THE NEW FORTY

The number "forty" is a kind of mediocre number. It is an "old" number if you are young. It is a wishful number if you are in your 60's looking back at how you used to feel and look and what you were able to accomplish in a day. It could be a blessing or a curse if it is the size of your chest! And a definite downer if it is the size of your waist.

No, as I sit here sick with nothing much I can do but blow my nose, and think, I am thinking of the forty inches of snow outside my front door. YEP! I said "FORTY" and there is more on the way tonight, and Christmas Day and we are 2 inches away from the record for December and with Jan, Feb and March still to go, we are only 17 inches away from the record winter total!

That's a lot of snowflakes! Just imagine...

Welcome to Wisconsin and I am saying that for myself. This is our first winter here and our first back up "north" from the sunny climes of Texas where we spent the last 11 winters. While the first few snowfalls were fun, the last ones have not been as much fun since I have a cold. Guess it is just part of the cycle of life, sometimes things just are and we need to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and suck in a deep breath (oxygen always helps) and deal with it.

So for all who wish for a little of the white stuff...be careful what you wish for!

LIFE HAPPENS...

Whomever made the astute observation "Life happens when you're planning something else" sure knew what they were talking about.

We came over to WI to spend Christmas and New years with our son and his family. I guess since it is the end of Dec and it would be completely normal to anticipate spending time with family, shopping for gifts, making sweet treats to give and to eat, planning special meals, enjoying the lights other people have put on their houses and in their yards, singing carols, going to Christmas Eve services to acknowledge Jesus, the reason for everything...etc, etc, etc!

BAH! HUMBUG! Life happens and I have been sick with an upper respiratory infection for a week now, and I don't have all my gifts purchased, and I don't have the ones I have wrapped, and I can't see our grand daughters this Christmas sneezing, blowing, running a temp and coughing as I am. We had an invitation for Christmas Eve dinner and can't accept it. I can't sing because it makes me cough and my voice sounds like it is a deep bass anyway. I didn't get my Christmas cards done again, and I don't want to include my germs inside sweet treats. I am living in my pj's and barely getting something to eat. So our Christmas is not as I planned for sure. Plus we are getting a snow storm about every third day and while the condo association takes care of the front, I was trying to keep the snow off the small deck and away from the sliding door. Well, there is a foot of snow drifts out there right now with more on the way and I just don't have the energy to do a thing about it!

You are right...I need an attitude adjustment. I am so typical of the many who plan and work and live acccording to our own understanding. I NEED to get back to the basics of "walking each day with the Lord" and not grousing about my plans that didn't come to pass. HIS is a better plan and if I am to be sick during this time of celebration for the rest of the world, then I need to look for the blessing in it. "Forgive me Lord my selfish spirit and help me to be joyfull and content in You and in all circumstances. Teach me Thy ways". This is my prayer.

I wish for each and everyone a blessed Christmas full of the happiness that comes from knowing the Lord personally. He gives to our hearts His joy, His peace and His provision according to His plan for us, which is perfect. So sit back and enjoy and let Him do the driving! Merry Christmas

PS There will be no picture with this posting. You wouldn't want to see me right now. LOL

SOMETIMES YOU WIN

Most of you know we have a two bedroom condo in Oshkosh, WI so we can have a bed to sleep in and a comfortable place for the three cats when we come visit the grand daughters and their parents. We learned that sleeping on cots and staying with them a week at-a-time, just wasn't good for any of us, although they were always gracious about our staying there. You know the old saying "Company and fish smell and get old after three days". So our condo is our "other" home instead of the RV which has been sold.

As we furnish the condo slowly and with not too much clutter, we tried to make good choices. I knew we needed enough seating for all of us, and although we have a nice high quality futon couch, it wasn't comfortable enough nor quite big enough and had no recliners. We looked at a Slumberland outlet store on the north side if Minneapolis and found a reasonable "L" shaped leather couch with 3 recliners and enough seating for all. So that was added to the decor and the dark brown is neutral enough to go with the room.

