sony nex5r

looks to be my replacement camera for shooting artworks
i have rewards points, and it's on sale at bestbuys.com
i have been saving gift cards.... so this won't cost me much out of pocket at all and i am hoping that by monday i can start to upload files to the copyright office for my batch copyrights
then.....
i will start to submit directly to manufacturers
and continue to submit to agents


if bernie is ok...we'll pick it up tomorrow
he's not feeling too good right now
he seems to have gotten a rotovirus

i was on my way downstairs and he was moaning in agony in the bathroom
i dropped EVERYTHING
he wouldn't let me call 911
he wouldn't let me take him to the hospital or the emergency clinic....he really was in that much pain-
so i gave him a huge barf bag and put him back to bed with pedialyte
and checked on him every hour
he's got to get up and leave for work soon
i am making him broth with rice

in neighbor news they had the line 'surveyed'
i called their surveyor who admitted that his crew did it
i called both the surveyors who did our surveys and told them that this surveyor disagreed with them

that is thanks to a surveyor in town that told me to let the surveyors fight it out first
then if that wasn't satisfactory ......get a third one and take them all to court

oye

guardedly optimistic

today it is raining..... pretty steady out
ok so the laundry is getting rewashed and i don't have cat towels so they get a reprieve from the twice weekly baths-- although in a way i think they like them as i get to hug and cuddle them for a while
one on one
then they get fancy feast

anyway......
humidity makes fleas hatch along with vibrations and heat
i have been walking around in the humid house
not too many fleas on me so far
for which i am grateful

i had planned on spraying down here again today and doing the bedroom after bernie left for work but due to the rain i can't (no cat towels- as the house and them need to all be done pretty much at once)

so tomorrow

i am guardedly optimistic that we are through the worst of this- i still feel crawly though
i called bayer, which makes advantage topical flea control for cats (and dogs but i am talking about cats)
they weren't too helpful however.....
so i still don't know if i can use that stuff on mine safely
i think if we can use it.....we are done with the fleas then

just in case we are going to bomb over the weekend and spray around the house outside
i still can't figure out how three indoor only house cats got this much fleas

up next.....i got the research for the batch copyrights done
all i need to finish is a good enough camera to take the photos
mine is old and 3.2 mp
copyright office says at least 5mp
online sources say 12 mp for art reproduction
so i am left with a dilemma........... which involves a new camera
but which one there are slr and dslr
and what features do i need?
oye
i would imagine image stabilization ........
also a way to photograph the wild birds i paint .....from a distance
and then again.....real close ups to shoot the plants i am painting
plus whatever i absolutely need to shoot the paintings
really what you all see of the paintings online here is soooooooooooo much less that what they look like IRL
the differences are incredible

meanwhile
it's pouring out now and i have to be getting the ducks out in it....
they will give me a really hard time as they hate rain
but then the lure of fresh worms just lying around will have them dawdling all over the back while i try to get them into the pens before i am totally soaking wet

random thoughts and phrases

yesterday i make meatballs.....big vat of meatballs... some plain some in sauces
all for the freezer for later
today i'll make enchiladas, maybe sloppy joe meat- possibly more plain bags of chopmeat
then i am done with that for a while

the flea-ness here seems to be lessening ......... i will keep up the regiment though

fall is in the air

i need to bake

the roof needs to be fixed

the chimney cleaned

paintings desperately need to be painted....(they are stacking up in my brain)


the ducks need to be put out right now and the cats need their canned food for the day


like i said....random thoughts and phrases-brought to you by a not quite caffeinated enough vi

fall is definitely in the air

today, i want to talk about fall preparations,
bulk cooking
and the rest.....

it's been blessedly cool.....
(thank goodness cause when it was stinking hot and the fleas.....i was seriously contemplating drastic measures.)
so without realizing it, i am getting ready for winter.
i got a great buy on chopmeat, and some chicken parts
so i am again going to be bulk cooking
today i did just two meals ahead .......beef and veggie enchiladas (i will be making more for the freezer though in the next few days)
i am going to also be making meat loaf
meat balls in three different sauces, tomato, mushroom, and brown gravy (yes all from scratch)
and probably more stuffed peppers and salisbury steaks
i got about 30 # this time so with the bulk raw i put away and some raw patties for fast burgers
i should be ok for beef type stuff for a while
i did the raw chick parts in bulk figuring when i do get to them i am going to do a tray and possibly freeze them cooked
since bernie starts his permanent shift this week
i want to make sure while we are transitioning i have stuff ready to go for him
i still need the potatoes, and bulk chicken but i think we're going to be ok

