Hello 65...

When I turned 35, I thought the world had ended.  I remembered thinking back in my 20's how ancient my friend's sister must have felt at 35, so the reality of actually being that old was devastating when I hit that mark.  It was my only really "rough" birthday, and looking back, it's hard to imagine that I was that traumatized. I have had some friends longer than that!

I'm turning 65 in a couple of days, a birthday many a woman would cringe over.  But since that memorable 35th years ago, I have remained relatively nonplussed with each succeeding number. Granted, I'm underwhelmed when I count the wrinkles that appear on a yearly basis, and certainly not too excited with the new little aches and body annoyances that accompany the aging process, but I like where I'm at in my "story". There is something precious about the wisdom and clarity that age brings...something that having a bikini-ready body can't match.

I was never around old people growing up.  My grandparents were long gone, so I never had the benefit of all that sage advice that comes with life experience. These days it seems that growing old and wise is not as revered as it was in former generations, and most of us who are in our 60's and 70's today are just victims for the Wall Street hackers of Depends, Viagra, scooters and that walk-in bathtub thingie...can't wait til I can have one of those!

So since I'm only going to be 65, I want to start early dishing out advice to the younger set...here's my top words of wisdom based on lessons learned in these 65 years:


Laugh at yourself.  You are your biggest source of screw-ups, missteps and downright bad choices in life, so learn to take yourself a little less seriously. Everyone else is laughing - you may as well join in.

Have faith. You don't have to believe what I believe, just believe in something with your whole heart and soul. Okay...if it's not Jesus, you might be wrong...but hey, I'm not passing judgement or anything.

Don't worry. If you can't control it, then don't waste your energy thinking about it. ( I'll let you know if I ever conquer this one...but I know I'm right!)

Don't wish your life away.  You are probably not going to win the lotto, so don't spend your days thinking about what you're going to do with the money.  Live today's day and enjoy it.

Eat well, drink some wine for your health and stay away from liver pate.  It doesn't matter who it is or how famous a chef they are, it's still liver...it's an ORGAN that CLEANS your blood of waste..nasty stuff.

Once a Mom/Dad, always a Mom/Dad...forever. There is no such thing as the empty nest, just a vacant room for a time.

Pretty underwear makes you feel better. Your mother was right about this and a hundred other things she told you growing up. It's a good daughter/son who recognizes the wisdom of their parents early in life.

Divorce is easy - marriage is work. If you're not good at picking, perhaps you should stay single. The unfortunate side of this advice is that you don't always know you've picked badly until after you're in it. My mantra as the eternal optimist: third time's a charm:)

You can't put a price tag on friendship.  Friends are precious and they need to be cultivated - learn how to keep them.

Pot makes you crazy, booze makes you sick and meth...well I never did that, but I hear it's murder.  Live your life awake. Enjoy the little things and find other ways to cope with the sh**.

Don't read the newspaper. If you think you are "keeping up", you better think again. Behind everything you read and hear, there is someone who just wants you to see their side.  Think for yourself. Read my blog...I'm totally impartial to everything:)

You are never too old to ride a roller coaster.

There ya have it...like I know what I'm talking about...not saying I follow all this sage advice, but I wonder if I would be different today if some old 65 year old had rambled on to me when I was 20. Like my Mom always says, "You wouldn't have listened, anyway, Laurel." She's right.

And that's a wrap.

Laurel. I'm still hot!!! LOL!!!

Art Quilt 2...

Let the Games Begin!!

Got batting...check.

Got backing...check.

Cut fabric...check.

Complete sandwich...check.

Set up the Viking...try to rmember needle size, presser foot, etc...check.

See if you can remember how to work the quilt through the machine...check.

Practice...check.

Adjust your light source, find your tools....check.

Freak out, turn everything off and go to the Mall.

Laurel.  I'll start tomorrow.



A dog's life...

Magpie Tales

Mag 128

image by Zelko Nedic

"Here's how it works, Thor. I take you to the park and you get to play with the ball. And in return, you bark at strangers who knock at the front door.  I feed you a big bowl of kibble with gravy every day and you keep me company when I'm alone.  I scratch your ears and keep the fleas off your back and you stay off the sofa. I don't leave you in the car with the windows rolled up and you don't chew on my boots. If we are going to be a team here, then you can't keep lifting your leg on my ficus tree.  Do we understand one another??"

Laurel. Just give me a cat.

Sharing today with my friends at Magpie Tales, who probably have less literal interpretations of this artwork prompt.

Photo shoot...

My granddaughter is going to be a senior this year, and with that excitement comes Senior portraits. A grandmother's bias not withstanding, she is a beautiful and photogenic young woman, so I have always wanted to have a photo session with her as the star. Though she will have a studio take her official portrait, I thought it might be fun to experiment.

