The sock monkeys

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Here is Kasey napping with the sock monkeys I made years ago for her mom. Kasey stayed with me today. She seems to feel good, but would not eat anything for lunch except some canned pears I had in the cupboard. She didn't even want a hot dog or some bread and butter. I don't argue with her about eating - neither does her mom. I figure she will eat what she needs when she wants it. I am making a big pot of potato soup today - Barrie likes it, and maybe Kasey will be hungry.

I have a funny little barking dog on my computer to announce that I have e-mail. Kasey comes running when she hears it, saying "e-mail, e-mail"

OK, another photo out the window. There have been four to six does and fawns hanging around, and three of them bedded down in my back yard today. They look good - very slick and fat. I haven't seen any bucks for a while. I suppose they will be back after hunting season is over.

Cody

It looks like Sheri and Eric and boys won't be able to come for Thanksgiving. Zack is having surgery on his shoulder just before Thanksgiving.

I did colored pencils portraits of Zack and Cody a few years ago, and was never satisfied with the one of Cody. So I have done him again. I don't think Sheri has seen this. The trouble with kids is, they change so much, and no longer look the same!! I have also started another one of Zack playing his viola, but it is slow going.

I am so glad the elections are over. I just couldn't stand any more political ads. I am optimistic about how things are going to go in our contry. I heard a commentator make the statement that the American people don't trust government any more, and that is so true. There has been so much corruption and dishonesty that it has become hard to trust.

Watercolor experiments

Enjoyed our watercolor group this morning. We watched a video - an incredible demonstration on painting a portrait in watercolor. We only watched half of it - it comes on two DVD's. Maybe I should check it out and bring it home and try to paint along.

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I tried some salt on watercolor techniques in art group this morning. So unpredictable!! The pigments used and the dampness of the paper make such a big difference, and I know I will never master it. I guess that is one of the appeals of watercolor - you can't always predict what it is going to do, and you can either have a happy accident or a mess!

The top right study is one I did using a cellulous sponge I just bought and cut/tore into different shapes and sizes. I kind of like how I can paint tiny trees with it.

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A photo of Kasey petting the kitten. You can't even tell it is Kasey, but I really like the "baby" hand and the contented look on the kitten's face. It's pretty hard to catch the kitten looking contented. She is usually running around in circles being wild.

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Barrie and Kasey were both here when I got home at noon. They were both sick last night. They had soup, and are both asleep downstairs now, Barrie on the couch, and Kasey in her "baby cage". I feel like I live in "The Napping House". I came upstairs and finished my salt experiments, and want to work on another watercolor painting I started some time ago.

Lynn tells me they have small turkeys in Jackson. Barrie and I are going to Jackson on Saturday, so I hope I can get what I need for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Pencil drawing of Kasey

A Pencil Drawing of Kasey

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This may not be quite finished yet, but it's close. I always like to set things back for a while before calling it done. I usually can see things that need more work when I put it out of sight for a while.

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Cold, windy, and frequent short snow storms today. I woke up some time during the night and saw big fat flakes coming down, and was disappointed this morning to see that the snow didn't last.

Yesterday was a busy day. I went to the bank, then to the courthouse to get the license plate renewal for my pickup. I had to wait in line there. Then went to the feed store (which I can never find), and got three bags of cat food.

Then I went to AtoZ to exchange the litter box for the covered one. They didn't have a covered one, so I decided that Barrie must have seen the covered one somewhere else. So I went to Ridley's. I couldn't find one there, and asked a clerk for help. She looked and looked, and finally saw them way up on the highest shelf, where you couldn't even tell for sure what they were. She climed up and got them down, and I bought one.

After finally finding a litter box, I shopped for groceries. I had hoped to maybe start to stock up for Thanksgiving, but the only thing I got was the makings for Chex Party Mix. I plan to have both turkey and ham, and all the turkeys they had were huge. Barrie is going to look in Jackson to see if she can find a smaller turkey.

