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In a resolution, of sorts, I have begun watercolor painting again. I first tried my hand at it in college, before meeting Greg (a very long time ago!), and mostly enjoyed it, but never got into the habit.

This happened again and again, buying supplies, doing a few paintings here and there, but never really establishing a practice. After making what I hope to be a final peace with my retirement status and a serious lack of reading material I care to actually finish, I needed a way out of my chitty-chattery head.

As I had a drawer full of brushes, a little paper, and plenty of paint, I gave it an initial whirl with the apple. Contented, I landed on making a few small paintings each week, bought more paper and some brushes for small, fine details, as I am not interested in large creations. I am truly happy to report my brain is delighted with the escape from overthinking!

This is nearly everything I’ve made, minus one painting for my cousin, as a housewarming gift, which she seemed to like, and pleased my ego. How about that?!

I am mostly satisfied, and will likely give the majority away, the mushroom already promised to someone who loves them. The church (Santo Tomas in Abiquiu) is part of a series I took pictures for last march in New Mexico, of places my Native and Mexican ancestors were baptised, as far back as the 1700s. I hope to frame and hang them in the living room. I am kind of excited and, fingers crossed, they turn out as I see them in my head. This one needs some more background, and I forgot some exterior lights, so I will keep at it.

Cheers!

Memorable

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Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.

Charles Dickens

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In December

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Welcome to high school hockey at Ed Robson arena at Colorado College. We went to support my cousin’s no longer little number 72. While the team didn’t win their games, our favorite player scored three goals, huzzah!

He and his Mom were in town for a tournament and stayed with us, during which time we learned: Number 72 has grown, both more adult and articulate, AND about seven inches taller since we last saw him, towering over me (zoiks!); our new pizza oven does okay indoors when making two pizzas, but four is akin to a three alarm fire, with all the cornmeal and a single pepperoni getting torched and smoking up the place. Still delicious, however!

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Puzzle season began!

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We also had some really weird weather in December. All across the state, the temperatures were in the sixties, sometimes seventies, the absolute warmest I can recall in my nearly forty years of life here, day after day. The heat hardly came on, and we were sporting early fall gear, like Greg’s short sleeve tee and jeans. It didn’t make us any less cuddly, however, just ask Juniper.

In January news, we’ve completely made up for it, with several storms, one with a lot of heavy snow, and a deep freeze of subzero overnight temperatures. We are just on the other side of it now, with a nice 41 degree afternoon as I type. Juniper is pleased as punch to finally get a walk!

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Since our Dungeons and Dragons group dissolved, good grief, probably five years ago(!), we hadn’t done much playing, which made us a little sad. So, Greg dug through his original D&D gear (1980, I think?) and found an adventure for us. It was a new way of playing for me, drawing my own map, but I really liked it!

Mess

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You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.

E.B. White

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Wasp

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Why, what a wasp-stung and impatient fool
Art thou, to break into this woman’s mood,
Tying thine ear to no tongue but thine own!

William Shakespeare

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