"Some people hear voices.. Some see invisible people.. Others have no imagination whatsoever." - Author Unknown.


Thursday, March 29, 2012

My Favorite Place In All of Pittsburgh

Chartiers Cemetery, This is were I go to walk, to think and to get inspired.  I love the place, it's beautiful, has lots of trees.   It's very quiet and mostly void of people because, well, only weird people like myself hang out in cemeteries. It's Perfect.





I love tombstones.  They remind me stone tablets that  tell a story, brief that they are. Some of them are shrouded in intense feeling.  If I stand close enough I swear I'm overcome with feeling of deep sadness. Strange huh?
yeah, well....so am I.


Nothing is as beautiful and awe inspiring than a tree


They are doing some rearranging, making room from more burial area and building a couple of new mausoleums .   I've been eyeballing these...these...oh, I donna what you call them but I want them!  They would make wonderful raised garden containers...I can visualize my lettuce and spinach growing in them. One of these would even  make an awesome fountain.  My imagination is working overtime here...If I could only convince the cemetery owner to sell them to me....-but- even if I could Fate & the universe is conspiring against me here because I'd never be able to convince my son to agree to permit me set these up in his yard....*sigh*

Fate!  Damn you, damn you to hell!





I've also be eyeballing this pile of felled trees.  I want them.  

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

My First Commissioned Piece

I'm still stunned that someone would pay for my (ahem) 'art'. I have two more to do.  I will let this one sit for a day or two because I always end up making 1-2-3-4-5 improvements ( it takes me awhile to find the flaws).


It's Always Time For Tea





by Margaret Boyles

February 10, 2012



After water, tea (Camellia sinesis) is the world’s most popular beverage. 
You’ve no doubt seen references to the research suggesting that tea, especially unfermented (green) tea, may deliver many health benefits.
Researchers say that regular tea-drinking (2-3 cups per day) may help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar, promote weight loss, protect against several forms of cancer, boost immunity, and reduce inflammation.
Applied topically, tea can relieve the discomfort of rashes, stings, and hemorrhoids, and may help reduce acne flareups.
Why green tea?
 The “fermentation” (actuallyoxidation) processes that yield the many other forms of tea deepen and alter the flavors leaves, but they also remove some of the plant compounds (“phytocompounds”) that deliver tea's health benefits.
Which tea? Which form?
Once you begin delving into the subject of tea, it’s easy to get confused. Will it be loose (thick or thin?), powdered, bagged, brewed and bottled? Chai, citrus, or jasmine? A green-tea extract? A tincture, a pill, a syrup, or a soda? What about a snack
Whoa!
Why not start by brewing some loose green tea leaves from a specialty or health-food store near you. If you live near an Asian market, you’ll have a much larger choice. Buy small quantities and store them in airtight containers in the freezer to maintain their flavor and potency.
By the way, if you want to maximize the health benefits of tea, drink it without milk. Proteins in the milk decrease the concentration of many of tea’s beneficial phytocompounds. 
How to brew
Add a teaspoon of tea leaves to a cup of hot water. It’s your choice whether to steep the leaves in a tea ball or other container, or strain them after they’ve steeped. Some people even leave the tea leaves in and consume them along with the liquid.
The hotter the water (closer to boiling) and the longer the steeping, the more healthful plant compounds the water will extract. However, since some of these compounds are bitter, many tea lovers prefer a briefer steeping time for their sipping teas.
Tea in cooking
What about liberating tea from the beverage category and using the leaves themselves in cooking? Many books on the market delve into the science and art of cooking with tea.
Try adding strong tea as an ingredient in meat or poultry marinades, soups, stocks, and gravies. Or try adding the re-constituted leaves themselves to omelets, soups, or stir fries. Think of them as a leafy vegetable. Eating them adds nutrients and fiber to the medicinal punch this plant delivers.
A few other uses for tea
  • The astringent properties in tea called tannins make it a natural skin toner. Helps acne, too.
  • Used as a final rinse, tea conditions and restores shine to hair.
  • Dry tea leaves absorb odors as well as baking soda. Leave a few bags in the fridge, or drop some into shoes, pocketbooks, cars
  • Strong tea left in cooking pots overnight will remove burned-on food and stains.
  • Cool tea sponged onto skin offers relief from poison ivy, hives, or insect bites.
For centuries, Asian cultures have used the gentle rituals of tea ceremonies for social, religious, and spiritual purposes.  Here’s a description of how a modern physician adapts the ancient ceremony to his daily life. 
Finally, you might want to have some fun exploring the art oftasseology—reading the tea leaves to predict the future.




