From Carolyn (non-exchanger) (coping)

Carolyn is a friend (former neighbor) who has a design degree so I've always known she'd be able to do lettering. You cannot imagine how excited I was to receive this - her first attempt at lettering - while I was in Chicago. And I had neglected to send her a birthday card in February even though I knew exactly when her birthday was. Or maybe I did. I have no way of knowing what happened in the past couple years. Anyhow, I am very proud of her and think she did a fabulous job. 

I've mentioned Carolyn previously. She came up with the concept of The Sifting Room. That's the room where you put all the stuff that you need to sift through. The rest of the house has only the essential items needed in each room - none of the extra stuff that you might need to get rid of. It has taken me 33 years to get a sifting room and I am wildly excited. I already have several closets and cabinets where you can see exactly what is in each one. There is nothing stuffed behind something else. This is my goal for the whole house. No digging. Everything is clearly visible and if it is in a box, there is a legible label.

Hopefully, there will also be a spreadsheet with a list of every single thing and where to find it. This will be for Mr Wilson when I am out of town.

***

One more thing crossed my mind about languishing and dragging ourselves out of our fallow periods. As I mentioned, I don't think we need to be too concerned about the timeline. Most of us have been through hard times at some point and we got through them. So, it's likely that we will get through the pandemic. Of course, with the variants, maybe we will have to adjust to an ever changing virus that complicates things for the rest of our lives. If that is the case, eventually, we will just refer to BC and AC: before covid and after covid - and we'll adapt. It's like TSA. There was life before TSA, and now it's just how we do things. As much as I would like to just wander into an airport and go to the gate, that's not going to happen. 

That's not an exact parallel, but it works for me to just see the whole thing as beyond my control - and I can remind myself of the standard advice to simply accept that which you cannot control and focus on those things which you can control.

 

HB to G3 from Rebecca (Incrediwear)

This one is so much fun and I'd really like to steal the idea. I'm also very curious about what the stamp might have been and if if coordinated. This is a perfect example of how you do not need to be a calligrapher to do fun lettering. The letters are a mix of upper and lower case with a couple bits of cursive. The spacing is perfect. Not too close, but close enough that everything is tied together.

The secret sauce is the white space. As my broken record keeps saying - a bit of white gives a piece sparkle. Anchoring the name on the envelope to the left side of the envelope is nice. The blue sticker in the corner is nice, too. It works so well even without the stamp.

****

This is really way off topic and it is in an area that I would normally not get into, but, it is not an expensive item, so I will mention it in case anyone has worn out arthritic joints. The BigHelpfulBrother has had a lot of trouble with a knee and his hands. He and I have both done stem cell injections and I have been fine. His aches and pains came back and he tried a couple different things and decided to go back to the stem cell doctor. Amazingly -- the stem cell doctor recommended these $20 gloves and $40 knee sleeves and BHB says that they are providing a tremendous amount of relief. I'm flabbergasted. 

As I said before, I would not normally get into anything related to health - but, for $20-40 - I know that I would give them a try if I had aches and pains. Knock on wood - my joints seem to be in a good mood. I see the gloves on the website - but not on the page where you order...so, I don't know what's with that.

https://incrediwear.com

 

From Lauren in April (White House calligrapher video) (repeat clothes)

Aren't these fun? Lauren revisited one of the techniques she remembered from her childhood. You cut wavy lines and then weave strips of paper. I remember doing that. And I remember more recently (like (10-15) years ago doing a magical greeting card. I hope I can find an example. It was the same principle, but done on folded paper and it was really cool.

If anyone knows what I am talking about, please let me know. Send and image or a link. 

Thanks

I love those stamps, too.

****

Here is a video about working at the White House as a calligrapher. It looks like it is 1 hour and 40 min. I started watching it and there was no sound. I clicked ahead and there was sound. So - if you are interested, be patient. I have watched a total of 1 minute. It will not appeal to everyone. 

White House calligrapher video

 Did anyone see that Jill Biden had the same dress that she wore to the inauguration made in navy to wear to the speech? There was a comment in the article that she was making a statement by buying from a designer who is known for repurposing. Jane Fonda is making a more significant statement by saying that she is not going to buy any more new clothes because she has enough - and then she actually wears them again. Why is there so much pressure to wear something new? What's wrong with having favorite clothes that you love putting on again - even for special events? I can't possibly be the only person who likes wearing my favorite clothes repeatedly. And I'm not talking about comfortable everyday clothes. 

