Day 2953: Pardon my sentimentality.

"Brickwall": old photo, collage, acrylic & digital.

Want music?

Click here for Jacob Collier, You Are the Sunshine of My Life.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

Moody today. Not actually moody but sentimental.

Twenty-five years ago my baby and her love

were married. And their love for each other is

even stronger now than those young & restless days. 

And I thought of their engagement dinner. 

 

It was  Erin's 21st birthday, so that was the pretense 

of the lovely dinner at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach.

Bassel invited his parents, Erin's Dad, me, and my Dad. 

We all knew his intent to propose, but Erin did not. 

The restaurant knew as well and gave us a prime table. 

His plan was to propose at the dessert course, but

he was so nervous, he got down on one knee after salads.

The very full restaurant became quiet as if they wanted to

hear as well. There were tears at our table, but also

at nearby tables. It was so sweet and perfect.

When she accepted and he placed the ring, 

the entire restaurant applauded. 

It all comes back to me now, so many years later as

they are dining there this evening.

Pardon my sentimentality.

Just because ...

(Happy) Owl

• A 6-minute video, inside an art journal, here.

•  A 1-1/2 minute video, morning musings, here.

•  A 2-minute video, approaches to journals, here.

A smile for Thursday ...

The two rocks at Ise, known collectively as Meoto Iwa 

(the wedded rocks), represent Izanagi and Izanami, 

the married deities who created Japan and kami, 

according to Shinto mythology. The larger rock, 

about 30 feet tall, embodies Izanagi, the male, 

while the smaller rock, standing around 12 feet, 

is the female Izanami.

Together forever, no matter.


 

Day 2933: Eat Responsibly.

"Eat Responsibly": old photos, collage & digital.

Want music?

Click here for Al Green, You Ought To Be With Me.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

2GN2S

Therapy llama ‘Caesar the No Drama Llama’ calms protests.

Caesar, better known as “Caesar the No Drama Llama,” is a retired 6-year-old Argentine grand champion show llama that now works as a therapy llama and “llamactivist.” One of his best talents is offering emotional-support hugs, which people line up to give him at protests and other places where Caesar shows up.

"Caesar the No Drama Llama" is followed by fans on the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland, Ore., after leaving a protest on July 25. (Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa USA/AP)

Llamas generally are not known to be cozy with humans, and at 5-foot-8 and 350 pounds, Caesar could appear intimidating. But Caesar doesn’t turn from affection or back away from chaos. When people meet Caesar, they tend to melt in his calm presence, said his caretaker, Larry McCool, who lives in Jefferson, Ore., on the Mystic Llama Farm.

Caesar and McCool were at a Portland protest late last month, 
   standing in Pioneer Square with 10,000 protesters when 
violence broke out in the distance. People were shouting 
and flash bombs were being deployed by police.
 McCool said he quickly moved Caesar, 
emphasizing that he is careful about Caesar’s safety.

“Caesar brings calm and defuses tension within these 
extremely volatile situations because everyone loves him 
as much as he loves everyone,” McCool said.

Caesar poses for a selfie with police at the Salem Women’s March in March 2020. (Trish Conlon)

McCool says he’s never felt either of them has been 
in danger during the protests. “We’ve been there 
and heard the flash bombs going off, we’ve smelled 
the tear gas, but we make sure that we get out safely,“ 
he said, adding later, “I will remove him before anything 
like that could become dangerous.” More here.

When they’re not protesting, McCool and Caesar go to 
retirement homes to visit residents outside their windows. 
Before the pandemic, they would go to schools, malls 
and visit foster children and people with special needs. 
The visits are on a volunteer basis, though sometimes 
McCool accepts donations to offset transportation 
and other costs. “As a llamactivist, we also 
do a lot of social and charity functions outside of 

our presence at protests,” McCool said.

Hoax Alert/ Public Sevice

A popular hoax, that surfaces every August.

Will Mars and the moon will appear the same size on August 27, 2020? Will Mars ever appear as big as the moon, seen from Earth? No to both. This hoax has its roots in a real 15-year cycle of Mars, that’s peaking,  giving us an excellent year to observe Mars.

• A 3-minute video, Luke Towan creates small ... , here.

• A 3-minute video, Piper, here
•  A 5-minute animation, Catch It!, here

Smiles for Friday ...

 

 

Day 2921: "do the hardest one first!"

"self-portrait": junk mail collage, 2005

Want music?

Click here for Aretha Franklin, Day Dreaming.

then click back on this blog tab or here to listen as you browse, or not?

TMI?

I have a to-do list today, I always do.

Yesterday I heard a message and 

the biggest takeaway for me was ...

do the hardest task first! What a thought! 

For me, the hardest would usually be put off to last, 

meaning tomorrow's list or even the next.

The rationale being that when you accomplish the

hardest, you feel relieved and the rest is doable.

Because that makes sense to me, I am currently on

 hold with Apple Care, waiting for tech help.

I have already been disconnected once but am back in que.

Apple gives you thee choices of music for your 

prolonged wait, rock, classical, something else? and silence.

I chose classical thinking it was the least invasive,

but now I wish I had picked silence. Oh Well.

Thirty-five minutes and counting.

My tech problem started late Thursday night, 

as I worked on my blog.

Somehow the messages app was frozen and 

even refused the ultimate, force quit. 

I even did the reading up on help sites, 

until the directions were over my head, 

and I was afraid to create a bigger mess.

Forty-five minutes and counting.

And, as the soprano belts out an aria ...

"All Apple advisors are still busy with
other clients, please hold for the next available."

A lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon,

but I feel good about tackling this job first. 
Yea! Taylor is on the phone, a very knowledgeable,
kind young man to save my life and guide me.
I learned how to execute a PRAM  maneuver and
Wham-O, I am back in business.
One hour total, Thank you Apple Care & Taylor!

2GN2S

"The Paulownia Trees Produce Seeds"

The Paulownia, known also as the Foxglove or Empress tree, is an ancient and highly revered species in Japan. Its featured in the government of Japan crest, as well as the 500 yen coin. The pale purple flowers blossom in early summer and around this time of year they bear an oval-shaped fruit. Inside are multitudes of seeds that will be taken by the wind and spread across the land.

“Paulownia Garden at Akasaka” (1856) is the forty-eighth print in Utagawa Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Paulownia were planted around Tameike Pond, an artificial lake in the capital fed by an underground spring, early in the Edo period (1603–1868). Preventing erosion of the shore was probably the goal, but the trees came to be admired as a famous view in their own right.

Smiles for Sunday ...