About the computer in the bureau! The bureau It sits right next to my chair, and has a drawer. I have rigged it up so that if I pull the drawer our a little bit, and lay a tiny tray on top of a book inside the drawer, it is the perfect spot to sit my wine glass just next to my elbow! Perfect! If only I had worked out how to put a photo on here!

here's a couple of paintings of mine

Oh wait!

Love your art, what a talented lady! Hey I hope you win the house!

Love it! Love them, they are beautiful! You're going to laugh but I studied graphic design in college. Didn't end up doing anything with it. Ended up working in the printing industry and many of my clients were local ad agencies. When I got married became a stay at home mom, then picked up a paint brush 1.5 years ago and started playing in oils. I keep getting distracted with the house and now tile/sew/ etc. around here so sometimes my projects end up taking a lot of my time instead of art...plus the whole lighting thing. Next I would really like to take a welding class and start doing medal sculpting. But to set that up would take some serious dough. I also have two walls in my sons room I'm waiting for an airbrush investment to finish.

Here are a few of mine, I sign under my maiden name. That's what the Z is for. Zaiss Design is what we have set the site up as. There's nothing there though. I figured who in the world could say my married name, let alone spell it. :) LOL I've posted them in the order of completion. I still need to take good photos of the pics alone, these are photos I have now with the pieces in them. Remember in regards to the paintings, I've only got about 10 under my belt. I know it will take more to really get technique down, but I can take criticism. I've got my big boy pants on today. :)

Love your art too trasgorshek! Wish you were both selling it in the UK!

Love the creative talent we have among the ollds! Impressive work MP and Tras. Where is olldbob today?

trasgorshek: I love them (& your house, too). From here the top art left looks like it needs something. Maybe thin lines to represent swirling water? or?

oh tras! they are all beautiful! love them!

thank you michi...and i have no idea, unless she's back to painting, or running errands, or doing laundry with the ex-girl-n-law???? i'm taking stabs here of course. Have no clue but was wondering the same thing.

ok creesy....the rain is now sideways! wind wind wind with a downpour! yikes! and the side of my yard looks like a small pond!

Wow! More talent! Love Tras!
MP... It is 80 degrees and no rain. It's just now getting gray like it might. I've gotten weather alerts on my app for aviation advisories, lake wind advisories and flood watches and here I am walking in the woods and getting hot.

i cannot believe it! how can it be 80 degrees? that is craziness!
okay went by the house and J had both doors open! HA! It was freezing in there. He said he thought it felt fine and that he wanted to take his clothes off... :o Looked at the news. Sounds like the rain MAY turn into snow tonight sometime, but it won't be pretty because we are so saturated right now, that it will melt in a second. We'll see I guess. Wind is really picking up here now and rain has stopped for a second.

Have mercy! MP, it just came barreling in like a freight train! I had 2 living room windows open and all of a sudden it sounded like a tornado. One window had it blowing in, the other sucking it out. Then out went the screen and it nearly took my curtains off the wall! Got the windows shut and ran out to rescue the screen before it ended up in the creek somewhere and it is awful out there now. It's pouring and I'm soaked. Geez Louise! this should have stayed in the upstate. I was perfectly happy with an early spring. *L*

@tras. I like the painting over the sofa. It reminds me of wood shavings or ribbons.
@MP. You did the town a great service when you painted that building!
@creeser and MP. Go get your woollies on!

I know! This is some crazy weather going on around here!
creesy, glad you got your screen! It's pouring again and windy windy windy! I can't wait to go home! My slipper socks are clean and ready to put on.
Poor Fooey does NOT like to go out in this weather to do his stuff! I'm sure I'll be out there with an umbrella over both of us later tonight! good grief!

Just read that Dear Abby died at the age of 94!

