A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Labor Day is a national legal holiday that is over 100 years old. Over the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival. My day will be a sewing day. Time to get the JOURNAL QUILT finished and ready to send to the Houston Quilt Festival headquarters. Yep, this is my first time having a quilt at the show. It is really an exciting time for me. These photos were sent to me by a friend of mine. Enjoy your day!

LOOKING THROUGH A FISHEYE

WHEN WE WERE IN UTAH THIS SUMMER I HAD FUN USING MY NEW FISHEYE LENS. I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE SOME OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS. ************************************************************************************* AVERY LOOKING OUT AT THE UTAH LANDSCAPE. LANE PRETENDING TO BEND THE TREE!

INSOMNIA HELP

Did you know that you can try and fix insomnia with a yoga pose? I don't know if it will work but I will try it tonight. Yoga asanas were originally designed to calm the body and quiet the mind. Today's researchers see the same process at work. When you stretch and release tension, the brain relaxes too. They recommend the bridge pose and here is how it is done: Lie on back with knees bent at a 90-degree angle and heels parallel, close to your butt. Lift hips and arch up onto shoulders. Lace palms together underneath body and press arms into the floor or mat. Hold the posture while taking 10 to 15 long, slow breaths.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is too little or poor-quality sleep caused by one or more of the following:

• Trouble falling asleep
• Waking up a lot during the night with trouble returning to sleep
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Having un-refreshing sleep (not feeling well rested), even after sleeping 7 to 8 hours at night

Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness, fatigue, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, or feeling depressed or irritable. It is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night.

Unfortunately this describes what most of my nights are like. I think when you are past the age of 45 one of these types will "GET YOU". (along with being perimenopause or menopausal) with the night sweats or hot flashes that wake you up!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TATTOOs and COLORED HAIR

Punk Rocker Emergency A nurse was on duty in the emergency department, when an oddly decked- out young woman entered. She had purple and hot pink, spiked up hair, a variety of colorful tattoos on her arms, legs, chest and back, and strangely torn and pinned clothing. It was determined that the patient had acute appendicitis, and she was scheduled for immediate surgery. When the woman was completely disrobed on the operating table, the staff found that her pubic hair had been dyed bright green and above it was a tattoo reading: "Keep off the grass." After the prep and the surgery, the surgical resident added a small note to the dressing which said: "Sorry, had to mow the lawn." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQpVqB1CA6s&mode=related&search=

ASHTANGA YOGA

This is the yoga practice that I am attempting to learn. This is an excellent video showing you about the many positions. Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system which offers a way for individuals to experience increased health, well-being and inner peace. Ashta means eight; anga means limbs. Eight limbs when practiced together create wholeness or yoga (union). I am only doing the first two now. They are called Sun Salutations A & B. Movement and breathing is done together and there is never any separation. It is harder than it looks!!! I don't know if I will ever be as flexible as the people in this video. But when I look around the studio where I take there are lots of people doing it. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, of Mysore, India, is the world’s leading master of Astanga Yoga. The whole practice takes about an hour and 1/2. I am only doing two things and it takes me 30 minutes and I am sweating a lot!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9Sq1RvuoA&mode=related&search=

FLY FISHING IN THE PROVO

I never shared our photos from our fly fishing trip to Utah. Guess who caught the biggest fish? We were fishing in the Provo River. It was cold and very slippery walking on the rocks. I loved it! We caught what they call BROWN TROUT. ************************************************************************************* ************************************************************************************* http://www.wildcard.jp.org I want you to check out this site and see how cool the drawing tool is. I could spend hours just doodling around!! HAVE FUN...

I'M A TEXAN

Tonight Perry and I received free Texan tickets to the pre-season game against the Dallas Cowboys. Since they are another NFL team in Texas it was a very popular game. The Texans were winning with a score of 21 when we decided to leave early. They actually looked pretty good tonight! This was my first Texan game in Reliant Stadium. Boy was it loud!!!

