whimsical wednesday

a house related activity for whimsical wednesday! in 30 minutes or less, remove 5 items from any storage area in the home: a drawer, cupboard, closet, tote. after removing the items, place them in categories: trash, utilize, thrift store, gift. do you feel lighter?  

in the time frame i removed about 12 items from a closet. and the items fell into every category! i do feel lighter!!!

miscellaneous monday

sunday brought television viewing that only occurs on sunday.  monday morning brought a monday appointment and medication taken from the "monday" compartment of the weekly medication container. looking at the calendar indicated it was indeed monday. however, despite all evidence to the contrary, for me, it was tuesday. therefore, this week in the world of whimsey, tuesday comes before monday.  

trivia tuesday

from kids.nationalgeographic.com:

there are 5000 different species of ladybugs in the world. besides being a symbol of good luck, ladybugs are an asset to farmers as they eat aphids and other plant eating insects.

solitude sunday

solitude sunday. our day to spend time with a book. i continue with ben tarnoff's the bohemians. after years of relying on other publications to feature their work, the bohemians are creating their own publication.

silly saturday

from catalogical.com:

Q: where is the one place your cat can sit that you cannot?
A: your lap!

photo friday

summer treat!

thoughtful thursday

ralph waldo emerson:

the only way to have a friend is to be one.

whimsical wednesday

it's the first wednesday of august! that means we work on our own projects for whimsical wednesday. have at it, whimzees!

trivia tuesday

@uberfacts:

any snow below 14 degrees will squeak when it is stepped on due to the friction of the snow crystals being compressed underfoot.

miscellaneous monday

land art. it's awesome!

http://themindcircle.com/circular-land-art/

solitude sunday

we read a book on solitude sunday. today's read is the bohemians by ben tarnoff. the bohemians is the story of how a group of writers in 1860s san francisco, including mark twain, created america's modern literature. 

silly saturday

from ducksters.com:

Q: what kind of bird works at a construction site?
A: the crane!

photo friday

take a walk in the labyrinth

thoughtful thursday

desmond tutu:

become a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can ripple out to all those around you. 

whimsical wednesday

it's national cousin day! let's celebrate this occasion for whimsical wednesday. call, text, send a card, write a letter to a cousin/cousins that you would like to connect with. if you are geographically close to a cousin, invite them to meet for coffee or dessert or whatever all of you would enjoy. additionally, share a memory or two about cousins while you were growing up together. 

this morning i have connected with cousins. we enjoyed virtual hugs and smiles.  

my cousin memory #1:
there were five of us from four mothers that were a pack at family gatherings. we were all within a year of each other so we gravitated to one another. the pack consisted of two girls and three boys. if the boys annoyed the girls or wouldn't let us participate in an activity with them, we would start crying and get the boys in trouble. countless times the dads were yelling at the boys to "leave those girls alone"! we two girls had such power! it was awesome!

my cousin memory #2:
the third sister of the other female pack member learned to walk while visiting my family's home in tennessee. she was crawling around and ended up in a bedroom where, it happened, a pair of gloves were on the bed. she went in crawling but came out walking because she was "holding hands" with the gloves. i was where i could see her so when i realized she was walking i shouted, "hey! she's walking!". everyone came running to see the amazing feat. it was awesome! 

trivia tuesday

from atlas obscura:

baldwin street in dunedin, new zealand, is the steepest street in the world.

miscellaneous monday

the case of unintended consequences or for every action there is a reaction or both: chickies!

https://www.treehugger.com/animals/surprise-hundreds-chicks-hatch-spoiled-eggs-dumped-landfill.html?utm_content=buffer51184&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

solitude sunday

solitude sunday is our day to spend time with a book. my current read is particularly grand. it is a book i read years ago. i loaned it to someone and then moved away. thinking i left the book behind and often wishing i could re-read it, it was so awesome to discover it in a place in the house i rarely look. my wish to read the book again came true! peter matthiessen's the snow leopard is the story of a spiritual odyssey in the himalaya mountains. so thoughtful and probing of the human psyche, that it leaves one pondering in thoughtful reflection after each encounter. 

