Wednesday, March 13, 2024

#2887 three things - books

 


I sketched this pile of books back in November 2022 when I got back from Greece. You can see I drew them with a pencil, then went over it with a pen. I didn't do a great job with the eraser. Let's talk about books!

1. The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros. MT and I listened to the first book in the series, Fourth Wing, during our January trip to northern California. It isn't my typical fare; this book is a romantasy full of violence and action, and some spicy scenes, too. It takes place in a war college and our heroes and heroines are all dragon riders. The war college itself is a brutal place for the cadets - they go there when they are 20 years old. The world building and the story telling are very good and we were immediately engaged in the story of Violet and her pals. I was able to get the second book, Iron Flame,  on audio in late February (MT got it right away and finished it quickly.) I'm about 95% through it; I expect to finish it tomorrow. The story and characters have captured my imagination, and I especially like the reader. She's good. I'm pretty sure there will be a third book; I hope the author doesn't make us wait too long for it!

2. I like it when the author joins the discussion. I have been reading with #EkpesBookClub for six years now, and it's always good. We are currently reading Loyalty, our fourth book by Lisa Scottoline. The fun thing about this author is that she joins in on our weekly discussion when we read her books.  There is another author who joins our conversations,  and it's freaking cool when they do it. With Lisa (fun fact: we follow each other on Twitter/X, so she's my "friend") joins us, she gives a little background into what she was thinking about when writing a particular scene, and she talks about the research she does before writing a book. Loyalty takes place in Sicily; another book we read, Eternal, takes place in Rome during WWII and the research she did for each book was extensive and fascinating.  

3. OMG my friend wrote a book! No, not Lisa Scottoline, but a person I actually know in real life, my BFF LA! She wrote a book called Guardian from My Dreams. She self-published and it is available from Amazon. I have the ebook, and I think you can buy a paperback version of it, too. I just started reading it yesterday. It is a sci-fi romantasy book. I think it is going to be a sweet story. I am so happy for her and proud, too. Telling a story and putting it out for the world to see is ballsy and pretty awesome. 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

#2886 about the dermatologist, the Oscars, and tax prep

On Friday afternoon, I had an appointment with my dermatologist. It's been six months since I had that basal cell cut out of my chest, so he wanted to have a follow up appointment to make sure it was healing well, and to look at any other things I was concerned about.

The chest scar is kinda gnarly. It is in an awkward spot, and it's pretty fleshy there, so the stitches were a little uneven. Griffin the Dermatologist recommended that I get some scar gel to use on it. I bought Scar Away silicone scar gel at Target, and I will use it faithfully in hopes of lessening the scar. 

While I was there, I had him look at my hands. There are some spots there, particularly one spot on my right pointer finger, that didn't seem right. He agreed that the spots I pointed out were not right; he called them pre-cancerous cells. Using liquid nitrogen, he "burned" the spots. The burning was unpleasant but brief. The worst thing about it is the blisters. I have five blisters on my left hand, including an ugly-looking blood blister, and three blisters on my right had, including that particular spot on my pointer finger. It is on the front side of the finger, and it seems to always brush up against things. On Friday night, I covered most of the blisters with band-aids because they were so tender. Even brushing up against the sheets was uncomfortable. They are okay now, although ugly. 

Griffin said my arms, face, and scalp looked good, and a little mole-like thing I have on my chest is just a new freckle and it's fine too. As a pale redhead, I am relieved. I do have another follow up with Griffin in six months, so I hope everything goes okay with that, then I can just have yearly exams with him. 

Today MT and I spent time preparing for our tax appointment on the 22nd. Since we'll be in Dixon next weekend, we wanted to get most of the information gathered this weekend. I have a an appointment with our CPA tomorrow for my aunt and uncle's taxes. I have gathered up everything I have received  for them. I have their IDs, and all the Trust documents, so we'll see what happens. 

What else? It is Oscar night. I used to make sure I watched every movie nominated for Best Picture. It was a lot easier when there were just five nominees. This year there are ten nominees, and I have seen one of them: Barbie. I've never even heard of most of the nominated films. I suppose I'm just interested in other stuff nowadays. I do like to go to the movie theater, if there is something I really want to see. I saw Barbie in the theater. Mostly I like to have popcorn there. It's so expensive to go to the movies anymore, and most movies come to streaming platforms pretty quickly. I think there are a few of the Best Picture nominees currently available to stream, but I wasn't interested enough to  watch them. Oh well. It's weird to say that I might not even watch the Oscars broadcast.

