With aging comes new perspective. Follow me with my daily journey and life as an artist and crafter.
This is my first post. A little about me. I am a senior citizen and at 68 while my body may be aging, I still love to try new things and experience all that life has to offer. My loves in life are my family, photography, art, crafts, camping, music and any other mischief I can get into at my age and get away with it.
I am a nut for cloud formations. As an artist I try to make anything look good. Being artistic brings out something in me that nothing else does. This is just the beginning so I hope you will keep coming back to see what I am into.
I hardly claim to be a Rembrandt but I do love to paint. Here is what I have just started.
And this is what I am painting from. I shot this at South Myrtle Beach last summer.
While I have a long way to go to make the painting more like the photograph, it’s about the journey.
In fact it may not look completely like the photograph because I tend to stray and add or take away to make the painting my own. I find that when I try to duplicate from the original too much it takes away my creativity and just becomes work!
Vanessa Horabuena is currently one of my favorite artists. Her paintings are faith based. Recently I have been pondering how I could include my faith in my paintings. Ironically, the shadow of the beams in the foreground form a cross.
Including a theme or message in a painting makes it much more powerful. It’s not the money you receive when you sell a piece, it’s that part of yourself you include that is the real reward.
If you don’t think you are an artist then you might consider supporting your local artists. Great art will not just give your home that “special something” it may inspire you as well or take you back to a special memory.
Have a great day. Be blessed and support art in schools.
Even in my photography I like to keep things as natural as possible.
I love the great outdoors and capturing nature as it exist. I spent years photographing waterfalls which is the ultimate natural adventure. As I age I am getting more away from the adventurous stuff and more into landscapes.
That being said, I also like the simplicity of things like these old pickup trucks..
While I know people that always alter their photos I find that if you are a good photographer there is little need for alteration. The natural state of things is best. I know photographers that all they do is modify their photos to the extreme. I only edit photos when necessary and for enhanced quality only. I find it is more of a challenge to get that perfect shot…and if you don’t even the imperfect can be beautiful!
Have a great day.
If you want to buy me a cup of coffee you can do so here:
Like this piece of beadwork we are unfinished – a work in progress. As each bead is painstakingly added to each row it gets closer to completion. Our lives are not without stumbling blocks that interrupt our path to completion.
I have a lot of hobbies and interests. Most people would say way too many. There is a reason for that. At 71 I am still a work-in-progress! I still have accomplishments and certainly my share of failures. I refuse to just “roll over and play dead”! Hobbies are my way of managing life’s stressor.
We are are all under a blanket of stressors these days. It is how you manage these stressors that can enhance or destroy your life. I choose to live my life as full as I can. Certainly there are things that impact my life that could depress me but I choose NOT to live my life that way.
Management of stress is vitally important because it can greatly affect your overall health. There will always be bumps in the road but it is up to you how you clear the path.
1. Identify the stressor and meet it head on – running from a situation is never the answer.
2. Make a list of possible solutions.
3. Seek help when needed. Accept the fact that there will be times when you need the assistance from others.
4. Take time for yourself, even if it is only ten minutes a day. You have put in the work now give yourself a reward.
Is that all there is to managing stress you ask? The bottom line is you have to find what works for you. Venture out of your comfort zone…take a class in something you have an interest in, go kayaking or just read a book.
Lascivious – If you are not familiar with this word it means of or characterized by lust. It is a good word to characterize our society don’t you think? The lascivious nature of this country is clearly seen in the media, in film, in music and in print.
The decline in moral values has escalated over the last sixty years. Our corrupt government took prayer out of schools and have tried to pour their own lascivious theories down the throats of our youth by gender confusion.
It may be old fashioned but there is a time and place to educate our youth. It is not by pushing homosexuality and transgenderism on them. Our youth have a right to free speech, a right to an appropriate education, a right to make choices at the appropriate time for their future.
This country has been thrown so far out of the moral orbit that only God himself can set it back on track. Our lives should not be filled with such nonsense. This country was founded on a strong moral and religious foundation. Enough is enough! It is time to right the wrong and stop the insanity. It will take each and every one of us. How, don’t be afraid to speak out at your school’s PTA and other school functions on important issue that affect your child.
No more censorship! Be a voice for our children. Be a protector for them. Be the first in a long line of moral structure. Stop the insanity!