Bonus Post - JeanR and class with Benoit Furet

Today's regular post is below this one.

This F is by Benoit Furet.

If you do a search, you will find a previous post about his work.

JeanR took an online class with him and she says he is teaching again in June.

The B, below, is Jean's work.

G.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.

 Here is a link if you are interested in upcoming classes:

http://www.anachropsy.com/online.php?lang=US

Helga Stentzel - skiing envelope (all get out)

I found Helga on IG and while this was the only envelope that I found - she has a ton of stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/helga.stentzel/

****

Sorry this is so short. I'm having a languishing day. Although, I did do two envelopes. They are as boring as all get out. I'll post them anyhow. And hopefully, I'll get some inspiration to do something better.

I just used the expression - all get out - and then wondered what it means. Google had a suggestion. I never would have figured it out.  And Google made me feel less than intelligent when it said it was *obvious* what it means.  I think I might have to embrace my lack of intelligence. Maybe that would be  easier. This topic is making me nervous.

All get out in as/more X as/than all get out is an obvious euphemism for hell, which occurs frequently in this construction: as hot as hell, hotter than hell. Since hell is a tabooed term (though not as much as it used to be), it attracts euphemisms. And since it's a comparison, it attracts metaphors.

 

BONUS Post - envelope contest

 Scroll down to see the regular daily post.

PTEX exchanger Troy sent me the link to the envelope contest that will be held during the Legacies conference. It is the international lettering conference that is held yearly and is not run by any specific entity. Calligraphy guilds or other interested people run them and they draw some of the best calligraphy instructors in the world. This year, I believe it is a virtual conference. I'll post a link to the conference -  below the link to the envelope contest. I do not see what the prize is. 

Even if you have zero interest in entering the contest, you might want to go to the link and look at the envelopes. They flip through electronically - which is less fun than clicking on your own. But, you might snag a few good ideas.

Envelope contest

Link to the conference website

From Leslie to Janet - watercolor (more re-play paintings)

This was a purchased card that Leslie had had for a while. She took bits from the card and did them a bit larger on the envelope. Then she did the drawn version of foundational for the lettering. Very pretty. There are all kinds of good ideas on that card.

****
 Quick note about languishing. Somebody came up with the term a couple weeks ago and it resonated with lots of people. The concept pretty much went viral. Keep in mind, there are a ton of people who have jobs that require them to turn out articles - so now they are writing articles like *The 5 best things to do to get out of languishing* and *What comes after languishing? Flourishing.*

IMHO - we are not all going to be on the same timeline. None of the suggestions I have read has coaxed me out of my sluggishness. I say, "Embrace your fallow period." Let your common sense guide you. Some of us might need to languish a while longer.

At least we can maintain our connection through the internet -- and I can't imagine I will ever tire of surfing. The blurb below was written about a week ago - and this part was written on Thursday.

****

I don't remember if there is a name for making your own photographic version of a painting - that popular pastime that was so popular as the pandemic forced people to find creative activities at home. While we are languishing, it is good to note that for some people, the *re-play* of paintings has held their interest. I don't want to choose just one photo from this woman's collection because it is the sheer quantity and quality that knocked my socks off. So check it out - and if you are still languishing, hang in there. It is entirely possible that you will find something that nudges you into a state of mind that feels better. Thanks to my blog, I still have something to do every day that I enjoy.

I see they have referred to this activity as *recreating versions* - so I guess there is not a tidy term for whatever this activity is. I like *re-play* because it implies there is playing and IMHO playing is a good thing.

Link to pictures

From Leslie to Janet (moon photos + Naomi) (Jean's photo blog)

 Leslie got out her Speedball nibs to do this one. The photos was sent to me in May of 2020, so she must have done it prior to the polka dot celebrate stamp. The dots remind me of that stamp. Of course, the Ellsworth Kelly stamp is perfect - but anyone with some celebrate stamps might be inspired by this one.

****

Naomi Bulger has provided us with another wonderful link to a photographer in France who makes really cool photos of the moon. If you surf around, there are other photos as well.

