Strange Humor, Art Making and More

 

Just dropping in...

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...I dropped this video in the draft for a previous post and remembered it was there only when I saw the published post, and it showed up way at the bottom! While I was writing the post, as I added other items above it, there it sank - lower and lower on the screen...until I completely forgot it was there! Imagine my surprise as I scrolled down to respond to a comment and...Surprise! No explanation, no story, nothing. A bread video, all by its lonesome. Sigh.

Anyway, I saw this video and was reminded of the time I sewed together saltines 🙂 At first I thought it was going to be some football themed bread. Doesn't it look that way from the still shot? It brought me a little smile, so I hope it does that for you too. Humor helps.

~~~~~Laugh at the absurdity...or you'll cry at the tragedy of it all.

A recent visit to the VA, always an experience... 

The TV was on for waiting patients, but was only a very dark blue screen of static, which could not be heard. I thought it odd that they just left it playing, as if to say: Yeah, here ya go, here's a TV to watch, good enough. I was insulted for the VET patients, who I thought deserved better. Much later, I heard one staff member talking to another about it..."You need to get your TV fixed"..."Yeah, we need to call "man's name" to come down." I was perplexed to consider that they knew about it...and yet let it continue to play, as is!

There was more...

A man wearing this: HOODIE & PANTS...I guess the answer is obvious if a doctor asks him what medicines/drugs he is using.

A man dangled a gold chain out in front of us as we walked down a hallway. When J. reached out for it (thinking it was being offered), the man snatched it back and let us know he was "selling it". Oh. Because I always buy my gold chains from random guys in the hall of the VA.

There were a wide variety of snappy or interestingly dressed gentlemen. 

This sign made sense to me...

But, when I saw this one, I was scratching my head and instantly thinking of the book by Eric Carle, "From Head to Toe". Why are these in the same department?! These kinds of things make me laugh.

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May we visit doctors as needed, but may we remain on The Wellness Trail always...

I finally unbundled the "mummies" (as J. called them). I had planned...no, considered unwrapping them with Orlo, but that didn't happen. This means they sat baking in the Summer Sun for a long time. I think that timing paid off!

I lucked out with cool photos today. These binding strings will be used in an upcoming weaving (she likes "brown").

Not all of the photos were great, but in the two above, I liked seeing the way the rust pattern traveled. I was reminded of Liz's Moon Myth book. So, I put them here. 

I seem to put lots of photos here.

Cooler pics and the rust, markings, and organized wrinkles are so enchanting! Look at that lit up, white edging on the cloth!! I can see why just this part of the process has become the love affair for Marti. 

Here is everything rinsed (not yet washed) and drying in the bathroom light. Look at those marks!! Magic. I had thrown in a bit of ground cayenne pepper, which was found in a box recently...a gift from Dear Peggy, so many years back. What a nice surprise! We are wondering if that helped give the cloth more color? An experiment is planned. I do think the length of time and the heat was a most powerful influence this time around.

The materials have been gathered (plus the binding string photographed above). Her colors are: Brown, Blue, Green and Purple. I'm not sure about the one very small ball of yarn (bottom, left), as it is a bit too pinkish. We'll see. I like the way these colors look together. Thanks go out to Hazel, Tina and Dee for their contributions to the yarn basket.

I heard this quote recently and spent some time with it. What if accepting that each love is completely unique in it's own right, eased one's expectations for particular levels of satisfaction? Mmmm... That whole idea of reframing seems to pop up a lot recently.

Lat night's WORDLE word was "crone". The timing of that made me smile.

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May you grab that Humor and hold on tight

May you be patient

May you consider things in your world

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2023

Mail Myself To You (Live) = Hi All!

    

~AS USUAL, CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE,
AS I KNOW SOME FOLKS LIKE TO REALLY LOOK CLOSELY! ~

J. sent the mail out today, so if you were in this round,
you got an email from me with a head's up and a
wipe it & wait COVID warning!
Oh these days!

If you weren't in this round, well...I'm not done yet!
Plus, many of you have had mail come your way in the past,
in some way or another. So we're all good, yes!
If not and you are in need for a little mailbox love, just let me know!
   ͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍

This song came to mind when I was thinking of this post.
I love this song, even more so because it was introduced to me
by a very dear, dear friend, in a very good time in my classroom days.

Anyway, I used to do this song in my Pre-K class, where I taught with kindred souls.
