Video clipping

                                                                 Hallelujah

                                                       Spring is almost here. 

I am so ready! But, with the warmer temps, so comes the blossoms. Everything is blooming!  There goes the sinuses. Oh well.

I don't blog much anymore. At my age I feel a real need to 'get things done'. So, I have been busy with organizing all my old movies and videos. Been putting them all on my computer. And, then I started going through each one 

(lordy, there is way too much footage of trees, street scenes, rivers flowing, grass (where I forgot to turn the camera off while I was walking).

Nobody wants to see all that mess. 

So, I have been cutting sections out of all those reels of film that are worth looking at and I started mailing them to my children and grandchildren. Things they had never seen before... things I had forgotten... the kids when they were little. It's a blast! 

An Entertaining Heron

After I moved into my apartment almost five years ago, I soon discovered the birds that frequented the retaining pond. It's just across the drive from me and I sit, three floors up, and watch all the goings on. 

This heron (or maybe it's more than one but I like to think it's the same one) has entertained me numerous times. I particularly like this photo with the wildflowers 🎕blooming at the pond's edge. 

I hope you have something from nature to keep you entertained. It gives your hours of enjoyment. 

                                                                                                             

Hobbies Current and Gone

I went through the phase of painting rocks. It didn't last long! So now I have a small collection of rocks sitting in my office in my way, totally unpainted and I don't want to throw them out but I don't know what to do with them.

I figure if I am going to spend all that time painting, making a mess, having to clean it up, I may as well be painting pictures which I can either sell, keep out to enjoy or shove into a box under my bed. (I do have limited storage in this small apartment).

I wonder how many 'hobbies' I have started only to soon stop. Tons! Do you do that?😀

But, I do stick with a few things that really catches my interest, like blogging, painting pictures, writing, journaling. And, once, my quilting. But, I had to stop that one due to arthritis. 

Oh, and my newest hobby, Instagram. You all oughta check out my Instagram posts @accidently_aging.

So, today, just for the heck of it... and for Blue Monday here is a rock I painted, back when I was 'into' it.

A Quilt to End All Quilts

Several years ago I saw this ad in a magazine about getting a picture transferred onto fabric. (Now days you can do it yourself on the computer). 

That gave me a brilliant idea!! I'd design and make a quilt about our life. 

So, I designed each square, depicting a place we had lived. We moved around a lot because Elbert was in the Navy but in order to make the quilt rectangular, I had to add more squares. So, I did some of our hobbies on that last row. 

I had no idea about who would end up with that quilt when I was GONE. And, each of the kids started saying it was THEIRS. What to do?

I still haven't decided. I don't quilt anymore so I can't make three more identical quilts so each would have one. Maybe my will administrator can hold a drawing. Who gets the shortest straw? Who gets their name drawn outta the hat? 

But, here is my quilt.... and at the bottom I will tell you about each square so if you want to miss that part you can just look at the quilt and move on! hehe.

Joining with Thankful Thursday and Little Things

1. Jasper, Alabama ....The house where I was born. 

2. Columbus, Mississippi..My and Elbert's marriage license and gold rings. A tiny cake, too

3. Jasper, Alabama where our first child was born. See I appliqued a cut-out of the state represented
     on each square that the children were born. Baby Marie is in a bassinet.

4. San Diego, California, our first home. (The Mexican influence displayed on that square)

5. Panama City, Florida... a duty station where we enjoyed palm trees and the ocean

6. Panama City, Fla. our second child, Steven, was born. He passed away at 3 months. This square
    shows the state and a cross with a crocheted bootie hanging from it.

