Thursday Art Walk

In Which a Dreamy Day Was Had By A Certain Birb

Dedbert had a wonderful day today, which is very good for him. I didn't have quite so nice a day, but we can easily chalk that up to today being a comedy of errors.

First, I woke up around 3AM and never got back to sleep. Then I tried to take the returnables back, but the redemption center was closed (again). Then I tried to pick up snacks, but the Family Dollar was closed (again). Then I tried to get two cans of Dr Pepper but they only had one at the Food Service, but that was alright because I got a Coke instead. Then my mom and I went to Staples and tried to print a photo for someone but the photo printer booth was closed. Then I went to the Dollar Store, which is, of course, the buck twenty five store now, and they didn't have M&Ms. At least they had my popcorn. For twelve cents more than usual.

All in all, a very frustrating day.

So of course I had to paint something soothing today, rather than frustrating and complex.

Thankfully, today's category was the newly-added DEDBERT, so here is our boy chilling in a pond, unbothered, in his lane, moisturized, etc.

"Dedbert Dream" watercolor on rag paper, 2022

Look at our boy! He's so calm, so relaxed in his little spa, surrounded by grasses and wildflowers as the sun gently sets.

Pure bliss.

In fact, I absolutely wish I was him, floating gently in a cool but not cold pool under a cotton candy sky with no cares, no regrets. Just pure Dreamspace.

It's why I love painting Dream Creatures!

My day may have been frustrating, but now I'm just vibing with my smol damp son, so maybe life isn't so bad?

I hope you all have a day like Dedbert's soon, where you simply exist and are enough and are satisfied.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

HOW TO COMMISSION ME!

This post is a long time coming.

I usually do my own thing, here on the blog. I review what games I want. I review what shows and movies I want. I review what wrestling I want. I make the art I want.

And that's great!

But I'm a lonely birb, and sometimes it's nice to get suggestions! To that end, here's how you can get me to review something you want (or make art you want me to make!) by bribing me I mean commissioning me via Ko-Fi!

WRESTLING

Wrestling PPV and show reviews are currently on hold as I do not have access to NJPW or other networks, reliably. If, however, you want to have me review something wrestling-related on YouTube, buy me 1 (one) coffee on my Ko-Fi account per full hour of the video and leave a link in the message (or your email address or Twitter handle if the link won't fit or something). 

Bear in mind that my Niblings may find this blog, so I try to keep things PG more or less. No Sunny Side Up or Queen of the Ring or apartment wrestling, please.

BOOKS

Oh my god please recommend books to me! If you just read something and want me to check it out, by all means just leave a comment on my page. If you're super adamant that I read something and you really, really want a review, you can @ me on Twitter or leave a comment on the blog, and I'll do my best, but if my library doesn't have a copy, I may be out of luck. If you're super duper passionate and, say, slipped me the cost of a copy via Ko-Fi, then I guess I'd be honor-bound to buy and review it, wouldn't I?

GAMES

I love playing games on my computer! I really really love it! So if you have any free-to-play, zero-cost games you want me to review, shoot me a single coffee on Ko-fi and I'll get right on it! Currently, I can get things through Steam, itch.io, Kongregate, Newgrounds, etc. I also do not have a gaming laptop. Currently, I'm using a fairly vanilla business-level Dell Latitude, to give you an idea of the graphics intensity I'm working with lol. This puppy chugs playing voxel games sometimes.

I also have access to a Gamecube, an N64, a Nintendo 3D XL, and a Switch, but none are modded and I do not have Switch Online, so unless you wanna talk to me about shipping a game to me (which is most easily done via Twitter), they'll have to be occasional featurettes if I find cheap games at thrift stores.

The Nibling Alert warning applies here, too. No Adult games, please. And please have mercy on me - I don't know if my palpitation-prone heart can withstand most Scary games. I mean, the original Resident Evil games are kinda my limit (pre-VII) for spook-factor, and I really hate jump-scares.

MOVIES/TV

I would love to do movie or tv show reviews! If you've got an old standby that you'd like to hear my opinions on, feel free to send me 1 coffee per hour of movie or 1 coffee per episode with a message directing me to what you want, and I'll try to review them. I currently do not have cable, but I may be able to find things via YouTube or YouTube TV or any of the free Roku-based channels out there (like Shout Factory, Pluto, the Roku App, etc).

I don't have Disney+. Sorry!

