From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!    --Scottish saying

Happy Halloween!

From

A Short Trip Down Commercial Memory Lane

If you remember this, your age is showing.

Yikes!

I'm on my way to the dentist again. The impression for the crown didn't work, so she has to do another. I'm having guests for supper. Now I don't have time to make what I planned. I made mango slaw and instead of chicken curry to go with it, I will have to stop by a barbecue restaurant on the way home to pick up meat and buns. It's craft night, so the main attraction is not my curry chicken anyway. But I was so in the mood for curry....

It's raining so I'm going to leave the house early in hopes that I can grab one of the 3 hour parking spots close to the school, instead of having to run all over town in the bad weather.  I started reading Lee Smith's Fair and Tender Ladies last night, so I won't mind having some extra time to read while I wait.

I've been internet scarce recently, because I've been hard at work on the baby quilt. It's not perfect, but since Rachel loves me she says she will treasure it anyway. I've still got the machine quilting to go and then the binding to finish it up. I'll take a photo and show you when it's done.

Hope your day is going along smoother than mine!  See ya soon.

No Luck Finding a Job Yet

Since I found my creative groove a couple of months ago, I've been all over the place. And I've got the piles of mess to prove it.  Sewing in the basement and on the kitchen table, bits of yarn surrounding my television watching chair, easel and paints beside the window downstairs, cutting board and quilt scraps on the dining room table, scrapbook stuff all over my craft area downstairs...see...all over the place. 

I thought you might like a peek at some Artist Trading Cards I made recently to swap. 

This woman is drawn on top of a old calendar that I cut up. I like the effect given by seeing the illustration through my artwork. Mixed Media. 

This one is of Frida Kahlo and I named it,  "She Wore a Tattoo of Pain." 

Mixed media.

Frida and Diego. Colored Pencils.

Sharing a bite to eat.  Acrylic paint.

I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into my messy, messy world.

Say What?

L'Oreal's newest mascara, Voluminous Million Lashes, smells like my dead grandmother's dusting powder. Yeah, for real.

It took me a couple of days to figure out where the smell was coming from.  I began to suspect the mascara yesterday and confirmed it today when I applied my makeup.

I don't know what I think about wearing smelly mascara, even though the odor does go away after a little while. One thing I know for sure...if they are going to put a scent in make up, it for sure shouldn't remind you of something so old.  Sorry Grandmother.

Just sayin.....

Someone Put This Woman in the Movies Please!

Every year at our Murder Mystery Dinners and before that on Halloween,  my friend Nancy has cracked me up with her costumes.
She never fails to amaze me with her imagination and creativity. This year she came as Tatum Tatt. She spent most of the night 'selling' tattoos to the rest of us dinner goers. (Notice her tongue and nose rings)



 Here she is, as Marshall Dalton, last year at Death at Deadwood night.

On  Murder Among The Mateys  night, this is what she looked like.

The year before that the theme was the roaring twenties.  I don't remember her character's name, but isn't she a hoot?

she said she surprised herself that year because she looked so much like her Daddy in that get-up

Murder in Las Vegas was a high roller's heaven and Nancy was a blonde bimbo that night.  Here we are together. This time my role was as a man.

Our first Murder Mystery night had a Mardi Gras theme.  Nancy was a floozy in a fur coat.

Here's a photo I took of her, her daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter on the way to a Halloween party a couple of years ago. They went as the Queen of Hearts, a Checker Board, a Dog Catcher and his dog.

How about you?  Do you have a friend who's a real character or do you have fun getting into a costume yourself on Halloween?

Murder in Margaritaland

It's happened again!  Our annual Murder Mystery Dinner night has resulted in another killing! 

 (Of course the main event of the evening is inherently given in the title so what did I expect?)

This year's cast of characters ran the gamut of everyone from two powerful millionaires, Thurston Howard III and Lucky Numbers, a recent lottery winner,  to a bartender, Jack Daniels, with a reputation for being the Casanova of the pool bar, from a 'recovering' alcoholic movie star, Starr Bright, to a overly ambitious bellhop, BJ Baggage,  from a high powered Hollywood agent better know as Agent Hollywood,  to a professional surfer champ, Sandy Beachbum,  and every kind of character in between.

Let's not forget to mention Coconut Joe and his wife Coconut Jane who run the resort. There is also Bindy Barkeep who manages the bar and her gold-digger waitress Kylie, Lifesaver Sam, the life guard, ambitious Cabana Bob, Tatum Tatt, the island tattoo artist, Candy Cotton, the girlfriend of Thurston Howard III, the honeymooners, Mike and Margie Mooner, as well as Izzie Islander and Sgt. Lord, a police office who just happens to be at the resort the night of the murder.

Me?  Let me introduce myself. I'm Managing Mo, Sandy Beachbum's manager. I'm here to make sure Sandy stays healthy and to get him out of retirement.

 

 I may as well dress for pleasure, even though this trip is strictly business for me.

I made this suit myself, so be sure and vote for me for best dressed....or maybe best undressed.

 After enjoying a island meal family style and getting to know our fellow travelers a bit...

 

....a horrible scream rang out!  Jack Daniels the bartender was dead!

 

Sgt. Lord took over ascertaining details from resort guests as well as gathering evidence.

 

Sgt. Lord and Kylie Cocktail

Did Tatum Tatt do it?

Maybe it was Bindy Barkeep..she has been worried that Jack Daniels philandering ways were going to ruin the bar business.

It could be that these seemingly carefree honeymooners have an ulterior motive for visiting the island...aside from the obvious motive that is....

Or maybe it was Cabana Bob who did it...or maybe not....