WELCOME TO BRENHAM, TEXAS

Greetings from Brenham and Washington County! That was what the sign said on our adventure there yesterday. THE BIRTHPLACE OF TEXAS.......................................................................... Avery and I went to photograph some longhorns and horses for a client that hired her to do a pastel drawing. It was only about an hour and 1/2 drive (if you knew exactly where to go and didn't take a wrong turn). We got to help him feed the baby longhorns and watch as the other big ones came running toward us! Did you notice how short the baby horns are? These babies are only a few months old. They are twins, too! The male is the larger one and the female is the smaller one. ************************************************************************************* I had a grasshopper hitch a ride on my windshield wiper when we left for the stable. He was huge!!! ************************************************************************************* We drove over to the place where he keeps his horses until he builds his own barn. The trainer of his horse is also known for his horse cutting skills. Yep, he shows his horses at the Houston Rodeo and is known in the cutting world!!! It brought back lots of childhood memories standing in the stable where he kept his horse. I grew up riding almost weekly till I was about 13 years old. Avery looks good up there on Bella Rosa, doesn't she? Bella Rosa is a beautiful Freisan-Andalusian horse. ************************************************************************************ The owner's wife raises Border Collies. Everywhere you turned they were following us around the place. They use goats to train the dogs to herd before selling them to ranchers. Unfortunately or should I say fortunately they didn't have any puppies for sale while we were there. Avery and I would have taken one home with us!!!! HA... We had a great day and we didn't even visit BLUE BELL ICE CREAM. There was no time for a tour but we definitely recommend YOU go once. Our family went years ago because it is our favorite ice cream brand!! You can order some if you want to. http://www.bluebell.com/visitbluebell.aspx

BRAIN POWER

My friend Amy sent this to me today. I thought it was really interesting that our brains can make sense out of it with everything spelled wrong. ************************************************************************************* O lny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rgh it pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, b ut the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

INVENTIVE ILLUSTRATORS

When I think about my art and what I create it isn't all that unusual compared to certain people. Yes, some think I am strange or that my mind is off in "la la land". On the whole I am not that weird of an artist. But when I run across someone who does things that catches you off guard or that are so unusual that you wish YOU had thought of them first... I have to stop and give them some credit. I ran across this U TUBE film of an animated illustrator. Watch it and you tell me if you think they are in far left field or not. It is by someone named Cyriak Harris. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgJ_vjnhlFk&mode=user&search=

MONSTER DEAN

I sure am glad that Hurricane Dean decided to spare the Texas coast and head more west of us. The problem with stocking up on supplies and having all that rain was not something we all were looking forward to. The heat here is pretty stifling right now so indoor activities are in. I decided to finally sign up and try a yoga practice. I had thought about it for years and I made the big decision this morning. I start on Thursday. You will be able to keep up with all my aches and pains daily! This body is about to change!!!!! Ha... *************************************************************************************** I wanted to share some photos that I took on our field trip last weekend to the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Butterflies are so gorgeous.

IN THE HEAT

I finally decided to brave the hot hot garage and start working on some mosaic ideas that have been floating around in my head. I took some wooden mirrors and I will mosaic around them. Each one is a different color combination. Here is the "RED" one. Now I have to grout it and add the rest of the details. More colors to come... ************************************************************************************* ************************************************************************************* check out this mandolin song called "PRETTY RED LIPS". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9qCLvHZb-I

MY NEW GREAT NEPHEW

This morning we finally got to say hello to our new nephew, Noah. He is so adorable!

MISS GORGEOUS

I am having a bit of fun today. I made this image a while back when I noticed that there was some software in my computer for making fun images. YOU CAN BE A BEAUTY QUEEN, TOO! I do have to admit that I am a big fan of watching "AMERICA'S TOP MODEL" and "A MODEL'S LIFE" on cable TV. I enjoy watching the photo shoots and seeing how the images turn out. I hear that there is a 50% chance that Hurricane Dean is heading our way. Those weathermen never know and just love to speculate for days!! I guess I should make a trip to the grocery store and stock up on bottled water. If it never comes then will always drink it up.

