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October 25 Angel Memorial PaintingAngel Memorial Painting by JDPeek(not the same as the Blog Memorial Tree...it's already started)
Find out more at JDPeek.com I would like to invite you to be a part of this HUGE painting. It will be done on a sheet of canvas and I'll have to paint it outside. I have no deadline to finish the painting but I'll know when it's complete. My canvas is 6 feet one way and on a roll. I haven't measured exactly yet. 6 x 9 feet or longer. I will be mural size. (I'll hang it on my studio ^^) It's in the works but I haven't started. I will be giving up all of my painting time...except for bad weather days...and dedicate it to this memorial painting. The angels want me to do it. I will have pics of the painting on all of my websites and youtube. It costs NOTHING to leave a request...nothing. I am adding a donation button but do not feel pressured to donate. A dollar donation now and then can keep me supplied in paint and brushes. I will offer a chance to be a sponsor. As a sponsor, I'll add your banner and links to all the places I post the painting....for as long as it takes to complete. I'm not sure what I'll do with the painting afterwards...the angels haven't let me know yet, but I will offer small prints to all who made requests. Perhaps a close up of your request..and a print of the entire painting. About requests... I want to fill the painting with angels. Baby angels, women angels, male angels, even animal angels. Perhaps you want to memorialize an unborn child. Perhaps you know an angel on Earth...I can add an angel for that special person. If you want an angel doing something specific, just let me know Maybe we'll have hundreds of angels...thousands...more? There is no limit. There are no requirements. Everyone is welcome to make request. Sponsership is $15 for the duration of the painting...even as long as the painting is posted...which might be forever. It will go towards supplies plus making sure everyone can get a print after its completed. I'm hoping to keep the prints free but they might run a dollar...no more. I don't paint angels for the money...I only wish to offer comfort and love. ps I'm not painting bigger angels...I will put hundreds on one painting I'm getting the info up on my website JDPeek dot com Why do this?? I have the need to paint angels. I love having people open up and share with me. I love to paint for them...with them in my thoughts and in my heart. When I have to decide a price for them on something, it breaks my heart. I don't like that part of what I do. So, I will now paint without the stresses of the mighty dollar. I will paint for love. I will be outside...on a ladder...in the sunshine. The angels seem to think it will do me some good :o) I have a listing if anyone is interested in being a sponsor. A sponsor gets free advertising on all the places I post the painting...including in the youtube video...of it step by step hugs October 23 Angel Obituaries
Angel Obituaries A peaceful soothing place to say the things
we wish we'd had said
When we had the chance to say them
A place to share our love
for people in our lives who have touched us so greatly
A place to tell the world what made them so special
A place to remember October 13 Angels
I recently found a forum online about angels. I joined thinking I could share my stories with others who believe or have seen angels. Before long I realized that all the post were prayer threads and I found no talk of angels. I thought maybe I would start my own little forum. I have heard so many beautiful touching stories in my adventures painting angels. People open up and share with me and often it inspires a new angel painting. Always the stories stay with me.
We are guided by angels whether we know it or not. I think we all have the ability to feel them, hear them, or see them but I also think we have to be open to them. I was lucky to learn about angels early on. It helped me to accept them when they came to help me through the darkest days. October 12 Christmas, Holiday, Winter Angel Art by JDPeekA few of my winter pieces available for cards...working on new ones
Looking Forward but peeking backYes, it's been way too long since I have visited regularly here. Tonight I showed the old site to a new friend and got to looking around. It's hard to believe that three years have almost passed since Mom was killed and I stopped coming here. I really enjoyed reading back.
I will need to study up some and relearn my way around here. It looks as if a lot has changed.
I hope to share more of my work here. The angels have seen me this far for a reason
May 17 My list of things to do...Ugggh!Alas, I am so far behind around here, I just don't know where to start. I've got stuff boxed on top of box and stuff on top of stuff. See, I'm a stuff collector, but I don't know why I bother, because anything I do save gets lost in this abyss we call home
 .So, I figure I'd make a lil list of stuff I need to do today. Where to start?
