Thursday-11:45am

Greetings from the North!

Tuesday it cooled off into the 70s and was in the 50s at night--ahhh!  Karma and I were thrilled to have the place opened up!

She tried to keep an eye open for bugs, of course... 

...but having the best of both her worlds was so relaxing... 

...she dozed off. 

 I have an odd assortment of things coming this month.  See this stack in the bedroom bookcase?

Over ten years ago I got these two large porcelain palettes on a really fantastic sale (can't remember which online art store now--Dick Blick, Cheap Joe's, or Jerry Artarama).  Anyways, they are really heavy and both the covers are this terrible brittle plastic--duh!  The square cover crumbled away in short order...

...and the yellowed rectangular cover has been cracking and falling apart for a few years now, too.  

I keep my oriental watercolors (which are more opaque like gouache) in the rectangular one.

All I needed was something sturdy enough to cover the palettes (since watercolors reconstitute the drying out is not an issue) but these palettes are such odd sizes.  I searched for a solution.  And for the rectangular one I found...

a food tray--tada! 

I have been waiting for the large "party platter" I found for the square one.  It says online that it arrived in Fargo on the 8th, but I haven't seen it yet.  I told the mailman today and he said he'd peek around for it.  They have been short-handed for the past few weeks, he said, and often the sorting of packages gets the short end of the deal.

Anyways, then I can stack things on top of these with a lot more confidence.  And when the square one has some kind of cover I might finally get rid of my near-to-cracking, older plastic palette that's about the same size and use this porcelain one for my watercolors...like I had planned to ten years ago--LOL!  

This is the Cinch--well, I don't know what you call it but to me it works like a shim.  You need this piece if you use the smaller 1/2 inch Owires so they can be closed properly.  (Yup, I have 1/2 inch Owires coming, too.) 

My new, uncomplicated, old-style beehive blender arrived (haven't had time to try it yet) and Karma's big bag of her favorite dry food. 

I have more odd and ends arriving.  Could be more today from UPS, I think.

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And Leah came by last night with the bread machine!!!  Whoohoo!!!

So now I won't have long lists of (sometimes alien) ingredients--as you can see--even in the bread baked right at Cashwise. 

And when Dagan and Leah went down to Minneapolis a couple weekends ago to IKEA so they could pick up this shelf unit they wanted for the living room, they picked up the three plain white plates I wanted to use for acrylic paints or for whichever art mediums that need a perfect spot that cleans off easily.  The biggest platter is about 10 X 12 inches.

And on top of the stack--well, Leah saw this little egg cup plate!  (4 X 4")  She figured I might just love it, phoned me from Minneapolis, gave me the ID number from IKEA so I could look it up online, and I LOVED it!!  Neither of us knew exactly what it might be used for, but it was just too cool to pass up for 3.99--LOL! Maybe ink?  Sprays I want to use with a brush or sponge?  The possibilities are unlimited!  Well, maybe not unlimited, but it is just so darn cute!

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It got hot again yesterday, so it's back to the AC.  I did get some reading done on the porch when it was nicer, though.  I'm all ready for the library lady, Pam, tomorrow and now I'm reading Evanovich's #4 from Caroline.  :)  Today it's supposed to get to 90 again and it is really windy! 

 The screen flapping with such vigor fascinates Karma. 

I'm not sure if the flapping sound reminds her of the sound of wings or what the deal is... 

...but on windy days... 

...she thinks she sees bugs everywhere.  ;) 

She's enjoying herself immensely on bug patrol out there on the hot porch right this minute.

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Before I leave, I have to say that I cannot stop chuckling about our television broadcasting reaching a brand new low.  We now have a fake "reality" contest show!  Siberia.  I am literally giggling out loud as I am typing this.  (So much so that Karma showed up at the porch door wanting to come in and see why I was laughing.)  I confess that I watched the first two episodes--no more for me.  Oh, I can't even talk about it...ROFL!  No wonder I usually prefer to watch cable programs (on Netflix).  So silly!  Absolutely cracks me up!!

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Anyways, maybe I'm extra glad to be getting back into a reading routine, eh?  ;)

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But today...I have to try out the blender or the bread machine--or both?  Leah said she used all-purpose flour and didn't buy bread flour.  I have to see if I still have any (very old) dry yeast in the frig door--LOL!  That will be the deciding factor on the bread machine.  But if I don't, Leah is bringing over the rest of hers next time--and some wheat flour, too.  Sweet!  I do foresee a fruit smoothie in my near future, though.  ;)

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Enjoy the rest of your day!!

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"Though my soul may set in darkness,

it will rise in perfect light;

I have loved the stars too fondly

to be fearful of the night."

Sarah Williams