This Old House 2 – Page 79 – Middle aged musings from farm & hearth

Of Ice and Men

I tried a new variety of tomato in the garden this year…

found in the Burpee catalog..

Italian Ice cherry tomatoes…

They’re not red.. they mature to a white/yellow

and oooh boy are they good. Sweet!

Where do the men come in?

My guys are making a little shed for my chicken coop supplies,

currently housed in a big rubbermaid tub, and that just ain’t cuttin it.

I love them dearly, I do.

I want to thank you for all the words of encouragement and support in

my foray into painting again… you guys are the best cheerleading section a gal

could ever have. Seriously.

Off to a four day horseshow with the girlchild and Max…

It’s the start of a new weekend, all –

make it a good one!

Back in the day… I played musical instruments and I drew and painted stuff. I had the time to nurture creativity and I dreamed of doing that for a living. Then reality took over — grown-up life got hectic with a job, then marriage and a family to raise..and of course the farm life with the work that entails. I’m not complaining, it’s all good.

Now that the family is just about grown and I don’t have to punch a clock at an office somewhere… I want to encourage my creative side again. I’d love to pick up an instrument and play again, but my hearing impairment hampers that tremendously. I have no excuse not to pick up a pencil or paint brush though, and at the beginning of the summer I had a moment. I was kayaking down the Menunketesuck River with camera in tow… and witnessed this moment of morning summer light and reflection on water that I felt could be a painting. So I took the picture and studied it at home.

Then I went to the art supply store and held the photo up to the girl working behind the counter. I said…” I want to paint this. Help me. ” You see… when I was younger I painted and then quit, because my work was flat. There was something missing in the depth of it all. I asked her to set me up with the right equipment to paint this painting, and I’ll see if I can figure it out this time.

We walked around the store as she picked this and that out, just the basics to start me off. She only pulled about eight colors off the paint rack… (oils) … and didn’t grab black. I said… “Don’t I need black for this painting?”… and she replied… “Well, you can buy one if you want, but here is something I learned in my painting classes……. NEVER use straight black. MAKE it… using other colors. In nature, there is no black… there is light reflecting off objects, which creates the colors you see. Also….. the trouble with oils is most people don’t have the patience to let the layers dry. Work from back to front, background to foreground”.

It was an AHA! moment for sure.

So I brought my supplies home and set up the easel in my living room. I got to work and this time had the patience to let the layers dry as I went… setting the whole thing aside for days at a time (oils take days to fully dry). I created the areas of darkness (not black!) with Raw Umber, reds, greens and blues. Go figure.

And holy cow, just like that, my painting was no longer – flat –

Now, I’m no professional artist, but I’m happier with the results and it feels so good to nurture creativity in this way again… all these years later.

Original photo

My set-up in the family room at home…

Preliminary sketch and background layer.

(that’s not black!)

Some of the background complete…

The next layer …

and after a few weeks of messing around and drying time and re-doing this and that..

I have completed my first little painting once again.

It’s not perfection, it’s not a mirror image of the photo I originally took…

But…

This time, I see some depth.

I want to give that young woman a hug.

So if you had a hankering years ago to create something of your very own

or try some new adventure that’s out of your own personal ordinary…

don’t give up on it altogether.. even 20 -30 years later.

Pick it up again, see what you can do with it. It’s food for the soul, I’m telling ya –

Why..ever.. not?

They don’t make them like they used to

We went to an antique car show on Sunday morning.

Come take a stroll down memory lane….

The truck above had this Sept. 14, 1939 paper in it…

Our friend Colin,

who won first place in his division that day with his Camaro –

Herbie~!

My Favorite…

A souped up Falcon

I think someone should start making these modified camper deals

from old car bodies…

how awesome is that!

It even has a tiny potty!

The original Adam-12 squad car

Something that really stood out as we oggled over all these

awesome time machines…

They don’t make them like they used to.

Think about it…. 50 years from now,

what will an antique car show look like?

Are you going to walk among and reminisce over rows of 2012 Jeep Overlanders,

Nissan Pathfinders, Toyota Tundras, Ford Explorers,

Camrys, Accords, Fusions, Mitzubishi anything?

The same could be said for housing.

