Author Archives: Old as Dirt & Proud of It!

Unknown's avatar

About Old as Dirt & Proud of It!

Welcome to Older Than Dirt, and Proud of It by Karen Samenow. I named my blog Older Than Dirt because that's where I am in life. You may find art or music, or inspiration included because, I'm an artist, a spiritual medium, and I'm always learning more and exploring. I hope you find us interesting. My focus for this blog is to bring a little levity to well seasoned women. Sometimes it actually may help!

Good Morning Tuesday

Image

 

IMG_0239

I’m sitting here in my studio trying to decide what to do next!   I have many unfinished paintings that aren’t speaking to me, and just like so many others, they may just end up under another painting.  Molly Moo had several paintings under her, and Dusty the bunny has at least four paintings under him.  Dusty hasn’t been revealed yet, but his day is coming this week.

Molly Moo the Free Cow

Molly Moo the Free Cow

I have started a small 20″ X 24″ abstract a couple days ago, and decided to let it dry before continuing.  Now I’m thinking I should have just kept going while the paint was wet, and see what happens.  After all it is intuitive art, and it is abstract, so the worst that can happen is that it becomes an underpainting.

For me, the best thing to do is get into the studio early while I have lots of ideas, and energy…..turn great music on, and open up jars of paint.  The bigger the mess, the more creative I become, and louder the music, the faster I paint, and the better the painting.

So let’s get started!

A Chilly Spring Day!

Image

IMG_2869

 

Wow, a bouncing baby girl!  Of course, I really wasn’t bouncing at the time, that came later, but a baby girl, I definitely was!  I think my mother told me that we were in the hospital for two weeks. Can you believe that, two weeks! Now days if you get to stay over night, you’re lucky. Being a nurse myself, I’ve seen new mothers kicked out of the hospital when they were too young to even have a child, didn’t know how to care for it, and needed some extra time with the nurses to help them get comfortable with the care and feeding of an infant. But not us, we got an entire two weeks.

IMG_2871

My parents built a home in Royal Oaks, in the burbs of Detroit.  I recall my mother telling me it was just off of Woodward Rd, or maybe it was Two Mile Road. Either way I’m sure it doesn’t look, feel, or smell the same today. That was more than a half century ago….. things have changed!

 

IMG_2868We had a sweet little home, I remember it well.   Ok, I remember the outside really well because I still have a picture. Lately, I’ve been going through all the old pictures with noting on the back to tell me who they were.   I wish my mother would have written who they were, or where they were taken, it would have been oh so much easier…on me! I have all these pictures of ancient relatives who don’t have any names on the back, and wouldn’t it have been nice to know who they were, and where they were taken?

IMG_2872

For a while I actuarially belonged to a Genealogy Club, trying to learn how to research, and find my heritage. That’s a lot more difficult than one might think. My heritage is English, Irish, and Scotch, two-thirds of them came to Canada on a boat,it could have even been a rowboat, or a blow up boat for all I know. The records are difficult to find, even with help! Eventually, it took up so much time researching dead relatives, that I had to decide if I wanted to sit in front of a computer getting a bubble butt, or did I want to paint. I decided to paint instead, and leave the research to a time when I couldn’t paint, or see to paint. The irony is, if I can’t see to paint, I can’t see to research! I’ll tell you though, it certainly is fun when you can find a lost, and forgotten relative that you knew was there, but had never been ably to locate before!

Ok, Ok enough of the genealogy stuff!  That stuff will come much later…..

 

 

 

 

Thursday Time Out For Art

Image
Molly Moo the Free Cow

Molly Moo the Free Cow

Next Up

Next Up

After finishing Molly Moo last week, I’m going to start another abstract painting.

 

 

 

Even though Molly was more realistic, the next painting I’m planning with any luck at all will be more abstract!   I just can’t seem to help myself..

The next canvas is long and narrow, so I’m thinking it will help me create a little more extreme art.   We’ll see! It’s also got at least four paintings underneath, maybe that’s the key!

First the sides,  I hate doing the sides.  I always start shaking and can never get them straight, so they go first.

Inspiration comes from everywhere.  I’d like to suggest checking out a couple of sites that might help with creative energy and inspiration,  Zebra Designs & Destinations, and On the Easel.

 

The Journey Continues…

Image

Royal Dutch Airline

8100+ milestone Amsterdam!
Again the stewardess is making her way around the plane! This time to serve dinner. It’s 3:30 pacific time, and even though I’m not hungry, it’s soon to be bedtime, and in 7:45 minutes we will arrive in Amsterdam! This food is better than most airplane food, but if it were to be terrible, few would send it back for fear of starvation!
I need to sleep, or yesterday will be a rough day!
Ground speed. 625mph
Distance. 4740 mi
Altitude. 10683
Outside air temp. 48F. I’m glad I’m not actually flying, it’s too cold out there!

Distance 7180. We’re hitting a little turbulence at the moment. Some would say more than a little. Some would even say, “we’re hitting air pockets!” Well…yes, we are in the air, so technically it’s one big pocket!

A few minutes ago we were flying over Wyoming! I’ve not been to Wyoming, at least not since I was really little. Now we’re over South Carolina.
Are speed is 631 mph, and wasting no time. We should arrive at 8:32 am Amsterdam time….yesterday!
I’ve been trying to sleep for a while, after 1/2 an ambian, and a Coniac, I’m not sleeping, maybe cursing is a better way to put it. I feel relaxed & peaceful while my eyes are closed, listening to Chris Bode on iTunes.

There is less than five hours until we land in Amsterdam, and  the plane is  at an altitude of 35052.   Imagine everyone finishing  ice-cream at 35052 ft in the air,  with everyone buzzing from their sugar high!  It’s a good thing I didn’t partake, or I wouldn’t be able to rest and continue on cruise.

Looks like we’re flying over Montreal, and almost half way to our destination.

A couple of laps around the plane to keep my circulation going, and I’m feeling a little better – so far only a numb butt has been a problem!

Outside air temp is currently -61*F. That’s a bit chilly.

Still over Canada, but rapidly approaching the Atlantic Ocean, the cabin is once again settling down……