Monday was a rainy day here at the ranch.
I had intended to go into Waco and get my hair cut and have a pedicure...
but it turned out to be a rain event so I did art instead.
I had started several projects the last time we were here so I picked up where I'd left off.
Second session on all of them....
One more at least to finish ....maybe two. And then a glaze after it's dry.
It's a step by step process.
It never starts off looking like the desired painting.
Now this bee was a fun thing to do!
The background was dry (painted last time we were here) so it only took 15 minutes or less to paint in the bee! I am loving palette knife painting!
This painting was hanging in our den and it just bothered me.
Something wasn't right.
So I brought it down here with us and I 'fixed' it.
Took the white off from the center of his coat....
shortened the white cuffs all around and added shades to the white critters.
Much better.
We have been eating simple meals.....easy meals.
I like to bake potatoes in the ashes of the prior evening's campfire.
This trip - for me - has been about doing art.
It rained all day Monday and Tuesday was cloudy but dry....until it wasn't later.
Mr. Jackson has some new calves and I slip shodded over the wet field to get a picture of this baby.
It's amazing but there was another baby right behind this one. I couldn't believe it doesn't show up in this photo. When I moved a few steps over to snap a pic of it - the mama cow noticed me and they all took off!
The mesquite trees are so plentiful over there that they can easily hide out in them.
Mr. Jackson mowed down all the mesquites in this pasture last year - and they multiplied many times over! That's NOT the way to get rid of them as I am sure he knows by now!
I painted right up until 4:00 on Tuesday and then showered and cleaned up for our monthly bee meeting. I did NOT want to smell like turpentine!
We meet in China Springs, Texas at an open air church pavilion.
Plenty of space for social distancing.
Hopefully, by January we will be back at the college in McLennan County.
The best thing about our monthly bee meeting is going out to dinner with Rosey and Sherry!
Friends and family are so very important and Rosey and I connected almost immediately.
We met 13 months ago and our friendshipcontinues to grow!
Don't you love the way God brings people into our lives?
Rosey is so special....she's rather a private person as far as social media goes.....but to know her is to love her. She is a 30 year military veteran and I am in awe of and appreciate her service to our country.
She is so much FUN! Every once in awhile, God blesses us with special friends.....and Rosey is one of God's blessings to me.
We had dinner at El Conquistador in Bellmead and it was delicious!!
Sherry and I came home and left the vehicle up on the gravel road while she walked me down to our camper/cabin. Louis Dean saw us coming and turned the truck lights on to light our way.
Turns out he had such a trauma evening and was so relieved that I was back home.
The electricity had gone off in the front room - and then blinked back on - and then went off again.
In trying to figure out the problem - he managed to turn the electricity off in the camper!
Then he really went beserk!
While trying to resolve that - he was in the shop next door to the camper where the meter box is - and when he came out the door - he slid down in the mud.
By now he was at the point of no return - at least for that day!
He tried to call his son but couldn't remember how to use his new phone.
Not that it would have done him any good since Dean had left his phone in his truck.
SO Louis Dean walked down to Dean's place in the dark and in the mud to ask him for help.
Dean is always willing to step in and help in any way he can. For friends. For family. For anyone.
He managed to get the lights back on in the camper and they ran an extension cord to plug in one lamp in the front room. Thank the Lord for Dean! He was a lifesaver to his dad.
Louis Dean did NOT want me to come home to NO electricity!!
Sherry walked me down to the camper and then Dean walked Sherry back to her truck while Louis Dean and I sat in the front room and visited by the light of that single lamp.
It took two hours for Louis Dean to calm down enough to go to bed.
He was so discombobulated I was beginning to wonder if he would ever calm down.
I prayed before going to sleep that he would wake up with a clear mind and be able to figure out how to fix it.....and so he did. It took him less than an hour this morning and all was back to normal!
This was my last day to do art and I managed to paint on every one of my projects.
What I didn't do the other two days - I did today.
I really had fun painting this one!
My second session on this still life.
The bag will be filled with lavender and there's many more details to paint in - next time!
I didn't spend as much time on the last two Santas......
twins to the ones I did earlier this week.
This time of year is hard for me with my allergies.
Today was one of those days.
I felt flat and lifeless but I pushed on for awhile and then I went to bed in the girl bunk....
and I stayed there for a few hours. Not really sleeping but at least resting.
Around 4:00 I finally got up and started supper....
a roast with veggies....butternut squash, potatoes, onions, celery, mushrooms and carrots.
I used a packet of dry Ranch dressing and a whole can of beer.
It was delicious!
My first real cooked meal since we have been here.
In other news......
Amber is taking care of Tabitha and Samantha while we are gone.
That's Ginger (Amber's kitten) on top of the tower.....
and Samantha below and Tabitha on the bottom.
Amber and Mike also have an adult male cat - Bandit.
This morning, Amber noticed Tabitha had been blinking and shutting her left eye.
Upon looking at it, Amber noticed it was swollen and looked cloudy.
She immediately called and got an appointmemt with her vet -who sees ALL of our kittens...
my two and Amber's Ginger and Benjamin's Klaus.
Turns out she had a pretty deep scratch on her cornea.....probably from playing with her sisters.
Praise God that was all it was and she was given numbing drops and a couple of medicines to reduce possible infection and help with the pain.
Amber took her home and here she is with Bandit.
He's the adult among them and seems to enjoy the kittens and is there for them when they need him.
Amber is so good to her critters!!
She really pays attention to her pets as well as her children and family.
You can see Tabitha's left eye is a bit cloudy.....
More so in this photo and Amber said this was even better than before.
I am so thankful for her taking care of my sweet kitty!
We are missing them but they have had so much fun with their sister and the quads.
But you know what?
I think both Tabitha and Samantha love Amber best of all!
17 comments:
Linda - it is you who is the treasured friend. I think everyone who reads your blog will agree with me!
Linda...with all the chaos going on in the world,it's always a joy to read your posts....poor LD.....that must have been a bit upsetting to you....hope all goes well!
Love the tree of 3! So cute and oh no ld's traumatic events. When Murphy visits he always visits on more than one thing. So glad Dean was available to help and I like seeing that all of you were there for all of you walking each other back and forth and taking care of each other
Oh my gracious! I would have been discombobulated, too, with all that and a fall into the mud. So glad that Dean was able to help. Glad, too, that sleep and rest brought clarity about what needed doing to fix the problem. Some of my finest problem solving happens at night.
Glad that you are resting as needed, too. Life can be one roller coaster thrill after another.
Love the paintings and the meal looks and sounds amazing. BTW, I have never had a baked potato done in the ashes. I must tell my daughter about that now that she is having fires in the evening.
Oh what a time Louis Dean had of it! But what a blessing Dean was there and you to comfort, calm, and pray for him. Your paintings are lovely and I thank you for letting us see them. Blessings on your day!
I'm glad both LD and your kitty are okay. I would have felt so frustrated if I was in LD shoes! Thankful that a good sleep did the trick.
Rosey sounds like a fun person who has lived an interesting life. Glad God gave you a new friend.
Your paintings are so fun to look at. You are very talented, but I love mostly that you love the creative process and then gift your paintings to others.
Poor LD. Things like that can be very upsetting. So glad you made it home and able to settle him down and he was able to get it all fixed the next morning. I think it must be wonderful to be able to paint but it also requires much patience. That roast sound wonderful:)
Linda, I wondered about the rains there. Glad you got home to LD when you did. He was just shook up. I am thankful Dean was there for his dad. What a great son. Sherry is good to you too, walking you to the camper. Bless there hearts. Oh those poor kittens. My great grandsons were here outside yesterday. they chalked the driveway and were running a bit and Luke fell...broke my heart. I told his mom bring him in n wash him off. She said she did not want to germ up the house. I told her I would wipe it down when they were gone. Ted and I wore Our mask the whole time. But just like the kittens kids get hurt playing. I have to admit it did my heart so much good hearing those boys and seeing them play. I want our lives back. I pray for all of this world LInda. Blessings, stay safe, xoxo, love you guys,Susie
I'm glad that both your kitty and LD are fine. Your paintings are wonderful. I especially love the painting of the boots and sunflowers. It reminded me of my Mom who loved sunflowers the best of all. Stay safe!
Carol :)
My favorite paintings are the bee and the flower filled boots, I LOVE both of them so much!!! So did Louis Den find out why the electricity had turned off? Good thing Dean was there, and to the rescue! Poor little Tabitha! Good thing Amber was so observant, and caught this before it could get worse. But good luck getting those drops in her eye! We were never able to manage that.
I loved seeing all the art work you are doing. I haven't done anything since all this mess with the corona virus started. I just haven't been inspired to do so. But yes it's a wonderful way to spend a rainey day. Glad the kittens are being well cared for and having fun. They are just like children.
Now where do I begin, I just love your life Linda, not the episode with Lewis Dean being traumatized, I am happy that everything is back to normal,and allis well!
I also love, and admire your artistic ability, with a bit of jealousy in it, so beautiful,!
I agree about how important family and friends to us!
the kitties are so adorable, happy the eye is healing, cats are so playful with each other. we recently acquired two and it looks as though one will be having some babies soon, wasn't expecting that though.
Enjoy your special time at the ranch.
Thank you for visiting and for your sweet comment.
Sue
Your art work is a joy to behold.
I love your style and love the boots one especially.
So glad LD got things straightened out and that Dean could help.
Family...that's what it's all about.
Stay dry and enjoy the rest of your time down in Paradise..
Sue
So glad Tabitha is making a good recovery. It's great to make new friends and surprising to me that it's happened in the midst of the pandemic. Because I'm not running around so much, I've gotten to know neighborhood acquaintances much better. My rooftop lunch was spent with acquaintances that are becoming friends. What a gift in this difficult time. Grateful, too, for new blog buddies "met" in the last while. Take care!
Poor little kitty... Have fun at the ranch. Cheers
Oh poor little Tabitha!!--I can definetly see the difference in her eye, thank goodness she got her to the vet and she is on the way to full healing!--I just love both your lil kitties and love seeing pictures of them and their playful adventures as they grow up and learn the world. Cute picture of your and your friend Rosey and those big pretty drinks--pina coladas? margaritas?--I know you love margaritas. I think you should paint the picture of the baby calf by the fence, it's so cute! Glad y'all are safe and enjoying the country!
AND a very happy birthday and year to come! Cheers
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