Happy! Happy! Happy! and YES, I was saying that long before Phil Robertson. Doesn’t really matter, for I love watching Duck Dynasty. Nothing like having a great show that is about Christian families who run a business together and are raising their children in a way that blesses my heart to see. So many bad things are happening in this world today simply because so many children lack the love and support of a solid family unit. My darling Grandmother Barber showed me how to do mountain craftwork when I was less than four foot high. That’s mountain talk for “feet”. I was almost clogging before I could walk. Those mountain songs would start playing and foot tapping was sure to be right along with the beat of the music. I have many songs and tunes that I learned that just live in my memories and given the mood of the day, right out of my mouth they will come. Mark was listening to me sing our little Daniel to sleep one night and he remembered me singing the same song to our 14 year old Austin when he was a baby. On the new blog web site that is in production, I hope to be able to record and save the songs that I know. If I don’t, they will be lost once I am gone.
I am having a wonderful time right now savoring the mounds of tubed watercolors that I received when I ordered the DANIEL SMITH Extra Fine Watercolor Grand Voyage Complete 249 and it arrived yesterday. I have been talking about this product for the last few months. The more I use the colors, the more I fall in love painting with them. I’m so satisfied that two other name brands that I have are going to the EBay website looking for a new home. Of course I of all people don’t have to tell you my dear readers, how I feel about customer service. The quickest way to lose me as a customer is to forget that as a customer, my doing business with a company is to be respected. The DANIEL SMITH company doesn’t need to be reminded of that. There can be no other customer services sales persons who are friendlier than those at DANIEL SMITH http://www.danielsmith.com If I’ve had a question, it has been answered. When ordering some of the sets of watercolors, “Joan” took time to help me select small sets with the least overlap of same colors. Got a question about how to do a technique, or need a recommendation for a brush to use that will make doing certain brush strokes easier? Just call (800) 426-6740. Tell them Dianna from NC said “Hi” !
Took some great flower shots with my Nikon last week. I wanted to get a good collection of different flowers that I could use as a go by so that I could catch the colors. Made up several vases of floral arrangements and after taking the pictures, I gave some of the vases away to Veterans of WWII and the Vietnam War. After all, if it hadn’t been for those brave soldiers, there might not have been a USA for me to be free to have money to buy flowers, take pictures, paint what I see or say what I thought. Freedom isn’t free. It is the most expensive thing that money cannot buy. Freedom is only purchased and protected by the very blood and bodies that go into harm’s way to protect us and our country’s way of life.
Let me close this newsletter with a thanks and prayers for all our Greatest Generation, who faced a horrific battle in WWII, on D-Day, seventy years ago today. In June, on the 6th of 1944, thousands of our fighting men attacked the Germans in Normandy, France. From air and storming the beaches, they suffered tremendous hardships, bloody fighting and many of our servicemen met death during the battles fought. We owe these men a debt that can never be repaid. They fought to keep our country free. Free from a dictator determined to destroy our American way of life. These brave men fought for the ideals of freedom and also for the loved ones that were at home, praying for the safety of their husbands, fathers, brothers and friends. Some families lost many loved ones in that hell of a battle. We are free today because those men put the protection of our country and their families above the cost of their own lives. We sincerely and humbly thank you and the family members of these brave men.