Spring?

To lay the background for this tale of woe, you need to know that yesterday and the day before it got up to 61 degrees. The Cardinal visited the platform feeder at around 9 o'clock this morning when it was 36 degrees, cold and overcast...

...and then it came back around noon. Notice the difference? At noon it was still 36 degrees but by then it was SNOWING. And it hasn't stopped since. There isn't much accumulation, maybe half an inch, but it's sleety, rainy, wet, slushy, crappy snow. I am very glad that I didn't have to go anywhere today. Also it's supposed to get up to 50 degrees the next two days. Arrgh!

Next week is time for the next bout of Investment Cooking so I took some time this afternoon, pulled out a bunch of recipes, and made a shopping list. I'll go to the grocery on Monday, hopefully get everything I need, so I can dive right in. I'm tempted to go on Sunday so I can hit the ground running on Monday but I'm afraid that the store will be crowded and short on inventory on Sunday. I'll give it some thought.

The drawing today is of a peaceful dove. At least that's what the author of the 15-Minute Artist book calls it. I usually use a mechanical pencil to draw but she recommended using the side of the pencil to shade and mechanical pencils don't have sides. I had to use a real pencil, the kind that OJ likes, and I have to admit that shading was a bit easier. Maybe I'll add one of those old-fashioned pencils to my pencil case.

I really enjoyed painting today's watercolor. I was going to paint the palm fronds but then I tried using the end of a flat brush like a stencil brush and it worked great. I'm very pleased with the way the leaves turned out, I wish I could have a do-over on the flower but it's only Day 5 of the great watercolor experiment so I have to give myself a break. I'll take another stab at this picture in a week or so, or maybe I'll practice just the flower.

I got to 7" on the Barn Owl Sock foot tonight at Friday Night Knitting. I'll try it on before I go any further to make sure that the foot's long enough before adding the toe decreases. The last sock I made turned out a little short so I want to make sure before I forge ahead.

Today's toss was a Straw Bale Gardening book. I had a landscaper over this morning to talk about taking out the garden, fixing the slope behind it, and planting grass. I realized that year that I gardened for Durwood and that I can go to a Farmer's Market 3 blocks from home every Thursday all summer so I don't need to grow my own tomatoes.

I'm afraid that having the landscaper over is what brought the snow. I have no illusions about him being able to start the work anytime soon but I wanted to get on the schedule. Right now the ground is frozen and it would be impossible to do the job before sometime in late April, I think.

--Barbara