RECIPES

Yes, sometimes I cook, but if you've got a recipe you're dying for me to try, it might be better to reach out via Twitter or the comments, due to ingredient costs and availability. Also bear in mind that I have some restrictions for what I can and cannot (or will or will not) make. My hard no's are:

• Shellfish of any kind
• Octopus, squid, cuttlefish
• Melons of any kind
• Cocktails or other Alcoholic beverages
• Organ meats/Offal
• Anything from Cooking With Jack. Just don't. Do not.
• Peppers that have to be handled with gloves (why would you do that to me?!)
• Game (I have no access)

ART

I am not yet confident in my ability to do anything like a proper commission for you like you might get from a professional artist. However! If you'd like to have a say in what I make, you can buy me a coffee and leave a message telling me which of the following categories you'd like to see that week:

• Animal - A random animal or person
• Vegetable - A random plant or fungus or algae
• Mineral - A random geologic object like a rock or a gem
• Geometric - An abstract, geometric piece
• Dedbert - the little green owl at the start of most posts on this blog, doing something random.
• Word - either bubble art based on a word of your choice or a word of your choice outlined in multiple colors
• Location - a landscape

If you send 2 (two) coffees, you can either request two categories, or you can choose what medium I use!

• Pencil
• Pencil & Ink
• Marker
• Colored Pencil
• Watercolor
• Digital

When I feel like I'm ready, I'll start selling originals and doing legitimate commissions. For now, however, you can check my Redbubble store for prints and fun items (including facemasks, bags, mugs, and more!)

ANIMAL

VEGETABLE

MINERAL

GEOMETRIC

DEDBERT

WORD

LOCATION

I'll try to mention in future posts when I've updated these terms/tiers, and who knows? The day of True Commissions could be right around the corner!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

In Which Today Flew By At Mach 8

I woke up, bleary-eyed and hoarse-voiced, a little after nine this morning. I rolled out of bed and breathed deeply, stretching and luxuriating in the cool 70℉/21,1℃ air. When I finally made my way downstairs, I was actually a little chilly at the knees!

Today was, in short, the first very nice day in a week.

So of course I "wasted" it by staying inside.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the sunny, warm-but-not-hot weather! I just enjoyed it by watching the hummingbirds at the feeder, drinking coffee, writing, crocheting, and planning out some art ideas that I hope to work on before January 1st.

I also started a new multicolor abstract art project in Paint.net just for laughs.

Really, I didn't waste today at all, but to an outside observer, it must have looked like I just sat around all day!

And that's alright, guys.

Sometimes, making progress looks like being lazy to someone who doesn't know what you're actually doing. Right now, I'm sitting at my laptop, headphones in, pajamas on, feet dangling, a cup of decaf coffee to one side, and about a million tabs open. If you weren't familiar with my blog, weren't reading my words, it'd look like I was just journaling while listening to a podcast or something.

Just.

But journaling can be progress, too. It can be you organizing your thoughts, like I do with Tuesdays' blogs. Journaling can be you introspecting and finding things you need to improve about yourself, making the plans to make those improvements, recording improvements as you make them. It can be you recording story ideas for your next manuscript, essay, novel, or whatever. You might, in your jotting down and thinking, find some arcane solution to a problem you've been facing. You might order your emotions. You might just write "I like cake" over and over until the words lose meaning.

You're still doing something.

And today, I did things. I didn't walk 5 miles, I didn't buy groceries, I didn't take a Zoom call with the local paper so I could learn how their new pay structures for advertising work, and I didn't get stuck with the worst jobs in a hospital or IT group, but I did things.

I wrote. I listened to authors discussing their craft. I planned to make digital art, and I started making abstractions. I studied. I applied to a job (fingers crossed).

And I know you've all done things today, too!

As for the rest of this week, here's the plan:

• If you want to have a say in what I draw, paint, etc on the blog on Thursday, make a donation on my Ko-Fi account (see the sidebar!) with a message telling me which category you'd like!
• Animal
• Vegetable
• Mineral
• Geometric
• Location
• Word
• Dedbert (the green owl mascot of this blog!)
• If you also want to tell me what medium to use for Thursday, send a second donation via Ko-Fi indicating which one!
• Watercolor
• Colored Pencil
• Marker
• Ink
• Pencil
• Digital
• Hopefully I'll have progress to show off next Monday, crochet-wise. It's been so hot lately!
• Next Tuesday, I'll be back to blather

Hopefully you're all doing alright out there! I'm tired, cozy, and happy with my artistic scribbling today. 

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

Today's Theme: LOCATION

Today was... hot.

It was so hot out.

