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.
This post has been sitting half finished since December. I was going to write about my COVID experience. But I am still mid journey. And for some reason, I have not been able to put that story to paper.
For now, here are the wonky little works I did while in the hospital. They are in my 4 x 6 sketch book. Not on watercolor paper. Christine Brooks made the suggestion, to pass the time. I wasn’t thinking about art at that moment. And at first, it was very hard to concentrate. I would draw, and then paint later.
I put together a list of supplies, and had them dropped off at the hospital. I forgot some essentials. Like an eraser. LOL. I had a larger sketchbook, but 4 x 6 was about all I could manage. I altered a few of these in Photoshop. Blurred a snake plant, to soften. Added a few straight lines. Mostly, they are left untouched.
As for an update. I am plugging along. I am doing great on the whole. My mobility is still mostly limited. My O2 still drops dangerously low. I can get to the restroom on my own now. Without the walker. And I can get up from the seat unaided. Huge milestones! Haha. Sometimes my O2 stays level, until after I have made it back to the bedroom. Then it drops drastically. Fortunately, I often recover more quickly now than before. In the beginning, The O2 would drop as soon as I stood up. Another milestone. Of sorts.
But every silver lining, I am going to claim. Haha. And thank God for!