I needa wash this stinky old dog. Yup, thats important. She's nearly 14 and the BO is getting hard to manage.
I need to get the dishes done and mop the kitchen floor. Yup, that's important...
I WILL wash more clothes. Don't know how we dirty so many, though. All I seem to do is wash, dry, fold, and well, stack somewheres.
I need to clean out the birds cage and the hermit crab tank.
I should at least make a trail through the kids room so I can get in to start cleaning. Scared I might lose a kid in that mess!
If I get this much done today, I'd be pleased. I really have so much more to do...but that, at least, is a start.
Wish me luck? And if I don't post a followup soon, tell my husband that I was last seen going into the kids' room!!
 So here I am...back again. It's now 12:30. so what have I got done so far? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
As I was posting this earlier post, the
 rang. It was grandmaw ...always a pleasure . As soon as I hung up with her... again. This time it was hubby  . THen I was gonna do some laundry but was out of soap
 Jumped in the
 and headed to the $ $tore. Also picked up some extra Dr. Pepper, some light bulbs and some bug spray. Then back in the and off to school to get the girl from pre-k. She gets out at 11:30. Now we're home and its back to MAMA MAMA MAMA  . But I think she's settled for a sec now. Eating and watching tv.If you haven't caught on yet, I am stalling...but the work can't be avoided forever. I know cuz I was trying, but I can't stand the mess anymore. Maybe one day the kids will be big enough to help. The boy is, but the girl makes it a bit difficult for him.
I don't know what we'll have for supper. Haven't gotten that far yet. But I figure we need clean dishes first, huh?
OK OK OK get off my butt...I'm going I'm going. Dang that  smell rough! HEHEHEMay 09 Shrimp Gumbo and White Rubber BootsI wanna smell dat E'touffee', dat jambalaya, dat sauce piquante.
Stuff me a shrimp and stuff him good. While ya at it stuff a crab or three for lil ol' me? How bout dat bisque? I'll pick dem big crawfish heads! Ain't many critters go wasted here in the swamp. Chances are if you don't like to eat it, you know someone who will. Frog legs and fish eggs. Smoked gar and choupique balls...Oh Lord, we done had em all! Nuttin like down home cookin'.
White rubber boots (aka Cajun Reeboks) are great too. They take you from the bayou to the boat ramp, from the grocery store to the juke joint, from the barstool to the dance floor. They just look good anywhere!!
Don't leave home without em!!
What about dem nighttime sounds? Oooh some get scared! A screech owl cal scream a noise like you ain't ever heard. Quite the sound to be out alone in the dark. And the deep sound of the alligator echos through the darkness as he lets you know he's out there. I can hear the whomps of the many bullfrogs accompanied by the crickets as backup in this all-natural Cajun band! All the while breathing in the scent of the bayou and feeling the thick damp air on your skin.
Man, I will always miss home.
Sweet Bayou MemoriesI long for the days of old. Lazy hot days on the bayou. Every gathering was a celebration. People visited and were happy to be together and just enjoyed each other. No matter how bad things were, they did it all together and found a way to laugh and enjoy themselves. You've heard of "Hurricane Parties"...we also had "water coming up" parties..."water going down" parties...every football game...every basketball game...every horse race...Monday night "free supper" night. It wasn't all about the drinking, but the socializing. Everyone got together to cook and eat. But the whole mood is what I miss.
The only people I see up here...they all gripe about everything...their bills, their lives, their troubles, their worries. It so brings me down. I DO NOT want to live like that. We all have bills and problems. Or they come and wanna gossip. Talking about what they heard...funny thing is its never the truth and I absolutely HATE that kinda gossip. I wanna make a sign for our fence saying "Welcome....leave the BS outside the gate."