silly saturday

even serious can have silly!

photo friday

toe tips.

thoughtful thursday

tammy garcia:

imperfect art is my favorite kind of art. it is more intriguing, more interesting, more human and definitely more real, yay!!

whimsical wednesday

it's do your own project for whimsical wednesday, an activity we do monthly here at the whimsey project. share your project!

trivia tuesday

from mnn.com:

america's only native pepper, which grows in the southwest, is the chiltepin. 

miscellaneous monday

u.s. state silliness for miscellaneous monday! from mental floss:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/68266/all-50-states-reimagined-food-puns

solitude sunday

solitude sunday at the whimsey project. our day to spend time with a book. my book is candice millard's destiny of the republic: a tale of madness, medicine and the murder of a president. the story is of the rise of james a. garfield to president of the united states. along with the story of garfield is the story of his assassin, charles guiteau. reading this book has revealed garfield to be a very decent individual and guiteau to be a very evil, though most likely mentally ill, person. the surprise in the book is discussion of what is going on the country/world as the garfield/guiteau story unfolds.

silly saturday

they use the name you give!

photo friday

curious.

thoughtful thursday

ev:

like wildflowers you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people never thought you would or could.

whimsical wednesday

we are honoring national "cheer up the lonely" day for whimsical wednesday. everyone knows someone who is lonely due to isolation, depression, health issues, family concerns, the list is long. do something for them today: call, email, text, send a card, a letter, bake brownies, visit. make someone else's day! share your activity with the whimsey project!

trivia tuesday

from sunflowerguide.com

the number of seeds in a sunflower ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 seeds, depending on the size of the flower.

miscellaneous monday

happy anniversary to the whimsey project!

solitude sunday

we spent time with a book on solitude sunday. i begin a new book today, brilliant green: the surprising history and science of  plant intelligence by stefano mancuso and alessandra viola. as the title of the book implies, this is an exploration into the hidden complexity of plants. 

silly saturday

from snippets.com:

Q: how do lightning bugs start a race?
A: ready, set, glow!

photo friday

introducing the newest member of the farm's kitty family!

thoughtful thursday

unknown:

promises mean everything but after they are broken, sorry means nothing.

whimsical wednesday

enjoy whimsical moments this 4th of july!

trivia tuesday

from constitutionfacts.com:

the declaration of independence was declared july 2, 1776. the text was approved by 12 of the 13 colonies on july 4, 1776, however, it was not signed until august 2, 1776.

miscellaneous monday

let's share a whimsical moment from our whimsey notebooks. you don't have a whimsey notebook? today is a good day to begin one. get yourself a pocket calendar or whatever you prefer. each day note in the notebook a whimsical moment. at the end of each month go back and read the moments you recorded in your notebook. it will make you smile!

on wednesday, april 18th i wrote: the dandelions in the grass looks like yellow polka dots on a green background!

share a whimsical moment from your notebook with the whimsey project!

solitude sunday

we spend time with a book on solitude sunday. my current book is stronger by jeff bauman with bret witter. stronger is the account of one of the 2013 boston marathon bombing victims. he was face-to-face with one of the terrorists as he was standing next to one of the brothers who committed the terrorist act. when the terrorist walked away, after a stare down with jeff, he left behind the backpack. before jeff could do anything, the bomb exploded. even through losing both legs at the knee and several other injuries, jeff worked with the fbi to help them identify the terrorist who, as he stood beside him, he described as "all business".  borrowed from a friend, i wasn't sure i would like this book. however, it is riveting. but a quick read as it's written style is very conversational.

silly saturday

a day at the beach! (artist unknown)

photo friday

photo and painting of windy by sam howard. 

thoughtful thursday

dough green:

i am more myself in a garden than anywhere else on earth.

whimsical wednesday

it's puzzle day for whimsical wednesday! the word ladder puzzle we are solving today is taken from word puzzles: 10 minute puzzle fun.  

use the clues to change just one letter on each line to go from the top word to the bottom word. do not change the order of the letters. a common english word must be used at each step.