I am not built for 77% humidity and 86℉/30℃ heat that feels more like 96℉/35,6℃ heat and no breeze...

But I am built to paint, so I did it anyway!

I've technically attempted this painting before. I've done it a few times, actually, but I wanted to see if I could actually replicate it with any accuracy now, so I pulled up the Nianiani video on the "Sparkly Shoreline" painting and set to work. Since she's a legit pro, she makes it much better, but I figured I'd try to follow her steps to the best of my abilities and see how it turns out.

Here's my process (more or less):

Blending sea & sand

Laying the blobs, finding the shore

Layering more and more blobs, redefining the shore

Struggle with white paint, think you're done...

I was not, of course, done with that last image. No, no.  I had to add more white, and also redefine the shoreline again, and then I had to go pray for the scanner to work, and then I smoothed a few things out digitally.

"Beach Day"; watercolor & digital; 2022

I really like how much warmer it looks scanned. That's closer to what it looks like in real life! I used my cheap Emooqi paper for this one, and after having used it a few times now, I have to say that it's pretty good practice paper. It has a very noticeable ridge pattern to it, but it holds paint well and it flattens out after you paint on it pretty well, too.

I can't recommend using white watercolor and white gel pen in the same image, though.

The white takes way too long to dry when layered thickly enough to become opaque, and the gel pen can cut into the page, but all it takes is a 127 opacity layer of white to hide the worst offenses in Paint.net. I also added a few more spots here and there with the digital adjustments. No color besides white was added, and when I say white, I mean 255/255/255 maximum white.

If you want your theme covered next week, feel free to drop me a coffee via my Ko-fi link in the sidebar and attach a message stating which category you'd like (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Geometric, Word)!

And Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Am A Melty Birb

Well, summer has well and truly hit my hometown. It's HHH - Hazy, Hot, and Humid today, and I cannot believe how awful it is out there. Anyone from the US South can make fun of me all I want, but I'm a Yankee tubbins who can theoretically walk into the sea from my house in an hour or less, so I'm never going to be accustomed to such a wretched triple threat.

For reference, today's high was 90℉/32℃ with about 58% humidity. It feels like about 92℉/33,3℃ in the sun, but I'm not going outside. You couldn't pay me to be out there today. I'd die.

I'm not being dramatic, I know enough about the way my body traps heat to know that this is deadly weather for me. Pathetic? Eh, it's just life for me. I'm not 12 anymore. I can't just melt in the sun without consequences.

So what am I up to today?

I've... not been doing much. Most of my efforts are focused on not exhausting myself and not overheating. Water has been chugged, coffee has been drank, a shower was taken, and the massive AC we bought a few years ago has been dragged out of the basement and set up downstairs.

Which is great for my mom and the cat, who are downstairs, but upstairs is a good 10-20 degrees warmer!

I try to stay upstairs, even on hot days like this. It's not just my stubborn, hermitlike nature, though. I like to watch videos and read and write, and those are not easy to do when the tv is on and playing Price is Right reruns lol.

Popping downstairs every hour or so for more water, a bathroom break, a light snack, etc is how I tend to survive hot days like this. No one is expecting me to be silent and hidden in my room tonight, thankfully, so I'll be roaming the house after the sun goes down, pulling the shade in my room, switching the window fan from exhaust to intake, and again, seeking water.

For the most part, today has been alright. I've reached my limit a couple of times and had to retreat downstairs, but mostly I've been able to stay up here and blog, wind some yarn balls to get them out of the tangle, and listen to some N64 tunes.

The tentative plan for this week (in spite of the heat wave) is thus:

• Art on Thursday - I've had no suggestions yet, so if you're interested in buying me a coffee with your choice of category (Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Location, Geometric, Word) please do!
• If the weather is good on Saturday, I'll talk about a game I've been playing!
• Next Monday should involve some more updates on the Secret Project, but if not, I've got other things I could talk about (like this massive yarn tangle I've been working on...)
• Next Tuesday I'll be back to blather and probably whine and cry about the heat lol

I'm excited to see where this sweaty week takes me, but hopefully if you're also enduring heat, you're taking care of yourself, so here are a few words of advice from one wilting wallflower to others:

• Your home should be as cavelike as possible during the day. Hide from the sun like a vampire. The sun is your worst enemy now. Close all blinds and shades and curtains!
• If you open a window for ventilation, find another window to open as well because otherwise it will do nothing - you must cross-ventilate!
• There are many instructions for a "swamp cooler" available on the internet. If you don't have an AC unit or any other kind of aircon, please build one. Heat kills.
• Hydrate or diedrate. I'm not even being funny - you must replace your fluids. Constantly be sipping clean water. If you bought bottled water, freeze some of them and use them as ice packs. You can also drink from them as they melt and refill them to replace the water you drank.
• If you have frozen treats, enjoy them. Slowly. Don't give yourself brain freeze!
• Damp washcloths on the back of the neck, forearms, and feet can help you cool off, too, if you're in front of or underneath a fan. This is evaporative cooling. Take advantage.
• Don't move if you don't have to.
• Stay out of the kitchen and block it and any room you won't be spending much time in off from the rest of the house, if possible. Believe it or not, your toilet can help keep your bathroom cooler than it otherwise might be, but your kitchen will always be hotter because of your refrigerator.

I think that'll do it for my advice. Hopefully you're already doing a bunch of this, but if I've given you any ideas that help you, that makes me happy.

Go Enjoy Something, fellow Toasted Marshmallows!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which Seeeeeecret Project is finally updated!

I'm sure you're tired by now of all my excuses so behold:

One Very Annoying Strap.

The strap above is made entirely with slip stitches and that is why it took for-freaking-ever. But now it's... done? Maybe? We'll see when I start to attach things. I also started a similarly slip-stitched loop for the top of the mushroom cap! I've been working on this bag for so long that I keep losing track of how to do things, but if you look up the "secret project" tag, you can find the whole pattern up to this point!

I've also been struggling a lot to try to structure this project. You see, crochet thread? it's super duper floppy. It won't look good in glamor shots if it's super floppy, so how do I hold the mouth of the bag open? I tried so many ways to do things - wires, strengthening things with plastic, and even zip ties! And yet none of them worked well.

Today I just went ahead and did it - I added wire.

Fortunately I had some cheap $1 jewelry wire that I used on the mouths of the lower part of the bag, and then I used thin copper wire around the bottom of the cap. The thin wire is purely aesthetic - I'll be stiffening the base of the cap with thin plastic of some sort (or possibly craft foam if I find some), and that will hold it against various things being stored in the cap!

The plastic tie failure - they were only top-closure, I'd need side-closure

The jewelry wire is still quite pliable so I doubled it up!

And I attached the wire using single crochet through each dc from either mouth

I think it came out pretty well!

The copper wire was harder because it's thinner, softer, and I measured wrong!
Measure twice! Cut once! Then you don't poke yourself with twisted wire lol

The bag assembled & reinforced!

Hopefully today's blog has helped someone trying to figure out how to create structure in a project. Here's some additional advice: grab sandpaper to round off the cut ends of your wire so it hurts less when it pokes you.

So now we just have a few more things to do!

• Finish/attach straps
• Make and attach spots for the cap!
• Add the final structure elements
• Make a closure for the stem (maybe a braided cord?)

That doesn't seem like so much when you look at it that way!

And that's gonna do it from me for tonight. I'm pooped!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which This Week's Theme Was...
VEGETABLE

This week I was given the theme "Vegetable" to make art from!

Actually, it occurs to me that I've never actually made it clear what each category means. In fact, I don't think I've ever formally explained the whole system...

Well, no time like the present!

I am, as anyone who knows me is aware of, not a particularly confident person when it comes to my skills, so I would feel really awful about selling full-on commissioned artwork. I don't have the focus or skill necessary to make someone's Original Character (OC) or a portrait, but I love having some sort of guidance so that I can't develop Artist's Block.

So I've introduced a system of... pseudo-commissioning me.

On my Ko-Fi account, you can leave a message when you donate. For one coffee (which is around 3 bucks USD), you can send me a message consisting of which category you'd like to see me tackle. Those categories are, as of this week: ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MINERAL, LOCATION, GEOMETRIC, and WORD. You don't get to tell me what I make beyond just those categories, but here is what you could possibly end up with:

• ANIMAL
• animal lifeforms, insects, arachnids, humans, or mythological creatures
• VEGETABLE
• plants or fungi
• MINERAL
• rocks, gems, crystals
• LOCATION
• landscapes, cityscapes, rooms, desk assemblages, maps, seascapes
• GEOMETRIC
• bubble art, abstract art, random shapes
• WORD
• any word of your choice outlined like my bubble art. No curses or slurs. No political slogans. +1 coffee per additional word. (So "RISE AND SHINE" would be worth 3 coffees)

Now, for an additional coffee, you can choose the medium from the mediums I have access to:

• watercolor paint
• colored pencil
• marker
• gel pen
• ink
• pencil
• digital

Now that that's out of the way, (and if you're still with me,) I'd like to show you how this week's VEGETABLE request turned out:

"Fruits Of The Month" watercolor on paper; 2022

In this painting, we've got July fruits - mulberries, elderberries, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries - scattered across a gray background. It wasn't until I had already finished the background that I realized that gray might not have been the best color to choose, so I did something I've never really tried before.

