Saturday, May 06, 2017

Saturday-5:45pm

Good afternoon!
Putter...putter...putter.
I kept working on the pantry. 
Wiping everything down. 
Reorganizing.  
(Leaving lots of space on this side for cat food and supplies for Annie when she comes.) 
 I finally got my bench emptied off--LOL!  First time since I moved in.  
And I finished the pantry!!  All organized!!  Caroline brought my groceries for May on Wednesday, too.  I can find everything easily now.  A big project off my to-do list.  :) 
The top shelf from left to right: breakfast stuff, rices & grains, flours.  Middle shelf: oils & sauces, boxed & canned goods.  Bottom shelf: pastas, canned tomatoes, dried beans & lentils.  About time I got this all organized.  Only been living here a year and eight months--ROFL!  :)
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Finally out of bird seed, but they do get their fresh water every morning.  I was going to take a picture of the two doves who visit every day splashing away--but they caught of glimpse of me and poof!   
Those doves really do like bathing.
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Tuesday Leah came for craft night but we spent the entire night planning my patio--LOL!  (We both figured we would end up doing that because it is such fun for both of us.)  I had to make a final decision on the best planter boxes I could afford:
 They're terra cotta colored plastic from Amazon--and already arrived!
With the wild wind up here we will get some cheap rocks to line the bottoms before we add the soil--to try to hold them down.  So we still need to buy rocks and potting soil this month.  Then I'll get plants in June.  Leah was showing me different plants online to see what I liked.  (Leah used to work in a nursery in town for quite a while and that is where we will go plant shopping).  Oh, this is so exciting!!
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In fact, this morning I took my flat cart out to the garage to haul in the expanding hose & big plastic pot Leah gave me to hide it in (you may recall I sneak and use the faucet on the side of the building next to my patio as of last summer), my container of potting soil (an old kitty litter container with the handle), and the planter I used once in a while to grow Karma her cat grass (but it's too big-too much grass at one time for any one cat) that I plan to use to re-pot the two ivys I was gifted at the two cataract surgeries.  Whew!  That was one long convoluted sentence--LOL!    
We had a bit of a strange storm on Wednesday afternoon.  It thundered a few times, then poured rain that only lasted a few minutes.  At my place we had pea-sized hail bouncing off the grass--but only for about a minute.
Then-poof!  The whole event was over with in like five minutes or so.  Just a little bit of drama to the day. 
A little while later (after Ian's nap--who said he heard the thunder from his room) Leah and Ian came and took me over to the eye doctor's to pick up my new regular glasses.  (They gave Ian a bouncy ball with an eyeball on it and he was thrilled!)   
I took many selfies to try to avoid the glare off the glasses...but it never worked...and I got tired of smiling and trying--LOL! 
Did not get the non-glare coating this time.  Would have cost me $110.00 at Dr. Dye's, so I passed (but I think it might have helped at the computer).  Anyways, wire rims.  A bit darker than what I used to have and larger lenses to help with the trifocals.  I'm getting used to them.  Not sure why it was so much easier to adapt to the sunglasses in the same prescription?  Larger lenses?  They said to give it a couple weeks.
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Saw a lone goose again.  Same one?  Might be. 
I opened the screen and slowly stepped out to get these goose pictures.  The two doves sure gave me the eye from the rock bed--but they didn't fly off.  Too tired from all that bathing?  LOL!  Or did they think they were camouflaged in the rocks? (Which they were at first--so I kindly did not give them eye contact.)
The goose was nibbling on something in the grass... 
...or eating the grass itself?  I noticed that the grackles were following the goose around this time, too.  They seemed quite fascinated by this huge bird. 
Thursday was the first time I was able to go to CCC ("coffee, coloring, and conversation") in the afternoon down at the community room and actually bring something to work on.  I decided that I wanted to get back to working on the zendalas.  This is the one I started.
I didn't think to take a before picture of the template, but I'll try and remember with the next one.
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I figure I will work on zendalas on CCC days--doodling on them and then coloring them.  I had left a bunch of extra templates and drawing pens with Bev a couple months ago.  And I spent a while online yesterday to see if you could still get the free templates--yes.  I printed off a bunch of them from another place, too...so I have more templates and can give some away if people are interested.  I got the web address for the tangle patterns, too, and located my binder from years ago.  So, I'm all set for next week.  :)  Oh, and I printed off the web addresses to hand out to anyone who might want them also.
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And in case any of you are interested:

www.thebrightowl.blogspot.com 
for free zendala templates
(she quit doing her weekly zendala dare but there are still over 100 free templates)

www.amarylliscreations.com 
for free zendala templates
(When I was doing these a few years ago this lady only had six templates online--now she has 52 of them!)