Our main purchase was window covering. At our MN house we have mini blinds (with lace valances) and the blinds have to be pulled up to keep the cats from breaking the narrow slats trying to get behind them. (While Beth was in college, we saw evidence of that in all the apartments with cats.) Our son has vertical blinds and the cats seemed to be able to get behind them OK. His have the little chains from blind to blind and that was a problem as they would pop those loose. We thought of drapes, but I didn't want cat hair on them and sheers were too delicate. We came to the conclusion that vertical blinds the same color as the wall would work best. We can turn them for light adjustment and the window ledge is 6" deep and two feet off the floor, so the cats often jump up, and get behind them and sun themselves and look out. They are working out so well. We got the "S" shaped verticals with a slight vine pattern in a little darker shade of white on white. It is very subtle and if I ever make the nice valances on valance boards I want Bill to make out of wood, then the windows will be really nice. We have often thought out loud what a good choice they were and how happy we are with them. Sometimes you win...

MERMAID ALERT

Emma has been taking "mermaid" lessons. She is the blond in the green "pookadot" mermaid suit. I was priviledged to go to the YMCA and observe the class. I couldn't quite figure out why the boys are in the class unless they were taking the class so as to someday be able to "catch a mermaid".

Anyway, there was a lot of jumping while in the water and going under the water while holding onto the side of the pool (a few brazen mermaid wannabees even let go while they bobbed under the water and up again.) Their kicking styles were quite differentiated, some using both legs, some using one and some just not using their legs at all. They put on their floatation devices around their waists and leaped from the side into the waiting arms of their mermaid instructor. They all had a couple of tries using the foam bar bell-looking floats, first held in front of them and with them on their tummies kicking as they went across the little pool. Then they held it across their chest with them mimicking swimming on their backs. Most forgot to kick as this is not a normal "mermaid" activity! Since there were only two floats, they had to take turns. Those who were awaiting their turn, put their tummies on the pool edge with their feet in the water and practiced their mermaid kicks, which produced a lot of laughter and splashing of neighbors. But hey, mermaids just wanna have fun!

At the end of the class, they were given a treat...sliding down the water slide. Emma is still cautious about going down alone, but some of the other mermaid students were so cute as they would come out of the side into the 3 feet of water...some on their backs and head first, some backwards sitting up, and some in a perfect sitting position facing the direction they were sliding, and lastly some on their tummies spinning. The grins and loud giggles were coming from the parents who were watching their fledgling mermaid execute this difficult conclusion to the class. They all received certificates and graduated. If they truly want to "swim with the fishes" they need to sign up for the next class. I think I might too! It looked like a lot of fun.

WHITE IS GRAND

SNOW, SNOW. and MORE SNOW!!! I had forgotten the true meaning of "winter" having spent the last 11 in South Texas. The true meaning of winter is that you do not see the ground for 3-4 months, literally! I had forgotten how the "white" is very definitely blinding when the wind is blowing it around and each of those tiny little 6 pointed "creations" can accumulate so fast. OH how I wish I could see the intricasies of each one. I am told they are all different and my curious mind "wants to see for myself".

I shoveled the driveway in MN for 1 1/2 hours before we came over to WI on Sat. Last night and today they are predicting a snow fall of between 8-12 inches. Yesterday I spent 2 hours cleaning off the condo driveway down to bare pavement. The association cleans off the most of it but always leaves an inch and it turns to hard packed snow and is slippery. So I got that off. Then the snow began to fall in the late afternoon again. The plow came in the night and cleaned off some but it is still falling. I cleaned off our small walkway and about 3 feet in front of the garage door before bed last night , and just did it again before breakfast. I like to do it in small doses as it is easier to handle. Matti was helping me shovel the back deck yesterday which is not but 12X12 and after two shovelfulls, she announced "It snowed a lot!" and was ready to "throw in the shovel" on helping Mamaw.

AND it is still falling and will be most of the day. All the schools are closed and Jodi is home today with the grand daughters baking cookies for the exchange on Sat at her house. I hope to join her later. I want to make several kinds, so haven't picked my recipe to share. I also want to make some pint milk carton sized Gingerbread houses with Matti and Emma. My goal today is to find a recipe for the cookie dough, make some templates (after I go buy a couple of pint milk cartons to use as a base), and then make it to the store to get all the ingredients. Emma wasn't feeling well yesterday, so we took care of her and Matti from noon to 6pm. I made a big pot of chili for our supper and it hit the spot on a cold snowy winters eve.

My first order of business is to go to Fleet Farm and find me some warm boots that I can wear to shovel in. Tennis shoes work in Texas winters but not up here in MN/WI winter snows.