I altered the background color with a layer of Buff Titanium in Paint.net!!!

"Fruits of The Month v2.0" watercolor and digital; 2022

Which do you prefer - gray or cream background?

This week's painting was really fun, and I'm glad I got to scan it. Unfortunately, I suspect our scanner is on its last legs, because if you try to preview a scan and then scan it, the scan never happens and you cannot try again because the scanner is stuck in a loop and you have to go all the way into the basement and manually quit the scan. Then you have to go alllllll the way back to your computer and restart it. Then it might work.

Thankfully it did work.

So what do you guys think? And what would you like to see next week?

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which My Attention Has Been Pretty Shattered Lately...
Again

Every so often (okay, it's becoming more frequent lately) I have days where I cannot focus at all. I can't play video games, I can't read, I can't crochet, I can't paint, I can't write, I cannot focus on a single thing for more than five minutes... unless I'm so hyperfocused on something that I can do nothing else.

I do not like these bad-attention days. I enjoy being productive. I'd much prefer to do a few things than Just One Thing.

Caffeine does not help. Naps do not happen. I'm snappish and rude and argumentative when I'm scattered.

The good news is, I have been able to focus more today. I'm still a little distractible, but I managed to commit to a strategy on a game I was playing for 2 hours, so that was great.

So that's what happened to Monday's post, I got too distracted and literally could not commit to a project to show you.

Hopefully by Thursday I'll be back in action and able to fulfill any requests made via Ko-Fi. Possible art request categories are: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Geometric, Place. Just a lil shameless plug there, sorry lol.

Anyway, the weather lately has been pretty good (the sun is very hot, but the breeze is strong and the humidity was low). Sadly, today's weather was awful. The sun was bright, but it's about 73% humidity and windy as heck. Tonight's probably going to rain, too.

My mother went and got her 2nd Shingles shot, so it was a make-your-own dinner night. I made a Mi Goreng and topped it with a fried egg, and I have to say... it looked fantastic.

And yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

I learned 2 things making this egg.

1) Use a lid after the white sets so that the yolk can steam a bit - it's better that way.

2) Use a small pan and plenty of oil or cooking spray.

The 3rd thing I'd say if asked is this: The more saturated the color of the yolk, the more delicious it's probably gonna be, so if it's a yellow yolk, feel free to cook it through.

I let the runny yolk coat my hot noodles and then ate it, and honestly? Best food I've had this week.

I do wish I had a coffee though. Even if it is 7:30PM and my cutoff is 7...

I do have decaf...

I should make coffee....

Anywho, here's the plan for the rest of the week/weekend!

• Art on Thursday! I don't have a theme locked down yet (though I have taken some ideas under advisement!)
• I'll keep looking for games for Saturday
• Hopefully I won't get lost in the dozen or so projects I'm working on and I'll have something coherent for you on Monday
• Blather Next Tuesday!

Wow the sky is yellow now! The sun is setting through the light sprinkle.

I think I'll grab that decaf and settle in for the evening :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which This Week's Theme Was: LOCATION

Today is another gorgeous day! Sunny and clear and breezy, and it's 72℉/22,2℃ with 52% humidity. It's just lovely! I spent most of today painting a lovely little image on my small, heavily-textured paper, and I couldn't be happier with how it looks.

This week's theme was "Location", which meant that I had to go about figuring out what I wanted to draw or paint. I usually work from references, but today I just started laying down random patches of blue to make a sky, then snagged my paint stick of Daniel Smith's Buff Titanium and laid down some land masses. From there, I built up my colors and shading, and the very last things I added were a light house and my signature!

Here is my work for the day:

"Landscape By The Sea"; watercolor on rag paper; 2022

I finally got the scanner working again! Seems like we just had to get new internet...

This painting was so much fun to make, and it came together so organically! I did zero sketching, and instead I layered paints from my Emooqi black metal palette as well as my Daniel Smith Buff Titanium, and it just... grew into itself. I love it. It's even more wonderful in person! It's also now available on my long-forgotten Redbubble shop!

