Still Five

I was almost afraid to look down when I went out to get the mail this afternoon but I did and I was so glad to see that there are still five tulips getting ready to bloom. They look like they're going to be pink but that's okay. Pink is light red, right? That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I was so excited to see a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak on the platform feeder three times today. It's just a springtime visitor so I was lucky to see it but not lucky enough to take its picture. Every time I'd slowly reach for the camera and every time just as soon as I'd get it off the table the darned bird flew away. So this picture is from a few years ago but I couldn't tell you about my avian visitor without a picture.

Today's Daily Practice was more bugs--a rhino scarab beetle and a made-up bug. And we painted them on the same sheet of paper as yesterday. And we'll paint tomorrow's smaller bugs on the same sheet too. I'm a big fan of the way both of today's bugs turned out. I was better at making bug legs today.

The lilacs are opening a little more every day. It was so windy today that I was afraid they'd get blown all to pieces but they hung in there.

I was frustrated at some of the comments I received from the Novel critique group today. Not really frustrated by the comments but frustrated at my inability to figure out how to implement them. So I got out the sketchbook, the pens, and 20 Ways to Draw a Butterfly and got to work. I never thought I'd get to the point where I use drawing to relax but I did today and it helped. After I drew this page of flying things I was able to come back here and rearrange a few things in the manuscript and delete a bunch of food talk which the critique group calls chit-chat. I'm not sure I see it that way but I'm outnumbered.

 

And today's Gratitude Journal was short and sweet. Just the sunny day, the Grosbeak, and the watercolor bugs. It was enough.

Today was sheet changing day. A king size bed has really big sheets. I feel like I've walked a mile going back and forth around the bed tucking and spreading and folding and tucking. It's a big job. I keep thinking that a king size bed is way too much bed for one little old lady but I can't really justify the cost of a queen size bed when I have a perfectly good bed already.

--Barbara