Hi .. Creeser, I know how scary the wind can be! During Hurricane Sandy, it sounded like a freight train here too! And because it was night, you couldn't see what was going on outside .. horrible! I was ready to sleep in my closet .. it's 4' deep by 6' long, and I cleared the floor & put the loveseat cushions inside!

We might have snow here overnight too; not good if that film crew gets a late start.

MP - I read about Dear Abby too; at least 94 is a nice, long life! She outlived her twin sister (who wrote "Ann Landers") by 10+ years.

astraea, I know what you mean. We had a hurricane come through over the top of us 20 years ago and it was at night. It destroyed so much. Horrible. Took me years before I could hear wind without my stomach knotting up. At Christmas, my gf in Arkansas had weather like this. Warm, then rain and they were to get some snow as the it transitioned to cold, but it wasn't going to stick. By the end of the next day, they had 10 inches of ice and snow stuck to the ground and it lasted a week. I'm wondering if we're about to get the same.

Creeser .. remind me what part of the country you're in? The NE is used to hurricanes, but Sandy had very high winds. I've heard that tornados sound like a train coming thru, but not hurricanes .. so I was surprised. I remember just wanting to go to sleep & wake up when it was over!

When I put the animal food out, I could hear something falling on the shrubs, so I put the plates right near the door by the overhang. When I looked out a little later, a BIG raccoon was out there, but he seemed afraid to come right over to the door, so I moved the plates further out. I hope they eat the food before it snows/rains .. what a mess otherwise!

astraea, I'm in SC, same as mpoulsom. I'm closer to the coast. Back in the late 80s, we had hurricane Hugo come through. It hit in Charleston, swept over the top of us and all the way up through Charlotte, NC. We were without power for a couple of weeks. It was a large one and didn't loose a lot of strength when it made landfall.

I'm really kind of stunned at the SC weather you are describing MP and creeser, only because in the snow belt of northern Ohio, for the last week or more, we've had no snow and some days inching up into the balmy 50's. I haven't had to wear my winter gloves or headband for at least ten days now. It is sounding like SC and OH have reversed regions and weather patterns!

Love all the artwork, MP and trasgorshek!

Coming in late again. Lots to share tomorrow. You girls are absolutely amazing. mp. the Churchill pix…I, for some reason, am so fascinated with that time…Churchill, FDR, Stalin, etc. Just before I was born, but my dad was USAF from 1941 to 1945. Our country was supportive of the War and we cherished our overseas Allies.

mm, I have a loft, and my desk is a 1840 piece from Provincetown MA. Glass cupboard above with a drop leaf for my computer. Cutie Pie has two spots (not counting his garages). He has his den with T V and his man cave with computer, etc.

Works so well and that is why we have been together for 52 years :>)

I think I am getting astraea' snow tomorrow.

feeny, what is round at both ends and high in the middle?

crees and mp, think you should move to the Cape.

Where is bobbi?

busylady, I see an empty glass with a lime…margarita?

Which reminds me, mm, would your darling share his Margarita recipe?

mp. your painting of the singer, smoking, with the mike, and the nails….that's me, next time around. I am K D Lang, with long fingernails, a mike with no wires, singing all her great stuff. Saw her this past summer at our Melody Tent. All the gay women were screaming, "K D, we love you", and I, straight, screaming, "K D, I love you and so does my husband".

Listen before you go to bed, Roo, save it.

Late start for me too today, have had the guy here installing the shower screen most of the morning and I love it. One more thing off the list!! Can't use it for another 48 hours but that is fine, it is done.

Well they got our weather wrong today AGAIN!!!! Supposed to be a maximum of 39 but it is 44.5 at 1.40pm. That is seriously ridiculous!!!!! I absolutely have to get stuck into making my curtains, I am putting thermal linings on most windows and doors now, the windows are so hot to touch it has to be filtering into the house. I have temporary curtains on one bedroom DD lent one time when the LA grands were out to darken the room for naps. I hate how they darken a room but the temperature difference is amazing - the hot air that is trapped between the glass and the curtain is huge. I guess eventually it will filter into the room but hopefully by then we will have a cool change. Thunderstorms are predicted which is pretty normal after really hot days.