BATTER

________  witty exchange

________  to haggle

________  holds up your stocking

________  to gather

________  person who makes silly faces

BURNER

share your answers with the whimsey project!

 

trivia tuesday

from planet green:

giraffes hum to each other.

miscellaneous monday

life lasts a lifetime! the artist featured in this article is a testament to such. enjoy:

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-painter-etel-adnans-career-eighties-inspiration-young-artists?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=editorial

solitude sunday

the book i am spending time with for solitude sunday is strings attached: one tough teacher and the gift of great expectations by joanne lipman and melanie kupchynsky.

this book tells the story of a high school orchestra director jerry kupchynaky. it is told, in alternating voices, by his daughter, melanie and pupil (and friend of melanie), joanne. as a teacher and orchestra director, mr k as he's known to students, demands excellence from his students. his high expectations for their success kept him always prodding them to give their best efforts and beyond what they thought was their best efforts. the story reveals a tough task master who also has a very good heart. 

silly saturday

caption this photo!

photo friday

welcoming committee

thoughtful thursday

unknown:

wake up each morning and tell yourself, "i can do this".

whimsical wednesday

it's whimsical wednesday! today's activity is for you to do something you enjoy but haven't done for at least 6 months to a year! share your activity with the whimsey project.

my activity was to play the piano, something i haven't done in a long time. it was most enjoyable and no doubt all the kitties and the dog enjoyed my concert!

trivia tuesday

from history lovers club @historylvrsclub:

the t-shirt was invented in 1904. it was marketed to batchelors who could not sew or replace buttons.

miscellaneous monday

yesterday i discovered that i was using normal size font instead of large. oh! how excited i was to learn that i could increase the font size so as to make reading the whimsey project blog easier on the eyes! silly me! i thought i was using the large font size...

not long ago i posted open culture's link to free books to download. i also discovered, recently, a website that offers very inexpensive books for devices such as kindle. one sets up an account and book genre preferences and each day an email arrives in the inbox to alert to selections. books seem to run about $1.99 and there have been a few for $2.99.  there are also free books. here's the link to book bub:

https://www.bookbub.com/welcome

solitude sunday

happy father's day! follow the link to see an awesome dad in action:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5820683/Father-does-ballet-stage-daughter-gets-stage-fright.html 

silly saturday

from 1027kord.com:

it's sooooo hot that you can make instant sun tea!

photo friday

across the meadow (photo by libby) 

thoughtful thursday

mnraccon proverb:

those who say it can not be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

whimsical wednesday

sunday is father's day so we will prepare something special for dad(s) this whimsical wednesday. maybe, like for mother's day, you will plan to make dinner or take dad out for dinner. maybe you will shop for a gift or make a gift. maybe you'll send a card if he is far away; maybe you'll make the card you send him. maybe you no longer have your dad so you will do something to honor his memory. share your preparations with the whimsey project.

my father is no longer with us so i will be funding a tree for a national park as i did for mom in her memory on mother's day. there's something quite special about trees. they last for a very, very long time, they are beautiful and the help protect the eco-balance of the earth. trees are good for memorials and for the living.

trivia tuesday

from quite interesting @qikipedia:

the flute was invented before the wheel.

miscellaneous monday

in keeping with the book i just finished reading, this mental floss article is awesome! enjoy!