www.tanglepatterns.com 
for free zentangle patterns
(All kinds of tangle patterns and how-tos from simple to complex--if you run out of doodling ideas there are a ton there!)
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The other thing I did was finally tend to the stack of old artwork that has been piled on my printer for months--LOL!  I wanted to print off some for cards--and I finally got that done, too. 
Checking things off the list.
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This print was actually from an art class project in college.  We were supposed to make a simple repeating pattern like they use on fabrics.  (Actually from pictures of wildflowers I found online.) 
Let's see...
Oh, I also finished what I needed to do in the bullet.  Whew!  Now this is one disturbingly fat and lopsided bullet journal! 
But it's because I have to use avery stickers and washi tape... 
...to cover up this stupid "Datum/Date:" on the top of every single page! 
"Have to?", you ask.
Well, if things like that bother you (drives my OCD side crazy)...yes, you do have to cover them up.  My experiment with using their squared grid...DONE.  I am going back to the dot grid--which doesn't have that date thing on top of every page.  (BTW-Leuchtturm's lined journals also have that date on every page.)  I ought to be able to see better now to use the dot grid easier than before the cataract surgeries.  Not being able to write a straight line using the dot grid was one reason I bought a squared grid.  ;) 
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Anyways, that is why this one is so fat and goofy looking.  Avery stickers and washi tape on almost every page.  Never again--LOL!  ;)  I'll be starting another bullet (my third) come October.  Dotted--hurray!
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So, things are moving along.  Items are getting checked off my lists.  Plans are being made.  I get quite a bit done for a day or two and then am useless for a day or two.  The usual--LOL!  Weather has been crazy warm!  Was 82 yesterday!  Beginning of May??!!  (We usually don't plant up here till Memorial Day.)  
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Enjoy your change of seasons.  I know many of you are heading into fall.  Have a fabulous week!!  
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"When life feels too big to handle, go outside.  Everything looks smaller when you're standing under the sky."
L. R. Knost

13 comments:

Deb J. in Utah said...

I love your new look! My your pantry is so neat and organized! What an inspiration you are. I want to do better with mine when we move to the new house.
Have a great week!

Unknown said...

You are so incredibly organized. Good thing too. If you weren't you would be knee deep in all your stuff.
The planters will look great filled with flowers. I would not buy rocks though. Rocks are everywhere. Maybe have Dagan collect some for you.
The glasses look good. Mine have large lenses too and I like the bigger "windshield" for better viewing. I regularly wash my glasses and I found out that that remove non-glare coatings. So I don't buy that anymore. Absolutely criminal how much they gouge people for glasses. Simple pieces of plastic that cost them about $20, they sell for $300.
Sounds like you got our weather. Down south it is still cold and rainy.

Divers and Sundry said...

Patio planning! That's one of my very favorite things :) I look forward to hearing what plants you're considering. I'm trying to get my new hobeysuckle plant to grow in a pot. Wish me luck lol

Anonymous said...

Love the new specs. You look so cute.
Good luck on your patio garden. Cool.
I planted herbs and wildflowers. The herbs are growing like crazy, the wildflower seeds have begun to germinate.
BTW, I love watching birds take a bath. So cute!

Anonymous said...

You're a sexy little thing in your new glasses!!

Jon said...

I really love your pantry - it is so neat and organized! I really miss having a pantry. I had a nice one in my Texas house - but here in my TN shack I have no room for one. I'll try to figure out how to "improvise" one eventually.

I like the pic of the goose with the grackles. Grackles are usually so bold and annoying. I haven't seen any in my neck of the woods.
Your new glasses are nice - - hopefully you'll get used to them soon!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Way to go on the pantry! I am so glad you have your new glasses!! Great looking planters...I see some petunias in a mauvy pink or coral shade:)

DJan said...

Like the new glasses! I hope you get used to them quickly. Lovely post, filled with lots of activity. :-)

Lady Fi said...

I like the new glasses. And wow - your pantry is clean and well-organized! Are you getting a new cat? How exciting.

Dee said...

Dear Rita, your list is surely getting checked off in May rather quickly. You stay so busy. I know it's do things and then rest for a day or two, but that schedule has served you and your body so well for so many years.

It's clear I've missed a lot by not reading blogs for so long. You've had cataract operations and are doing something called a bullet. I'm waiting to find out from your blog what that is!

By the way, I like your new glasses. They emphasize the lovely curve of your eyebrows. Peace.

Serena Lewis said...

You must feel very accomplished to see all that progress, Rita...good for you.

How lovely that the doves are enjoying their baths.

Cool that Leah worked at a nursery...it can be hard work. Beau worked at a nursery and, after a brief stint in a different job, he will be starting back at a different nursery in a week.

That was a strange storm.

You look fab in your new glasses!

I think it might be the same goose...maybe he/she became separated from the rest. Funny that the grackles were following it around.

Nice that the ladies at CCC are getting into the Zendalas.

Goodness, that certainly is one lopsided bullet journal. It's amazing how much bulk the washi tape and stickers adds to it. I admit that the date thing would annoy me and I'm not even OCD. I'm about due to order a new bullet and deciding whether to go back to the A5 size or not. I love that they are so versatile either way.

We are having a bleak, cold day here in Brissie and I'm loving it! Winter officially starts on June 1st. YAY!

Love and hugs to you, my friend xo

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Your home is so organized! Everything has a place and looks very easy to find. The glasses you picked out look great! Sounds like your eyes have improved quite a bit given all the work you've been doing - especially the detail work with the Zendalas. You always put so much detail into them. Very inspiring!

AliceKay said...

Nice glasses. They look great on you. I hope everything is looking much better now.

Wow, you've been keeping busy. :)