That is sad about Dear Abby, we used to get her columns in magazines many years ago, they were such fun to read.

All right, I am going to say it out loud ............ I HATE PEOPLE WHO CAN PAINT!!!!!! I am so jealous but sadly I failed kindergarten so never had a chance.

mp love that painting of Winston Churchill, so lifelike, that is true talent. Did you know that he was born in a ladies' room during a dance????

tras, your paintings are amazing too. I'm not into abstract at all but I love the one over the chest of drawers and the detail in the one over the lounge is fantastic. The fish one is the sort of thing I like to play around with with my photography.

OMG, I just checked up 44.5 is 112.1 F!!!!! We are going to blow up!!!!!

Thanks for that film clip Judy - KD fan here too. She has the most striking face. Hope my neighbours enjoyed that tune - well my version that is - I HATE PEOPLE WHO CAN SING TOO ........... definitely not fair some can be so brilliant and others (like me) are so tragic.

mp forgot to mention your 4th July mural, amazing and climbing up that high too - obviously you and tras are aerialists, must come with artistic talents.

Good news on Miss 6 - ankle is only badly sprained and dr thinks she will probably be running everywhere on it by Sunday. Bruising has gone down a lot but swelling is still there so DD will take her to her pediatrician on Monday to check it out. There still could be ligament damage. J22 tell your grands to watch out for a kid in a pram being pushed around school. DD is exhausted running around after her especially at school, she can walk to school but she is so heavy in the pram DD is driving, then she has to get from the carpark to her class. She does early school so on Tuesday afternoon DD had to take her back to school to pick up her homework folder plus work she had missed, then had to take her to Chorus which was at the other end of the school, go back home and return to collect her. On Wednesday she had to get her from school and an hour later take her back for Spanish which class is also well away from the carpark plush she has to take the long way around to be able to use ramps. Do her good, she needs some fitness. The poor little bloke is exhaused too from being dragged around everywhere. Yesterday he pleaded to miss his afternoon reading activity and just go home.

@olldroo. Stay hydrated!!!
I wonder if you could cover large pieces of cardboard with aluminum foil and lean them up against the windows on the outside of the house? It will darken the inside of the house, but also reflect the heat away. It is not a good idea to use aluminum covered cardboard on the interior of the house windows, because the heat build-up might crack your windows. Happens here sometimes with reflective shields for car windscreens. Just a thought. I have been in 116F heat.
Can you purchase bags of ice cubes at your market? Put one in the sink and plunge your hands and wrists in it every half hour or so to cool down. Rub a bit on the back of your neck. I put some ice water in a bucket and plunge my feet in, too.
Thinking of you...

Astraea - our cute and cuddly looking wildlife can be spoilt brats at times, they nearly all are very territorial, it even gets hard to relocate them even if they are in danger. The possums are no better at night with their screaming either. They all have very long sharp claws too so you have to be very wary of them.

Creeser are your lovebirds budgerigars?? They are natives here and are smaller versions of our lorikeets that come to be fed. The budgies can be taught to talk too but you can't put two together. We have have a few over the years, they are lovely to have around. One we had just wouldn't stay in his cage, couldn't fly very well for some reason so just loved to walk around the house everywhere. He loved my African Violets for some reason and every time they came into flower he would pick the flowers off and drop them all over the house.

OMG our temp has now hit 45.1!! This has to be an absolute all time record.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments! The fish actually look better from a distance because it starts to take depth but it's no longer here to change. I have that one and the bottom right one (Soda) in a model home up the street. So, the bottom right one is not my home unfortunately. Wish it was though, it's a stunning $2 Million home. I would take it in a second! I should have cropped the pics but my mind doesn't think that fast anymore.