Link to moon photos

and another link to Naomi's website - she has tons of stuff to look at.

https://www.naomiloves.com

****

Leslie asked me to post photos of my garage/studio.

As luck would have it, I snapped a photo during the bathroom renovation so I started a blog post on my photo blog. I have a separate blog where I post photos that I like. There is a sweet little Jean Larcher book on the blog, too. I completely forgot that it was there.

Jean's photo blog

From Glen to Leslie (2) (garage studio)

 Another one from Glen to Leslie. Glen was not just a master, he was a grand master of the ruling pen. I do not know what the difference is between master and grand master. 

I hope it is obvious that the design in green and pink is l-e-s-l-i-e - overlapping. It is sooooo pretty. 

Below is a recent piece by Leslie. I love those uncials packed together. I think I have posted Leslie's IG address previously, but if you missed it - here it is again.  https://www.instagram.com/olovey1/

****

As I finalize all the hoard reduction at my house, I am pondering a new idea -- turning the entire garage into an art studio. Since I have tidied up the rooms in the house, and made a huge dent in clearing out things that were stored for the adult kids who have their own spaces now - and we have new carpet in the house - the garage seems like a better place for a studio (assuming the inertia gets moving). The grandkids are scheduled for a week in Iowa at the end of June so a mess-zone will be helpful. I am toying with the idea of doing some raku - but need to do some more research. Ceramics can explode and I don't want to do anything too wild. I know there are ways to fire raku in a metal garbage can.

****

Update:

I figured out how to get some clay - and have it fired - so that I do not have to risk blowing myself up.

Details will unfold in later posts.

From Glen to Leslie - Learning my lesson

 This is a gorgeous envelope from Glen Epstein to Leslie. It is an old address, so we do not have to blur it. Glen passed away a while back. He taught calligraphy at the U of Iowa as well as workshops for calligraphy guilds. 

***

Remember when I had a series of posts whining about my cold that Mr Wilson gave me when he dropped me off in Chicago? My punishment for being a whiner was that I caught the bug that was being passed through the kids who go to school - on the last day of my trip - and spent the following week in bed. I was too sick to even write posts and I am way behind on scheduling posts. 

The good news is that I have at least 50 envelopes ready to photograph and post. The bad news is - I'm struggling with my writing these days. So, I will apologize ahead of time for the blah-ness of the blurbs. At least the envelopes will be lots of fun. And you will not have to listen to me whine about my own work or anything else for that matter.

I even found a folder with emails from Leslie - and there will be quite a few from Leslie.

Circle of life

 Scroll down for today's regular post.

The robin eggs hatched on Saturday.

And on a sad note - if any of you ordered over the phone with John Neal you might have talked to Michael Ackerson. Or you would have met him in person at either IAMPETH conferences or the international calligraphy conferences at the John Neal pop-up shop. Michael was cut off the same bolt as all the other wonderful people in the scribe-tribe. He had cancer and passed away at only 42. He will be missed.

If anyone feels like sending an envelope - I was thinking it would be nice to address it:

To the family and friends of

MICHAEL (written large)

Ackerson

1833 Spring Garden Street

Greensboro NC 27403

Regular daily post is right below.

To Lauren in Feb (Louvre link)

 I had fun. The results did not WOW me - but we know that it is more important to have fun.

Luckily, I have other items that are either WOW - or somewhat entertaining.

Big thank you to Chuck for sending this link to the Louvre. Multiple rabbit holes.

https://collections.louvre.fr/en/

and this looks like a whole lotta fun -

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/usps-spy-movie

Save the USPS (Bonus post)

Scroll down for todays post.

OK -- here is our first opportunity to support the USPS.

There are 3 new Governors nominated. 

They need to be confirmed.

Details at my new blog - AmericanUnionOfMailArtists.

https://americanunionofmailartists.blogspot.com/2021/04/confirming-3-new-usps-governors.html

Scroll down for today's regular post.

 

Cherry Cheesecake Mail (robin's nest)

 

Remember a few days ago when I posted the adorable piece of cake that GraceE mailed to Mr Wilson?

I just saw this on Pinterest. No directions, just a list of materials:

Ingredients include: cardboard, upholstery foam, ivory paint, tan caulk, red Crayola Model Magic, clear silicone glue and some red food coloring.

