All the usual fun!

 The pool this morning was nice, even if the water was 90F.  No one was there but us!











This is my latest, #966, and it's going to London. I sure hope it gets there. I like the poem - "For Sure! The wind felt immensely pleased."  I pick up pieces of text randomly and somehow they make lovely poems, these random bits. Do you ever do that? Let randomness take over for a little while! See what happens.

I made a bean salad on 3 July. It's a classic. I posted the recipe on my food blog here. It is sooo good, we've hardly any left and it's only the 6th!
Make this and let me know how you like it, okay?

Okay, it's still hot here. What's it like in your area?

Just sayin' - HOT!

 I made another card for Angie's call for dog related mail art for her exhibit on shelter pups. The previous card arrived but one of the pups on it had lost it's head! I hope these two make it. Notice: I couldn't resist putting dots on it.

Just sayin'  - HOT!!

a postscript to my birthday

 I forgot to post this in my birthday Day post - here's what I'm getting for my birthday from N. and J. We saw the movie Brave together the other night and I said, "oh, I'd love to have the doll of that brave girl" or something to that effect. "I want" was the operative phrase. And I'm getting it! So cute!

Happy 3rd day of July. It's hot, so what else is new? How's the weather where you are? Is it chilly anywhere? At least looking at the water make me feel cooler.

No complaints here, we have power. Some of our friends are still without it. We've offered shelter, and a/c, and water. Y'all come on over!

Birthday day, mail art & sky

 My birthdays are always nice. I have no expectations and I'm never disappointed. Oh, that's not true, once I went to lunch with a bunch of people on that day and it was a big noisy bunch and it wasn't about me! ha ha ha After that, I decided that on my day, I'd do whatever I wanted even if it was nothing but it'd be about ME! ha ha ha
I made a couple of pieces of Mail Art. This rather fussy one for Dean, with a moveable part, which I hope makes it through the mail.

 Using some more of the sunflower scraps, this makes me think of how hot it is here.

 Here's a not very good photo of my birthday cake. It was a Key Lime cake. It was delicious! We shared this one piece 'cause we were so full of delicious Indian food at Lehja.  The food really is very good.

 When we left the restaurant and looked up, the sky was like a Maxfield Parrish painting. We were entranced by it.

 My birthday sky, just for me, we all decided. Oh yes, for one evening, the sky, just for me.

N. decided to chase down the sunset. He drove to an area that was slightly higher (we are a fairly flat area) and got this view. Doesn't it look like a big squiggle?  Of course, my camera couldn't possibly capture the real thing.

How was the sky in your area last night?

Some of my favorite things

Mail

Books!

My back garden

sock monkeys

Sock Monkeys: I made the one in the background for my friend and when she died, he came back to me. He's very old. The one in front was made by a student a MICA (Maryland Institute and College of Art) and I couldn't resist buying it, with it's little hot glue tear by it's eye.

My piano

NRRA salt water pool

My studio & making Mail Art

typewriter

 I brought my old machine out recently and was able to get new ink ribbons for it. It reminds me of other times and places and is fun to use, though I have to relearn how to use it - sloooowly I type my words.

violets

Mail Art & more

 I purchased a wonderful book of sunflower photos at the thrift store for $2, and yesterday, while my honey was teaching his collage workshop, I cut envelopes out of the photos.
Today, I used some of the left over bits to add to my dotty mail art.

 I can't stop punching holes in paper!! When will it end! I have some other ideas for mail art but, I think I'm punch-drunk, or have punch mania. ja ja ja

 I now have a second bird feeder. A round pale yellow one and the birds didn't have any trouble finding it. I snapped this photo with my phone through the kitchen window. The round one has birds in it and the orange rectangular one has a squirrel in it!  Here's where I got the bird feeders - Modern Artifacts.  Food for all on this very hot day. At this moment 99F/37C.

Here are the two Flat Rate Boxes that I've got packed up, almost packed up, to send to some soldiers. I'll send these in honor of the 4th of July, American celebration of Independence, hoping that our troops will come home soon. You can send books and treats to the troops in various ways, in the U.S. by joining Books for Soldiers.  

Mail Art, of course, and a tea bag!

 Oh dear, you can't see where the card ends and the back ground begins, oh well. It's a 4" x 6" piece of dotty mail art! My honey likes it so I might keep it for his birthday card, oh right, I should mail it to him!

 This hand and foot bit fit so nicely with this card, I just had to break away from JUST DOTS. In fact, as I look at this more, I'm quite fond of it. I could mail it to myself! Oh no, it'll go to someone.

 This is Mail Art #960! 40 more to go for 1000 since 01 Dec. 2010. When should I stop numbering? What do you think? Your opinion counts.
With this one, I like that the gray and the pale violet are the almost the same value and the boundaries are soft, as opposed to the yellow with the pale violet.

I re-opened my Etsy shop FritziMim, after a long hiatus. I've put a few bags in it, including a vintage Tea Towel bag. A TEA BAG! Get it? You can see my stuff at FritziMim.