Tuesday

Today is bright and sunny, and just a lilttle bit windy. It's still below freezing (27 degrees), but nice. The news says another storm is coming in.

I was up pretty early this morning (for me, anyway), to take Kat to the vet to be spayed. She was not happy being put in the airline carrier, but behaved herself very well when we took her out to weigh her. I will pick her up this afternoon, and I know she will have no control over which way she is walking, she will run into things, and will look very panicked. Now she will be able to spend some time outdoors without having to worry about her meeting a tom cat. She has never been outdoors beyond the front porch since we found her last fall.

I keep seeing the shadow of the Red Tail Hawk, and have gone to the window a few times to check. I saw "him" once go into the nest with something in his mouth. It looked like it could have been a little gopher. So the mate must be sitting on the nest.

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This is what I ended up doing with the "sprayed" sky that Conley showed us how to do. The hills looked pretty good yesterday, but I fiddled with them too much today and don't like it as well. Also, the yellow part of the sky isn't showing up very well in this photo. I want to do another sky like this. The sky and hills might make a good background for the old rusty car Hank photographed.

I got a new watercolor book in the mail today called " Capturing the Magic of Light in Watercolor". It is one of the best watercolor books I have ever seen, and I can sure put the information in it to work in my paitning.

cold and windy day

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When Kasey first went into her room, she opened the lid on the aquarium, and started to put her hand in the water. Then she noticed the fish, closed the lid and backed up a couple of steps. They scared her at first, and she didn't want to get too close.

It took her a little while to decide they were fun and she liked them.

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i had a lamp in the living room that wasn't being used. It was just sitting in a corner and not plugged in. Kasey accidently knocked it over the other day and the plastic inside the shade got cracked. I had it off the lamp and waiting for a trip to the dumpster.

At the exact moment the power came back on this morning, I heard what sounded like books and dishes falling off shelves, and the cat came tearing upstairs with her back arched and her tail all fizzed out. She must have been playing with the lampshade and somehow got it over herself and thought she was trapped. The top picture shows that she hid under the bed for a while.

Snowy Sunday

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I don't think I'll be barbecuing today.

Wolf in the snow.

Finished the pencil drawing of the wolf, finally. I may go back and darken some areas, but it is officially "finished".

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I'm not sure how much snow we've had today, as the wind has come up and blown it around. Maybe I'm crazy, but Pinedale really looks ugly in the spring - all brown and muddy. And because I don't have to get out in it, I enjoy these spring storms. Everything is white and clean again.

Pam loaned me a book a couple of weeks ago and I finished it last night. It is called "What You See in Clear Water". It is about the water rights conflict between the tribes and the white settlers on the Reservation. Lots of familiar names in the book, some people I know, and even some I was related to. The author included a lot of history about the Reservation, and it was interesting.

Yellowstone Buffalo

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I have the Old Faithful Web Cam in my "Favorites" list, and like to check it occasionally. This is what it showed about 7:00 tonight. Pretty neat image, I think. There are often snowmachiners standing around waiting for the geyser to erupt. I wonder if the buffalo will still be hanging around there in the morning?

Barrie bought some fish for the acquarium today - 3 neons, 3 platys, and 2 gouarmis. The platys are live bearers. Kasey will be home tomorrow evening, and I can't wait to see her reaction to the fish.

I worked on a pencil drawing of a wolf today - one I started quite a while ago. It's probably finished, but it got too dark to get a good picture of it.

Friday

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Barrie found this ten gallon aquarium in the basement, along with the hood and lights, plastic plants,and a heater that seems to work. She bought the gravel and filter, and has it set up next to Kasey's crib. We're not sure how well the heater works, so she will have to buy a thermometer. She hopes to have some fish in it by Monday. Kasey will love it. Right now, she opens the hood and plays in the water. Won't she be surprised to see fish in there!!

I have kept Kasey the last two days. Julie's daughter was not able to be there to help her mom, so Julie was trying to find other arrangements for some of her kids for a couple of days. I haven't done any painting, although I promised Kasey she could paint this afternoon.