the other stuff is the woodstove, roof and basement
which is going to start happening in about two weeks
i still need more wood but i can wait a month to get the last of it in
we also have a tree to get down so when the guy comes with the wood he'll most likely do the tree

we are still seeing fleas...... i am so sick of fleas i can't tell you
but i keep on with everything, this week i am going to get more spray and spray again
and then get the precor and do the overspraying so that we are covered with the insect growth regulator

in painting news, i'm not
i did work on a client portal (agent) website
i also fought fleas
i would love to be knitting but i am afraid to get fleas in the knitting
there are still fleas....did i mention that? OMG it's a horror movie
the fleas are so tiny now that they are barely visible
but they bite HARD

what else?
next week we have to go car shopping.... we've settled on a VW diesel....for bernie
we were going to trade in the van but we've decided not to.....
we need the backup with him driving so far

so anyway...that's what's going on here
i really wanted to post about my bulk cooking..... to remind me-
i don't know WHY i like having the pantry and freezers stocked, and why i want us prepped for emergencies and winter and such...but i know i feel so ....... warm and secure when i am
i just DO better mentally when i know we've got stuff to fall back on
(and that did save us while bernie was laid off- all that preparedness and stocking up paid off)

so happy sunday to you folks....
i hope you are all well and i hope if it's almost fall by yous that you are all getting ready

take good care

Fleas-notes on how we are dealing with them

this is what i have noticed with fleas
vacuuming helps big time
BIG TIME
and when you first enter a room they are going to jump on you....... even if you are (maybe) winning the battle
take the time to pick the damn things off and drown them suckers in soapy water
vacuuming helps
if you know it's going to rain, vacuum a LOT ............. and then spray the knockout spray with the insect growth regulator
they are going to hatch with the humidity...... be ready for them little bloodsuckers
gray or light colored pants/socks help see them while they climb you ew.
some are so tiny you can't really see them.......but you see their movement
don't open your fingers to see if you got them.....do it WAY under soapy water cause them suckers are going to jump
you haven't lived until you get one in your bra ...............or worse

the funny rusty looking spots and such in your socks etc........ yup blood
for really tiny insects they do bite a lot
really a lot

allergy meds help with the itching and the crusts and swelling, the welts and white dots i keep getting with these damn bits
nothing helps too much with the burning from the bites

and most importantly
the SECOND you see one flea
call the vet

much going ons

first off, we lost dulcette.
i went down one morning and she was dead.
she'd been slowing down for a while, and it looked like she just peacefully drifted away in the night
bernie took her out
she was the last of our pure orpingtons, and the very first chicken i got as an adult
the three we have left are speckled sussex orpington crosses
when they go ........no more chickens


i am working on my bio and artist statement
and i am putting together a blog for a portfolio, i was looking at website host companies and there are a few reasonable ones
the free ones i didn't like at all
let me tell you, doing an artist statement and bio is NOT easy
not without sounds like........... well....... an arteest......
and i would rather not do that
when i was writing for money, i wrote non-fiction, and how to or historical stuff,
so writing a bio/statement should be easy right???
yeah......right

we had a productive weekend, bernie got a lot of odds and ends done, as did i,
we had to replace the posted signs on our property line as the petty childish neighbors spray painted them BLACK! so they trespassed and vandalized AGAIN......

bernie told me not to worry as when the fence goes up....they won't be bothering us anymore (he actually called me from work on his break to tell me not to worry-and that if i was afraid to go out we were moving right away into an apartment)
he's right as i have way too much going on with my life right now (and usually always) to waste time on stupidity like this

the fleas are still with us..... not as many, and apparently smaller but still there
the IGR i think is starting to make a dent
i gave the cats the capstar and baths saturday but i wasn't able to vacuum the bedroom

in 'prep for winter' stuff, i got a great deal on chopmeat which i didn't expect but it's in the freezer, i am going to go back and get more, this time with the intention of making more meatloaf for tv dinners, meatballs, burger patties, and maybe stuffed cabbage all for the freezer.
i had also gotten chicken thighs, but when we got home and i went to break down the large 5 pound pack we found out that they were rancid! we returned them and got double our money back.
i still would like to get the chicken thighs for the freezer, but i am afraid to now
i still need to get in the 120# of chicken breast, 3 more cords of wood, and 150 pounds of potatoes
(i could also use 4 pork loins to cut up for the freezer)
bernie has the woodstove to clean and the roof to fix but next weekend he's got work stuff to do
the weekend after i suppose we will be going car shopping for him....
a little diesel car, it will go forever on very little fuel
we are hoping for a used or year end...i would rather not buy a brand new car at the moment