Link to the blog with more pictures

There is a link in the link above to her apple pie mailing. This is what she has to say about the apple pie.

***

Last month, after I sent my brother, Kevin, a cake postcard for his birthday, my brother, Ken, requested a slice of apple pie for his birthday. Jokingly, of course... but I took it as a challenge.

Mission accomplished.

It took six attempts (and lots of upholstery foam, clear silicon caulk, almond caulk, cardboard, yellow food coloring and yes.... actual cinnamon.) But, I finally managed to make a mailable slice of apple pie. I'm not sure if I'll create any more of these soon. It was a struggle to get it to look right AND stay together. I think my husband was ready to kill me. For about three weeks, I obsessed (and actually dreamed at night) about new and better ways to make this crazy thing.

***

Her last post is from 2016 - so I don't think she has time to blog any more.

****

When I was in Chicago, a pair of robins started building a nest in the window box on their front porch. Then mama laid 3 eggs. Hopefully, they will hatch without any natural disasters. The nest is positioned where the grandkids can stand inside and watch. It's easy to sneak up to the window without alarming the birds. 

May Sign-up is below this post

Scroll past this post to get to the May Sign-up for the exchange.

Back in 2004-2005 I spent some time in a print studio doing intaglio prints. I had always been interested in printmaking and I figured my first print should be the alphabet. Intaglio prints are made by scratching the image into a copper plate and then rubbing ink all over the plate and then rubbing off all of the ink except that which is stuck down in the grooves.

Then you put the plate on the press, layer a piece of damp paper on top and run it through a press that applies enough pressure for the ink to *jump* out of the grooves and onto the paper. It is cooler than heck and I would have been thrilled to have been a printmaker for my whole life. But, as with most things, I did not get started soon enough to make it my life's work. 

So, my little alphabet was boring, since I had to figure out a style that I could *write* backwards because the print would be a mirror image of whatever I scratched into the plate. Stop for a minute, if you do copperplate calligraphy, and think about the fact that the original copperplate writing was done by people who were scratching it all into a copper plate - BACKWARDS. To me -- that is why it is has zero *hand-done* quality - if it is done properly. Kudos to those people who can make their hands work like machines. It was not something that I was ever very good at.

So, my alphabet was boring - until I realized I could run the plate through the press a second time, with the image inverted. That made it so much better. I could ink the plate twice. Or I could do the second run and just count on getting a lighter image from the leftover ink in the grooves. 

I was wildly excited about these prints and I have a stack of them because - who would want a print of the alphabet. Nobody. Except maybe some of you. So, if you want one, and you are signing up for the exchange, tell me which one you would like. Or, if there are only 2 people who want them, you will get one of each. They have the cool embossed edge of the plate and if you matted and framed it, it would be a cool little piece of original art. If you want it signed and numbered, let me know.

The second print is just flourishing. I thought that it would be fun to write a personal greeting between those two lines. So, if you want me to write something, I can do that. 

I like them better without any of my writing. I do not think that I will ever be *famous* so - they will never be worth anything. I like the flourished ones better in a vertical orientation.

If you are not an exchanger, you will have to send me a request, by snail mail and enclose 2 Forever stamps. 

 

May Exchange - Sign-up

This is the last of the redundant sign-up envelopes. June and July will be super colorful.

 

To participate in the May exchange email me by the 4th and the lists will be sent on May 5th (or 6th at the latest)

Please send your info - in the following format. 

It is so helpful when I can copy and paste, rather than reformat your information, or find your email.

Add (CARDS) after your name if you wish to exchange handmade cards.

Add (Birthday) at the bottom, if May is your birthday month.

Add (2 Lists) at the bottom, if you are willing to be on 2 lists - if I need to add people to make the lists come out even.

Jane Smith (CARDS)

123 Oak Street

Ames, Iowa 50010

jsmith@gmail.com

(Birthday) (2 Lists)

Send the above info to me at:

jmwilson411-at-yahoo-dot-com

Additional information about how the exchange works is on the tab that says *envelope EXCHANGE rules*

Or if you have questions - just email.