AND I AM LOVING IT! I guess they have taken TX out of the girl( I was born in Dallas and lived in TX until I was 23!) I miss the travel and the friends we have made traveling, but I do like winter and all of what that means....snow, snow and more snow! Anyone wanting a snowball, I do ship them for a fee.

AFTER THE STORM

I am not refering to a literal storm...but the flurry and hurry of cleaning, organizing, cooking, and anticipation of having the family all here for Thanksgiving. As I have repeated to myself a hundred times..."it didn't get in this condition over night". For the last 11 years we have been going to Texas for the winter. All the extra treasures I would bring home and the duplicate food items from the RV would wind up in the dining room for handy repacking in the RV the next fall as we would prepare to go again. Somewhere along the way, it all got out of hand and there was no place for the extra "stuff". This year we were at least able to utilize the table for the eight of us and it was nice and cozy eating that way. My children, the two grand daughters and Sujan (our daughters guest) were all very gracious accepting that it wasn't perfect yet. I just need to go through some cabinets and weed out items we no longer use and put in the items I want to use. Ahh, the joys of owning too much. This is my public confession of having too much! And my desire to want to have less and and be able to utilize more of what I really want.

The grand daughters were delightful. They loved the pink leotards and tutus that Beth made for them. I provided a new game which kept them occupied for hours. It is the "Princess" "Memory Game and even at their ages, they are able to do the simple version of Memory. They also loved watching (several times) the Disney movie "Cinderella". You can see by their enrapped gaze that they couldn't hardly take their eyes off the childrens classic on theTV.They did try out a couple of dance positions that their "Tia" Beth taught them (I knew those ballet lessons when she was 5 would come in handy). Even Jack the cat wanted to be in the middle of the dance rehersal. The cats tended to be in the middle of everything and no one minded. Sujan was able to observe the three distinct personalities and pronounced Jack as his favorite, even saying IF he could have a cat like Jack, he wouldn't mind.

Our family ate out Weds night before Thanksgiving at a Japanese Steak House and Grill. It was fun sharing the meal and watching the chef do his "grill" tricks. Matti and Emma are mezmerized by the flames. The Thanksgiving meal was enjoyed by all. Beth made a marvelous Cranberry Orange Upside-Down cake. I had two Pumpkin pies (one never would have been enough). On Friday all but Jodi and the girls went to see the latest James Bond movie.

The quiet after the storm is deafining. Everyone has gone back to their homes in Oshkosh, WI. Waco. TX, and Knoxville, TN. Even the cats are missing the extra people around. We were happy that all three cats seemed not to mind having all the noise, converstion, and occasional crying. They seemed to respond to the love from the extra people who would pet and brush them.

We are blessed and I am so Thankful for our family and the provision of our loving God.

CAT UPDATE

Being the owners of three cats (by choice) has its ups and downs. The different personalities are so evident. How can God make them so unique and yet so alike? Makes me wonder about the whole of the human species and how different we each are (looks, personality, feelings, God-given talents and abilities, character, etc ) and yet we are still people and have so much that is alike. I will not presume to be able to list our alikeness or our differences. It just is something to ponder and realize it is all by God's created design for the whole of our lives and world.

Recently, someone mentioned that we (as a whole) tend to see only those things we want to see, that are in our comfort zone, what we are used to and that are in our list of the desireable. We are guilty of turning our nose up at others who are different and don't quite fit into our ideas of everything. We turn our nose up at new experiences and opportunities too. All of this to say, we don't know how GOD is working in us and what blessings HE has prepared for us if we would just be open to something that is new, to people that are different, to experiences that stretch us mentally, physically, emotionally and Spiritually. We must learn to be more flexible and to follow HIS leading and not our own understanding. We MUST be in HIS WORD to gain HIS direction for our lives or we are doomed for failure because we are acting on what we know. My special prayer is that I can make this a reality for myself and my life, that I may proove to be HIS workman and bear fruit for HIS Kingdom for which we all were created.

