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.

Monday

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A pen and ink eagle I did about a year ago.

A photo of Half Moon Lake

The kitten is really loving canned cat food now, and is doing great Very playful and busy. One thing I hadn't counted on was the hassle of a litter box. Yuck!! I've never had to deal with a litter box before, and do not enjoy it at all! The kitten still doesn't have a name. I just call him "kitty", or "cat". I call it "him", but I think it's a girl.

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Barrie was here since about noon. She had been to the doctor and had some prescriptions. She has bronchitis, and the doctor said pneumonia. She hopes the medicine will take care of it soon. Me too! She cut the kitten's townails while she was here.

Her day care is closed again tomorrow, and Kasey will come stay with me. She is so easy to take care of. Fuss free, and cheerful. She entertains herself (and entertains me). When she feels ready for a nap, she puts her fingers in her mouth and goes to her crib - and says "night night". Sometimes she plays and talks or reads to herself in the little crib for quite a while before she goes to sleep. She talks so much, but like I said, we just don't know the language she's using!!

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I finished scanning slides!! The last sheet was all wild flowers, and they didn't look good. The color was not good on them, several of the slides looked cloudy. I have a few photo albums out, but am not sure how many photos I want to scan.

Windy Day

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I have been working on this pencil drawing for a couple weeks, and I think it's pretty close to being finished. I am going to put it back for a while and look at it with fresh eyes later. I can already see that the doe's head is wrong, too small, the eye is too small, and maybe the ears are too long. Some time away from it will help my perception. The lighting was not right on this photo, as the left side of the paper looks grey.

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Very windy today, and I just noticed the quakie trees outside my dining room window are bare. I would have sworn they had leaves on them yesterday.

It is so brown and dreary looking. We could use some snow to brighten up the landscape, and also to cover up all the white plastic bags that are blowing all over town.

I have turned off the TV the last several nights and played music on my ipod. Television has been so bad lately - too much politics, too many commercials, and nothing worth watching.

I have about 1,000 songs on my ipod. At one time, I was guilty of downloading illegal music from the internet, but I also copied my favorites from my CD and tape collections.

A friend sent me this quote:

"I'm travelling 33 1/3 RPM's in an ipod world."

Saturday

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Years ago, the school purchased a bunch of roller skates and kids (and adults) roller skated in the gym at the old elementary school. Here is Tracy helping Barrie begin to roller skate. Barrie is wearing a shirt I made from a photograph of her with a screen printing kit. We have no idea where she got those pants! Aren't they something? Barrie says they look like disco pants, and claims she has never seen them before in her life. They must have been hand-me downs.

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Norma riding in Rendezvous. What a wonderful lady!

Diamond loved to drink out of the hose. I remember Tracy giving him something in a pop bottle . Barrie said it was grape soda.

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Barrie left Kasy here about 8:30 this morning and went out to take care of her dogs. Kasey and I hung out for a while, then she laid down for a nap. Barrie came back before she woke up. I made us lunch, actually something that was fit to eat for a change - a tuna noodle casserole. Kasey ate like a horse, so I guess she liked it too.

She ate with a spoon today. She couldn't really get the food on it, but when Barrie got it ready, Kasey took it and put it in her mouth. And I have figured out at least the basics of the camcorder, so was able to film it.

The kitten didn't stay downstairs much to play with Kasey today. He has really mastered the steps, and goes up and down as he pleases.

Kasey found a little Santa on a shelf in the dining room. She walks around with him, saying "Ho Ho Ho!"

Fall Leaves

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Here are the small studies of fall leaves I just finished. This was fun to do, and I believe I will do some small sky/cloud studies next.

I managed to get quite a few slides scanned yesterday while Kasey was here. I'm not sure where this was taken.

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I ordered four more books for Kasey on Amazon.com last night. I love that place! In some ways it is better than browsing in a real book store. They have recommendations for you based on what you have purchased in the past, and you can shop in your pajamas! It can't replace just browsing through real books and taking them off the shelves and looking through them - but it's a great way to shop. And they have moved into so many areas, like electronics, photography, and just about anything you want.

I ordered some oldies for Kasey - "Where the Wild Things Are", "The Poky Little Puppy", and "Cordurory". Those books have been popular for children for many years.

I don't usually like stories or songs that someone has messed with and redone. When I watched the opening game of the World Series the other night, I couldn't believe how that group slaughtered "The Star Spangled Banner". It was terrible!

Hmmm - a year ago, I watched the Rockies play the opening game of the series on a big screen TV in a sports bar in Denver. Paul and Tracy and I flew to California the next morning.

I finally got my little digital camcorder back last night. I had loaned it to someone. I wasn't fast enough to catch the "Kodak" moments yesterday with Kasey and the kitten. Maybe I can figure the camcorder out and get something good.

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Lynn, after seeing the pictures of the Arrowhead house, I have to tell you I think I like it better than the other one. You didn't say - do you have a nice view of the mountains?

And Judi, yes, the pictures are uploading just the opposite of what they used to. Also, I believe you gave Kasey the "Five Little Monkeys" book. She loves that one, and reads it to herself. She jabbers all the time - we just aren't sure which language she is using!

Thursday

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This is Tracy in her first car, which she bought while she was in high school. It was a "Green Hornet".

On Barrie's seventh birthday, she wanted "a black cat, just like Midnight". It mush have looked pretty realistic to Midnight.


Barrie was probably six when we got her this big, floppy stuffed leopard. It was on the foot of her bed, and every night when I went to bed, I found it on my bed. Turns out she was afraid of it and wouldn't sleep with it!

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Kasey has been here all day. I don't know which one traveled the more miles in the house, her or the kitten. The kitten is getting big enough that I think he could defend himself, and Kasey tries to be gentle. But she also tries to put her head down to him, she kind of lays on him.

She didn't eat a very big lunch - but neither did I. It wasn't a very good lunch - another one of my typical culinary experiences.

Barrie got off work a little bit early - she still isn't feeling well - and we are watching the DVD I recorded of the first two nights of the Discovery Channl special on the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. I will never figure out this DVD recorder, but I guess I can muddle through it.

More old Artwork

Wednesday

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Jack, drinking coffee - a pencil drawing

Pen and ink rabbit

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Barrie decided not to go to Jackson today, so I didn't have Kasey. But I will have her tomorrow. Am looking forward to it.

Went to art group this morning at Rendezvous Pointe, and started a new painting with quakie trees and snow. The only problem is, I really can't paint snow! I am working on some small studies of fall leaves at home. I am enjoying doing the small studies, and want to do some skies, rocks, water, and other kinds of trees.

I probably have at least a dozen projects started at home - some watercolor, some pencil drawings, and some pastel.

It's a beautiful sunny day today. Sure doesn't seem like late fall in Pinedale. The temperature is not that high, but the sun feels so warm.