People should get together and enjoy them selves...thats what I want...not this crud. No one here ever acts happy to see another. Its like living in a different world.
I really miss home, although, after my last trip, it''s not quite the same there anymore. Big MANSIONS sit next to the old mom n pop type cajun houses. Its bigger and faster now. I don't wanna go fast. I wanna enjoy me ride...not miss it by speeding by.
I wanna sit by the water and feel at one with nature. Then I feel my place and connect with my true self. If I thought it would help, I'd dig a hole and plant me a cypress tree...but I don't think it would. Dodgin' dem frogs...In my younger years, I was a bartender. Ok, the jobs available in our little town were limited. I think at one time there were 15 bars there. Not one red light, mind you.
So I worked odd hours. Way back in the day, the bars closed at 4 am, later closing at 4 am. I'd work til closing, then give the roads some time to clear before heading home. On my way home one night, I was pulled over by a local law officer. I knew most of them as they always checked on us at closing time, even helping us clear the crowd when needed. I stopped my car in the road, as there is bayou on both sides and no shoulder. It's probably 3 am or so...and rainy. This road leads to a big lake and is three miles of curves. I lived at the dead end.
So, the lawman comes up and says "I thought that was you...why on Earth are you swerving like that?". I was only driving about 25-30 miles an hour LOL. I told him exactly what I was doing. I was dodging them little frogs that were crossing the wet road. I showed him...LOOK! I cannot stand to run over one and I'm in no hurry. I can't miss em all but I try to miss as many as I can. I swear it's the truth, too...they pop under the tire...eeeewwwww...gives me willies even now.
The copman busted out laughing. He said "dang girl, I thought I done heard em all. Get yourself home now and good luck."
So there's my frog story...well, one of them! May 04 Looking for me?In case you're wondering...I am still here. Just moodwise, I'm not doing the greatest. I try to stay positive and laugh and have a good ol time...cuz that's how I like it. But instead, I'm on the phone with doctors and coroners and investigators. I'm getting the run-around and I'm getting madder about the whole thing. And now, to toop it all off...they claim they lost evidence. They don't care at all. But I do...I care alot. I'm doing what I have to do.
So, if'n ya see something funny just send it own! I can use a good laugh! See ya soon...in better spirits.
bfcajun April 27 Why Dis Cajun Went to New York...Yup...you read right. Many moons ago, long before I headed to Texas, I ran off to live in upstate New York. Life down home was in a rut and I needed a breather. I ran off with the friend of a friend, a man I actually hardly knew. He seemed nice enough, and he needed someone to look after his dogs and apartment while he was on the road. He was a truck driver and only home on the weekends.
We left South Louisiana in the big truck. I realized right off that this might not be such a swell idea, as he wouldn't let me smoke in his truck. That's gonna mean 1800 miles! Yea Buddy...what did I do? (boy...hindsight, huh?) First stop at a rest area for the bathroom. I lit up my first cig in hours, and he was waiting at the truck when I walked out...all ready...no time for a smoke. (dang...was I that stupid?)
Let me tell ya...I spent most of the ride in the bunk of that truck...sleeping until I could have a drag off a cig. But that ain't all...get this...LOL...
We went through some very rough weather on the way. We were in a line of semi's...hauling butt. I think we were about number 4 in the line. A tornado warning came on the radio and they said the mile marker number where the tornado was located. Well, we were within a mile or two! I freaked and covered my head...he hoped he got to see a tornado because he never had! AGGGGGGGHHHHHH!! Trucks were pulling over under overpasses...but not us...noooo. Matter of fact, the lead truck announced that he didn't want the lead anymore because he could no longer see... so all these guys say "no, not me neither" and they all pull over. Yup, cept us!! Hauling butt in the tornado warning...stormin like crazy...rain so hard you couldn't see anything...boy...and then....