Roo, I've always loved movement. I think that's why I go the more abstract route. I love the movie Snow White and the Huntsman strictly for the artist movement the director displays throughout the film. Love it, big sucker for it.

Wow ladies, sorry for your weather! Keeps you on your toes!! That's a huge difference in temperatures. Hope it doesn't get icy on you! Snow, no biggie, but ice is no fun...at all. I should find the photo I took last year of a funnel cloud over our neighbor hood. Those are always fun to watch.

I didn't hear that about Dear Abby, she touched so many people and will be missed.

Roo, I can't believe you are still running so hot! Geez, you guys need a break! That is good movie theater weather. He the theaters are always pretty chilly in the summer so it gives a refreshing break from the heat. I still haven't sent you a pic of the embellishments on the drapes. I will do that here in a second. Hope everyone is having a great evening / morning minus the weather.

Yes, roo, listen to astraea. Drink lots of cool water, run your wrists under colder water, and relax, don't do anything that is exerting. Whatever it is will keep. Unlike our girlfriends, bobbi and mp, we are not cougars. Those two need ice for a completely different reason. :>)

OMG, Judy, that was hilarious.

@ roo am re-posting the message I wrote this am. I was so upset over the treatment of Lovely Miss 6. I'll write to grands....hope Miss 6 is recovering nicely.
OLD MESSAGE-above-
@ olldroo Thank U for the update on Miss 6. Let me know the final outcome. It seems Miss 6 is receiving the worst possible diagnostic & follow-up treatment available. Doctors wonder why we call lawyers! Further, why do so many snotty people work in doctor's offices? Would this type of treatment be unusual in AU? I don't think it's so unusual here in US, unfortunately.
Miss 6 is beautiful child, inside and outside. It's too bad she has had to experience this medical mistreatment.

Fabulous news about Miss 6, I bet she was thrilled to hear it! She will be up and running in no time. I have a question...is Spanish a requirement in grade school there also?

Roo, kick something and while you are doing it, swear, big time. Use them all. And do it loud enough for me to hear you half a world away.

You said it J22! Unfortunately it's getting too common here in the states. I switched dermatologists a few years back for that one reason and told him so on the phone. He called me personally to see why I was leaving him. Had no problem telling him he needed to take a look at his staff.

Thanks ez, I had to move my car out on the street yesterday so BH could mow his precious lawn once again and I have a shade on the front. Never thought of it breaking the glass. Bad luck, too hot to even consider going out now. Ice would melt before I even hot half way home.

Sadly the cardboard wouldn't work too well either, we have quite strong winds which are coming from the west which is why they are so hot. Honestly I reckon you could fry and egg on my windows at the moment. Even my computer is getting too extremely hot so think I really should shut down for a while.

I have some ice cubes in the freezer, am downing glasses of water galore, and if it gets too bad I even put a cold wet cloth around my neck, that is really cooling. Although it is hot, the house really is quite bearable with fans on. At least the humidity is down to 14% - again thanks to the westerlies, so that really makes the heat far more bearable. Just have to keep an eye on our bush, although they did quite a bit of hazard reduction over winter and a westerly wind takes it away from us.

If I don't get back later you will know I have melted............. that's a thought, does heat melt fat cells??

http://www.mapsofworld.com/

Roo, look where you are. Come to the Cape. (I am that tiny little pimple below Canada). You can be here in 27 hours (not counting lay-overs). I will have a cashmere wrap for you and wool socks. And to make you feel at home, UGGS.

Thanks guys, j22, I did see your earlier post. When DD rang the surgery this morning the doctor she saw actually answered the phone. Had called by last night and read up on his x-ray reports and apologised to DD that he hadn't called her. Couldn't remember off the top of his head her exact details so said as soon as he could take his receptionist's hat off he would put his doctor's cap on and call her back. DD didn't get a chance to say anything but unfortunately she was out when he rang back and left a very detailed message she didn't have the need to call him back. She will go back to her normal pediatrician now where she knows everyone and everyone knows her and the kids get great attention, the receptionists there just love to see them. Fortunately Miss 6 is too young to understand any of it all and she is such a non stop kid that things go over her head very quickly. She isn't even complaining about her foot, is thoroughly enjoying spending her breaks in the office with one friend at a time at school and is hopping around on one foot just as fast as she runs on two. Must be the Roo in her. With the time-outs at school I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't string it out a bit.

