Mobi365 ValeriGail's Project 365 - 2017 - Life, the gaining back of....

[RoseCat]

Here ya go...

The original

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The original with a curious cat on it [emoji16]

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Beautiful!!
And oh look at that sweet expression of bliss.

 

[lisamjw]

Found a box of cats hiding behind my kitchen door [emoji6]

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They're precious!

Grey

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This is a series taken of an abstract painting I did back in 2012, just with the color removed.

I love that these black and white images focus on the textures of your painting!

 

[Starzee]

Found a box of cats hiding behind my kitchen door [emoji6]

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Cats and boxes..... What is it that makes them leap into a box as soon as they see it?

 

[zenjenny]

Found a box of cats hiding behind my kitchen door [emoji6]

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As you do. Nothing quite as endearing as a tangle of kitties.

My pragmatic side hopes they are relatively easy to toilet train !

Grey

I do like these, Valeri - and quite entranced at the idea of selecting from a larger abstract piece. Any enlargements to make these separate pieces? Original looks like oil? Or generously-applied, nicely-textured acrylic ? To my eye, the textures have translated into interesting and quite subtle images. Even the palette works well - again subtle, but enough difference to maintain the sense of shape and movement. I don't think I'm keen on the frames, though - hard to tell without seeing alternatives. Do you have white or black or other colour versions of the frames?

Have you seen this comp? I'm on their mailing list mainly because their 'art crit' writing has to be seen to be believed (check wrapups of their previous comps). To be fair, it's not strictly a competition: they're quite upfront about it being a 'call to [pay to] send us images we might want to exhibit' - I haven't submitted anything so I haven't checked the fine print.

 

[zenjenny]

Cats and boxes..... What is it that makes them leap into a box as soon as they see it?

No idea myself - but I love watching it )

Bryan Gardiner wrote about some relevant research and a couple of books on Wired a couple of years ago . . . Some cute pics, too

I'll put this link in the pets thread too

 

[ValeriGail]

As you do. Nothing quite as endearing as a tangle of kitties.

My pragmatic side hopes they are relatively easy to toilet train !




I do like these, Valeri - and quite entranced at the idea of selecting from a larger abstract piece. Any enlargements to make these separate pieces? Original looks like oil? Or generously-applied, nicely-textured acrylic ? To my eye, the textures have translated into interesting and quite subtle images. Even the palette works well - again subtle, but enough difference to maintain the sense of shape and movement. I don't think I'm keen on the frames, though - hard to tell without seeing alternatives. Do you have white or black or other colour versions of the frames?

Have you seen this comp? I'm on their mailing list mainly because their 'art crit' writing has to be seen to be believed (check wrapups of their previous comps). To be fair, it's not strictly a competition: they're quite upfront about it being a 'call to [pay to] send us images we might want to exhibit' - I haven't submitted anything so I haven't checked the fine print.

It's acrylic with mediums mixed in for added texture. Along with fabric paint (the puffy kind), used as a heavy medium. It works surprisingly well and is quite cost affective. The base texture is gesso. All of it was completely finger painted.

I've been too nervous to work with oils. I'm not sure how they would effect my health, so I've stayed with acrylics and other water based things.

There's no resizing in the photos. I just got up close and personal with the painting. [emoji6] it's 24x24, so a nice sized canvas to play with. I shot them in Hipstamatic on random, fell in love with the first one posted and edited the others to match. The frame is on the film, I think. I hadn't thought about trying other frames, though I'm not crazy about this one either. Lol. I was captivated by the textures as the focal point and didn't really pay attention to the frame.

I've yet to submit my paintings (or photos) to galleries or contests. I'm too chicken sh!t to do it. [emoji51]

I haven't painted in quite some time. I miss it. These photos, and others of some of my other paintings, have been a way for me to create, or recreate, to try and appease that longing. It works for the moment, but I miss the tactile mess involved in actual paint.

 

[Starzee]

No idea myself - but I love watching it )

Bryan Gardiner wrote about some relevant research and a couple of books on Wired a couple of years ago . . . Some cute pics, too

I'll put this link in the pets thread too

Interesting and funny. I love the big cat in the little box.

 

[ValeriGail]

If I fits, I sits...

The little one is Chester (chester cheetah) and the big one is Hobbit. Hobbit is our anti-social dominant male. He doesn't like hugs, kisses, or really affection of any kind. Unless he initiates. His idea of cuddling is laying on the same bed as you with about a mile of distance between him and anyone. EXCEPT with the kittens. For whatever reason, he's decided that these kittens are his favorite things ever and encourages kitty piles and snuggle times. It's adorable.

Chester is almost blind. His poor eyes have been a big issue since the beginning. We are having to put drops in them several times a day and constantly clean his poor face. He hates every moment of it. When the weather is wet or super humid (like all of summer here), they get worse. He can track, for the most part, and see things up close but has to use his ears/sound to locate us if we are more than a few feet away. He can't/won't jump from any height and gets confused at times. But despite that, he is the most cuddly and affectionate of the bunch. Simply a beautiful creature.

 

[tommy71k]

If I fits, I sits...

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The little one is Chester (chester cheetah) and the big one is Hobbit. Hobbit is our anti-social dominant male. He doesn't like hugs, kisses, or really affection of any kind. Unless he initiates. His idea of cuddling is laying on the same bed as you with about a mile of distance between him and anyone. EXCEPT with the kittens. For whatever reason, he's decided that these kittens are his favorite things ever and encourages kitty piles and snuggle times. It's adorable.

Chester is almost blind. His poor eyes have been a big issue since the beginning. We are having to put drops in them several times a day and constantly clean his poor face. He hates every moment of it. When the weather is wet or super humid (like all of summer here), they get worse. He can track, for the most part, and see things up close but has to use his ears/sound to locate us if we are more than a few feet away. He can't/won't jump from any height and gets confused at times. But despite that, he is the most cuddly and affectionate of the bunch. Simply a beautiful creature.

Haha,original names for your cats

 

[lisamjw]

If I fits, I sits...

View attachment 97640

The little one is Chester (chester cheetah) and the big one is Hobbit. Hobbit is our anti-social dominant male. He doesn't like hugs, kisses, or really affection of any kind. Unless he initiates. His idea of cuddling is laying on the same bed as you with about a mile of distance between him and anyone. EXCEPT with the kittens. For whatever reason, he's decided that these kittens are his favorite things ever and encourages kitty piles and snuggle times. It's adorable.

Chester is almost blind. His poor eyes have been a big issue since the beginning. We are having to put drops in them several times a day and constantly clean his poor face. He hates every moment of it. When the weather is wet or super humid (like all of summer here), they get worse. He can track, for the most part, and see things up close but has to use his ears/sound to locate us if we are more than a few feet away. He can't/won't jump from any height and gets confused at times. But despite that, he is the most cuddly and affectionate of the bunch. Simply a beautiful creature.

I love that you're taking such good care of Chester!! It's like you've created a cat sanctuary for all your furry orphans.

 

[ValeriGail]

These dudes came and dug up my yard today [emoji33]

The septic is being replaced on Monday and they were laying pipe for sprinklers.

We've had to be extra careful about water usage since moving in back in march. The septic wasn't/couldn't function properly. I'm looking forward to the work being done, but am now mourning the loss of such a pretty lawn. With this being summer, I probably won't see new grass till spring.

See even Ruby (my dog) is like "wth happened to the yard!" Haha

 

[ValeriGail]

Good Morning.... I actually walked this morning. [emoji33] felt good but too exhausting for such a little walk. Baby steps.

There was fog in the distance. It covers the dam that separates the lake and bottom part of Trinity river. Usually you can see it from where I am, but not this morning.

This is currently what my front yard looks like. the septic is in and running, but they won't fully cover it till Thursday.

 

[lisamjw]

Good Morning.... I actually walked this morning. [emoji33] felt good but too exhausting for such a little walk. Baby steps.

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There was fog in the distance. It covers the dam that separates the lake and bottom part of Trinity river. Usually you can see it from where I am, but not this morning.
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This is currently what my front yard looks like. the septic is in and running, but they won't fully cover it till Thursday.
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So glad to hear that you were able to go walking this morning! I love your shots of the lake.

