by Ninasusan

The orangutan disappeared when I opened my eyes.

I have no idea exactly where I was or what I was doing but a fellow that looked very similar to the one pictured above was running ahead of me through the timber. Opening my eyes I thought….well, I wonder what kind of day I should anticipate!

I am holding on tightly to a sentence in Rev Erin’s talk this morning. “Most often the world around me is a projection of the world within me”.

and a line in the anti-apartheid protest song by Peter Gabriel – Biko

“You can blow out a candle, But you can’t blow out a fire, Once the flame begins to catch, The wind will blow it higher”.

Apparently running through the timber following an orangutan was indication that my options were completely open depending where my monkey brain would take me!

Snowing again…below 0 temps again tonight…I was a non believer when I heard a polar vortex was going to include us here in Missouri….looks like we should be climbing out of it this week…I try to see it as nature, as beauty but it is hard for me …. the frigid temps especially. We had been having such a mild winter. The geese had stayed and the pond had not frozen…. but…..

The Easter cactus has its first blooms on.

….and I have His latest creation to remind me to be patient….the sun will come out! (And I’ll be bitching about the heat)

….and there you have it Dear Diary.

01.18.21

by Ninasusan

Code name: Pink Flamingo

In the back of my mind, I’ve always known that if I ever became first lady or CIA, my code name would be: Pink Flamingo!

I have flamingo chimes thanks to my friend, Sue. I also have 3 metal pink flamingos in flower beds in the yard right now, as well as totes of the plastic ones which does include Christmas pink flamingos. My next door neighbor also likes them and has a little square in her side yard (my side) where her pink flamingos live along with pink flower pots. One Christmas she started decorating the yard with them and so I bought Christmas flamingos and set them up so they looked like they were headed to her yard. She and I may be the only two on the street who felt giddy about it.

Years ago my late night dispatch partner and I did crafts when 911 lulled. I taught her to crochet and she taught me to embroider. I have embroidered dish towels put away which will last many generations. I pulled out my embroidery hoops etc the other day and then sat with them because I had no idea what I would embroider or on what. I laughed thinking about his face if I started embroidering his underwear #notgoingtohappen But instead…I found this beginning/children’s punch embroidery kit during a late night excursion on Amazon. It came today.

…..and so it is!

12.21.20

by Ninasusan

Cows

I have always loved cows….in fact, I have no idea how I could still be eating them but I can’t go there right now.

My grandma had Jersey cows for milking…I always thought they had adorable faces

Amongst my many collections of “things” that have come and gone was my cow collection which I finally parted with a few years ago….but I kept these which were always somewhere in my kitchen(s) as they are now.

The milk bottle in the middle is an Anderson Erickson milk bottle my dad had saved from the days when milk was delivered and deposited in a metal box by the front door.

But the MOST cherished bottles are these milk bottles that belonged to my dad and his dad when they ran a dairy in the late 1930’s or 40’s in Iowa. I also found sleeves of bottle caps used by them.

And then the cows sculpted by my dad

This trip down memory lane happened after a walk today. Christmas decorations!!!!!!! tis the season!

Happy Holidays!

08.17.20

by Ninasusan

Yesterday I was totally aqua

My friend Terri was in my head this morning when she posted a picture on FB of a cup of espresso – She captioned the picture “a few extra shots of espresso and new pens….it’s going to be a great Monday”. Oh Terri…I totally get it!

I have a brand new package of 12 multi-color gel pens laying on my desk…I have a partially opened (to grab the purple) package of multi colored gel “glitter” pens in the top desk drawer and I also have an orange zippered canvas pencil holder with my very favorite colored gel pens that I’ve picked up individually just because I can’t resist the color.

I love smooth writing pens…love them…I write a lot…I write haikus, I write notes for haikus – I jot a lot. I take very brief notes at work and often use different color pens to separate notes for different callers. I jot myself don’t forget notes… while on the phone I make stars and color them in, I make faces, I jot down and play with my favorite letters or favorite words. Yesterday I filled out doctors office paperwork with aqua…I hesitated but completed the task in bold, beautiful aqua because that is who I was yesterday!

It’s Monday…be brave…be a beautiful color!

10.11.18

by Ninasusan

Color

I’ve heard Time and time again how music can lift us out of the doldrums….and it’s true, slap headphones on or ear buds in and my mood will change. I think I intuitively know what genre I need at the moment for my soul.

Color is my other thing. In my home, I’ve tried the soft, neutral palette and I’m just not satisfied. Earlier in the week when I placed the poured paint picture I did for the kitchen, I felt homey and comfortable in my aqua kitchen,

I “consciously” know that growing up in the 60s and 70s we had aqua appliances …….. refrigerator, stove top, oven and sink….when harvest gold and brown were in style. I think subconsciously, when we moved into this house, painting the kitchen aqua had a comfort effect on me.

…..and my newest craft hobby…paint pouring…fills my color need. So many beautiful colors coming together and causes my brain to pop with joy. This week’s favorite:

I think my trial and error period with small canvas is finished…bring on the 11 x 14!

Until next time….

10.03.18

by Ninasusan

Pour painting

Dear Diary entry

I do not remember the first You Tube video I watched that got me hooked. I’m a color person. That’s why my kitchen is aqua and one guest room and my craft room are purple. This hobby speaks to my souls through color right now. Here are some of my favorites…obviously just work table snapshots.