Silver City, Gila National Park & Emory Pass, Rock City

| it is what it is.

Becca and I went to Silver city, we had to see what this artists conclave was all about. Said to be the most diverse art collective in New Mexico,( what about Santa Fe? ) Studios, galleries and museums number over 50 in some out of town areas, but down town is replete with shops and galleries, we saw but a few then had lunch in a pub for a local brew. We plan to come back to see more, they offer workshops, weaving would be fun to learn! But it is a bit far from home.

We wanted to stop in Rock City before going home, glad we did, what a incredible site of huge volcanic rock . You can camp in this area but we only saw a couple people, there is a nice visitors information building with bathrooms and an informational video.

Then I took a wrong turn.

We ended up in Gila National forest NM 152 which lead to Emory pass. A road of continuous twists and hairpin curves and no guardrails. What a great ride! So glad I was driving my smart car, anything bigger would have been scary. Too bad these photos don’t show how deep was the valley, the peak is 8149 elevation, I read that it is a favorite ride for motorcyclists but even they follow the suggested 10-15 mile speed recommended and enjoy the scenery. I’m glad I filled my tank before heading out, that would have been a big mistake as the ride is long, I was beginning to wonder when it would end, and then it did.

I Will be an Artist! Update 3/7/19

| it is what it is.

I was pretty happy being a nurse for many years but when I retired I had no plan for what comes next, then I read that anyone can be an artist so I thought I’m anyone, I  will be an artist.

IMG_4779 2

I am a woman wondering what comes next, open to new ideas, willing to exchange thoughts but confused and restless about who I am now in these later decades of my life.

Being a twice-retired person of meager resources and advanced age, I started out cheap, buying craft paints and board panels and skinny canvas. I painted flowers the ‘one stroke’ Donna Dewberry way. (she is the one who said anyone can paint) I had fun painting pretty flowers for children and sold them at school and community sales.

But lately, I have been watching u-tube videos of abstract painting and this is my new favorite way to paint.  I am a self-taught (artist) painter with help from U-Tube videos, Mr. Lang and Ms. Dewberry and  Mr.Tim Gagnon plus a heap of art how-to books  There is so much to learn, so many new ways to create art, I’ll need another life-time to learn all this , maybe next life?

By the way, this painting became an  amazing table! Resin was the perfect  finish!

sAKKWi%%S3OpyOSxwFUxiQ_mini_bbe5

sold

Update 3/7/19

Still of meager resources and even yet older, Life has moved on with me to a very new reality, an old lady on wheels. And I’m loving this new life style with GiGI my gas guzzling RV and my Smart car youcandoitBabe.I’m excited to get my life in my tiny RV settled soon so I can get back to painting I’ll need to find a space, I thought perhaps I’d paint outside at the table but it is really windy here, not sure it’s always as windy as it has been here lately, maybe it calms during the summer. Other than the wind, I think this is the best place to be now, warm and snow-less.

Update 7/19

I found a space to paint in, Kathy’s Studio is almost a reality.

Did I Tell You GG sprung Another Roof Leak?

| it is what it is.

Yup, I felt drips fall on my head during a robust wind and rain session last week. Frank was informed and showed up 3 days later. Seems to be okay now but I was perplexed what to do about the wrinkles in my ceiling over the leak area, Frank said he thought as a smart hippy woman I would figure it out. I have but I’m not sure if I like it or if it looks silly. (why would he call me a hippy?) I covered the area of the ceiling affected with more of my Indian fabric and it matches the fabric on the loft so you get a full circle of the mandela, I don’t think a picture will make any sense but I’ll try to add one here. What do you say? Ceiling, loft, dust cover over clothes, too much? Today I love it, maybe not tomorrow. I think I’ll pull down the area that shows white between the loft and the ceiling tomorrow as it looks better on the right side of it. Fun.

I’ve been lazily reading this week and not doing much else but the books I read were educational so I think thinking is as good as doing. I read a wonderful book on Winston Churchill, An informal study on greatness by Robert Lewis Taylor. A really delightful read into this amazing politician full of his wit and charm and intelligence.

Finished that and started Grant by Ron Chernow. I highly recommend anything by Chernow if you enjoy biographies, but Grant was an eye opener, truly one of the great men of his time unappreciated in ours while on a par with Lincoln in deeds. (yeah, I cried in the end)

Now I’ve started Washington, the Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. So far he has not been shown in a very bright light during the war but I expect he will shine shortly. Did you know he was a flirt with the ladies? Just getting started here…………

Good night, the sunset was beautiful

What Would You Do?

| it is what it is.