 

[ubbyisis]

These dudes came and dug up my yard today [emoji33]

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The septic is being replaced on Monday and they were laying pipe for sprinklers.

We've had to be extra careful about water usage since moving in back in march. The septic wasn't/couldn't function properly. I'm looking forward to the work being done, but am now mourning the loss of such a pretty lawn. With this being summer, I probably won't see new grass till spring.

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See even Ruby (my dog) is like "wth happened to the yard!" Haha

I know the feeling [emoji851] Here they are digging to put down river cables in all the gardens. Will be great to get fast internet but... And today they cut our power cable again by mistake.

 

[ubbyisis]

I know the feeling [emoji851] Here they are digging to put down river cables in all the gardens. Will be great to get fast internet but... And today they cut our power cable again by mistake.

NOT river cables. Should have been fiber. Autocorrect...

 

[ubbyisis]

Good Morning.... I actually walked this morning. [emoji33] felt good but too exhausting for such a little walk. Baby steps.

View attachment 97790

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There was fog in the distance. It covers the dam that separates the lake and bottom part of Trinity river. Usually you can see it from where I am, but not this morning.
View attachment 97792


This is currently what my front yard looks like. the septic is in and running, but they won't fully cover it till Thursday.
View attachment 97793

Congratulations ValeriGail I still feel happily amazed that I can walk again even if over a year has passed since I took the first walk after my long confinement to beds and chairs. I hope you too will keep that happy feeling for long. It makes the walks more enjoyable. Good luck!

 

[ValeriGail]

NOT river cables. Should have been fiber. Autocorrect...

Oooh fiber! Talking about cable fiber lines makes me euphoric. Lol. I will probably never see them here where I am, but I can certainly dream... or live vicariously through those who get them!

We once had a cable company install some lines (that we thought were fiber at the time, we were wrong) in the neighborhood I just moved out of. They busted the water lines constantly, and so badly that it took months to repair. I came out of my house one day, headed to pick the kids up from school, to find an 8 foot deep whole in my front yard with a man standing in it. They had busted the water line right at my water meter. My water bill was around $300 and the water company said they had no idea what I was talking about.. they never showed up to fix anything broken at my house *wink* *wink*. Turns out, the lines were for a new pump station they (the water company) were putting in. All their computer crap for it to run on. Most disappointing.

But for a little bit there, we were hopeful. Lol

 

[ValeriGail]

Congratulations ValeriGail I still feel happily amazed that I can walk again even if over a year has passed since I took the first walk after my long confinement to beds and chairs. I hope you too will keep that happy feeling for long. It makes the walks more enjoyable. Good luck!

This is the longest I've been "down", ever. I've had longer bouts of being ill (though, admittedly not this ill), but I wasn't fully confined. The longer I'm down, the harder it feels to get back any sort of progress. At times I feel quite overwhelmed with it. I don't want to be physically restrained by my disabilities at all (I desperately miss my freedom to walk miles in the woods), yet breaking from it seems impossible most days. BUT then there comes a day that for whatever reason, that one day doesn't feel like too much and it seems simple to just try. Try to walk, try to get out of the house, try to do the dishes. If I didn't have those days, I'm not sure I'd make it through this.

 

[ubbyisis]

Oooh fiber! Talking about cable fiber lines makes me euphoric. Lol. I will probably never see them here where I am, but I can certainly dream... or live vicariously through those who get them!

We once had a cable company install some lines (that we thought were fiber at the time, we were wrong) in the neighborhood I just moved out of. They busted the water lines constantly, and so badly that it took months to repair. I came out of my house one day, headed to pick the kids up from school, to find an 8 foot deep whole in my front yard with a man standing in it. They had busted the water line right at my water meter. My water bill was around $300 and the water company said they had no idea what I was talking about.. they never showed up to fix anything broken at my house *wink* *wink*. Turns out, the lines were for a new pump station they (the water company) were putting in. All their computer crap for it to run on. Most disappointing.

