Thursday Thought

People inflict pain on others in their selfish pursuit of happiness and satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a sense of universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.

~Dalai Lama

The Most Important News Story Ever. Ever.

I seldom post twice in one day. I am making an exception.

I just watched a video that a friend of mine posted on Facebook this evening.

There are many things taking place these days that are cause for worry. Here is one more. This one is a big one. Literally!

This is the comment I posted after watching the video:

Audrey Gallagher Fish Pfeifer
I was aware of the mass of plastic in the ocean, but I had NO idea it was this large. As one small individual on this earth, I had concerns about the fish in the ocean. How naive of me. This Oceanic Plastic Pollution is WAY beyond what I thought. I listened intently. I cried. I am frightened for the future. I don't know what the answer is, but this information NEEDS to be circulated. I will Blog about it and I will do a better job of recycling. God help us. Thank you, Soke, for posting this information.

PLEASE watch this video. If nothing else, it will give you information that you might not be aware of. It opened my eyes to the real problem. I would like to do something. That is why I'm posting this. Have you ever heard of the Pacific Garbage Patch? I'm angry and I have questions. I want to know why plastic water bottles are not banned? Plastic grocery bags? Why isn't recycling mandatory in every city? WHY are we not doing something to prevent this problem from growing? Are there really companies secretly dumping in the ocean? We all know that a lot of money is being wasted by our government on trivial things ~ how can we get our government to spend our money wisely? ie: Are our oceans being policed for illegal dumping? Are there ongoing investigations into how we can get this Garbage Patch cleaned up? Can't we chop all this plastic waste up into tiny pieces and use it for parking lots? We once lived without plastic. We are so spoiled. I'm sure there are answers out there. I need to find them. I could go on, but I'll stop. PLEASE, click on the link and watch the video.

http://www.heralddeparis.com/the-most-important-news-story-ever-ever/138509

Interesting Visitors

This little guy is a HUMMINGBIRD HAWK MOTH. I have seen them in the yard on many occasions, but thought they were just very large bees. I accidentally came across the name of this little guy while searching for information on the leaf moth below. This guy has a long proboscis which when extended makes him look very much like a hummingbird. When I snapped this photo, he had curled it up. The long proboscis and hovering behavior while feeding on flowers makes him look very much like a small hummingbird.

I couldn't find the name of this moth. I found him on the screen door the other day. I really thought it was a dried up leaf and when I went to flick it off the screen, I realized it wasn't a leaf. I watched him for a while and when he flew off the screen into the grass, I saw that it was a moth. It was interesting to watch him curl up into this leaf form when I got close to him.

Current Little Ones

Sunday Painting

The past few days have been very busy, so I decided to dedicate today to painting. I sold a baker's rack and several small pieces of furniture in my consignment space this past week so I needed to get some things ready to take in tomorrow night. The pictures below show just a small portion of the furniture I have stored in the garage where it waits for me to find the time to clean, sand, and paint. I painted some frames shabby chic, gave a small vintage table two coats of cream paint, and sanded and painted the top of an old coffee table. You can see my cozy little area where I have my paints and all nearby, and I would never survive without the small box fan by my side. I accomplished my goal for the day.

For my own personal enjoyment, I even managed to play around with a canvas and some acrylics. It was fun and relaxing. I have something in mind for where this is going, but for now it is just a work in progress.

I hope your Sunday was a fun and fulfilling day. ♥

Wordless Wednesday

I've Been Away Too Long

It has been a good while since I last posted. I don't like it when I get too busy to spend some time on my Blog. But, things happen and sometimes it just can't be helped. My dear Mom has some health issues we've been dealing with, which means a lot of Dr. appointments. We had a trip to Urgent Care and the ER this past week, as well. I had an unexpected visit from my dearest friend who lives in Ohio. That was a real treat and I enjoyed every minute we spent together ~ only one day and one night, but it was a great and welcome visit. My consignment spaces have been taking up a ton of my time. I've been buying many items at tag sales and I spend a lot of time painting furniture and frames to sell. It is time consuming, but I enjoy it. I've neglected to take photos of things I've purchased to resell. I'm thinking you would be more interested in seeing the items I purchase to keep. More on that at another time. Also, it is that time of year when our large yard takes a lot of time to keep up. I normally love spending time in the flower beds, but the heat has deterred my enjoyment of gardening to this point. One day soon, I will post photos of our flower gardens.
My friends, I've been trying to keep up with reading your blogs and leaving comments. Hopefully, I can do better with that. It is surprising how much you miss when you are away from blogs for just a short time.
I have about 6 pieces of art in different stages setting around my studio. I hope to get back to these one day soon.
Since I've last posted we've had some beautiful skies, a beautiful moon, and several visitors to the yard. I hope you enjoy my photos of these things.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mark !!

Another Brood Coming Soon

This is a very busy bluebird house. We had three broods last Summer. This year we are already working on the second brood. Momma is sitting on these eggs right now as I'm posting this. She is usually in there in the mornings and evenings. I love being able to watch the progression of this. The bluebird house is in plain view from my studio window (where I spend a lot of time), so when Mom and Dad start bringing food, I'll know these latest four eggs have hatched.

************

************

************

After The Rain

This afternoon the rains came.

There is a special beauty after the rain: a peaceful quiet, a simple raindrop, a certain smell, the glow of the freshened green, the smile of the flowers, the softness of the quenched earth.

Walk my yard with me and ponder this beauty, a true blessing after weeks of dry heat.