The next morning, I awoke to a funny feeling in my face. I was thinking my face fell asleep. What with all them miles (with no cigs) and tornados and all that sleeping...even the vibrations of the big truck engine. My speech was slurring some and my eyes felt weird. I said nothing though, until it started getting worse. By the time we got to his hometown, where we were meeting his PARENTS for dinner, I couldn't even drink from a cup. No one knew what happened to me. It was most humiating! I still wonder what these poor people thought of the gal their son picked up in Louisiana and brought home.
The next morning, we went to the ER where they figured out that it was Bell's Palsy and that it would go away on it's own. It did, but after about 6 weeks.
Things went ok. I started working, met some people. But he was one of them jealous, possessive types...and he liked to fight and argue. No Thanks. I think that when you say something to me, you mean it and can't just pretend you didn't say it. Can't I go outside and play with the dogs or do I have to sit by the telephone in case you stop and call? Naw...not what I wanted.
Not to mention the COLD and the ICE!! But I will give em points for those "Northern Lights"...that was worth seeing.
Till next time
barefootcajun
April 19 Rainbows are sent from Heaven Rainbows are sent from HeavenAfter 2 days and nights of rain and thunderstorms, we were greeted early this morning by a big bright beautiful rainbow. It felt like a smile shining down on me and my family, telling me that everything will be ok. The storms do pass and calmness will return, we just have to be patient. I guess that's the hardest part, staying calm and patient. I know that I can't head down a certain road. I can't dwell among the sadness and the pain. There is happiness to be found and when I look, I see it all around. My children are laughing and my critters are fat. The flowers are bursting in bloom. We are witnessing not only death, but birth...life's miracle.
I will be ok. Life is too short. We must enjoy it while we can, and love em while we got em.
God Bless you and yours...thebarefootcajun
Bubba Dog is Gone To Heaven
Well, we asked for rain. Seems it came in a pop-up thunderstorm. Lightening was awfully close, only we didn't realize how close. Hubby and Boy went to feed them critters last night and found poor old Bubba Dog. He stays out near the barn and has to be chained up. He was a cow dog, used for working and penning cows. He was also practice "bull" for Boy for years. He was getting old and was in very poor health, but who would have dreamed that lightening would get him? Hubby says thats what it looked like. Maybe it hit close enough to electrify his chain or them metal poles on the fence. I don't know...it's just freaky. No other critters were harmed. I had the bunnies and the hermit crabs and the baby kittens all in the house...LOL. Next time I'll bring in Potat...the donkey April 16 All alone on Easter Sunday...Yes, that's right. It's Easter Sunday and I'm all alone. It's ok though cuz it fits my mood. The last few days have been very hard. I miss Mama so badly. Every little detail of the holidays reminds me of her. So much of what I do, is the same as she did.
I cooked lots of food, but I think I got too hot in there and I hadn't eaten. I wound up with a major headache. Hubby took kids so I could rest a bit...in case anyone actually shows up to eat. They left and I cut out the lights and locked the door.
I have realized the trouble I thik I'm having with the law down there in La. Since they didn't know Mom, they don't know that she had more integrity in one finger than most of us have at all. She didn't talk about people. She kept private things private. When I tell them that Mom said something...word for word...that she believed it to be the absolute truth. And also that it was only confided to someone she trusted and not said aload just to say something about someone. Most of the things I mentioned were only spoken about because she was having a hard time figuring out the situation herself. It confused her that someone she thought she knew could have bad intentions. There are few that she confided in. THese people know whats going on right now.
Somethings gonna happen...and soon...I can't do this much longer.
Don't worry about me though...I'll survive and be stronger for it  April 10 Oh it's a rough day todaySorry ya'll...but my mood is grim today. Ain't got a single thing done yet either. Made some phone calls...oh and I stopped at the dollar store for kitty cat food. I had a restless night sleep last night.