I have encountered a few uppy types in medical practices here but thanks to my age, I no longer have a problem telling people when their behaviour or attitudes are totally inappropriate. I have noticed though that they never seem to last long so obviously my doctors are pretty on the ball.

Judy, you contradict yourself, first you tell me to take things quietly, which I am, then you tell me to kick things and make a lot of noise - that takes energy!!

Tras, - Spanish lessons - do you mean here in Oz or in LA? Our Primary Schools as we call your Elementary schools, vary a lot from area to area. We had a high number of Japanese living in our area for a while, and although a lot of people sent their kids to the Japanese School many chose the local school and assisted in starting an optional programme of Japanese language in the school. I think it continues but meanwhile we now have a very high French population so French is now being taught. My grands go to a Catholic School, where by order of the Pope all kids must now learn Italian so it is all up to individual schools and what interest and resources they have.

Oh, I didn't catch that Miss 6 was in the states. Sorry. I thought she was there. I couldn't figure out why she would have to go to spanish class in Australia. Now I get it.

Judy, you are really funny today - wonder where bobbi is??? Love to be a fly on the wall when she reads your cougar comment. Supposed to be down to low 20s again tomorrow so all will be back to normal. Ugh, the thought of a cashmere wrap just really turns me off but I do wear my Uggs all the time, I have only just taken them off. It is amazing how cool they are on a hot day yet how warm they are in winter.

Looks like a change might be coming, the wind has almost totally dropped and the temp was down to 43.7 at 3.09 and ten mins later was down to 39.7. Just opened the kitchen windows and, yep the sea breeze is happening. Now sanity will prevail!!! Another 10 mins and I should be able to open up the whole house

Tras, just rereading your earlier comment, I am seriously challenged - I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about with the 'movement' thing. I can appreciate the value of things but I think I only take things on face value, I never think to look deeper at those sort of aspects.

Ten minutes later and now down to 37.7 but of course the humidity has gone up to 28% but that is still heaps better than yesterday's 70%. Definitely the sea breeze has arrived. We are saved!!!!

That's okay Roo, you are not challenged, the movement deal is a Tras thing. I'm weird on more than one level. :) And, yes, Judy you are cracking me up tonight too!

The thing is Tras, that artistic people do talk like that, definitely another language that I'm not part of.

I bet Judy has been sneaking some margaritas and not letting on.

Temp down another degree and humidity up 2. We can't win!!!!

Starting 1/18. :)

I am catching up this morning, now that I (and the house) are "camera ready"!

Roo .. I can't believe the temperature's you're having .. OUCH! If it were 112 degrees here, it would be humid, and would feel like a steam room.

I've started a list with everyone's name in OLLD, with locations .. because I can't remember otherwise (LOL)

Astraea - it actually ended up at 114.8 degrees or 46 for us. It was unbelievable. These temps are caused by westerly winds coming from the interior so are quite dry, in fact our humidity was only 14% so it never feels quite as hot. As it started cooling down though the humidity went up. The predicted southerly hit right on time at 8pm and the temp plummetted down to the 22.4 it is now although the humidity went up to 74%, but being cool it is tolerable.

Hahaha, love how you have resorted to a list of all the OLLDs and locations - proves YOU are really an OLLD!!!!

Good luck with your shoot today, look forward to hearing all about it in the morning.

Girls have started 1/18 but Bobbi is still AWOL - hope all is well with her.

oh .. the film crew is pulling into the driveway!