From JeanR in Sept - Ben-style (Cryptic Quote game)

 I think JeanR sent one other envelope with the Ben Shahn style lettering. Google has underlined Ben's last name, but I'm pretty sure that is correct. Is this the year I actually get around to doing my own version of Ben's lettering. I know that I have an envelope for Jean that is made out of a security envelope. It was made in the summer of 2020 and pops up on my desk every once in a while. Little by little, I am finishing my stack of unfinished envelopes. Soon, I will be free of the flotsam and jetsam and detritus. Maybe I have so much of that stuff because it is all fodder for art. Maybe, I will deteriorate once it is all gone. We shall see.

****

Above written a long, long, long time ago.

This written - Jan 1, 2021 -- 

Drinking coffee - reading the NYTimes.

I found a new game in an article about how some elderly people have been coping with the pandemic and the isolation. 

My morning routine is always: NYTimes Mini Crossword - usually takes around 1 minute - never more than two. Same time frame for the GuessMyWord puzzles - I can usually get both the easy one and the hard one. Under 5 minutes.

I am not going to add this game to the morning routine. I am going to put it in a folder labeled Desperate - for when I am in desperate need of a change of pace.

Link to Cryptic Quotes

I do not know if there are different sources for the game.

I've done Sudoku and Mahjong.

If anyone has any other games they enjoy - feel free to leave a comment - or if the comment feature doesn't work, send it to me in an email at:

jmwilson411-at-yahoo-dot-com

****

By the way - when I mentioned that my granddaughter and I sneak off and watch videos - lest you think we are wasting time - she often has questions that Nanna can't answer - like where in the world is the biggest volcano. Sometimes we research how to build little houses out of cardboard. We ran across a whole channel full of fanciful houses that are her skill level. Hopefully I can post our version when she is here this summer.

If you are curious -- here's the channel.

Link to Cardboard World

To Leslie from someone? - (Ink from exhaust)

I had a guest author (granddaughter) sitting here (in early April) who was going to write a post for me, but she is 7 years old and I was unable to make writing a post into something that interested her. She wanted to show me Chrome Music Lab. It is somewhat interesting but over my head. Kids have all kinds of new things to explore and they are comfortable with buttons and screens and whatever. Happily, for me, she is still interested in paper and pencils and glue so we are able to have some shared creative experience. Her parents limit screen time - so, they are not a big fan of the rabbit holes that I can find. Sometimes we sneak off and surf by ourselves. I feel sooooo guilty. I hope I am not warping her or undermining her parent's authority. 

****

Long ago, ink was made from soot. 

This company figured out a way to make ink from exhaust - or air pollution.

Link to making ink from exhaust

****

Alexandrite Woman left a comment a couple days ago referring to my inertia. I had not used that word to describe the slump I am in - but it is perfect. She mentioned losing interest in writing letters and sending cards. Me, too. And I know we are not the only two who are experiencing this inertia. IMHO, we've all been dealing with the pandemic, which was not an ordinary bump in the road. But our entire lives have been bumpy roads, or choppy waters, or turbulent airstreams. 

That's just the way it always is. Ups and downs. There is no way that I can add anything more profound to what people have been talking about since they learned to write. Once again, it is comforting (validating) to hear from someone who just stumbled across my blog - and can relate to my pondering (whining). It seems like my jabbering combined with reader comments can be a little nod to the daily situation - (or whatever) - and then we get on with our days.

Except on those days that we stay in bed. Yes, you are allowed to do that on occasion. Don't let it get out of hand.

Leslie to Steve (NH USPS) - wheat runway

Another envelope from Leslie to one of our NH USPS pen pals.

****

Off topic - 

I was reading the weekly newsletter from Naomi Bulger and she mentioned Ethical Clothing Australia - since she lives in Oz - which directs people to earth friendly clothing that also protects the rights of garment workers. It reminded me that after I watched the PBS program on the people in China who make our beloved blue jeans I vowed that I would never buy another pair of jeans. That will not be hard since I had/have enough to last and I'm not even that fond of them.

And then, I remembered that in 2011, after my daughter's wedding, I looked at all the cute clothes I had and made a plan to wear the cute ones I had been saving and only replace essentials for the next 10 years. I If I was replacing something like a coat, it had to be at least 30% off. Sierra Trading Post and local sale racks have made it easy to stick with that plan. After my decade of austerity I was going to treat myself to a complete closet makeover in 2021. You know where this is going, right?