7. Seattle, Washington... And, Mt. Rainier and a totem pole from the park where we visited

8. Seattle, Wa.. Baby Shirley came along. This square has the state and a rattle.

9. Havre de Grace, Md... Elbert was attending school at Bainbridge Naval Base nearby. 

10. Honolulu, Hawaii... Diamond Head 

11. Honolulu... and Michael was born. This square has a miniature flower lei attached.

12. Midway Island... The sand, the birds, the scaveola bushes

13. The center square is my and Elbert's wedding picture... what started this whole thing

14. Bainbridge, Md. again. This time I appliqued Michael sledding behind our apartment

15. Bainbridge, Md. Susan was born. A black-eyed susan, the state flower

16. Concord, Calif. A mt. I could see out my kitchen window

17. Annapolis, Maryland... perfect duty, my family complete. The Naval Academy Chapel in this pic.

18. Norfolk, Virginia... Elbert was stationed on the USS Boxer. He retired off that ship.

19. Jasper, Alabama... our farm

20. Wakefield, Virginia... our last home together.

last rows: hobbies of fishing, painting, genealogy, quilting and foxhunting. And, I'll have you know I embordiered that foxhound myself. 

A New Project

                                           You'd think I'd have plenty to do, wouldn't you?

             But, the days get long, the energy gets short and I get bored. That about summed it all up.

I paint a little, I journal every day, I read, I take pictures, I am a computer nut who stays on there too long but, for some reason, I am always searching for something new to try. Cram into life all you can while you can, is my motto. 

While complaining to my daughters about being lonely and bored on Sundays, one suggested I have a project I do just on Sundays. Then the other daughter suggested maybe, since I already journal, that I try art journaling. 

                                       I did my first pages yesterday, which was Sunday, by the way! 

It's a beginning. I hope I get better as I get into it deeper. Maybe experience will help. But, here they are. 
  
                                                                                 The Title Page

                                                              The first three days of the past week. 

                Now, this morning, I need to finish up the week and do those other four days. 

Art and a Visit

#1. Today is the first day of Fall. As I dragged out my 'fall' decorations for the house, I decided I needed to have something on the wall so I did a quick watercolor of a pumpkin.

#2. I just spent 5 days with my eldest daughter, whom I had not seen in a long, long time. It was wonderful to catch up.

#3. We did a lot of eating out while she was here and we got to view the quilt guild exhibit at the local art museum.

#4. We also went to an exhibit of bronze sculptures at the Cultural Art Center. That was amazing.

#5. We watched a bunch of old home movies, reliving all the fun times the children had when they were younger.... and a super movie (a tear-jerker) "Light Between Oceans". The cinematography was amazing in this movie and the storyline, well, it was something you should see! 

Linking with Paint Party Friday, Willy Nilly Friday and Five On Friday

My First Try

I told you that I bought some pastels.

                        I told you I hadn't touch a pastel in 30 years!! 

                                             I told you that I would show you my first attempt. 

So, here it is. 

and here is what I copied it from.................

Man, do I need some practice!

                                                                                                             

P.S. I have done the second one but you are not gonna see that one. Oh my gosh, no.

End of the Week Thoughts

Let's start with the BIGGEST NEWS.  I closed on my house sale this week!! TA DA.  It's a great feeling that now I no longer have the responsibility of the physical and financial care of a house that is over 100 years old. A very nice younger couple with a teen-age son bought it and moved in this week. My old home now has new life pumped into it.

I am thinking that maybe some travel might be in order. A little extra money helps with that. I've traveled with Royal Tours out of Franklin, Va. several times before. It may be time to start thinking about another trip.

I recently ran across some old water colors that I did years ago. (one of them is below. Sorry about the discoloration here and there. It's led a pretty hectic life) 

It made me think about maybe getting back into art again. Perhaps pastels this time. But now I am thinking I need to RE-THINK that. I have a kazillion projects going already. Do I REALLY need to start another? 

But, on the other hand.... just maybe.

I plan a trip to Michael's Crafts today. Do you wanna make a bet... will I come home with pastels or not? I don't even know and won't until I get to the arts aisle. 

My life seems to be filled with exciting prospects and I stay very busy for an 81 year old, I think. But....

Sometimes, the quiet and solitude of sitting on my balcony is all that I need.
                                                                                                              

Scrapbooking

                                                         I am an avid scrapbooker. 
                                                                                   Do you scrapbook? 
Are your pictures stored neatly in albums or are they thrown helter-skelter into a box somewhere? 

I started doing Creative Memories scrapping in the mid 1990s. Let's just say that my expertise in preserving my memories has improved over the years. Thank goodness, for that. The first couple ones I did, the pages covered a lot of time frame but then I decided to devote one album to each year. 