*sigh*

We did buy a vehicle before heading home…

couldn’t resist and the price was right…

On kindness

My goal for my 1,000th post was to have

gathered 50 or more random acts of kindness from folks

who came across the blog post either randomly or as frequent readers.

In the past three days alone, more than 700 people stopped by to read it

according to site stats.
200 today!

A dozen of you wonderful people told us what you do or have done

as an act of kindness, and I thank you for your particpation in my little “project”.

The world is a better place because you are in it.

I learned something here too….

I had better not ever quit my day job to become a motivational speaker…

🙂

~~~~~

It only takes a little ripple to impact the world for the better.

You don’t require a fat bank account or even spare change.

A simple smile or a compliment or the bringing in of a newspaper,
the returning of a shopping cart,
can be worth a million dollars.

Believe it.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
― Mother Teresa

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank, diary of Anne Frank

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Using random generator online,

comment number 7 was chosen.
Susie2, you’ve won the give-away!
Please e-mail your mailing address and full name
to karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com
and I’ll send it out to you right away.

Thank you all –

The Kindness Project

What you are reading right now is post 998 at This Old House too. Holy wow. That’s a lot of posts! To honor the 1,000 milestone, I want to have a give-away. I’ve started putting together a package to send out to the winner chosen using the random generator. Below are items I’ll include …and there will be a surprise or two as well.

This is a really neat little -five year!- One sentence journal –

No big time sucker here – the goal is to write one sentence

each day about what brought you happiness on that day.

The dates are already in it.. you just have to write your one sentence.

Even in the most trying of times,

if you Look for the Good, you’ll see it.

Reading back over your journal entries years down the road

will trigger good memories too 🙂

Two Autumn Owl Hand towels –

and this awesome Evelyn & Crabtree Lip Balm…

So.. what do you have to do to enter the give-away?

It’s real simple.

Commit a random act of kindness, come back and report it here

in the comments section of this post.

If you can’t leave a comment for some reason,

send me your random act of kindess in e-mail and I’ll post it below.

karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com

What acts of kindess will count?

Anything you come up with.

Need ideas?

Pay for the next persons coffee in the Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks line.

Donate some books to your local library.

If you use tolls on the highway or bridge,

pay the next persons toll.

Drop off hand lotions to your local hospital Intensive Care unit.

The nurses will thank you profusely.

Give the next person in line your silver coins from Big Y.

Take your elderly neighbor a hot meal.

Bring in their paper on a rainy day.

Adopt a cat or dog from your local shelter

(ok, that’s a BIG one.)

Bring some canned goods to your local food pantry.

You get the picture.

Now GO.

DO.

And come back and tell me about it.

Spread the word about this blog post too..

My goal is to see atleast 50 acts of kindness in the comments.

Help me reach that goal, won’t you?

Big

People often ask me what it’s like to have such a big dog in the house. Funny thing…. recently Mike made the observation that Ben doesn’t even seem BIG anymore, we’re so used to his size. Dogs like labs and rottis and shepperds actually seem small.

Now that we’ve lived with one for more than four years I’m convinced Danes think they are just another person in the house. They are sensitive, intelligent, gentle giants – unless you try to mess with their family. Ben sits on chairs just like we do, has respect for the fact that there is food on the table and he can reach it, but can’t take it unless it’s given to him…and when we go for our walks he does not pull. He walks along side me as another person would. He “talks” when you ask him a question with a series of moans and grumbles I have yet to decipher…except to know it’s his way of answering.

I know why there are Dane rescues. They look awesome as puppies and the thought of a REALLY BIG DOG is appealing to some. The truth is, it’s expensive to feed them and they take up ALOT of room. Because they are so big… (Ben weighs 190 lbs) they require support for their big bodies in the form of a good bed. Some use the family couch, some use really big orthopedic dog beds. Ben has my son’s old queen size mattress on my office floor. They are a fragile flower, meaning they can’t live outside because their coats are pretty thin. And lastly, because they are protectors too, they can be dangerous in the wrong situation. This is a truth about any breed. All these facts become daunting to some Dane owners, and often the dog is eventually dumped. Sad truth.

