Blue Monday: Dolphins

Here is "The Elusive Sea Cow" from Cow Parade (2004, Harrisbourg, Pennsylvania) to celebrate Blue Monday. Smiling Sally sponsors Blue Monday every week on her blog and you are welcome to join the fun.

These stained glass creations hang in the front window of our house. Bob brought them back from Mexico.

You will see these beautiful dolpins in our family room. The mother and father stand on the end table and the three children hang on the wall over the computer. These sweet dolphins are carved from wood and they are stained a beautiful shade of blue.

To conclude this dolphin presentation for Blue Monday, I bring you this picture of me being kissed by a dolphin named Regina. This happened on a dolphin encounter in Cozumel, Mexico, a couple of years ago. Needless to say, I had a fabulous time on this excursion!

Old Brass Lamp

This is the computer corner in my family room. If you look up in the top left corner, on the rack, you will see a big round brass ball. I think it is very pretty, but I also think it is special because of how I came to have it.

In its first life, it was a lamp. Someone donated it to the Waterfront Mission thrift store, and I bought it. I removed all the lamp wiring first. Then, Bob actually let me use his metal cutting saw to cut off the top. I thought I was going to have a brass bowl, but when the top came off it fell down inside the bottom. Voila, I have a beautiful brass ball on a stand. I was so tickled with myself for creating this fine brass decorating thingie!

My love affair with brass and copper started when Bob wanted the stainless steel shelves for our electronics. I decided to use a metal decorating scheme in order to blend them in. It's easy to find second hand brass and copper, so I can be pretty picky. Now I'm all about Metallica decor! I've managed to accumulate a bunch of the shiny stuff!

Blue Monday: Stained Glass

It's Blue Monday time again! To join in the fun visit Smiling Sally and sign in. Have fun!

My Blue Monday contribution for this week is the stained glass creation I have hanging in my entry way. I looked and looked and finally found something that fit this window perfectly. The blue glass in this artwork is very beautiful to me. I hope you like it, too.

Let's don't forget to post something PINK for breast cancer awareness all through the month of October. I have added the button that sponsors free mammograms, so now I can click it everyday right here on my blog. Good thinking!

Blue Monday: Painting of Venice

Happy Blue Monday

This day of sharing blue is brought to you by Smiling Sally.

You can join in by visiting her blog and signing in on the list of participants.

You can have so much fun visiting these sites of blue.

This is a beautiful oil painting I have hanging in my dining room. I bought it at an antique store, and there is not even a signature on it. For all I know the person who painted it isn't even a "real" artist, but I believe the painter had talent, and I love the picture. The blues are so vibrant. It reminds me of Venice and the wonderful time I had there. The person who sold me the painting didn't know anything about it, but I liked it, and I bought it, and there it hangs.

Enough said.

Glass Swans

I hope you think my glass swans are as pretty as I do. My mother gave me the one on the left. I found the one on the right at a yard sale. They don't match exactly, but I think they make a good pair. I know they are old, from the sixties, I believe. They live on top of the cabinet shown below. I think they look very happy up there with some of my other treasures.

"Pull Toy" For The Fun Of It

This beautiful Cow Parade (New York City, 2001) figurine is called "Pull Toy." Her wheels actually roll as you pull her around by her rope. She gets to be the cow-of-the-day because she makes me think of all the toys you see for sale at yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and all those kinds of places where I love to shop. I have enjoyed other people's blogs about their treasures, so I decided to blog about some of mine.

A couple of years ago Bob and I went to Tampa with some of our friends. The fellows went to a gun show, and the girls went "antiquing," that's what we call junk shopping. We ate lunch in the sweetest little cafe called Limoges. I decided I needed some Limoges china to commemorate the occasion. Any excuse, is a good excuse, I always say. Anyway, I finally have three gorgeous plates and the red rose rack to display them. I didn't find them all at the same place, and it took over a year, but I am satisfied with the results. I don't know if you are supposed to put plates in the bedroom or not, but I have used pink and red roses for the decor in my bedroom, so that is where they are.

I saw a chair like this one in an antique store one time, and I really liked it, but not for the price. Then one Saturday I went to a yard sale, and the lady had this chair for sale. It didn't have a seat in it. I asked her how much she would take for it, and she said I could have it for nothing. "Free," I said. She said, "Sure, it isn't good for anything, anyway." I then began collecting old men's ties, with red and pink, of course. I finally had enough to weave the bottom of the chair. I really love this old chair, and it didn't cost me $100. The three pictures beside the chair actually hang on the wall above the chair. I got them at the Junkyard Dog, our Humane Society thrift store. They are Japanese prints with little birds on them. I think they pick up on the three circles theme I started with my plates.

I bought this tall plant holder at an estate sale. The lady said her father made it. I admired the workmanship. I know it took a lot of patience to glue each one of the pieces of wood together into such an intricate design. She said her mother used it to hold an ashtray. I think it is a beautiful plant stand. The picture on the left is showing the arrangement I have above my kitchen sink. I really wish I had a window there. I thought and thought about what to do. Finally I found this picture at the Agape thrift store. I found a frame that I thought flattered it. I said to Bob, "I don't know why I like that picture so much. He said, "I know why; it's because it's a picture of your things." I began to look around. He was right. I had things like that around the house. So began the putting-of-things-on-the-shelf. I have become somewhat obssessed with trying to match the picture exactly. When I find another piece that matches better than the one I have, I have to get it. It's all for the fun of it!

Proud Mother Bird

"Mother Frog" from Cow Parade (Kansas City, 2001) just wanted to congratulate Mother Bird on the hatching of her two new babies.












Mother Bird sits patiently on her nest with her children until I disturb her.


Three days ago I noticed their mother feeding them. I wish I could take a picture of them eating. I love to watch them stick their little heads up to their mother's beak.

I didn't want to disturb lunch, but later on I took this picture. Mother Bird has been so nice to let me spy on her family. I believe she knows I would never hurt them.

Today the baby birds have their eyes open.
I am proud and happy for this family and I am keeping a close eye on them.

Fun with "Cowctus"

This is "Cowctus" from Cow Parade (San Antonio, 2002). She reminded me of some interesting plants I have observed in my neighborhood. So Bob and I went for a walk and took the camera with us. Here are some cool shots of some hot botanical specimens.

This is a prickly pear cactus. This plant is pretty common in Florida, but you don't see too many of them this big.

This is called a century plant. It isn't a cactus but it can live in the desert. These plants are common around here, too, but this is the first one I ever noticed blooming in my neighborhood. After it blooms, it will die. It just wears itself completely out making this huge stalk. It usually lives about 25 or so years. I looked it up on google and so can you!


A blast from the past: Here is a beautiful cactus plant blooming in Zion National Park, Utah. Bob took this picture when we were there in the spring of 2005.

Another Way To Use A Ladder

This fine cow from Cow Parade (Mexico City, 2005) is called "Muuuu Travies." In some other language this means "much work," I think. She is showing us that painting is a lot of hard work. The lesson to be learned here is not to get a cow to help you paint, and if you do, don't let her walk under your ladder.

I have been watching a pair of doves build a nest on top of my neighbor's ladder this week. This morning I noticed the mother sitting on the nest. She very kindly let me snap this picture of her. The lesson here is don't leave your ladder leaning up against your house if you don't want the doves to nest there. Maybe that was the plan. My neighbor won't be doing any ladder work until the babies fly away. At least he better not!

Blooming lilies

All around the garden I have thirty stalks with lilies blooming. I have never had so many at one time before. Yea lilies!