I made a good old fashioned meal last night - meat loaf, mashed potatoes, brown gravy and green beans. It sure was good. Before Barrie went to work this morning, she fixed a lunch plate for Kasey with leftovers.

Wednesday

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These are small value studies that Terry did, using just one color. i think they are wonderful!


This is the only thing I worked on in art group this morning. It is a small 6x8 of Fremont Lake. I have to tell you where it is, otherwise, you might not recognize it! I wanted to attempt big puffy clouds, and didn't quite achieve it. But the part I like is the water. I had read about rubbing a candle on watercolor paper, so I tried it in the water area to preserve some whites for the "sparkle". I like the way it turned out.


Our art group grew today, and it was great to have Cindy Smith and Lynn Thomas join us. I hope they come back.


I have been noticing the shadow of a large bird out my window. I watched, and I think it is Red Tail Hawk. It was carrying sticks into the trees just down the ditchbank from me. Today, I could see the nest, and see the hawk come in and move around on it I won't be able to see the nest when the trees leaf out, but if a pair of hawks actually nest there, I should be able to watch them bring in food for the babies.


The Kat and I had a confrontation last night. I think I won. She had jumped up on the bookshelp at the top of the stairs, when I shooed her down, she knocked off a small piece of paper and grabbed it. When I tried to take it away from her, she fought back. I ended up standing on her tail and grabbing her by the back of her neck. I had no idea a cat could almost turn around inside their skin and still get in a few bites and scratches. As soon as I get her spayed, she is definitely spending more time outside. Maybe some of the other cats will beat her up and take care of her attitude.

Tuesday

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Hank's old rusty car is resting today. I decided to try to finish this one of an old lantern hanging on a barn. I can see I need to do more work on the shadows, but in general, I am satisfied how this turned out.

I don't know what I will work on in art group tomorrow. Maybe the old rusty car, but for some reason, I seem to feel like I am supposed to start something new every time we meet. I need to change that - and need to finish the things I have started.

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The last musher in the Iditarod Race finally crossed the finish line early this morning, and they extinguished the red lantern hung on the burled arch. The last finisher is a veterinarian from Michigan. Lance Mackey finished 6 days ago, and it must have seemed like a long trail for this guy. But I'm sure he's proud of finishing.

A sad thing happened yesterday. They sent a plane out to pick up a musher and his team to fly them to Nome. They ran into extreme turbulence and couldn't make it to Nome. The pilot was able to land in Golovin, and they found that one of the team, a two year old female, was dead. They said the whole team was in good condition when they loaded them on the plane.

new paint disaster

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I'm not sure I should call this a disaster - it is just a learning time.

The top photo shows the picture of an old rusted car that Hank posted on his blog. He was so kind to post another one from a different angle, so I may try that one too. The bottom photo shows the progress I have made on painting it. I haven't gone very far on it yet, but am mostly trying to get the colors and the textures of the rust.

The paint I am using is new to me, the Daniel Smith watercolors which I just got on a palette. I'm not familiar with them, so this is kind of experiment while I learn about the paint. I think this palette is going to be wonderful for things like rust.

Some day I will develop a palette of colors that works for me, and quit experimenting. Or maybe not. It's fun to experiment and try new things.

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A very cold, gray, and windy day. I think we got a little snow last night. I hear that the eastern part of the state will be getting lots of snow and wind today. So typical at this time of the year.

I am getting close to finishing the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. The end is in sight, that is if the cat will cooperate. I have a piece of plastic covering the puzzle, and about a dozen books around the edges to hold it down. I have learned to not leave anything sticking out over the edge of the table - irresistable to the cat.

Brief spring snow

I liked the picture Gina posted this morning showing the snow. It's obvious she gets up a heck of a lot earlier than I do! It was daylight when I woke up and looked out the window at the pine tree and saw big soft white flakes coming down.

I spent many years getting up in the dark to go to work in the winter. When I retired, I was surprised how easy it was to break that habit! I can usually sleep until 9:00 with no problem.