Yup. I no longer have any reason to care about what I look like since I hardly go anywhere. And even though I was wildly interested in clothing during my teens and 20s - once I had offspring, I lost interest in clothes - unless they were comfortable, durable, and easy to launder. 

Sorry - I am rambling - Naomi's newsletter led me to this - which reminded me of how much I loved walking out in wheat fields when I visited my dear uncles in Montana. If they were to see this image, they would be calculating how many bushels of wheat were wasted making that runway. But, it's a cool photo. And there are more if you go to the link.

Warning: if you are on the conservative end of the spectrum, you will not want to surf around any further than the wheat runway. It is more avant-garde (shall we say) than the typical images that I link to. 

Link to the IG account

 

Maggie's paper clips with hearts (crab dinner conclusion)

 This might have been my favorite of the series. Even though I did not do a very good job on the GG I like the whispy feel of the lettering. And the heart confetti pleases me.

5:30  grrrrr -- but at least one of the adults has returned to the kitchen. I offered to help. Declined. Was reassured that everything is prepped. I certainly hope that I can add a P.S. that it was delicious - and served well before 9 pm.

*****

The past 4 weeks of blog posts have been somewhat chaotic - as if you need me to make that observation. I do recall that the dinner just mentioned was delicious. The commentaries on the various blog posts are jumping around. During my morning coffee, I do some editing to see if I can give some structure. Nope. I think there is a Law of Thermodynamics at work here. I have no idea how many of those laws there are. 

That envelope has grown on me.

Mixed Neu-ish to Janet with navy LOVE stamp (mid crab update)

 This one is so-so. as I recall, I was having fun trying a bunch of different things. While the actual colors on the stamp are not neon, the neon gel pen details go pretty well. I will not bore you with the details on which letters are the worst. And I will keep my whining about the up-hill baseline on the last name to a minimum. 

And, I will mention that it is now 5:18 and I am fading - as I try to distract myself - while the crab is not being prepared. I didn't mention this in the post that appeared yesterday because these real time whine-a-thons are probably really boring.

Oooooh -- this just in. At 5:20 my daughter texts me that they will be heading home in 5 minutes. Her idea of 5 minutes is wildly different from my idea of 5 minutes. But, it is a very good sign that she contacted me as it indicates that she is aware that I am fading. 

I used to try to talk to her about the concept that I would not be living forever and she'd shut down the conversation, forcefully. I finally gave up. Lately, with so many peers falling ill with serious illnesses I realized that I should maybe talk to her about the reality that I could fall ill. So when I brought it up and said, "I know you made it clear that you do not want to hear anything about the topic of me not living forever.." and she interrupted me and said, "Oh.My.Gosh. That is one thing that covid really helped me to face - I finally realize what you were saying and why." 

It's always comforting when offspring get a whiff of reality.

It is 5:25. No sounds of small children returning from the neighbors. It's rather funny how I can hear them as they exit the house next door. They seem to be louder than average kids. But, I guess I am not around average kids. 

Gee, I was thinking that this was the last post I would get in today - as they would be back. Guess I should start another post.

Neuland with navy love stamp to CarolynC (crab chat)

 This might have been the only one where I tried Neuland with this stamp and then added the neon hearts. I struggle with Carolyn's name. I struggle with any name that starts with C - and she has two of them. 

****

No update on that crab dinner story because the way I post is chaotic. I keep having a weird feeling that all these posts are repeats. There has been an ominous haze hanging over my head. As I write this, I am starting the last week of the mercy mission to Chicago. It is possible that all the good food is clouding my thinking - but, I feel like I have no interest in making art. That seems really odd. It's not upsetting and I suppose it will change when I get back to my own stash of art supplies. I might be having a reaction to this  situation here where the art supplies are not exactly what I prefer. 

*****

I'm back in Duh Moines - and have zero interest in getting into my own art supplies. This is very strange.

Paperclip font from RachaelT

 I might find the original envelope with this font. It is from RachaelT. I loved it and had a ton of fun playing around with it. It will be tempting to go back to it someday.

It is now 5:08 on the day before Easter when I am trying to stay awake to enjoy that crab dinner. Luckily for me, I found a folder with my Feb exchange envelopes. I do not recall posting them and I sure hope they are not repeats. That fool proof system for knowing which images have been posted was not fool proof at all. I'm beginning to think that there is nothing that is absolutely fool-proof.

