Mala Beads

"Mala Beads (Rosary) for Meditation"
9x12 watercolor

DSDF Rooftop challenge

DSDF Challenge Rooftops..... uuh, this is due tomorrow.. I started it this morning at 4am when I awoke and couldn't go back to sleep, and then rushed through it to complete it thinking I could swing it. But no way it's YUCK, so it's one of those pictures you shrink to hide all the imperfection and give to people you dont like, heehee! just kidding!
Update: Sheila"Forensics to Fine Art" kindly wrote it made her smile, so I'm going to send it to DSDF, Thanks Sheila for your positive attitude and kindness!

Water Spout

I've finally got something posted!
Life has provided many distractions from painting... but I was able to do this, yeah! I photographed this spout in Germany.

Yumm! Chocolate Palette

Mmm... saw this store as I was heading to my next gate change in Houston, Texas airport. I didn't have time to go in, only to take the shot. But Yumm! would have liked to see what they had to offer. What a great idea to paint a chocolate palette.

STROKE: Remember these three letters S.T.R.

I just got done reading this from the Bluesman's blog, and it reminds me of the time my Mom had a stroke and it wasnt till hours later that we understood what was happening to her.

My Mom had come up around noon to have lunch with our family and we all noticed that she wasnt herself, but she said she just wasn't feeling good. So we continued through our lunch, but I was getting really concerned since it looked like once side of her face was lower and she was pretty much silent throughout the meal, we ended up eating and we all said to my father that he needs to take her to the hospital now and have her checked out.
She apparently had a stroke early in the morning and by the time my father got her to the hospital, she lost one side of her body. She never recovered the use of her one arm.
So, I'm posting this as well to spread the awareness about the symptoms and warnings signs of a Stroke.

STR + tongue

from theBluesman says...... by theBluesman

Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue

STROKE: Remember these Three Letters....S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. This is just a social service, to spread the word around, or for that matter, these 3 words around.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously...just read the following short story:

Stroke Identification:

During a BBQ, a lady stumbled and took a little fall. She assured everyone that she was fine (They offered to call the paramedics). She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, she went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Her husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital. A short while later, she passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps the poor lady would still be around today. Some may not die and may end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

Recognising a Stroke:

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, S.T.R. Read further & Learn this!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.

T * Ask the person to TALK

(and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE, coherently).

R* Ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call for the doctor immediately.

And now a new Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue... If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets to read this and inform others, you can bet that some lives may be saved. Remember these words, STR & the Tongue.

Me iron? the irony of that!

Me Iron? I usually buy clothes, that never need to be iron, in fact cant remember the last time I turned a iron on. But I had heard about an easy way to flatten out your watercolors by ironing them, so I thought I would try it out on this new painting of an orchid.
I laid the painting face down on some viva paper towel on top of a piece of foam board and set that on the iron board. I then lightly sprayed the back of the painting, then laid down a cloth napkin, and ironed on a low heat.
It worked really well! I liked the fact I didn't have to wait all night, and find all sorts of heavy things to lay on it for weight to help press it out. So doing some ironing wasn't so bad.....

Yupo Stonehenge

Here's a quick YUPO painting I did of Stonehenge, it was fun reminiscing about being there. Wish I could go back there right now. It was a great place to visit. I used Raw Sienna Burnt umber, Ultramarine Blue , Antwerp Blue, and Paynes grey.