The card is one I made for my sisters birthday (Nov 12th). My roses were a little farther to the left than I wanted but I honestly didn't have time to make another. Because Gloria likes yellow roses, I colored them a bright yellow and they looked too plain. So I tried to add peachy edges and the marker turned out too orange. I hated the orange, so tried to add some color over and decided it was almost electric looking. Not wanting to give up ( or give in, which is one of my characteristics) I took bleach straight from the bottle on the corner of a paper towel and patted the rose areas. Well, it did take out the orange and almost all the color. It left a soft yellow and after that dried, I took some Stampin Up Watercolor Wonders in yellow, then a soft orange and added some definition to the petals and was much happier sending it off belatedly. The picture may not be the clearest. My digital camera is being repaired and this picture was taken with the new camera which I am not sure I want to keep. It is much smaller than my one I am used to using.

I didn't forget...the cats...Mari still hisses at Jack but not as much as she used to. She had the spot on her eyebrow removed and has recovered. It was cancer and we are praying she never gets another. At $600, it was an expensive "spot removal". Luci has lost a little weight and has an allergy to something, so is on meds and fish oil. Jack is just Jack. He is still very sweet and energetic and playful. He was bugging Luci the other night so I shut the bed room door with him in the kitchen, fell asleep and he was not able to come into the bedroom all night. He has been good since. : ) They occasionally all three sleep on our bed about 2 feet apart for their afternoon nap. So things are looking up for having three cats.

COUNTING DOWN

One of the special times in my life is the anticipation of visiting family. This year we will have 6 adults and two children for our Thanksgiving meal. Beth is coming from Waco for a week. Her boyfriend, Sujan, is coming on Weds from Knoxville, TN and Bill, Jodi and the two grand daughters will be coming from Oshkosh, WI late Tuesday. Our home only has three bedrooms so some adjustments for sleeping will need to be made. Beth said she will camp out in the living room.

We are getting some things cleaned out and cleaned up that needed to be done for some time. Nothing like the pressure of visitors to make an old lady move faster.

My digital camera is in for repairs so we will hope it arrives back in time for the photos on Turkey day and during the week.

May you be blessed on Thanksgiving and all year.

WHITE, WHITE SNOW

Today being November 7th, I awoke to the spectacular image of white all over everything. Our first SNOW (although just a dusting), wet and clinging to branches and blades of grasses like the sugar crystals do to string when you make rock candy. It truly was fabulous to watch. Our temps are still warm enough that the streets and blacktop driveways are not accumulating anything, but all the lawns and roof tops and trees, etc are WHITE. Here are a couple of images in my yard for you to enjoy.

I went to Archivers Scrap Booking and Stamping store after taking the snow pictures. They are having a "Stuff Your Stocking" Extravaganza for 7 weeks, with a free coupon booklet for the first 50 people, and free Make and Take card and tag (mine are pictured here). Of course they want you to buy lots and lots with which to "stuff your stocking". I put my name in for a $250 gift certificate. You can add your name once a day, and there will be a drawing each week for free product of some kind and the gift certificate. So 49 chances to win if I put my name in each day. I know I won't get there everyday. but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes too, if it will help.LOL! Happy, happy winter! I just love Minnesota!

AUTUMNS JEWELS

As I look out the big picture window on our backyard, I see a myriad of color...from every shade of brown and tan, to brillant yellows, reds, burgundy, orange and a variety of greens still. Of course the ever greens will forever be green, but some other trees and shrubs still have green in their leaves until it is freezing or lower and then they will give up trying to grow. How marvelous God's creation is to study. HE was so clever in His divine design to give us these beautiful "jewels" to enjoy in Autumn. Every season has its "jewels" if we just open our eyes, our hearts and souls to the beauty of His creation. How anyone can believe the lie that we evolved from some kind of mucky rock slime beats me!

I am reminded with every falling leaf ( and believe me...my back yard is covered with them!) that winter is just around the corner here in Minnesota. In fact, we are supposed to have a significant snow fall on Friday. YIKES, so soon! Can't we have autumn a little longer so I can finish my outdoor winter yard prep?

Last weekend the grand daughters and their parents came for 5 days and we went to the Mall of America for Trick or Treating. Talk about marathon walking! Wore this old mamaw's legs out trying to keep up with everyone. Here is a nice picture of them with their mother in the front yard and in their costumes. We even made homemade pizza just their size and they got to decorate their own with pepperoni in a Happy Face on top. Pretty cool activity . They love being in the kitchen.

My big event will be Thanksgiving this year, We will have 4 additional adults and the two grand daughters here for several days, so major cleaning and prep to do over the next 2 1/2 weeks. I hope to do some baking prior and freeze a couple of pies, some pecan tarts, and maybe the green bean casserole too. I want to enjoy the family all together. It doesn't happen often and it is always a blessing. God is so good.

BACK TO CLASS-

NO, I am not back in school in the formal sense although I have been told that I am teachable ( by my Pastor and a few others). No, I am actually helping teach a stamping class. I had the idea for reaching out to the retired people who live in the condo building next door to our church. We have wanted to make contact with them for over a year now and making cards, and other related stamping crafts seems to be a good idea. The two buildings have had their first class (8 ladies from the first building and 13 from the second.

I took a Martha Stewart fir branch punch and punched out 20+ branches per each person. We used these branches to create a wreath, added a red bow and red "Stickels glitter glue berries that sparkle and we stamped the little word "JOY". They were quite pleased with the outcome. We also made three tags, one with punched snow flakes, that are glittered and mounted on light blue snow flake paper mounted on white card stock with dimensional adhesives to raise them up. Some stamped "To:" and "From:" in black ink. The other two are two different papers of a holly design mounted on white card stock but have a scalloped red or burgundy circle wih the word "merry" in script. The corners were cut with a punch on the light colored one and left square on the dark one. A little Stickels glitter glue was added to the scalloped circle which is a Stampin Up punch.

I worked three days getting ready for these projects and they WERE well received because they said it was lots of fun and asked for more classes and some asked questions about our church schedule and our craft day twice a month. So we are doing a second class in Dec and probably next year too. The Pastors wife will do the ones when I am gone to WI for a month at-a-time. She has been so helpful providing rulers, pencils, scissors, colored pencils and stamps and some other equipment that was necessary. We are brain storming ideas together for the classes and welcome any suggestions. We are so excited to meet these new neighbors and happy to share something we love with them (stamping), hoping to share the greatest gift of all, our Savior, Jesus.

A quick note about the grand daughters, my favorite topic. I was able to go with son Bill, Jodi and the girls to the Little Farmer pumpkin/apple farm. We arrived mid afternoon, took a hay ride, saw farm animals, played in the hay bale maze and playground (those big tricycles are so much fun for them). As we waited in line for a caramel apple, my son hefted Emma up on his shoulders which is pretty high up there (he is 6' 5"). I took this picture of Emma wearing his hat. The picture of Matti is from her perch on Jodi's shoulders. Every outing with them is a blessing to me. God is so good in all that He provides for us.

November is just around the corner. The leaves have turned and we definitly had frost on our MN pumpkins last night. Thanksgiving is everyday for me and the beginning of my worship. I am so "thankful" for my relationship with such a loving God, my family, and friends. I will claim Him as my Savior until my last breath.

CHANGES-

Wow, how quickly the summer passed and now Sept is just a memory. Bill and I were able to finally sell our RV (barely able to pay off the loan but at least we are free.) I will particularly miss traveling in it each fall, visiting my family in TX on our way down to Mission and back home to Minnesota in the spring. We did that for the last 11 years and made wonderful new frriends along the way. And this winter we will be traveling between MN and WI a month-at-a-time. So a new change in our retirement plan. I dug out my sweaters and heavy coat getting ready for it.

My step-father, Granval Turner, passed away from cancer Sept 7th at home in his own bed. That was his wish and it was a blessing that he went suddenly even though it was expected. He was 91 and would have been 92 Oct 26th. I flew down and spent 2 weeks with my mom just keeping her company. She said the loneliness is the hardest part. She is doing very well and is learning some new skills at 87 years old. She has not paid the bills in their years together so is doing that new job. She doesn't have much family there, but has a big support group of neighbors and aquaintances, so I am not sure what she will decide to do. I pray she will be able to make new friendships and be willing to call the senior center and maybe join in some of their activities. Also I pray that God will protect her and other drivers when she is on the road.

We are in Wisconsin visiting our son, Bill II and his family. We are thankful for the condo so we can be comfortable. They came over Tuesday and had supper with us. The picture is of Emma and Madison in their new "princess" play dresses and "high" heels. They think they really are princesses and are fun to watch as they learn and grow. Emma is 3 1/2 and getting to experience gymnastics and swimming lessons. Madison will be old enough next year (she is only 2 1/2 and is handling the wait pretty well.) Youth is so sweet as we watch the changes happen so quickly.