Don't worry Sgt. Lord will get to the bottom of this crime...and if he can't we'll all help him!

looking over the evidence

 

discussing the leads in the case

The heinous killer and his motive were eventually discovered and he was carted off to the island lock up.  

I could tell you who done it, but then I'd be ruining the fun for you if you decide to have your own Murder Mystery Dinner.

 

Sorry, our group shot was a bit blurry.

Random Photo Day

These are  a few of the random subjects that have prompted me to pull my camera out of my purse recently and snap a couple or twenty or thirty.   ;  )

As you can tell, I've been primarily inspired by light and shadow.  It's the time of year when the position of the sun changes to a lower angle on the horizon, causing shadows to fall in sharper angles....therefore inspiring me.

This last photo is of a project in progress. I'll take more photos when it's all together. 

Tag!
You're it!
Get out there and take some photos of the shadows of October before the month and the sun have moved on.

Roma Shoma

 colored pencils drawn over a  illustration on an old calendar

Okay, so it's not the watercolor I promised, but I did give the tomatoes and bowl a go. I still want to do a "real" painting. Maybe soon.

On This Day 29 Years Ago.....

 My daughter's birthday is today. As you probably know, I have 3 boys and the one girl. They are all grown and have homes of their own now, but my daughter is still my best friend. How lucky I am to be able to say that. She is coming over today. We will be making a mobile for her baby (a daughter) who is due next month. Funny how time flies and life circles around and around.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Drink This...Eat This...Pull Open

I've always been a sucker for whimsy so when I saw these door knobs at Michaels recently I knew I had to have them.  And since they were only $1 each, I think I got a great bargain on a little something that tickles my internal funny bone. 

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." - Dr. Seuss

Do you try to add a little whimsy to your life?  If not, I thoroughly recommend it.

Oak Tree Memories

I sometimes think of the oak tree out back as a sort of enemy of mine. That is because my deck is being eaten alive by it  The former owners of the house built the deck around this tree about 30 years ago. When we moved here, having a smallish tree in the middle of the deck was interesting, picturesque, maybe even a little romantic.

Every couple of years a bit more of the deck has to be trimmed away to make room for the ever- expanding girth of the tree. Growth in an oak tree is exponential. At first you barely notice as it gets bigger, but soon the thing is doubling in size really fast.  As the tree grows my deck shrinks. The side closest to the house is cut off from the back side. You can't sit at the table and see who is on the bench behind the tree anymore.

I saw the tree in a new light as I watched Elijah play outside yesterday.  Ever since his Daddy began building a room in their basement, he has made copying Daddy his #1 pretend play. Everything is a hammer or a saw. The tree makes a great wall to whack with sticks/pretend hammers.

Watching Elijah play around my tree brought the huge oak tree that grew in my great-grandfather's front yard to my mind. Great Granddaddy lived in a old farmhouse...the kind you see in the South...long and low...unpainted, gray wood....ramble shack some might term it. His house had been built in two portions...probably as the family grew. One side of the house was all kitchen and dining room. The other part was best parlor, bedroom, storage room and another darkish interior room. The bathroom was out back in a little building of its own...if you get my drift.

In front of the long porch was a huge oak tree.  I remember walking on its roots and trying to stretch my arms around the trunk. It was impossible. The tree was huge.  At least from my perspective it was.

Watching Elijah, I realized that my tree will provide the same kind of experience for him.  Thinking that it might be a source of wonder for my grandchildren makes it less irritating to me. It might even be a good thing.

Porch Beautification

 

Since my porch looked pitiful and I was ready for a bit of Autumn color, I made a stop at the local home improvement store for some fall color Monday afternoon. 

As always I chose purple and yellow flowers. That color combination says happy to me. I bought fushia/purple, white and yellow mums, green and purple ornamental kale, as well as yellow violas and white and purple violets to dress the place up some.

Here's a look at something I noticed clutching the porch railing with all of his might. I'd been re-potting, and sweeping out on the porch for about 40 minutes before I noticed him. He was probably in a pot and hopped away for dear life.

 After a quick photo shoot, I left him alone to realize he was okay, that his home had just had a bit of a spruce up.

All I need now is a pumpkin and a few gourds. How about you? Do you decorate for the season?

What does a Dental School and a Park have in Common?

 my constant view for over a year now

Nothing, except that it's a beautiful day. I had just finished another appointment at the dental school. (Oh what a long process getting an implant is)  Being close by, there was no way I was going to waste the perfect opportunity to check out Birmingham's newest urban park.

Railroad Park is a 19 acre green space located in a 4 block area that used to be a flat wasteland of weeds and railroad tracks between Downtown on the north and Southside and UAB on the south. The park rises and falls in a gentle interpretation of the city's hilly terrain. On the north the occasional train chugs past runners and strollers alike.

a little boy and his dog watch while a train passes

 

with a view of Downtown behind them, some picnickers enjoy lunch on a little hillside

 

 ...sitting in the sun with a good book, I like the way this guy thinks

The site includes a 2 acre lake, man made wet lands, over 600 trees and masses of flowers as well as a bistro with plenty of seating under a tin roofed pavilion where one can enjoy a snack or a meal. You can see some beautiful photographs that other park goers have taken here if you are interested.

I was there right around noon. It seemed like there were lots of people there just like me, outside enjoying a beautiful day.

Description of My Day

jeans
cold hands
red afghan
one chocolate cup cake
conversations with friends
tv movies
the first pot of chili of the fall

It's Official!

Fall has officially arrived in Alabama. I smelled burning leaves today.

The smell....love it or hate it?