Traveling Through Italy and Paris - Excellent Cuisine

Dear Reader, in this blog post we will travel through Florence, Venice and Paris through food.  Oh it was so fun to experience the delightful tastes of each place.  Hope you have eaten and have a full tummy as you view these wonderful delights.

Lunch in the Piazza on Sunday in Florence

Fried Zuccini and Lamb Shank in Florence.  Dinner on Sunday Night

Pasta and Sausage Shells in Venice

Duck Breast in Paris

Cheese Plate after main course in Paris

Foie Gras Appetizer at the start of the Riverboat Cruse dinner in Paris

Pulled Pork Sandwich in Dusseldorf Germany Airport

Rigatoni with Sausage and Truffles in Florence.

There were so many great meals.  The cuisine is such an important part of travel.  From Excellent 

Gelato in Florence and Venice (oh do I love gelato), to the best French Fries (Pomme Frittes) I have ever eaten in Paris, each meal introduced me to the culture through food.  I tried items I had never new to me, Duck breast  and Foie Gras and both were excellent.  I had Orange Fanta in Italy which is 100 times better than the Fanta we have in the US and I was in Orangina heaven in Paris (I love this carbonated orange drink).  

Food was just one part of this trip, but it was an important part.

Next week, a closer look at Florence.

Please leave a comment, it is always good to hear from friends and visitors.

until next week......pilgrim

Traveling Through Italy and Paris - A New Series

My Roommate Debbie

Giraffe Statue in Dusseldorf Germany Airport

Group Selfie, Maryann, Jessica, Tracie and Me

Hello dear readers, this post is the introduction to a new series that will run for the next few weeks.  Traveling through Italy and Paris is my story of traveling through Florence, Venice and Paris.  11 days seeing the sights, experiencing good food, stories of Apocalypse Paulo, the great train rides and many more.

My trip began on Sept. 18th and ended on Sept. 29th.  I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I had and what I learned not just about the places I visited, but also about myself.  40 days from today is my 65th birthday.  I experienced this trip through the eyes of a person entering an exciting time of life.  I have new feelings about myself and who I am.  I have an updated list of things I want to do and accomplish, I have an enhanced zest for life and I really have a new appreciation for my art.

In other good news, I had my yearly check up with my breast oncology surgeon and my mammogram was really good. No changes from last year and I am good for another year. So, I plan to make the most of it.

For the next few Fridays, I will be posting a new installment to this series.  I hope you will be as excited to read them as I am to write them.

Have a great week and hope to see you on Friday, October 10th.  pilgrim

Learning New Techniques Art Journal Techniques and Tangents - Grids

Second segment of AJT&T Number 4

First segment of AJT&T Number 4

 Base background for Pages

After the 61 days of Index Card a Day Challenge was done.  Tammy Garcia developed another project, Art Journal

Tangent and Techniques.  Each Friday in August a journaling technique was shared.  Many of the techniques were taken from Classes Tammy had taught in the past.  I am going to write about them, not in any particular order; rather by the way they made me feel.

The technique I am showing today was about making random squares (a grid if you will) using acrylic paint and a wide paint brush.  First I thought about the book that I would use and the Junk Mail journal came to mind.  I really love this book, but because the pages are brightly colored papers and glossy cards it was going to take a lot of work gessoing each page.   But, but, but.....these squares are simply perfect for covering the page and then creating magic.  Magic I tell you.

Ok, just a little dramatic, but the outcome is something I really love.  Because I have to make my own interpretation to any project,  the squares took on a life of their own.  Inchies, rectangles, 2 inches, horizontal rectangles, vertical rectangles shaped by the collage images I chose to put on the paper.  I finally feel comfortable collaging.  I can finally relate to the concept and I am in love.  

Summer is almost over.  The staycation ends next Sunday.  It has been a blast.  I have had so much fun creating and learning not just about art, but also about myself.

Thanks for stopping by and please say hi.  Comments make me so happy.

pilgrim

Week 5 of Staycation: ICAD's done week of June 29.

Week 5 of staycation is done.  It has been so relaxing and full of artsy fun.  I have been working on my index cards and I have been having a ball doing them.  I think the best part is looking at the prompt and thinking of ways to illustrate them.  Below are some of the cards from week 

Red White and Blue of the 4th of July

Tomorowland.  Goody is my favorite Disney Character so naturally
He was the them of my Tomorrowland Card

Coffee and Tea was the theme for this card, but since I do not drink coffee
I dedicated the card to Tea which I love.  Dried tea bags were used as part of the background

Collage

Stamps was the theme and in my stash of ephemera I found from ArtFest which turned out to be stamps commemorating
the festivals from 2000 to 2012.

