belhonorine

Merry Christmas Everyone

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:07:08 GMT

WINTER

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:49:42 GMT

Yesterday was a perfect winter day - cold (but not windy), a little bit snowy, bleak, quiet, and I spent a lot of time outdoors taking pictures, and here they are:

The park system had this tree decorated with goodies for the birds.

What a difference a couple of months makes. Same spot - the first photo is from late October.

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:45:11 GMT

I haven't been to the zoo for years. I used to like to visit, but now I feel sad to see the animals caged up, even though zoo conditions are so much better than they used to be when I was growing up. And I know that zoos do important work and research regarding preserving endangered species, etc., still . . . Anyway, I happened to be at the zoo for an odd reason that did not work out as planned. Before I left work a couple months ago, our office had just finished a major renovation, during which a lot of junk was uncovered and thrown away. I found 5 cartridges of toner that were purchased in 2005 and were for a fax machine we no longer had and that isn't even made anymore. It didn't seem right to just throw the toner in the trash and I was hoping to recycle it somewhere, only I couldn't find any place that would take it. I came across something that said there was a toner recycling drop off box at the zoo that was part of the Metro Parks recycling program. I put the toner in the trunk of my car and finally got around to going to the zoo to drop it off. Luckily, I left it in the trunk while I went to ask where the drop off box was. After being looked at like I was crazy by a couple different people and referred to someone else, someone finally made a phone call to find out what I was talking about. The drop off box turned out to be a small box the size of a shoe box that was sitting on top of a table inside of the information desk office. The toner recycling must be for the small cartridges used in home printers, not large office size printer/fax toner cartridges. I wouldn't have been able to fit one cartridge in their box, let alone 5. But since I was at the zoo, and it was a nice warm day, I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and have a look around, so here are a few photos. (The toner is still in my trunk!)

This is the sort of stuff I don't like to see at the zoo. I have no idea what it is, but it looks like something that belongs in an amusement park.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:13:30 GMT

Now that I no longer have a 9-to-5 office job, my plan has been to work on making things that I can sell at arts and crafts shows and also on Etsy. I've been concentrating on cloth dolls dressed in 1920's era fashions, and through a fortunate set of circumstances, 5 of my dolls were in a show this past Saturday at a local art gallery, Waterloo 7. It was a fun and unexpected experience, and helped give me encouragement to keep working and see where it takes me. The photo above was taken in the outdoor area of the gallery that is filled with wonderful metal sculptures by the gallery owner, Jerry Schmidt. I can't get good night time photos with my camera, so you can't really tell how nice the space looked all lit up at night. The weather was warm enough so that people could sit outside and there was live music outside as well. It's a very cool space.

Here are my dolls on display. The painting is by a talented young artist Jenna Fournier. I really love her work. The sculpture is one of the owner's pieces, and I don't know the name of the artist who did the lovely pottery pieces.

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:40:58 GMT

The fall weather this year has not been as nice as it usually is. At the end of September it got cold and rainy, and has pretty much stayed that way, but there have been a few nice days in the past couple weeks. Yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a walk and took some pictures.

I walked here last week and there were 2 deer in the clearing on the right, not far from the path. They're so used to people these days, they don't even run away. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me when I saw the deer, and when I did have the camera, the deer were nowhere to be seen.

This is a photo of a black squirrel (honest!), and if you look really, really (really!) hard, you can see him. He's just slightly lower left of the little orange leaf right of center. I don't think I've ever seen a black squirrel before, and at first I thought it was a black cat.

This guy was hanging out on the patio the other day.

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:03:57 GMT

The past few weeks seem so unreal. Friday, October 2nd, was my last day working. I'm officially retired! For my last week, I decorated my cube and set up cookies and candy corn in a vacant office and celebrated all week long. I'd thought about this moment for so long and carefully planned my exit and I was so happy and grateful that everything just came together and flowed smoothly. It was a very enjoyable final week. I was surprised by all the nice gifts and well wishes I received. Now the challenge begins. I have to find a new way of life and new things to do to keep me busy and fulfilled. For the moment, it just feels like I'm on a much-needed vacation.

I went to lunch with a small group and they surprised me with this giant piece of cake. (Necklace and earrings are by parrish_relics )

I put my makeup on at the kitchen table and one day last week, I got up briefly and Rory decided to check himself out in the mirror (he knows he's a natural beauty!).

And last, but certainly not least, kitty feet . . .

Odds & Ends

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:08:42 GMT

I have a few stray pictures

Yesterday morning, before I left for work, I started watering the tomatoes and this lovely little creature zoomed out of the plants, ran across the yard, and was kind enough to sit still and be photographed.

Earlier this summer I took a mosaics class and this was the main project. Everybody was given a big window to mosaic. I had no idea what I was going to do with it once it was finished, but after I got it home, I saw that it looked nice sitting on the floor with a small lamp behind it.

This was another quickie mosaic project using leftover bits of glass (the birds have since added some mosaics of their own).

I can't remember where this was, but I was at some outdoor arts show and I noticed this old house across the street. I think it's such a great house and wonder what it must have looked like in its prime. It looks like there's still curtains hanging in the upstairs windows, which is sort of ghostly. I also like the side porch, which looks like it was added at some later date.

BEYOND THE CUBE

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:16:59 GMT

Even though it's where I spend most of my time, I rarely mention my job because it's simply what I do to earn money and doesn't feel related to who I am, but in six weeks my life is going to be very different because I'm retiring. Yes - retiring! Arrghhh - makes me feel so old! But one of the perks of my government job is that I can get out while I'm still young enough to create and enjoy a different life. The picture above was taken a couple months ago during an office renovation. The floor I worked on was getting new carpeting, wallpaper, furniture, file cabinets, everything; and while the work was being done, we were temporarily moved to another floor. It was the first time in my many, many years of office employment that I got to sit by a window. It was so wonderful! Natural light! A view! I loved it! It lasted only a little over a month, but it was such a different experience from being stuck in a little cube all day. I felt lighter, more free, and, oddly, more grown up. Following are some photos of my beloved window and my brand new cube view .

My temporary desk. I never once had to turn on the overhead light. There was always plenty of natural light.

View of the baseball stadium.

View of a great old, historic building Cleveland Gray's Armory.

Looking in the other direction.

And then . . . it was all over. Back into the box I went.

This is my current view as I gaze outside my cubicle.

When I look upwards, this is what I get to see.

The interior of my cube. A faint glimmer of light can be detected coming from a nearby office.

But in six weeks, I'll be out on my own. I'm excited and also slightly freaked out. I have no idea yet how I'm going to feel. One of my plans for the upcoming future is to really work and put some effort into creating things to sell at arts/crafts shows, etc. I've taken different classes over the past few years and experimented with dyeing silk scarves and lately I've been making some dolls. So now I'll have the time to see exactly what I can come up with.

The future?

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:35:42 GMT

For all cat lovers - be sure to check out her other videos too!

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:02:05 GMT

Hope everyone had a good 4th of July. I went to the Boston Mills Art Festival - didn't buy anything though, and later saw the new Woody Allen movie, Whatever Works, which was funnier than I was expecting.

I went to the Madison Hotel in Morristown, NJ, for the wedding last week and it was really nice, and I even managed to stay upright in my new shoes. Didn't have much time for sight-seeing, but we did check out the Short Hills Mall (I love looking at beautiful merchandise, even if I can't afford any of it!), and we ate at this restaurant, Guerriero's.

Here's some leftover pictures from a few weeks ago. After attending the Parade the Circle event, we went to the Rockefeller Greenhouse, which is another one of those great places that I've never been to even though I've lived here all my life. Also a couple pictures from Morristown.
ROCKEFELLER GREENHOUSE

MORRISTOWN, NJ
It felt funny to be so close to New York and not be able to visit, but there just wasn't any time.

Morristown Town Square

Parade the Circle

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:28:04 GMT

Saturday afternoon was Cleveland's annual Parade the Circle event sponsored by the Art Museum. It's a fun event where anyone can sign up to be in the parade and design and make their own costumes, floats, etc. The parade winds around the streets that are known as the University Circle area, which is where the museums, the art and music institutes, as well as Case Western Reserve University and Severance Hall are located. It's a beautiful area that's always been one of my favorite parts of Cleveland. The weather was perfect, the colors spectacular, and I took lots of pictures.

Bad Kitty . . .

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:44:52 GMT

I had an unexpected day off work today. I went to start my car this morning and the battery was dead. Called AAA, they got it started and I took it in and got a new battery. I used the extra time this morning to finish repairing the above creamer .

