Day 5034: Grandma Humor & Grafting Magic!

"Easy pieces": for junk papers collage.

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Stevie Wonder, If You Really Love Me.

2GN2S - Grandma humor

Some of you know I have been purging, donating, giving away and trashing a lot of my stuff! I came across this cartoon and because it is both appropriate and it made me laugh out loud, I sent this to Grandhunk #3, Zack.

And Zack replied, immediately ...

(*If you know Zack, that is Zack! He’s a great kid, and he maybe knows me better than anyone on the planet?)

  

In India, a farmer named Ukabhai Bhatti achieved an amazing agricultural milestone by growing 14 distinct types of mangoes on just one tree.

Through 25 years of patience, dedication, and careful grafting—a farming technique where a branch from one plant is joined onto another—he successfully customized the tree so that different branches produce their own unique variety of fruit.

As a result, the single tree now grows mangoes of various sizes, shapes, colors, and flavor profiles.

This impressive project highlights how combining traditional farming knowledge with long-term perseverance can push the boundaries of modern agriculture and turn a single plant into a symbol of innovation

 

  

 

A 5+ minute video, Hop On, here.

 

Just because ...

Grey Nightjar

Saturday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5033: Handmade cards & Golden Snub-nosed Monkey.

"Lahaina": junk papers collage, digital collage.

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Tim McGraw, Humble and Kind.

2GN2S

Lots of graduations and birthdays in my family and extended family. I bought graduation and birthday cards, but for the ones who might like it, I decided to make some personal cards.

Logan

High School Graduate

Maddie

University Graduate

Noelle

15th Birthday

I used store-bought 3-3/4" x 9-3/4" folded, colored, textured cards with standard 4 x 9-1/2" envelopes. I drew with black marker & ballpoint pen, and then used colored pencils on the front of the card, as they work well on the textured cardstock. I have made similar cards with collage, but that does usually take a little longer. Using a simple design, it doesn't take long to create and hopefully the receiver knows that they are special for you to take the time to try it?

A baby Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey almost looks imaginary — like a creature painted from gold, blue, and winter light. But behind that beautiful appearance is an animal built for survival in some of China’s harshest mountain forests.

These rare monkeys live high in the cold forests of central China, where snow, freezing temperatures, and misty mountain weather shape daily life. Their thick golden fur is more than striking decoration. It protects them against icy winds and long winters spent moving through forest canopies at high elevations.

Although their bright blue faces make them appear delicate, golden snub-nosed monkeys are remarkably resilient. They survive on leaves, bark, buds, fruit, seeds, and lichens when food becomes scarce during colder months.

Young monkeys grow up surrounded by close family groups where grooming, protection, and cooperation are essential for survival. When entire troops move through the snowy trees together, flashes of gold ripple through the forest canopy like living sunlight. But surviving in such a demanding world is what makes these monkeys truly extraordinary.

 

  

 

A 5+ minute video, Shellproof,  here.

 

 

Just because ...

Long-Wattled Umbrellabird

Long-Wattled Umbrellabird..The long-wattled umbrellabird is one of the most unusual birds in the world and is found in the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It is instantly recognizable by its large umbrella-like crest and the long feather-covered wattle hanging from its chest, which can reach over 30 centimeters in length. Males use these remarkable features during courtship displays, producing deep booming calls to attract females. Umbrellabirds feed mainly on fruits but will also consume insects and small vertebrates. Deforestation has severely reduced their habitat, making them increasingly rare throughout their limited range.

Friday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5032: Austin's New Book & Newborn comforts Mom.

"Shaded of Poppy": junk collage, photo, digital.

 

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Norah Jones, Chasing Pirates.

2GN2S

I am betting that many of you may follow Austin Kleon? 

He usually checks in with me and many others through Friday's e-mail with lists of stuff.  Paid subscription people hear more often and get specials. I have four of his earlier books, but now he has a new book...

As an art teacher the, constant question I hear was how to be inspired, motivated, productive etc. Austin addresses theses queries of artists everywhere.

It's true. We, so called adults, figure out so many way to prevent ourselves from doing. His books cut through all the pseudo-stuff and inspire, so that we can do what we already know how to do.

You might like it, I did.

Roy Center, Byron Fenema, Dave Hines, me, Bruce Butler,  Sensei, Jim Turner, Leo Nakamura, Jim, Mark Martinez

Demura Sensei's Hombu Dojo, Santa Ana, CA. 1991

The newborn elephant would not leave her mother’s side. Not for food. Not for water. Not even for the caretakers trying to guide her away.

Inside the sanctuary, veterinarians had already spent two exhausting nights monitoring the fragile pair after a difficult delivery. The calf appeared physically healthy. Her heartbeat was steady. Her breathing was normal. Yet something about her behavior felt different from what rescuers usually see in young elephants.

Instead of exploring the enclosure with clumsy curiosity, the tiny calf remained pressed tightly against her mother almost constantly.

Whenever the older elephant shifted away, the baby quickly followed. If caretakers tried leading the calf toward warmer bedding or safer corners of the barn, she immediately returned to her mother’s side, touching her trunk, leaning against her face, and making soft low sounds that echoed through the quiet shelter.

Then the veterinarians realized something heartbreaking. The mother elephant was the one struggling. Exhausted from labor, dehydrated, and physically weak, she barely had the energy to stand comfortably. And somehow, the newborn calf seemed to sense it long before the humans fully understood. Throughout the night, the baby refused to rest unless she was touching her mother.

Caretakers watching from the barn windows slowly stopped speaking altogether because the scene no longer looked like a mother protecting her calf. It looked like the calf was trying to comfort her mother.

By sunrise, something extraordinary happened. The older elephant slowly rose to her feet again while the tiny calf stumbled excitedly beside her legs. The rescue team erupted into applause, not because of equipment or medicine, but because they had just witnessed something deeply emotional unfold between two animals that needed each other equally.

Sometimes survival in the animal world is not driven only by instinct. Sometimes it looks astonishingly close to love. If animals can recognize fear, exhaustion, and comfort in each other this deeply, how much emotion do you think humans still underestimate in wildlife?

 

  

 

A 6 minute video, Happiness Alert,  here.

 

Just because ...

Double-crested Cormorant

This bird looks like it has two tiny pigtails on its head.

The Double-crested Cormorant lives near lakes, rivers, and coastlines across North America. During breeding season, it grows two small feather tufts that stick out from each side of its head, making it look a bit like a little girl with pigtails.

A skilled underwater hunter, yet one of the funniest-looking birds during nesting season.

Thursday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.