http://mentalfloss.com/article/91414/artist-transforms-sentences-classic-literature-constellations

solitude sunday

solitude sunday is our day to spend time with a book. my journey with shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols & other typographical marks by keith houston is completed with today's chapter about irony and sarcasm.  h.l. manken stated that there should be punctuation for irony/sarcasm because readers were too clueless to understand when writers were being such. the symbols proposed for irony/sarcasm were the forerunners to the modern emoticons. in fact, emoticons are very old! the first such characters to express emotion were published in PUCK magazine march 30, 1881. they characters were hand drawn as there was no typeface yet for emoticons. but the point was made and the rest is, as is said, history.

silly saturday

from @americanindian8 via twitter:

photo friday

fdr in the shoe box.

thoughtful thursday

robert kennedy:

some men see things as they are and ask why. i dream of things that never were and ask why not.

whimsical wednesday

it's the first whimsical wednesday of june so it's our day to work on our own projects! i will be working on a tiny booklet that i have put off making for several months.  what project will you work on for "do your own thing" whimsical wednesday?

trivia tuesday

from wikipedia:

karam and kartari chand hold the record for the world's longest married couple. married december 11, 1925, they were wed for 90 years and 291 days before karma died at age 110.

miscellaneous monday

windy and sam were married yesterday.  the bride's bouquet, created by windy and libby,  was composed of jewelry of both the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. it was awesome, as was the wedding and reception. (photo by windy).

solitude sunday

we spend time with a book on solitude sunday. my visit continues with keith houston's, shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols &other typographical marks. today i read about the quotation mark or as the author pointed out, marks, as the quotation mark(s) always comes in pairs. the quotation mark began life as a diple  ">" as far back into history at the library of alexandria. the purpose of the diple was to mark an important point in text.

silly saturday

seen on twitter by@rabilalameddine

photo friday

greetings!

thoughtful thursday

irish proverb:

it's all or nothing. you take the small potatoes along with the big.

whimsical wednesday

it's national creative day as well as national mint julep day so we are celebrating both for whimsical wednesday! being creative covers just about everything and anything so have at it.  maybe you'll just be creative with making a mint julep! share your activities with the whimsey project.

my plan is to work a craft area re-do. that will take creative re-organization. there'll be mint julep sipping on the porch afterward. to those who don't know about mint juleps, they are simple to make and just as enjoyable spirit-less as with.  a mint julep consists of sugar, water, spirits if desired and a sprig of mint. make a simple syrup (water and sugar boiled together). pour over ice, add crushed mint sprigs.  no fresh mint? have mint tea? make mint tea! 

trivia tuesday

from quite interesting @qikipedia:

the word poodle is derived from the german word for splash.

miscellaneous monday

do you enjoy reading via kindle or other electronic devise? here's a link to open culture; listing over 800 free ebooks!

http://www.openculture.com/free_ebooks

solitude sunday

solitude sunday is our day to spend time with a book. my time with shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols and other typographical marks by keith houston continues. the manicule was the focus of today's chapter. what is a manicule? that wee hand with the pointing finger in the margin of a page. it's pointing to something of significance, either by the writer or reader.

silly saturday

as seen on a vivid lime green tee-shirt:

MY SHIRT IS BRIGHTER THAN YOUR FUTURE!

photo friday

new art installation! birthday celebration activity yielded awesomeness!

thoughtful thursday

indian proverb:

why seek the key to an open door?

whimsical wednesday

the article about ordinary things posted for miscellaneous monday got me to thinking about ordinary as a whimsical wednesday activity so here goes! if you haven't read monday's post about ordinary things do so to get in the spirit of whimsical wednesday. after reading the article, create a list of your top five ordinary things to do, in no particular order. then do at least one of them today! share your list and ordinary activity with the whimsey project!

my top five ordinary activities:

1. stay at home
2. sit on the porch
3. chop vegetables
4. watch old episodes of gunsmoke and perry mason on tv
5. give the dog and kitties treats

it's not even nine a.m. and i have already done three of the five. maybe i'll do the other two as well.

trivia tuesday

from quite interesting @qikipedia:

barry manilow did not write his song "i write the songs".

miscellaneous monday

we live life in the ordinary, do we not? it's not boring or unremarkable. it's life. here's an article from atlas obscura that demonstrates how extraordinary ordinary is. enjoy!