Guess change is on everyone's adgenda...from lifestyle changes, to the end of life and the beginning and bloom of the young. Someone said "Change is enevitable" and I learned at Weight Watchers 10 years ago "If nothing changes, nothing changes!" What king of changes are in your future?

JACK,aka Jack Sparrow,aka Captain Jack

Gosh, has it really been almost three months since I was on here? YIKES! I am either so busy or the two brain cells I have left are working overtime and they burned out, or I am suffering big time from "Part Timers" and just don't remember I have a blogspot. So, for all three of you who check this often and nothing is there, I do apologize.

Our summer is going quickly. We have spent two months(with a month between in MN) in Oshkosh, WI at our condo near the family there and trying to make it a bit more livable and not so much camping out. We first bought a Cal King bed and metal (nickel-colored) head board so we are sleeping comfortably. We brought over a nice cocoa brown leather sectional with 3 recliners that we found at the Slumberland Outlet store and now all six of us can sit on it and watch the big 52" screened TV together and be comfortable. (We had been using some folding chairs borrowed from our son and his family.) Now we need to address the dining area and something to eat on. We have been using a small round plastic patio table and using the folding chairs there too. I have a nice round antique table, about 48" across but the two leaves need some repair. It has a pedastal base from another table. Those two pieces came from my maternal great grand mother. I have my eye on some deep red chairs and hope to use them with the round table. If not, then I will be looking for a table I like. I am partial to the farm-table type that is narrower than most but big enough to seat six.

Our biggest news is that we adopted a stray cat that was in our neighborhood for at least three weeks, and he was starving. The neighbor kids caught him and we called a "No Kill" rescure organization to see if they would take him. They didn't have room, but asked if we would foster him and they would pay for his vet care and they would have more room this fall. We agreed. He was checked out and did not have any diseases. They also paid to have him neutered. We started with him living in a kennel in the garage and we would have the door up in the daytime. Then we let him roam around the garage with the door down part of the day for him to have exercise. Then we brought the kennel in the house and confined him 3 days to let our cats get used to him and then we let him out in the daytime only. Our cats were hissing and growling and hiding. We took them all to WI on our last trip, with Jack in the kennel for the 6 hour ride. In the condo, he was loose and we all did fine. Mari seems to be having the hardest time accepting him. Luci actually has played chase with him doing most of the chasing. He is bigger and longer than Luci so can outrun her easily. He is only 1 1/2-2 years old and a very sweet, playful cat. This past Sat we adopted him from Last Hope officially. We could have just kept him, but we know they need the funds to rescue other animaals, so made a donation. Today he is being declawed and will need to be back in the kennel for a couple of days to keep his toes out of the small litter so that they do not become infected. We chose the name Jack because his one eye is lined in black fur and it looks like eyeliner and Johnny Depp used lots of eyeliner when he played the part of Capt. Jack Sparrow in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". Also, One-eyed Jack, from a deck of cards, fit him. So "Jack" it is, and the grand daughters really like to say his name.

So that is our summer so far. We plan to travel back to Oshkosh the middle of Sept for another month. We have our RV for sale at a super price, if you know anyone looking for one. We have sold our car-trailer and my Corvette (We were able to get nice appliances for the condo with some of the Corvette funds.) We will be wintering here in MN and WI from now on and that is a big change for us. We have been coming down to TX for 11 years since Bill retired, to see our daughter, Beth and my family. Beth may be moving in the next year so I will need to travel by air to visit my mom and sister. Change is inevitable.

My blog tutorial

Here I am for my second posting. My daughter Beth has walked me through the settings and choices of colors, etc to try to make this look "pretty. Let me know what you think about my color choices and if it is easy to read. My goal is to post images of my created cards on here and maybe a photo or two from time-to-time. It is really hard inching my way into this technical area but I am trying. Maybe I can keep the gray matter functioning a little longer by trying something new. Even old clowns can learn new tricks! : ) (And if you are wondering...Yes, that is me in the clown suit!)

My thoughts on blogs

I am SO not sure of what I am doing on here. My children each have a blog. My friend Barb has a wonderful blog where she displays her card creations. I am not sure if at 66 years of age I have the talent or brain power to be able to make my blog really interesting, but I am going to try to use it as a place to share my heart, my art and my thoughts from within. I welcome your comments and opinions.