Since you asked

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  On the way to my brothers house for dinner, I was asked what I really wanted for Christmas. My response was...hmmm, I really don't need anything in particular, am completely content with where I am and what I have. Actually, I've been quite focused on giving STUFF away, to make life easier, and help others. Going shopping has never been a 'fun' thing to do, shopping=entertainment, is just not me. And as far as gifts go, I'd so much rather spend time with people, go for walks in the woods or along the lake.

BUT, and this is a BIG BUT, if money were no object, there is one thing I would very very very much want...very much....a HYDROWORX swim spa.   Yes, this would be the the ultimate gift. No, it would be the uber gift. Honestly the one thing I would splurge on if I ever had money fall in my lap....book contract, inheritance, lottery...

Their line of exercise pools are simply the bomb. Athletes of all stripes use these for training and therapy, Pittsburgh Steelers, LSU, Texas Tech, University of Kansas, Manchester United.....  Swim spas speed recovery and the resistance training looks to be so, well, I'll admit it....FUN.

Running on a water treadmill looks incredibly more attractive than braving the elements day after day. And the very fact that I'd have to slip into my bathing suit before working out...would make the actual working out more of a priority!  Yikes, talk about incentive.

Every since I started playing roller derby, I've realized how soaking in a hot bath can help those beat up limbs. Imagine the feeling in a home swim spa, complete with jacuzzi and aquatic therapy equipment. Just sitting in a hot tub isn't enough....being able to keep working out when my muscles are too sore to strap on the skates or hit the trail would be amazing.  I really love this idea and would be more than willing to give up a room in my home to make this happen...you know, since I've been getting rid of stuff left and right anyways.   

So, forget the jewelery, slippers and other token gifts...pool the money and 'surprise' me with the ultimate gift!   Since you asked...

chowda

While I'm fantasizing...and feeling guilty for bashing the US....a little, Spain, come on now....Anyways, I have to wonder sometimes why I stay landlocked in Ohio, when there are so many gorgeous places to live in the States.
If you count the Great Lakes, then I'm not completely landlocked...but the so called "North Coast" is small potatoes compared to the Atlantic or the Pacific.
Maybe I should look into Boston Real Estate. Near the harbor..I'm sure my midwestern accent would stand out like a sore thumb, darn speech classes....but I don't talk to too many people.
Boston Lofts look perfect. High ceilings, downtown, ocean views...ahhhhh.  I even like sweaters and love Chowda. That was clearly the highlight of the Red Sox game for me a few years back, listening to the concession workers hawking "chowda", "any one want some chowda" "chowda here"
That amused me. (baseball rarely holds my gnat like attention span)

Bushari Group Real Estate
will be getting a call when my book goes best seller...I could find some Boston luxury real estate, a nice loft like this one, slip on a warm sweater and wander down to the harbor to contemplate my next masterpiece....  

 

or just step out of my tiny house in Cleveland and imagine...

Lime green vinyl chairs...I love these. They are only $ 50 for the set too. But, alas, I have no where to put them. The place I've been volunteering my time, Second Mile West, has loads of very interesting treasures though.   I usually wind up spending a couple dollars every few days, my latest favorite finds were a stack of records ( to melt into record bowls...pictures to follow, I wound up using a disposable camera and have to wait for the CD to be developed, ugh! not used to that)  I can never feel bad for spending money there though, 80% of all purchases goes directly to Church Street Ministries, an organization I whole heartedly believe in. They do an amazing service for the community, caring for those who the world forgot, the battered women, homeless, out of work and out of luck at risk kids.

Fran Millward, the outreach director, is who I want to be when I grow up, she's my hero. :)

 

Once Upon A Time

Copper window box planter.  I love this! 
Absolutely perfect for my little house. It has taken me all of my life to really find my decorating style....but by George I think I've got it.
As an artist, you would think this would come easier...
To be honest, I discovered my style through painting. Years of creepy trees and fairy tale collages has led me to create a home that makes these paintings feel at home.

A real, Once Upon a Time tribute to storybooks.
Plants are key, while most of my trees are bare, I have a thing for houseplants and take pride in their healthy trailing vines.

Outside, I've started to take an Edward Scissorhands approach to landscaping and have built unusual topiaries of mythological creatures. This all weather planter would be perfect to house a resident goddess.
Atlas is looking better these days, but this is an example of a little obsessive gardening.

Atlas sits inside, he carries the weight of the world for me near my desk. Working on some other figures to go outside, but they need to proper planter, a boring terracotta or plastic container from Walmart won't do for these divas, no they need grace and style. Am otherworldly air to their home...I'm trying for a fairy tale look, but do not deal with clutter. One piece, placed with a purpose is better than 15 pieces,"just because".  Indoor planters full of ivy, and my favorite characters...outdoor planters with goddesses and...a rhino.  The rhino is being built as a gift...he'll eventually find a new home, one where rhinos rule.  

Hearts Guardians....perfect season....16-0....regionals....state finals....then off to Tennessee for Nationals!!!

Charisma, annual painting

"Charisma"

 A watercolor/pastel painting i did for the 2nd annual David Lytle Memorial foundation benefit dinner.  (sold for $500, and commissioned for 2 more at the same price! all going to the foundation) 

 The explanation follows;

There are certain things the law of attraction can’t change
I can sit on my porch and believe, expect and envision
but David will not be pulling in the drive

I can get on my knees and pray,
blow out my birthday candles and wish with all my heart

But he’s not wheeling in tonight, or ever

Time passed

The shock dissipated

The loss… forever

David noticed

He listened

Told great stories
Made us laugh

And held us together

His spirit still does.

Dave’s image, aglow in yellow, represents his contagious charisma, while the darkness shows our loss. The trees are growing out of this dark place, growing and glowing in a variety of colors to express the variety of his friends. He clearly did not befriend only a certain ‘type’, like Jackie said at last year’s dinner, we were all his “best friend” 

The David Lytle Memorial Foundation roots itself in this contagious charisma and desires only to carry that spirit on and on.

My Halloween Haiku: Masquerade, is up at The Writers Garden 
 with a creepy new image! thanks Marilisa!