So m answer to the question always ends with… consider the meaning of owning a Dane IN your home before you take the plunge.

Sampling the coffee cake on the manchild’s plate.

He was invited 🙂

The boat floats!

I finally got Mike out in his new kayak yesterday – we threw Torch and Ruby in the back of the truck and headed over to Cedar Lake for his first “tour” in the new boat. Torch is a Hurricane brand touring or expedition kayak, made for rivers, lakes, flat water, etc… and it’s streamlined for a smooth glide, easier maneuvering. His big blue sit-above, the sea kayak by Liquidlogic, was more of a barge. So… his mango-orange kayak feels more… oh, shall we say, tippy. Now, it’s not gonna tip unless you want it to, so as long as you aren’t thinking those thoughts, you’re gonna stay nice and dry.

He kept thinking those thoughts.

My Ruby is a Necky Manitou…

I absolutely love it. Not expensive, still great capability for this kind

of kayaking. It’s size is perfect for the average woman.

So … it’s gonna take some getting used to, Mike and his relationship with the Torch, but in the long run he will see that he is free as a bird in that boat, compared to trudging along in the barge.

One can hope.

If you have wondered about it but have never tried kayaking,

it’s a great way to get out into nature and feel the peace on the water..

good exercise at whatever level you wish to achieve, and

a form of meditation in a way I can’t describe.

It’s freeing.

Kayaking has become so popular, there are usually many places in the US

to rent them. Give it a try. If you love it as I do, there is an abundance of

kayak models in all price ranges to choose from, and often used boats

for sale at a greatly reduced price. Once you’ve bought your boat,

the trekking is free. And freeing – Just sayin!

Happy Paddling –

The Golden Girls and the Marathons of Life

My mother has a circle of friends who have been there for each other through thick and thin, sickness and health, triumph and heartbreak for many years. I have come to love them through her, and I envy their closeness. It seems my generation doesn’t necessarily form the same bonds for the duration, as these women have. Perhaps todays’ more transient lifestyles have something to do with it, I don’t know. What I do know is, friends are essential for a persons well being, and nurturing them provides reward well worth the effort.

One of these friends lost a son earlier this week, suddenly, tragically. They gathered over recent days to comfort and say good bye to their beloved. Another son in this circle, a friend of the departed, has written a beautiful piece about the marathons in life and I invite you to read it…..

http://thepitchbaseballlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/many-miles.html

Sound Mind, Sound Body

I’ve been a worrier since I was old enough to remember. With chronic worry comes the physical and mental toll, especially as we age. Seven years ago now, several very sad and terrifying things converged on our family at the same time and all hell broke loose with my body, mentally and physically. I had a headache for a year straight – MRI, CT SCANS, meds after meds after meds, nothing wrong technically – but nothing got rid of the pain. My blood pressure was above acceptable numbers and my anxiety peaked. I began having panic attacks. If you’ve never had one of those, they are awful. It’s as if you’re dying, that’s what it feels like. And it comes out of nowhere at any given time for what seems like no reason at all. I could be walking in the grocery store or sitting in a restaurant, and the feeling of being unable to breathe, racing heart, sick stomach, certain doom!… came over me like a heavy wet blanket. My body ached all the time, all over. I was plagued by Acid Reflux. Dr. visits, an ER visit or two or three!… and bad reactions to medications left me feeling absolutely spent and hopeless. My husband gets kudos here for helping me through it all… there were many nights when I woke up in panic or violently sick in the bathroom and he rubbed my back or held my hair away from my face at the toilet. How’s that for a visual.

What broke the cycle? Well, the heart ache of a loss was less sharp as time went on, and the healing of a child was so appreciated and such a gift it was hard to stay in the negative. But that wasn’t enough. I changed what I was eating too. Visualize whatever you put in your body is either polluting it or nourishing it. You’re either feeding your body or feeding a disease….. it’s that simple. With that mantra, you’ll think twice before scarfing down that junk food. I stay away from Gluten most of the time, and boy do I feel better when I do. I limit dairy too.