Barrie took Kasey out to play in the snow for a while. The snow was so wet and heavy that it balled up on her feet so much that she couldn't walk.
Keeping her balance in the snow on a hillside with 5 lbs of snow on her feet is pretty tricky.

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Tracy's sister-in-law sent me a video from a woman who does sand art. Maybe you have already seen it, but it is fascinating to watch her. Here is the link:

http://sandfantasy.com/

I need to make a color chart for the new palette I set up. I want to make it small enough to fit in a sandwich bag, so it won't get wet. But I am not smart enough to measure and figure out the dimensions.

Barrie has gone out to her dog lot to feed. She washed both our pickups yesterday, and as she has to drive out as far as the gate on the Soda Lake Road, hers will get dirty. I'm not moving my truck out of the garage!

My neighbors became very active yesterday. For the first time since they have lived there, they cleaned up their yard and the deck. They filled two dumpsters and the back of one pickup. Barrie wonders if they are moving, but I think one of their mothers is coming to visit.

Two more of the Daniel Smith triads. I especially like the Toucan Triad colors.

New Palette

In order to avoid doing anything constructive today (like cleaning house), I decided to set up a new palette. These are Daniel Smith watercolors, most of which I have had for some time, but used very little. I have them in a small travel palette, and it's just not very convenient to use them.

They are "triads", and are such beautiful hues. I photographed three samples of the triads (I have eight).

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The new palette

Some samples of the new paint.

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After I mentioned my interest in painting barn wood and old rusty things, Lynn sent me a lot of photos she has taken of old barns, machinery, etc. Thanks, Lynn! I may never sleep again!

Barrie has made me tired. Last night she made two big pans of her delicious chicken enchiladas. Today she has cleaned house, did some yard cleaning, and washed my pickup.

Junk or Collectible?

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This is the old lantern that was in my garage for about 40 years, and I finally brought it up and plan to use it in a painting. I wonder when it ceased being a piece of junk and became a collectible? As they say, one man's junk is another man's treasure.

I have no idea of the age or history of this lantern. It spent 40 years out of the weather in my garage, but obviously spent a lot of years in the weather before that. It's been here longer than I have.

I also have some old chipped white enamel plates, cups, etc. and some very old spoons, knives and forks. I imagine these dishes have been on many a camping trip or hunting camp. They would make a good still life subject some day.

I had a pair of bluebirds in my front yard this morning. They were interested in the old bird house hanging in the pine tree. I really don't want them to nest there - too many cats for their safety. I think I'll have Barrie take the birdhouse down.

I have become interested in painting textures of old weathered wood and rust. Judi and Hank have both posted photos I would like to use as reference material if they will let me. Hank found an old rusty car body in the desert, and Judi found some mailboxes with a lot of personality!

Wednesday

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Living on the Edge. I thought maybe her feet would slip and give me a real "action" photo.

The barn wood part of this painting is finished! It was my second try, and I ended up being happy with it. That old lantern was on a shelf in my garage for many years (as a piece of junk). Now it is on a shelf in my dining room as a "collectible".

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Lance Mackey arrived in Nome this morning to win the Iditarod. Barrie and I watched a live streaming video of it on the computer. It was fun to watch him come in and see how he interacts with his dogs. He still had 15 healthy happy dogs in his team (they all start with 16). Some of the mushers have as few as 10 dogs now.

I got curious about the dropped dogs today and did some research on it. I remember they used to take dogs to the prison in Anchorage where inmates cared for them, but it seems they don't do that any more. Eash musher has to complete forms which designate a person who lives within 1 hour of Anchorage to pick up the dropped dog. The dogs are picked up by small planes at the checkpoint where they have been dropped, and flown to McGrath. In McGrath, a commercial plane picks them up and flies them to Anchorage. If they are far into the race, the dogs will be flown to Nome, where they are cared for until their team arrives.

The amount of planning and organization to put this race on is mind boggling - both on the part of the people who put it on, and the mushers.

