Author: Shelly
Ice
I’m tired of ice. I had to scrape it off my car twice today. This morning, it was so thick that I could only chisel off a square inch at a time. Talk about tedious! Then, when I left work this afternoon, it was raining. Raining? Ha! More like semi-frozen gel that hardened on contact with my already-once-scraped car windows.
And to make matters worse, there were three cars lined up behind mine, wanting my parking space. Three of them! What the hell did the second and third driver think they were going to do, arm wrestle the first person in line for my spot? So, I had car scraping performance anxiety, because I knew that all three of them were watching me cussing at me to hurry up.
And now, I’m at home and worrying about potential power outages. Id rather not have a repeat of last spring’s ice storm. Just in case, I’ve got the heat preemptively cranked up. I think I’m going to go put a load of clothes in the washer, check the mail (yay, Netflix!), and park myself in front of the television with a big cup of hot tea.
Mirror, Flamingo, and Clock
The mirror fragment and the chunk of earthenware it’s sitting on were things I picked up while out walking. The tacky flamingo came from my great grandma. The clock came from God only knows where. It’s loud, though. I can hear it in the next room, through two closed doors. Some nights, it’s like the telltale-freaking-heart, keeping me awake. It’s one of those noises that, once you notice it, you can’t ignore.
Sunlight and Clouds
It was spitting tiny little sleet pellets at me when I left for work this morning. The day stayed mostly overcast, but at one point there must have been a break in the clouds, because I looked out the window, and the buildings across from the library were glowing against the dark sky behind them.
Icy Death from Above
I hadn’t looked at the weather since the middle of last week, so I was completely unprepared for this morning’s cold. It was in the 50s on Saturday, for crying out loud! This morning, it was 7F. Somewhere along the 27 steps between my front door and my car, my hair froze. But that’s not the part I’m complaining about. Much. The part I’m complaining about is the fact that we are supposed to get the dreaded Wintry Mix.
I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m kind of over this whole winter thing. I’m ready to retire to a deserted island where the temperature never gets below 40F or above 70F.
Paints
They’re cheap paints, but they’re what I’m used to using. I like Daler-Rowney’s paints a lot better than Winton (Winsor & Newton’s student grade paints). The texture is creamier, and I think the colors might be a bit cleaner. I still have a few tubes of Winton left over from when I was in school. One of them is a gawdawful earthy burnt orange sort of color that I don’t think I’ll ever use up.
This shot was hand-held with flash. I took another with just available light and am kind of amazed at how sharp the in-focus section is. I cropped the second image, and I did some color correction, but I didn’t do any sharpening whatsoever.
Shadows
I had the blinds open in the studio, trying to get enough light to get a progress shot of the three pears painting (verdict: too late in the day). I noticed that the cedar tree outside my window was making a lovely shadow on the wall, so I took its photo instead.
Friday Dogblogging
Harriet likes to sleep with her head propped up. Somehow, she managed to turn one of the couch pillows on its side, then she cradled her head on it.
Letters to Esther
The letter on top is from Esther’s brother, Clark. He went to Purdue University, while Esther went to school here at IU.
Bzzzzzzzzzzz
I can hear chainsaws grinding away. Yesterday’s wind must have knocked down trees. I got home last night to find that someone’s trash had been blown all over my patio. It was mostly Bud Light cans (ugh), but I did a thorough pick-up, in case there were bones in it. I found a grocery bag stuffed with a used turkey carcass, not long after Thanksgiving, so I’m a little paranoid about things that might hurt Miss Brown.
I haven’t looked at the weather forecast, but the storms seem to be over. We had a high of 52F yesterday, so I was a little surprised to feel sleet hit my face when I left home this morning. It cooled off significantly overnight.