                                                   This is the main portion of my albums.

An example of my work...

I am running out of space to store them, don't you think? Whatever will I do? 

Just keep making more albums. There'll be a place somewhere for them. 

I do love to sit and thumb through the pages of any given scrapbook. Such memories. 

I hope you are doing something to preserve your family photographs. (and for gosh sakes, write on the back who it is and when it was made)

Most of my albums are either blue or green. So, I am linking with BLUE MONDAY. Thanks Sally for hosting this meme.
                                                                                                                     

It's Purple

It's been quite a week... and the week isn't over yet. What will come up next?

It has been record heat here. Maybe it just sort of fried my brain so I can't think. Nothing much rattling around in there so for Willy Nilly Friday and Five on Friday I am going to share my favorite color with you. I hope you like the pictures I chose. Do you like purple? Some people don't.

First of all just let me say.....

2nd. As a child, I loved to color. In fact, I still do... and purple is my favorite crayola to pick up and turn the paper into magic. I noticed the other day on pinterest that someone had a board of coloring designs for adults. I think I should get me some of those.

3rd. This one I am not sure about. I love tulips, yes, I do. But, purple ones? Not so sure about that!

4th. My daughter had purple and silver as the color scheme for my 80th birthday party. I love a party, don't, you?

5th. These leaves are so velvety looking, I wish I had pots and pots of them on my balcony. 

Have a great weekend. Stay cool, do something fun. Always be true to yourself.

                                                                                                           

Friday Fun

It's time for Willy Nilly Friday,
                                     
                                                            and Five on Friday.

I love participating in these memes. I hope you will check them out and perhaps join in, as well.

1. Why do springtime and pollen go together? It really makes enjoying this special season a royal pain. But, a price must be paid for everything or so they say. Besides, the pollen will soon go away but the joy that is Spring will linger awhile yet.

2. I am excited about being invited as guest speaker at a senior luncheon next Thursday. They want to hear about my writing (and getting it published) a book at this ripe old age. I say, if you have an itch, scratch it. I had an itch to write. Look what happened.

3. I had a lovely time at lunch today. I went to the Stillwater House Tea Room, all by my little lonesome!! The two charming ladies at the next table (whom I had never met) and I had such a lively conversation going. It was loads of fun.
                                                    And, so was the food served...
                                    fruit, wafers, cheeses and a delicious scone for a starter
                    followed by dainty little sandwiches (cucumber, pimento and chicken salad)
                and little cakes for dessert. Of course, there was plenty of mixed berry green tea.
                                      I must go back soon... and take a few of my girlfriends.

4. I am enjoying perusing an old scrapbook I did back in 1949.
                                        It's so old, it is all to pieces so I must handle it with care.

The high school band I was in, took a trip from Alabama to New York on the train so that we could march in the American Legion Parade in Philadelphia. We did D. C., Philadelphia and New York.
                                            What an exciting trip for this little ole country girl.

5. I guess I have officially closed the door on a hobby that I have enjoyed for years - quilting. With passage of time come many changes. It was just time to say goodbye to all the lovely fabric and patterns and creativity that I have enjoyed and move on to something else.

Random Five

It's that time of the week again. I'm linking this to Nancy's Random Five Friday

1. I love playing Word With Friends on Facebook. But, yesterday I found an app for my Kindle that is so much fun and so addictive and I play it by myself. It's Spell Tower. Oh my gosh... I play until my battery runs down, plug it up for a charge and then play again. You make words by connecting the letters together. When a word is made, the row drops down giving more options. Fun, fun, fun.

2. I used to think I'd like to take a cruise but I've changed my mind. Too many bad things happen on those cruises... illnesses...ships becoming disabled....murders.....people falling overboard.....ships sinking. I think I will keep my feet on dry land where I can also become sick, get disabled, fall or even murdered. Since I don't swim I can't imagine me sinking!

picture off the internet.

