July 2019 – Smart Girl Ideas

Celebrating Colorful People in the World

**Susie and I attended a wine tasting event in Englewood at One Barrel Restaurant. So fun!**

**Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Science and Nature in Denver.**

**De Vinci wrote in reverse, a mirror image of the words.** **Here is his alphabet.**

**I had no idea of his varied genius. I thought mostly of his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. (Which turned out to be Michaelangelo instead) But he was dynamic in so many areas!**

**Gigantic Crossbow, with The Ideal City in the background.**

The Ideal City model, built with tiers for different parts of life. Da Vinci’s ideal city idea came about after the plague had ravaged Milan, killing off nearly a third of the city’s population. Leonardo wanted to design a city that would be more united, with greater communications, services and sanitation to prevent the future spread of such diseases.
His ideal city integrated a series of connected canals, which would be used for commercial purposes and as a sewage system. The city would feature lower and upper areas – the lower being canals for tradesmen and travelers and the upper being roads for “gentleman”.

**He invented many versions of flying apparatus.**

**The triangle cone shaped structure toward the right, is a parachute.**

Vitruvian Man
According to Leonardo’s preview in the accompanying text, written in mirror writing it was made as a study of the proportions of the (male) human body as described in Vitruvius’ De architectura 3.1.2–3, which reads: “For the human body is so designed by nature that the face, from the chin to the top of the forehead and the lowest roots of the hair, is a tenth part of the whole height; the open hand from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger is just the same; the head from the chin to the crown is an eighth, and with the neck and shoulder from the top of the breast to the lowest roots of the hair is a sixth; from the middle of the breast to the summit of the crown is a fourth”.

Sketches of the human body
The Anatomical Manuscript B is kept at the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. In it he made a number of pen-and-ink drawings recording his observations while dissecting an old man who had died in a hospital in Florence in the winter of 1507-08

**The notebooks, which date between 1452 and 1519, contain incredibly detailed images of the human body**

He would dissect dead human remains and then draw what he saw. Dissection was completely illegal unless one was a physician, which da Vinci was not. It is believed that da Vinci would get grave robbers, and eventually a hospital director to get him cadavers to study. da Vinci hid all of this anatomical drawings and kept them secret because of the illegal nature of what he was doing. He was able to identify not only muscles and bones, but also their functions in the body, which was an incredible breakthrough. He dissected bodies illegally at first, but eventually got special permission from the catholic church to dissect and sketch what he learned for a medical book.

**The Mona Lisa is his most famous and most parodied portrait.**

**We attended a beautiful wedding for a close family friend. Kristine Bachicha and Caleb Hintz were married in a lovely outdoor garden at The Chateaux at Fox Meadows.**

**Kristine Bachicha Hintz and her beautiful mom, Lisa!**

**Michael, Bob Bachicha (father of the bride) and Shannon Wood. Buddies for many years.**

**Charlie’s angels coming off the dance floor, Lisa and Susie!**

**Josh Bachicha, Kasey and Lauren at the reception.**

**Lisa, Mason and Sadie Wood enjoying the evening!**

**Nikki and Lisa Wood, looking as lovely as ever!**

**Nikki and Susie relishing the details of the ceremony.**

**Mason is entertaining Shannon and Michael before the reception.**

**Kasey looking gorgeous with her newly cut bangs!**

**Susie with her sunbrella, happy to be at the event!**

**Nikki, in her goddess dress! Fabulous!**

**So gorgeous! Congratulations to both families!**

The Magic of Inspiration arrives in practical ways

**I saw this mirror on Restoration Hardware’s website and decided to upgrade my mirror to look similar.**

**A couple coats of spray paint and sandpaper distressing and this is how it turned out. I like it!**

**And this cool ornate mirror always reminded me of Indonesian style…**

**But after adding vibrant Turquoise paint and some distressing, it became this fun tribal artifact.**

My garden boxes look great and are flourishing in their new space on the shed. However, the water runs straight through the basket and ends up on the ground. I decided to use these old galvanized buckets as planters to catch the recycled water and brighten up the area below the garden baskets.

**I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage…**

**I planted a Clematis vine and some annuals in each bucket and they look fresh and colorful under the baskets.**

**And another bigger bucket under the hanging basket by the back porch.**

**When I replaced the hardwood floors in the kitchen in 2012, I found these 1938 vintage newspaper pages being used as insulation.**

**They are beat up, but the articles, ads and comics fun to read.**

Inspiration comes in unexpected places. I’m learning to listen to my heart and hear what it’s telling me. My work is ongoing, but I feel more balanced and clearer than ever before. We all struggle and fall and crumble sometimes. Let’s recognize the humanity in us all. Give freely, the support you so desperately need in your own life at times. Smile at people, say something positive, give them a hand. It’s so simple and so needed.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” -Leonardo da Vinci

When I was little, I did what my parents told me to do. Then I went to school and did what the teachers told me told do. I got a job and did what my boss told me to do. Today, I do what I want to do and I love it!

**This miniature Rose was given to me by Susie, in April. It was beautiful but very quickly dropped all it’s leaves and looked dead. I put it in my bone yard with the rest of my pots.**

**A week later, I start to see new growth! So, I planted it in one of my gardens to see if it would come back.**

**Look at it today! Blooming in it’s new place!**

**Do you know Dragonflies eat mosquitos? This one is feasting on Aphids!**

**I found this mirror in storage. I like it, but it’s dark and heavy looking. I got inspiration from a pic I saw online and decided to paint and distress it.**

**First coat of paint. I used an off White chalk spray paint.**

**This ornamental mirror was also being stored and feels outdated with the Cherry colored stain.**

**Deciding on what color to paint over the Cherry stain. I went with the darker one.**

**First coat of Turquoise spray paint.**

Being single, I generally eat Al Fresco. And when I do entertain, I like to offer a selection of tapas or finger foods so guests can make a meal of flavors they like. I try to stick with healthy menu items and have been able to redirect me attention to cooking more since I’m home more. **I definitely eat better!**

**My niece Lauren, came over to do some cooking this week. We’re assembling some vegetarian salads for lunch and learning how to do some basics.**

Simple is better. I spent many years building my life. More money, more stuff, more stress. Once I achieved what I thought was “success”, I started to get rid of all the stuff I surrounded myself with. Now, I love knowing I don’t need stuff to be happy. In fact, the more stuff I get rid of, the lighter and freer I feel.

“I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pass time, if we live simply and wisely”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden