Happy Holidays to everyone. 

7 days left in 2019 to make art!

Remembering, Veterans Day, November 11, 2019

Nurses, Vietnam, 1969

Don Madden, Vietnam, 1969

Tens of thousands of American troops remain deployed all over the world, some in war zones such as Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and — even still — Syria. And the United States maintains even more troops overseas in large legacy missions far from the wars following the Sept. 11 attacks, in such allied lands as Germany, South Korea and Japan.

Although deployment numbers fluctuate daily, based on the needs of commanders, shifting missions and the military’s ability to shift large numbers of personnel by transport planes and warships, a rough estimate is that 200,000 troops are deployed overseas today.

Take the Day Off

Celebrate! We were at Ikea and Susan saw an ice cube tray in the kitchen section. Search Ikea for "plastis ice cube tray", and no, that's not a typo. There are other shapes available also, like hearts, on eBay. Use plaster of paris or push in clay, let it dry and there you are, ready for painting. I'm having a lot of fun doing different patterns. Some people say you can melt crayons in them and it makes swirl patterns. You try it, I'm not that energetic.  I've glued magnets on the back of some these.

Susan wants me to tell you that she insisted I buy the ice cube tray even though I said "Why would I want that?"Then it took her about a month of asking me to try it before I did. This picture is just a small sample of all the ones I've painted so far. Listen carefully, she's saying "I told you so."

someeecards.com

I Do Other Useless Things

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

I paint snails. My friends, Ernie and Shirley, take walks and find them for me. Nope, nobody living in these shells, which are all less than an inch long.

I also mark up bananas. Big deal, right? But these are bananas that are put out in our dining room, stacked up on a tray. I sneak mine into the middle of the pile. The amusing part (for me, anyway) is when someone finds it, looks puzzled, then puts it back and takes a plain one. Some people have absolutely no appreciation for fine art.

What Am I Doing????? Acccckkkk!

Susan made me a card that included this. Except that it didn't have any color, was just black and white.  Then she gave me some colored pencils.  So I colored it. Now she's threatening to get me a coloring book. Nooooooooooo!

Remembering, Memorial Day, 2019

Memorial Day is a Federal holiday, observed the last Monday in May, to honor the U.S. soldiers who died while in military service.  The son of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan put it this way:

His life was not taken: It was given, to his country.

I served in DaNang, Vietnam, from February 1969 to February 1970 and then I came home. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the mall in Washington DC has etched on its black surface the 58,318 names of Americans who died during the war there. They came home draped in an American flag.  It includes these two names:

Barry Lynn Brown, Killed in Action, Vietnam, 1968.

James Clifford McKittrick, Missing in Action, Vietnam, 1967.

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency refers to Maj. McKittrick as "Status: Unaccounted For."

Why are these two men so significant to me? Go here and I'll tell you.

Enjoy your long holiday weekend with family and friends.  And the next time you step into a voting booth think carefully about your choice.