3. My hair dresser has been recovering from surgery so I let my hair go without a cut for way too long. You know that we gals can't do that!! I was looking like a shaggy dog. So, I went to a new hairdresser and love my cut. That just goes to show you... there is more than one way to skin a cat. Or get rid of a shaggy dog.

4. Last year I bought a small digital camera so I wouldn't have to wag my bigger one everywhere I went. We bloggers do love to have our cameras on hand all the time!!! After having it supposedly fixed three times I gave up. Bought me a new one and isn't it a cute little thing? I may lose this thing in the bottom of my purse, along with my keys (which I can never find) or the change that I drop down in that bottomless pit. It needs a 'find' button on it.

5. And, something from the past....

I love this picture I took when we lived on Midway Island. Father and son reading the newspaper. Yes, that's my sweet hubby, Navy Chief Elbert Barton with our son, Michael. I wonder what they were discussing? Hmmm.

                                                                                        Love and Hugs to all

                                                                           my Blog Buddies,

                                                                                                            

Flying High.... then CRASH

My friend, Leslie, used to fly remote control airplanes. After several years of 'retirement' as a RC pilot he is interested again. First time I saw his planes I knew I was hooked. Besides, I wanted to be supportive of his endeavors. Not a lot of women are into remote control flying but with Leslie's encouragement I bought a computer RC Flight Simulator. It's been kicking my butt (excuse my language but that's the truth of the matter)ever since I bought it. So, this morning I decided I'd give it a try again. Practice does make perfect.

GEE WHIZ and WHOOPEY DO ....I got that plane in the air, flew around a little while and landed it. I was so excited I just had to share this with my blog buddies. I mean, I am more than excited!!

When I get good enough on the simulator Leslie says that I can fly his 'real' RC plane and he would not mind if I crashed it. I ask you, is that not a sweet man!!

Okay here we go. Now keep in mind that these pictures were made on my computer monitor screen. Not the best photos I've ever taken but I don't care. I was having a blast.

Here I am with my little red and white trainer taxiing down the runway. I am getting pretty good at this part, I must say!

 

I get up in the air over the airport but I am beginning to lose some altitude. 

 

I manage to get a little lift on the plane and fly a little and then.....

 

I take a nose dive toward the ground.

 

and land in what Leslie calls 'the pea patch' (the grassy area beyond the runway). It was a bumpy landing but I didn't knock a thing off that plane!! Yippee!

 

 

I manage to gain enough speed in this vegetation and lift off again and start to climb.

 

I am soaring high up in the sky, just like a bird, and loving it.

 

 

So far every time I've managed to crash when landing and never on the runway. So it's time to try a landing on the tarmac! And, what do I do, I crash in the pea patch.

 

This next picture is an enlarged insert on the computer screen that shows the damage! It seems I have lost a wing and the trail is missing. And, I am upside down. Great going!!

 

Well, maybe someone will give me an A for effort and thank the good Lord, no people or animals, not even a blade of grass, was injured in my spectacular landing. To repair my plane all I have to do is push the reset button and there my little red and white plane is again, all new and ready to fly. I am loving this.

 

Hugs,

Five Random Things About Me

It's Friday... time for Random Five Friday meme, a time for us to share five things about ourselves, past, present or even future.

1. I sure do love my Southern sweet iced tea. Yes, I know that much sugar isn't good for me but still.......A Southern gal's gotta do what a southern gal's gotta do!!

2. My friend, Leslie,  has a new remote control trainer plane to put together and I may get to help. I know nothing about remote planes and the thought of maybe flying it one day scares the beegeebees out of me but I'd try if I got a chance. If it crashes I can always buy him another kit!! Then we'd have fun putting a new one together.

3. I'm printing off the manuscript to the novel I have been working on for the past umpteen years!! Writing a book is hard work.

4. How nice it is to sit in my swing on the patio and feel the breeze, watch my flowers grow, see the birds feed, and just feel at peace with myself and the world.

5. In the 1980s I started a MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Drivers) chapter in my county in Alabama. This was after my daughter, Susan, was hit by a drunk driver. I sat in court monitoring DUI cases, worked for new legislation, served on the state board, comforted grieving parents and below, I am introducing the Alabama Attorney General who came to speak at our banquet.