at least eight hours a day, just like a real job. Don't answer the phone. Don't zip into town for a quick errand. Don't sit down and watch a movie 'cause I'm stuck. Don't do anything until after I've been in the studio for the day.

It doesn't have to be militarily regimental, but it does need to be regular. Done with dedication. If I want to do the things up at the beginning of this list, then time in the studio is a must. If I want to seriously make a good living with my art, then time in the studio is a must. Granted, there will be time at the computer because of the website redesign, and that's okay because it's still in the "art" work spectrum.

___________________

I'm sure this List will expand. It always does. Heck, by the time I hit the "publish post" button and walk away from the computer I'll probably have twelve more things to add. While I'm in the shower, hair full of shampoo, I'll think of more.

Yep, it's a darn good thing I will live to be 102.

Namaste y'all ...

The Real Story of Christmas ...

Kinda' takes the fun out of the holiday, but here it is ...

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?

The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended – in fact, many historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to "spoil" them.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

_____________________________________

So, with that, I'll go watch my How The Grinch Stole Christmas DVD and drink a nice cup of hot peppermint tea ... my own traditional way of celebrating Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas ...

and, of course,

Namaste y'all ...

What would life be? ...

Chocolate arrives in Switzerland.

Heinrich Escher, mayor of Zurich, was introduced to chocolate in Brussels in 1697 and brought it back home, where it was discreetly consumed at the feasts of the various guilds which ruled the city, until the Zurich Council banned it in 1722 as unfit for virtuous citizens. (It had a reputation as an aphrodisiac.)

The Swiss in general had to wait several decades before wandering Italian "cioccolatieri" brought the drink to Switzerland. The first chocolate manufacture was set up around 1750 by two Italians in a former paper mill near Bern, the Schermenmühle. It was not a great success: the locals did not take to it, and the mill was soon given over to producing flour instead. Nevertheless, before the end of the century other factories appeared in western Switzerland - Vevey, Morges and Lausanne - and in the Blenio Valley in canton Ticino. The first chocolate shop in Switzerland opened in Bern in 1792.

________________________________________________

Ladies, can you imagine life without chocolate???

The thought gives me visions of thousands of women screaming, hysterical, running down the road in their p.j.'s with tin foil wrapped around their heads and fluffy bunny slippers on their feet.

Makes me want to rush out to the store and buy a giant size bar of Hershey's Special Dark and eat it right there at the counter.

But it also makes me think of things we take the ability of having for granted. Ordinary, every day snack food kinds of things.

My list: Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Blueberry muffins. Cheetos White Cheddar Cheese Puffs. Fritos Corn Chips. Tiramisu. New York style cheese cake. Celery stalks with peanut butter. Pico de Gallo and tortilla chips.

Although I don't have this stuff very often, I like knowing I can jump in the Jeep and zip to the store anytime a craving hits. Or, if I have the ingredients at home I can make stuff like my Grandmother's gingerbread, old fashioned sugar cookies or a host of other delectable edibles to satisfy my snack monster appetite.

I wonder what kinds of things would be on y'all's list of "Edibles I Can't Imagine Life Without". I'd really like to know ...

Namaste y'all ...

Strange days indeed ...

Odd things happen to me. Some nice, some not so nice. And then there are the just plain odd. Saturday's thing falls somewhere between the nice and plain odd. It's just the way my life goes. I'm kind of used to it.

Here's the story. The vacationing husband is kicked back on the sofa watching a movie. I'm in the kitchen fixing Manicotti for dinner. Phone rings. I answer.

Male voice says, "Is this Carol?"

"Uh, yes, it is." I reply.

"Used to be Carol Snedeker?" as yet unidentified male voice asks.

Now I'm feeling a little hesitant, but curious. Who is this? Where's this going? I say, "Well, yes. Who are you?" Only fair he identify himself.

"Graylin." he says.

Okay. I'm certainly surprised by that. I know only one Graylin. I ask for clarification. "As in Martin?"

He laughs, sounding sort of uncomfortable. "Yeah."

We're both silent for a moment. Like we both need to let this sink in.

Graylin Martin was my high school sweetheart. Almost three years together. I worked hard to get him and in the end couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Long story, complicated and I won't go into details. Not a great ending, I might add. I confess, I still harbor some resentments.

"What do you want?" I ask as politely as I can. Lots of ideas running through my head. Is this a joke? How did he get my phone number? Has someone died? Is he insane and stopped taking his medication?

Pause. "Uh, are you still married?" he questions.

"I am." I reply. "Why?"

