drawing in progress and cats

I finally stopped dicking around with the violet drawings and plunged ahead with a colored pencil version. I’ve been working on it for an hour or so at a time. Usually until I reach the point where I’m not happy with my progress, can’t seem to get it where I want it (this is a typical stage for me whether I’m drawing, painting or sculpting wax models) and I put it aside. When I return to work on it again it’s never as bad as I seemed to think it was. Except with the sculpting. I always hit that stage where I think I’ll never get it right usually about midway and then it all starts to come together. I think I miss the model making the most about not working in glass anymore, the working in 3 D. Anyway, I’m pretty happy with the way this first drawing is going. Since I haven’t been able to print the picture out that I’m using for reference, I’m working on the drawing in front of my computer.

Edit: as requested by Codex, I’ve added the photo of the violet I’m using for reference.

Not much to report, short forays out in the yard watering pots and moving the sprinkler around. Picked up the pile of tree debris by the driveway and tossed it in the truck on Saturday, then drove it over and picked up the tree debris from Gary’s work and the boys unloaded it onto the burn pile for me. Sunday I mulched two of the front flowerbeds with pine needles after watering them. We had a small brief shower that barely got the ground wet but was very noisy with thunder rumbling so I suppose somewhere was getting a good rain.

When I went across the street late afternoon yesterday to feed the cats Momcat followed me home and if I had given her even half an invitation she would have come in the house. 

She did that Saturday too. Friday morning when I went out Lovey was on the driveway 

and after I came in I looked out the window and there was Twin. Last night when I went out to close the garage not only was Momcat still there but Lovey was too. And this morning when I opened the garage door, Momcat and Lovey were right outside under the car. Cat is not pleased that Lovey is hanging around. 

Some of you may remember that these are the cats that live under my sister’s old house, the one we put on the shop yard for her. The summer before Pam died Momcat showed up and had three kittens over there and Pam started feeding them but she didn’t intend to keep them. She expected that the local animal rescue would help her find them homes. She did trap Momcat who we think was dumped when it became obvious she was about to drop a load of kittens, and got her fixed but couldn’t get any help getting rid of the kittens that were living under her back porch. And then my sister died when the kittens were about 5 months old so I started feeding them with the same intent but the local rescue is less interested in cats than it is in dogs, preferably puppies. I did, over the next few months get them to trust me enough that I managed to get the three boys fixed and by that time they were a bonded trio and I was sure that if I tried to split them up and find homes for them, most likely as barn cats, they would run off and become feral. Plus while they now let me pet them and cuddle them they are distrustful of any other humans other than me and Robin who feeds them on my yoga nights. The boys, Handsome Boy, Lovey, and Twin, are two years old this summer and live under Pam’s house. I lifted one of the skirt panels enough so that they can go in and out for shelter. Momcat, who is not attached to her sons at all, roams a little more but it’s also her home base. And the feral male Ghost who first started showing up last year and now makes himself at home though he still won’t let either of us touch him, so we feed him too.

Thunder was rumbling in the distance when I got up this morning and three hours later the sky was dark and the lightning was, if not right over us, very near with the flash and the bang happening almost simultaneously. Now, an hour later, it seems to have worn itself out. It’s quiet and the sun is shining. Did it bring us any rain? 

No. 

Oh, and I told Blondi Blathers that I would post a picture of the morning glory bush so here it is.