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The usual ones were at art group today - Vicky, Conley, Terry, Barbara and me. And as usual, it was a pleasant time. We all got some work done, and of course a lot of visiting.

I have found why FedEx is no longer delivering packages to my door. Seems they have a new program called "FedEx Smart Post", and some packages are delivered to the post office for the postal service to deliver with our mail. I order from Dick Blick frequently, and they tell me what I need to do is fill out the little box for "special delivery instructions" to tell them to deliver it by regular Fed Ex.

Monday

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I started an oil painting of Fremont Lake some time ago. It was the first time I had painted with oils in about 30 years, and I really enjoyed it. Need to get this out and finish it. Don't know how I would manage oils with the cat around, but will think of something.



I love taking photos of the moon, even though they all end up looking exactly the same!

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Lance Mackey is still leading the Iditarod race, and by a good margin. He is now out on the ice of Norton Sound, on his way to Kayuk. He is about 30 miles ahead of the four mushers closest behind him. Sounds like the real battle will be between 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place, because I doubt if any of them are able to catch up with Lance. Unless, of course, something unforeseen happens in the way of weather, or polar bears or something!

The Iditarod site has a really neat feature this year. It is a GPS tracker. You have to be a paid subscriber to use it, and Barrie subscribed. It is amazing how you can check the exact location of each musher, see how fast they are going, see the temperature, etc. In Lance Mackey's case, he is at Mile 766, is moving at 7 mph, and the temperature is 19 degrees below zero.

I thought I was finished with the barnwood on my watercolor painting, but Barrie tells me the knotholes look funny. Hmmm. Guess I better look at them again. I have a stack of old barn wood in my garage. It was the walls of my upstairs room before I remodeled. Maybe I shoud bring some up and look at it!

I am in the process of sending a complaint to FedEx. The last two orders they should have delivered were left at the post office, and their tracking page says "customer not available or business closed". I think their drivers are just too lazy to deliver the package. It is much easier to just drop it at the post office.

Saturday

I found this little saying in a magazine and tore it out and scanned it. Maybe I will put this up on one of my walls and see if it helps me ignore all the other things I need to be doing, and just go upstairs and paint, and paint and paint. I love the idea!

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A couple of signs of spring I have noticed today - I saw a big motorbike going down the highway this morning out my window, and I have two (a pair) of Cassin's Finch visiting my feeder. I haven't seen any big motorhomes yet, but maybe I just wasn't looking at the right time.

It has been kind of a lazy day (for me). Barrie thoroughly cleaned the downstairs bathroom, even washed the rugs. She did two loads of laundry and started to vacuum the living room, but the vacuum cleaner kind of died. She loaded the dishwasher, then went out to her dog lot. I finished the dishwasher, and ran it. I did do some more work on her closet, and now have a mess in the other downstairs bedroom, but we will get it straightened out.

Kat went berserk about 7:00 this morning, running and leaping and fighting with her tail. When I got up, I discovered she had managed to uncover the jigsaw puzzle and had a little fun with it.

Lance Macky is still leading the Iditarod. He has left Eagle River. There are two mushers fairly close behind him, but they have not yet taken their mandatory 8 hour break on the Yukon, so they are not really close at all. Unless someting unforeseen happens, it appears Lance will be in first. Also, he is one of few mushers in the race still running 16 dogs. What an incredible team he has!

Was not able to view Lynn's update to her blog today.

Refund

Judi called me yesterday to make sure I had read Pinedaleonline and was aware of the fact that CenturyTel was giving refunds. Rollie had just called and told her they got a refund. Thanks for taking such good care of me, Judi.! I received a $108 refund. I think mine was a little more than most because I get charged a little extra every month becauseI have a home network. Heck! Who doesn't? I don't think it's legal to charge me extra for it, but have given up fighting over it.

When I called for the refund, the woman I talked to asked me someething about how I knew about it, and I told her I read it on Pinedaleonline. She didn't know what that was, and asked several questions about it and seemed surprised that they were reporting this. It's probably just a coincidence, but the Pinedaleonlin site is not there today! Just a blank white page. I shouldn't be so suspicious and mistrustful, but CenturyTel is not a company I trust. No offense, Sandy, Craig and Cash)

I called Wyoming.com in Riverton to check on their prices. It is $300 setup fee which includes the dish. (The tower is on Mt. Arie). And the monthly fee is $50. I probably won't be changing.

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A confused Christmas Cactus

My Christmas cactus did not bloom all winter, and all of a sudden it got six buds on it (all on the same side) and is blooming. It probably needs better care, as I tend to neglect it.

Just a photo of cat eyes.

Thursday

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This is the decorative dog sled which Barrie hung on the wall in the bedroom.


This is "Cookie". He was a gift to Kasey from one of Barrie's co-workers. He looks just like their dog, Shorty. Kasey loves him and sleeps with him every night.

This crib is larger than the other one Barrie had in the bedroom, and does not have holes in it!

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Later - it is now about 9:30 at night, and the Internet has decided to behave correctly, at least for a while - and was able to upload some pictures

I am unable to upload any photos again today. I thought I would try uploading one at a time, but it didn'twork. It is not Blogspot's fault, it is CenturyTel.

The Internet is much better today, but definitely not up to speed. After months of fussing with it and cussing it, Pinedaleonline had an article today about CenturyTel's DSL problems. I can't even remember now what they are doing (or trying to do) to get it back to normal. But they even mentioned a customer refund! And admitted it had been going on several months and they didn't expect to get everything fixed for another couple of months!

When I had my old dial up connection with Wyoming.com, they sent out regular newsletters, and if any community was experiencing problems, they immediately notified us and told us what they were doing to make it right. At the time I switched to CenturyTel, the cost for Wyoming.com high speed was prohibitive, or so I thought. And CenturyTel was doing a promotional thing with free setup. And I have fought with them ever since!

Wednesday

I had a couple photos to upload to the blog today, but I couldn't. I am so sick and tired of seeing the message "Internet Explorer cannot display this page." Have not been able to load most web pages for several days now.


Barrie doesn't work on Wednesdays, and she brought Kasey to art group for a while this morning to visit. Kasey enjoyed it - had a cookie, said "hi" to everyone, and did a painting while sitting in my lap.


Barrie brought some things she had in storage, a larger crib, and a small (decorative) dog sled to hang on the wall. She worked on their room and on her truck, got her license plates and put them on, and washed her truck. She has flattened a bunch of cardboard boxes and says she will get them taken to the recycling center.


After trying over and over again, we finally were able to view the progress of the Iditarod Race on the Internet. About 20 teams are in Tokatna now, and many of them will probably take their mandatory 24 hour rest there. Some teams will go on through, so tomorrow the standings will look strange - all the leaders will have dropped way back. But the ones who go on through and appear to be in the lead still have to take their 24.


If anyone is interested in keeping up with the race, try the Alaska Daily News website. It loads faster and seems to have all the information. The link is adn.com


I always watch the progress of Rachel Scordis. She is a girl from Oregon who is legally blind, and has been running the Iditarod for the last couple of years. There is another musher who travels along with her with his own dog team. I believe she had to scratch her first year, but she finished the race last year. She is currently in 52nd place. When I knew her as a high schooler, she was kind of a spoiled brat, but Barrie says she has grown up and she really likes her.

Trying to Snow

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This a very special photo for me. I had taken so many pictures that they had both quit paying attention, and I caught this special moment. I think it needs to be a painting.



Just a couple of pictures showing the expressions on Kasey's face as she watches "Peep". Thanks to Judi, this little program is almost a daily treat for her.

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It has been making a pitiful attempt to snow today, but the sun is out now.

The Iditarod race is moving right along. 35 mushers have left the Rohn checkpoint yesterday and today, so there is a big pack at the front. I think Rohn is about 275 miles into the race. There is no way of knowing who the real leaders are until they have taken their mandatory 8 hour and 24 hour rest stops. I believe the teams leave the starting line every 2 minutes, so when there are more than 60 teams, the last musher to leave is already 2 hours behind the early ones. That is why time is the deciding factor.

One musher has scratched. And so far, I haven't heard of any dog deaths. It would be great if they made it this year without any. In past years, drunk snowmachiners have been responsible for some dog deaths by driving into teams. Boy, that makes you sick, doesn't it?

It feels like I am using my old dial up connection again. Today is better, but yesterday I gave up even trying to use the internet. Toni mentioned how slow her connection had been, and Barrie said everyone in her office was having a problem with getting knocked off, or pages not loading. And I know Lynn said she had been having problems. I'm inclined to think Century Tel is to blame, and I hope they get it fixed soon. I will not call them - like I said before, I think they hate me and have a mark by my name showing that I am a rude troublemaker. So I'm hoping someone else is bugging them about the poor service.

Monday

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I have been working on small ("4" x 5") studies of winter and snow. There will be nine of them on a 12" x 16" sheet of paper when I finish. They are taking longer than I thought, but I find that I really like to paint small pieces.

Pure comfort on the cat tree.

Barrie and Kasey are watching Peep on my laptop.

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It snowed a little during the night, but not much. It is overcast this afternoon, but doesn't really look much like it is going to snow.

I have started a new painting of the barnwood on the back of the ruined one. I am having trouble with the paper buckling. I had it wet and got it stretched (I thought) and taped to a board. But when I wet it this morning, the paper buckled up. Not sure what I should do with it.

Lance Mackey, who has won the Iditarod for the last two years, is in the lead into Rainy Pass. He must really be moving, as he started the race in 47th position. I'm glad to see him do so well. He almost died about 3 years ago - he is a cancer survivor.

Sunday

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Barrie and her sixteen dog team near Rainy Pass on the Iditarod Trail, Alaska.

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Judi mentioned that the Iditarod Race starts today in Willow. I'm sure Barrie and I will follow it on the Internet. Although there are new ones every year, many of the mushers are familiar to Barrie.

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I worked on a watercolor painting of a lantern hanging on old barn wood yesterday, and ended up putting it on the shower floor and spraying it very hard. I will paint something on the back of it. I did a small painting of barn wood a few months ago, and really liked it. Seems like when I try something larger, it never works as well.

I don't know why the time change is hard on me, because I have no set schedules and don't need to be anyplace at any particular time. But I don't like it.

The weather forecast says 70% chance of 3 to 5 inches of snow tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it.

My sister-in-law called this morning, and she said I just got much older! Well, so did they. Their oldest grandchild, Nicki, just had a baby girl. Nicki and Jordan live in Idaho. That makes Bill and Alice great-grandparents and me a great-great aunt. She says I am the oldest, because they have only one "great" in their title and I have two.

Teri, Nicki's mom, will be flying from Arkansas to Idaho the 18th to meet her first grandchild. Bet she can hardly wait!

Friday

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This a little cigar box that has been converted to a plein air painting box. Kasey loves to step up on it - then she throws her hands up in the air and says "Touchdown". I'm glad I got a picture of this. Standing on the box is not a challenge any more, and I'm sure she will find something else to climb on.

The cat is now enjoying sleeping in the "condo" on the cat tree.

Kasey in a "pensive" pose. Judi and I would do well together photographing children. She likes them looking at the camera and smiling, and I prefer the candid shots! We could take pictures together and never be in the other's way.

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Lynn mentioned uploading the photos from her new camera onto her computer. Lynn, I have never hooked my cameras up to the computer. I take the card out of the camera, insert it in a card reader, and view them in Photoshop. That is when I decide what to keep and what to delete before I ever move them to the computer. I have to admit I never use the preview window on the camera. I have folders set up on the computer - one for the year, and within each year's folder, I have folders for each month. It sometimes takes me a lot of time and browsing to find an image, but it's the best method of filing images I have been able to come up with. Wish I had something better and easier.

