Day 19 on Being Thankful and Where I Stand Sunday

Standing isn't as comfortable as it was a few days ago, guess I have to take the good days with the NOT so good days. However, I am standing with two of my favorites in the world..my dogs, Chaco (red Dachshund) 

and Bailey (gray Weimaraner).

On chilly, breezy days, they have the enclosed back porch to be in.  Bailey loves the extra warmth when the sun heats up the area.  

I don't know what I would do without my dogs.  I love them dearly..they entertain, keep us company, and are just the thing that complete our everyday living.  They are good alarms and alarm clocks.  

They love to snuggle...like lots of attention (what pet doesn't?).  

 I am thankful that we have them and life affords us the opportunity to care for them and love them the way we do.

Today I have finished a commission and I am going to post it, as the recipient would never visit here and see it.  

"The Pike"

9" x 12"

acrylic on black gessoboard

Today's Adventure in Watercolor

"Chaco and Bailey"

9" x 12"

watercolor on Strathmore

Took a photo of my two dogs sitting beside me in the other recliner watching me..someone suggested I paint that photo, so here it is.

I find I don't have quite the patience right now for problem solving that's needed when you paint in any medium, but watercolor is a doable thing in my situation.

Where I Stand Sunday

Actually this post should be titled "Where I Sit Sunday". There are a few NFL football teams I root for.  For the most part, they didn't make it to the play-offs.  One of the teams made it to today..and they aren't doing too well.  I was in between times in the studio, think I will head back..

Things are more exciting in the studio.

I am working on a dog painting.

(And how does a big dog like that fit into a little chair like that? 

You wouldn't know he has a titanium plate down his front leg

because he can get into a REAL ball even in smaller spaces than this one.)

Oh, and just to give equal time...a red dachshund burrowed into his blanket on the couch beside me.

In the sidebar, I am posting a different attempt every few days of what I am learning over at Strathmore Visual Journal Workshop.  If you click on my picture there, you will go to the page where you can sign up...and even though they are in the third week, you can catch up - if you have some of the supplies and are resourceful.  I have learned that many things can be substituted - cause you sure can't get them around here.   

It's free, a whole different group of people to interact with...it gives me a different outlet to creativity and DO I have materials I can use, yes I do - and it let's me use my art in a recycled/humorous/lighthearted sense.  I have taken a side interest in journals, bookbinding and mixed media collaging.  It's quite fun, refreshing, a change and I like the results.  This is an invitation, see you there!!
Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing.
Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.

Where I Stand Sunday

You need not ask,
he's a member of the family.
Dog baths, nail clipping,
tick treatments, shots,
dog food, exercise,
but with it comes
miles and miles of
love.

(and I am not speaking of the feet in the shoes - ha!)

Each morning, our Weimaraner alarm goes off. This morning it went off a little late, I think because of the heat. Even with AC's on , it is still a restless night.

From Wikipedia:
The phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer", refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere that usually falls between early July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.
Well folks, that's us!
Today at noon I will be taking a break from kitchen remodel and watch Susan Carlin paint via real-time video at Ustream. The actual URL is www.ustream.tv/channel/SusanCarlin. You can try to click on this link, however, you may have to type it in as I do. I think that maybe unless she is actually an open link at the time, it doesn't connect. (I am a hacker - at best.)

Just an FYI, here is a photo of our RV 2-alarm system. It had just been activated by the 'yard guys' at Menard's in Nebraska last Wednesday.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

Where I Stand Sunday

Yesterday, while talking to my bro on the phone, I looked out the bedroom window and watched a farm cat laying low to the ground, only to pounce on fat little grey critters and eat them. During that time, I saw two of those critters get completely devoured. Today, I went to that area to investigate. There were either mole or vole holes/tunnels all over the ground around the laterals to our septic system. Some of the little tunnels were exposed. I would imagine that at one time they were made just beneath the snow, into the surface of the ground. There is a large network of them. All that cat had to do was sit and watch whoever came out of the "door" and he had breakfast! After he was done, he took a nice long nap in the sunshine very satisfied.

