Flamingos at Sunset

I finally got the project finished for the May 2008 class. It was hard....very tedious, and detail oriented. I didn't do that great a job, but at least it's done.

We had a lot of tornados pretty close to us. It destroyed a few communities. There were about 8 deaths. It was yesterday, and pretty scary. There were constant sirens going off.

Today has been beautiful. It's pretty warm, though. We have to appreciate it while we have it, though, because tomorrow is going to be down to 60, with possible frost at night. My poor plants don't know what's going on.

Hope is everyone is having a good Memorial Day!

Love to all...

Sunday Afternoon/Early Evening

I hope, while I type this, I don't forget the scalloped potatoes and ham casserole in the oven for supper. I set the timer, and if I stay put, I should be OK. Bob was going to grill hamburgers, but we do that so often, I thought it would be good if we had something hot. Standing up so long almost did me in.

This was a beautiful day...a trifle cool out, though. Earlier this afternoon, Bob helped me hobble outside, and we picked a whole bunch of my lilacs. I have them in different colors: white, a pinkish blue, a light purple, and a blue. Unfortunately, I don't have much success in retaining their color. I had some old, old lilac trees up at the farm...a double, deep purple and white. While I was emptying out some of my presses, I found a couple sheets of the deep purple. I pressed them in 2003 or 2004, and they still have quite a bit of color.

One of my vines...I've had it for years...has a surprising bounty of little flowers on it. They are a deep maroon. It must be some form of Clemitis because they have those kind of leaves. I don't remember where got them, though, or the name for them.

I spent the day working on my class picture. I started all over, and I think I got the hang of blending the sky. The end will tell, however. It is a challenging class, but I know I'm getting my monies worth out of it.

All of the three episodes of 'Indiana Jones' are on the television right now. I've watched them all three or four times. I know they are working it up for the movie that's supposed to be coming out....the one with the Crystal Skulls. A lot of New Ager's believe they have a special power, but I've read that they are just "trinkets" made during the Middle Ages. I sure wouldn't buy one -- unless it opened it's mouth and gave me three wishes....lol! Of course, with my luck, it would be like the Monkey's Paw.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Love to all....
Lee

Three Peony Card

This is the latest card I have done. I used pieces of peony petals to make smaller flowers, as well as the buds. The peonies haven't come out for this year, but I just craved doing it. Looking at it, it seems like it needs some filler, but I don't know what to use.

Not much is going on with me. I'm sort of bummed out because my knees are so swollen, I can't go down the stairs to pick the flowers in my yard. The lilacs are in bloom, and I don't want to just look at them. I need to press them in the worst way.

Today, and yesterday, are beautiful days. It got up to 78 degrees. I don't know what the high will be today, though. It looks like it's going to jump from a cold spring into hot summer. After all the complaining I've done about the cold, I'm not going to whine about the hot, that's for sure.

Bob is in the bedroom, watching bowling. He loves that. He doesn't get too much time to do what he wants, so I don't mind that he gets up late. He, also, needs to catch up on his sleep.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Love to all....

Lee

May 11, 2008

Sunday afternoon....

Well, mission sort of accomplished. I've spent this morning and afternoon sorting through the landslide of flowers that hit my head and the "fan" yesterday. I found things I hadn't even known I had....for instance, I found deep, purple lilacs that I pressed in either 2003 or 2004. Remarkably, a lot of retained their color. I, also, found some Jacob's Ladder pressed around the same time....unfortunately, it didn't fare very well as the lovely blue were faded.

I really need to get a better way to organize -- both my flowers and papers (paints, and miscellaneous, as well). I have file cabinets, but they are packed full of old flowers and foliage that, for some reason, I can't bear to part with. A lot of them are from a long-ago, and better time. When I see them, it pinpoints me to where I got them, and how happy I felt. Many are from when my Mom had 40 acres in NE Iowa (that would be in the 1980's). It seemed like everything grew there (well, not tropical, of course). I used to go all over the place to where I knew things grew. There was a ravine that had weathered rock formed into stairs. The trees would filter light and it was like an outdoor cathedral. Hepatica and Rue Anemone grew wild there, as well as various ferns. It felt like I was the first white person who saw it.....Indians had been there, as well. There was a burial mound on Mom's property, and the first flowers of spring -- Pasque flower -- grew there. All that land seemed so enchanted.

It's been another chilly day, but at least, it isn't raining. Things are still pretty saturated, though. Usually, by May, it is in the 70's, but the weather guy said it would be a short spring, quick leap into summer, and then back into winter again. What a bummer!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend!

Love to all

Kudzu and Monardo

--------------------------------------------------

Sunday Evening...

First of all, it was lovely to chat with C. this afternoon. It sounds like she has some tough choices to make with retirement. I hope she figures out what to do in the most profitable way.

I made this notecard earlier this evening. I found some Kudzu, which Pat S. had sent me. In the south, it covers everything. It was brought there as an ornamental plant, and just took over. I've seen houses, trees, telephone poles, and whole landscapes of it. It looks like a different planet. Too bad it isn't useful for much....you'd think it would make a good fuel alternative, wouldn't you?

Today has been chilly, with some rain. Bob started the wood stove so it's comfortable in here. It definitely hasn't been shorts weather, that's for sure.

I've been watching the Indiana Jones movies that they have on a channel here. I think I liked the last one the best. I definitely feel squeamish when I see the second (it's set in India)....too many bugs, eating monkey brains and scorpions. A dash too exotic for my tastes...lol!

I had my flowers on a big pile on my desk, and had a landslide! Before I can concentrate on any creating, I'm going to have to sort them all out. I wasn't too organized to begin with, but this is a total mess. I wish I had a way to set things to right and make some sense out of what I have.

Other than that, it's been another boring day. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Love to all.....

This is an 8 x 8 picture that I just made tonight. Usually, things take forever for me. I was so relieved that I was able to do it. It is for Cellestine, and due June 1st. I kept it pretty simple, but I did it. Now, all I have is my big picture project to finish this month. It's going very slowly. and is pretty complicated. Maybe, it's just me and my lack of imagination.

It was a pretty cool day today. I don't know if it rained, but the skies were really cloudy. I guess tomorrow is going to be even cold. This has been a winter of record snow, record rain and record cold.

I watched a movie called "Georgia Rules," yesterday. I had no idea what it was about, but it starred Jane Fonda, Lindsey Lohan, and one of the actresses from Desperate Housewives. I thought it was cheesy and tacky, personally, but it made bad memories arise in me because it was about a girl (Lindsey Lohan), who had been molested by her stepfather at the age of 12. I could really identify since that is what happened to me.

Other than that....not much is new. I took my pills, so that's the last of me tonight.

Love to all.....

The Blog of Lee A. Hough

Monday afternoon....

This is the start of my new blog.

Today is a beautiful day...an "Easter Egg" day, I call it: blue skies, warm sun, and green grass. It will be the only one this week as it is supposed to rain 5 out of the next 7 days. That's a bummer! However, I guess we should appreciate the good, and not dwell on the bad. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

I started working on the May class. It may be harder than I thought. The project picture is really lovely, and I would like to do it justice. Whether it works that way or not is subject to speculation. I need to do some Mother's Day cards, as well. That will have to be a priority.

I would really like to figure out a slideshow, but need to read about it more. I love the ones done by C & S.

Well, I guess that's all for now.