Hurricane Hermine Aftermath

There are five things I'd like to share in the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine, because these days off from work bored me to tears and now I have the writing bug again. Here's to another Labor Day weekend disaster!


1. Hurricane Damage

I'm sure everyone in the Blogosphere has heard about Hurricane Hermine. It made landfall southeast of Tallahassee last Thursday and reached wind gusts of up to 64 mph in my neighborhood. Here are some photos to show the extent of the damage.

This is the main road heading to my subdivision

Power lines down!! Lost power in 80% of Tallahassee

Buck Lake Road

My back yard, not too bad.

Think I might need a new canopy...

This tree was uprooted. Had to secure it.

2. Jeep Shopping

A couple days after the hurricane, I visited a used car lot to look at a 2006 Jeep Wrangler (black). It wouldn't start without a battery jump, and touch-up paint dotted every 6 inches of the body. Sure, the vehicle was 10 years old. But, if you have that many spots to "touch up", put the damned Jeep in a body shop and get a real paint job.

"I'm thinking I'll paint it pink and get a zombie decal on the side."

"I won't ride in it if you do that." Charles shut that down quicker than Elly May Clampett could hog-tie a wild boar!

Okay, fine. I'll get a Barbie decal instead.

3. The Doggie Door Incident

The two bigger dogs figured out how to use the doggie door. But, my 4-pound Yorkie (Biscuit) didn't want to bump her delicate nose against the plastic flap to let herself in. Then one day, she managed to climb her way inside when we weren't looking. She did this several times, but only when nobody was around to witness it. I finally captured the mystery on video this weekend.

4. Candy Crush and Lasagna

During the power outage in Tallahassee, I was in Thomasville, GA playing Candy Crush while my boyfriend worked all day. It is the quickest way to get my OCD fix. Only it wasn't a fix because I quit the game early. I got frustrated. I couldn't beat level 158, so I reverted back to level 112. I couldn't manage to beat that level either. So, I made a lasagna. I recommend the Barilla Oven Ready brand, because you don't have to boil the noodles. Go figure...


Got bored with Snapchat

With the lasagna done, there wasn't a whole lot left to do. I spent most of Saturday at my boyfriend's house. This is me when I get bored. Snapchat is the most entertaining app when you have nothing else to do.

That's all I have to share for now. What was your Labor Day weekend like? Share in the comments!




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Another Picture Story With Oil Paintings

Tim and I visited the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens last weekend while on a short getaway hiatus. Sometimes you have to break from the humdrum of coming up with new material and just let it come naturally. So please excuse my latest digression with my Xtranormal hack last week. Though it came about naturally, it was a bit gratuitous.

I now present to you the beauty I found in Jacksonville Beach. I will comment briefly on each piece of art and why I liked it. Forgive me, but I did not document the artists' names for each of these. Some are from the same era, others you will know they were created by the same artist.

Here we go!

These are oils on canvas, which garners a great deal of respect being I used to paint with oils. The artists here depict so much in their paintings, it's impossible for me to get it right, not having been part of the different eras. But, doesn't it look like the women and the animals are doing all the work? What's up with the two men relaxing and enjoying this leisurely ride? Get off your asses and do something. Holy crap.

This is a lovely picture below. Is it vanity? I guess if she were in the presence of others, this might be considered a bit off color. Wait, this reminds me of the present day. Yes, she looks like every other person in a restaurant obsessing over their phones.

Seriously, I immediately felt like the painting was of a prostitute because back in these days, I wouldn't think that hookers would be out on the street. They would be hidden away like this, in their rooms, waiting on the gentlemen to come calling. Is this not your impression?

The portrait below haunts me for some reason. Tim says it's her eyes. I'm convinced it's the flowers. It's like she's barely holding onto them, and they're wilted. She's happy, but sad. Freaky combination, but it works.

The ladies in the painting below are not prostitutes. They are wealthy women.

But, how do you know this, Diane?

Because poor women would be at home cooking dinner for the family, and prostitutes are hidden upstairs in pink, frilly garments.

Another prostitute? I'm not hung up on ladies of the night, it's just that women are depicted differently in social situations or when there's work to be done, in which case their breasts are exposed (go look at that first painting again if you don't recall).

When alone, they appear sad and reflective. I'm starting to develop a theme here and it's not the type of theme I'm liking.

This girl ain't having that. Just look at the expression on her face. Doesn't it look like she's seeing the same theme? Is she trying to tell me something here? Is that little girl tired of doing all the work while her little brother runs off to the streets to play stick-ball or to the river to fish? Indeed!

Well, I hope you enjoyed these pieces of art as much as I did. Whatever story they tell, it would be different each time. Try it, I think you will have fun. Start with the first painting. What's going on in that picture? Then with each picture that follows, what do you see?

The title of this picture story? Admit First, Liberate Second.

Biscuit - Painting With A Twist

I devoted three hours of my day yesterday to spend some time getting in touch with my creative muse. I've not been coming up with any material to share, at least not with my writing, so I sort of cheated and forced myself into a painting class.

Paint Your Pet was the theme at Painting with a Twist this past Sunday. I didn't have anyone to go with, so I was a bit nervous. First, I haven't painted in many years, and second, I'm not an extrovert, so I counted on being huddled in a corner all by myself the entire time.

That didn't happen. As soon as I walked in, an associate greeted me and placed me at a table with an easel and my name tag. Two other women arrived shortly after and were brought to my table. Their faces lit up with smiles and they were quick to chat. They introduced themselves and we didn't stop talking from that point. We talked about our pets and our experiences with art. They pulled out their iPhones and we exchanged photos of our darling puppies. Before I knew it, I'd turned into a class act socialite.

We put our collective muses to work - chatting, painting and oohing and ahhing over each other's masterpieces. There were over 20 students in our class. Some drank wine; others drank non-alcoholic beverages. I had two bottles of my favorite Sobe flavored water.

In the last hour, all of our creations came together. The amazing transformation of mere sketches dazzled me and it is hard to believe I pulled it off. I painted my Yorkshire terrier, Biscuit. Never in a million years would I have thought I could do something like this, but I did it and I'm going back again.

Is this progress? I think so!

What have you been doing lately to feed your inner muse?