Well, not too otherworldly. The desert was my inspiration. There is a bloom that looks like a striped starfish. It grows in Africa, and has a horrible odor. Which of course attracts bugs. The Starfish Flower Cactus. Haha. Appropriate. Combines my love of the sea, and of the desert. It is more of a succulent than a cactus. The smaller “bloom” in this design was inspired by String of Pearls. With a twist. I love those plants. And yes, I love peas. And I do think they look like they are from a distant planet.
I created a few more blooms, but felt like I needed to keep it sparse. Like the desert. I reworked the background I had used for the roadrunner design. I copied more of the sandy, jagged markings and placed them throughout. I started with more of a caramel background. A very warm sand. But here it looks more orange. Works for fall though! And Mars is reddish orange.😂 Voting is open now thru the 20th.
So grateful for your votes! I know it is a chore. Time for me to vote, and check out the fabulous designers! 😂
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 NIV
Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery, by doubling our joys, and dividing our grief. Marcus Tullius Cicero
O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. Psalms 30:2
These quotes came to me. I did not search them out. I find it so interesting when that happens. When words find you. These echoed my thoughts.
Grace. Gifts. God. Friendship and family. Prayers. Healed.
I’ve had a busy couple of weeks. Appointments mostly. I had to fast for blood work. Afterwards, we had planned to have Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza for lunch. For those who don’t know, it was removed from the menu almost 2 years ago. We had eagerly awaited its return for months. For the first day, it was only available through the app. I never use restaurant apps. But for the pizza, OK.
I tried to order twice, but the app froze and would not let me choose dine in or drive thru. What? Hungry and mildly perturbed, we drove to the restaurant. Construction trash was piled up outside of the rear entry. A huge dumpster was taking up half of the parking lot. Closed. Whyyy! 😂
It is 30 minutes to another Taco Bell, so we opted for something nearby. The next day, another appointment, and another Taco Bell. Open, open, open! 😂 We placed our order and enjoyed our pizza al fresco.
A few days later, I ventured out to see the Downton Abbey movie. It’s a long walk to the theater entry, and I needed to be wheeled part of the way. Our neighbor blessed me with the use of her Rollator. A walker with a seat. It has really come in handy, and I was very grateful to be able to see a movie. Soon after I stopped using a walker at home. About a week and a half now. I am still building my strength with exercise.
So grateful for each day. Another day to get strong. Another day to tackle my to-do’s. One more day to pray, give thanks for friends and family, and their prayers on my behalf.
A gorgeous unexpected rainy day! Hooray! Takes more than a terrific camera to get a great shot. LOL. These are all slightly out of focus, my apologies. The colors were calling me. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. Mingus has a cap of snow, behind the cloud cover.
Golden Light, 3 29 22. SMD
I love how everything can be shadowed and gray, and then the sun peeks out and highlights the hills, or electrifies raindrops. Simple treasures.
Dusty Hues and Rainbow, 3 29 22. SMD
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain. Vivian Greene.
I am putting some of my scraps to use. The flowers were late night play. I was inspired by our moody clouds today, and had fun trying to capture the moment. I think I know why saguaros are so often painted with curved arms. This one looks like a creature from outer space, or a weird desert cheerleader. Rah, rah, sis, boom, bah.
I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Maya Angelou.
