Justine Smith, florist extraordinaire.
Make your own Paper Petal Press
And then there are those flowers not of this world. By Malaysian artist Noreen Loh Hui Miun. More about her here and her Instagram.
We had a very good Easter here in the Miller house. We had a morning-Easter-basket-candy-sugar-high, followed by a few melt-downs, homemade cinnamon rolls. The kids took the dogs to the dog park for long walk and they came home made a delicious dinner.
For some reason I am hooked on Fruit Punch Gartorade and Hot Spicy V8 juice. I should make some raspberry ice tea. You know when you want something more than water ... well Coke or sweet fizzy drinks just don't do it for me now.
The day before I had bound off the sofa to save a bird from Oscar's mouth and pulled my back in the process. Bri grabbed up the little bird and we thought all might be well. So with Salonapas stuck to my back and the heating pad on high ... I stayed very still for a few days. Today is the most gorgeous, sunny day. It seems like everything started blooming at once.
Bri and Mason have gone shopping, leaves the house very quiet. The dogs are illegally sleeping on the front room sofa, waiting for them. I can hear the wind chimes, an airplane taking off, an fire engine coming down the hill. The house creaking a little bit. It is nice to be really quiet.
We had another family "talk" about the future. State Farm had called to inquire about my Life Insurance status and offered to give me some quotes. I took notes and talk to the kids about it later. It is very expensive. Bri asked exactly what would I be getting for and I said I guess mainly so you guys could pay off the house if there is anything to pay off, you know things like that. They both agreed it seems like a waste of money and both said, we are getting the house and what ever money is left over ... it will be enough. We did decide to talk to Fidelity about maybe taking a little bit monthly and putting it into a separate account for college funds. Which also brought me to circle around to the will, trust and all the end of-life documents, DNR and such. All of this conversation makes Matt very uncomfortable. Thankfully, Bri understands fully what I want.
I don't want to spend a lot of time thinking and talking about this stuff with the kids but I do want to make sure we are all clear on my wishes. We were caught so off-guard with David's sudden death. It is important to have these discussions.
My friend Elana just called. We check in with each other about once a week. Mainly to talk about the state of political upheaval. She is proud of my posting on FB every stupid little thing that trump has done. I do occasionally post some great art but normally I keep my FB open for my political rantings. I did really enjoy trump's bible sales infomercial. She wants to say, do more but she does not feel brave enough. Hey, I get it. She is Jewish and is feeling a little vulnerable right now. Really, anyone who isn't white or American, Christian should feel vulnerable right now in this country. I tell her ... I will post the outrageous stuff for YOU! I remember telling David I was going to quit FB and he said absolutely not! This is our Hitler's Germany moment ... and what have you always said about speaking up!
So if you ever want to follow me on FB to see the PISSED OFF kim version ... @kimberly.carney.artist/ ... come join my party. This first one is my favorite this week!
I love this guy's work - Daniel Martin Diaz. I sometimes wish I was just starting out filling my house with art. Problem now is I have NO wall space for art. But I can still enjoy it! Every inch of the art there is something interesting to see.
I have become addicted to red Gatorade! And spicy V-8 juice. I am so tired of drinking water all day ... I made the shrimp spaghetti last night. And I am going to make a quiche today. I have been waking up writing a childhood autobiography. I was thinking I would just write it out quickly for the future. Weird. Today is my "fun day" collecting the kids from school.
I ordered some sweat pants and sweat shirt off of Amazon and reminded ONCE AGAIN not to buy from China. They make clothes to fit small Asian women, with completely different body styles than I have. I guess I am going to have to do OUT there and shop. Bri says she will be my personal shopper.
I spent the weekend raging against msnbc hiring Ronna McDonald! Yes, you heard that right. The insurrectionist who still insists that something was not right during the election and tried to help certify the fake electors! So I am boycotting them. Although I read that Morning Joe came out against the decision this morning.
I miss putting my thoughts down for the future and walk up every morning thinking of stuff to write about. Then start doing dishes or something and forget.
trump's fines have been cut more than HALF this morning and his is why this asshole keeps doing his criminal activities ... because he gets away with it. When will this disgusting human be held accountable?
So is there ANYTHING that humans can not destroy ... until our world is just on the brink of disaster?
Joan Mitchell’s primary medium was oil paint on canvas, although she also created drawings and prints. Over the course of nearly five decades, she established a singular visual vocabulary rooted in gestural abstraction. Scribbled in colorful language!!!
I want a a big wallpaper like this in my place ... if I had a spot for it! 
I am back! Just had some homemade Indian food, talking to Bri about what is going on here and catching up with the dogs. AND the sun is shining.
I would love to own this book, Irma Boom's: The wild and wonderful SHV Think Book, a masterpiece of book design. I have found one used on for $8,000!
She also designed this book - Book, No. 5 Culture Chanel, 2013. The Amsterdam-based designer Irma Boom has made some innovative books, and a staggering 20 percent have found a home in a permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Arts.1 Such books are truly an experience — objects to be appreciated — even when they are technically vehicles for other artists. Indeed, Boom pushes the boundaries of bookmaking. In 2013, she completed a book commissioned by Chanel for its Chanel No. 5 perfume. This book is not printed, only embossed, in white. Would love to have this book too!
I laughed when I saw putin commenting on his landslide victory. When you eliminate all of your competition ... landslide victories are sure to follow.
Sorry I have just disappeared. I feel like I have emptied my mind all all thoughts the last week. I finally ran across something that interest me when I discovered Irma Boom ... then my laptop crapped out.
And she made smaller versions.
I bought a new laptop and spent a few days setting it up. In preparation for coming to watch Robin's dogs for a week+. So I have been here many days now and finally gotten around to see if I can acess blogger from here ... and it worked. It is so weird to competely turn your life off. I really just count hours before I can leave. I hate to do that because then I hear the seconds slowly click by in real time. I am on the end now. My friend is having a great time in France so that makes me happy.
Oh God, she has the most uncomfortable chairs. This is a smaller keyboard so I am making lots of mistakes. Not sure how great my new laptop is ... it keeps having issues.
I have watched lots of movies and series. This morning I ran across YouTube video about Art in Spain. And when I get my laptop to work I will share the video.
It had some great facts that I had forgotten about the Moors, Muslims, in Spain.
Agriculture has been one of the central pillars of development of the world’s great civilisations and the agriculture of Al-Andalus made a key contribution to the advance of wellbeing in the western world. Prior to the arrival of the Arabs in Spain, agriculture had been based on a trio of crops, namely cereals, olives and vines. When the Arabs settled in Spain, they greatly enriched local farming with the introduction of other cereals (rice, sorghum), other vegetables (aubergines, artichokes, spinach and cardoons), other fruit trees (almonds, fig trees, mulberries, date palms, and citrus fruits) and other textile plants (cotton, hemp). They also used aromatic, medicinal, and ornamental plants. We should not forget that the increased variety of plant species was accompanied by the development of new methods of cultivation and the expansion of irrigation systems. The Arabs also perfected new methods for catching and storing subterranean and surface water and developed systems for terracing, draining and improving land. All of these aspects are analysed in this collection of twelve essays in which different authors highlight the importance of the Arabic influence on western agriculture. More books on this subject can be consulted at the Alhambra Library.
More to come, I am going to work on my laptop connections,
I like to get up early and start drinking coffee around 7a so by the time I have wasted 2 hours on stupid us news ... I still have some of my day left.
Yesterday on the way to the grocery store I saw a man feeding walking and feeding crows from his pocket. The crows happily jumped around him as they meandered down the street. It made my day.
After coming back home, I change back into my sweatpants faster then you can say "Lucy, I'm hoooomeeee". Sadly, I can not stand to be properly dressed anymore. I need to change everyday to get back into the habit of being a real human.
I had Noah most of the weekend, the kids are busy working on their house. Mason went out of town with a friend and family to the mountains. Yesterday, after Mason returned and the kids were starting to argue, I thought God I am mentally exhausted and then realized IT WAS ONLY MONDAY.
Noah has been singing the same Taylor Swift song all weekend.
It has been a pretty depressing news cycle. But I did enjoy the $399 golden sneaker offer. And the right asking the ridiculous question ... why isn't Biden selling merchandise?
Navalny being murdered and trump comparing himself with his own legal self-made problems while tucker to praising russian grocery stores and putin. It is simply all unbelievable. And I don't think it can get any crazier. Except of course if trump wins and implements Project 2025 and dismantles the government.
The entire house has the crud. We are all sneezing.
It was David's birthday the other day. I keep having dreams about him and my mom and some wild creative dreams. I start getting settled in around 730p and usually drop off close to 9p. I take the kid's version of Melatonin.
Did I share the near psychotic episode after taking an "edible"? The kids swore it would help me go to sleep and relax. I tried 1/2 of a tablet one night while Kate was here. And we both had another a few nights later. I had deja vu for hours and it took all I had not to go into a panic attack. It was not my cup of tea to put it mildly. I can't explain exactly what I experienced but it was like the one and only acid trip I had. Something I never did again and this is something I will also never do again. As I explained to the kids, having that horrible feeling is not worth it.
One of the big dogs vomited this morning. Not on the carpet, thank you! But even before my first cup of coffee. Did I say I am planning a trip to see my SIL soon?
Even with my headphones on, I can hear when the cats are scratching my chair.
The house settled in eat nachos and watch the Superbowl for in honor of David. His team, KC Chiefs being there and all. The grand kids watched in case they got a glimpse of Taylor.
After they eeked out a victory this happened:
I did a little victory whoop in the family room and Noah ran in here and said ‘they won on our tv too!’
And of course we are all waiting for tucker to honor his "I am going to suicide if the Chiefs win". And people, lots of people are reminding him of his promise.
Threads is having some fun today with it. I spent most of the remainder o the night reading Threads comments and laughing.
Remember what Tucker Carlson said he was going to do if the Chiefs won? How’s that coming along, Tucker?
I missed tucker's ass-licking interview with putin, but apparently he LOVES it there. Just remind him NOT to get an apartment on a higher story and to stay away from windows. In case he loses favor with his second favorite dictator.
The GOP takes the question "How stupid can you get?" as a challenge.
It is time to start taxing the churches.
Noemi Ibarz, I have mentioned her before but her art makes me so happy.
