It Feels so Nice!

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Grizabella
Posts: 126
Joined: 03 Feb 2018, 19:26
Location: Tacoma Washington

It Feels so Nice!

Post by Grizabella »

It really feels nice to be able to get up, find a Tarot forum and then just settle down to interacting with Tarot family while I have coffee and start my day. It's been a long time since I could do that. My old computer broke in October and I've been without till just last week when my son sent me a little Acer Aspire. It has to remain plugged in because it needs a new battery, uses Windows 7 (when I was used to the upgraded 10), it overheats and freezes up easily and I can't watch videos or anything on it, but I can use my new Kindle I got for Christmas for that sort of thing if I get the urge. I'm very thankful for it and I'm back to writing on my life story that some here might have seen me mention at the purple place.

For Christmas a friend of my daughters gave me a new walker. I had been shopping for one and had chosen a deep burgundy red one. Red is my favorite color. Then when the little Acer arrived in the mail, guess what color it is---deep burgundy red! :clap: Now, maybe only another old disabled person would understand the happiness of a laptop that matches their walker and their coffee travel mug, but for those who don't understand, it's actually very cool. :icon_e_smile:

To add to the blessings, this Acer is a little bitty one, which I've been wanting for quite awhile because I don't have my balance and can't carry around heavy bags and things and I needed a laptop that could fit into my under=seat bag of my walker for when I go out somewhere. And in addition to the under the seat bag, my daughter got me a shopping basket that goes on the front of the walker. Gotta have room for stuff I want to carry around that won't fit in the under=seat bag or for shopping, right? (I'm going to call the under seat bag the "trunk" or the "boot" like a car has---just decided that) I've been practicing up on my watercolor skills and have gotten interested in the Urban Sketchers movement, so my watercolor supplies and sketchbook get put into the "boot". I'm a happy camper.

Those who remember me from the other forum probably know I have a good sense of humor, especially about myself, so for those who don't know me, remember that when I'm prattling along and say something odd, it's just humor, probably. I'm also known for making long, chatty posts, too. I don't mean to bore anyone, but I don't get out very much compared to other people so I don't have a lot of people to chat with other than online.

Yesterday I ran across a comment in the little weekly entertainment newspaper here in Tacoma. There's an article about the Urban Sketcher movement. I found out about the sketchers online but this little newspaper article was about the show at the public library this month. The article mentioned that the urban sketching movement began right here in Tacoma. How cool is that? Very cool, I think. The library is only a couple blocks from here so I plan to go see the art show sometime this month when I can get there. There are lots of beautiful buildings here in Tacoma. I hope to get around to painting a bunch of them

So---I just wanted to share this stuff. I'm feeling very good about my life right now.

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Charlie Brown
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Location: So Cal, USA

Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Charlie Brown »

Grizabella wrote: 04 Feb 2018, 11:54 Now, maybe only another old disabled person would understand the happiness of a laptop that matches their walker and their coffee travel mug, but for those who don't understand, it's actually very cool. :icon_e_smile:
My mother has significant mobility issues, so I understand your excitement! Congratulations on your new computer.

What is the Urban Sketching movement?
Charlie Brown
—“I’ve developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.”

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Nemia
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Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Nemia »

Grizabella, all that sounds very nice! You must be happy to have such a large tribe (you mentioned your impressive number of great-grandchildren on the SuperBlueBloodMoon thread) and inner contentment that you radiate. I'm so glad to see you here.

I enjoy this forum very much, too. AT was great and wonderful but it was like a huge ship where I felt as just one more passenger without any influence on the course or speed of the ship. Here, I feel like a sailor whose input is valuable because we are fewer people and EVERYBODY is a sailor and adding to the course of the ship and the way it moves. That's a great feeling.

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Grizabella
Posts: 126
Joined: 03 Feb 2018, 19:26
Location: Tacoma Washington

Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Grizabella »

FairyPrincess, the urban sketchers movement is a community (I guess that's what I"d call it) of people who create art works of the everyday world around them. It's grown to be worldwide now and they have symposiums once a year where as many people as can will get together to go out in a big group and sketch onsite, see the latest in paints and supplies, etc. I found them by accident on Youtube and it seemed like something that would be very enriching to become involved in. There are tons of good videos on Youtube, so just go do a search and you'll find lots of things about it.

You don't have to be a professional artist or anything. You just sketch what you see around you wherever you are, using whatever medium you prefer. City scenes, your lunch (lol), etc. It's a wonderful way of becoming more aware of the here and now and what's really around us all the time but that we really don't normally pay a lot of attention to. It's very interesting and very enriching, really. Especially for me since I'm not able to be very much of a traveler because I don't drive anymore. I've raised six kids and am now able to just do what I please now that they're all grown. I have very little money so I can't actually travel so what I do is watch travel videos on Youtube and do urban sketching of things around the world that way. I also sketch from wherever I am around Tacoma. I use watercolors because they're easier to take with me wherever I go and they're not as messy as using oils or soft pastels and such. My first actual outing was a plen aire I did at Port Defiance last fall.

Nemia, I'm going to make this my online cartomancy and spiritual family site. When I arrived at this page after a search on Tarot, it just felt like home. I joined some other sites when AT closed but then in October when my laptop broke, I lost all the links. There was one site I had been a mod on that I can't remember the name of now. I could remember Little Fang, so I went there but then that one is offline or something, I guess, after a move to another server. After going there and finding they're not there anymore, I found this site and as soon as I arrived here, an actual feeling of this being the place I belonged came over me, so I joined and now you all will see my prattling on everywhere. LOL Consider me the Granny in Residence here, I guess. :P

I do have a pretty large family. I have four kids, their spouses, 7 grandchildren by actual blood and many, many more "steps" and "adopted's" and then 3 blood great-grands, plus many others---I've lost count now. The ones I see and interact with most are my immediate family who are mostly in Oregon. I have one daughter and her SO that I live with here in Tacoma.