Rory is really a good cat and hasn't been at all destructive . . . except . . . A few weeks ago, I was watching tv and, all of a sudden, I heard glass breaking. I discovered that he somehow knocked the creamer off the top of a high dresser. I liked this antique sugar and creamer set so much that I didn't want to put it away in a cupboard, but I didn't want to leave it out where it could possibly get damaged. I mistakenly thought putting it on top of a dresser was a good compromise. I could still look at it and enjoy it, but it was out of the way enough that the cat wouldn't be able to knock it over. It's been there for years and I never see Rory up there, but I guess he was looking for something to do that night. I still can't figure out how it happened, but it broke, and I wasn't even able to find all the pieces. I glued it back together as best I could, but there's a hole on one side. I couldn't bear to throw it away, so holes and cracks and glue marks aside, I still like it.

I'm going to a wedding at the end of the month and I wanted to buy a new pair of shoes. I wanted something special - not the usual type of shoes I always wear. I used to be able to wear high heels all the time years ago, but I just can't do it anymore. However, I decided to go ahead and be daring, so I bought these shoes. I've been practicing walking around in them and, hopefully, by the end of the month, I'll be able to cross a room without tipping over.

"It wasn't my fault. My foot just slipped, ok?"

Fri, 22 May 2009 02:49:36 GMT

Here's the latest photos of what's been going on around my place.

This little rabbit shows up from time to time - here he's relaxing in my neighbor's yard.

He sat outside the front door for a while one evening, and Rory sat watching him, perfectly silent, none of the cute chirping noises he usually makes when he's watching birds.

Started working on the yard. I neglected it last year and vowed to do better this year.

It's not often that these two are this close together on the couch. Rory tries, but Dixie usually barks and tells him to scram.

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:46:53 GMT

When I opened the backdoor to leave for work this morning, this little guy was hanging around. I wasn't going to put any food out this morning because I was in a hurry, plus it was really windy, cold, and snowing. (Yes, snowing! 30 degrees with icy snow!) He looks as if he's waiting for an invitation to come in for a sit-down meal. He did, however, manage to charm me into putting food out in the yard. He's just so darned cute.

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:34:33 GMT

At last! Plants are coming to life, and the temperatures have been in the upper 40's and 50's. (I just stopped typing this for a minute to let Dixie outside, and it's freezing rain and snow outside! What happened?!) I started raking and picking up sticks and debris, which included an empty packet of Popeye's Hot Sauce (not mine!). I didn't do a good job of keeping up the yard last year, and I want to do much better this year. The hellebores and woodruff are the first arrivals.

Saw the Lee Friedlander exhibit at the Art Museum this weekend. I like photographs of mundane, everyday street scenes that look heightened and absurd when a split second is frozen in time, and I was surprised that his photographs reminded me so much of pictures I took a long time ago while taking a photography class.

Latest DVD's I've watched include:

The Changeling
Mistress of Spices
I've Loved You So Long
The Duchess
The Visitor

I also recently watched one of my favorite Rita Hayworth movies, Affair in Trinidad. My mother was a Rita Hayworth fan, and we would watch her movies on tv when I was kid. I thought she was so pretty and I loved her sexy dances. While she's most remembered for "Put the Blame on Mame" from Gilda, I always liked this dance scene from Affair in Trinidad. It encouraged my girlhood fantasies of being a sultry singer in exotic locales! :)

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:02:04 GMT

The weather has been so freezing cold here that I haven't always felt like putting out bird seed on a daily basis. The other day I went outside and this little guy was sitting outside the garage as if to tell me I better get the food out, and make it quick. He then hopped up on the neighbor's fence and I finally told him "ok, ok, I'll go get the food!". He immediately ran to his feeding spot in the backyard and waited for his handout.

I've been trying to get rid of a cold lately, as well as going to weekly physical therapy for my knee. Years ago in a freak accident at work, I hit it against my desk and dislocated it. Until recently, it had been ok, but a few months ago it really started hurting, so I've got to strengthen it up again.

Here's another squirrel photo, plus a couple pet pictures taken while they were helping me put away the Christmas decorations. Also, a couple pictures taken at Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery. It's one of those places that because I live here, I've always just taken it for granted and never really visited. I was there briefly a couple months ago, and I hope in the spring to really get a better look and take more pictures.

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:14:44 GMT

What have I been doing all afternoon at work? Watching these -

http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000086?v=3510825

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:59:14 GMT

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I wanted to get a cute holiday photo of Rory and Dixie, but as you can see, they were completely bored with the idea. Napping was their priority.

I did get a couple pictures of a beautiful sunrise this week, and a few weeks ago, the full moon was still visible in the morning.

Have a wonderful Merry Christmas!