Another laugh. Another pause. "Well, I was hoping you weren't and I was going to ask you out."

What the Hell???

I almost dropped the phone. Could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather. This guy is married, too, to the girl he dated before me - and had an affair with while he and I were dating. It was my turn to laugh. "Now that is certainly not something I expected, from you no less. Why in the world did you call me for that?"

Amazingly, what followed as about a 30+/- minute conversation. He told me he and his wife, Vickie, had separated around eight months ago. Apparently he, though he didn't elaborate on the details, screwed up somehow and she said, "Had enough and I'm outta' here." He's now feeling the need to look for someone to start dating. Companionship and all that.

He thought of me.

Go figure.

He took a big chance when he dialed my number.

Suddenly, I didn't feel angry with him anymore. After all these years. It wasn't that I was flattered he had thought of me, I really wasn't. Truthfully, I was kinda' weirded out by that part. But I felt sorry for him. Here is this guy, at the holidays, alone and lonely. His 20+ year marriage is kaput. His children are taking his wife's side and not having much to do with him. He doesn't have any friends because he's focused all these years on just his family. And he's lonely enough to take a big flying leap into the abyss of the unknown and call me. Brave. And really pitiful.

Of course, even if I weren't married, it is not within the realm of possibilities on this plain of existence or any other that I would have agreed to go out with him. Not going down that path again. Oh no. There's a definite unpleasant history with this guy. I might forgive, but I don't forget. Yet I can't bring myself to be cruel or unkind to him. I simply can't summon up the old hostilities enough to do that. I would at least talk to him on the phone. I would be nice. Empathetic and understanding of another person's pain.

So, the conversation ended on a easy and relaxed tone. I think we were both still rather surprised to even be talking to each other after all these years. Just the same, I'm pretty sure I won't be hearing from him again. At least I gained a little peace with that part of my past. A lesson in compassion. That's always a good thing. An odd occurrence to be sure, but nice gift to me, for me at the holidays.

Namaste y'all ...

Cat Nappin'

Folks, if this isn't an excellent example of some serious cat nappin' then I don't know what is!

Seems like a perfect image to share with you on a Friday!

And yes, image was snitched from CuteOverload.com

Namaste y'all!

Not home alone ...

Four short days until the husband is home for vacation. Thirteen days off. Two days back at work and then five more days at home. I'm not sure one of us will survive, though which one is still undecided at this point.

Don't get me wrong. I love my husband and all that. It's just I have a hard time being with someone, anyone, for a lengthy stretch of time. I'm used to being alone all week, the husband coming home late Friday night and gone at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. Sure, he calls and we talk every evening. I get phone calls from friends. I even go out into town a couple of times during the week. But, for the most part, I'm alone. I like it that way. I'm a solitary kinda' person. Introverted. My main interests and pursuits don't require interaction with others. So being around someone 24-7, even the husband, gets on my nerves.

Thus, thinking about the impending vacation time is causing me some stress. I'm hoping he will go out, at least a couple of days, with our neighbor-friend Phil and help him work on the plane Phil is building. Maybe have nice enough weather to do yard work or clean the vehicles. Maybe spend lots of time in his studio working on his keyboard. Anything to give me "space" and time alone.

Why don't I go out somewhere on my own? Good question. Thing is, I've got projects in my studio to be working on. And too, even though it may sound completely crazy, I don't like to leave the husband home alone ... and he really hates to be home alone. The way I see it is like this; he works all week, driving a truck and being away from home - the one place he wants most to be - so that I can be a stay home wife and artist. I have to say I think it's a small sacrifice on my part to be here with him when he is home. Tit for tat. Quid Pro Quo. Whenever I leave him home alone, especially since I get so much time to myself during the week, I feel guilty.

Sure, he can find stuff to occupy himself. It's not that. It's the fact that I'm absent. My presence isn't in the house. And it's being near me, even if not in the same room, that makes him happy. He likes knowing I'm close by. I can understand. I don't begrudge him that. So it's a rare thing for me to go out when he's home. Yeah, sometimes it makes me nuts, especially during times like the upcoming vacation ... but that's the art of compromise. Ya' what ya' gotta' do.

I have to come up with a plan for surviving the vacation. For not chopping up the husband into little pieces and burying him in the compost pile.

There's the studio/project work. Of course, almost anytime I walk into the studio and pick up a paintbrush he's looking over my shoulder, watching. Like a fly to honey. He likes to watch me paint, watch the work evolve. Nothing abnormal about that. Everybody loves to watch someone paint or draw - like it's a magic show. Shoot, I could watch someone else paint for hours. Guess that might not be much "alone time".