I will probably be in Jackson before Thanksgiving, and I'm sure I will have better luck shopping there. I just have a bad attitude about Ridley's. The aisles are too narrow, it seems messy to me, and I can't find anything.

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When Barrie was little, she had "monkeys" (in her mind). They seemed to go everywhere with us, and she would tell her Dad to slow down while driving down the highway so the monkeys could catch up and jump in the back of the pickup. I ruined the whole thing! I made her two sock monkeys - the ones made with men's work socks, the kind with a red heel. Barrie never had her imaginary monkeys after that. She did, however, have a bunch of chickens.

I went through the box of stuffed animals I have in the basement yesterday, found the monkeys and brought them up for Kasey.

Monday Nov. 3

Mad and Stan's Wedding, 1973

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Tracy was the flower girl at Madelaine's and Stan's wedding. Here she is with them and the bagpipers who supplied the music. Another poor-quality photo from a little cheap instmatic camera, but a fun picture, never-the-less.

"The Blockhead"? This photo was taken in September and shows the black eye Kasey got from a fall at her Day Care provider's house.

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Barrie went to A&Z Hardware yesterday and got me a litter box. They had one with a top and one without. She tried to call me to ask me if I wanted to spend the extra for the one with the top, and my phone was not working. So she brought me the cheaper one. Even though the covered one is more expensive, I think I will exchange this one and get the covered one.

I have a lot to get done in town today. I lost the little card to pay the tax and licensing on my pickup, and I think it has expired. Also am about out of cat food, so will go to the feed store. Need to cash a check, and deposit another one. And am out of milk and a few other things, so guess I will go to Ridleys.

Maybe I will get a ham or turkey there for Thanksgiving, and see what other ideas I get from what I see on the shelves.

Cloudy Sunday

The sky was beautiful late yesterday afternoon, and I took this picture out my upstairs bedroom window. It has rained a little today, and I hope we get more. Or better yet, snow~

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Interesting textures and patterns on an old log barn.

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I have done one load of laundry today, but haven't folded and put away things for quite a while. I have to get myself in gear and get some things done around here.

In the meantime, I am working on two pencil drawings, a portrait of Kasey and another antelope drawing. I would much rather draw than do laundry.

Barrie said Kasey was sick during the night. Hope she gets over it soon.

The kitten has been crazy this morning. It has attacked every thing in the house, and is now curled up on my foot trying to sleep. I see she really made a mess in the upstairs bathroom last night from the litter box, so I have t get that cleaned up when I go up. She really needs a good litter box - bigger, and one with a cover so she can't kick stuff out. I think I will talk Barrie into looking at Ridley's to see if they have one.

Old pictures of Barrie

I only scanned two photos from the old albums today. I found two pictures of Barrie when she was about the age Kasey is now, and we think Kasey really looks like her. One of these pictures was taken on Barrie's second birthday, and the other when she was a bit younger, I think. Kasey is about 17 months old now.

It is so amazing how the quality of old photos taken with an instamatic years ago compares with the high resolution photos we are taking today with digital cameras.

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I am posting really late tonight. The first time I started, I got kicked off the internet and lost what I had started. Then Barrie and Kasey came for a while. Then my sister-in-law called for computer help.

Kasey loved Halloween. Barrie did not dress her up or take her trick or treating, but they had lots of kids come to their house, and Kasey got to answer the door and put the candy in kids' bags. She loved it.

My sister-in-law tells me they are planning to come to my house for Thanksgiving! Also my nephew and his wife and their little boy, and hopefully my neice and her family from Casper.

It will be so much fun to have them all here. Need to start planning what to cook - and also to do some house cleaning!

Tracy called today and we had a good visit. They did not make an offer on the condo in Florida they were thinking about, but plan to go back in a couple of weeks to look at some other ones they are interested in. I think they will be ready to make a decision then.

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Do Over

Do Over?

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When I finished this painting, I decided it was something I needed to "do over". It actually looks better on the computer screen than it does in real life. But I certainly don't know how to paint snow or water.

