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We have electricity on the land now…the new batteries are working fine. When I was up there Sunday I saw how Andy is insulating them to keep them warm in winter.

November 1, 2024
 

When I went up to the land Sunday I expected the fall colors to be completely past. But there were still some brilliant trees.

That was a pleasant surprise.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

October 31, 2924

I have a lot of things going on in my life, but I’m being careful to enjoy them and not feel rushed and overloaded. So I’m not making a commitment to spending time on drawing or playing with colors. On the other hand I’m trying to make it easy to do for a few minutes when the mood strikes.

So I took this view of Tempi from this picture taken in their backyard in October, 2021,

and expanded it,

and used it as a model for this picture.

As I’ve said, I really like that picture, but it doesn’t look like Tempi, so I’m still playing around.

I used a photo editor to get rid of the color and details and printed several copies of this out.

Then when the mood strikes I trace the outlines on the pictures and see if I can duplicate it freehand.

Danny Gregory says it doesn’t take talent to draw, it only takes the willingness to slow down and see. He may be right. It’s worth a try.

October 30, 2024

In her comment to yesterday’s post, Jean (Misadventures of Widowhood) said if I had one more animal I would have a collection. In fact, I have a menagerie. Lamb Chop loves the company. He was feeling lonely, and we couldn’t have that.

October 29, 2024

I love hugging and snuggling with Clancy and Pup.

Does that count as a hobby? It doesn’t take long to do, but it awakens the little kid in me and makes me happy.

October 28, 2024

hobby: something you do in your leisure time because you enjoy it.

There are a lot of articles explaining the importance of having hobbies, how they can can be beneficial to our health. For instance, Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being, Health Benefits of Hobbies, and Why Having a Little Hobby Is So Good for You, According to Science. I agree with the author of the last article. She ends with,

And despite all the positive aspects of hobbies, remember that they don’t have to be “beneficial” to be worth your time. You do the thing because you enjoy it! Too often, we convince ourselves that we have to Be Productive and prioritize Important Things, like making money, improving our skills, advancing in our careers, etc. And then we wind up monetizing our hobbies, putting pressure on ourselves, and sucking the fun right out of them, and what do you know? We have no hobbies. And we all deserve a little hobby we love just because.

I can relate to that. Not about monetizing, but putting pressure on ourselves. As I’ve said, this picture surprised and moved me:

Instead of inspiring me, it stopped me cold for a bit. I no longer wanted to play around with drawing… I could never draw something I liked as well. How dumb was that? I waited for a day or two until that mood passed. I’m now back to being a little kid, playing around with a beginner’s mind.

Do you have any hobbies? Sandra/Mad Snapper talks about one of hers in this post. She illustrates how powerful a resource a hobby can be.

October 27, 2024

October 26, 2024

One of the frozen pasta products we use a lot was on the recall list for listeria. I checked the one in our freezer and it was safe. So we weren’t surprised when the store didn’t have more on the shelf Wednesday. I was surprised they already had some yesterday. I assumed it was a new, safe, shipment, but just in case I went to the customer service desk and asked.

Nope, they were on the recall list. I gave the two I had planned to buy to the gal behind the desk and pointed out there were more for sale in the frozen food department. I don’t know if they followed through, but at least I had warned them. I’m glad I checked!

October 25, 2024

October 24, 2024

That was a big problem for me when I was six, in first grade. My best friend, Jimmy Brookhouser, never had a problem. I still remember his picture of a couch with a cat on it. He was good.

My mind was always a blank, so I started trying to remember what he had drawn last and tried to draw my version. Mostly my versions sucked, but at least it was something. Except when he drew a picture of a horse’s head. I was excited, I could do that! And I liked my version. Until the teacher teased me and asked if it was a giraffe. Apparently she thought the neck was too long, but I didn’t have a good mental picture of a horse in my head, so there was no way I could tell.

Fortunately after I went to a wedding I decided to draw a bride. It was more simple-minded than this picture,

I remember the circle for the head and most of a triangle for the body. I added something for the veil and had her arms sticking out with some flowers.

For some reason the teacher loved it. I didn’t understand why, but it solved my problem. From then on if she wanted a picture, that’s the one she got. Apparently she told my mother that I must have really been impressed by that wedding. I loved the teacher, but she never figured out I was just trying to avoid being humiliated.

Nowadays, of course, we’re not expected to draw from images in our heads. We can look at as many images as we want to find some we like and that might be suitable for our abilities. Did I ever say I love the internet?

October 23, 2024