Life Is Weird, And This Week Is Weirder!

Don't ask.....it just sort of fits the mood.....found on Weird Photos.

Would you like a little Monday WHINE with that cheese??? I was pretty sure I heard you say *yes*....... ;-D
And off we go!

• First off, it is hotter than HADES here. And I do not do well in heat. Ever since I got my brains scrambled once sitting in the sun, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum, at an airshow, I literally have NOT been able to take the extreme heat.
• Yes, 90+ degrees, plus humidity, is EXTREME to me. I am sick of inside, and too much of a wuss for OUTSIDE. Thank heavens the grass is dead. (insert evil laugh here)
• I have three days this week of *normal*. After Wednesday, life goes into *medical-mayhem* again, and I am crabby. Yes, I'm tough, but I'm also tired of all my social calls involving a *procedure*. I'd rather have a few that involve coffee or wine and good conversation, but I seem to be getting the guys in white coats. (no hand-warmers, though, hahaha!)
• Does the phrase *bowel cleanse* mean anything to you? (do not be in the area Thursday....you've been warned.....don't call, don't acknowledge I exist, because I am not sure what kind of response you'll get....just SAYIN'!!!)
• Friday, providing the gods of medicine see fit to smile on me, I will be doing the heavy duty work of THE-NEXT-STEP in this cancer journey. I can't wait. I want it DONE.
• Why is it they book you for afternoon surgery and then tell you that you can't have anything except liquids the WHOOOOLE day before??? (oh yes, the bowel cleanse......grrrrrr....)
• Why is it I have no fear of having my guts split open, but worry myself silly about my Budgies while I will be gone? Eh---maybe you shouldn't answer that one. Let's leave it at rhetorical.....'kay?
• Why is it when you KNOW you won't be able to be in your studio that the mind suddenly KICKS into gear and swamps you with ideas? I mean, come on! Can't we do this when I actually HAVE studio time??? (obviously not....)
• Why is it when I'm not going to be around I find a couple of cool new blogs and want to read them from stem to stern? Or sign up for swaps, or...or...or...??? You get my drift? The timing issue again. Pfffft!
• How can I be so lucky to have friends that actually show up to read this drivel AND comment too??? Seriously, I think y'all are just taking pity on me. (okay, at this point, pity is fine. I welcome it! LOL!)
• How can I ever say *thank you* enough to everyone who has contributed to keeping me sane as I walk this odd and circuitous path? I think there is no answer to that one other than you all hold a special and dear place in my heart. (far away from the bowel cleansing)
• How will I function until I can get back here and blog again??? 

Well, that sort of sums the craziness up here at Chateau Lockard.
I am not sure when I will post again, but until I do, seriously, I will miss all the mirth and madness that we find in our cyber-world. 
Blog friends are blessings.
And I am blessed.
And Friday, if you have a moment, please send kind thoughts my direction.
I am held aloft by love and prayer.
Until I see everyone on the flipside, I remain,

Your blogmistress & loving friend,

Halfway Down The Road.....

Me, walking this road, one step at a time....

It seems like ages since I have posted, and I really had planned to be off blog until everything was done. But I've hit the halfway point in my treatments today, and I have to admit that overall, time has flown.
I want to thank the many generous bloggers who have stopped by to wish me well, encourage me and keep the Blog Mistress firmly pointed down the road to getting well. You are all much more than any one blogger deserves, and it is humbling. The blogging community is a strong force of nature, in my opinion!
I'm doing good; I've had to learn to REST and not try and do everything I think I should do, so housework was the first to fall off the list. ;-)  In my down time, I've done a heck of a lot of knitting (no dent made in the yarn stash yet...*sigh*) and I've even shot a few photos, though I don't believe I've uploaded them to the computer....not sure.
I'm signed up for and anxiously awaiting the beginning of Michael DeMeng's new online class; "Crusted, Crumpled and Cracked".

(which, on any given day, could describe ME...LOL!)

Maybe that's why I'm so pumped about it....Or maybe it's the fact that some of the old Anne is shining through and finding you can fight the physical battles and still function and make art, or something close. Or something!
Anyway, when I have finished all the running to and from the hospital, I'll be back to fill everyone in. 
Unless I make something weirdly beautiful, and I might pop in with a photo, but I'm still officially on blog break, okay? :-D
Until then, find something beautiful to contemplate upon....

....every single day. I do. Life is very very good.


Pax....

Going Walk About For A Bit.....