As a side note, we will see how really quick and easy it is for me to schedule these posts. 

Stealing from myself (start of crab story)

I do not recall how this one popped up. It might have been on Pinterest when I was surfing and looking for ideas for the Feb exchange. The envelope I posted yesterday had the same basic outline as these. I do the basic black lines with a big, fat, bullet tip marker. Then I spend a ton of time squaring off all the strokes. When I am not feeling very creative, it is good to choose something that is labor intensive but also a tried and true technique. Squaring off takes time and it is mindless - but at least I know I won't have any fits of regret.

(I'll explain later why I crossed out the first two lines.)

If I figure out a way to remind myself, I could post an exemplar for this style, but I will only do so if I get a request from someone who wants it. 

This is an odd post. I hardly ever write at 4:58 pm. Normally, I eat my last meal of the day at 4 pm and by 5 I am enjoying my *evening* and pre-bedtime activities. But as I write this, I am smack dab in the middle of my 4 weeks of helping in Chicago where their dinner time is usually 6 pm. They bump it up to 5 for me. It is also the day before Easter and the neighbors just called to invite the kids over to make nests. The neighbors are known for cooking fabulous meals that they serve around 9 pm. I know that my daughter has some delicious looking crab and some to-die-for homemade pasta - and they were running a little late on the 5 pm dinner because they finally got appointments for covid vaccinations. 

So here I sit -- knowing that the ingredients are all laid out for something really delicious - and I am really hungry -- and they are all next door making nests with people who have no idea that Nanna is over here quietly starving and falling asleep. 

Nanski's is cuter because of the heart shaped dots over the i's.

 

HB G3 from GraceE (DebL's pollen rant comment)

Yup. That's a piece of faux-cake that came in the mail for Mr Wilson's birthday from GraceE.

***

It is Apr 20th. The days are ticking past at an alarming rate and I'm a bit concerned about my jibber-jabber that goes with the posts.  It was such a good idea to load a bunch of photos while I was in Chicago - but now I need to add words. Today - DebL left a comment on the Apr 19th post and it is a classic. I doubt anyone scrolls back to look for comments so, I am going to post part of it here.

The April 19th post was the one with the link to the article about how *they* planted only male trees for decades and we are all subjected to an unbalanced amount of pollen causing allergies and asthma. I was glad to hear that the link offered some other topics to help calm DebL down. Thanks, Deb, for the fun rant. I always enjoy a good rant - or co-rant.

That is infuriating! Once again, males ruin everything! Just kidding, my husband and sons only ruin some things. But, how did they think using only male plants was a good idea? I have had allergies for many years (probably since the '80s, come-to-think-of-it), and to know that it was done purposefully makes my blood boil. Thanks for the link, which I used to read about dolphins and the universe as a way to calm down after the tree stuff :) 

...and later that day

Patty sent me this 12 second video - and there was another one right after it - and I noticed a bunch more.

They all show clouds of pollen.

Link to 12 second tree pollen video

Link to pollen video (2)
 

To Lana from Leslie (languishing)

This is a fun idea for translucent envelopes. It might have been a valentine. Maybe I can find the email from Leslie that tells me more about this. 

I'm filling posts in late March, still waiting to find out how long I will stay in Chicago. I know I have a huge stack of mail at home to post. But, I also have a stack here. So, no matter where I am I will be able to line up posts. 

Each day, when I wake up, make my coffee and then check the blog, I get a little twinge of disappointment that the blog is not as inspiring as it used to be. But, I am not bothered because I do not think I can be objective at all. This has been such a strange year followed by additional months of strangeness.

****

This article on languishing seems to have gone viral. I try to avoid reposting viral topics, but, I'm going to leave this one in - because I don't have time to find something different -- and it might be helpful to anyone who is struggling at the moment.

To be honest - even though the article seemed to hit the nail on the head - I found all the suggestions to be highly annoying. I hesitated to even post the link - and I sure don't want to sound like I am a whiny wimp. I imagine there will be fun stuff popping up in the future. I just wanted to let anyone who is not feeling that great to know that they are not alone.

Link to Languishing article