Rent a Yurt

In all the years I have lived on planet Earth, I don't believe I have ever thought to myself "I'd like to rent a yurt."  I guess I didn't know you could rent a yurt.  But once the idea is in your head, it kind of rattles around in there.  So I made a journal page and now maybe I can get some peace!

It started with an article in the travel section of the paper last month.  It featured yurts for rent at the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana.  Since I often daydream about running away from home and renting a cabin/room/cottage at the lake/mountains/beach (it varies), this really caught my eye.

I made a list of pros and cons on my journal page.  Pros included the fact that it is just a few hours' drive from me.  It's cheap.  The yurts, while rustic, have air conditioning, heat, and a microwave.  They are in a peaceful rustic setting.  One of the things on the list of "cons" includes sleeping on a futon.  Not sure if a bad back can handle that.  The other "con" is simply ants.  The article says that there is a sign in the nearby dining hall regarding the abundance of ants.  Being a peaceful people who believe every living thing has a purpose, the monks allow the ants to exist.  I am also a peaceful, non-violent person, but I feel sure I would be the first person ever to be evicted from a yurt for rolling up a newspaper and smacking a few ants.  I have limits.  Sharing a table with ants is not on my list of things to do.  (The article also mentions that there is a Wendy's fast food place two miles down the road.)

If you feel the need to get your yurt on, info can be found here.  And if you do a search online, there are more yurts to rent than you might ever imagine, maybe even one close to you.

Lazy Sunday Brunch

Sometimes I'm surprised by the visitors when I look out my window, especially if they all show up at the same time.

Mr S is chowing down on something good.

There is special balcony seating.

Someone is obviously waiting to be seated. 

Oops - looks like a first-time guest tried to enter the "Squirrels Only" area.

 I hate it when the local hooligans show up and make trouble.

 Sometimes I have to hire a security guard from the neighborhood to keep things under control.

But everyone leaves with a full tummy. 

Ya'll come back again (as we say in the south)!

Following Instructions

I can't seem to focus on any one thing lately.  My mind is going in a dozen different directions.  But I am still doodling around with drawing stuff when I get a chance.  And it only took about a day in the beginning of my drawing journey before I wanted more colors to draw with.  Enter my favorite pen company, JetPens.  I ordered a set of pens that come in the tiny 0.3 size that I like.

And because I am such a sucker for all things pens, I explored some other offerings.  I ordered a Coccoiro "letter pen".  Because it says "letter pen".  How could I not order something whose description says "This stylish pen is perfect for women who value their handwriting or who like to use their favorite pen for a long time."  It is the only pen I've ever bought that does not come with ink.  You have to order the barrel (available in many colors) and the ink cartridge (also in many colors) separately.

When the package arrived, I wasn't sure if the pen barrel was missing the bottom part or if the ink cartridge sticks out the bottom.  I carefully went over the instructions.  No help there! From these instructions, something goes down and something twirls.

I am slowing getting used to this pen.  It has a brush-like tip, but I have to contort my hand a little to make brush strokes.  I don't think it was meant to be pressed hard like a brush or it might not keep its sharp tip anymore.  But it's growing on me.  And I like to say its name, Coccoiro.  Say it with me, in your best Japanese - Co-Co-Eee-Ro.

I also bought a Pilot "Envelope Address Writing Pen".  I think it might be exactly like the Pilot laundry pen I bought a couple of years ago.

So if you need me, I'll most likely be off making doodlie-doos somewhere!



Motherly Wisdom

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!

Click here for some motherly wisdom

(I'll bet you have heard at least one of these in your lifetime!)

Key Ingredients

I am still having fun drawing things.  Now before you think I am more talented than I actually am, one of the best things I learned from Andrea Joseph's 'zine  is to trace around objects to help you gain practice.  Since trying to draw things in proportion has always been the hardest part for me, I found this so helpful.  I have been tracing around all kinds of things, then filling in the details. 

 I eventually had to act like a six-year-old and start coloring things in.

I even tried drawing some notebook paper on the journal page. That was easy... just take a ruler, blue and red colored pencils, and draw lines! 

The hardest thing to draw was the pen I've been using.  It's hard to get that tiny writing on the drawing.  My pen is a Pentel Hybrid Technica pen (size 03).  I love it, because it has a hard metal point and has a very smooth ink flow.