Wednesday's Drawing......

It may sound a little peculiar to most,

my idea of complete

relaxation

begins when I set down with my

pencils and watercolors....

It doesn't start there,

it happens when I begin

drawing

and the face of a woman from

the past, begins to appear

on my paper.

I never know how she will look,

or what she will be wearing.

Wednesday's woman wears a

crystal, heart shaped necklace.

-

I think there's a story

somewhere in this painting.

I know what your thinking

"Titantic"....right?

Hmmm.....

Hugs....Dee Dee

....double click on paintings to enlarge

The Visitor

The Visitor

arrived at my home via Netflix.

It is a wonderful piece, bringing together

some beautiful talent and great performances.

Walter, a college professor travels to

New York City to attend a conference....

I will tell you no more...other than it has

lovely humor, quiet wit at a meditative pace.

This movie takes a look at several different

aspects of humanity.

Not only did it touch my heart, it left

me wanting to play African drums.....

Why not have a look?

Good blessings......Dee Dee

They're back..........

Mistakingly, I left a bit of soil in the

bottom of the pot.....two years later,

they made their way up to the pot's surface,

crowding my lovely white Roses.

And, they are growing with a vengence!

-

I learned my lesson on this one.

Have you ever said that before?

-

I had grown tired of the

purple plants growing in my large

pots, tossed out most of the soil

and planted

white

"Knockout Roses."

The first year, the Roses thrived,

far meeting my expectations.

They were large, white and beautiful.

I posted photos of them often,

until

......one day,

they were back.

-

Why fight them, I thought....

White roses and tiny purple

flowers make a pretty

combination.

And, so they do...

-

On a warm summer day,

I do wish you well....Dee Dee

Cranford....again

Cranford

featured this past year

on Masterpiece Theater

was enjoyed by me

completely.

It is now on

my Netflix list

and the whole

series will be

coming to me

shortly.

Long a fan of

Dame Judi Dench,

she is part of a dream cast of Britain's best....

She plays a genteel "spinster"

Miss Matty, charming, sweet and shy.

Treat yourself to something really special

and watch Cranford.

-

.....Oh.....the painting??

If I'm thinking about it, somehow

I paint it....

Thinking of Dame Judi Dench today....

as.....Miss Matty.

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Macarons & Tea.....by Dee Dee

A Macaron is (the French word for Macaroon)

a sweet confectionary....

They are light, airy, fresh tasting,

melt in your mouth

cookies.

I am craving them!

Big mistake, to do a

Google search...

Let's just say,

NOW.....I am

craving

them

even

more!!

When I am out

and about,

I will satisfy

my

cravings....

Until then....I will

paint

what

I crave....

-

MACARONS!

sigh....Sunday afternoon happenings

Dee Dee

click on painting to enlarge

Now just imagine

this pretty thing

is hidden amongst

tall Nandina shrubs,

and in order to

see them

completely,

I had to squeeze

in between

the fence and

all sorts of plants.

I can see the tops

only, from the rest

of the garden.

So,

watching for spiders

and other

critters.....

I took my chances

in order to make

these

beautiful photos.

Gorgeous

fluffy

lavender

Crape Myrtle

blossoms.

-

I do not ask for jewels,

for I have eyes that see the

moon, the stars,

the flowers,

the growing of a tree.

~Eleanor M. Torchia

-

For I'm the Lord's own child.....

Dee Dee

click on photos to enlarge...

.....she chased after the seagulls

Of rocks I search for beauty there.....

There's beauty there upon the shore

Not only rocks but so much more.

There's beauty in the scenery,

Of windswept beach, and I am free....

~Clayton G. Moseley

-

When she called today,

she laughed while

speaking of the

children...

(she has four little ones....)

they were

all hot, sticky and

covered in beach sand.

-

She was six years old

when we first came

to the Gulf Coast.

The beach was

new and

fascinating.

She became

an explorer

or sorts.....

searching

beneath sea rocks

and

looking inside shells

for sea creatures.

And yes....

she

chased after

seagulls,

learning

not

to feed them....

My....I'm

having sweet memories of her....

thus, the painting shown.

Hugs.....Dee Dee

Inspired...

Bougainvillea

Mandevilla

At one time, we had pink Mandevilla

growing all along the fence in the

courtyard portion of our garden.

Cold weather did

irreparable damage and

they are no longer.

The same with the beautiful

Bougainvillea that grew

for many years,

trimmed to

grow in an umbrella shape

ah.....so pretty

It was my pride and joy.....

until, one year, it

became completely infested with

tiny green worms.