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Barleywine
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Joined: 15 Aug 2017, 07:19
Location: New Hampshire, USA
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Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Barleywine »

Griz! So happy to see you here. I'm still up to my usual arcane noodling (and still using your excellent randomizing technique, to which I added reversal). Regrading color matching, you can probably guess why so many of my clothes are gray. :icon_e_biggrin:

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Grizabella
Posts: 126
Joined: 03 Feb 2018, 19:26
Location: Tacoma Washington

Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Grizabella »

I'm glad to see you here, too, Barleywine. I'm glad that randomizing tip is still in use and that's great that you've also spruced it up some to make it work even better for you. :thumbup:

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kyan
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Joined: 17 Jan 2018, 00:33
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Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by kyan »

i love how charlie brown somehow morphed into fairyprincess, but i’m not sure how he feels about that! :icon_lol:

the urban sketching movement sounds like loads of fun and a great way to get out of the house and meet people. i hope you post some of your creations on your eclectic blog. i’m very curious to see your beadwork, too.

your matching burgundy ensemble sounds faboo. my FIL uses an old wooden cane that’s been in the family for 3 generations, and i’m sure he wishes his walker was wooden to match. :icon_e_smile:

yay for portable laptops that need to be plugged in to work (but still work!), and i’m glad you found a forum that suits your needs. already loving your sense of humor and chattiness — i haven’t met you before this forum so it’s all new to new to me, but it’s most welcome on our “tarot ship” as we float on this internet sea.

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Grizabella
Posts: 126
Joined: 03 Feb 2018, 19:26
Location: Tacoma Washington

Re: It Feels so Nice!

Post by Grizabella »

I use my walker for many things besides just moving around. The seat of it is my desk when I'm sitting down, and this little laptop just fits while leaving room for my travel mug of coffee, which is also the same stunning deep red that the walker and laptop are.

I have a bag---you know those ones you can get at import stores with the mirrors that flash in the sun? I have one (stunning deep red, also, said with tongue in cheek) that I put my Kindle, my old cell phone, and the chargers for both of those in. That hangs on me as a cross-body bag if I'm out somewhere or if I'm stationary somewhere I hang it on the hand grips of the walker.

Then I have another bag I improvised into a camera bag. It began its life as somebody's belt thing that holds the order blanks and pens and such if you're a waitress or waiter. It's beautiful heavy, soft leather like they make good quality soft briefcases and things out of. I made a bag out of that, too, and hooked a strap onto it so it hangs on my other side when I'm out somewhere as another cross-body bag. I put my little Elf camera in that and I have a little gizmo that records people's voices and things, which goes into it too. I also keep extra Elf batteries and the charger in there in case I need more "juice" for the camera. (Having a son and daughter-in-law who are photographers does have its perks.) That hangs on the walker when I'm not out and about, too.

On the left hand grip hangs a purple velvet bag with Merlin stamped into it that tarotbear made. In that I keep my Fin de Seicle and Lenormand by Ciro Marchetti. Also it's worn cross-body if I go somewhere. In the bag under the seat of my walker I carry a spread cloth I made out of an old sheet using a felt pen to draw the card spaces. I can't afford the Ciro Lenormand spread cloth so I made one of my own and it can be used for both Kipper and Lenormand depending on which I'm using. It's an ugly old thing but it works and that's what's important. I don't use it in public, though. lol My watercolor stuff, paints, gouache, and a couple travel sketch books go into the under-seat bag

I have a cute little owl pouch made of stiff leather that has a wrist strap and I carry my various cards in it---ID, bus pass or whatever. Also a little bitty container for meds I need to take with me goes in there. It was given to me by my daughter because it was being tossed out and she knows what a squirrel I am about useful previously loved stuff. There's a backpack in the likeness of an owl on Amazon that I have my eye on if I can get money together for it or one of my kids gets it for me or something. I need to put that on my wishlist at Amazon just in case . lol My little dog's leash and harness are in there, too.

Last but not least, my daughter found a free basket thing that fits onto a walker for shopping and has a handle for carrying, too. I stuck that on the front of the walker and that's where I can put extra stuff.

The reason I use cross-body bags is because I have only limited balance. I used to have such good balance that even drinking I could pass one of those drunk driving tests. (I'm 32 years sober) Now, though, if I still drove a car and got stopped, I wouldn't be able to pass a sobriety test because I don't have the sense of balance it requires. It's a very weird feeling to do that heel/toe thing in the doctor's office because I can't even keep my balance for three steps. I'm more likely to fall if I'm carrying a purse full of stuff on just one side of my body, so I balance myself out with smaller cross-body bags and that helps a lot.

Speaking of falling, that happens sometimes if I'm not careful but I haven't broken any bones or anything yet. I just bounce and cuss and go on with life. :icon_lol: Falling in public is a little aggravating---people probably think "that old woman must be drunk", so having the walker now is hopefully a visual clue that there's probably another reason I fell. If I'm walking without it and fall, they probably wonder if I'm drinking, but having the walker is my unspoken excuse. People don't need walkers for nothing after all.

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