Author Archives: Old as Dirt & Proud of It!

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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!
Jun5

Fabulous Friday

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First Tomatoes

First Tomatoes

Can you look at this…….

Not too long ago Les and I filled a water trough for horses, and filled it with organic soil.  Costco had certified organic plants, and venturing out we purchased three plants.   We really are beginners.

Proudly we returned home with One Cherry tomato, one green pepper, and one cilantro plant.  They were planted in the large container that was to be their new home.  I had no idea how much or how little to water them, and figured once a week was a good choice.  Bad choice!  It soon became clear that once a week was not enough.  The rain brought me to my senses, and quickly realized they needed a great deal more water than they were getting.  Ever since, I’ve been hand watering them every other day.  When it gets hot and sunny, I’m sure they will need water every day.

Bell Peppers

Bell Peppers

 

The other day I looked at the full, bushy plants and found three small bell peppers, and a handful of beautiful red cherry tomatoes.  My husband, Les and I decided that we  now considered ourselves “farmers,” even if it was on a very small-scale!  To actually get something to grow is a very big deal for us.

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I seem to get succulents to grow well, but tomatoes, and peppers are a whole different game.

On the other hand, the cilantro plant is hanging on, trying to keep it together.  I have tried cilantro many times over decades, and for some reason, I can’t seem  to keep them alive.

 

 

Jun4

Thursday Time Out for Art

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Molly Moo the Free Cow

Molly Moo the Free Cow

Here we are again, it’s a Fabulous Friday, and another weekend is starting.  I always think the weekend starts on a Friday, that way we get longer weekends…..Not that it really matters once we retire!

I finally finished Molly Moo the Free Cow!

She has taken me long enough, but you can’t rush creativity, right?

There are at least four under-paintings that Molly  is sitting on.  Each time I’d get about half way through them,  I’d lose interest.  The painting wouldn’t speak to me, and I’d be lost.  So it would sit there on my easel for months, leaving me feeling down, and uncreative.  Finally I decided that whatever I’d been working on clearly wasn’t my thing, or I’d be inspired to keep going, even finish it.

I realized that if I loved what I was doing, I’d want to do it all the time!

That’s when I decided to do something fun, freely creative, and funky.  I love funky!  I really love Molly Moo with her tea bag, and free spirit.  I had fun doing her, and am going to start another funky painting, so it’s back to the drawing board…

May26

Our First Excursion!

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Shortly after we returned home from the hospital, my mother decided to pack me up into the large black English Carriage, and walk into Detroit. Now I haven’t any idea how far that might have been, but it couldn’t have been far for mother to have taken on that day trip on foot. This proud new mother was headed to J.L.Hudsons, a very large and prominent department store of its time, and she was headed there specifically to find her new baby daughter (me), a teddy bear. It’s hard to believe I didn’t already have a teddy Bear, but I guess it just wasn’t the bear she thought I should have as a best friend! Turned out Mother was right!

As the story goes….

Can you even imagine pushing this large black English perambulator into a department store? Can you just see things go flying left, and right as the carriage bumped into racks, and displays? Mother would never admit to any of this, and maybe it never happened, but it’s difficult to believe anyone would be able to negotiate any department store with a carriage this large without incident!

Anyway, that day I was an angel of course, and we went straight up to the toy department. Mother searched for the teddy bear section, scrutinizing each and every bear with very careful eyes. She showed me dozens of bears without any redaction from me at all. So on to the next…..Pink, brown, gray, multicolored bears were shown to me. Mother waited for a reaction, and when I didn’t respond it would very gently go back into its own little pile, and we’d be on to the next bear. Finally, we were about to run out of bears when mother picked up the most gorgeous of bears.

Teddy as I later named him, was the best teddy bear any little girl could have. He was about 18″ tall, his arms, and legs were sewn so he moved freely. His ears were floppy, and they moved freely also. Maybe he wasn’t as floppy as he is now…kind of the opposite of me. I started out floppy, and now I’m stiffening up! But we’re still great friends, he’s been with me my entire life through all those moves, marriages, kids, and surgeries. Oh, I don’t take him to the hospital, but he’s with me anyway. Teddy is all wrapped up, and put away, but he still is dressed in diapers, and a one-sy just like he was when I was little.

You can’t have a friend more dedicated than that, can you? Daisy our dog is pretty dedicated to me, but Teddy is my very, very, very best friend!

There is still more, so stay tuned…..

May21

Thursday Time Out For Art

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IMG_0113After waiting for several years for this painting to talk to me, I think I’m ready to respond.  I have always loved the process, and loved the painting, but there is something telling me I could go further….  Just a bit further!

So I’m spending this morning talking to it, and narrowing it down…Should I do this, or maybe it needs just a little more of that.  This painting will talk, as all the others have.

I just submitted a painting into the Escondido Gallery, and out of 1800+ pictures I have, not one of them is of this painting.  It’s very abstract, and basic.  Black,white,gray, and red.

The strange thing is…most of the painting is gray, and the combination of the black, & white somehow allows colors to flash in the painting.  Not just neutrals, but blue, green, sometimes yellow.  It is the strangest thing.  But, more interesting than that, only artists can see the colors.  We are special people aren’t we?

May19

Beginning our Journey…1 of

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Elite District

Elite District

This story is the beginning of our vacation to Sweden, and the Baltic Sea…

It’s 1:23 in the afternoon…

We are now on the plane, & squeezed in like sardines. I’m comfortable, and  compact as I stifle my phobia of small, tight spaces!

Looking around at all the different people, with different dialects, & different ways of dressing, I’m fascinated by how they control their children, & how they interact with others.

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Flying out of LAX International is so much more interesting than the smaller airports. I love watching people anyway, but people from a different country, with different languages is most interesting!
Everyone is scurrying around working at finding their seats, and stowing away all the carry-ons.

As the plane is beginning to ready for take off, announcements are made along with instructions for crash landings  in several different languages.  (Yippi)

We find ourselves in a 747 double-decker.. Certainly all the 1st class seats must be upstairs!  For as large a plane as this is, one would think there would be slightly more room for each passenger.

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Earlier, prior to boarding we noticed the crew coming down the middle of the airport heading for our plane, dragging their luggage behind – there had to have been at least two dozen crew members. It was quite impressive seeing them prance, and strut as if they were on a runway, and this being  a competition! Walking straight, & tall – never making eye contact with anyone, and all had their best faces on. Clearly it would have been a difficult pick amongst the beautiful people!

With the passengers  settled, and  seatbelts on,  we have taken off, our plane is  now cruising at a comfortable  altitude, and  only 9100+ miles to Amsterdam. Only a hop away!

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The man next to me tells me he is a musician, and  is traveling with his loyal companion, his cello. He clearly doesn’t like flying, because while I ordered an apple juice, he started the flight with a double vodka!

to be continued…….