"Four Black Squares..."

...mounted in my square white zen journal

drawn lead free

while trying out some new metallic pens

on black paper.

Question:

Has anyone else had trouble scanning

black paper??

(Check out all the streaks especially in the lower right square.)

Drats!

Any suggestions are welcomed!

"Swirls and Curls..."

...dots and dabs...

and all kinds of silly frilly things...

drawn in my zen journal

during a beautiful February snowfall

while we were

in Illinois...then

flipped for fun in Microsoft Editor.

It was a sheer delight to do!

(Both the drawing and the flipping! LOL :)...)

“Begin doing what you want to do now.

We are not

living in eternity.

We have only this moment,

sparkling like a star in our hand-

and

melting like a snowflake...”
~Francis Bacon, Sr.

English Lawyer and Philosopher. 1561-1626

"Oh, Those Wickness Girls...:)"

...What beautiful hearts...what beautiful souls.

In Memoriam:
Lillian Mae Wickness Krahenbuhl
June 14, 1920...February 26, 2007

and her sister

Eleanor Gertrude Wickness Randall

June 3, 1915...February 22, 2010

♥
We love you

and miss you each and every day.

♥

"A ministering angel shall my sister be."

~William Shakespeare

♥

"In the night of death, hope sees a star,

and

listening love can hear the rustle of a wing."

~Robert Ingersoll

"Food for Thought..."

"Only as high as I reach...can I GROW,

only as far as I seek...can I GO,

only as deep as I look...can I SEE,

only as much as I dream...

can I BE."
~Karen Ravn

For JGL...♥...Shine on, Girlfriend!

"One Thing..."

...leads to another...:)

Illustration Friday: "Propagate"

"Why don't they:

Do what they say, say what they mean

One thing leads to another...

You told me something wrong,

I know I listen too long

But then one thing leads to another.

One thing leads to another

Yeah yeah

One thing...

one one thing

leads to a...na...a...a...ther

One thing...

one one thing

leads to a...na..a...a..ther..."

~Lyrics By: Agius, Curnin, Greenall, West-Oram, Woods

"One Thing Leads to Another"

Recorded by : The Fixx

1983

"Bunches of Blooms..."

...in multiple color palettes

for a beautiful "Blooming Tuesday"

taste of Spring!

These photos were taken yesterday

while I was "out and about"

running errands at our local Arizona Target.

May your errands today

bring a spring to your step and a blossom

to your heart. :)

♥

"Join Me..."

...for cocktails, music, and appetizers

while strolling

through the Desert Botanical Garden

in Phoenix by starlight

and seeing night blooming cacti

in all their glory...

and

beautifully lit sculptures

by 20th century American Indian artist

Allan Houser...:)

Click here for all the "Spiked" details.

Now, wouldn't this be a memorable activity!!!???
(Must remember to bring your sketchbook, too!)

Happy Cactus Monday!

"Some Sunday Sunshine..."

...digitally captured

this very morning while awaiting

a table for brunch....

and sent through cyberspace to you!

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,

always bring your own

sunshine.”
~Anthony J. D'Angelo

"A Few More Bits..."

...from my Illinois travel sketchbook...:)

(Click on any image to enlarge...)

A snowy view...

An very commonplace airport gate scene...

and

A life sized ad for Halls cough drops

hanging directly across from our gate waiting area

complete

with a poor fellow with bleary swollen eyes

and a red stuffy nose.

Ah Choo!

That's the Midwest in winter for ya!

LOL :)

"O, wind,

if winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Adrift..."

...in an infinite sea of white puffy clouds

floating somewhere over Iowa

my Muse's thoughts

sought safe harbor in the point of my

trusty Pitt pen.

This drawing was the result.

I was so intent on keeping a steady, smooth hand

during the drawing process

that I did not even notice that people in my row,

on both sides of the aisle even,

were watching me draw.

Good thing I was oblivious

and

artfully adrift in my own little world.

Drawn aboard

USAir...Flight 1...Phoenix to Chicago...02.07.10...

then colored at "home" in Illinois.

Illustration Friday: "Adrift"

“Twenty years from now

you will be more disappointed by the things

that you didn’t do

than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream.

Discover.”

~Mark Twain

"Beautiful Mail Art..."

...From Julie in Florida...

...from Melody in Utah...
From Debi in Illinois...
from Sabrina in Canada...

from Dana in Michigan...
from Lisa in Indiana...
from Anne in the U.K.
and from Carey in California!
(click on any image to enlarge...)
What a treat to have these mini art pieces
awaiting
my homecoming!
It's soooo good to be back in the warmth of
Arizona...
and back to the flow of an everyday
routine...:)

"Up, Up, and Away..."

(Click on any image to enlarge...)

...A few recent travel sketches...

drawn lead free...

from my Illinois travel sketchbook/journal.

These were drawn on my lap

while awaiting

departure of our early morning flight

from Phoenix to Chicago

last week.

I love travelling with my sketchbook! :)

Watercolor

was added after I returned to Arizona.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans,

and is not intent

on arriving.”
~Lao Tzu

"Some Blooming Color..."

...to wash away the grays and the blues

of a long snowy winter.

One day

last week in the U.S.

there was measurable snowfall reported

in 49 of the 50 states!!!

Enough is enough!

This post is for all of you who need a blast of

color to get your artistic mojo

in creative gear

again.

Think in COLOR!

I hope this blooming Tuesday surprises

you with a bright festive palette

where you might least

expect it!

