Hello world! How are you in Germany, Spain, Japan, India, Poland, the Philippines and you in Greece oh and of course the good ol' USA? It is so cool to see which different countries visited this blog like diary-thing. Today is July 21, 2021 and you made it! Nothing much going on here, at least now. The heat is really starting to fray nerves and cause fires. News reports this morning indicate that smoke from fires here on the West coast is being seen as far away as New York. To me, this is just more proof how intimately involved with each other the world is. Just yesterday, Jeff Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk and an 18 year Oliver Daemon, flew into history when they reached the Kármán line. If you really think about it, the first plane flight was in 1903 at filed in North Carolina, Kitty Hawk over 117 years ago on December 17, 1903 and boy did that 100 years fly by in a blink of an eye. Although it may not seem like it, progress is and was fast and furious. I have no doubt that commercial space travel will be accessible to almost everyone before I leave this earth. What will the next hundred years bring? The next ten, twenty?

In my immediate world, the heat brought out a few angry words and uncomfortable silence. You know during the heat of past summers, wars have been started, riots have raged in hot summer time streets and many talks of divorce start during hot summer months. Let me tell you, we even fell prey to the heat in the past week. Lucky for us, we took a heated time-out, said some not so nice things to each other and then got on with our lives. We have been lucky as really this is our seventh year of coupledom and maybe that moment was a taste of what has been called The Seven Year Itch. What ever it was, we worked it out and it just reminds me that I don't mind fighting because my Hubby is worth fighting for, we are worth fighting for. To me, arguments can be constructive, things may be said in the heat of the moment that needed to be said, you know like those things that irritate you and simmer in the pressure cooker of life till that valve is released. The main thing is, we talked it out, apologized when needed, and walked it off.

Lots of construction going on!

On Sunday, we visited The Living Desert in Palm Desert at 7 AM while the sun was low in the sky and the temperatures are comfortable. When my daughter was here a few months ago, we purchased an annual pass so that we could visit more often. I love the place as it is easy to walk around and usually, it is not to busy.

  • I can't wait for this exhibit to be completed!
The CAT exhibit that was under construction

The animals were active this past Sunday morning, maybe because the animals are creatures of habit and it was feeding time. Below is a one minute video of some of the high lights from our visit.

I noticed that there were a few exhibits that I had not seen before like the Meerkat. I could have hung out and watched it for hours. Very fascinating.

As we walked, I noticed movements in my peripheral vision, and ahead of us scurrying across our path as we walked. What we were seeing were desert hares and lots of them. They were everywhere and not afraid of people. I got close to many as I watched them eat plants and weeds around the park.

  • This looks like a Dr. Seus tree.
The plants of Madagascar is a must see!

Our visit there was quick, we were only there for around a half hour! I remember the sweat pouring from my head as we watched the mountain goats. I snapped a few photos of the buzzards and a few gazelle that were eating breakfast as we headed toward the exit.

Hopefully the next time we visit it will be cooler so that we can spend more time there as there are many new things to see.

We really needed the change of scenery. Our life, was back to normal and we are back to our usual routines. Hubby recording music and me working on arts and crafts and learning guitar. Currently, I am working on moving my fingers and getting my brain and hand to recognize chord shapes by sound and feeling. Also, I have been painting more, maybe because I bought a few more supplies to use, like the canvas sheets from Target.

  • This is from a photo I snapped of Santa Monica in 2014.

These canvas sheets excite me as they will make scanning them easier than trying to scan a framed canvas. Above are two pictures that I am currently working on. I am not sure about abstract painting as I have tried a few times and if the one above does not turn out, I think I will never try that genre of art again. I do like painting people a little more than landscapes and have been working on few trying to figure out my style and creative signature. Not that is really matters to anyone except me.

  • This is the beginning of one I started and finished yesterday.

I think I finished this one quickly because I was feeling it and feeling Hubby. You see, we both have had relationship issues in the past and sometimes, I feel like we are fighting through old relationship issues and not addressing things that are actually current. Lucky for both of us, I had to take anger management and no longer fight like I did twenty years ago. Now, I listen to what is being said and think about my reaction and how it is going to affect the situation. To my kids, I was wrong for being a hot-head and shooting first before asking questions like I was omnipotent. My advice to my kids, before you utter that thought, think about how you would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. I know there are times when you need to shoot first but those time truly are rare. Take a deep breath, a walk, sing, play a musical instrument or paint a picture, you will feel better, even if it is just a bit.

I think this is my favorite painting , so far.
Miranda Lambert

So, that was a snapshot of my past week. Was it uncomfortable? You betcha, but not painful. I just laughed so I know that all is right in our world. To you dear reader, where ever in the world you are, may you have a lovely day. Where ever you are going and what ever you are going through, YOU CAN DO IT! Hugs to you and you and especially you over there. Thank you for visiting and hope to see you again.