Yikes!

Well, I called in sick today. Thank goodness, I'm seldom sick. Today I just couldn't go in. I hate to miss school. I feel really sorry for the substitute who tries to figure out my lesson plans. I have a tendency to scribble notes over my plans as I go. I know I didn't scribble over anything for Wednesday, so, with any luck, the sub won't put a hex on me.

Good news! I received my beautiful print from Deb Harvey. I will post a photo this weekend. Deb does gorgeous work! Thank you, Deb. I love it!

I Was Going for Cheerful...

We've had two gorgeous, sunny days in a row. I was going for cheerful in this little watercolor. Hmmm... Is it cheerful, or is it...? Oh well, I've got plenty of paper and paint:)

Sun, Sun, Sun Here It Comes

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm posting a WIP flower for you. The sun was shining today in beautiful Las Vegas. In celebration, I had to start painting a sunflower.

We had a wonderful day today. I pruned the roses - a tad late, but I think it'll be ok. Jim weeded. We have 25 rose bushes, but I didn't have to prune all of them. Some of them were just planted last spring, so I won't trim them until next year.

I have found a wonderful author. Her name is Louise Penny. Jim and I went to the bookstore as our Valentine's Day present. I bought Still Life which is her first novel. I started reading it yesterday and I finished it today. I fell in love with her characters. I visited her blog. She seems to be just charming. If you're in the mood for a good mystery, check this book out. Tracey, I know you'll like it.

I also bought a biography of Alexander Hamilton. I'll let you know how I like it. (I may not get around to it right away. We made another trip to the bookstore and I bought another Louise Penny novel.)

Now that the sun is back, I'm anxious to see how our solar panels will do. I don't think we've gotten an accurate picture so far because of all the cloudy, rainy days we've had.




We're off tomorrow for Presidents' Day, so I'll finish the sunflower then.

Gratitude Friday

I'm grateful to have had Jack as a friend for the last 12 years.

Thank you, Deb Harvey, for picking me as the winner of your lovely print.

I'm grateful to have stumbled across Kablooey via Susan Abbott's blog. Check it out. You will laugh. I tried to post a link, but I couldn't get it to work. I'll see if I can get someone to show me what I'm doing wrong and I'll post it later.

I think that the last time I posted I was too lazy to even put paper on a board. I'm ready to paint now. I'm glad.

I'm grateful for the friends I have made through blogging. What kind, talented people!

I'm grateful that the sun was shining here today. I know that the rest of the country has been having wacko weather, too; but it's hard for me to believe that we have received one half of our annual rainfall already!

Saying Goodbye

We said goodbye to Jack on Friday. He and Jim were very close. He was Jim's stepdad since Jim was 9. He was our buddy. On Friday, we went over to his house to sit with him. He knew we were there and talked to us a little, but would drift off to sleep. We went home around 8:00 p.m. and got a call 45 minutes later. He had passed away. We went back over to wait for the hospice and mortuary people. As they wheeled him out the front door, the grandfather clock chimed 10 times. It seemed like something that would happen only in the movies. He was a very brave man. We're going to miss him like crazy.

A Bit of This and That

I finished my scene from Corsica last week, but I don't see anything in it that I like. However, I will keep on because that's how I will improve. Besides, painting is fun.

How strange that I have so little to say. It's so unlike me:) I have a small floral that I want to get started on , but I'm too lazy to put the paper on the board, let alone do the preliminary sketch.

Last week, a student asked how to spell "fuchsia". This is what I wrote on the board: "fuscia". I stepped back, "Hmmm. Something looks funny..." A student asked what we were going to study in grammar the next day. "The past perfect tense," said I. What were we really going to study? The present perfect. I think my powers of concentration are a little off this week. There was another example I was going to give, but I forgot what it was:)

I've been cruising around blogger land and really enjoying many of the posts I've found. Great art and wonderful writing!

Jim's stepdad and our good buddy is having health problems. We love you, Jack.

The sun was actually shining here on January 23 and we saw it today, too. I like the shadows in this photo and, of course, two of my favorite subjects are catching some rays. (If you look closely, you can see the rain on the patio.)

Gratitude Friday

I'm grateful that Jim loves me and I have proof. We ate at Marie Callender's today. Jim had a special that included a piece of pie. He let me choose the kind of pie and he let me have the pie. My choice: blueberry, of course. Giving away your dessert - now that's true love. (He may have just been full, but I prefer to see it differently...)

I played with the Nova Scotia scene a little more. This is the completed painting. I am ready to start a scene from Corsica.