I've got the website redesign. Not much to hold his attention with me making new buttons and resizing images on the computer. Doing the "grunt work". Although, come to think of it, he does love to watch me work in Photoshop. He's a basic computer user. He can check his e-mail. He can surf the internet. He can meander through ebay. Photoshop is way past his computing abilities, and therefore, when I'm in design mode it's interesting to him, somewhat like watching me paint. He once said watching me work in Photoshop was kind of like actually getting to watch how my brain works. Weird comparison, but okay. Website design might not generate much "alone time" either.

I could start on the quilt I'm planning for my bedroom. Washing, drying and ironing fabric, cutting it into strips and squares, stitching them together ... yep, that would be not so interesting to him. Thing is, I don't have all the different fabrics I want collected yet. Darn.

Knitting. He does like to watch me knit, but he will lose interest after a bit. I have several things I would like to start knitting. I even have a scarf on the sticks right now that I've frogged and restarted, oh about twelve times already. It's Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends in Water, a wonderful pale blue yarn that is too soft and lovely for words. I could eat this stuff it's so nice. I want a scarf and matching hat - the whole Pumpkin Hat thing got me feeling brave - but I've had trouble deciding on the stitch to use. All I know is I would like it to be in a rib stitch, but I haven't got the right knit/purl ratio figured out yet. Might could spend time working on that.

House cleaning. Good old fashioned kind of spring cleaning. Might send him to his studio for hours on end with that going on. I'd get a nice, clean house to boot. Possible.

I guess we'll just have to see how it goes and what else I can come up with.

For now, I'm going to go watch a movie and not think about it.

Namaste y'all ...

Vicks DayQuil, you are my friend ...

It doesn't escape my notice that Vicks DayQuil very courteously supplies you with your own "shot glass" for knocking back a nice dosage of medication. Between my morning shot of drugs, a strong pot of coffee and some Reiki, I'm actually managing to function somewhat normally today. I'm not dancing a jig around the studio by any means, but I'm at least sitting upright and not curled in a sad, whimpering little puddle in the middle of the bed. That's progress.

While I'm waiting for some paint to dry I dabbled around in Photoshop and created a new masthead for my blog. I like it. It fits me. I am a continual work in progress with my art, with my whole existence for that matter. I've come far but still have farther to go. I'm okay with that. Better forward than backward, ya' know?

But back to the masthead. I like the lighter colors, the softer feel. I think it will go well with my website yet stand on it's own as a blog page. The two are integrated, but separate. I think they need different looks, different names, a different tone to each. I'm even considering changing the name of my website as well. I'm not sure what it will be. "Art Magic" worked for me in the beginning but as the focus of my art changes, the direction of my life changes - which is reflected in my art - the current name just doesn't seem to fit anymore. I don't like it.

Any suggestions?

I did manage to have some foresight and plan ahead in regard to the site address, keeping it simply my name. I know me well enough to know I like to change stuff around too much. Slapping an "art magic dot com" up there would have left me stuck with that dot com. Couldn't do that to myself. Anyway, someone else already had it.

Since the "internet art theft incident" the redesign of the site has been weighing heavily on my mind. I've got an art project in the works that will be taking up much of my time. An old friend also contacted me yesterday about doing a new logo for her boyfriend's business. More time taken there. A couple of other things on the burner snitch up more time. So the question comes ... How do I work it in? It's a massive undertaking, designing and/or redesigning an entire website.

Even though this would be Version 6 (Ack!) and I'm more experienced with what to do, it would still demand a lot of work, a lot of time at the computer. Other stuff just doesn't get done when I'm off somewhere in Photoshop Land. And at present, I only have a preliminary splash/front page done. There would be hours of creative/design work to be thought out before the site itself would undergo any change at all. It's in playing with Photoshop that I can burn up some serious time ... too many options! This looks good! Oh wait, this looks better! Ah, that would be cool! Maybe a tweak here. Tweak there. Shift the type up a smidge. No, nudge it over there. What about this type style. Maybe that one. I could emboss this. I could use this filter on that. On and on and on and on .......

Fortunately the basics are already there. I won't really have to do much with setting up new pages except for the additional galleries and such I intend to add. But all of the images have to be re-worked and some new images added. New thumbnails and new buttons to be created. Meta tags and page descriptions. New links and old links redone. Etc. Etc. Etc. Then checking and rechecking. And checking again after it all get uploaded and published. Then making corrections. Oy! Makes me squirm just thinking about it. The upside is I can make all these changes and publish the new version all at once. I don't have to worry about the current version of the site being disturbed or "under construction". This is a good thing.