From today til Wednesday night at 9PM Eastern Time, I'll be taking requests for next week's art topic via Ko-Fi! Leave a tip with a message containing what you'd like to see: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Food, Location, or Geometric! For an Extra Coffee (another $3 USD), you can tell me whether you'd like to see it in Pencil, Colored Pencil, Pen, Marker, Watercolor, or Digital! I will do my best to fulfill any requests made this way, regardless of how many I get!

Hopefully you can see why I got so excited about today's piece. It was a blast to create, and I must recommend the "slap it down on your 5"x7" paper" technique I used, because it was fun and the end result was fantastic.

Now Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Had Fun!

I had a blast at this year's Independence Day celebrations with my partner, Z! We took my grandmother to the local parade and watched the band my dad plays in roll down the street on their float. The band got really creative this year lol!

Yes, that's a t-rex inflatable costume on the back of the float...

Thankfully, there was no one actually wearing the costume and standing on the back of the float because I can tell you from experience, standing on the back of a moving flatbed truck that may be moving slowly but still makes pretty quick stops is NOT easy!

Instead, it looked like my old man zip-tied the thing's limbs shut (to prevent the air escaping) and they just lashed it down to keep it from flying away. It was a big hit!

After the parade, Z and I made sure my grandma got home safely (despite her protests that she'd be fine, we wanted to be sure no one ran her over because while that road is usually quiet, it's used as a parade turnaround on the 4th!) and then went to hang out with some friends for the rest of the day!

And thank goodness they had AC because I did that thing where it doesn't matter how much shade I've stayed in or how loose, light, and natural my clothing is or how much water I've drank, I got overheated. It wasn't even particularly hot! It was probably 85℉/29,4℃ at the worst, and the humidity was very low, but I guess since I was in the sun for five whole minutes my body was in "keep all the heat" mode.

Eventually, we wandered back over to the small fair that pops up every year - it's 99% food trucks and 1% craft tents - to grab some food. Z bought a blooming onion and some fried Oreos that we shared, and honestly if you've never had either, try them! They're delicious. They're also greasy as heck, and I forgot to take any pictures of that or anything else for the rest of the day. We ate and shared with our friends, and eventually we went back to their place for another cooldown session.

On the way back, Z showed me around his town for a few minutes. That's all the time it takes to see pretty much everything of note in his hometown - bakeries, cafes, grocers, even a boxing school... they're all pretty centrally located! I'd love to move there with him. It really is lovely.

We hung out with our friends until nightfall, when we all made our way to the fairground again to lean on a homemade hotrod truck and watch the fireworks.

I didn't get home until almost 11PM, but no one was home waiting for me except my cat. My parents had gone to one of the big cities for the symphony and fireworks there! Which was fine by me - it meant that I could brush my teeth and take a cool shower late at night! I really needed it - when you're A Very Round Bird, heat gets trapped in weird places and is almost impossible to release in public. After the shower, I just went to bed.

Which was especially good for me, since I hadn't slept a wink on Sunday night! I was trying to make something for a potential blog on Monday but uh... it was pointless and I wasn't even home after 8:45AM! When on earth would I have even written it? I make no sense sometimes.

Instead, I now have a very nice beginning of a very nice granny triangle shawl. I might work on it more today, but honestly, despite sleeping for a good 9 hours, I could use another nap!

Yesterday was clear and bright and dry and breezy, but today is cloudy and the humidity is rising and it'll probably rain soon. You couldn't have two July days more different, it feels like. Except I know better because I'm pretty sure I remember a year where it was 93℉/33,9℃ with 85% humidity on the 4th and then the 5th was about 65℉/18,3℃ with 40% humidity...

I like how quiet and slow today feels. Usually, there are some dumb neighbors setting off leftover fireworks by now, but they may have already blown all their hands off or something last night. That or they're waiting for sunset, which tonight will be after 8:20PM...

There was still light at the horizon last night after 9PM! We could see the silhouette of an Osprey on its nest.

Yeah, I'm rambling. I think it's time for me to run down this week's plans:

• If you want a say in Thursday's art, don't forget to send me a coffee on Ko-Fi with a message saying which category you want! Those categories are:
• Animal
• Vegetable
• Mineral
• Person
• Geometric
• Food (this one's new)
• I don't know that I'll have a game for Saturday, but I'll keep looking! You can Ko-Fi me a message with a free pc or browser game you'd like me to check out!
• Next Monday should result in at least 1 finished project but I'm not sure it'll be the Mystery Project aka the Mushroom Bag...
• Next Tuesday I'll be back with more blather!

That'll about do it for me for today, guys!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC