Monday, July 15, 2024

July 15, 2024 Monday--5am

Good morning!
It was a quick week, it seems.  
Tuesday Keanna came to clean.  She has a client nearby and wanted to know if she could come a bit earlier.  Sure.  I'm here...not going anywhere--lol!  So she'll be here about 45 minutes earlier than usual from now on.
Wednesday I watched the boys while Dagan ran errands over lunch.  
Saturday Trump got shot in the ear at a rally.
Sunday Leah and her brother, Aaron, dropped off groceries for me.  She couldn't go earlier in the week last week and this next week they are out of town.  
Today Dagan, Leah, and the boys are leaving for the annual McGregor family vacation at a lake cabin.  Dagan's dad and stepmom, his half brother & his family, and his stepbrother & his family do this every year.  Ian and Liam love getting the chance to spend time with their cousins.  It will be hot, so playing in the lake will be a big hit!
All week I was in quite the busy, putter-y mood.  Catching up on letters, watering the petunias, bringing out stuff to the garage (like an oven out there!), laundry, cooking...couldn't find Allie one day.  

This was the second time I have found her snoozing in the laundry basket I am storing all the shower curtains in--lol!  (Yes, I am still switching them out every couple of weeks.)
She is one of the rare cats who will not set foot inside of any box...but she likes the cool slippery shower curtains, I guess--lol!
We've had rain off and on--usually in the evenings or during the night.  Been really hot...for us.  Upper 80s to low 90s...and pretty humid.  Grateful for this AC unit that is still working well after over nine years.
When I say puttering...do you know how dusty drawing pens, calligraphy pens & highlighters can get when they've been sitting for well over a year?  I literally dusted each and every pen and pen cup on my studio rollie cart.  Now, believe it or not, that's a truly enjoyable time for me--lol!  That's the kind of thing I 've been doing lately. :)
I colored in the ICADs I had drawn.  Just numbering and labeling them now.  I don't care if I keep up or not.  Never figured it was very likely in the first place--lol!  Used four different brush pens to label them.  Man!  Am I out of practice with my calligraphy, too.  Just feels sooo good to be doing these things again, though. :)
Since my back is always an issue (spinal degeneration), I remembered my table easel and wondered if drawing and painting more upright might help me last for longer periods of time?  Found it!  Not packed away...too big--lol!
But the cutting boards I have been using to tape down the ICADs hang over that edge.  They'd never work.
I have a large thinner panel board I have used for taping down larger paintings or drawings.  But I need something thin and flat like that but smaller because I really like to be able to rotate it easily when I need to.
I ordered some really cheap watercolor panel boards on Amazon that are 8" X 10".  They are primed but they should work okay to just tape paper down on, I hope.  If not, I can always paint on them--lol!

Allie is all comfy in her chair and I think I am going to head on over to mine.
There is lots more puttering to do this week...more pens to dust...more letters I owe...more ICADs to play with...and an easel to get used to again. :)  I am trying to keep focused on all the little things I am so very grateful for.  (The world seems to be going crazy.)  Till next week, my friends...

12 comments:

DJan said...

It sounds like you and Allie are doing great in the heat. Also very glad to hear you have functioning AC. We have been near 80 (too hot for me) but not as bad as it was. I'm fine if I stay indoors in the afternoons. Love your optimism, friend!

Divers and Sundry said...

No rain here, but we could use some. I am always surprised at how much dust there is!

The Aileen Cannon ruling is, well I wish I could say shocking, but it's not really shocking is it since she's done everything she could to make sure this case couldn't be heard before the election.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Keep on keeping on! Do what you can!

Sandra said...

Busy! I hope your new setup works for you. It would be wonderful to be able to work without so much backache. Cats, they are individuals for sure! Enjoy the next few days, it's supposed to be better.

Jeanie said...

Sometimes those "mundane" tasks, like dusting the pens are so relaxing. The easel is a good idea. I hope it works out for you. I love the four icads you shared. Very lovely shading.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

My house is a dust magnet. It has NO insulation. Either I dust all the time or I don't dust at all. I'm a neat freak, so I choose to dust (grin). My cats don't climb in boxes, either, but Squiggles hides in a brown paper bag.

I hope the new setup works for you. I LOVE your ICADs. Have a super week, dear Rita (and Allie).

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You could start your own store! How many pens, markers etc can you possibly use?

Rosie said...

Sometimes the smallest, simplest tasks give pleasure and satisfaction. Our weather is so cold and wet here that I can't get out in the garden so am spending my time with my watercolours. I am looking forward to some hot weather but most of my friends like the cold weather. Good that we are all different and enjoy different things. Hope you can keep cool in the heat.

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

Even out of practice as you say, you have more talent than I will ever have!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

You mentioned dust, Rita, and we have it in this mill apt and so dusting is at least a weekly activity. Glad that you have been keeping cool and having a lot of enjoyment with the puttering. Your box count seems to be growing in the garage and that must be a good feeling that move out will be getting closer. Hope that you find a way to do your art with less back pain.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Rita - you're certainly keeping yourself busy, but also keeping up-to-date with things that will need attention ... good for you and as you say satisfying. Take care and enjoy this week - cheers Hilary

Janie Junebug said...

I'm trying to catch up on posts, so here I am, a week late. What would happen if someone sat in Allie's chair? One of our cats liked to get in a laundry basket of dirty clothes. When she was dying, I put her in the laundry basket to comfort her. Interesting that Allie likes the texture of the shower curtains. Is the lake where the McGregors get together in North Dakota or maybe in Minnesota--the land of 10,000 lakes? I hope the boys had a good time and didn't get sun burned.

Love,
Janie