I am so enjoying this summer.

Week 4 of Staycation: ICAD 22-28

Dear Reader.....

Week 4 of the Staycation and ICAD is done.  Time is going by so fast but I am having a good time.  Below are the Index cards from this week.  Enjoy.

Beach Umbrella
#22 Chlllin' on the Beach

 #24 Brown
Wonky Houses painted on Index card and crinkled deli paper

# 23 Star Wars

# 25 Maple Leaf
Leaves Traced and painted with shades of Orange background shades of green

# 26 Magnifying Glass
In memory of my Mom who had a magnifying mirror that she used to apply her make up as a child I loved that mirror

#27 Album Cover
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon I have always loved this album cover so I set out to draw and paint it
the black is black gesso and the other colors are acrylic paint pens  this was fun because I was determined to have it look just like the cover and I came really close.  I find I like doing linear drawings,  Who knew.

#28 Robot
I have been really letting my mind go with the prompts.  I had to give my robot a name and a purpose; introducing Servibot and Service is its goal coming someday to an IKEA near you.  Servibot has real fashion sense and personality.

Well, that is the week 4 dear reader, Please feel free to leave a comment, it can get lonely here in this laptop.

Until next time......pilgrim

End of Week 3 of Staycation

Candy Wrapper 

Orange

Harry Potter

Pattern Repeat

ICAD week 3 final four cards with prompts related to Candy Wrappers, the color Orange, Harry Potter and pattern repeats.  I had fun making these.  I find that I love using the 4x6 size index card.  It gives me more space to create.

Candy Wrapper:  I used the wrapper from candy I got in China last year, I used a base of chinese newspaper and then collaged on the candy wrapper.

The color Orange:  A few of the participants used Orange County California to reflect orange.  I got curious about the number of counties in the USA that are called Orange County.  I like how the card turned out and I found 8 counties named Orange County

Harry Potter:  I have never read one word of a Harry Potter book or seen a movie.  I wondered where he lived so I looked it up and drew a rendition of a map I found, that was really a hoot to do.

Pattern Repeat:  I am trying to learn how to use my stencils without having the paint bleed and so it was so fun to use the Stencil Girl Stencil I won last week on this card.

I have found that I like coloring the cards at least the initial layer with ink from stamp pads applied with sponges,  The paper does not buckle and I like that.

Week 3 was a really good week, relaxed, read, cleaned the art room and just enjoyed life

until next week........pilgrim

Day 18 of Summer Staycation

ICAD 17/61 Map of Venice and keep sakes from trip

ICAD 18/61 Miss Lucy loves Polka Dots

ICAD 16/61 Using stickers - 

Hello Dear Reader,

The three photos above represent ICAD efforts for this week.  Today is day 18 of my staycation.  I was thinking about  my idea of having a stay at home art retreat and what that looks like.  Let me give you a glimpse of today.

I am in the process of purging as I try to simplify my life.  I tell you it is just amazing the amount of things once can collect overtime.  I want to create and altar and a sacred space but I felt that I could not do it until I removed some of the clutter physically and spiritually.  It feels so good to release.

Then I worked on ICAD for today (will post it on Saturday).  I decided to post the three cards from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  They were so much fun.  At 6 pm I watched a U-stream live presentation of painting backgrounds that was really great.  

Read a post on Facebook about a speech my friend Katie Kendrick delivered in 2012 in Seattle. It was like sitting in the class with her in Los Gatos at An Artful Journey.   I remember how I felt as we prepared each day to paint, calling on the spirit to guide me as I made marks on the substrate and open me up to let my essence flow on the canvas.  Wow it was so deep and in the end, the resulting paintings brought me to tears because I could not believe that the work had come from me.

Then I watched a video by Katie on collage.  I found it on Pinterest and immediately pinned it as it was a great tutorial.  

What a day, what a day.  It was truly a day of creativity,  of peace and I just love this staycation.