Les Paul Tribute/Artistic Luxury Exhibit

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:58:37 GMT

Went to a couple of events recently - the Les Paul Tribute concert and the Artistic Luxury - Tiffany, Faberge, Lalique exhibit at the Art Museum. More info and some photos behind the cut:

Saturday night we went to the Les Paul Tribute concert and I had a really good time. We got free tickets and good seats. Besides the performances by various guitarists, Les Paul himself performed, and he's really amazing at age 93. James took a lot of photos, but only a few turned out. Slash was the big headliner, and while I was never a huge Guns 'n Roses/Slash fan, he certainly can play, but I found myself more fascinated by the whole cigarette thing. He walked on stage, grabbed his guitar, lit a cigarette, and started to play. I kept watching the cigarette as it turned to ash and wondered what he would do when it was completely burned down. Would he spit it out? Swallow it? He just kept it in his mouth until the end of the song, then threw it on the floor, said a few words and introduced the next song, lit up another one and started playing, repeating the whole process. For some reason, it mesmerized me, I just couldn't take my eyes off that cigarette! Here's a YouTube video from the show:

A few more photos that turned out:

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons

Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora

Patti Smith Group's Lenny Kaye with Katy Moffatt

Also went to the Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany, Lalique exhibit at the Art Museum and it was so, so gorgeous. There were Faberge eggs, panels of Tiffany stained glass, Lalique glass, perfume bottles, cigarette cases, lots of beautiful jewelry, hair combs and fancy head adornments, as well as huge silver serving dishes, etc. Everything was exquisite, but I think my favorite pieces were the Lalique jewelry, especially the "dog collars". The detail and craftsmanship are unbelievable, so intricate and delicate. The show will be going to San Francisco in February and I highly recommend it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:47:09 GMT

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:37:51 GMT

This past weekend was perfect fall weather - warm, sunny, leaves gloriously colorful. Went to a wedding on Saturday, Friday night a friend from my yoga class asked if I wanted to go to a Kirtan featuring Shantala. I didn't know what to expect and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautiful music, voices and rhythms, a great evening. Took advantage of the nice weather to go for a walk in the park and take some pictures.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:40:05 GMT

Rory is safe and sound now, but I had a real scare a week ago. I've been using the cat walking jacket for a couple years to take him out in the backyard and it's worked really well, but a couple Sundays ago, I had him outside and he heard some voices and got spooked. He started leaping and pulling and jerking around and before I could get him back in the house, he managed to get himself out of the jacket. The jacket never came open, he just violently wiggled out of it, and I couldn't get hold of him. He spent all day Sunday under bushes/shrubs way in the back of the yard by the neighbor's fence, and wouldn't let me get near him. I sat up all night with the backdoor open, hoping he would calm down and walk back in the house, but he never did. I stayed home from work Monday, thinking for sure I'd be able to somehow get him back inside, but any attempt to get near him, and he took off running. I was so upset, worrying that he would get lost and that I'd never get him back. I bought one of those Havahart traps and set it up in the back of the yard that evening, and around 9:30, the neighbor's dogs were barking and she said there was something in the trap. I did catch a cat, only it was someone else's cat who obviously couldn't resist the tuna fish bait. I released the intruder, gave up and realized I had to get some sleep and I would have to go to work the next day. Tuesday morning it started raining and I was frantic thinking about Rory outside in the rain. Around 5:00 a.m. I heard meowing coming from the garage and I quick ran outside and closed the door. It was too dark to do anything, so I waited until it was light and went back out to begin looking for him in the garage (my garage is ... uh, well - a big mess!). I was so relieved to finally see him back in the corner under a small table. I spent two hours sitting in the garage with him - talking to him, calming him down. Eventually, while I was sitting on the floor next to him, he was calm enough that he actually started to go to sleep, and that's when I grabbed hold of him by the back of the neck and stuffed him into his carrier and took him back in the house. Whew! It was such an upsetting ordeal and I was so, so, so thankful that everything turned out ok and that he was safe in the house. I was too exhausted to try to make it into work, so I took another day off. It was like everything in life stopped - all I could think about was getting Rory back. Everything is back to normal now, and Rory will not be going outside again any time soon. I don't know if I'll ever use that jacket again or not.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:41:41 GMT

I was looking forward to a summer of taking vacation days, relaxing and doing things around the house and the yard, working on long neglected craft projects, and basically just slowing down a bit and enjoying myself. The universe, however, had something else in mind. Lots of chaotic changes at work, so I haven't been able to take much time off. My few days in Cape May have been it, and I'm really thankful I was able to do that. Chaos, too, with people around me in my personal life. The Tarot image of The Tower is how I'm feeling. Everything seems to have exploded and nothing will be quite the same again. That isn't necessarily bad, but it will take a while for whatever new is happening to reach its final form.

