"Well, Here She Is..."

...my postcard entry

for Anita Davies' 2008 Postcard Pen Pal Exchange,

which started me on my road to blogdom,

just 1 year ago...February 15, 2008!

I felt it important to post "her" again here today,

...in this most honored place,

as part of a very

special

Cactus Monday celebration!

Special?

...Did she just say "Special Cactus Monday"???

Yep, I sure did...

Why so special, you might ask?

Well, how about a 1st Blogiversary celebration

G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y!!!

to spread a bit of cactus cheer and good will

around bloggyland!?!
Sooo...
...simply leave a comment here
by midnight next Sunday night February 22,
and
I will draw two lucky names to receive
one of the postcards pictured above
OOOH! Also,
Be sure I can get a hold of you via your blog or email
in case your name is drawn.
WooHoo!
This should be great fun!
Psssst...More fun Blogiversary goodies are planned...
stay tuned! :)
Have a Happy Cactus Monday All!

"Each day offers us the gift of being
a special occasion
if we can simply learn that as well as giving
it is blessed to receive
with grace and a grateful heart."
~Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Unbelieveable...!"

Who would have ever thought it???

Waterblossoms' 1st Anniversary...my 300th post...

and this week's

Illustration Friday Theme: "Celebrate"!!!

The stars must be aligned in blog heaven for sure!

WooHoo!

My deepest thanks to each of you

for your continual artistic support, love, wisdom,

and kind words.

Thanks, too,

for the quick little "pop-ins" every now and again

as you navigate

through the beautifully mesmerizing avenues of blogland.

You have certainly treated me right this past year...

I have travelled via your sketchbooks

to the beautiful destinations

you each call "home"...

Together

we explored parts of this great artistic world of ours

coloring our imaginations with new perspectives and ideas.

Your words have have brought me smiles...

...big wide ones...

that almost hurt they were so big!

Your words have also brought me tears...

...soft gentle ones...

of friendship, sympathy, and support.

We have giggled a bit, too...well, actually a whole lot!

Sometimes, I just sit here and roar with laughter!

You have encouraged me

to attempt new artistic endeavors

and

I have thoroughly enjoyed each ride along the way.

Our little artistic community

has invigorated my love of art

and

has enriched my heart with a world of amazing

friendships.
Today...I celebrate YOU!

And...that's a big WOOHOO!!! of happiness

you hear

coming all the way from the Arizona desert to a

computer near you!

:)

"Do not cease to drink beer,

to eat, to intoxicate thyself, to make love,

and

to celebrate the good days."
~Egyptian Proverb

"At Last...!"

On Tuesday, February 9th...

after spending an entire day playing the

"hospital discharge waiting game"

Mom was, at long last, transferred to a surgical follow up

rehabilitation center.

Despite the fact

that her surgery went extremely well,

some severe leg muscle spasms

have been causing her bits of distress

here and there.

In rehab, she will receive therapy for 3 hours daily

to work out her new knee.

Muscle relaxants and massages will hopefully

help alleviate the spasms.

(Fingers and toes crossed! )

Her new "digs" at the rehab center are awesome...

her room is like a mini suite in a luxurious hotel.

It is really plush, soothing, and upbeat.

What a change from the hospital!

It's so interesting to observe

what a huge difference environment makes

on one's well being!

"There is an old Tibetan saying:

wherever you feel at home, you are at home.

If your surroundings are pleasant,

you are at home."
~Tenzin Gyatso,

The 14th Dalai Lama

"Back Tracking..."

a week or so...and catching up with a couple

sketchbook journal entries.

On February 7th,

while en route to the hospital to visit mom...

we stopped at AJ's..."Purveyors of Fine Foods"...

for a quick bite to eat.

We sat outdoors on the sunny patio

and

enjoying the crisp, fresh February Arizona air

we downed a grilled bratwurst

and blackberry jasmine green iced tea....Ahhhhh!

It was delicious.

On the other side of the valley...

a different perspective on dining...mom's room

(where she felt she was being held "captive"...LOL)

and some views

of the things that became all too familiar to all of us.

"You never really understand a person

until you consider things from his

point of view."
~Harper Lee

"Blogging Goodies..."

...From some truly wonderful Blogging friends.
What joy

these little surprises have brought!
I thank each and every one of you...

and

am humbled by your generosity...

and embarassed by my late posting and

lack of email organization...

Some of these date back to the end of December!

Geesch!

"How did it get so late so soon?