Please feel free to leave a comment, it is so encouraging.

until next time....pilgrim

Staycation - End of week 2

Day 11 - Mixed Up Alphabet

Day 8 Mandala

Day 11 Camera

day 12 Paisleys

Day 13 Book Reviews

Day 14 - Magenta

Week 2 of the Staycation is coming to and end.  This was a week of mixed feelings.  Not about the staycation, I am truly loving it.  It has been a really relaxing time so far.

The mixed feelings come from if it is worth it posting art or writing a blog at all.  It takes a lot to put yourself out there and I wonder if it is really worth it.  I think a lot of artists feel this way at one time or another.  I think the feelings came from trying to be perfect in an imperfect world.  So I just had to get quiet and regroup.

I did not work in my Index cards for a couple of days, watched some art videos for inspiration and took a nap.  Lo and behold it worked.  I started working on my cards and loved the boldness of the colors, and the ideas I had.  I noticed that my cards this year have much more freedom than last year.
I am using a larger card (4x6) and experimenting with supplies that I have.

What else did I do this week.  Tried the Oprah Chai at Starbucks, it is soooo good.  Had a great visit with a friend at Starbucks, visited Premium Outlet Mall on Thursday, had a really great Small church Community session on Tuesday evening.

Week three starts on Sunday, excited to see what this week will bring.  The prompts for ICAD are interesting, but I do want to try coming up with some of my own ideas.  We shall see.

Oh, more groovy news.  I won a price from Marjie Kemper.  She is celebrating her 600th blog post and had a random giveaway.  So happy to win some really cool art products.  Will post a picture when they arrive.

Looking forward to having an arty week.

Until later....pilgrim

Day 8 and 9 of Staycation -

Hand made post card

ATC type cards

Day 8 of Staycation was great.  Busy day at church helping with the Pastoral Council election and participating in the last Mystagogia class for the newly baptized and confirmed.

Then I went to Desert Art supply for the ATC swap.  I miss understood how the swap was supposed to work (other attendees did too).  I thought we were going to make cards to swap and I brought my cute little bag with my travel art supplies.  Trust me I was prepared to create.  Well that is not was was happening, people brought completed cards.  Some were photo copies which I think does not really make them ATC's but I was not going to burst their bubble.  What to do, what to do, panic was not allowed.  I simply pulled out my supplies, my collage pieces, glue and other necessities and proceeded to make 4 ATC's that were traded.  I did not have an opportunity to take pictures because they went too fast.  I will post the cards I got in return tomorrow.  But, it was so much fun and I was amazed at how quickly I worked within the patriotic theme.  The pictures above are representations of other ATC type cards and post cards I have made in the past.

I forgot just how much fun they are to make.

Day 9.  worked on ICAD number 8 - Mandala and 9 Alphabet.  I struggled with the Mandala because I was not confident in my ability to draw Mandala.  Then the lightbulb went off.  I have rubber-stamps that are representations of Mandalas.  O joy, O joy.  I stamped my little heart away this afternoon.  I have to paint the cards and it will be complete. I sometimes forget about using my stamps and stencils in my art.  I have to get better at using all of my tools.

Until tomorrow....pilgrim

Day 7 of Staycation - ICAD week one done

Week one of my Staycation is done and what a fine week it was.  Got a lot accomplished art wise and will be spending the rest of the evening planning for next week.

Below are two pictures of the ICAD's done this week. First picture is Day 1 thru 4
Day 1:  Prisms
Day 2: Circus related
Day 3: My name is and I printed my name in many languages
Day 4:  Puzzle

Second Picture is Day 5 thru 7

Day 5: Galaxy
Day 6: Nail Polish
Day 7:  Yellow using a Stencil Girl Club stencil from the May offering

 

 

Until tomorrow....pilgrim

June 6 - Day 6 of Staycation - Busy Day

Goodies for ATC Swap

Today was pretty busy.  Had a little shopping to do and get back home before noon to beat the heat.  The picture above are of the items I am going to use to make Artist Trading Cards at the Snack, Snip and Swap affair at Desert Art Supply this Sunday June 8th.  It is going to be so much fun.  I am going to deconstruct some of the items and so that I can use pieces on my cards.  It is a patriotic theme.

Made more cards today and found cards that I had made previously when I went on a card making marathon.  Can you say forgot where I put them.  Well now I have about 20 cards made more than enough to mail out.