On a lighter note, I painted and rearranged my bedroom a few months ago and I've been enjoying it very much. I was surprised by how something as simple as changing the position of the bed could make me feel so different. It's almost as if moving the bed was the start of other movement in my life. I have to thank the_two_sisters for this Foujita print. Years ago I came across it on another website and really loved it, and I wanted to know who it was by. She kindly gave me the information and I was able to order this inexpensive print. When I painted the room, I decided to splurge and have it nicely framed, and I'm so happy with it. I think I like it so much because it reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Anais Nin, and also because it allows me to imagine myself spending my days in a Paris cafe instead of an office cubicle.

On the wall opposite the Foujita, I put up all my Paris watercolor prints. Three of them I bought myself at local antique shops, and the other ones a friend of mine found at a couple different garage sales for only a few dollars. I love them. I put a large image of them behind the cut so you can see the details.

Last, but certainly not least, Rory seems to approve of my decorating choices.

CAPE MAY TRIP

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:12:55 GMT

I'm back from my trip to Cape May, NJ. It was just a short trip, but I had such a nice time and it was wonderful to get away from work for a few days. The weather worked out perfectly - not too hot and it didn't rain. I want to get my pictures posted, and I've got a lot of catching up to do with everyone's journals. I used to have time at work to read LJ, but lately I've been really busy and haven't been able to find any extra time. So here are my photos (lots of them!) I posted large sizes so you could see the details, so they might take a while to load.

This is the bed and breakfast we stayed at.

Our room.

The bathroom was tiny, with a small shower stall, but I thought the tiles were so pretty -

The Washington Street Mall - lots of little shops, some very touristy, but some have very nice things. There's also a bunch of ice cream and fudge shops.

We went to dinner with James' parents at this restaurant.

A cute little shop called "Whiskers" that sold all animal-related merchandise.

While James and his sons went fishing one morning, I went out and had a delicious breakfast of oatmeal pancakes at The Mad Batter and then I walked around and took pictures.
Down by the ocean - you can't walk onto the beach unless you buy a beach pass, so this is as close as I got.

I remembered this sign from the first time I visited Cape May a few years ago, and I was so happy to find it again. Something about it is so charming to me. I like how it says "Istanbul".

Aleathea's - A hotel & restaurant, with a small antiques shop. We ate here the last time I visited.

These houses (and the one partially visible on the left) are referred to as the "Three Sisters",
because supposedly some guy had them built all exactly the same as gifts for his 3 daughters.

These gorgeous flowers belong to a house called The Empress that is beautifully restored, but the owner doesn't use the house or rent any of the rooms.

Another photo of "The Empress". In the photo, the design on the steps looks like black paint, but the design is actually carved out of the wood. I love the door and the color scheme.

Some beautiful vintage tiles on The King's Cottage bed and breakfast.

The The Merion Inn.

So many lovely houses with beautiful flowers.

This one has some scary dolls lurking on the porch.

This color blue was so striking.

The Southern Mansion

This is a little fountain on the side of the porch at the bed and breakfast we stayed at. It was nice to sit on the porch and listen to it.

This is the porch itself -

This is the view from the porch -

And this is me drinking tea on the porch -

While we were sitting waiting for James' sons to get something to eat, some guy was feeding the gulls. At one point, and for some unknown reason, the guy set a bottle of orange pop (or should I say "soda"?) on the ground in his attempt to attract the birds. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the guy, because he was quite an unusual character.

On to the turnpike and into the tunnel for the ride home.

The sun setting over the Pennsylvania countryside.

Twins!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:08:00 GMT

I don't remember ever getting a double yolk before, and it really startled me.

I'll be leaving soon for a few days vacation in Cape May, New Jersey, with James and his sons. I was there once a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. I loved all the beautiful Victorian homes, the flowers and gardens, and I remember the fresh smell of the ocean. I can't wait! Unfortunately, soon after I get back, I have to report for jury duty - something I'm definitely not looking forward to. I've never done it before and I really, really don't want to. I'm hoping they'll interview me and find me unsuitable and send me home.

The little black cat that has been sort of living next door disappeared for over a week, but turned up again yesterday and seems to be fine. No one knows where she went, but I'm happy she's ok. The neighbor missed her and was happy she came back, but I sure wish he would take her in the house.

Here's Rory enjoying his latest Sunday morning outdoor exploration.