Monday Moments - Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

Hope it's a spooktacular good  time

Don't get caught in a web of evil

 Keep your eyes in your head and your wits about you

BOO!

Finally Friday - Off to See Dad

I'm probably a bit late for  fall color, but  I'm off  for  three weeks to see my Dad, siblings, friends, and eat a cheesesteak sandwich.  Flying up - hope all American Airline worker bees are working. 

Here's dad from last November.  No doubt we'll be sitting a lot at the kitchen table. He's slowing down, but still chows down.  Or  we can play rummy. 

 Dad back in 2016.  He's slowed a lot since then. But we'll have good laughs, talk about old times, and watch his Good Morning America at volume 80.  If you hear anything - that's the TV. 

So, bear with me on posts - I'm pre-writing and scheduling. But I might not be commenting back as much.  I'll be visiting, walking around the block, and fetching dad a glass of water. 

Hope you enjoy your weekend. 

Shake it Off

 Haters don't hate, please. 

Yes, I contributed to Taylor Swift's  bank account and  enjoyed The Eras  Tour  movie. I saved thousands by not actually going  to her concert - ha!

It was a quiet  Sunday afternoon. There was a group of young  ladies dancing on the other side of the theater, but they did not disturb me. I was able to see and hear the movie version of the concert and it was quite an impressive production. Good dancing, costumes, light show,  staging, etc. 

I like pop music and Taylor Swift writes very catchy tunes. She is tall and presents well with a pleasant voice. ( I do think Pink, who I have  seen in concert, is much better).  Anyway, it was harmless fun and I admire  Taylor the business woman.  She is a good role model  for  female power (getting back her copyrights), running her show, standing her ground, and respecting her audience. Our local radio - KISS- FM 106.1 in Dallas - has always said she goes  out of her way for her fans, and I've not read or heard of any dirty secrets.  

I hope she can continue her success and evolve. She's 33 - a grown woman.  Keep Shaking Off the Haters and enjoy Good Karma, Taylor.  

October Monday - Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis

 I laughed from start to finish reading this new hilarious collection of essays from Helen Ellis. Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge is boisterous, bawdy, and unabashedly romantic. In these surprising, sexy, and frank essays, she paints a portrait of true romance for our times. (cover blurb)

Here are some of the chapter titles - My Husband Snores and Yours Will Too,  An Email  to Our Cat Sitter, What's in the  Box?, The Best Part of a Wedding is the Worst Part of the Wedding, We Are Not That Couple, May I Hold Your Grudge for You, and more. 

p. 110 In How to Collect Art, she  describes categories - "Folk art" means poor people did it. "Emerging" means the artist is just out of grad school. "Contemporary" means a piece of the artist's work is in a Midwest museum and costs ten figures. "Modern" means the artist has major shows and  will cost a half million. "Fine art"  - forget about it. The artist is long  dead and commemorated with coffee mugs.   She goes on to describe her and her husband's approach to collecting. It's laugh out loud funny. 

p. 149  I still live by the Southern Lady Code. If you don't have something nice to say, say something not so nice in a nice way. For example: Your Instagram is beautifully curated is Southern Lady Code for "Your real life must be a hotter mess than spaghetti and meatballs in a clothes dryer. " 

She just nails  life  and marriage in these essays. Trust me. You'll crack up. 

Finally Friday - Zero Days by Ruth Ware

cover blurb info:  "Jack" Cross and her husband, Gabe, are the best security penetration specialists in the business. Jack does the physical, Gabe tackles digital. Quite the team.  But a job goes wrong and Jack comes home  to find her husband dead. The police suspect - her. 

She is on the run, out of options and has to decide who to trust. How much is at stake? How deep does this go?

Whew - Zero  Days is a page turner and tough  to figure out along with Jack what's going to happen. Ruth Ware is a superb writer who can ratchet up  the adrenaline.  I got this from the library and ripped through it. Thumbs up. 

Wednesday Whatever - Beach Calm

 I nabbed this photo from a friend who was in South Padre Island, TX. 

Nothing like a beach, a gulf, and a sky

It's Wednesday.   Just breathe

Monday Moments - Texas Women Artists

Marking Space/ Holding Time - works by Texas Women Artists - was a lovely little exhibit in the Irving  Arts Center. I try to get over to these galleries because the curator does a fabulous job.  It only takes about thirty to forty minutes to see and enjoy the  works. 

This picture is "Out of Order" by Ellen Frances Tuchman.  It's mixed media on watercolor paper - acrylic, colored pencil, vintage matchbooks, hand painted paper quills, beads, buttons, cabochons, and thread.  Quite fascinating

"Guardians" by Sherry Owens is crepe myrtle, bailing wire, dye, and wax.   Wow!

"Garden 1 and Garden 2" by Mihee Nahm is oil on linen.  So calm and lovely

 "Between the Worlds" by Dawn Waters Baker just glows.  It's oil on gold leaf and canvas

These were just a few of the works that  caught my eye. The talent is tremendous. Such variety and creativity. 

You need a stroll?  Go find a local art center or gallery to enrich your heart.