Painting lesson today was using how to create depth on a small space.  I used Derwent Inktense Pencils.  The trick is to use colors in the same family, use the light color first, then outline with the darker color, use the paint brush to pull the color from the edge toward the center, then smooth over with the light color.  I have to say that it works and I love the process.

Going to spend the evening watching one of the videos from the Studying with the Masters Class I am taking.  Tonight, Matisse.

Until tomorrow......pilgrim

Day 5 Staycation - A card is born

Hand Painted Sun Flower



Need to remember to sign my Card.  Today was another great day.  I sat on my porch this morning in the cool breeze, it was really nice and I think I am going to make it a ritual.  I watched a couple of instructional videos including one on how to draw and paint the flower you see above although I think I went a little overboard with the leaves.  I do like the shading and learned some great tips about that.

I have three cards made now and that is a good thing, have a few more to make but I think I am over the "they may not be good enough" hump.  You would think after 30 years of making cards the inner critic would have packed up, but no such luck.  I think I know why.  For a long time I have wanted to draw my cards, but I had myself convinced that I could not draw.  I mean phobia convinced.  So I did a variety of things to make cards.  I used copyright free images, traced them and then colored them with watercolor markers, I used rubber stamps and colored them.  I started going to art retreated in order to learn how to paint backgrounds.  I learned how to draw faces (got a little sidetracked from my original purpose) and just did a lot of things.  But the nagging inadequacy would not leave. 

What has caused me to rethink my abilities, to at least try? For the past year and a half I have participated in ICAD and in a few card swaps.  I have participated in a project called love notes where you can make post cards or cards and send them to your pen pal.  I participated in Art Doodle Camp and NANOJOMO(national journal month) and a few other things which allowed me to just have fun drawing and painting.  Along the way I discovered I could draw, I did have a style and it was fun. 

I still struggle with insecurities, but now instead of letting the art supplies sit and gather dust, I am using them. Believe me when I tell you have a 30 year collection of supplies. Bet I could open a store. But that is for another life.

Today was a good day.  Have to work on my ICAD #5 and get in bed a little earlier tonight.

Until tomorrow.....pilgrim

June 4 - Day Four of Staycation A day at the Park

Legacy Park, Henderson, NV



Legacy Park on Wednesday Morning

First attempt at pen and Ink


Today was a productive day.  Wanted to sit in the park before I went to church.  At 7:00 am there was a cool breeze and I wanted to take advantage of that.  I sat on the bench knitting and the cutest little dog came to visit.  His name was Lucky.  His buddy could not be out done, Shadow was his name.  He came and sat next to me as if he wanted a knitting lesson.  Great way to start my day.

After church I worked on ICAD number 4 and I like the results although it was time consuming.  Worked in my journal.  Put black gesso in a couple of pages (I love black gesso).  Collaged some pages and then worked on the Pen and Ink portrait above.  I have never worked in Pen and ink before.  There is no erasing, so you have to commit to every stroke.  Pretty pleased with my first attempt.

Watched a couple of tutorials for the educational part of my at home art retreat.  One video by Barbara Gray demonstrated how you can use rubber stamps on the gelli plate.  I was blown away.  I shared the link on Facebook for any Gelli plate users.

Tomorrow is the first day this week I will be able to stay home all day, so I hope I can really get some arting going and make the cards I need to make. Send positive thoughts folks, I need to make the cards. I want to learn how to do abstract painting.  Will try to find some instructions on you tube.

That is all for today.  Had a great time and feeling accomplished.

Until tomorrow...pilgrim

June 3, Day 3 of Staycation

Staycation "Travel" Journal

Day 1 and 2

When you travel, it helps to have a journal to document all of the events.  A couple of nights ago as I was thinking about this staycation, I realized that I needed to have a  "travel" journal.  The book above was made last summer.  It is made of 3 signatures using junk mail, specifically all of the ads I received advertising election qualification.  As I said, junk mail. The pages are painted and primed with gesso and acrylic paint.  Some will be collaged and I will be adding flip outs on some pages.

I find that I am letting my imagination run wild with this journey and it feels good. 

Ok, what did I do today?  I started my 3rd ICAD with the prompt hello my name is.  I had the brilliant idea to look up hello my name is in various languages and put them on the card.  I will post a weeks worth of index cards on Saturday so watch this space.

