in the midst of the storm

bernie's phone needed to be replenished....
and i am hoping he's left to come home from work
meanwhile tuesday was our anniversary...37 years
it was mainly a day filled with chores....and preparing for this storm

now at the moment, i am sitting on pins and needles worried about him getting home during this
of course his phone needed replenishing... i am purposely keeping it on per call....as we're switching carriers and i don't want to lose a lot of money or of course...sign up for a plan
i wasn't paying attention though (i'm really that tired)

meanwhile
it's snowing out
ahem
i live in a brugel landscape now- and probably it's just as cold....i know it's just as white
in painting news.....
i finished the quail and hope they will forgive me soon
now i have a few paintings to photograph....something like 20 now
i am trying to decide which is next..... continue work on this more detailed nest series....
flesh out the other series?
move on to the teacup/teapot........
i think however it may be time to move on to something a bit more summery....as a LOT of the paintings in the past year or so have been so very cold.....arctic, winter.....
yeah maybe it's time for some sun and greens?
or maybe i need to do some peoples? i keep thinking of the inuit woman with her polar bear son...
she made me so happy while i was painting her
she almost painted herself
maybe i need to start a couple of series.....and set up multiple painting areas?

meanwhile stay warm and safe if you are within our bitter cold winter area
with this never ending snow and ice

more snow, more storms, more shore birds

i guess the ever growing snow mounds have inspired my flooding fears
as i dreamt that there was a HUGE wave/lake out back..... and that it came down the hill and across the front lawn into a lake that was dug right next to my driveway
however apparently i am dreaming in some sort of mirror ...through the looking glass way cause it came down the right side (as i watched through the front windows) and went over to the left......
in the dream THAT was downhill!

shorebird/gull 4

(and the back yard was UP hill in the dream.....)
but it goes to show..... how utterly pervasive this snow pack is for me
HEY you try getting up every few hours for the woodstove and see how your dreams hold up.

meanwhile we struggle with wet wood..... bored poultry
and quail tails
(still not done with that painting)
however i am doing a series of fast shore bird/gull paintings- some good......some not so good.... all
fast.
it takes less time to do the birds then it does to do the backgrounds which are just sort of random
with speckles added -it's to keep my hand/eye going while the quail resolve themselves-- they make me want to do a few 'big paintings'
i also came smack up against some of the limitations of this studio at the moment, no place to cut paper during the winter.
it's not easy during the summer either but i use the woodstove- i don't actually have that option in the winter..(not if i would rather not burn the house down)
so i was looking on craigslist and found flat files.... but right now there are a few marks against them
1) i don't have the money
2) i don't have a way to get them home (they are huge)
3) i don't have a place to put them
4) i don't have space to refinish them in

oye.....but they would solve a few problems.... like taking the bulk paper off the top of the bird cage and the big shelves (where i can't reach it) .....and the top would be the right height and size for cutting paper
(cause i was drooling over a 10 drawer unit)
if i put it on a rolling base...... i would have it made!
i could even mount a roll of water color paper on it and be able to cut that too!

now we are to be getting a few storms over the weekend and next week...with the already over burdened electrical grid... we may lose electric. although ppl has been reinforcing the grid here since sandy.
for me that means keeping cooked foods in the freezer that are easy to reheat and keeping stock pots etc filled with water for us
water for the poultry will be melted snow if the electric goes out
we really need to get the switch put into the circuit breaker box for the gen so we have water-
and i really need to get back to sleep even for an hour or  so
i think the woodstove is going to be ok for a while now

keep safe everyone

i got the fever................ WARNING PHOTO heavy

spring fever it would seems......AGAIN
so these thankfully were on sale at homedepot.....i got three and really would have liked to get more (light blue, a clear purply purple and a white with yellow)--- they looked healthy and are loaded with buds..so they're here now---i have to repot the old ones i have..... and i am going to see about a pebble tray for them
meanwhile we're bracing for a storm..... up to 8'' of snow possible overnight tonight-20 with windchill

i am still wanting a terrarium, but maybe i'll do a water one...... with water plants instead of tropical?
now for today's look back to the archives humor post.......HERE
it is so appropriate for today as it happened during this time of year.....
in painting news.....the quail painting is progressing

oh and...... we have a new duckling..... she is about 3 months old, and had damage to her foot with the extreme cold ......so she came here to live.... bernie is torn about it.....he feels bad for her but at the same time, doesn't want another duck
she's very very scared..... she saw her nestmate/brother get dispatched and processed right before she came. they don't forget that.
so she's resting in her crate..... today i have to bath her and clip her wings
i think she'll be ok, and if i could only convince one of the girls to accept her we'll be great.....it would be best if the younger girls accepted her.....as she is their niece
and we're going to need a name for her i think.....no?

in cooking......i am working my way through chopmeat, (1.99 a pound at giants- i got about 20 pounds and then they ran out...so i got a raincheck too)

chili
meatloaf
salisbury steak
enchiladas

all for the freezer

ok everyone....those who are facing this storm......stay warm and safe
those who aren't
enjoy your week
i am going to start cooking now while watching the snow get heavier

take good care......