object #4 and random pics

My life in 100 objects. Object #4 is my ponytail palm. 

This was a wedding gift from one of the guys that Marc worked with at the Hughes Tool factory where he was working when I met him and was still working when we got married. The ponytail palm was small and unpotted when Henry showed up with it at our wedding. I remember a picture of Henry sitting on the couch holding it around the one neck with it balanced on his knee but a quick run through of the picture album from that day did not turn it up. I wish it had so you could see how it started and how it is now. Or maybe it’s just a memory in my head, seeing Henry sitting there with it on his knee. Regardless, I potted it up and over the years it sprouted two more necks, kept growing getting put in ever larger pots. Eventually it got so big that it couldn’t be moved around and it lived on the driveway in front of the garage converted into the shop. 

The last time I repotted it it went in a 3’ diameter formed plastic circular pond in which it continued to grow until it burst the sides of the pond and was probably about 8’ tall, up to the eave of the shop surviving our light freezes during the winters, too big to even think about trying to cover. Then we had a winter that went into the 20s  that killed my plumeria tree that was in the ground and froze the ponytail necks all the way to the bulb. I was afraid that the whole thing had frozen but it sprouted new growth in the spring. A few years later when we bought the shop across the street out here and we sold the Houston property we managed to get that enormous and heavy busted pond full of ponytail palm bulb in the truck and brought it out here where I planted it in the ground on the shop property on the south side of the concrete bunker with the help of my grandson. Of the last four winters that have sent temperatures into the 20s even though I covered it, during the first two all the new growth froze to the bulb, but the last two, last winter and the one before it, I managed to cover it more effectively and the necks have survived. They aren’t tall enough to be seen and it has at least 24 sprouted all over the bulb which you also can’t see because the leaves hang almost to the ground. It looks much like Cousin It, a big round bulb with a mop top and is now almost four feet in diameter. Just for perspective, that concrete wall behind it is 4’ high. I have had this plant for as long as Marc and I have been married…48 years.

Other random pictures…

I turned a tub over that was upside down over behind Pam’s house and this little lady was hiding within.

One of the leeks from making the potato leek soup. I love how they look sliced in half lengthwise.

Minnie on a cold morning. She was in my lap and I had gotten up to get a cup of coffee. She was peeking out from the blanket covering her when I came back.

The pink heritage rose in the flowerbed in back. I’m going to have to prune it back some this spring. I don’t want it getting bigger.

This is a Christmas decoration in a neighbor’s yard on the next street over. It reminds more of Hansel and Gretel than Christmas. 

dreams, painting progress, origami

I dreamed about my sister last night. There were two scenes. The first one I was walking into a space to see Pam and a woman I didn’t know was there and told me she and Pam were going to make skirts and my sister was pulling out her dresses from a closet and hanging them up on a hook. Pam said the woman thought she should make her dresses into skirts. What about the skirts you and I made (this never happened in life), I asked. (A man’s name I can’t remember) borrowed it she said and hasn’t returned it yet. That she was going to do this with someone else made me sad and I left. The second scene I was going to lunch with some people, one was a man I had just met, at a cafeteria or someplace like that and we had to get in line but I heard that my sister was outside and I went down some stairs to find her leaving the other people behind. She was there with another woman. I asked her why she was being with people I didn’t know when I hadn’t seen or heard from her in a week. The other woman gestured to Pam and pointed out that she was pregnant. You have a whole new life and new friends that don’t include me I said, to which she did not reply. Well, I have to go feed the cats, I said and walked off feeling immensely sad and then I woke up near tears.

I think I should be happy. I think maybe this dream was telling me that Pam is well and having a good life with new people and pregnant. In this life she had to have a hysterectomy after her second daughter was born premature. She wouldn’t be able to carry another baby because her uterus was not strong enough. I hope she is happy in this new life because I don’t think she was happy in this one, not really. I could elaborate on that about why but I won’t. There were good things, of course, but life just didn’t turn out for her the way she desired.

When I went back to sleep I dreamed that I went to an art gallery that was having the opening of a show but it was just a big warehouse type building filled with trestle tables and where food was being served buffet style. The ends of the tables were about 5’ from the wall with the art so that you couldn’t step back to look at it, just up close. The art was kind of modern and not very good I thought. After I had gotten to the end of the wall I turned to my left to leave when the man I had just met in the dream about Pam was coming toward me. He took my hand and said let’s find someplace to sit so we can talk and then I woke up.

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I worked on my painting more on Sunday and Monday, haven’t had any time for it since so maybe Friday I can work on it some more. Reposting the most recent version so you can see the progress more clearly.

This is the current state after working on it two more days.

Yesterday was the origami ornament workshop. We made two, a big one 6 1/2” in diameter (blue) and a small one 3 1/3” in diameter (white). Robin picked it up quickly and finished her two before I did, but then I wasted time working on the tassel on the big one. The top and bottom were made separately and then stuck together with double sided tape which was the hardest part for me.

I got my first ‘are you ready for Christmas’ question today at the dentist’s office getting my teeth cleaned. I expect to be asked that many times in the next week, especially at SHARE tomorrow. I don’t bother explaining that I don’t do Christmas, just smile with my standard answer, ‘ready as I’ll ever be’. And by that I mean avoiding as much of the christmas ads on TV for christmas movies and merchandise, the christmas music in stores, and the questions about my supposed christmas celebration as possible.

One more thing. Those two cold nights in the 30s last week finally triggered color in whatever leaves hadn’t drifted down yet. My ginkgos were bright yellow, the crepe myrtles in the area were orange torches, the tallow trees were bright red, other trees varying shades of orange and yellow. All this color has been followed by a massive leaf drop. My pecans, gingkos, oaks, tallows, and crepe myrtles are all but bare now and the yard is covered with a layer of leaves

 

painting progress and other activity

I started on my painting Friday, got the first base color on the two large trunks. Now that it’s dry the color is a little darker than I wanted so I may try lifting some pigment off with a wet paper towel. I used different techniques on each one. The one on the right was color on dry paper and the one on the left was color on wet paper. The one on the left came out more uniform. Still have to do a lot of work on each one.

Last Thursday before yoga class I mentioned my most recent drawing and showed it to Stephanie and Susan and then showed them some of the other drawings, pictures on my phone. Stephanie runs Hesed House and they have a little market in the Welcome Center of handmade items from local artisans and some food stuff like the local honey and she said they are always looking for new items to add and what did I think about making prints of my drawings or even the originals as there was some nice wall space that needed something or note cards. I’d been thinking of having some note cards made with a selection of my drawings but it never occurred to me to have numbered prints made to be framed and hung. So Friday I talked to my kids, Sarah and Aaron, who both work in a print shop that has the equipment and skills to make quality prints and notecards. So, that’s happening. Sarah is going to come get my sketchbook and get the drawings scanned in and work up some samples for me to decide on size and paper.

I signed Robin and I up for a workshop next Tuesday at Hesed House. A woman is doing a series of little craft projects. The first was pressed flower tea towels which I missed. This next one is origami Christmas ornaments. You all know I don’t do Christmas, will not be putting these on a Christmas tree but I love origami and what the hell, why not? One of the first things I taught my grandkids to do when they got old enough to accurately fold paper was origami. 

Today is sunny but Saturday was mostly overcast with some sun peeking out now and then but most importantly, warm! A friend asked if the pink trumpet flower bush made seeds, it doesn’t, because she would like to have one. So I went over and cut three green stick cuttings and two hardwood cutting to see if I could get one to root for her. The hardwood and one of the green stick cuttings are dipped in rooting compound and in a small pot of dirt and in plastic bags to make a miniature greenhouse ( my sister’s trick). The other two green stick cuttings are in water so we’ll see if I have some success. If Pam were still alive I’d give the cuttings to her and she would hand me back 5 new plants. 

Remember that cheap $14 bird feeder I bought that turned out to be…cheap? 

I enlarged two of the slots a little but it still doesn’t allow the seed to flow easily and the cupped dish that holds the seed also holds water when it rains. It had three tiny holes that were supposed to drain the water. Guess what, they don’t so yesterday I used a screwdriver and a hammer to punch 5 bigger holes in the tray.

Here’s my progress yesterday on the painting. I tend to overwork stuff and I definitely did on these tree trunks, kept adding and lifting pigment and degraded the paper in a few places trying to get it to look more like the picture. So last night as I was going to bed I had a sort of epiphany. The picture is the source of inspiration, not what the painting needs to or should be. So I hope I’ll be less anal, as my friend Gene would say, going forward.

excess crop, Ghost, the Evils

A morning prism cast on the wall behind me.

Allison commented on my last post asking if I had changed my font size because it was so small she had to enlarge it to read it. The answer is no, but anyone else have that problem? I write in Avenir Book font size 14, copy and paste into the create-a-post form on Blogger. I can increase the font size but the next largest is 18 which seems too big to me. The other thing I can do is change the size to ‘medium’ from ‘normal’ once it’s in the create-a-post form (which I’m doing this post). So what say you, my readers?

Another weird thing that happened to me on the Blogger dashboard for a few days was the Reading List was only showing me posts from 5 years ago or older. I discovered that I can select specific blogs on the reading list and get the current posts that way but it seems to have resolved itself as I’m getting current posts again.

Yesterday was a food delivery day from the regional food bank at SHARE. They had asked Jan if she wanted carrots and cabbages. She said she’d take two bags of carrots and one of cabbages. They sent 7 or 8 of carrots and at least 8 of cabbage. The mesh bags of carrots must have weighed 30 lbs if they weighed an ounce, maybe more, probably more, and the mesh bags of cabbage had 8 enormous heads each and were so heavy I couldn’t even pretend to pick one up. Just shoving one aside was effort enough. It looked like some local farmer donated his excess crop to the food bank and they were trying to get rid of it. Needless to say, everybody got an abundant amount of carrots and cabbages and we still didn’t give them all away. We also got I don’t know how many 20 lb bags of potatoes and large bags of small apples. Jan had the carrots split up into plastic grocery bags. These are the ones I’m taking to my neighbor. I don't know if you can tell how big that cabbage is in the picture but it was huge.

I may have mentioned that a black feral cat has been slinking up to eat after Robin or I feed the four outdoor cats, Momcat and her three sons. Initially he would wait by the back corner of the shop until the humans left and the four had eaten and he would come eat what was left. Then Robin started talking to him and he has gotten braver, approaching closer and finally coming to eat while she was out there and while the other cats were eating. Then she named him Ghost. Now he’s gotten used to me and Minnie. Minnie would chase him at first but I would call her back. Now he stands his ground when she runs at him which totally perplexes the dog. Tuesday I was over there petting and feeding the four. I put the bag of food back in the shed, turned around to get the water bowls and there he was. Ghost is aptly named.

He came in to eat while I was getting fresh water and setting the bowls back under the porch albeit keeping a wary eye on me. I hope at some point we are able to trap him and get him fixed too.

Tuesday I drove to the Shopping Mecca in Rosenberg. I had bought a 5” x 5” frame at Michael’s earlier for the drawing but I didn’t notice that it was not set up for hanging on the wall which is what I want. Actually what I wanted was a 6” x 6” frame but they didn’t have one. Well, damn. Now I was going to have to go the Evil Hobby Lobby which has a better selection of frames. So, Tuesday I drove out there and dammit, they didn’t have one either. I consoled myself about the wasted trip by reminding myself that at least I didn’t give them any of my money. Then I got our champagne for New Year’s as long as I was in Mecca. Once home I found exactly what I wanted on the Evil Amazon (don’t have a lot of choices out here in the boonies…Evil Empire, Evil Hobby Lobby, Evil Amazon so it’s pick your poison). It’s supposed to be delivered today. It’ll be Monday before I can get it in the mail so I hope it gets to its destination before Christmas.

Tuesday and Wednesday nights were our coldest nights so far, down in the 30s. Warmed up fast on Thursday, not terrible this morning, in the 60s, but overcast and wet with light rain off and on so today’s activity will be to start on my next painting. It’s just an exercise really, an overdone subject of aspen trees just to work on skills and technique so I’m not really invested in the end product. Later I plan on making potato leek soup for dinner.

 

good food, color charts, stupidity

Buddha in the garden.

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Well, damn. No picture of my salad, no picture of the food laden table. Everything was so good…chicken and dumplings, enchilada casserole, clusters of green beans with bacon wrapped around the middle looking like miniature sheaves, corn and rice casserole, fresh fruit, my salad, deviled eggs, and more and that doesn’t even cover the desserts. And it was nice to have all the volunteers there, most all, a few were absent; the Monday group that deals with donations and other stuff but not open to the public and the Thursday group. As usual a prayer preceded the eating. I just stand there quietly and politely without bowing my head. I have no issue with the wishes for good health and being grateful for community and the good things in your life but the submissive appealing to the big daddy in the sky for granting those things or giving him credit for the same is where we part ways. 

Actually, here’s what’s left of my salad moved into a much smaller bowl. I didn’t bring home very much.

I haven’t started on my painting yet but I have been working on getting the last box of paints my friend sent me added to the color chart…a rectangle with straight pigment on dry paper and one with diluted pigment on wet paper. It helps me choose what colors to use in a painting. This last box, the pigments are very strong, dense.

This was the first chart I made of the three small tins. I need to redo it with the larger format.

I looked out the back door the other morning to see half a dozen or so inca doves all fluffed up on the little patio right outside the door in plain sight. I snuck away to get my phone/camera but when I looked again they had moved to the left among the pots there so they’re a little obscured.

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News is that the man who shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has been arrested. I can only surmise that he wanted to be caught and arrested. They found the gun, the suppressor, the fake ID, the clothing, and a 3 page ‘manifesto’ on his person when approached and arrested, well maybe not the clothing but they did recover that also. Clearly the man has never watched a crime show. The first thing he should have done was dispose of the weapon, ID, and clothing and for all the gods’s sakes don’t carry around a 3 page manifesto. If I have learned nothing from watching General Hospital it’s how to dismantle and dispose of a gun after a shooting. So how did health insurance companies react to the killing of a CEO? Did they send out orders to stop denying tests, procedures, and care recommended by doctors? Oh, hell no, they beefed up security around their board members.

And last from the Department of  Disconnect, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk are going around spouting about the ‘deep state’ in government, the unelected bureaucrats running this country into the ground, and how they are going to purge the government. They seem to have completely missed that fact that they are themselves unelected bureaucrats.

 

wet winter weekend

The weekend was cold and wet, Sunday not as cold but still unpleasant and I rarely ventured out. Wasn’t really raining, just drizzly, wet. Saturday the dog and cat went out briefly a couple of times, relieved to come back in. Sunday Minnie stuck her nose out the back door a couple of times and, nope. Cat on the other hand wanted out until I let her out and 20 minutes later dashed in when I checked on her and then about an hour later wanted out the front door, convinced there would be different weather out that door. She was sorely disappointed, came in and fussed at me. This is how Minnie spent the weekend.

Saturday I only went out twice, once with the dog long enough for her to take care of her business and then later to go feed the outdoor kitties, Sunday only once for the same reason (three of the four in the picture…Momcat, Handsome Boy, and Lovey.) 

In between I finished the drawing I was working on and tried to make headway in my book. I’m reading The Book Of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Milville about a timelessly old warrior who cannot be killed, who has seen the rise and fall of empires so old no trace or memory is left. Well, he can die but he resurrects forming a whole new body. I picked it out at the library, thought it would be interesting but it’s hard going to get invested in. The writing style is a little difficult and a little hard to follow, starting in modern times with zero explanation, though it seems to be getting a little easier, she says, until the next segment I read from sometime in the far past. I’m only 80 pages in out of 337 at this point.

Sunday I got out my watercolors and prepared to do another painting, another landscape, transferring the major vertical lines to the paper though I didn’t actually start the painting. Today is the annual holiday potluck lunch at SHARE and I still have to make my contribution this morning.

Also today, I have to call the dentist to reschedule my teeth cleaning…again. They called and canceled the first time because the hygienist wasn’t coming in that day and rescheduled me for last Wednesday 3 pm. I got there on time, waited half an hour and decided if I waited any longer I would not have the time to get to yoga that evening so I told them I couldn’t wait any longer and rescheduled it for 11 am Tuesday. But it’s not a good time or day either since that’s the day I do my grocery shopping in the morning. I’m a little annoyed about it all anyway since last time I had to wait about 45 minutes. I’m going to tell them that if she’s running more than a half hour behind again to call and tell me before I show up on time as the office is only about 5 minutes away. As it turned out, I didn’t go to yoga last Wednesday because although I checked the radar in advance when I started out it was drizzling and getting heavier, not a condition I want to drive on the highway in the dark in. So I turned around and came back and I’d only gone the equivalent of a few blocks. It’s still overcast and heavy with fog and dew outside today with rain predicted but it’s going to be warm, low 80s. And now I need to go make the salad I’m taking.

The picture at the top is the pink trumpet flower shrub still blooming profusely. This is the best it’s ever done, just as full of blooms on the other side.

 

side eye and laying low

We’ve been in a news blackout since shortly after the election. The TV is off until later in the day when all the ‘news’ shows are over. We’re not totally ignoring what’s going on, just sick of the appeasing in advance mainstream media who only seem to find fault with democrats. While I’ve been keeping a side eye on the republican creepy clown show and the devastation they plan once in office with not one appointee actually being qualified for the intended office (if you want to destroy something put idiots and enemies in charge), via social media accounts that refuse to appease and actually report what’s going on, I’ve not wanted to get down in the muck to write about it, for now at least, trying to enjoy the last few weeks of an administration that actually cares about this country and the people in it. Although I have to say that the thieving drunken rapist Hegseth getting his mommy to make phone calls and do interviews to tell everyone that, really, he is a very good boy and promises not to drink if appointed to head the vast military complex is the height of infantilism. What is this, the Romper Room? And he’s complaining that he’s being ‘Kavanaughed’. By that I guess he means people are pointing out his drunkenness. Well, Kavanaugh got the appointment so there is that.

It’s been cold here, dipping down in the 40s at night with highs varying from 40s to 60s and will continue in that vein so, yeah, it’s what passes for winter here. Our 5 days of predicted rain materialized one day of light rain and drizzle. Almost an insult. We do need rain.

Another busy day at SHARE yesterday. We filled 41 food orders, our second busiest day since I’ve been there I think. Our busiest day? The Thursday before Thanksgiving. I had not asked how many food orders we filled before I flew out to get to my mammogram appointment (which if you recall was postponed to the next day because their computer system went down), so I inquired yesterday. 61. Busiest day ever. For now. A year or two into the next administration might put that number to shame.

I haven’t been doing much otherwise, walking the dog, going to yoga. I’m working on a new drawing but I won’t post a picture yet because the person for whom it is intended reads here sometimes I think and I want it to be a surprise.

I don’t even have any good pictures to post. Here’s Cat laying on some paperwork I needed to fill out

and a garden spider who set up housekeeping over at Pam’s house.