Had a doctor's appointment today, my 6 month check up with my medical oncologist. She is very pleased with my progress. So far cancer is still in remission, although I have to go for my mammogram in August and that will really tell the tale.  My white blood count has risen ever so slightly, it is still low but is showing improvement and Dr. Alison was very happy.  I have had blood problems all of my life, but because of the cancer, Dr. Alison wants to keep an eye on it.  What I have, thalassemia is a blood disorder common in African, middle eastern and South East Asian cultures.  As long as I take my vitamins and eat reasonably well it will not cause any problems, I really need to start eating more beets that is what I had to do as a child.

I took a long nap and boy did it feel good.  My round gelli arts plate came today so I have to play with it.  Hmm, let's see what else. I thought about a ritual started by Michelle, Jenny and I while at An Artful Journey.  In the evening after the days events we would go back to the cabin and have tea or hot chocolate.  It was fun to sit and talk and have our hot drink.  So tonight I am going to make a cup of tea (or maybe a glass of Iced Tea, it is still in the 90's here), and make plans for tomorrow.  This will become a nightly ritual.

Well have to get up early tomorrow, I am lector at 8:30 Mass and I want to sit in the part for a few minutes before Mass. 

So, until tomorrow....pilgrim

June 2 - Day 2 of Staycation

Day 2 has been great.

Went to church this morning  and then Starbucks for Chai tea.  They are selling Oprah Chai so I think I will try it on Friday.

Started working on my Lifebook art projects, I am so far behind, but that is the purpose of this staycation, to do art everyday and have fun.  This is lesson 6 which is practicing with spray inks and leaving white space on the canvas.  This is a work in progress may finish it tomorrow, not sure.  Once I get this painting where I like it I will start on part 2.

Also completed day 2 of ICAD, it was a hoot.  One more task before I go to bed, start working on my "travel" journal.  No cation is complete with out a journal to capture the essence of the "trip".

until tomorrow....

pilgrim

June 1 Day 1 of Art Retreat Staycation

I did this painting nearly 4 years ago as part of a beginning Acrylic painting class at UNLV.  I should get it framed.  There is something about a frame that makes a painting look so special.  Today is June 1st and the first day of what I am calling my Art Retreat Staycation.  I will be home this summer and I wanted to be able to enjoy this time.  I have signed up for a lot of online classes and I need to take time to catch up and create.  Instead of becoming overwhelmed, I decided to make "catching up" as enjoyable as possible.  So I am going to be blogging about my staycation and posting pictures over the course of the next three months.

So, what did I do today?  Facilitated an RCIA class, was lector at 12 noon Mass.  Worked on day one of ICAD (index card art challenge).  This wonderful event will run from June 1 to July 31st.  Everyday I will be completing an art piece on an Index Card.  I will be posting once a week on Saturday Afternoon.  I signed up for Mary Ann Moss' Sketchbookery class which starts July 1st.  I still need to do my day one homework for the Sacred Alter ecourse.  And I need to write in my staycation journal, have to make a list of the classes I need to work on.

All in all it was a great day,  looking forward to tomorrow.  Going to Morning Mass and then home to  Casa Eloisa (a derivative of my middle name) to start my artsy day.

Caio!!!

pilgrim

What You Can Learn From Rejection---Guest Post by Margo Dill



Margo's New Book



Margo Dill

What You Can Learn From Rejection

        By Margo L. Dill

 

As a writer, I collect rejections. It’s not the collection I was hoping for, and I do have another collection in my bag—a collection of publications. But no matter how many acceptances, glowing reviews, contest wins, and published books I have, the rejections seem bigger and more powerful than the good stuff.
 

        I think this is true for most creative types. We thrive on positive feedback and good reviews. One reason—it’s how many of us make a living; and without acceptances and sales, we make no money. The other reason, in my opinion, is we want someone to love our work as much as we do. We pour our hearts out and have spent hours upon hours upon hours slaving over a piece of art, a manuscript, or a new song. We want people to LOVE what we’ve spent time doing. This is natural and this is normal, but it’s not always possible.
 

        Both books I’ve had published, Finding My Place (a middle-grade historical fiction novel set in the Civil War in Vicksburg, MS) and Caught Between Two Curses (a young adult light paranormal set in Chicago, IL) were rejected numerous times. I spent YEARS drafting and revising, writing queries and sending in submissions, attending conferences and pitching to agents and editors. During these years, I took my manuscripts to critique groups, where I often received constructive criticism (which can even be hard to take sometimes) and rejections—one agent even saying, “I just don’t understand the baseball thing in Caught Between Two Curses.” (One of the curses is the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat on the Chicago Cubs.)
 

