Monday, January 19, 2026

Better Late Than Never

I lay in bed this morning watching the shade move in and out with the breeze coming in the window over my head. It was a very cold breeze. I berated myself that I hadn't plastic-ed the window sooner, like before the new bed arrived when I could have done it from the security of the step stool instead of being on top of the squishy mattress that kept trying to tip me off balance. But I took my time and kept the tape and scissors in my hoodie's pouch so I didn't have to keep leaning over to get things off the nightstand. And survived. I'm considering just leaving the plastic there after winter because I can't guarantee I'll be brave (or foolish) enough to do it again next winter.

 

I can show you how windy it was today. When it (eventually) stopped snowing the day before yesterday the snow was a smooth blanket of white. This morning that changed. Look at the way the wind sculpted the snow in the backyard. Just to the left of this picture the grass is partly exposed because the wind blew all the snowflakes to the right. I don't even want to know how much snow encroached on my nice clear driveway but I'm not going out to shovel it because it's just too darned cold. It got up to 4 degrees today but the feels like temperature was in the -15 degree range. I have to go out to get a haircut tomorrow morning and then I'll go to the grocery on the way home and stay inside for the rest of the week if I can manage it. It was also clear and sunny today. I love the sunny part but I'm not a fan of the bitter cold and the strong wind.

 

Today's drawings are a Toaster & Refrigerator. Fun to draw and color. Five more pages to draw in this book and then I'm on to something new.

 


The watercolor today is Soft Blue Flax. I don't know that I've ever seen it in real life but it was fun to paint because I used a filbert brush. Its bristles are basically the shape of the petals so I could use it like a stamp. I want to try painting this one again to see if I can't get better at spacing the petals.

 

I wrote 726 words today, words of conflict. Yay, me! We all know how conflict-averse I am so I was very pleased with myself for putting Iggy in a situation that Rose misinterpreted and stormed away from. Maybe I can do it again tomorrow. I started by rereading the critiqued part of the manuscript to see if I could insert some emotion and conflict but only managed to do a little editing and break that beginning part into chapters. Baby steps.

--Barbara 

1 comment:

Aunt Barb said...

You are Wonder Woman!! I can see you wobbling around standing on the bed! But you got the job done. Nothing can stop you.