We had a blast together.
I'd act out all of the lyrics and we'd all sing together
I usually stopped using the cassette tape once the children
had learned the words and melody enough.
I loved teaching this way.
I'd usually introduce it sometime in early February and the children would write letters to their families, celebrating Love.
We then would take them on the college campus where I taught and the gal in the mail room would run them through her machine, adding the postage.
Soon enough, the children and their families would get mail at home!
They would always be in awe of the speedy postage machine.
This song was my addition, once gifted by my friend/co-worker, to a fully in place Center Tradition. Our school was great that way, full of rich experiences shared over time.

So, these days when I mail things out,
I really do feel like 'I'm mailing myself to you' ~
well, at least a piece of me, a piece of my heart!
It's such a jaunty song, great for singing along.

    ͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍͍

Other local happenings here, and by local, I mean in my house and directly
outside my window/sliding door (I have one of each!)

I finished the book I was reading last night.
it's funny that I've had it since 1979, tried to read it a couple times, and then finally did.
I guess the timing was right.
It's one of my 'run away from it all' type books, that I've mentioned.
Note to self: Find or Create Book List for these books!

My vintage run away, nature, poetry books.
Some belonging to my mom years back.
All from the 1970's, except
"Women Who Run with the Wolves" ~
which I also have not made it through yet, but hang onto just in case.
I'm thinking "Blue Highways" or "I Heard the Owl Call My Name" ~
both of which I've started and never finished.
Actually, maybe that's what I should name this collection!

As I've been wont to do recently, after finishing a book, podcast, movie...
I go off exploring the characters, people, locations and so on.
Google is a wonderful tool for this.
When I finished this book last night, I wondered what he had done since.
Little did I know that since the late 1970's, Peter and others from this first book
did more traveling, more walking, wondering,
searching and finding (or not).
SPOILER ALERT:
If you think you may read this book, you may choose to not follow the links.
There's something special about going in cold,
really absorbing what the author has put out there for you to discover.

If you do read it, let's talk!
There was a lot to consider as I read, putting the story in the correct time context,
with all of the attitudes and happenings of the time. I also reminded myself of the author's age at the time of his journey.

In the end, I'm glad I did finally read this book, as it gave me lots to ponder.
And I sure have time for that!

Peter Jenkins

Barbara Jenkins
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I've also continued to clear. Almost anything is fair game to get
gifted, shredded, thrown out and so on.
I'm really on a roll with this and it feels so good.
I'm encouraged by my successes, driven by the goal of getting this done
while at home these days and inspired by the fact that I am feeling better.
My fever has stayed below 99 degrees (most of the day) for the past few days.
Hooray!
I am bound and determined to use this energy while I'm home and I've got it!

Today I found the original drawing I did after buying my sewing machine
in 1980, at 21 years old.
I bought it on lay-away, making three $25.00 payments before I could bring it home.
It was old, heavy and threaded at the time.
I didn't want to forget how to do that.
I used this little drawing a lot at first.
There are a lot of memories tangled up with that machine.
Some of them, already recorded here (including a photo)
Maybe more to record someday, we'll see.

The thing is I've really been considering for almost the whole year here in the new place,
if I really need to keep the machine.
I haven't used it for years.
Don't have a good place to use it.
don't even know if it is in working order at this point.
Or if I'm a cloth-maker at this point either.
If anything, I have two simple quilt ideas, that may or may not ever happen.
Of course, then I remember the stories, the past.
sigh
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THEN THIS AFTERNOON TWO MAGICAL THINGS HAPPENED!

First, a beautiful little being, a butterfly followed J into the house!
It had entered through the patio door and he noticed it moments later,
behind the blinds in the window.
He gently caught it up to be released,
but there it sat for moments, before fluttering off.
I don't need to add more, just enjoy.

THEN HOURS LATER WHEN I WENT TO UPLOAD THE PHOTOS...

 I knew it was pointless trying to catch a photo of it flying away,
but I took one anyway.
I of course, did not see the butterfly in it at all.
But...WAIT...Zoom!

Huh, what's this in the tree?

Why it looks just like a Tree Tiki Monkey! 

 
 Look at that grin!
The light was so different by the time I actually looked at the photos,
that I couldn't see the little Monkey anywhere.
Not even a branch in that spot.
I'll look again tomorrow.

May your days be filled with productivity
and good memories 
and dreams
and magical surprises!
xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020