Nothing would keep them away,

and the Mister, sadly

removed the badly

damaged plant

from the garden.

Other pretty tropicals now

grow in their places.

Alas, I still remember,

and do so miss

the

lovely

pinks

of the

Bougainvillea

and the Mandevilla.

-

It is with them in mind

that this little painting

came to be.

-

Blessings.....Dee Dee

Think On This.....

Tides

Life-a tide, with an ebb and a flow,

tossing you high, smashing you low.

Sometimes you ride on the crest of the wave;

Sometimes-in the pit of a bottomless cave.........

-

I hope that life's more than a coming and going,

more than a storm-battered undertowing-

only touching the shoreline and never the shore.

Surely life is a promise, not mystic lore:

a chance to aim and to reach for the sun,

gaining strength from trials tenaciously won;

holding a towline to others "at sea,"

adrift in the tide of humanity.

~Barbara A. McDowell

-

During these past few weeks, I've

been tossed a few towlines

and for this I am

most grateful.

Love and hugs......Dee Dee

A Napping Place

A place with soft lighting...

A place with the fragrance

of fresh air dried

cotton embroidered

pillow cases...

A place that has a

bedside table to hold

a favorite book....

-

The guest room

is a perfect place for

napping.

-

"The Nap Taker"

No, I did not take a nap

The nap-took-me

off the bed and out the window

far beyong the sea......

~Sheldon Allen Silverstein

-

Blessings......Dee Dee

A Single Daisy

A single Gerbera Daisy

placed into an

old vintage

blue

Ball jar

-

One

favorite

old

Sony digital

camera

enabling me to

perform

magic,

with

hardly

any effort at all,

in

producing

lovely posting

photos.

-

Recouping quite nicely....Dee Dee

....needing encouragement?

.....ah yes.....God places "them" close by

when we need encouragement.

In recent times my dear friend

has undergone cancer treatment.

It was then she received the following

from her niece.......and has now

sent this beautiful message along to me.

-

She was at the hospital before 6:00 am

this morning, and

in her hands, a gift for me.

"Handmade Florentine Soaps"

Lily of the Valley

Made in Italy

-

Relaxing at home, after surgery,

....I read her little note.

-

Here is the reason for this special fragrance-"Consider the lilies,

how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even

Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then

God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is

thrown in the oven, how much more will He clothe you..." Luke 12: 27-28

-

Dee Dee, each time you smell the Lily fragrance, may it remind you that

God is paying attention to every detail of your life. He is attending to

your needs, He is aware of your fears, He is moved by your emotions, and

He hears your prayers. If simple flowers that fade captivate His thoughts,

how much more are you on His Mind every moment of each day and night.

So when you're feeling discouraged or losing hope, smell the beautiful

fragrance of the soap. Bathe your hands and lift them to your face to

enjoy the magnificent scent. May the Lily scent draw you to hope. May it

remind you that He, The Lily of the valley, is with you. May his fragrance

linger in the air as you fold your hands to pray. May the fragrance remind

you of Him and His presence.

-

So, my dear friends and family,

I send this along to you,

knowing that we all,

from time to time,

might need

this encouragement.

Lord bless.....Dee Dee

Sweet Mourning Doves

I'm thinking happy thoughts....

and that is helped sometimes by

my reading one of Jan Karon's books.

Last evening, while re-reading

At Home in Mitford....

Father Tim shared this passage

from the Holy Bible with

a church member,

for encouragement.

I thought it appropriate

for me as this day begins,

with an early appointment at the hospital.

-

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength

of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

For in the time of trouble He shall hide

me in his pavilion; in the secret of his

tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me

upon a rock. Wait on the Lord;

be of good courage, and He shall

strengthen thine heart.Wait, I say

on the Lord."

~Psalm of David

Trusting Him .....Dee Dee

Remembering Beatrix

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits,

and their names were....

Flopsy,

Mopsy,

Cotton-tail,

and Peter

They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank,

underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.....

-

I'm remembering Beatrix this evening

......how she had such a good rapport with

children. Never having forgotten her own

childhood delights, she knew what

would interest and amuse her

young readers.

She kept her spirit of childlike wonder.

I suppose those are some of the

attributes we both have in common.

In this little painting, I'm imagining

her story

might have come from just

such a setting as this.

I think Beatrix would be

amazed and quite pleased

that nearly everyone

has heard of Peter Rabbit.
-

I'm focusing on happy thoughts

this evening,

and I hope they continue through

the morrow.....

Hugs....Dee Dee

A Place Of Serenity

.....taking my time to notice

the new landscaping,

I walked slowly through the

palm trees and the Sea Grapes.