This is an old photo of my brother, Bill, and our cousin, Donna. It was taken (I think) at the Albin Day parade about 1940. They were portraying a pioneer couple with a covered wagon. The dog is Mugs, our bulldog. Bill will correct me if I'm wrong about where and when this was taken.

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I have taken my photo albums out and glanced through them quickly. There really aren't a lot of photos I want to scan, but I want to do my girls' school pictures through the years.

My horoscope today made me laugh - it said "If you feel that your life lacks some discipline right now, then that's a sure sign that it does!" Like I care if my life lacks discipline! Isn't that what retirement is all about?

Actually, I have put some order in my life recently - scanning and organizing slides, and also trying to put some order in my VCR and DVD collections.

New Hairdo

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Kasey has a ponytail!

Kasey has a ponytail today. It looks pretty cute - kind of crooked and losing some hair, but still cute. She and the kitten (who I have finally named - "KAT" - played quite a bit today. Evidently the kitten has not scratched her yet. It looks vicious sometimes, but doesn't draw blood.

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I tried to upload several photos tonight, but blogspot didn't seem to want to do it. I finally was satisfied to just get one uploaded.It also won't show paragraphs.

I did not buy Halloween candy. It has been years since kids have been here. My house is so "remote" and hidden, that no one comes on this street. Also, I wonder if kids go trick or treating like they used to. Seems there are so many activities and parties for them, that they don't go out on the streets.

I tried to set up a new watercolor pallette today. I thought I would be organized and make a little chart with the colors on the pallette. Good idea, but I somehow got mixed up with the umbers and sienas, and put one color on the pallette twice.

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I loved Judi's pictures of her grandaughters making music with pots and pans. My idea of good toys for kids! I have no idea what to get Kasey for Christmas. I have seen so many Fisher Price commercials on TV lately, with those big plastic structures in garish colors and lots of noise, and I refuse to buy things like that. Kasey loves books, and entertains herself so well with simple things.

Wednesday

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Tracy rode in the Rendezvous several years. She rode bareback with just a thong in Diamond's mouth for a bridle. Diamond used to be a cow pony on the drift, and Chopper rode him. He was called "Kikkyup". This little horse would do anything for Tracy - she won lots of ribbons and trophies with him in horse shows.

World-class skier!! Barrie didn't go very fast, but she liked to ski. We used to ski in the town park a lot, but I don't think you can ski much in either park now. They put in nice paths for walkers and keep them plowed free of snow in the winter.

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My friend Albe used to help out at brandings. Here she is trying to bluff out a cow who didn't like the way her calf was being treated.

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Went to art group this morning and didn't paint anything. Looked through some magazines and visited with Vicky, Nancy J. and Pam. Dee stopped in to visit a minute. Our group is getting very small.

Cold, cloudy and windy today.

Socks

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You probably all recognize the moose in the meadow when you leave the Hoback Canyon

Warm Fuzzy Socks

In the fall, an old lady's fancy turns toward -- Knitting! These are great socks. Two pair of them were done by changing yarns, but three pair were done with a really neat self striping yarn. It makes a wonderful pattern. The yarn is an acrylic/wool blend, and are nice and warm. But the problem is, I get zapped whenever I touch anything metal.

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Barrie and Kasey were here most of the day. Barrie is still not feeling very well, and slept on the couch quite a bit. Hope she gets over this soon.

Kasey sampled some cat food from the dish on the floor. She had it on her fingers and her face. I think she decided she didn't like it very well.

I did some piddling chores today that needed to be done. Got bills paid and my desk cleaned off, cut my chives off short, watered my lettuce on the windowsill, shook some rugs, took the garbage to the dumpster, and got a few photos organized. Just little things that pile up if you don't keep them done.

Today I showered in the downstairs bathroom - I have had "Buzz" in the bathtub down there for several baths since Kasey put him in the toilet stool. I was putting his helmet back on, and accidently pushed a button. I about threw him across the room when he said "Buzz Lightyear to the rescue"! I never knew he talked, Judi. Kasey played with him a while. Later, I noticed she had put him back in the bathtub.