.....leaving a small footprint.
The Summer is flying, I am behind and need to try and get caught up once again. I have been absent from the blogs due to way to much going on in this thing I call my *life*...LOL! Such as it is.
I'll be back when I have something exciting, interesting, funny or just plain ODD to post.
In the meantime, walk lightly, enjoy the days and send a good thought my way now and again; would you?
Much appreciated!
I bid you all....


Pax....

The Blog Mistress.....

....Has been a bit preoccupied the past few days. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it and unfortunately that somebody is ME......
I think I would rather make a trip to the dentist because I know when THAT will be done as opposed to the business of cleaning. I am not a Domestic Diva in any fashion other than being a good cook and even that is part time. So when Spring rolls around with all the remnants of Winter, oh, YUCK!!!
I had foolishly believed I could squeeze in a small tutorial while I was doing the house but really now, would I get back in there?
NO.
So I will stand tall, be firm, and continue the task at hand and all the while be thinking;

Well.....you know....*wink wink*......I'd really rather be making art....but that ranks a close second!
Don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind when the sweeper bag blows up and there is a mountain of accumulated dirt everywhere, including IN the sweeper. I'm just not good at this and the thought that the sweeper bag should change itself is always in my mind. It just makes sense.
So until a bit later, when the blog mistress has it together a bit more here, El Milagro will remain a bit quiet.
*SOB*
No pithy comments, no rants about Blogger and it's plethora of glitches, no art.
*WAH!*
But I shall return.
SOON.
(Oh, in the meantime, I switched the music from auto-play to manual--see the top of the sidebar to get the cool jazz track that keeps me sane.....well, sort of)


Pax....

OWOH 2011 WINNER!!!!!!

The last flight.....searching for the WINNER!!!

This has been a real experience for someone who seldom does a lot of blog-hopping!
WOW!
First of all, THANK YOU to Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian who pulled this whole massive journey together! And then thank YOU to everyone who stopped by El Milagro and special thanks to those who found content here that made them sign on to follow! I truly *heart* you!!!
Okay, to the business at hand, the drawing for this:

I have a new home!!!!

Randomly selected, the winner is~~~~

#9 on my comments: Pam, over at Yoborobo

CONGRATULATIONS PAM! You will be the new owner of "Love Flowers Abundantly"!!! I hope it finds a special place in *your* heart! I'll be popping an e-mail out later today~~♥
Whew! Now I can take off my flying wings, settle down, pick the bugs out of my teeth from this around the world jaunt and have a little rest!


I am off for a few more days on blog break; the work that has piled up is, well, staggering and I need to get a bit caught up before Spring thaw and grass-growing season......which leads to incessant mowing and tales of the John Deere.
Holy Cow! No one is ready for THAT yet! (especially *moi*.....LOL!!!)

I've enjoyed visiting and having you all visit~~may love flower abundantly in all your lives.


Pax....

Balderdash!

Life has very quirky turns, and out of the last year and a half, I should be rather accustomed to them by now.
Except, I am not.
When I said I was going on *Blog Break* I meant a break from blogging-----not breaking something in order to be away from the blog!
Enter yesterday; A beautiful day out, I was progressing with the commission in the studio, I decide to take a few minutes for a cup of coffee and a little fresh air as the day was one of those rare, wonderful September days of bright blue sky, little humidity, warm not hot and a delightful breeze moving the corn stalks and leaves in the trees.
I step out, taking in the moment, getting a sip of coffee, breathing in the growing scent of Fall.......

.......and I promptly walk into a hole in the yard. Suddenly I am on the ground, left foot at an odd angle, coffee spilled and trying to figure out what just happened.
There is always that moment of sitting, checking everything to make sure that it is still in place.....fake hip? Yep. Fine. Other hip? Fine. Knees? As usual.

Left foot? Hmmmmmm.....no, something is definitely wrong there. I know the feeling of broken bones all too well. (at least my coffee cup didn't break.....!) Yeah, that little devil was giving me pangs of non-delight. SHARP PANGS.
So here I am this morning, with said lower extremity unhappy, swollen, quiet a colorful contusion and very limited mobility.
I think the next time I decide to go off-blog for a while, I will have a little different choice of words. *Break* just seems to have too much bad Karma for me.....
The illustration? It has nothing to do with anything...it is just a favorite of mine that I have had stashed away in the clip art folder and been itching to use.
Hmmmm......maybe I shouldn't use *itching* either.........  ;-)

Pax....

Perhaps Longer Than I Thought......