In addition, I had an ulterior motive - I wanted a photo of the red necklace that I just finished a week or so ago, and I have always envisioned my jewelry on a pretty model. And lastly, I have had so much fun using PicMonkey lately to add special effects and "high drama" to my photos.  Put all three factors together and voila!, you have a photo shoot.

My artistic stylings...don't even THINK about using them without my permission!!

A couple of these takes (minus the necklace) might even be a great Senior portrait.  I did do some retouching and editing just to play with PicMonkey, but she really is a beauty without my help...not too prejudiced, do ya think???!!!

Unretouched, and with her little brother.

We may try it again later on, sans necklace and perhaps a little less makeup!

Sharing today with This or That Thursday, Photo Showoff and Sweet Shot

Laurel.  Genes are everything! LOL!



Can she bake a "berry" pie, Billy Boy...

Friends who have country property are like heart songs to a girl who lives on a cul-de-sac. Don't get me wrong, I love my little hacienda more than I have loved any place I've ever lived...except for the country. What can be better than an afternoon visit to a rural countryside, just waiting for it's owners to lay claim and put up stakes? 

In the meantime...a short hop down the dirt road and picnic by the creek made my heart sing...

It's like...going home.

Who can resist?

When I was a kid, my Mom paid us $.50 to pick a gallon of blackberries, and though I did not come ready to pick yesterday, I dove into the bushes anyway. To do berry picking justice, you need a large plank or a 4 X 8 foot sheet of plywood to throw out onto the bushes so that you can get to the "big" ones at the very top of the bushes..they see the sun all day.

But alas, I got enough to make a pie...

"Can she bake a "berry" pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Can she bake a "berry" pie, Charming Billy,

She can bake a "berry" pie, quick as a cat can wink an eye,

She's a young thing that cannot leave her mother..."

Laurel. I better go walk if I'm gonna eat this thing tonight.

and

http://aruraljournal.com/

Rough night...

Magpie Tales

Mag 127

Figure Eight, 1952, by Franz Kline

dark chocolate languishing

crisp redness of plump berries

dancing in the white cream

lip smacking ribs

drawn from the heat

napkin filth on the floor

fermented grapes calling

dead corks in a pile

another glass,why not?

predictable disturbance

on the appointed hour

wakens sound reverie

churning and twisted

like a figure eight

gut revolution over my excess

Laurel. But it was sure good going down!

Its Sunday and time for my weekly poetic genius ( she said, tongue in cheek) on Magpie Tales.

Colette and the art quilt

My mini-me Colette has been languishing in the craft room waiting for some attention. I had picked up some nice fabrics in Dallas and Santa Fe to make her some nice frocks, but they remain in a pile in the guest room. Last night, Project Runway Season 10 started and after watching the designer contestants roll out some pretty bizarre pieces, I heard an audible sigh from Colette.

She has good cause to be frustrated. My brain and fingers have been centered on my sewing machine, but alas not for outfits for her.The lure of the new art quilt relegated her to second fiddle again this week, as I worked to finish the applique portion. Despite her quiet glare behind me, I trudged onward. I am pleased that it is completed.

Even today I've made some minor changes since these photos were taken. I will be starting on the "sandwich stage" next, probably using a light cotton batting and a solid backing...then listen for my little Viking purring long into the night doing the machine quilting portion!

So back to Colette...because I felt so bad for her today, being naked and all, I made a little knit top this afternoon out of one of my Dallas fabrics.  This silk knit is feather light and was a little difficult to manage, but the result was good.

love the color...looks so great with turquoise... 

Smile Colette, you're a STAR!!! And because Mommie started walking this week, she may end up ratcheting your boobs down a notch or two in a few months!

Laurel. At least you can actually wear my stuff, Project Runway!

Oh Snap, Gordon!!!

I am addicted to Masterchef. Supposedly (I say supposedly because reality TV is never real) the competitors are just plain ole home cooks who have never cheffed in a restaurant or been a commercial caterer. Supposedly. The shows sometimes airs on two consecutive evenings as it did this week. And as is their custom, the losers of the nightly challenge must face Gordon's dreaded "Pressure Test".

Monday's pressure test? Six fresh eggs cooked 4 ways: a three egg omelet, a soft boiled egg, a poached egg and one cooked "sunny side up".  The three contestants who participated in the test frantically fried, boiled and poached their way to varying degrees of success.  What surprised me was the lackluster attention given to the fried egg.