I could see up ahead the

calm Gulf waters

colored this day,

a pale aqua......milky

and cloudy, with shades of green.

The tide was high,

the sky was overcast,

and the prediction rain,

for a storm was further out

in the ocean

....now headed

our way.

Nevermind.....

for now we were in our

place of serenity,

a place free from tension.

-

"Lord, we could be here all

day, thanking You for this place."

-

Make your day happy!.... Dee Dee

My curiosity revealed these.....

......oh so pretty

the

bouquet of

flowers.

-

Then....

a closer look

revealed

these tiny blooms.

Although

buried deep within

floral splendor......

they

simply qualified

as "filler"

click on photos and be amazed

-

"It is the sweet, simple things

of life which are the real ones

after all." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

-

Hugs....Dee Dee

On My Desk To Read

Oddly enough, I found out about this

little magazine a few weeks ago,

and prescribed to it. It came in

the mail yesterday, at a

wonderfully opportune time.

I will proceed to read each

article in it's entirety

now that I am bound

to my home, with

no other choice

than to relax and

rest.

-

In reading ....

"ABOUT THIS ISSUE"

...there's a line in an old World War I

song that urged people to prepare for the

then-impending struggle in Europe:

"So, prepare, say a prayer."

I feel the saying appropriate for these times as well....

-

......article

"Remembering Miep Gies

Anne Frank 's protector

dies at 100.

Having re-read The Diary of Anne Frank

in recent times...I found this very interesting.

....article

Eye On The Middle East

.....article

When Messiah Reigns

-

With anti-Semitism on the rise, it is

important for me as a Christian woman

to understand God's plan for the Jewish

and Gentile people and the promises

He makes in His Word.

-

Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.

www.foi.org

-

Be blessed this day.....

Shalom.....Dee Dee

.....because she is an Angel

....you would instantly love her

for

her heart is pure and kind.

She is an earthly Angel,

to many

and my day was made

more special by her

thoughfulness.

-

"I wanted to send you

Lilacs, Mom.

I was told it was

an impossibility in Florida."

So, I believe she sent

me every single flower

she thought I might enjoy

and

they are all beautiful.

The next few postings

will consist of

"floral spectacular,

extraordinary"

compliments of my

daughter and a

favorite ole Sony

digital camera.

-

Blessings.....Dee Dee

......they're from my Beloved

.....for my birthday.

-

The card from my dear friend read...

This birthday will

certainly be memorable, as it comes during

this most challenging time of your life.

But, I know you will have a "wing ding"

celebration of LIFE!

-

All week long I've received

cards, filled with

happy thoughts and birthday wishes

In addition....

reminders of sweet prayers

for me.....

The phone calls

from my children blessed my heart.

The grandchildren sang to me,

and I think I detected

each little individual voice.

.....I'm quite sure of the

two year old

"Happy birthday dear "Booteeee"

happy birthday to you...."
My

beloved

is ordering Chinese food..

we will have candle light

and birthday cake.

Feeling blessed this evening....

and from my heart I thank you all.

-

Love & Hugs.....Dee Dee

Painting my feelings....

I'm missing......

walks on the beach, the squawking

noises of rowdy Sea Gulls,

the clashing sounds of

waves ....

feeling the sand between my toes...

while I search for treasured and

special sea shells...

These

are

some things

I

look

forward to

in the days

ahead.

I continue on my journey.....

-

Fear less, hope more;

Love more,

And all good things will be yours.

~Swedish proverb

-

Hugs.....Dee Dee

Cottage Crape Myrtles

I am blessed....this beautiful thing,

a fuchsia Crape Myrtle,

is growing in my front yard....

It has been one of the last to bloom.

Exclaiming mightily ......

"Welcome to the Cottage!"

I'll be enjoying

these magnificent blooms

all

summer

long!

-

It's all I have to bring today,

This, and my heart beside,

This, and my heart, and all the fields,

And all the meadows wide.

Be sure you count, should I forget

Some one the sum could tell...

This, and my heart, and all the bees

Which in the clover dwell.

~Emily Dickinson

-

Blessings....Dee Dee

It's working quite nicely......

Don't you know....

it's working quite nicely, this

passing of time.

This fascination I have

with painting women

from days gone by

is coming in handy.

It'll be a while before

I can go about my

regular activities...

but you know,

holding pencils and paint

brushes takes little or

no effort at all.

My creative efforts

will not be in vain, for

I have a feeling

some of you might

just see familiar

faces

on thank you cards......real soon.

Love & Hugs.....Dee Dee