Earth's Vibrations

My (ahem) 'art' is whimsical and inspired by the natural environment and animals.   

by Susan Wagner
I’d like to teach you about your own energetic emissions, and how you can aid the welfare of the planet and all her creatures simply by controlling your emotional output. Emotions are waveforms that influence all life around us, because everything is based in energy. Scientists have shown that all animate and inanimate objects are made of vibrating waves of electromagnetic energy. When we feel an emotion, we literally send off waves, as if we were a pebble thrown into a pond.
The earth has a natural, healthy vibration that is created by the energy of the soil, planets and animals. Animals serve many roles when it comes to energy of the planet. Their energy fields are far more expansive than ours – a dog’s field is approximately ten times that of a human’s. A horse’s  will encompass a large arena, and a cat’s will fill an entire property. The energy of wildlife is especially important to the survival of the planet. They create frequencies that maintain stability and promote healing.
The earth’s frequency is approximately 8 – 10 Hz, and is also created by Schumann Resonances, which are vibrations formed in the space between the ground and clouds. We can’t see them, but they bounce up and down, as sound waves travel through the shaft of a wind instrument.
There was an interesting experiment done in Europe in the 1960′s. Human subjects were placed in a lead shielded underground living space, blocking outside electromagnetic radiation.  Eventually the humans became confused and agitated, and their biorhythms were disrupted. Researchers then pulsed in varying frequencies and measured the effects on the subjects. The frequency that helped them regain normalcy was 10 Hz – the same as the earth’s natural resonance.
8-10 Hz is the identical frequency range as alpha waves in our brains. This brain activity is produced when we are in a state of relaxation. Being in an alpha state gives us a sense of well-being, increases creativity, and enhances our immune systems. Our optimal vibration is the same as the earth’s inherent frequency. We are meant to live in harmony with nature, not in discord.
Now we know why natural surroundings are good for us. But energy transmission goes both ways. We receive from the earth, and the earth receives from us. When we feel scattered and chaotic, we transmit those frequencies to all the people and animals around us, and to the earth. By being joyful and at peace with ourselves and those around us, we can help heal the planet. Who would have thought tree hugging was really quantum physics in action?
So next time, stop, smell and be grateful for the roses – it will help you and Mother Nature!

Susan Wagner

Dr. Susan Wagner is a board certified veterinary neurologist whose pioneering work acknowledges the bioenergetic interaction between people and animals. She is an advocate for change in the area of interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, and works toward a greater understanding surrounding the health implications of the human-animal bond. Dr. Wagner is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University Veterinary College, a Level IV Healing Touch for Animals practitioner and co-author of Through A Dog’s Ear.


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vibrational-sustainability.html#ixzz1qQ1DvhP2

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vibrational-sustainability.html#ixzz1qQ06tYHy

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tangled!

 Recently I was on Amazon.com looking for a particular book on when I ran across this 'Zentangle'  book . I was intrigued so went to the author's website and snooped...and I thought: Wow, I could certainly use a little Zen in my life! Well I just happened to have black card stock left over from a previous project, and I had white gel pens as well so I gave it a try and now I'm hooked...except that I didn't quite know what I was doing so I bought the book.

Honestly, I really need to put more of an effort in keeping my art adventures within single digits.

The Book

My very first Tangle, all sloppy & lopsided

Friday, March 9, 2012

Sometimes when I can't sleep I paint

‘I have met a number of Zen masters in my life, and most of them were Cats’ ~ Eckart Tolle
I couldn't sleep so I painted.  When I'm making art all of my worries and woes fade.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wondering.....



I'm curious if this was the reaction my parents had when I was but a hatch-ling....?



•*¨*••*¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨**¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*••*¨*•

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The day I met Princess


I sat alone,
entombed in the darkest of hours
when love scratched at my door.

Appearing at my feet,
cold, hungry and clothed in dirty fur,
she looked up at me with large golden eyes

Oh,  and I thought it was I who was doing the rescuing,
but that wasn't exactly so,
For it was I who had been rescued


On that dark day when love scratched on my door cold, hungry and clothed in dirty fur.

~p.najafabadi


•*¨*••*¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨**¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*••*¨*•

there is no such thing as an insignificant 'Life'.

•*¨*••*¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨**¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*••*¨*•