DOG TRICKS

http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html Here is the coolest link for you to visit today. If you have ever tried to train your dog to sit, beg, or roll over and were unable to do it, you will have success here. I have no idea how they do this: TYPE IN a command and see what happens... sit, roll over, down, stand, sing, dance, shake, fetch, play dead etc. and...it's also very cute if you type in a command that's not recognized...!! Make sure you type in "Kiss" too, but do it last. Then try it on your own dog!!! COME HERE ZOEY...

WATCH OUT BATMAN

Avery and I are visiting Austin, Texas today. We arrived yesterday in time to tour a new campus dorm and have dinner with Brent. After dinner we went to the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the bats come out. How Many Bats Live Under the Congress Avenue Bridge?: The Congress Avenue bridge in downtown Austin is the spring and summer home to some 750,000 bats with up to 1.5 million bats at the peak of the bat-watching season. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America. ************************************************************************************* Why Did the Bats Choose the Congress Avenue Bridge?: While bats have called Austin home for many years, it was after renovations to the Congress Avenue bridge over Town Lake in 1980 that they found their favorite hang out. Narrow but deep openings created in the bridge turned out to be perfect accommodations. Congress Avenue Bat Flights: Each evening around sunset the Congress Avenue bats emerge like a black cloud from the crevices of the bridge. Covering the countryside in search of food, it is estimated that the bats consume from 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects. Giving birth in June or July, the bats and pups hang around til October when they head back south. Watching the nightly forays for food is a favorite evening activity, especially in late summer. **************************************************************************************** When and Where To See the Congress Avenue Bats:Although the Congress Avenue bats are in residence as early as March, the best bat views are in August when the young pups join their mothers in the nightly flights. It can take as long as 45 minutes for all the bats to exit the bridge. There are plenty of locations along Town Lake in the vicinity of Congress Avenue where you can watch the bats. Flights normally occur around 8 to 8:30 pm

POSSUM PARENTS

My friend Debby and her husband found a family of six possums without their mother. They couldn't just let them die in their backyard so they put them in a box and took them to the shelter. What a wonderful mitzvah they performed! I know that when we see those little guys walking our fences at night they are NOT that cute.

PHOTO REAL ART

Ron Mueck is a London-based photo-realist artist. Born in Melbourne,Australia, to parents who were toy makers, he labored on children's television shows for 15 years before working in special effects for such films as Labyrinth, a 1986 fantasy epic starring David Bowie. Fiberglass resin is his medium of choice and Mueck has made it his bronze and marble ever since. He is a fantastic artist and I sure would love to see it in person!! .............TAKE A LOOK ........... *****************************************************************************************************************

SWIM, BIKE, and RUN FOR THE GOLD

My son, Brent, ran in his first triathalon in Austin last weekend. He had a very impressive time and we were all very proud of him. WAY TO GO BRENT!!!! These three pictures were taken by a service that followed the race.

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

Now that my computer is back from having a hard drive crash, I am able to share some photos from our fabulous vacation in Utah and Colorado. We spent one night in Moab, Utah and went on a long horseback ride. I rode as a child almost every day of my life. But to ride as an adult is a different story. Your legs and butt get tired after a while. The scenery was gorgeous but the day in the desert was hot-hot-hot!!! WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON A HORSE?

MAMA MIA

This is a picture of my adorable great niece named Mia. She was celebrating her second birthday when this picture was taken. Isn't she adorable?

She is about to become a big sister next week. Her parents are expecting their second child!!!!

Mia may experience a range of emotions, from jealousy to excitement and even resentment. Younger toddlers are unable to verbalize their feelings, and their behaviors may regress after the new child is born. They might suck their thumb, drink from a bottle, forget their recent potty training skills, and communicate using baby talk in an effort to get your attention. I know when I was born my big sister didn't want me around. It took about 40 years before she accepted having a little sister. Ha...

WALKING THE DOG

This image is hysterical. It isn't exactly what one thinks about when you are suppose to walk your dog. I do get up every morning and walk Zoey as far as I can get her to go. In our heat and humidity it is sometimes a challenge to get her to go far. We walk with my good friend Debby and her Doberman named KING. We make a funny pair walking through the neighborhoods. So if you have a dog...make sure you give them exercise EVERY DAY!!! It is your obligation as a dog owner to give them a walk.