I’d take away their guns

but that’s not possible so here’s what I would do

a government DO NOT SELL LIST updated daily and monitored , required of all gun sellers to sign into when making a sale with sales information and cross checked with POLICE RECORDS

Permits and proof of purchase of a locked box

Profile exam taken before sale, reason for purchase and intent

Wait time at least 2 weeks

buy back program

inspectors to monitor sales

tax handguns 400% or more

BAN ASSAULT AND MILITARY WEAPONS

BAN GUN LOBBISTS

allow hunting guns

allow shot guns

allow smart guns

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

GET SERIOUS ABOUT GUN CONTROL

Update

I left out the most important thing!

Teach in schools, from the earliest years to graduation,

Citizenship and Civics lessons to inform our children of the responsibilities and the advantages of living and growing in this country, teaching universal values of honestly and decency. so as they grow they are informed correctly

I believe we can all agree that one answer to our gun problem in the long term means we need to solve the problems of ill informed young people, and some not so young, who feel disenfranchised and left behind to organize and fight back against their perceived condition to demand their rights and freedom via violence .

Thinking my Thoughts

| it is what it is.

I’d like people to read my blog because they are interested in learning how this old woman finds her world today, not because they are friends or family but i add my posts on my FB site because I like to see my stats and without FB I would not have many readers, it’s a vanity thing I guess.I will probably need to work harder to keep readers interested if I don’t count on face book to bring readers here. But my goal is to write not to amuse or otherwise entertain…..but it’s fun to see stats on readership, especially readers from different countries that read my words, I’m honored.

I lay here at 5am thinking about painting my kitchen shelf and other more interesting thoughts and ideas on my mind, lost before I could write them down, thoughtful and provoking thoughts if I could remember true,

Bird sounds are distracting me, is it one bird making all that chirping or is it a conversation among early birds? And now they are gone, I guess it was just one giving instructions on their agenda for the day and flew away and now it’s quiet and getting light, the moon has a orange ring around it and the bird is back with follow up chirping,and I hear more birds answering, distracting but in a good nature’s blessings kind of way.

I have a small collection of books that I read when I need to feel inspired . They are Penguin books, in the Great Ideas series.

It is written that throughout history there are books that have changed the world they are books that have enriched lives, inspired debate, dissent, war. They are little 4 x 6 inch books paperback bound in white, they are a pleasure to hold in my hand and I can leave notes and underline thoughts that surprise or enrich my reading. I have 11 of them which makes me think I’ve lost one of them, yes I’m missing Thomas Kemp’s Inner Life. I’ve been carrying these small books around with me for many years and they still look like new because I’ve known that I will someday read them all, someday when I have time to really read and take that knowledge into my life, and finally that time has arrived. Recently I’ve been reading Seneca on the Shortness of Life and as a coincidence I found this article on brain pickings website (which you may like as much as I do) http://brainpickings.org

Here is a quote from Seneca on the shortness of Life.

It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.

Seneca on Busyness and the Art of Living Wide Rather Than Living Long on Brain Pickingshttps://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/01/seneca-on-the-shortness-of-life/?mc_cid=19af039bb6&mc_eid=cc9aea78a2

76 year old Woman, Climbing a ladder doing it for Myself

| it is what it is.

I was able to finish the ceiling myself, Frank didn’t show and I was tired of waiting so I got up that ladder and was able to add the insulation and cover with either cardboard or those foam display boards, only problem was getting around the ceiling fan because I couldn’t get between the fan leaves they are too close together so that area doesn’t look great. It may not be the best job but I think it’s okay, my AC works hard but 100 degrees is not a fair measure of its worth, I think when it cools down it will be fine. I spent about 4 hours in there yesterday but by afternoon it was pretty warm so I moved to the RV. Being concerned about my electric usage I generally only use the AC in either the RV or the studio, not both at once until I have a better understanding of how much my electric bill will be this month. I would have liked to get a photo of me on the ladder all sweaty and dirty, the loft was dusty and I cleaned it with my pants! That was the easiest part to finish, I felt like a painter on my back stapling the ceiling with the barrier. I did good, I’m happy with the results, excited to get painting again!.

I did some interesting site seeing travel on Friday, I’ll make a separate post on Silver City and the exciting ride home.

GG is looking Good but we Aren’t traveling Much

| it is what it is.

A good wash was downloaded by Mother nature last night so all that dust and dirt the wind brought up was washed away. I will probably change her stripes and lettering some day, she has tire covers and different window coverings and the inside is bright and colorful and fun.

Really, I think this old gal of mine doesn’t look too shabby now that she has nice surroundings, with the addition of the studio, humming bird stations, new colorful carpets and a green garden outside her door, I think we look just fine.

But we aren’t doing much traveling and will be doing even less because we can live so cheaply here and comfortably and easily. Not a life style for everyone but it suits me.

Having leased the studio I have everything I need right here and am making it mine, via blood sweat and toil (no tears) and a few $.

I can leave here with GG to do some travel without losing my site by paying my rent and the studio’s lease. Seems like common sense, I can pack up and come back anytime as long as I pay the rents ( less than $400) Where else could I live so affordable and comfortable. A life style minimalist change, I feel better than I have in years.

I bought a new ladder with 6 steps, I’m hoping I can get up high enough to see the status of my roof. These are old photos and you can see the bottom needs bodywork ( my fault) the storage on the top I had removed, didn’t think I’d get up there often to store stuff. I like that she has a smooth exterior, I think she’s grand.

Home sweet home

The Me vs the DamnAnt Rebellion

Aside | | it is what it is.

I’m winning,

Ants love my outdoor carpet, they were everywhere yesterday.

it was gross.

Becca told me to sprinkle salt around the ground so I tried it.

One whole box of Morton’s salt spread on the carpet,

they didn’t seem to mind it.

So I went inside to look for something else and found the Comet cleanser

I sprinkled it along the edges and all about

as of this moment, 4 hours later, there are no ants on my carpet.

Don’t know about tomorrow .

One step closer………

| it is what it is.
  • Love love love Indian cotton fabricsI
    I have one on each end of the building
  • Cardboard over the foil stuff
  • first I staplethe radiant barrier then cover with card board
  • I couldn’t reach the top, will need some help
  • Glad I got this 6 step lightweight ladder
  • I’ll probably remove the foil, I can’t keep it up and it looksweird!
  • Family keeps me grounded

I’ve enjoyed putting this little building together, first the radiant barrier (more information on that here http://radiant barrier ) Then thinking of an inexpensive way to improve insulation I bought super large boxes from Uhaul and stapled them over the barrier. I covered each end wall with fabric. I’ll need some help to finish the ceiling because the staple gun needs to be pushed in a certain way to make the connection and it was too hard for me, not safe I’ll try to find Frank. I need to find more cardboard too, and maybe some more white fiber board like what I used for the photo board. some white walls would make the room lighter feeling, cleaner.

I may put the barrier inside my RV cubby walls and am using it on my windows to block the heat. until it cools down a bit…it’s kind of like living in a dark cave but nice.

Instead of $ 500+ to insulate the building I spent about $130.00 plus cardboard boxes and still have about half left over to share or sell. Do you think this will work? I’m not sure but am hopeful, hard to judge as I’ve not finished the ceiling. This heat is algo espantoso! but I think it would have been impossible to work in there as I have been with only the fan working. The AC works noisily and sometimes shouts and scares me so I have to turn it off quickly before it ruines itself, needs some servicing, I’ll ask Frank to look at it.

Kathy’s attempt to save her garden from the heat

| it is what it is.

This foil stuff is super strong and gives shade where there was none, gusts of wind only rocked the tables I have it held onto. That is the weakness, not having anything better to attach it to.

This is the foil stuff I’m using to insulate the studio, plus cardboard.That project awaits a ladder I ordered should get here soon, thank you amazon, with my smart car there aren’t many things I can easily fit in so amazon prime has been delivering my supplies.

A neighbor saw my cover and mentioned an awning he had and until then I had not thought of an awning, that would do the job and look a lot better. I’ll look into it.

I sewed four pieces of this fabric like foil together, I should have gotten a photo of me with my sewing machine outside sewing these large sections together and stapling them to the studio wall, what a job but kinda fun. Satisfying work.

So I may get a awning when this gets blown away. This will not tear, the only thing that could happen is if the tables I have it attached to, despite being weighed down with rocks and a full watering container holding it down gets upturned by the wind. I guess if it rained really hard it could get heavy with water and pull down the tables. Today is the first time I only needed to water my plants once, not two or three times to save them from drying up from the sun.

it’s very hot, Seems it is for almost everyone everywhere. Worrisome for the future, what a world  we are leaving for posterity.

These photos are not great but gives you an idea. I’ve been lazy about writing here don’t know why, probably not having much to say.