Kids left this morning. It was foggy and frozen but the sun has come out and was melting the ice from the trees. I am surprised the trees live at all, the way they get frozen, then thaw, then freeze again, over and over. I guess they are tough.


This is a photo of two of my friends, Bailey (the big dog) and Chaco (like the canyon in New Mexico). They often share each other as pillows. Bunch 'o lazy dogs, once again.


Lots of scrapbooking yesterday, gotta get out to the studio and reorganize. Trying to keep up with the messes that get made out there. It's easy to just walk away and not worry about putting anything away, but then, you can go no further, until you take care of it! BTW, the 'rogue' mouse in the studio was found splailed (sp?) out on the top of the bookcase - DOA. Beware to the brave and valiant others!!

"Where I Stand Sunday" is posted weekly. It helps chronicle the "journey". Too often we take for granted where we stand and what we are involved in. Used as a "vehicle" for journaling and a glance at "human geography", I; along with several others; note this day, in this way. I invite you to check "them" out, their blog addresses are in the sidebar to the right, to compare and contrast the human events of Sunday in different parts of the country and maybe the globe! If you would like to join in (and I encourage you as it is a great writing "prompt"), please leave a comment below with your blog address and we will note it in our sidebar! Thanks for looking!

Powerless

As we started to wake this morning the digital clock and air cleaner (yes, I have an air cleaner, cause I have an old stinky house) kept flickering, I knew it was supposed to snow overnight and sure enough we had about 3 inches and lots of wind and at 7:18 the power went out. It was still dark. I ran to the computer power strips because the power would come on and then off and then on and then off. It plays hell with electronics. So power strips off, next was lighting as many candles as I could and spread them out into different rooms, cause it was still dark. Then my asthma kicked in, too much candle smoke I guess. Fed the starving dogs, LOL.

Snuggled up with dogs in laps in the living room for a little bit and decided, as the house got colder, to just go back to bed and wait for awhile. And as I always do, start wondering - where would modern humans be without provided electricity/power. After about an hour, luckily, we are with power. Hubster was just about to go out to the garage and get the generator up and runnin.

We have, as I am sure many people do, lots of things to reset once the power returns. Had breakfast and are on with the day. Lots of power driven appliances in our day - taken for granted. Weather is supposed to pass through and be gone by tomorrow. Heard on the weather scanner that it was 76 degrees in Grand Island, Ne. (about 100 miles away) on this date in 1990. Balmy!

So much rain..

We have had so much rain that the milo field is falling into our property. The ground is eroding away and water and silt are cascading with a roaring force into the pond and across "Ticky Road" as we call it (that's because you can always come back from it with at least 1 tick on you or the dogs). The dogs had to stay in the muddy dog runs all day, while we did business in another town. When we got home they all had to have baths. Works out good, cause we just open the side compartment on the RV, and use the outdoor shower that is there, on them. Began getting estimates on a new roof. Why do they make things so darned expensive? And we aren't real happy with the contractors around here...so we may end up doing the roof ourselves. It is very steep. The insurance office gals said I have to stay off the roof, since I broke my wrist LAST summer. We shall see. I think I could make it with a "rescue" rope tied to my waist, just like the trapeze artists do, don't you? And I need to be able to do the alligator crawl across the face of the roof, so I had better start getting stronger for that. Ah, the joys of living in the country.

Layout

A lot of times, I have to sketch a piece I am thinking of painting or drawing, to think about the layout and practice seeing what is there. This sketch is from a photo of 2 of my dogs on the bed. The comforter created lots of angles, lights and darks and interest. The little dog, always likes to burrow under the covers, whether it is hot or cold, he's a true doxie. Although I have 3 dogs, these two are most often together. They seem to have the same character and they FEED off of one another when there is a reason for a frenzy.