Speaking of good things, if y'all will excuse me, I do believe I have a lunch date with a bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich ...

Namaste y'all ...

The mind is willing - the body says, "Ain't no freakin' way!"

The Common Cold.

Menace to society.

Harbinger of an ill wind wrought with sickness and miserable body aches and pains.

Sneaky. Devious. Insidious.

An uninvited and unwelcome guest to the party of life.

Do ya'll hear the whining? Do y'all hear the pathetic and pointless plea for the good health I was carelessly enjoying just a few short days ago? Oh yes, Mr. Acute Viral Nasopharyngitis has come to call. I feel like I've been hit by a truck, all achy and sore, back of my throat feels like the hide has been scraped off, can only breathe out of one side of my nose. It's not pleasant.

I'm supposed to be in the studio creating art. I want to be creating art. I've got so many ideas for a Can't Elaborate On The Details Of Just Yet project in the works but ...

I'm going have a cup of tea, take some drugs, then have a nice nap.

Namaste y'all ...

Internet art theft ... violation or flattery?

Celtic Rose, painted canvas on hand-quilted panel.

Copyright infringement. It's a risk you always take when you put your work on a website and post it on the internet for all the world to see. Now, some people will actually contact you and request use of your art for certain purposes. I've had that happen. Some people are ignorant and don't comprehend the meaning of copyright. Some people don't give a rats' butt. With the latter two, your art gets taken and used for their own whim. Most often, you don't ever even know about it. On occasion, you are told by someone who sees it, or, you stumble upon it yourself.

Happened to me this past weekend. I stumbled on one of my images with an unknown internet address while doing a Google search. A mysterious individual had used my Celtic Rose as a "card" in a comment on their friends' MySpace page. Tracing it's origins I discovered six more mystery people have it in their Photobucket accounts. Lord only knows where the Hell else it's gotten whisked off to.

Y'all, this kind of wigs me out.

I did a bit of checking on the Photobucket site to see what can be done about copyright infringement and it's a bit of a process to pursue. I do intend to follow through with the process even if it will take awhile, and it may or may not garner satisfactory results. I feel it's necessary. It's my art and I worked hard on that painting. I've posted plainly on every page of my website all artwork is copyright. It's not for anyone's use accept my own unless someone contacts me and requests use of it. My art is how I earn my living ..... how would they like for me to come take the car they use to get back and forth to work?

On the other hand, I will honestly admit there is a certain amount of flattery in that these mystery people liked it enough to put it in their Photobucket account for use on their MySpace pages, blogs or whatever. It's not a high enough resolution image to use for anything else - I set that when I uploaded the images to my own website. It also shows my signature fairly clearly in the bottom right corner. Could prompt someone to check out who "Carol Snedeker-Martinez" is, ya' know? Ta Da! Take 'em to my website ... but hopefully not to steal more art images!

Anyway, if you look at their Photobucket accounts you see immediately these people have spent some time searching the internet and are collecting other images from other artists they like. 99% of them are those aforementioned ignorant people who just don't get the meaning of copyright ... they don't think they are stealing! They really believe because it's on the internet it's fair game for them to take if they want it. Stupid, but true. They aren't being malicious, they are being stupid.

What's to be done?

For starters, I'm going to have to put copyright seals on all the art images on my website. I've seen other artists do the same and yes, I even considered it when I first built the site. Why I didn't do it then is mainly because it takes away from the image. It's hard for many people to look at the work and "see" it without that ghosted copyright seal plastered over the top of it. Even if you post clearly on the page that the final print will NOT have the copyright seal, that it is for internet security purposes only, they don't understand. Again, people are amazingly and incredibly stupid sometimes.

I had also hoped the low resolution I uploaded the images with would deter theft. No matter what software you have, no matter how much of a Photoshop Wizard you think you are, you can't make a low 72 dpi resolution image print like a high 300 dpi resolution file. The pixels simply aren't there. You can't fake it, you can't re-create them, you basically can't do anything with it other than use it on the internet. If one of those image thieving mystery people tried to print it they would only end up with a fuzzy, pixelated piece of crap.

Obviously, I was mistaken in thinking no one would steal my stuff.

Wow. What a pain in the ass.

Guess that website rebuild is closer around the corner than I thought it was going to be. Gah!

Okay then, let's take a quick breather and a pause for a cute, make you feel all warm and snuggly photo from Cute Overload ...


Ah, that's really nice.

Namaste y'all ...