Next week, the eleventh week of the year, I am looking forward to getting the taxes for the estate done, getting a new windshield, book club discussion, and, of course, going to Dixon again. I am looking forward to being in Dixon because I will get to see both Lizzie and Mama! I am hopeful that we will have a good turnout for the estate sale. I'd much rather sell stuff than donate it or throw it away. 

It's feeling like spring here in SLC this weekend. The temperature right now is around 60 degrees F, but the breeze is cool. I have a couple of windows open to let in the fresh air and release some of the winter staleness. It has been a mild winter, and although spring is just a few days away, I'm pretty sure we will get at least one more snow. It seems there is always an early spring snow right around Easter. It feels nice to know that the season is changing. The maple trees in my back yard already have little leaf buds popping out. I can see the green coming on the globe willow trees around the neighborhood. I want to get up to Red Butte Garden to walk around, but haven't done it yet this year, which is unusual. I normally get up there once a month, even in winter. Well, the month isn't over, so I still have a chance in March. 

I don't have any new art to share, so instead, here is a pic of MT that I took today. He found my sparkly devil headband and wore it around. He'd probably be mortified that I posted this pic, but it's just us, so why not? It's pretty cute:


Have a great week!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

#2885 I am an artiste (teehee)



Happy Wednesday! Tonight I'd like to share some of the little art projects I have done in the past month. It makes me feel happy to express my creativity in these wee doodles and watercolor pieces.

This first pic is a collage of some little doodles that I sketched in my work notebook. Typically, I'll have a couple of minutes when a report is generating, or if I'm waiting for an online meeting to start. I'll open Pinterest and sketch whatever pops up that catches my eye. The doodle of the child with the dog and the little person in the lower right corner are based on art by Jane Massey. Her illustrations are so cute!

These next five pieces are watercolors that were in response to prompts by Jill the Artist.

In this first painting, the prompt was that it was raining, but not rain. I decided it was raining chocolate chip cookies, and similar to how dust-bowl folks set out rain barrels to catch water, I set out a giant cookie jar to catch cookies. I wanted to make the sky sort of cotton candy-ish colors. This was fun, and I didn't even have to go to Pinterest to get an idea about what I wanted.


The prompt for this one was "floating."  I had a few different ideas, then I referred to Pinterest and saw similar art, and fell for this idea. I thought it would be fun to do and it was! I like the colors of the water and the brave little paper boat with a wee orange flag. I also like the stars. The white pen is quite fun to use!


Jill's prompt for this next one was to choose an object from a cartoon movie and do it however seems fun. I immediately thought of Aladdin's lamp, and dutifully hummed Friend Like Me while drawing and painting. I was hoping for kind of a cubism look; I don't know if that's what I achieved, but I like the way it looks and I had a blast doing it!


The next prompt was a still life. MT and I were in Winnemucca, NV having dinner at a Mexican restaurant near the hotel. I had a beer, chips, salsa, and beans while waiting for the entrĂ©e, and I thought it would make a fun still life. To add to the fun factor, I drew it all with my left hand, though I painted it with my right hand. No, I didn't draw and paint it right there at the dinner table. I took a photo, then used it to do the drawing back in the room. 


The prompt for the next painting was Hershey's kiss. I thought it would be fun to kinda model Picasso's dove carrying a kiss instead of an olive branch. I drew this with my right hand, but in a technique Jill calls "partial blind." Basically, you just look at whatever you are drawing from and only rarely glance at the page. I like my chonky little dove! I'm also a big fan of just smearing some paint on the page for interest and movement.



A couple more...

I wanted to make a co-worker a birthday card with a plant on it, but I couldn't really figure out exactly what I wanted to do. I get my mind going, I pulled out my sketchbook, divided the page in four spaces with some washi tape, and started having fun. The plant on the top left I sketched first, then painted. The rest of them were just straight paint. The one in the bottom right started with flicks of paint. I wet my brush and started pulling it through the paint to make petals. I'm still working on technique and learning what I like. I actually think the flowers in the pink pot were done the same way. It's just fun!


Here is the card that I gave my friend. I painted first, but it seemed kinda flat and lifeless, so I set it aside to maybe cut up for a different project in the future. Then I was writing or reading, and I kept glancing over at the little card. What if I took my pen and sort of zazzed it up a bit? I did that, then set it aside again. I kept looking at it, and I thought that I would be happy if someone gave me that card. I drew the box around it and called it good. 


