Happy 4th, Art & Revelations

Good afternoon, my bloggy buddies. I checked my calendar and found that today would be the best day to get a post out before I roast to death in my hot leetle house!! Actually, the temps are falling below 100, but then what do these meteorologists know!!?? It's supposed to reach 97 today and it was already 95 at 11 a.m., MDLST, (Mountain Daylight Savings Time). I wish Texas had the balls to eliminate that daylight saving crap, like Arizona...who needs more sunlight in the friggin' desert during the summer!!????

I'm planning on making my version of buffalo wings tonight and that means that I'll have to turn on the oven, set it at 400 degrees F., raising the temps in my home to maybe 79 or a bit above!! My brother's girlfriend told me my brother, C.A.M., has their house set at 79...all the time and my bro lives just right up the road from me in Southern New Mexico!! At least my house cools down at night, unlike his!! LOL You're probably wondering what C.A.M. means?? A few years back I gave him that acronym, means Cheap-Ass Mexican!! My brother can make a peso scream!! LOL However, of the 4 sibs, he's the most successful, financially, of the group, so there's lots to say about being a cheap-ass!!

Speaking of food, last night I made Coctel de Camarones, or Shrimp Cocktail, Mexican style.


It's easy and very refreshing during these hot summer months and sooo easy to make. This is a pic of my particular serving, since the other two Neanderthals I share a home with wanted there's served in a cereal bowl..."Ug, me want bowl!!"

Here's how I make mine: I buy a bag of frozen, pre-cooked small to medium shrimp, a bottle of tomato juice, any brand, a can of clams in liquid. Now for the veggies: chopped celery, green onions, tomatoes (remove the seeds), cucumber (remove seeds and skin), a little bit of celery tops, cilantro (careful, this is a strong herb so use to taste), fresh lime juice, Mexican oregano if not, regular (again, careful, use to taste), avocado, a little salt, pepper, Tabasco and I like using Cholula hot sauce, the chili lime kind, however you can also use Valentino or Tapatio, but the Tabasco is a must, and the good one from LA and a little splash of Worcestershire sauce. As you can see I haven't given specific measurements because you make this according to how many people your serving, so for some of you, it's lots and others, un poquito (small)! So mix the tomato juice, canned clams, juice and all, freshly squeezed lime juice, throw in the veggies except the avocado & shrimp and start spicing it up to how your pallet is set up....ours is up to high intensity, of course!! You want it spicy, again to your intensity, taste it and make sure it's not too limey (no disrespect to my English buddies), or have all the taste of the cilantro or oregano....you want it spicy and tangy. So put that in the fridge, I make in it in the morning and let it set until about 1-2 hours before I'm going to serve and add the defrosted shrimp (shells removed, please) and the avocado. Put back into the fridge till your ready to serve. If you have any questions, just email me and I'll try to clear it up for you.

So I've been working on some more little figurines. I ran into a problem with the finish on some of them, though. I used the Dick Blick craft matte finish on the little terracotta ones and they're sticky to the touch. So I did some research and polymer clay needs special finishes outside the usual brands. I wanted that matte finish and tried to go with it, but that didn't work, so I found out that Varathene satin finish was the way to go. Well, maybe so, but at $40+ a can, I think I'll need to experiment, so I purchased polyacrylic finish by Minwax. I applied some on the sticky pieces, as instructed with the Varathene, and surprisingly, the sticky texture is gone, but I'm still going to hold back a bit and see what happens to it over a few weeks time. Of course, most of my other work was finished with a popular craft glaze and I've never had any problems with it. So here they are, my newest work.



I'm not done with the Virgen de Guadalupe, still need to drill a hole and set her up on a wooden plaque for better stability. I haven't forgotten about my dollies, never, but I'm thinking up new things for Dia de los Muertos and Christmas, with a twist of the macabre...bwahahahaha!!

This past weekend was a very trying one, enough to make me stop and think about lots. I had a revelation, an epiphany. I realized, that I can't deal with people who live in the past, a past that's always being rewritten and modified for their own sense of power and righteousness. I was in therapy for some years after my ex and I split up and if anything I've learned, the living in the past can and will make you toxic.

Well, time to get going and start some trouble in the lab/studio again. Hope all my American friends have a great 4th of July and enjoy the festivities and fireworks. They've been outlawed here due to the dry, parched landscape and would you believe there are some who are whining about it...until the fires reach their home!! Please assign a designated driver or just stay home!! I doubt our founding fathers were lighting fireworks and drinking Modelo (insert beer of choice) while signing that long document thumbing their noses at King George III and keep in mind, that only covered 13 colonies!! Quiz next week!! LOL Just have a safe and fun weekend. Peace out.