Just a quick pop-in to share a lovely *feel-of-Fall* photo I managed to grab the other evening and to say that my blog break may go longer than I expected.
While my commission is proceeding well, I am still having physical issues that keep me from being able to work for hours on end.
So, hopefully I will be back full time before Halloween as that would be nice......and it also makes me squirm to think of not having the work finished by then.
At any rate......I move forward......
Hope everyone is getting at least a taste of cooler weather and nippy mornings, pretty foliage and the sound of crickets.
And now, off to rest.

Pax....

Blog Prizes Mailed.....

....I got out the door yesterday with everyone's goodies; I am not sure when they shall arrive but when you receive them, if you could pop me an e-mail please?

I am diligently working on the sewing---it's coming along nicely though, as usual, I have exhausted myself and frankly, my fingers hurt from needle-pulling! It's all good though. And yes, the pic is where I wish I was, in the French Quarter, enjoying life and some good food. Instead I settle for listening to WWOZ.org on the computer and dream......check it out if you love Jazz, Blues and NOLA based music!

Can't wait to get back on here full time as my giant brain is overflowing!!!! (or something is dribbling out of my head, and I figure it must be *important thoughts* that need to be shared---LOL!) But it is again, nose to the grindstone, or in this case, pins, needles and sewing machine.

I quickly cruised through a couple of blogs, seeing pics of wonderful work and it makes me long for the wet studio and time to paint.......oh, not soon enough! Those of you having the time to do this; I thoroughly ENVY you at the moment!  ;-)

I miss you all---take care of yourselves as more and more of my friends are coming down with what appears to be the same virus DH and I had. I mean that in all sincerity---take care of yourselves and your kin.

I bid you all good health, rest,  creativity, and of course, as always.....

Pax.

Entering Another Round......

...of the Doctor thing.
Here's the scoop; Monday's X-rays show a "questionable persistant Fx line on the R femur".....
Plain English:
Something is going on and not healing. As I suspected.
So. Friday I go for a CT, will pick up films, and then come home and have a total collapse. Next Tuesday I see an Ortho in Ft. Wayne, and I have a feeling I know what he will say, which I refuse to write here because I just think it is bad luck.
I feel like the statue opening that crypt door. Immobile. Trying to work and mind so in knots I can't remember what I am doing. Attempting to get everything in order in case of another hospital stay. Can't figure out how to get banners done and everything else, and they must be done because I have too much money involved in them and I can't ask the church to wait for a second set.
I also feel like I am getting ready to step through a door I do not want to........
I am anticipating downtime on the blog, strictly because I need to get a lot done in a little time.
I hope you'll all be there when I get back with something of value to post.
This has been a year of ups and downs, and one more down and I am going to throw a big fit.
So, that's where we are kiddies. No more till I know what the heck is going on.
Go out and be creative and enjoy this Fall season upon us.
I bid you......

Pax.

No Blog For YOU!

Okay, it's a bad pun on the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, but here's the thing; the computer is working only half, I spent ALL yesterday troubleshooting and trying to delete junk programs, I am way behind due to life and have not been able to get anything creative done.
I am taking a break until I can get this blasted heathen machine back working right.
I really, REALLY hate computers and the problems they cause.
I hate sending them in for repair and finding an assortment of programs I did not ask for when they come home.
I wish I had saved my money and bought a Sony Vaio like DH's, because that is the fastest, most trouble free machine I have ever seen.
But I didn't. And don't have the money for one now. If I did, this one would be sold. Love my new flat screen, dislike grossly the CPU. It doesn't even play CD's like my old one......was sort of lead to believe it did.
At any rate, until I can get somethings caught up, done, fixed, well and be a bit more human.......
I'm outta here.

Be back before the leaves fall........

Pax.

Short and to the point

I am, in no uncertain terms, DEAD TIRED, and pleading for a break before I end up like the fellow above.......although I could do with a few less pounds..... ;)

Had a lovely church service yesterday a.m. then off to the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (and managed to get seriously lost) then home, back to town and finally, collapsed in a heap.

Today I am working on the circus banner that is almost finished, and hoping I have the strength and stamina necessary to really crank out the work it needs to get it close to complete. The leg, knee and lower back are about to give out and once they go, I'm back to square one. And I don't want to explain that one to my Doc.

Anyway, if---in the upcoming days---I do not post, it is because I have so much going on I literally cannot THINK or WRITE. I beg your forgiveness but sometimes the brain is dead and the fingers don't have enough sense to stop typing. Not good.

So, as Arnold says....."I'll be back....."