The most humbling thing I ever saw...

The show "BODY WORKS" came to Houston earlier this year.
The most beautiful and humbling vision I ever saw was in this amazing show. It is the figure of a kneeling, praying man. He is stripped of all skin, hair, race and color. The figure is so human, so basic, so fundementally moving - that I was moved to tears.

HAPPY Amercian THANKGIVING

hola.. here I am at the county library.
At home I have a pile of cookie dough which I concocted this morning. Gonna make MOMS secret recipe... or rather, my personal interpretation of it. Mom died over 8 yrs ago and never wrote it down. So Dad created his 'adaption' of the cookie recipe and thank God he wrote it down before he died in 2002. The cookies never had a NAME so I calling them SPICY PECAN cookies.
The recipe is primarily pecans, (Mom used walnuts) graham cracker crumbs, flour and sugar... a little egg, milk and melted butter. YUM. What is so cool is that my eggs are organic, and my pecans are home grown! I will be making over 150 cookies tonight and send them to my brothers in Alaska (for Thankgiving), my daughter (in Houston) and friends here and around.
Have a wonderful cookie filled Thanksgiving. May the turkey be juicy :) CHRISTMAS is coming. My spirit is good! I see Thankgiving as the ADVENT for the wonder of Christmas.
I will try to post ART this weekend.
Love Nina

i miss blogging!

well
I am off my internet these days (and slightly off my rocker) so I hope to be posting more art ASAP.
Thanks for keeping up with me....

WEEKEND ART by Nina

SUNDAY ART by Nina

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

My lifes AIM. words I live by these days

Life is a sheet of paper white
Whereon each one of us may write
His word or two, and then comes night.
Greatly begin!
Though thou have time
But for a line, be that sublime,
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
_________________________________________

Seeking the higher ground and the nobler cause is life's purpose. Trust and integrity are basic. Hard work and loyalty play their part. Above all, there's the value of visualizing the potential of a project--to foresee just how brilliant might be the outcome--to try to be the best, to outdistance previous skirmishes, and even at the expense of possible disappointment, to aim for the stars.

SUNDAY ART by Nina

More of my halloweenish fantasy type art ! e n j o y !!

a l m o s t i d y l l i c ....

Well, apart from some unknown asshole calling last night at 1 am AND ringing my doorbell... (I love my sleep and NO one must disturb me at night unless someone is dying or hurting) THEN my car not starting this morning AND I missed work... Apart from these things, this morning has been idyllic. I cut up a pecan branch that fell down in my back yard. I fired up the burn barrel. I scooped up some pecans and sat on the swing with a cup of tea. LOVELY perfect weather, (65 f) and I cracked pecans while the dogs mosied around, and the hens clucked.


If I hadn't missed work today and my money problems weren't so severe... it would have been a near perfect morning.
Sarah is supposed to come over later and we
will go chow down to celebrate her birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH October 20

My only child and wonderful daughter is 20. Sarah was born in St Albert, Alberta Canada on Oct. 20 1986 after I had been married about a year. We lived in Alberta until we moved to Texas in 1997 after my divorce.
Sarah graduated highschool at age 16 and is currently in her 3 rd year of college at St. Thomas University in Houston Tx. She earned a 3 year scholarship there! She is heading toward medical career, either in research or as a doctor.
Sarah has her own apartment in Houston Tx. and lives in the real world: Pays rent and works at Baylor in a laboratory as well as tutoring Freshman. She plans to transfer to USC and take it easier for a year, since she is ahead in her studies. Maybe she'll take some liberal arts classes and enjoy life in California~
I miss her... I am into my 3 rd year of "empty nest".
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!

SUNDAY ART By Nina (early!)

(hey - its October so enjoy my weird art)

my first haiku

Succulent plants grow


within a lush green garden


in a stone circle

SUNDAY ART by Nina

happy October, may good spirits come alive.

full moon tonight

Tonight I sat on my swing and had a barrel fire under the full moon. It would have been nicer if the temp was 48 but it was 78! I sat and fed my sick chicken karo syrup while Diamond danced around.
I took these pix.
I am reviewing my year of injuries, survival and hell.... trying to look forward to the next week of subbing.
Trying to evaluate my life with this unexpungeable criminal record that affects my being hired as a teacher. I am trying to move forward. 9 years ago I got into an altercation with a cop 2 days before my mom died. I was very stressed & emotional. I had nursed her for the whole year and had just got divorced too. He "administered" a strangle hold cos he was not trained in skills to calm me down. He was 23 and an inexperienced asshole trying to get his brownie points. As he choked me I swung my arm out and grazed his face. It wasn't deliberate. Its a normal reaction of "protection". I was scared. He had a 1/2" graze on his face. The police report make me look like a felonious monster.
Sometimes while I am subbing high school, a young person may start to lose it and act out. I tell him (or her) to relax and take deep breaths instead of acting out and getting in trouble. I pay attention. I don't want him or her to end up like me with a degree and a busted career; if it is appropriate, I tell them what happened to me. It may help them.
Well, tomorrow I am off to Truvey's ranch... I will visit with my best friend,
pick more pecans & pray for peace and at least for a menial job so I can pay my mortgage & survive.

SUNDAY ART By Nina

Old school house, Michigan

Barn, New Jersey

Texas barn

Old Barn, Alberta, Canada

Grain elevators, Alberta

October witch

I saw her cold in the morning light
as she flew
across the urban scape
swaying softly
on her revolving wheel,
drunk upon nocturnal travel...
the side walk's
gonna take her again
and she's glad to be just on her own.
Twisted alleys will take her home,
she's focused, ecstatic
and free.

Somewhere back behind the darkness lies
her star lit city of the past.
Gone already down the subway
and inbetween long forgotten walls,
she left so much behind as she glides
through curbed metro-city aisles.
Fluorescent felines feverishly chase
her flashing and dancing wheel,
She's vital, eternal,
and free.

A crazy lady in pale twighlight
is riding arcs above city tenements.
Under a blind gibbous moon
her sound barrier has broken
shards of glass, concrete and cobble...
She knows a bit about darkness
as her steel broom slows to a wobble.
She is a constant spirit
of moving freedom,
noctural mission,
and forward vision...
a continuum along
pale vortex tunnels
of ultra violet light.
she's grounded, complete, free.

SUNDAY ART by Nina

"my mom"
"the drunk"
"dad doing petit point"
"the old sage"
"the quilter"

THE UNICORN

Spirit of the Wind

The Unicorn is wrongly named
A description will tell why.
Silver hooves upon the ground
Wing tips brush the sky.
The sight of his eyes
Is quite unusual and rare.
They give off the feelings
Of warmth, love, and care.
The mane is melted gold
A flame against the blue
Matched only by his tail
Which is the same fiery hue.
The horn is the most
Mystical of all
Rainbow it is colored
Magic is its call.
Gentle is his nature
Never has he sinned
As everyone can see
He's the Spirit of the Wind.

SUNDAY ART by Nina

silkie terrier












rat terrier







chihuahua









shitzu















yorkshire terrier