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
~Marcus Aurelius

"Two...For Two...Today..."

Why??? Well first,

in weekly celebration of Cactus Monday...

and

then secondly...(drum roll please)

to celebrate the

2nd year

blogiversary of my Waterblossoms Blog!

WooHOO!!!

(My Muse scampers about...barefooted...

and scantily dressed...

tossing flower petals into the air.)

You can check out my very 1st blog post

HERE if you like...It's even a CACTUS post...

and my first piece of mail art!! :)

Whew! It is so amazing how time flies!

Speaking of which...

I have been out of town for the past week...

...actually in Illinois...

where we

experienced a fairly decent-sized snowfall,

(first Midwest one I've witnessed in quite a while)

accompanied by

several nights of sub-zero wind chill temps,

and

even an EARTHQUAKE...

...the epicenter of which was 10 miles from

"Home!"

We were awakened in the middle of the night...

3:59 am to be exact...

by the sound of horrendously severe rattling

and shaking

followed by an enormous boom

It sounded as if one of those huge snow plow trucks

barreled down our street...full speed ahead

and

ran smack dab into our house!

Seriously!!!

We thought it was a bomb blast

or even a gas line explosion

somewhere in town.

We were really mentally shook up!

It wasn't until my sister called from Arizona

later that morning to tell

us

that it was a 4.3 seismic event

(aka "EARTHQUAKE")

and that it

was the lead news story on the Today Show

and

also on the news headline marquee

in Times Square, New York City!

Shazammm!

Later, it was downgraded to a 3.8 event...

I know, all you California readers are saying

"Is that all???" LOL :)

Whew! It was certainly big time for me!

Who would have ever thought, eh?

Any way...

I promise to get back soon to my routine

and start visiting all your blogs...

popping in here and there,

to see what you have all been up to.

In the meantime,

I hope you find something wonderful

and non-scary

to shake up your day!

Have a really great one!

Thanks, too,

for TWO wonderful blogging years!

"In Joyful Celebration...."

of Valentine's day 2010...
♥♥♥
and the Chinese Lunar New Year ...
which is actually year 4707 in the Chinese calendar.
It is also the year of the Tiger.
This piece was drawn in my 2010 Zen Journal
and is the last piece in my "Lemony Hearts" series.
I hope you enjoyed this year's hearts
and I also hope that
what ever you choose to celebrate today
that chocolate will be involved
and
you savor every morsel/minute.
XO ♥ :)

"Six Word Saturday..."

In any language...LOVE is fundamental. ♥

"In Pursuit..."

“There are many things in life

that will catch your eye,

but only a few will catch your heart...

pursue those.”
~Michael Nolan

♥
“Don't be reckless with other people's hearts,

don't put up with those

who are reckless

with yours.”
~Mary Schmich

♥

"600 Times..."

...OOOOH, MY! How time flies!

Today is my 600th Waterblossoms blogpost.

It seems like just yesterday

when I first met and started my love affair with

Google "Blogger".

Mmmm...I remember fondly

those sweet first days of our relationship...♥:)

I was so timid and unsure...

but,

Blogger...you faithfully stood by me all the way...

holding my hand,

answering my questions,

encouraging me to be expressive,

introducing me to lots of wonderful friends

worldwide.

Now, here we are, after 600 times...

all those

words and thoughts and emotions and frustrations

we have shared...

and still our daily, often late night, relationship

is continues to grow strong!

You are my Muse's wildest dream

come true.

And, aside from a few minor hesitancies

every now and then,

you have willingly given me the world.

You have made my ordinary days

extraordinary, adventuresome, and exotic

and

I thank you for it!

♥

I also thank each and every one of you

who have popped in for a visit at one time or another.

I am over the moon with new art ideas...

and I promise you

the best is yet to come!

Here's to the next few hundred posts! :)

XO

"Wordless (Lemony Heart) Wednesday...(#26)

"Just To Double Your Pleasure ..."

...and to double my fun...

I'm posting two bitty hearts today...

Instead of just one! :)

♥

These two ATC cards were made especially

for my two 7-year old twins nieces

for Valentine's day!

♥♥

"Happy Blooming Tuesday" everyone!!

May your hearts also bloom with

"double extra" joy

today!

♥♥♥♥

"The greatest treasures

are those invisible to the eye

but

found by the heart."

~Author Unknown

"You Won't Believe This..."..."

...but according to the

ultra newest update of the world famous

Wripley's Believe it or Not

Guide to Unique and Odd Cacti...Volume III

published right here in

Surprise Arizona...

(actually, just yesterday, as a matter of fact)

a brand spankin' new species of cactus was found!

Cacti aficionados from the Tucson area

are calling it the

"Lemony Prickly Pear Heartissimus Cacti Grande."

Amazing isn't it???

And there's more...get this...

would you believe that I just happened to

spot one...??!!

AND

as quickly to my ATC cards as I could fly

was able to capture it

in all it's Valentine Week magnificence

(during both the day AND the night!)

for your ultimate viewing pleasure

this beautiful Cactus Monday.

And it's all right here on my blog...

no need to even buy the book!

Imagine that!

I can hardly believe it either...!!!:)

You just never know

these days!

May you be surprised

by some wonderfully unbelievable events

today too!

♥
"Nothing is so unbelievable

that oratory cannot make it acceptable."
~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Ancient Roman Lawyer,

Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman,

106 BC-43 BC