bernie being home daily plus two days a week has made a huge difference already in our lives-
he likes this new company
i was told by someone that knows this company that 'they work them hard, but they give them a lot of paid time off, and a lot of other benefits, such as profit sharing'

in painting news, i have a layout waiting..
i hope to be back at the board soon
the fleas have a lot to do with me not being back there

the other thing which doesn't sound like much but is actually huge, is sunday bernie and i went out!
just to the pet store and the grocery store, but it wasn't a rush rush rush.....
no stress involved. we had whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, i made the batter and he cooked them (which reminds me i have to grind flour this week and make bread)
it's amazing what two full days off and a dependable schedule will do for your life

i will say though, with bernie on second shift for a bit, i don't eat! ......i cook for him but it's too early for me-- which reminds me......i haven't eaten anything besides a small plain hamburger - and that was like 1pm! it's almost 9pm now
i did have a weird craving for generic cheese doodles last week, bernie got me a small bag and it took me three days to finish it-what was that about?

now my friend lotta in sweden posted a quote that struck home with me- i put it below,

As you begin to move into a higher frequency and live in the light of your true spirit, sometimes lower frequencies that have been in your life will sense this and try to drag you back down. This may show up in the relationships, past or present that do not operate in love or serve your spirit's growth, or just people behaving badly when around you. When this happens you might feel assaulted or attacked. Rather than react, fill yourself with love and extend it toward all people in your life, and especially those who cause you pain. Ask your guides to assist you in raising and holding the vibration to unconditional love for all. The negative others will either rise up and feel their own heart and transition into love, or retreat and leave you in peace. We must all do this now. As a race, we are being asked to respond to everything with love. This is our highest purpose in life.

~ Sonia Choquette
www.soniachoquette.com

and i think i am going to listen to my friend lotta in sweden...... (who is a knitting sister to boot)
as seriously i am too busy working with the current series of paintings and looking forward to the next,....if i want to get them finished i don't have time to divert to stupidity

so thank you so much lotta.... i owe you big time

ok now
i am going to post this and investigate if blogger has a template for artists
take good care you guys
(for the 7 people that still follow me)

fleas, rain, buses and dreams

first off on monday bernie started his new job, he's got a week of orientation and then he has his crew and shop and works nights.
i am trying to find a way to get his tool box down there for him, as he's got no time right now

in flea news......we still have them in every room except it would seem, the bedroom....
so as of this morning the cats were still clear of fleas since monday--yeah!

me not so much
also a moth of some sort laid eggs on my sleep tee! ewwwwww and we won't go there

it's all this damn rain
i just retreated the living room/stairs
i also did a dumbass thing this morning....i vacuumed without putting a bag in the vacuum..... well i wasn't awake
i had a plan..... vacuum the upstairs, the stairs, and the livingroom/kitchen
spray.....
retreat into the studio.... vacuum that
when living area spray was safe..move birds into living room and spray studio
and saturday or sunday rebath the cats and capstar them again..... to make sure they stay clear of fleas
now i am afraid to use the vacuum as i am afraid it will cause a fire
although i did clean it best i could
i have three hours until bernie is going to call home (after work- he is so happy to leave his cell in the van for now)
so i have to wait to ask him

i also treated an old urine stain from calpurrnia ....... so that should also be fine by the weekend


now onto dreams
i dreamt that we built me a mega studio
OMG
40X60 and two stories..... with floor to ceiling windows on the north side, HUGE barn doors of glass that rolled out of the way to get big stuff in and out
two sinks
a bank of flat files for paper and painting storage..... plus a paper cutting area, print shipping area,
a loft for books and office space,  display space........be still my heart!
three separate painting areas, an etching press and a book binding press
and a small kitchenette, as well as a half bath with shower
it opened onto the house kitchen (up two stairs and through glass doors)

i dream good don't you know......i also dream BIG

for the record....i hate fleas

and how, i ask you, on earth do three house cats get fleas
that then explode into a plague worth of moses in eygpt (i was told it was from the rain)
how?

and now i look like i have a cross between chemical burns and impetigo
with a bit of poison ivy looking stuff thrown in for good measure
and it's all from flea bites

!
now the vet gave us capstar and knockout es
but yesterday we got the knockout bombs and bombed the crap out of the house
all the birds including budgies were outside in the days pens
the cats in crates in the van with us
(we also bombed the van)

today i am still getting a few bites here and there......as the stragglers i suppose die
meanwhile it's raining
so yup that means more fleas
meanwhile
i am exhausted with about 2 hours a night of sleep
and itchy
really really itchy
to the point of bleeding itchy

have i mentioned i hate fleas?