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hversdagssafn-museum-of-everyday-life?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=atlas-page

solitude sunday

we spend time with a book on solitude sunday. my visit with keith houston's shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols & other typographical marks continues. the hyphen and dash were featured in the chapters i read today. i came away thinking, "how could a simple, short, straight line have so many meanings as well as configurations?".

silly saturday

i want one.

photo friday

the season of roses has begun!

thoughtful thursday

brian thompson:

talk less. listen more.

whimsical wednesday

we'll be writing in our journals for whimsical wednesday! we do so in months with five wednesdays.
what journals would one write in? any type of journal that one would enjoy. if you haven't any journals, today would be a great day to begin!

mine are many and each will receive attention today:
*personal journal
*themed journal, for me a farm journal
*memories journal in which to record random memories
*notable notebook in which to record random quotes, ideas and neat stuff
*whimsical moment notebook in which to record the day's most whimsical moment
*art journal(s) which are a blend of art and words; ongoing most days for me

trivia tuesday

from merriam-webster:

squdge is a real word. it means "to slosh around in mud or ooze" as in, "to squdge mud between one's toes".  a real bonus word for scrabble players!

miscellaneous monday

books! the article linked below from openculture.com lists books that brian eno thinks everyone should read. discussed is his own memoir by the article's author. i want to read that book as well as those on the list!

http://www.openculture.com/2015/08/brian-eno-book-lists.html

solitude sunday

happy mother's day!

silly saturday

from redtri.com:

Q: what did one plate say to the other?
A: dinner is on me!

photo friday

may's flower: lily of the valley

thoughtful thursday

roald dahl:

a little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.

whimsical wednesday

we are preparing for mother's day this whimsical wednesday! you can make something for your mom, shop for your mom, make plans for a meal at home or out to eat on mother's day. send your mom a card even if you will be with her. happy mail is always good to receive.  if your mother is no longer living, do something in her memory or do something for another mother that is special to you. share your mother's day preparation with the whimsey project.

this morning i made two memorials for my mother. one to an organization that helps single mothers and one to the arbor day foundation.  a tree will be planted in a national park in honor of mom.

trivia tuesday

from quite interesting @qikipedia:

in french crescent moons are called croissants.

miscellaneous monday

an article from bored panda: creativity with mailboxes!  here's the link:

https://www.boredpanda.com/creative-mailbox-ideas/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=BPTwitter

solitude sunday

solitude sunday at the whimsey project. our day to spend time with a book. i am spending time with keith houston's shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols & other typographical marks. today's reading was about the asterick and dagger. the asterick is the oldest punctuation mark in existence, having been first used five millennia ago. the dagger evolved from a strike mark used in editing text. interestingly, in gregorian chants, the asterick and dagger were musical notations for long and short pauses, respectively. 

silly saturday

from wildbirds.com:

Q: what happens when a duck flies upside down?
A: he quacks up!

photo friday

waif doggie and burlap kitty

thoughtful thursday

abraham lincoln:

be sure to put your feet in the right place and then stand firm.

whimsical wednesday

it's the first whimsical wednesday of the month of may! you know what that means, fellow whimzees! it's work on your own projects day. this is the day of the month for you to pay attention to projects you have in progress and want to complete. have at it and report your project activity to the whimsey project.

this morning i added to a collage that was finished with a picture that shouted, "put me in the collage!" so i did. it turned out to be a great addition to the art journal page.  i paused from project number two to write today's post. i'm working on something i was given for christmas.  film at 11.

trivia tuesday

from perkypet.com:

hummingbirds have an excellent memory. they remember every flower and feeder they have eaten at. they even remember how long it takes for a flower to refill with nectar.