Also, Lynn - I can sympathize with your frustration with CenturyTel and their internet service. When I started with them, I thought I was going to go crazy. I found they had assigned me an IEP address in the wrong block of numbers, and couldn't convince any of their tech people of it. I actually used foul language over the phone with one of their support guys, and they probably still have a black mark by my name. Anyway, finally the local guys came and got it all fixed. I was not charged for it.

New "Roomates"

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This photo of Barrie and Kasey was taken last summer, and Kasey has changed SO much in five months!

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Well, my life has taken a whole new turn! Barrie showed up at my house Monday morning, and said "Mom, your worst nightmare has come true. Kasey and I need a place to stay for a while".

Well, the word "nightmare" is kind of a joke, but anyway, they are moved into Barrie's old room. She and her roomates have been getting on each others' nerves for some time now, and they are both heavy smokers - not good for anybody. We got the dresser drawers cleaned out, but haven't done much to the closet yet.

Barrie has changed a lot since she was a teenager and since she last lived with me 10 years ago, and I think we will all get along fine. Also, I now have my upstairs room, so we can each have our own private space if we feel like it, and watch what we want on TV, etc. Barrie has cleaned both toilet stools, taken out garbage, done dishes, and all kinds of things I have never seen her do before!! I guess it's called "growing up".

And of course it's wonderful having Kasey here! Barrie goes to work and Kasey goes to what she calls "school", and I still have lots of quiet time for myself.

Barrie has chipped out the ice and snow from the gates in the back yard so they can be closed, and her two companion dogs, Jarvi and Shorty can be back there. Then she fixed up the back hall with old blankets and a gate, and they sleep in there at night. I really was not ready for dogs all over the house again and up on the beds. There's also the fact that Kat now lives here! Barrie takes her dogs with her to work every day. They can sit in the truck, and sometimes get to go in her office.

I am going to make a big pan of lasagna today and bake the "Friendship Bread" Toni gave me. Then I may not cook again for another week!

Tuesday

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Kasey is watching "Peep" on the computer, a site Judi told us about.

Hi, Kat!

I really get a kick out of this old photo. I don't think Barrie minded being so far behind. Barrie thinks it is funny too, but she wonders what we would have done if a moose had come charging out of the trees at her. I don't remember if she thought it was funny at the time.

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Progress in My Art Room

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I've made some progress on the upstairs room. I never know whether to call it just "the upstairs room", or "my art room" or "my studio". At one time it was a quilting room, then a sewing room, but all those things are stored away now.

The room still looks a little cluttered to me, but I have to keep in mind what it is used for.

I put the table back in its original place, removed the four baskets that were under it, and moved two of the white storage cubes under it. This made plenty of room for the cat tree without too much crowding or blocking the window. I even put clean plastic on my watercolor table.

The cat is not in the pictures. I got the vacuum out, and the cat always disappears when that comes out.

Now there is the issue of the four baskets that need cleaned out, and the stacks of magazines I seem to collect. The problem with magazines is that you feel you have to sit down and look through them to see if there is anything you want to save before you get rid of them. That's a lovely thought - maybe I'll spend the rest of the day looking at magazines.

Happy Cat

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Playing with the yarn balls

The view from the top

Napping on the top shelf with her purple mouse

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I had no idea how much this cat would enjoy the cat tree. She is up and down it, and likes to nap on the shelves. There is also a "cat condo" on the big platform, and she has gone into it, but doesn't stay. She might start to sleep in there. I kind of felt like a silly old lady when I ordered it, but it sure made the cat happy.

I have such a mess in this room right now. I tried rearranging the two art tables into an "L" shape, and don't like it. And two legs on one table collapsed and I now have art stuff all over the floor. When I pulled out the four baskets I had under one table, a quick look tells me I need to throw most of the stuff in them away. Yesterday I threw away a sweater I started several years ago. It was made from some funny fuzzy yarn, and was supposed to look like a mink jacket. Yea, like I would ever wear that!

I guess I will just leave the mess for now and do some more thinking about my rearrangement before I finish. I have way too much "stuff" and not enough places to store it all.