But for a little bit there, we were hopeful. Lol

Oh, that sounds like something from some crazy movie. Isn't it strange that almost everyone messes up with almost everything. Sometimes I think the technical development has made everything so complicated and the humans who are supposed to handle it haven't kept up the pace. Time for the robots for real perhaps.
Today we have had technical issues again. Seems the rain (quite ordinary rain though) had made water come down in som critical holes in the ground. We were without telephone and internet, but only for a few hours.

 

[ValeriGail]

Meet the teacher day for the kids was Thursday. My three youngest are all now in junior high school [emoji33].


Heading into the school...

We were early to the event by 30 minutes. Yet, the cafeteria was still completely full by the time we got in there. This is the 6th grade orientation.

We figured out very quickly that something was up with the air conditioning. It was incredibly hot in the building. This is only a third (or less) of the people that were running around during the event. All three grades were "meeting teachers" at the same time. (Really just getting schedules and finding where each class is located, meeting the teacher may not have happened for all.) So students, parents and some siblings all crowded into a school with no air, in august.. in Texas. [emoji33][emoji29][emoji91]. Omg it was seriously miserable. Did I mention there were stairs. Lots of them. Ok, only three but I had to climb them four times!!! I'm still recovering. Seriously.

One of the twins waiting

My daughter refusing to let me take her picture. Jokes on her, I wanted a picture of that paper anyway [emoji12]

 

[ubbyisis]

Meet the teacher day for the kids was Thursday. My three youngest are all now in junior high school [emoji33].


Heading into the school...
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We were early to the event by 30 minutes. Yet, the cafeteria was still completely full by the time we got in there. This is the 6th grade orientation.
View attachment 97937

We figured out very quickly that something was up with the air conditioning. It was incredibly hot in the building. This is only a third (or less) of the people that were running around during the event. All three grades were "meeting teachers" at the same time. (Really just getting schedules and finding where each class is located, meeting the teacher may not have happened for all.) So students, parents and some siblings all crowded into a school with no air, in august.. in Texas. [emoji33][emoji29][emoji91]. Omg it was seriously miserable. Did I mention there were stairs. Lots of them. Ok, only three but I had to climb them four times!!! I'm still recovering. Seriously.

One of the twins waiting
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My daughter refusing to let me take her picture. Jokes on her, I wanted a picture of that paper anyway [emoji12]
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[ubbyisis]

What a challenging day! You must be glad it is over. But the photos are great [emoji106]

 

[lisamjw]

Meet the teacher day for the kids was Thursday. My three youngest are all now in junior high school [emoji33].


Heading into the school...
View attachment 97936


We were early to the event by 30 minutes. Yet, the cafeteria was still completely full by the time we got in there. This is the 6th grade orientation.
View attachment 97937

We figured out very quickly that something was up with the air conditioning. It was incredibly hot in the building. This is only a third (or less) of the people that were running around during the event. All three grades were "meeting teachers" at the same time. (Really just getting schedules and finding where each class is located, meeting the teacher may not have happened for all.) So students, parents and some siblings all crowded into a school with no air, in august.. in Texas. [emoji33][emoji29][emoji91]. Omg it was seriously miserable. Did I mention there were stairs. Lots of them. Ok, only three but I had to climb them four times!!! I'm still recovering. Seriously.

One of the twins waiting
View attachment 97938

My daughter refusing to let me take her picture. Jokes on her, I wanted a picture of that paper anyway [emoji12]
View attachment 97939

Nice photos and how can all three be in junior high school already?!?! And, what's up with no AC in Texas in August?!?!

 

[ValeriGail]

Love [emoji173]️ is in the air......

We have a hurricane hitting this weekend... if the wings of these bugs could cause a stir, they could blow it off course. Unfortunately, all they seem good for is annoyance.

It's 1st week of school here. Mornings have been crazy as we adjust to actually waking up before noon (ha! Teenagers [emoji849]). No 1st day pictures for me, the kids all think they are too old now. But they can't stop me from taking a pic of the bus as it drives them away. Then it was off to the house for me to go back to bed! Ha! Sometimes it's great being the mom. Lol

 

[ValeriGail]

Have no idea why that posted twice. Strange things on a strange day. [emoji51]