I also decided I didn’t want to live in a medication induced fog, didn’t want to live in constant fear, had to get control of my mind again by doing what I knew needed to be done. Getting off the meds if possible. One of the suggestions that I had always scoffed at, because hey, I am so unbendy , can’t stop the mind from thinking 100 miles an hour, let alone CLEAR IT OF ALL THOUGHTS – HA!… …. was YOGA. Well let me tell ya, once I gave it a try, and stuck with it….. what a difference a 20 minute simple easy routine for beginners makes. Because of my hearing impairment, a yoga class is out of the question because I can’t hear the instructor, much less get in the pose while still trying to read her lips. So I have several DVDs and a yoga mat and I do my routine at home. I try for at least four times a week, just 20 minutes at a clip. Anyone can find time for that, and I sure do recommend it.

My favorite DVD is a series that was on TV for a while. My sister let me know about it.

Kate Potter Namaste. Her blog is HERE .

I absolutely love these simple to follow routines.

Not too much for the beginner and the scenery is peaceful and ever changing.

I have Season One and Two.

I’m not being paid to endorse, here, so you can trust what I’m saying is true.

The combination of yoga, walking and eating healthier has made a difference in my health.

The headache eventually went away and my anxiety is under control.

My blood pressure isn’t perfect but it’s not in need of medication.

My body aches are far less and the acid reflux is an occasional nuisance,

but it not a constant.

Now and then I feel these issues creeping up on me again.

I’ll always worry,…hey, I have kids! … just can’t help that, and I do have arthritis from

all the years of using this body the way I do.

When I have what I call a flare up, I can

attribute it to being lax in eating habits and exercise routine.

One more thing that is so important to the well being of your body and your mind.

Feed your tendencies toward creativity and nurturing.

Food for the SOUL as well as the body and mind.

My family room this morning…

no one uses this room very much, so it becomes my place to “be”.

My Yoga DVD on the tube..

My little dollhouse cottage project on the right..

and a new painting on the easel to the left.

I haven’t picked up a paint brush in many years.

Am I an accomplished artist? Heck no.

But I love the process, so why ever not.

Just call me Rambling Rose

When I started this little ole blog, it was all about the rebuilding of this farm and house we live in now. Then some a$$ started behaving like a psycho with very rude comments and I deleted the whole thing, including the raising up of This Old House once again. I’m still heartbroken over the loss of the blog at that stage, I deleted too hastily and regretted it immediately. I was not able to retrieve it, no matter what I attempted.

Anyhow, years and almost 1,000 blog posts later, (I kid you not!) I still love this space for sharing of stories, funnies, good times and bad, garden tips, recipes, pet and livestock issues, your stories, our collective opinions on current events, new friend making, the list goes on and on.

Now and then I hesitate to post what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling about a certain thing that might be controversial. At first I didn’t want to offend anyone if my view came from a different angle. I didn’t want to share negatives because jeez, we see enough of that all the time, don’t we? But, blowing sunshine and light out into this space all the time just didn’t feel real, wasn’t really all of me, and so I’ve ventured into the controversial now and then and you’ve waded in with me, respectfully. I love that about this space. And you are all part of the reason it’s such a joy for me to contribute to it. Because you contribute too.

Maggy had this to say in an e-mail to me this morning…

” Thanks for the thought-provoking posts and keeping your blog ‘real’ .. it’s what brings me back, time after time.”

Maggy, If I manage to make just a handful of the people who stop by here to read my drivel feel the same way? Well, I’m the happiest girl in town.
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I want to share a portion of an opinion I read on friend Mandy’s FB wall regarding the Zimmerm*n Mart*n case.

“It’s disgusting how everyone is trying to turn the Ge*rge Zimmerm*n thing into a race or gun issue. Neither one of these people is a hero, and we shouldn’t think to have them be the focal point of any firearms or race discussion. Don’t let the actions of two people of questionable morals you don’t even know turn you against one another. ”

Tragedy, it was, indeed. Neither the young man or the overzealous neighborhood watch guy deserve what they have now… death, and a life altered horribly by poor judgement forever. But what she said above? I couldn’t agree with her more.

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Rolling Stone Magazine just lost another reader. I am horrified by their choice of cover, as are many many others. Walgreens and CVS have vowed not to sell the current issues on their stands, BRAVO. Boston Mayor Menino sent this response to Rolling Stone…

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So, what have we learned this year in the garden? Apparently, Tomatoes, cucumbers and Squash absolutely LOVE the tropical heat, humidity and rain fall we’ve had in the month of July. Holy cow, the plants and vegetables are HUGE.