Magazine Week

What fun a theme is! 

Having a purpose, an enjoyable thing to do as part of my day is proving to be wonderful. As I gather up a few summer editions of “Yankee Magazine,” (dating from 2021-2023), up pops a 2004 edition of the “American Art Review.” (The local library use to have loads of great magazines at their book sales.) 

My feast of reading about art starts with the article, “The Western Massachusetts Art Trail.”  The border to Massachusetts from here in Vermont is about a 2 hour drive (200 miles +/-). I feel giddy with dreams of going on an art excursion someday.

As it goes, it is a learning experience to select a painting from which you paint your own similar scene from life, in the style of that artist. I did that once using as inspiration a tree painting by Van Gogh. Below is my painting of a local tree.

Be inspired, read about art.

The Tree 
9x12 inch acrylic

 

How about a themed week?

Thinking again. 

A week with a theme, something light, fun, uncomplicated. A color, a fruit, a flower, a tree, a math symbol, spend less, collect pennies.

You can select a theme for each week of the month or decide when the week starts. With a mini festival vibe, a theme topic can be a mental health enhancement. 

If the theme week gets boring, then change up your focus to subjects that serve you mood best. 

Thinking into summer, my first theme is Magazines: Old or buy new, read every article, and look through it during a sit outdoors. I prefer old magazines. “Yankee Magazine,” is a favorite. Gathering the June editions I have will be an intro view of summer.

The week after will be music. In fifth grade I could read and play music on a clarinet. It has been years since I’ve read music. Time to relearn that skill. 

Moving into July 2026, colors, stripe colors. A sprinkle of stripes on a beach towel, umbrella, tee shirt, dress, sandals, or a shirt are cheery. I can browse online; and, paint my own stripe fabric designs.

A simple diversion from the routines we fall into might turn out to be more fun than anticipated. 

There’s a Way
Digital photo circa 2008

A Saturday Out & About

It happened. I did not want to go to a tag sale because I don’t want to bring anything else into my home. Today on half price day, I stopped by anyway. What surprises me is at the location known for good rummage sales, there were no clothes for sale.  It was an items tagged only sale.

I had a good browse around. I bought a towel and some drawing tools. I hope this blah feeling doesn’t last. Garage sales will be boring without that traditional find a bargain sparkle.

Afterwards, I had lunch out, shopped, and arrived home just in time to catch a nice power nap. It is the kind of nap where the morning I spent feels like yesterday.

Awake, I have a small stack of spiral notebooks to entertain me. If I get a bright idea in a daydreaming session, then I might write it down for a story. Editing those gems, I don’t always recall what the original idea is. The several paragraphs present as something new. 

How has your Saturday been?

The Plume Moth

Every year a Plume Moth shows up on my deck  or the porch. One year one was on my vehicle. 

There are various shapes and coloring of the plume moth.  This one, I believe, is a Common Plume Moth.

Common Plume Moth 
June 2026

How do you feel about wrinkled clothes?

This is true. I read an article many years ago that mentions how wrinkled clothes in the summer shows off an out-of-a-suitcase vibe. Wrinkled fashion speaks vacationing tourist. What a refreshing way to think, and, a freeing one as well. Oh! That slob is just a fashionable tourist. 😎

As you may guess, under the spell of the mighty pen, wearing wrinkled (but not badly) summer clothes entered my life shortly after reading that article. I rarely ironed anything. There was one blue camp shirt (worn until thread bare) that had to be ironed. 

Now that I’m an old lady (age wise), I speculate that folks might look at my wrinkled clothes thinking How sad. She needs a care giver. 

Despite the paranoia, I continue to appreciate the wrinkled traveling tourist summer look. If you want to give it a tree, (I typed try) then get dressed and roll around on your sofa like golden lab rubbing its back fitting into a nap nest.