COFFEE IS GOD

Caffeine Addict's Quiz

Do you want to know if you suffer from "Alertness Deficit Disorder" (ADD)? Then just take this simple quiz. These questions will help us to determine whether or not you suffer from this terrible affliction; the only known cure for which is caffeine. If you suffer from this disease, missing just one trip to Starbucks could be FATAL.

The following series of Yes/No questions will allow us to determine your Addiction Factor(TM). Keep track of the number of Yes and No answers you get and chart yourself at the end. Remember: Prevention is the best medicine. Or was it laughter? Either way, read on.

1. Do you use coffee to escape from your problems?

2. Do you eat spoonfuls of instant coffee because it's easier?

3. Have you ever woken up in a puddle of your own coffee?

4. Do you find that it's easier to drink more coffee than go tosleep?

5. a) Have you ever drunk cold coffee? b) Right out of the pot?

6. Do you spend more than 20% of your income on coffee and/or coffee related products?

7. Does your coffee cup resemble a beer stein?

8. Has anyone ever told you that you "have a problem"?

9. Do you need coffee: a) to get up in the morning? b) to get out of bed? to be injected intravenously to stimulate blood-flow?

10. Do you own a "Coffee Helmet"? (For the culturally ignorant, a coffee-helmet is a hat with coffee-cups attached to it and a straw coming out of each cup leading to the mouth, used for hands-free drinking.)

11. Do Native North American Aboriginal Indian Peoples call you "Ona mac towanda" (Smells-like-coffee)?

12. Does your doctor measure your heartbeat on the Richter scale as well as by its frequency?

13. Have you ever sold personal or other people's possessions just to get your fix for the day?

14. Does the phrase "Swiss water decaffeinated" strike terror into your heart?

15. a) Do you have a coffee maker in more than one room of your house? b) ...in more than five? c) ...in your bathroom?

16. a) Do the people at Second Cup refuse do give you free coffee cards anymore? b) ...because you're wearing out their hole-punch? c) ...and it's bad for the environment?

17. Do you grind your own coffee?

18. Do you grow your own coffee?

19. Have you ever been fired from a job because you're "drinking their profits"?

20. a) Do you know Juan Valdez? b) ...and his donkey? c) ...intimately?

21. Do you salivate uncontrollably whenever you hear dripping water?

22. a) Is sleep a hobby of yours? b) ...that you don't like? c) ...because it's too frustrating

24. Response Ratio		Addiction Factor(TM) Analysis
    Yes	No
    20-22	0-2	You are a well-rounded member of society with a love for life and you are very wise.
    17-19	3-5	You are a slightly jagged member of society, life's okay but it could be better and you are relatively naive.
    0-16	6-22	What are you, some kinda nature-freak tree-hugger!? Coffee's not good enough for you, huh? Here, have some more TOFU! How about some ALFALFA TEA?!?

NEW RULES

I can't begin to express how upset I am about my computer crashing the night we returned from our vacation. I went to turn it on and the screen just went blank. Apple will replace it for free since I have the extended warranty on it but it doesn't make up for the loss of all my documents that I had. The only saving grace was that I had backed up all my photos on an external hard drive. I started doing that years ago when I realized that I was taking lots and lots of photos and I thought they were slowing up my computer. WHY COULDN'T I HAVE DONE THAT WITH MY other things????? Please, all my friends that are reading this...go buy an external hard drive and back up all your important things today!!! When I get my computer back I will share photos from our fabulous trip. Until then, here are the NEW RULES for you to laugh through. I really need a laugh today!!! New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them!? Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days--mowing my lawn. New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain?? Trout? New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done. New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water. New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis. New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one sweet-n'-Low, and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge asshole. New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing "Enter," verifying the amount, deciding no, I don't want cash back, and pressing "Enter" again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy. New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high. New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting??? Oh wait!? They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."