Sweet, Sweet, Autumn...

...what a "honey" of a perfect season in Illinois...;)

“Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.”

~Robert Green Ingersoll 

Time Travel...

...at snail's pace...

of some waiting room sketches

drawn "ink straight in"...lead free...at my brother's dental practice

over a span of three years.

And...

(just like many of the other pieces in my Illinois sketchbook)

they have just now been watercolored

and

finally uploaded to my blog.

Click on any image to enlarge...:)

"Every tooth in a man's head

 is more valuable than

a diamond."

~Miguel de Cervantes,

 Don Quixote, 1605

Sending Some Soft-Focused...

...midwest crackling coziness

from my part of the world to yours...:)

I love this time of year!!!

Ahhhh!

"I Love Rust..."

...and things with

coppery green patinas and creaky handles.

Things that are so loving worn

and filled to the brim with silent storied lives

touch my heart.

Hmmm...wait a minute...

I could very well be describing myself!

♥
“A determined soul

will do more with a rusty monkey wrench

than a loafer

will accomplish with all the tools

in a machine shop.”
~Robert Hughes

Remembering...

...my Uncle Al...

who passed away over 50 years ago..

this day.

Some days, I feel he has never left me.

“May you never forget what is worth remembering,

nor

ever remember what is best

forgotten.”
~Irish Blessing

"Visiting My Brother..."

...today for my annual dental checkup.

This illo was drawn ink straight in..."lead free"

in my Illinois sketchbook just about three years ago

and posted on my blog

shortly thereafter.

I thought she deserved a repost today.

Guess we'll have to wait and see how my artistic Muse

actually interprets today's visit.

Maybe another illo might be in the works...:)

"Every tooth in a man's head is more valuable
than a diamond."
~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605

"Salvation Happened Today..."

...with the unshackling of my purple coneflowers from their
smothering floral imprisonment!

This feat of strength was accomplished by Scott...
powered by his affinity for garden work
and fueled by
some tedious, labor-intensive work

digging up yards upon yards of overgrown and resistant
lily of the valley.
He was indeed a garden warrior!

For the last few years the lilies have assumed

the reigning monarchy

of my Illinois perennial garden

running rampant over almost anything in their way...

including the lawn,

the coneflowers,
the day lilies,
and the black eyed Susan's!

Today they have indeed met their match in Scott!

The drawing above

reappears here as a revival...all refreshed and renewed...

plucked from the sketchbook garden of
my previously posted art.

I thought it was fitting...especially today...

that she, too,

would once again stand with her real life sister...
free...unencumbered...and
all on her own. :)

“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
~Buddha

"Happy Fourth of July!..."

A happy little Cotyledon Secunda...drawn this morning

in my large moleskine

and quickly uploaded this afternoon.

(I am still getting used to scanning on the road...the colors IRL

are much more vibrant and celebratory.)

BTW...

Happy Cactus Monday, too!

"Everything that is really great and inspiring

is created by an individual who can

labor in freedom."

~Albert Einstein

"Some Peace Filled Sunday Zen..."

...here at the farm...Lee County...Illinois...

where there are

more shades of lush green than one's Muse can imagine!

Ahhh!

“Better than a thousand hollow words,

is one word that brings

peace.”

~Buddha

"Back in the U.S.S.R...."

well...that should actually read

back in the

Unbelieveably Super Saturated Rainy

midwest!

Gosh what miserable humidity!

(...and you wouldn't even believe my hair...

aka "Shirley Temple...)

But...

Alas...a cold front, with nice cool dry air, hangs out in

Iowa...expected arrival sometime tomorrow...

Ahhh!

"Rain hangs about the place, like a friendly ghost.

If it's not coming down in delicate droplets

then it's in buckets;

and

if it's neither...

it tends to lurk suspiciously in the atmosphere."

~Barbara Acton-Bond

"Taking in a Late Summer View..."

...from a Northern Illinois road less travelled...

Ahhhh!

"Country roads...take me home...to the place where I belong..."

~John Denver

"Midwest Blooming..."

There is something to be said about

experiencing

the change of seasons in the Midwest...

especially

when coming from a hot, dry,

summer-browned desert.

The vegetation we saw in Illinois these past weeks

was so dense and lush and vibrant

it actually hurt my eyes!

(Go figure...I think I must be color deprived!)

The corn...which traditionally they say is to be

"knee high by the 4th of July"...

rose in thick, proud, untassled rows

and

stood shoulder to head high

turning

gravel country roads into canyons rimmed

with nature's emerald bounty.