        So, what have I learned?

·       Not everyone will love your art, whatever it is. But if you work hard, you will find your audience and have success.
 

·       Don’t compare your success with the success of someone who has “made it.” You have NO IDEA, unless this person has told you, how many times he/she was rejected before making it BIG.
 

·       Persistence and hard work are everything in creative fields. Most people who are unsuccessful think it should be easy to paint a picture, write a book, or record a song. If it’s easy, you’re not doing it right.
 

·       On bad days, allow yourself to feel the pain of rejection. It’s part of the creative process. Once you have recovered, ask yourself if there’s anything you can learn from the rejection.
 

Caught Between Two Curses has been out for a couple months now, and it has gotten some great reviews. Some readers really understand my main character, Julie, and her struggle with her boyfriend pressuring her to have sex and trying to help her family break the curses that keep killing her loved ones. They understand her quirky voice and unsure ways. But one teen who read the book wrote me and said that she thought I was a good writer, but she wanted to hit Julie over the head for most of the book. I took a deep breath, smiled a little at the comment, and then moved on, working on my next two projects that I hope to introduce to the world soon.

 

If you are interested in reading Caught Between Two Curses, you can find it at all online retailers, including Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J8UWR4K ) and Indiebound.org (http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780991069569). It’s the story of 17-year-old Julie Nigelson, who is cursed.  So is her entire family. And it’s not just any-old-regular curse, either—it’s strangely connected to the famous “Curse of the Billy Goat” on the Chicago Cubs. Julie must figure out this mystery while her uncle lies in a coma and her entire love life is in ruins: her boyfriend Gus is pressuring her to have sex, while her best friend Matt is growing more attractive to her all the time. Somehow, Julie must figure out how to save her uncle, her family’s future, and her own love life—and time is running out!

 

Margo L. Dill is an author, speaker, writing instructor for WOW! Women On Writing, and freelance editor (Editor 911), living in St. Louis, MO. Read more on her website, http://margodill.com/blog/ or on http://www.thelitladies.com, where she blogs about GIRL POWER! on Tuesdays.

 

Margo L. Dill

Join me on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Editor-911-Margo-L-Dill/346210516982
*Finding My Place, middle-grade (ages 9 to 12)  historical fiction, White Mane Kids, 2012
(Winner of the 2013 Eloquent Quill Youth Book Award)
*Caught Between Two Curses, young adult, light paranormal, Rocking Horse Publishing, 2014
*Maggie Mae, Detective Extraordinaire, and the Case of the Missing Cookies, picture book, Guardian Angel Publishing, 2014
*Lucy and the Red Ribbon Week Adventure, picture book, High Hill Press, 2014
http://www.margodill.com

One More day.....

Hello Dear Readers, just one more day until Margo Dill will be the guest blogger here at Thoughts Along the Way....She has a really informative topic planned and I know you will enjoy it.

I also ask that you visit her blog, her pertinent information will be a the end of her post and leave a comment if you letting her know how much you enjoyed her topic.

UNTIL TOMORROW.....Have a great day

pilgrim

.

Coming to Thoughts Along the Way - Margo Dill

Hello Dear Readers.......

How are you this morning, I hope that it is bright and Sunny in your neck of the woods.  Exciting news here on the blog..on Wednesday, May 21st.  I will have a guest blogger.   Her name is Margo Dill and she is an wonderful author of young adult books.  I am so excited (isn't that normal for me),  anyhoo, I am so excited because this marks the first time I have had a guest Blogger on my site.

How did I meet Margo?  A few years ago I took an ecourse through Women on Writing (WOW). The course was taught by Margo and was about keeping a blog.  I have used many of the tips from the lesson here on my blog, such as writing reviews of books for friends, finding a focus and blogging quite often.  Over the past two years, my blog has greatly improved.  I now have 54 followers (although I still would like to have 100 by the end of the year).

I will post another reminder tomorrow for you to come and visit my blog on Wednesday, May 21st.  I am in the process of reading Margo's new book and will probably post a review in my Random Thoughts Tuesday post on May 27th.  So a lot is happening on the blog here in Henderson.

Until tomorrow peace and love.....pilgrim