Parking lots and Gardens

Happy New Year to you all! I've now had 2 Christmas' without my "x". And they have been the best that I've had in a long time. We didn't get to have a snowball fight this year but we all had fun. I had a very busy season selling lots of clocks, so that was very good. Now I need to replenish my stock, that's going to take some time though, but I get to go to the junkyards and that's totally worth it. Now onto getting a studio space so that I can get some welding done and maybe things will pick up with the art work. I am hopeful for next year!

So, onto parking lots. I did some holiday shopping for my daughter, Mom and Dad, family, and a few special friends. I look at the parking lots wherever I go. Even during the busy holiday shopping season the lots are usually not that full, half full at best. Why? Zoning laws. So many parking spots per square foot of retail, restaurant, and other shop space. Basically developers are forced if you will to provide enough parking for the maddest Black Friday crowds and all of their cars. But realistically most of the spaces are never used and what was once a farm is now acres and acres of blacktop or concrete. This causes lots of other unintended things, heat islands, run off from rain, and waste of fertile or potentially fertile land. Yes, we all need to shop for things, I do too! I rarely see anyone park far from the store, usually you will see people circle around and around the lot looking for a close space, can't walk that far. Yes, there are exceptions but I will park and walk because I can but many people are just lazy. Ever see people circle around the parking lot looking for a close spot to their gym? Hilarious and Ironic.


Now onto the gardens. I would love to see communities embrace taking unused parking lot spaces and turning them into community gardens. First, plenty of parking! Second, lots of sunlight, if a parking lot has trees they are usually small and spaced far from each other and unfortunately look sad. Third, empty retail space that can be used for storing tools, seed, soil, fertilizer, and staff. Fourth, with the large number of homeowners associations people are unable to garden in their own yards. Fifth, old neighborhoods with tree cover could benefit also, I once lived in Lakewood and we had lots of tree coverage, so veggie gardening was challenging to say the least.  Oh, hey, I just created jobs. Don't tell anyone though, it makes too much sense.

Just because a sleepy Lab!

Happy New Year!

Story Time

Once upon a time (because all good stories start that way, right?) there was a store that sold stories, not a book store per se. No this store sold unique stories, you went into the store and told them what you wanted a story about and they made a book with the story and illustrations just for you. Say maybe a story about a cucumber that became a pickle and drove a steamroller and lived on Mars, yup this store would make that into a story for you with illustrations and everything, while you waited. A story about a giraffe that raised llamas on a chicken farm, sure no problem! Even a story about a girl that was a sweet Georgia peach from the city of steel and Vulcan who lived in the country and drew pictures of dogs, houses, and churches, of course the store would make the story for you! There really is a Sweet Georgia Peach and she is an amazing person!

I'm Pluto and I approve this blog.. Now, where's my treat?

So don't you fret and don't you fear for soon you too can have your very own story from the Store of Stories. But maybe in the mean time we can talk about art and such.  I've been busy combing the auto salvage yards this month as I was not completely prepared for a busy Christmas shopping season, which it has been for me. I am very happy and grateful for all of the sales of clocks this year but could some of you guys buy some artwork too? Thanks it's been fun but I've got to motor and write more stories about elephants that dream of being Architects who design underwater homes for walruses and vacation in the Garden of the Gods. And the illustrator has to get drawing too!

A Caddy and some Volvos

Cadillac center cap

So things aren't always grey. Sometimes you meet a sweet Georgia peach and suddenly life seems brighter and possibilities that you'd forgotten about are brought back, even if the peach is from Alabama! It has been an adjustment living in Carrollton. I am meeting new people and lots of artists. I got second place in a chair competition, was asked to be on the board of a local non profit, got to be in the local Christmas parade,and met a lovely, smart, happy, amazing, and very creative lady. Things are definitely looking up but there is a long way to go. Now if I could write that story about the garden and the bats. Or maybe I'll make a book out of one of the other stories. Until next time.

144 Volvo center cap

240 Volvo center cap

740 Volvo hubcap

Volvo 740 hubcap clock 

cadillac-center-cap-wall-clock