so much for the mild winter, painting update, and mysteries

Our mild winter is scheduled to come to a screeching halt the second week in January as a polar vortex comes spiraling down dropping us into the 20s for two nights. Damn. Everything blooming and still green will die back. This is what's left of the monster rose bush. All that growth was upright but without all the growth underneath supporting it the first windy day blew it over to rest on the ground but I love the puddle of petals at the bottom. Sorry the picture is so dark but it was midday when I was over there and I was facing the sun. 

I’ll have to deal with dead banana trees which is a major pain in the ass chore. And I’ll have to cover the ponytail palm which is another pain in the ass chore especially if it’s windy which it usually is when I’m trying to cover it. And I’ll have to bring in the plumerias and the night blooming cereus which are even bigger than they were last year. The cereus is going to get pruned back some because it is just a monster. The biggest plumeria is planted in the ground and two pots are sunk. I’ve already talked to my grandson about helping me get those out and in the garage next Saturday. In anticipation, I rearranged the garage Sunday and brought the extra folding table in and set it up in front of the etched glass windows in my bedroom for the smaller things and the stag horn which is also bigger and almost too heavy for me to lift. Guess I’ll start moving things in towards the end of the week.

I worked on my painting all weekend. I’m not completely satisfied. I toned down the yellow a little more by adding a light blue wash as suggested by a commenter. The green at the bottom still needs…something. Composition-wise, the green is too even across the top for one thing and I’m thinking the background needs some subtle vertical elements. Also I can’t decide if the green is too dark or not dark enough at the very bottom. If it’s too dark overall, there’s not much I can do about that. So I’m going to just let it sit for a few days. I’ve removed the cut outs protecting the trees so this is how it looks now. I don’t think I need them for whatever I do next if anything but if so I can put them back on. Most of all I keep telling myself that this was a learning exercise. As usual the colors come out a little more saturated than the actual painting with my phone camera.

We’re all aware I’m sure that Jimmy Carter has left this earth. He was a better president than he got credit for I think and robbed of a second term by republicans. Carter had already reached an agreement to get the hostages freed from Iran but Reagan did an illegal backroom deal with Iran to hold them until after the election. Reagan won and thus began the movement of wealth up to the richest Americans and the hollowing out the middle class. After leaving the White House, Carter devoted his life to living his religious beliefs, doing what he could to help and lift up those less fortunate, a rare thing these days. The world is poorer in deed and spirit with his passing.

Two mysteries…

I got an anonymous comment, which I allow, on my last post yesterday, but mostly they are legitimate comments. Not this one. It was one word repeated at least 100 times, one big paragraph of the word ’die’. Why is it haters are always anonymous? Such a cowardly act. Was this supposed to make me sad or fearful? Did my art offend them? They don’t like roses? Or just some rando picking me and that post at random to vent their own unhappiness.

The other big mystery happened today. Got a package delivered from Amazon addressed to me and with the correct address; a bottle CO Q-10 gel caps. I didn’t order them, there is no charge on my credit card, and there is no record of the purchase on the account our family uses. Ah, mystery solved. My brother ordered them but his app had me as the default from when he sent me salmon for the holiday and he didn’t notice.