I am so sick and tired of the waiting. I am tired of not being able to defend my mom publically. I can't find anything out. I only assume the case is still open because they said they'd call when they closed it. It is APRIL!! Mom died 5 whole months ago. Any evidence is fading away while they wait for forensics results. The whole thing is one horrible mess. I made some phone calls today and maybe I can get some answers. There are rumors and things being said that are simply not true. Gosh when would this be over?
It's a daily struggle. If the law knew anything about my mom they would know that they are looking in the wrong direction. They are seeking the easy way out...they are way off. The truth will come out. Mom valued every life as special...even the frogs and the dang rats. There is no possible way that she took her own life, without perhaps unbearable torture.
The rumors being spread are coming from HIM to try and get people to believe this lie as truth. Sickening that he thinks we believe him over her.
I knew my mother, as I know myself. We've always been connected on another level. We felt each others pains and joys. If I needed her...she called me. And if she needed me, I called her. I had to trust him to take care of her. Everynight when I said my bedtime prayers, I prayed for my mother and her happiness...and I prayed for him and always always asked for help TRUSTING this man to care for my mom. I prayed for him and asked that he would love her and care for her and make her happy. She brought more love and joy to this world than any other person I have ever known. All she wanted was a chance to leave that house...what did she ask for...a camper trailer and probably a couple of dollars? Someone thought she wasn't worth that much. That someone was not HER.
Gosh dangit...I'm going scrub something...
WOW it must be spring!Opened the backdoor tonight...
coming in with my arms full of laundry from the dryer...
one of the kittys like to ran me over...
what's that in her mouth? I hollering teeny bitty kitty!
Now where the heck did she go?
Good thing that baby was squealling...I traced the sound into my room under my big chair...
I grabbed a flashlight and moved some shoes...
There she is! WHAT? There's two babies in there! I better check outside...
There I went, with my trusty flashlight...listening for mews...oooh heard it...started rooting around and sure enough, I found one more.
I took him...a big little kitty...and brought him in. Fixed up a box fer mom and crew. Put the babes in the box and fed mommy. I moved the little ones to the living room...and waited for her to come find them. She went in the box and we closed her up...then carried her out back. She's up under the carport kinda thing (really it's my room that never got finished getting built back there)...after some time passed I sent da boy out back to check em and he said they were all asleep...in the box. Very good! I thought if she was scared, she'd move them and I'd never find them...wonder how many will be there tomorrow? April 07 Here Comes Peter Cottontail...LOLHere Comes Peter Cottontail Coyotes yappin There goes Peter Cottontail A Different Easter This YearAll these years we have held Easter Dinner and an egg hunt at my in-laws house. I am at a loss as to what we'll do this year. I think it's ashame if the kids don't get to be around other kids and celebrate Easter. My fondest childhood memories are of the holidays.
In a perfect world, this family would get together just like every year...only this year, we would also celebrate MIL's life. Maybe tell nice stories and share memories of the past...hug each other...know that others still hurt too. We are in the healing process.
But, as you know, this isn't a perfect world. The truth goes more like this...
FIL told my hubby about his new woman only a month after MIL passed. THat was in January...by Feb. 14, we were invited to the IN_LAWs house where NEW WOMAN was cooking dinner. Nope...we passed. Luickily I had already started supper.
Now heres Easter. She's inviting OUR family to a reunion SHES planning with HER family in ARKANSAS!! HAHAHAHAHAHA
Is this nuts??? Heck no I ain't going. He can go ahead and move on however he needs to. Not my life there. But I can stay home and near loved ones and lick on my own wounds until I feel better. Visiting and making small talk ain't too easy for me right now. I can handle close friends and loved ones who know I'm not always like this...you know...bags under the eyes and just not as cheerful as norm. If my own step-son brought in a new girlfriend, she wouldn't be meeting the real me. Only the me that somehow keeps walking and talking and trying my best...not to fall apart or fall down. I do well, though, so don't be worried. I can get along just fine, but it only takes a teeny thing to get these tears flowing. Just notta time to get to know someone very well. I just need to be with mine...
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