I say this all the time...I am always surprised and delighted by how much pleasure and joy I get from making these little paintings and doodles. Similar to my journals and planners, the painting and drawing makes me happy now, and isn't it a blessing to find something that makes one feel fulfilled  and creative? I am so thankful to Lizzie for suggesting the trip to Greece for the creativity retreat with Jill, and to Jill herself for the fun prompts. Her Underground group is amazing in their support and kind words. 

xoxo


 

Sunday, March 3, 2024

#2884 last week's trip to Dixon



I have been inconsistent about writing here. I miss doing it, but things get busy and something's gotta give, and it is often this space. Rest assured, my energy and attention is channeled into other creative endeavors. I have been writing a lot in my journal, and it is giving me a lot of joy. Adding little doodles, stickers, photos, and quotes in the journal has lit me up and given me a new layer of love for my favorite book. 

Side note: as I've been going through my family estate in Dixon, it has caused me to ponder my own stuff at home. Although no where near the levels of "stuff" that exist in Dixon, we have accumulated a lot of things in the 20 plus years we have lived in this house. I have at least a dozen journals and planners that I love and look through occasionally. I wonder about what will be done with them when I am gone. Will T look through them and think they are all a waste of time? Lizzie told me that I need to specify what I'd like done with them when I'm gone. I'm pondering that thought. In the meantime, the journals and planners give me such joy right now, and isn't that what life is about, finding joy right now?

The last time I wrote here was 18 February. I'm not going back to recount everything that has happened, but I want to share a few photos of last weekend's trip to Dixon. It was probably the best trip there as far as progress and hope that I've had. Plus, we managed to squeeze in some fun, too. The weather was fantastic, also. Some photos:

This ussie was taken at a rest stop on the west side of Donner Pass. We love the tall pine trees there. It smells so fresh and it is a good place to take a little break. The bathrooms are nice too.


We are getting to see all of the seasons in Northern California. In January, these almond trees were bare. In February, the trees are blooming. The scent in the air is sweet. We saw beekeepers delivering hives to the orchards, and when I hopped out of the truck to take a photo, I could hear the pollinators happily buzzing around. 


We had peacocks at the house in Dixon last weekend! I saw three of them. They live next door at Tommie's house, but they apparently roam around. It's the first time I've seen them out our place. Probably they feel free to roam there since there aren't any cats around anymore, maybe.  They are beautiful birds that make a gods-awful noise.



I mentioned that we managed to squeeze some fun into the weekend. These ussies were taken on Saturday night in celebration of the success of our impromptu estate sale. This first pic is taken at The Pip, a gorgeous little wine bar in downtown Dixon. I wish we ventured in there before this visit! It is so cute and cozy. The owner seems like a lovely person, too. MT and I had a couple of glasses of wine, Lizzie had a glass of bubbly, and we shared a delicious appetizer of baked whipped feta. It was so good. I'm looking forward to going back there next month. (You can see I have a wine blush to my cheeks.)


Our favorite place to eat in Dixon is Dawson's. It is also in downtown Dixon, right across the street from The Pip. We go there for dinner every time we are in town. The food is good, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff is friendly. The server who photobombed this pic is fun and cheerful. She told us she remembered us from a previous visit and poured each of us a glass of wine on the house. I kind of adore Dixon, especially that night, when I was feeling all the good feelings. (heehee)


I was going to post some art pics that I've done, but I think I'll save that one for Wednesday. There are several  I'd like to show you. Here is a little preview. It's a card I made for the birthday of one of my favorite co-workers.

I like the simple graphic style. It's based on a mid-century modern poster I saw on Pinterest, and I wanted to give it my own spin. I did it with my watercolor markers. I especially like the shadowing on the stem of the glass. I say this all the time, but I cannot believe how much joy and pleasure I get out of drawing and painting. 

...making a note in my planner right now to post art pics on Wednesday!

xoxo


Sunday, February 18, 2024

#2883 we've got some catching up to do

It's been a minute since the last time I wrote here. I haven't been all that busy, but things happen and something has to give, so it is usually writing here.

Last weekend, I'd planned to be in Southern California, but the weather was iffy and the Superbowl was happening in Las Vegas. I expected traffic delays into and through the city, so we decided to stay home. I spent Saturday cleaning up my home office a bit, and on Sunday we watched the Superbowl at home on our ginormous TV and enjoyed snacks. 

I've been valiantly fighting off a little cold. I took a sick day on Tuesday, and wound up sleeping quite a bit. Usually I try to power through the cold symptoms and the cold always wins and knocks me right on my butt. I was glad to take it easy on Tuesday, and I did feel better for it. 

Wednesday was Valentine's Day. I worked from home that day, and we had Mexican food take-out and cookies from Crumbl to celebrate. MT gave me a nice gift - a Delta gift card. He's generous. 