Its night before its afternoon.

December is here before its June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?"
~Dr. Seuss

From Marianne in the Netherlands!

From Soulbrush in London!

From Soulbrush in London!

From Kazumiwannabe in France and Clare in Australia!

From Ann in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

From MuseSwings in Florida and Soulbrush in London, U.K.!

From Alex n' Alicia in New England...and Soulbrush in London

From Trish in Colorado!

From Serena in Brooklyn New York!

From Snarky in California!

"Doing What You Love..."

...is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life."

~Dr. Wayne Dyer

"In our life there is a single color,

as on an artist's palette,

which provides the meaning of life and art.

It is the color of

LOVE."

~Marc Chagall

Happy Valentine's Day All...

may each memory of your day be colored with love!

Black Heart Series #7

"Heart Views..."

"We forge the chains we wear in life."
~Charles Dickens

May your life's chains be golden and your heart

"views" filled with growth.

Black Heart Series #6

"Your vision will become clear

only when you can look into your own heart.

Who looks outside, dreams;

who looks inside,

awakens."

~Carl Jung

"Thinking about...

...some of the little everyday things
which
tug with all their might at tender heartstrings.

heart·strings (härt′striŋz′)
deepest feelings or affections
Etymology: tendons or nerves formerly believed

to brace the heart.

SOURCE: Webster's New World College Dictionary

Black Heart Series #5

"The best gifts are tied with heartstrings."

~Author Unknown

"Poetry is plucking at the heartstrings,

and

making music with them."
~ Dennis Gabor

"Dream Catcher..."

"When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls

And the stars begin to twinkle in the night...

In the mist of a memory

you wander on back to me...

Breathing my name with a sigh.

In the still of the night

once again I hold you tight.

Though you're gone,

your love lives on when moonlight beams.

And as long as my heart will beat,

sweet lover we'll always meet

Here in my

deep purple dreams."

~Lyrics by Mitchell Parish, music by Peter De Rose.

(Written in 1934 as a piano composition - lyrics added in 1939)

Black Heart Series #4

"Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go."

~Louise Driscoll

"Just Wondering..."

Does one's checkered past

continually burn deeply within the heart

transforming hope into ashes

or

does it add needed fuel and energy to one's spirit

and

brightly color the palette of love and life?

Hmmm....

Black Heart Series #3

"A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart

burning with love."

~Mother Teresa

"Rescue Me...!"

I'm stuck...and slowing fraying apart at the seams!

LOL :)

(#2 in the Black Heart Series)

Wishing all a stress free, unfrayed Cactus Monday!

"I am like a book,

with pages that have stuck together for want of use:

my mind needs unpacking

and the truths stored within must be turned over

from time to time,

to be ready when occasion demands."
~Seneca

(Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

"Hearts, Anyone...?"

How about a whole Valentine's day week

filled with them?!

Introducing here to you today...

the first in my "Black Heart" series of

art designs drawn with a bit of an

urban edge.

"One of the hardest things in life

is having words in your heart that you can't utter."
~ James Earl Jones

"My Sincerest ...

Thanks

to each of you...from the very bottom of my heart.

Each and every Day...

and each and every Night...
your thoughtful good wishes for my mom's
speedy recovery
reach my computer and lodge themselves snuggly in my blog.
They are a major energy boost
and
a refreshing way to end these hectic days.
We are off again in just a bit
back across the valley to the hospital
I expect the next few days will be much the same.

The heart above is a paper strip collage
of oriental calligraphy
I wove into a heart shape..."Day"
and then digitally flipped to show "Night."
This weekend
there is a huge Chinese New Year celebration
at the Chinese Cultural center in Phoenix
with lots of art, food, music, dragons
and ceremonial dancing...
OOOH MY!
What a great sketchbook page that would have made!
For now though...
I have just a paper heart sent with thanks to you
from me. :)

"The greatest treasures
are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart."
~ Author Unknown

"Knee(d) Surgery...?"

Yep! My mom had knee replacement surgery today
and my sketchbook went along to
record the day.
Here is a remarkable fact:
It took Scott and I 70 minutes to get from our house
in Surprise
to the hospital where mom's surgery was done
which is on the other side of the valley
in Scottsdale.
Now get this...
My mom's total surgical time was 55 minutes....
...15 minutes less than our travel time!!!
I find that unbelievable!
Anyway...
mom is doing well, even standing and walking a step
a mere 2 hours
after coming out of the recovery room.
We are blessed her day went well.
Even the weather smiled upon us
as we all spent most of our waiting time
out of doors
in the hospital courtyard.
Fragrant blossoms scented the air
hypnotizing us into
settling back and enjoying the Arizona sunshine...
Susan even "caught a few winks"!

"Language
is the means of getting an idea from my brain
into yours without surgery."
~Mark Amidon

"A Flippin' Feather..."

...drawn in my Moly...flipped here just for fun!

"The day is done,

and the darkness, falls from the wings of Night,

As a feather is wafted downward,

from an eagle in his

flight."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Up For Some Fun???

I received this from my dad today via email...

and thought it to be so extremely

artsy and creative

I couldn't resist passing it on...Read the instructions first...

then Enjoy!

INSTRUCTIONS:
Click on the link

below and a playing card will appear on your screen...

wait a few moments for it to load,

then scroll down below the card

and you will see a line that has a little red slider bar in it.

Move the slider gradually to the right and stop

and watch the show take place,

then move it a little more to the right

and stop and another show will take place

and keep doing this till you are to the end.

This is soooooo cool. The marvels of technology.

P.S. It has sound to accompany the piece.
http://www.adobecards.com/

Well....What did you think??? :)

"You've Got Mail..."

...Marianne's Moos

arrived "safe and sound" here in the desert of Arizona,

via late afternoon postal delivery,

yesterday.

And...

tucked inside the festively postmarked envelope

was a lovely little note...and

a extra special treat...

an original "Marianne" creation...WooHoo!

It was a

refreshingly cool, aqua blue mandala

splashed with fish, shells, and spirals of sparkle!

Mmmmm!

It will definitely act as a "bit of zen refreshment"

this summer

when the red hot Arizona heat kicks in.

This little package

had a long, long flight travelling across the sea

from the Netherlands.

It can now rest easy

in a special place in my heart and in my home.

Thanks, Marianne! :)

"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls;

for, thus friends absent speak."
~John Donne

English poet, 1572-1631

"A Cellular View..."

...no microscope needed...LOL:)

"Nature will bear the closest inspection.

She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf,

and take an insect view of its plain."
~Henry David Thoreau

"I'm Wiped Out..."

...have a hoarse voice, scratchy throat,

and a dietary guilt complex

from indulging in way too many

Super Bowl

food bites and frantic moments yesterday.

Rooting on the

home team Arizona Cardinals Sunday

was a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows

for sure.

(We still love you guys...win or lose! You did us proud!)

Soooo...

my dear friends...my Cactus Monday post for today

features

my artistically decorated "Super Bowl Splint"..

all dressed up for the neighborhood party

posing before a little artificial (shhh...don't tell anyone)

succulent plant from my kitchen....

I attempted to sketch the scene...but was emotionally spent...

my artistic muse elsewhere "snoozing on the job".

(You know...

I have to keep telling myself that "it was just a game"

of millionaires... tossing about a pigskin ball...!!!

It was just a GAME!!! LOL!)

Happy Cactus Monday All!

Hope your personal muses are awake and energetic all day! :)

"Health is the first muse, and sleep is the condition to produce it."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Postmarked: UK..."

Early last week

a special little envelope arrived in my mailbox

postmarked from far, far away

in England.

Inside was a beautiful note card from Ely Cathedral

with a lovely handwritten note from

Anita Davies.

Oooooh! MY!!!! What a treat it was to receive!!!

I am sure you can imagine! :)

(BTW...in case you didn't know...

Anita has drawn a series of sketches from Ely.

What a charming and historic area!

You can check out her Ely sketch series here...

They are simply an artistic feast!)

So,

to celebrate receiving such fun overseas mail ...

I decided to post a montage of images of Ely Cathedral

drawn in my Moly.

The tower is known as the "Octagon"...

The colorful patterns in the lower left corner of the spread

are part of the flooring near the

shrine of Etheldreda..."Saint and Queen".

The patterns on the right side of the spread are

drawn from a medieval glass window.

(There is such rich and interesting

history here...

a visit to the website is highly recommended...gorgeous photos!)

Lastly, the simple candle

and it's "flame of friendship" was the central photograph

and main theme of the note card itself.

Anita...

you are the best ever!

Like this candle...

YOU have shined your artistic light on so many of us

and kindled our imaginations.

It was a serendipitous delight that our paths crossed.

What an honor and a pleasure

it is to have you as my

friend.

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases

by being shared."
~Buddha