Our young look up to us for guidance. Be that inspiration they need.
There are not a lot of interesting words starting with this letter. Therefore I chose knowledge. Even as a newborn baby we start acquiring knowledge.
Knowledge can be useful in the right hands or an implement of destruction and evil in the wrong hands. With the devolution of advanced technology that includes human-like robots we will soon see if knowledge has crossed the line.
On the flip side there are more honorable people that use their knowledge to help the disabled like advanced treatment for spinal cord injuries.
We all know knowledge is power. Make sure your power will help humanity not destroy it.
Today’s word is Justice. The recent shooting in Nashville reminds us of why it is important to have a strong justice system. It is unfortunate that any lives were lost. Had law enforcement not arrived when they did the scene there would have been horrific.
Law enforcement have their own issues but they are necessary for the protection of all of us. They are not the only link though. We have to have prosecutors that operate fairly to make sure the right person is prosecuted.
Each link is important. Every judge needs to weigh the evidence and apply the correct law in each case. If a jury trial is warranted it goes before people like you who have to weigh all the evidence and testimony in a case to insure they all agree in a decision. Deciding a case is never easy but when crimes are committed there has to be consequences.
Unfortunately politicians also have a limited roll in justice. They may not directly decide the fate of criminals but the laws they have passed have allowed a lot of immoral and unethical acts to take place. They can set the stage for future events. Certainly the last few years have proven this.
Last but not least, YOU are a vital link to justice. We all need to fight for a voting system that can be trusted by all because the future of this country and the future of our children is at stake.
Be active in your community. Be the voice of future generations. Be the voice of JUSTICE.
Inspiration – something that moves you to take action.
What is your inspiration? What moves you and excites you to want more? First and always I am inspired by the word of God. It makes me want to be a better person. Music calms me when nothing else does. My sisters inspire me emotionally to love more. My charities inspire me to want to give more. Certainly my friends and acquaintances are always around to motivate me creatively.
If you don’t have any positive inspiration in your life maybe it is time for you to start looking for those things that can be a positive influence. It doesn’t have to be something earth shattering. It can be a person or a place, a song or a new hobby. It is about taking the negative from your life and replacing it with something that will fill your cup and not empty it!
Today’s word is harebrained. According to dictionary.com it means giddy or recklass.
This word reminds me of my recent trip to Atlantic City. While I am a true Virgo and love to observe people, sometimes you get more than you are prepared for.
It is not hard to find the “harebrained or absurd” anywhere. We arrived late to our room so we wasted no time getting into bed. My eyelids were almost at maximum closure when I was reawaken by a ruckus outside our door. Yes there was the “giddy” but also shouting, slamming of doors and running down the hall. It didn’t just go on for a few minutes, it went on for hours! I was just about to call security when I heard a stern voice and then silence. It appears we were not the only ones who had been disturbed.
There seems to be a common denominator with hatebrained individuals, lack of respect.. While I get they may have been having fun in that moment but they failed to think about how their actions would affect others.
We all want to enjoy life but make sure your activities and actions do not negatively impact others.
Before you fall into that “harebrained” category, you might want to think before you act.
I’ve touched on this subject in an earlier post. I have been a Genealogist for more than thirty years. I can tell you it is not something you ever finish.
Now that I am advanced in years and have other hobbies, I don’t get a chance to really get my teeth into it. Yes I used Ancestry and other websites for years but last year when Ancestry went up on their rates I decided it was a good time to break that connection.
While searching online is easy the connections are often inaccurate and can throw entire limbs of your tree off. What online searches don’t show you is where the information comes from. You can download documents from some sites but you will not get everything you need from one source.
You have to think of it like a treasure hunt. When you find the first link it just opens up more questions. As bizzare as it may sound, I have walked many miles across many graveyards to fine that one name that creates a link.
Still confused? Let me draw this out for you. A link is a relationship associated with a name…. Jane Does, second great grandmother, maternal (great, great, grandmother on your mother’s side). You start with your parents and document all you know about them and then your grandparents and their parents.
I have had my hands on documents that were more than four hundred years old. At the moment I have some lines that cross the ocean and some lines that have people who suddenly disappear. It’s a constant mystery. There is always something else to search..
If you are interested in starting your own search I can promise you it will be worth the time you invest in it.
Through My Eyes 