Really, I have been selfishly doing stuff I like: art, writing in my journal, reading, and even watching movies. I decided that Friday night will be my movie night, and I've made it clear to MT and T that I will watch a movie of my choice that night. They are both okay with it; T usually watches movies and shows in his room with J, and MT has control of the TV all the other nights. Last weekend, I watched two movies: Love in the Villa on Friday night, then Made in Italy on Saturday. Fun fact: each of these movies had actors who were also in the classic Under the Tuscan Sun. This weekend, we watched Cha Cha Real Smooth on Friday, then the three of us watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One on Saturday. 

I'm thankful for this President's Day weekend. Yesterday (Saturday) my body told me to rest, so that's what I did. I took two long, luxurious naps and it was so nice. Today I haven't left the house, although I have been awake. Mostly I've been sitting here at my desk drawing, painting, then paying the bills. Tomorrow I'm taking Harley to the vet to get a vaccination, and T to the dentist for some more fillings. I'll also need to go to the grocery store, but only for a few things. MT and I will be traveling to Dixon to meet up with Lizzie to do some clean up work at the house. 

I said I've been doing some art. Here are a few things I've done in the past couple of weeks:

This is a little sketch I did at work while waiting for a report to generate.

My own little calendar 

Zine cover this month

This little sketch is in my journal.

This was a practice for the valentines I made for work friends.

I made this valentine for my mama.

I made this birthday card for a friendly co-worker.

I've done some cool projects for Jill the Artist's group, too. I will probably share those another time. Mostly I get my inspiration from things I see on Pinterest. The sheet full of hearts idea came from a video I saw on Instagram. Usually I will have an idea about what I'd like to do, then go to Pinterest to see if there is something similar out there. With Mama's valentine and with the birthday card, I looked up "cards" on Pinterest and got these ideas. they look similar to the Pinterest cards, but different, too. I feel a little conflicted because I don't have many original ideas. But really, if I wanted to paint a mountain with a river, it's not like that has never been done by a jillion other artists. So, I mostly think I'm okay with getting inspiration from Pinterest and the internet in general. Right?

That's all for tonight. Have a great week!

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

#2882 wanderlust


I've had a bad case of wanderlust lately. Multiple trips to northern California are not the answer LOL. At this time last year, I was dreaming of time in Barcelona and of seeing Paris for the first time. Currently, I am dreaming of getting the house in Dixon cleaned up and seeing it get put up for sale in the late spring. Maybe, maybe when that work is done, I can figure out a small trip.

There is a trip planned in October. I will be going to the Liguria region of Italy for a week of creativity with Lizzie and  Jill the Artist. It will be similar to the trip to Greece, but probably with a little more structure, since the tour company has experience with these types of trips. MT and I went to three of the Cinque Terre towns when we cruised a couple of years ago, and I think this part of Italy is beautiful. Lizzie and I are planning to spend an extra couple of days in Milan before the workshop week begins. MT and I didn't go to Milan - we chose the Cinque Terre excursion instead. The trip is eight months away, so I haven't really started putting energy into research about what to see in and around Milan, although Lizzie and I did some quick preliminary checking. Maybe a day-trip to a nearby medieval village? A train ride to Bologna or Verona? Or maybe a visit to George and Amal's place at Lake Como? (teehee) I'd like to wander around Milan itself and see the Duomo and The Last Supper. Yes, I'm looking forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I will satisfy myself with photos and memories of previous trips. I'll play with my travel journal. I'll look at advertisements for cruises and resorts. Maybe my cousin Nicole will go somewhere and share pics of her travels on IG. 

It is cold and wet here tonight. It's not snowing, but it has been soggy and gloomy all day. I was glad to work from home so I could wear my fleece-lined socks and cozy sweats. After work, I took a nice nap. I've got a little bit of a cough that has come on this evening, and I feel tired. I may just get ready for bed and snuggle with the dogs while I read for a little while. 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

#2881 three things: lessons from my dogs


Each of my dogs have different dispositions. All three are sweet girls, each in their own way. I thought it would be fun to summarize their dispositions. MT, T, and I agree that these statements are pretty accurate.




Mac is a husky/black lab mix




Be like Mac:

  Stay watchful and interested

  Show excitement about things you like

  Be loyal






Harley is a yellow lab



Be like Harley:


Ask for the attention you need

Sleep deeply


Be friendly and affectionate











Stella is part terrier, part ? 






Be like Stella:


Enjoy your play time


Find comfort where you can


Be willing to accept love