Actually, the fields

were so incredibly deep, deep green

my brother-in-law claimed they were almost blue!!!

No kidding...!

Wildflowers were blooming almost everywhere

they could take root.

Queen Anne's Lace held royal court

over clusters of sky blue chickory and thistles....

painting weedy roadside ditches

in colorful soft washes of floral beauty.

Mmmm...really nice.

Soooo...

inspired by all this bountiful blossoming

I have started

a series of summery floral heart ATCs.

My first one here is

inspired by the sturdy and joyful coneflower.

I post it today

in celebration of two birthdays

in my family...

my brother Mark in Illinois...

and my sister Susan here in Arizona...

both were born this very day

exactly

two years apart!

(They still claim to this day that they are twins.)

HAPPIEST of BIRTHDAYS

TO YOU BOTH!!!

May your day bloom with love and joy

and your hearts be

filled with sweet and special

memories.

♥

"By the Light of the Moon..."

...Sunset Jack left Illinois Saturday just after midnight for his

5:00 AM flight

back home to Arizona...

it was a "Hard Day's Night" for sure.

This weekend Jack will be doing nothing but resting

and

catching up on his blog friends...

It's good to be home!

(Past adventures of Sunset Jack can be found here.)

"It's been a

hard day's night,

and I've been working like a dog...

It's been

a hard day's night,

I should be sleeping like a log...

But

when I get home to you I find the things

that you do

Will make me feel

alright..."

~John Lennon and Paul McCartney

"Hanging By A Thread..."

...to a wispy world of limited wireless connections.

Guess that's part of the deal when

trying to "make do" when

travelling.

This heart was made on scratchboard...

carved with various tools

and then washed with some watercolor paint.

Very rough around the edges...
a perfect partner for a very piecemeal post.

Never realized how internet spoiled I am

back in AZ.

"Two...For Two...Today..."

Why??? Well first,

in weekly celebration of Cactus Monday...

and

then secondly...(drum roll please)

to celebrate the

2nd year

blogiversary of my Waterblossoms Blog!

WooHOO!!!

(My Muse scampers about...barefooted...

and scantily dressed...

tossing flower petals into the air.)

You can check out my very 1st blog post

HERE if you like...It's even a CACTUS post...

and my first piece of mail art!! :)

Whew! It is so amazing how time flies!

Speaking of which...

I have been out of town for the past week...

...actually in Illinois...

where we

experienced a fairly decent-sized snowfall,

(first Midwest one I've witnessed in quite a while)

accompanied by

several nights of sub-zero wind chill temps,

and

even an EARTHQUAKE...

...the epicenter of which was 10 miles from

"Home!"

We were awakened in the middle of the night...

3:59 am to be exact...

by the sound of horrendously severe rattling

and shaking

followed by an enormous boom

It sounded as if one of those huge snow plow trucks

barreled down our street...full speed ahead

and

ran smack dab into our house!

Seriously!!!

We thought it was a bomb blast

or even a gas line explosion

somewhere in town.

We were really mentally shook up!

It wasn't until my sister called from Arizona

later that morning to tell

us

that it was a 4.3 seismic event

(aka "EARTHQUAKE")

and that it

was the lead news story on the Today Show

and

also on the news headline marquee

in Times Square, New York City!

Shazammm!

Later, it was downgraded to a 3.8 event...

I know, all you California readers are saying

"Is that all???" LOL :)

Whew! It was certainly big time for me!

Who would have ever thought, eh?

Any way...

I promise to get back soon to my routine

and start visiting all your blogs...

popping in here and there,

to see what you have all been up to.

In the meantime,

I hope you find something wonderful

and non-scary

to shake up your day!

Have a really great one!

Thanks, too,

for TWO wonderful blogging years!

"Despite Being Neglected..."

...Overgrown...and prone to infestation...

...Nature still found a way for my Illinois garden

to bloom.

We must each must do the same for ours spirits and hearts.

Bloom today...

bloom as brightly and beautifully as you can...

...despite it all!

(Posted for JB and with sent with a great big hug!)

"Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul."

~Linda Solegato

"Wordless Wednesday...(#13)..."

"For Homegrown Summer Tomatoes..."

...ripe from a midwest garden...I am most Thankful!

"The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest."
~William Blake

"Midwest Sunshine..."

Have a bright-eyed beautiful Blooming Tuesday all!

"May all your weeds be wildflowers"

~Anoymous

"An Early View..."

...I have totally forgotton how richly dense

a foggy Illinois morning

could be!

(See other sky views around the world here!)

"It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world.

Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog."
~Joseph Conrad