Thursday, August 1, 2019

Thursday Art Date: Green


Hello Friends! :)

Welcome to Thursday's Art Date! Our theme today is Green. Considering that it is summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere, I wanted to come up with a few colour-based themes to keep things cheerful! All I see from November through to May is snow...snow...and more snow. I want to keep my world as colourful as possible before the whites, grays and browns take over!

I had a lot of ideas for Bugs and Daffy this week but I was in a pickle as to what I should do...After talking about The Picklesburgh Festival with Joyce from Octoberfarm I decided that Daffy must be portrayed as a dill pickle; in fact Joyce is my official "joke writer" for this cartoon. I RELISH your sense of humour Joyce, thanks for the gag! :)


I often go back to Bob Ross' videos to remind myself that paintings don't need to be complicated to do! This is my Green Forest oil painting. I feel as though I walk along that path every morning with the dogs!

Speaking of green, here are a few photos of my container garden! Things are growing!!



Could it be a little pumpkin growing???




Today is day 6 of the sciatica recovery program I created for myself. I'm still going for walks each morning with the dogs. I'm also doing yoga daily as well. I joined on online yoga site and they have 5 programs specifically for sciatica and piriformis pain. I've stuck to one of them every other day and I'd have to say my pain went from a ten out of ten to a four. Very good progress! I have to drive this morning and I fixed my car seat so that it's ergonomic. I hope the pain doesn't get worse with the driving!


I also make sure that I don't sit all day long. I'm quite active outside, in the garden and in the kitchen, but on really hot, humid days, I'm inside a lot with the a/c going. Plus I have to think of winter too - when I'm stuck indoors pretty much 23 hours a day! I tend to get carried away reading blogs, doing recipe searches and watching informative videos. That keeps me sitting a lot. Alex is lending me his laptop stand until we can get a second one and this is my current set up. Not ideal! But the second laptop stand is on its way and when we get it, Alex is going to build me something like this:

From Upright and Caffeinated


It'll just sit on top of my current desk so I can get up anytime I need to. It'll be much more stable than the game boxes lol! Actually, I'm spending most of my computer time on my feet now. I just have to make sure I protect my back and keep my posture!


The squirrels aren't coming around as often as they used to! I guess that day was coming! We still find empty nut and seed shells in the cage each morning though.


I saw this on Pam's blog and I had to do it! :)

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August 8th: Next Thursday's theme is Patterns. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! :)

Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes.

Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! Please don't include a link unless you participate in the art date!

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40 comments:

  1. I love your forest painting!!!!
    I am intrigued when you said videos about yoga for piriformis pain. That would be my Summer. Could you send me a link to my email?
    I am so sorry for your pain. I must have missed some posts - Internet is sketchy here in the country - and I hope and pray you feel better. Sounds like you are doing everything within your power to make it happen.
    I do so admire you, Rain.....

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  2. dear Rain i always enjoy the bugs and daffy quest through your stunning art :)))

    and special thanks for green my most favorite theme among all ,i relate natural beauty with green most :)

    earth has brown deserts blue water and skies but green forests are something truly convey the concept of beauty :)

    I LOVED YOU FORREST my friend ,may your beautiful world be always filled with colors you love :)

    i am so happy that you are getting positive results from yoga , four out of ten as soon is impressive one i believe ,keep it up my friend my best wishes are always with you !
    Oh your garden is great success by the grace of Lord i can see lots of veggies growing here ,and they gave me looong lasting smile :)))

    hope the satnd of laptop will do better for you posture Rain ,actually posture is most important and we often neglect it .

    haha your toilet seat is looks like man holding pipe lol ,i liked pam's art ,so yummy :)

    creativity springs within beautiful minds and you are blessed with one so talented :)
    hugs!

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  3. Your green cartoon is priceless hahaha. The forest is also beautiful. So sorry to hear about the sciatica. I am going to google that for more info. Happy Art date anyway!

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  4. Glad to hear your pain is lessening! -Jenn

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  5. Your “green art” is terrific and will brighten your world when “the brown” comes all too soon.

    I have heard more and more that sitting is the new smoking and I think we all do too much of that. I went through a bout of sciatica last winter and got myself out of it with exercise and movement. Thankfully, this old body responded, but it took a while. I hope you are successful and your pain goes away soon.

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  6. oh no...the squirrels are independent! well, that's what you raised them to be so it's a good thing! your art is wonderful and so impressive! your vegetables look great. the 100 degree weather did most of mine in. are you making feta? i bet homemade feta will be very good. that toilet is funny!

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  7. Your garden is thriving. I'm so jealous. I'm glad the exercises are working. Have fun on vacation.

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  8. Rain,

    Fun cartoon sketch and I love your oil painting! :)

    This week I was able to exercise each day for an hour on my elliptical. Sitting or standing too long causes me pain in my lower back. I'm not sure why but I know that either extreme isn't good for me. I hope to get my exercising routine back up to two hours. The more stamina I build the better I feel. I need to lose 10-15 pounds to get me back to where I need to be. The past three years I let myself get too lazy in that department which is never a good thing. I like the idea of a standing workstation and I hope to do this someday but have the flexibility of lowering it if I need to. Your garden is looking fabulous. Mmm, it's going to be yummy served up for y'alls meals! Congrats to the threesome for adjusting to the great outdoors just fine. :)

    Have a good weekend

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  9. Hi Rain, I tried linking my moms post, hope it works, beautiful art!

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  10. So creative. The toilet? Gotta set that up at my daughter's house.

    Good to hear you are getting some relief.

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  11. I am glad to hear you are feeling a bit better. would you mind sharing the yoga link ??
    Your garden looks phantastic ... I dont like eggplant but look how pretty they are :)

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  12. I do like your green cartoon, and the forest too :)
    Pleased that the discomfort from sciatica is lessening … long may that be the case.
    Take care.

    All the best Jan

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  13. Oooh... I do love your forest painting, Rain. And look at how your garden grows! Beautiful veggies. So glad to read that you're getting relief. Sciatica pain is just awful (says a fellow sometimes sufferer).

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  14. HAHA....thanks for the shout out on the blog! So you did not say how Alex took to the bathroom decor? That is funny. Loving your paintings of Bugs. So nice. And that garden is really doing nice. The computer stand will be great. I made one somewhat like that when I worked for the TBI. It was easier for me to make one then to have us purchase one....and i meant one like Alex's that you are using! haha...

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  15. Thanks Linda :) Email has been sent! :) I'm a little late responding to comments here, but honestly, it's helping TREMENDOUSLY...I hope that Summer finds relief as well, I know what kind of pain she's dealing with and it's not fun.

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  16. Thanks Baili :) I know...green forests are so wonderful, alive and peaceful to be in! :) Yes! The yoga is really working! I can't be happier because there was one day this week where I actually felt hardly any pain - I couldn't believe it! :) The garden is really doing well, I feel blessed considering we had such a late spring this year. The stand-up desk so far is working well, I found a way to shift my weight from left to right and I'm keeping my posture in good form. I need to take care of this before it does more damage!

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  17. Thanks Christine :) Sciatica is just horrid...mine is due to a damaged piriformis muscle and it puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, so I have to repair and strengthen that muscle for the pressure to come off the nerve. So far though, the yoga and walking is really helping! I'm so glad you're back to joining in the art date!!!

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  18. Thanks so much Jenn :) It's really getting better, though the day after I drove, it got worse for a while.

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  19. Thanks Arleen :) I can at least take comfort that my world will be orange, yellow and red before it all turns brown! I totally agree with you about sitting being the new smoking. Oh I'm so glad you found relief from the sciatica! Movement definitely helps!!


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  20. Thanks Joyce :) I'm thinking about making Feta, but that recipe calls for sheep's milk, which I can't imagine I'd ever find around here. I'm going to try to find a recipe for one with cow's milk. Maybe a different kind of bacterial culture will give it a good flavour. Yeah, the toilet lol...too funny!

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  21. Thanks so much Sandi :) I love my greens!! :)

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  22. Thanks Leanna :) Yes, the yoga and walking is continuing to help a lot. I'm grateful I can sit through a movie now. The garden is doing so well! I can't wait for the tomatoes!!!

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  23. Thanks Cathy :) Congratulations on your exercise! I would love to have a good elliptical in my home! That was my favourite machine at the gym. I have a little mini-trampoline that I used to use a lot, but I found that it aggravates the piriformis muscle now, which causes me a little concern because that was my exercise in the winter. Walking in frigid weather isn't pleasant for me. I hope by the time winter rolls around I can use the mini tramp again! I used to do a 2 1/2 hour workout each day and yes, I felt very good. Keep it up, you'll lose the weight in no time!!! :)

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  24. Hi Laurie :) I don't think it worked! It just links back to your own blog.

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  25. Thanks Susan :) Yeah, the toilet lol...that was a good gag! The relief from the pain is MOST welcome!!!

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  26. Thanks so much TB :) I hope your garden is doing well too!

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  27. Thanks Sis :) Oh I sent you a text with the link! I'm not a big fan of eggplant either, but I thought maybe if it was home grown I'd enjoy it more?? We'll see lol!

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  28. Thanks Jan :) I hope so too! :)

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  29. Thanks Becki :) Oh gosh, I'm sorry you are aware of that sciatica pain...it takes your breath away. I hope you don't suffer too long with it. The veggies are growing nicely! I can't wait to try them!!

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  30. Thanks Pam :) Yeah...the game boxes are really TEMPORARY lol...but they actually work quite well! The laptop stand arrived and it's a piece of crap so we sent it back and ordered 5 more to test out. We'll hopefully keep one and send the other 4 as returns. I set up the toilet before I went to bed and I didn't say anything. Alex stays up later than me so it was perfect sneakiness...he thought it was hilarious, he was surprised that's for sure!

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  31. YAY for pain reduction. I'm so happy for you. Love how you're out and about and what a green thumb you have. You got Daffy spot on. And that other painting looks really neat. I like the depth you did in the side grass.

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  32. Thanks Stefanie :) I appreciate that you noticed the depth of the path and the grass! That's something I can do well with oils and I learned from Bob Ross videos!!

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  33. Rain I love that you did the toilet thingy, would have loved to see his face! That is so funny. It made me think of a time when I was a teen and a friend of mine did something like that to me. Halloween came and my friends hubby (I was single) made the most real like dummy to sat on the porch. Okay, cool it was neat. HOWEVER~ days later I was over there with a guy I was dating and we were all in the basement area doing something and I had to go to the bathroom. Little did I know that Phil (the hubby) prepared a surprise for me since they knew I was coming over. Their bathroom was sat up strangely, as you walked in you had NO CHOICE but to close the door to go to the john cause it was behind the door when open. I walked in, closed the door and DAMN, scared the crap out of me, that silly dummy was sitting on the john! Next sight they saw in the basement was Mr Dummy coming down the stairs when I threw him!

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  34. Hi Pam :) Yeah the toilet gag was a good one! That's really funny about Mr. Dummy lol! :)

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  35. Glad to read that your self-cure program has been helping the back pains, Rain. I know what you mean about spending too much time sitting at the computer. i was having issues with my neck and shoulders and so have stopped sitting for long periods and it has lessened the discomfort. That stand should really help and bet you will miss the game boxes. I know you miss the squirrles, but hopefully they may return when you least expect them.

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  36. Thanks Dorothy :) I'm glad you found a bit of relief...I used to get shoulder and neck pain too when I sat at the computer, it was mainly because I wasn't at the right height...my chair was all out of whack. But yes, I'm really looking forward to the laptop stand! The game boxes are kind of funny! :) Once in a while we hear squirrels chirping at us in the trees, but at this point, we have no idea if they are "ours" or not!

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  37. I love Daffy pickle! LOL! And, your forest is gorgeous! Wow! Happy you are doing better with your sciatica! The toilet seat made me laugh! LOL! Big Hugs!

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  38. Your garden is doing wonderful! I am glad you found some help with your pain. Nancy

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❤ Thanks for your comment, I love hearing from everyone! ❤ Why not join me and my fellow artists every Thursday for TADD? That's Thursday Art and Dinner Date! It's a lot of fun!
Love,
Rain