I am the self proclaimed "Over-easy fried egg Queen". But I haven't had a sunny side up egg since my Dad passed away sixteen years ago. Flipping an egg over in hot bacon grease was not his forte...if you wanted an egg, you're getting it Sunny Side Up on the farm.  After seeing the crispy sickly looking eggs, a.k.a hockey pucks, the contestants offered up to Gordon, Graham and Joe, I accepted the challenge.

Eggs for Dummies

Use farm fresh eggs...the yolks are prettier and DUH, they are better for you!

2.)  Put a little olive oil and butter into the frying pan

3.) Turn the GAS heat onto the lowest setting. (everyone knows you can't cook an egg on an electric stove) Let the pan heat up a little. Be patient..cooking an egg takes time.

4.)  Carefully "unleash" the egg into the oil, ever so slowly.

5.)  As the white slowly starts to cook, spoon the fat carefully over the white of the egg. The whites ONLY!

6.)  Stand over the egg for what seems like hours, spooning oil, watching, waiting.  If you hear one tiny sizzle at any time, you must toss the egg in the disposal and start over.  Any sizzle or spatter denotes "crispies" which is verboten in my fried egg world.

7.)  When your egg whites are fully cooked and a little bubbly, turn your Sunny-side up masterpiece onto a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and enjoy.

Oh Snap! I would have creamed the contestants on Monday. Home cooks? Hogwash!

In accordance with the ever so artistic style of Gordon and his boys, I slowly cut into my masterpiece with a knife to ensure that the yolk was cooked properly...PERFECTION!!

And what about the underbelly??? No crispies here...

LOW AND SLOW...rules to live by.

Another egg meets his match!

Laurel. Low and slow.

Sharing with Delicious Dishes today.

Seeing Red...

I love finishing stuff. This past weekend I worked furiously on my new art quilt (another post for another day:) and I completed the applique portion - a huge accomplishment, since it took me over a year to do the California Harvest art quilt, and I've only been at this one for a month or so.

As you may know, I haven't put the same zeal into making jewelry of late. Call it burn out or "the end of an era" - whatever- but I haven't been selling my jewelry these days. The last of my normal cache of 80 to 100 necklaces was sold to my friends/customers last Spring and I have only made a few custom pieces since. I have reverted to my old "I-need-something-to-wear-with-that-I-better-whip-something-up" style of jewelry making...not thinking about selling so much...more about the pure joy of creating beauty and style.

I don't think that I am much different from other artists who one day find markets for their wares, then get caught up in making a buck off their talents. It doesn't take much success to spurn us on and before we know it, we have begun to adulterate our art to appeal to the masses. Everything has a price tag. It's sad in a way, as there is little else more satisfying then creating a masterpiece just for the pure joy of finishing it, knowing it may never grace a wall, or in my case, any neck but my own.

My favorite jewelry pieces are those that only the most brave fashionista would wear...go BIG, go BOLD and for Heaven's sake, if you're going to wear jewelery, MAKE A STATEMENT!!! The 7 Eleven, Bounce Town or a favorite Mexican Food restaurant would not normally see the likes of anyone walking in adorned with one of these little creations. 

I start with thin wire and a few beads and just start twisting and weaving, adding beads as I go. And since I adore sparkle, I picked the beads and baubles with the brightest colors and shine for this one. I didn't choose red, it chose me. I spyed ONE RED BEAD in a shop a few months ago and it became the inspiration for this necklace:

The beginning of a masterpiece 

Add more beads, more wire, more twisting, more weaving and....

So I'm thinking I'll wear it to Walmart today when I go pick up detergent...

with a crisp white sundress and some red flip flops.

Laurel. I need a party!

Linking up with

Dinner Date...an Ode to Pearl

Magpie Tales

Mag 126



artwork by Jack Vettriano

She even dreamed about it last night...how she would say it.  She wouldn't be cruel, even though he deserved words that ladies aren't accustomed to using. He certainly didn't have any trouble reeking havoc on the ordered life she carefully maintained, so why should she concern herself with his feelings? She waited, watching to see if he'd show. The ash of her third cigarette fell silently to the polished floor. Forty minutes past the hour and her anger bubbled beneath the surface. She heard the door of his precious Bugatti slam shut, leaving nothing but the rhythmical hum of the engine to break the silence.  She waited for the knock. She mustered her courage as he burst into the tiny apartment.

"Ready?" a Richard Gere lookalike mouthed sheepishly.

She swept passed him, curdling the air as all sense of decorum followed. She turned to face him, noting his chiseled chin quivering ever so slightly.

"I can promise you, Big Boy, it WILL be our last date if you take me to Round Table again."


Laurel. Not single and ever so grateful.

Doing today's with Magpie Tales , that fancilful place where writers visit every Sunday.