I haven’t sent you a newsletter in a while, because I have branched off into bookkeeping for small construction companies, and I’ve been promoting my artwork.

   I am no longer going out in a tent to sell sheets, but I have a number of soft, Clara Clark sheets still in stock. I would like to offer them to you, my past customers, for a discount. (Happy Easter!)

    Here are the Clara Clark sheets I still have in stock. First come, first served. (A set includes 2 pillowcases, flat sheet and fitted sheet–except Twins have only 1 pillowcase.):

Twin, 1 gold & 1 cream set

Twin XL, 1 lavender set

Full, 1 cream, 1 light aqua blue, & 1 white set

Queen, 9 white & 1 charcoal set

Cal King, 3 charcoal, 1 white & 1 cherry set, plus a cream set with one pillowcase that is embroidered “Pet Pillow” & the other pillowcase says, “People Pillow.”

King, 8 charcoal sets

    Any set is $40, and that includes shipping and sales tax.

   If you are near Sunland, CA, where I live, you can come over and get a set for $30, or 4 sets for $100.

    I also still have some cute Chala cellphone-size and other purses left. They make great gifts, and are handy for trips where you don’t need to carry a heavy handbag. Same as the sheets, $40 includes sales tax and shipping, but only $30 if you come by, or 4 sets for $100, tax included. Venmo, credit card, and cash are all accepted. Text me at 818-692-2333 or email me dasheetslady@gmail.com.

    World Art Day is coming Saturday, April 15th (Leonardo DaVinci’s birthday), so if you want to support the arts by buying the gift of art for someone, go to my new website: www.SoftBeautybyRMate.com. If you go to the site on your cellphone, you can adjust the size of the painting image and see how it would look on the wall in your house.

   Sunday, April 16th, Artists for a Better World is having a performance and art show, to support and showcase artists for World Art Day, in the auditorium of a church in North Hollywood. It is free to see the show and free to show your artwork. To submit a sample of your artwork, send it to afabwsubmissions@gmail.com with an email of whether you want to show your art on the 16th or whether you’d like to be in the virtual art galley this year (deadline April 22, 2023) or both. To attend the free show, go to the eventbrite site https://tinyurl.com/artdayLA.
   The last newsletter I sent out brought a response from a lady who claimed she knew my politics and wanted off the mailing list. The article was about finding common ground between opposing viewpoints (like can’t we all agree we don’t want to pay more in income taxes?)

    I normally don’t tell people my politics, but since she brought it up, I thought I’d be upfront and tell you what I think.

   I am primarily for a National Retail Sales Tax to replace the Income Tax. You would never need to file another income tax return. When you buy a shirt or a pair of shoes, you currently are helping cover the income tax of everyone who brought you the shirt or shoes, from the CEO to the attorneys to the management, to middle management, to the janitor, to those who make the shirt and shoes, and a tiny piece of the income tax that the suppliers of materials have to pay and their suppliers. If nobody along the supply chain had to file income tax, perhaps the cost of the shirt or shoes would be less. The National Retail Sales Tax would only be collected on goods at the final purchase, so the cost of the goods could be lowered. If you kept all you earned, you could buy shirts and shoes, or invest your money where you, your family and everyone in your life would benefit. Monitoring sales tax collection doesn’t take an army of IRS agents. Everyone, no matter if criminals, foreign visitors, etc. would pay the National tax when they bought anything, thus supporting our government.

    Also, as an artist, I tend to think outside the box. Social Security lacks money. And a lot of people in our country work without supporting the Social Security system. Is there a solution in there somewhere, where all people can work and they can all support the Social Security system?

   It may take compromise for legislators to get things done in Congress, but it also takes creative thinking to find the solutions that benefit the most people.    Thanks for listening.