Wednesday

My horoscope today said it is a good day to tackle the small stuff.  So I finished a little 4" x 6" painting in my Moleskine book.  No, I don't really believe in horoscopes, but sometimes mine gives me a good idea.

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 A teacher in Arizona gave end-of-year awards to her students.  She gave one little girl (8 yrs old) a "Catastrophe  Award" for having the most excuses for not having her homework done.  The little girl's mother took offense.  She said she was not aware her daughter was having trouble with homework, and that she was enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program.  I'd like to be able to think of an award for that mother.  Something to do with stupidity and irresponsibility maybe? 

Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor any more? A group of students in China posed for a graduation photo in front of their school, throwing their hats in the air.  But it seems an old factory behind the school was on fire, so the photo looked like the school was burning, and the students were celebrating.  Well, I think it's funny!

Barrie moved all my canning stuff and jars from a shelf in the basement into the garage, and they went to a new home today!  Lenore took it all.  Yeah!  I see a box of contractor bags in the carport, and I think it's time to start cleaning off more shelves in the basement.

Tuesday

Here is what my horoscope says for today:

Although you will probably get a lot achieved, you might not like the quality of what you've created. Listen to your gut, and if you want to ask for a 'do-over,' then go ahead and ask for one. The standards you hold yourself to are growing higher and higher, and this is a very good thing. You are ready to challenge yourself, and you should. Expect the best from yourself, and you're sure to make yourself proud.

Does this mean that whatever I try to draw or paint today will be something I will want to do over?  Maybe I'll just read.

Sunday

 The sun comes and goes today, and there was little rain/hail/snow this morning, and it's not warm.  I saw a lady buying tomato plants at Ridley's about ten days ago.  Hope they're still in her house!

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The new Alco Store south of town is open, and many people have commented about how great it is.  Someone commented they saved more than $50 on what the same items would have cost that at Ridley's. 

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I finished this pencil drawing today.  It is from a photo Lana Faler posted from a camping trip.

I was looking through the types of paper I have, and found a pad of oil pastel paper.  This is the only painting I have done in oil pastels.  It's also the only painting I've done of the Tetons.  Now I've got the urge to get my oil pastels out again.

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Sigh.  Another sign that my granddaughter is growing up.  She now says "caterpillar" instead of "calipitter".



Saturday

I have a feeling we are going to really miss our old neighbor, Kevin.  He usually seemed to have several other guys living there, but they were quiet, didn't block the street, and weren't trashy. 

The new neighbors have moved in, and maybe we're jumping to conclusions, but they used our driveway to pull in and back this small trailer up to their back door.  Nothing wrong with that, but they ran over a bush, and the decorative rocks and bricks bordering the retaining wall.  Barrie had to put them back.

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After they cleaned all the junk out from behind the new feed store, there is nothing left to hold the old fence up, and parts of it have fallen down.

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Barriefound out Kasey's dad was picking her up from daycare in his work truck with no carseat, and having her wait by the side of the highway in the truck by herself while he's flagging. (oh ya he DOES have a job) so she called her attourney, who called family services, they told her to call the sherrif's dept, and the sherrif's dept. told her to call her attourney. What's wrong with this picture?

And she is going through the same thing trying to collect child support.

Friday

A dark, wet day today.  My house is totally silent (no music or TV).  I have a heater turned on, am reading a good  book, and listening to the sound of rain on the roof.  Life is good!

While visiting with Tracy not long ago, she talked about how much their cats enjoy their own planter  of grass in the house.  As Kat refuses to go outside, I wondered if she would like some grass, so I ordered a special planter preseeded with grass seed for  her.  She will probably ignore it.

Thursday

Bill and Alice came yesterday afternoon, and left for home (Shoshoni) after lunch today.  We had such a good visit, like we always do.  I even managed to palm off a few things from my Food Basket pile on them!

Kasey was very excited about her birthday gifts.  I guess great minds run in the same channels.  Bill and Alice brought her some petunia plants for her planters, and I gave her $20 to spend at Beau's on plants and potting soil. 

You can see from the photo that Kasey loves her flowers.

 

 Barrie is reading my card to Kasey telling her what the $20 is for. The books on the table were sent to her by my neice, Barbara (Mike's wife).  They are books I bought Braxton when he was little, and now they have been "regifted" to KC.

This is what happened to some of the flowers last fall.  After Karma and the other pups finished the flowers, they started on the overly ripe chokecherries on the ground (fermented, I think), and got drunk.  I had heard of birds doing that, but these pups definitely were tipsy.

Wednesday

No pictures today.

Had a big group for art at Rendezvous Pointe this morning for art group.  There were nine of us.

Lenore baked an apple rhubarb pie for us.  It was SO good.

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Bill and Alice will be here sometime this afternoon.  They are like me - I called Alice and when she asked Bill what time they would be here, he said, "Oh, tell her sometime between noon and 4:00.  That's the way retirees are!

I have lasagna ready to bake and yesterday I  made deviled eggs and cole slaw.  I guess we won't starve.  Barrie has instructions to  pick up some beer for me and some wine for her and Uncle Bill.

Barrie and Kasey baked cupcakes last night and she took them to school this morning for her birthday treats.  Barrie said she was so excited about them.  Barrie told Julie to not be surprised if there were a few little pieces of egg shell in them.  Kasey loves to cook!

Monday

I just finished making a big pan of lasagna, and put it in the refrigerator to bake on Wednesday.  I should have company by then (brother and sister-in-law).  Tomorrow I think I'll make deviled eggs and cole slaw.  The eggs are already hard boiled. 

I can think of things to make, but they don't seem to go together for a "menu". Oh well.

I haven't finished a drawing yet.  Maybe because I'm working on about four of them, all at the same time.

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I'm posting two more pictures of Leslie.  In the top photo, she and I are clowning around at Paul's and Tracy's wedding reception.

In the second photo, she is in charge of keeping track of the gifts Tracy got at her wedding shower.

Good bye, Leslie

Tracy called yesterday to tell me Leslie died of a heart attack.  Les is my daughter from another mother.

Leslie, you were a big part of my life for many years, and I will miss you so much.

Your "other mom" loves you.

Friday

Cold, windy, and black clouds  moving in.  Some of the raindrops hitting the bathroom window are solid. Batten down the hatches.

I didn't finish the pencil drawing last night.  Instead, I got distracted by another picture and started another drawing.  Do you think I might have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder?  Actually, at my age and place in life, I think ADD might be a nice thing to have.  I never get bored.

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They unloaded another big trailer load of feed sacks down at the CrossFire Ranch Supply this morning.  I don't know how many loads they've brought in.

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The quakie trees in my front yard are finally getting leaves.  They are the last in town to leaf out, I think.  They aren't dead, they're developmentally delayed.