Photo Friday, No. 904

Current Photo Friday theme: Waiting


Houston, April 15, 2008

As long ago as the 1970s in Alabama, I’d drive to local post offices on the last night people could get their tax returns in the mail to get them postmarked by the filing date. Some would be filling out their tax forms; others waited in line to hand over their envelopes. A lobby full of people late at night in a small town has a surreal quality. After I moved to Texas, I discovered that at some Houston post offices, traffic cops and postal employees worked that night to make sure people got in and out efficiently and their envelopes were time-stamped.

Now in the days of e-filing tax returns, I don’t know if this still happens. I haven’t driven to a post office on tax night in years. I’ll be thinking of those last-minute filers next week, though, and wishing them luck.

Tarot Etc. Thursday No. 25

It’s bizarre to think I did the No. 1 post in this Thursday series in January 2022, scattered them up to September of that year, then did no. 24 in March of 2023. It seems like so long ago! Some new decks have come to me since then, most recently a fascinating deck from Jim: Cheryl Kelleher Walsh’s Aqua Summersus Underwater Tarot. Above are bits of the Major Arcana cards to give you a sense of how beautiful the photography is. Yes, those are photos, not paintings!

Walsh shoots her portrait models underwater, and in 2019, she decided to create a Tarot deck using the same technique. The models she discussed the concept with were eager to claim which cards they wanted to represent, and they then created their own costumes, along with designers and a headpiece maker. They did all of this while dealing with pandemic precautions in 2020, including safe distancing, masking, and each model bringing their own safety person.

The results have an ethereal beauty that dazzles me, and I also like many of the things Walsh says about the project, including her explanation of how she uses the deck, which aligns with my sense that Tarot is a good tool for self-reflection and examination:

Walsh: I constantly strive to better myself as a person and an artist. While I deeply respect Tarot card readers and their unique abilities, I am not a Tarot card reader myself and recognize that connecting with the cards is a personal experience that varies from individual to individual. As the creator of this Tarot deck, I poured my creative energy and positive intentions into it, but I understand that it is ultimately up to each user to find their own connection.
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For me, Tarot cards serve as prompts that inspire me to explore different aspects of my life and journey. They encourage me to delve deeper into areas that I may have overlooked or not considered fully, ultimately leading me to personal growth and self-improvement.

I look forward to getting to know this deck. Thanks, Jim!

Tiny Tuesday!

Share, 2007

Just a wee 4×6-inch canvas, painted in acrylics in 2007. I was looking to see if I’d ever done a painting in the One Word Art series with a particular title, and I haven’t. But in looking at all my photos of old paintings, I see a lot that became part of other works and then disappeared into the unknown. I hope some of them found homes where they were wanted.

Every time we share any part of ourselves, whether it’s been channeled into visual arts, words, performing arts, confidences to people we trust, we take a risk. Sometimes we find affirmation. Sometimes we don’t.

However you present yourself–your feelings, your thoughts, your creativity, your dreams–it takes courage. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. People who make you feel small or weak are not your people.

Mood: Monday

Photo previously posted here was Impasto Painting Songbird, oil on canvas, 2020, by artist David Padworny.

Today is Draw A Picture of a Bird Day!

I’ve done this a few times before: first in 2010; again in 2011; once more in 2014; and again in 2018.


In honor of the eclipse which has everyone so worked up, here’s today’s 20-minute drawing. Let me know if you draw a bird. =)

Button Sunday

April 6 was National Tartan Day. Though I’ve s-l-o-w-l-y come to embrace my sister’s research that showed our lineage is Scottish, not Irish, which I was told all my life, information given to me by my college running buddy Kathy about Thomas Cochrane, tenth earl of Dundonald, whose burial place she saw at Westminster Abbey, helped pique my interest. You can see a little of the Cochrane tartan on that button.

And you can see how that interest in our Scottish side led me to this. I still keep these dolls in their kilts on display in the writing sanctuary every day. Muses.

I misdated this post so it published on Saturday instead of Sunday. I went back and put my actual Saturday post where it was supposed to be, corrected this one to April 7, and noted that National Tartan Day was April 6. Computers and me sometimes…

Saturday’s Belated Birthday Brunch


Rhonda, Lindsey, and Pepper joined Tom, Debby, Timothy, me, and the hounds for a brunch celebrating my March birthday. There was food, conversation, cake, present-opening (The Brides brought gifts for all the birthdays missed in December, February, and the upcoming May birthday because they won’t be here), and then there were games and more conversations.

Timothy, Lindsey wearing her houndstooth Chucks, Rhonda, Tom, and Debby enduring me taking another photo when they just wanted to eat.

A really fun and much needed day with friends that I appreciated so much!

Whirly Pigs


A very sweet friend sent a strand of wooden Whirly Pigs for my birthday. She knew and loved Aaron, making this a perfect addition to Aaron’s Garden.

I forgot to take pictures during the daylight after Tom hung it, so the lighting isn’t great. When the wind blows, the feathers become spinners. I can’t wait to see it in action when we get a good breeze. I’ve collected pigs most of my life, and feathers are a reminder of Aaron that his mother once shared with me.

Thank you so much! ❤️