Again? Shall I try again?

 I have been taking a Creative Writing for Older Adults class at the local community college, and seem to have found my tribe! Well, one of my tribes: there are also the Theatre folks, and the Sketchbook and other arts folks, and we can't forget the Quilters. And the singers. Oh, golly--I seem to be almost OVER-extended, don't I? But I'm not ready to give any of them yet.

But in the Writing Class the other day one of my classmates mentioned that HE has a blog, and encouraged others to jump in. Remembering this old page, I decided to test the waters. Let's see if THIS time I can stick with it, shall we?

11 February 2021

Apparently, this blog is still available, even though the last entry was made in 2017. I was aware that consistency and follow-through are not my strongest qualities, but 5 years is a long time between.

So I will start small, because life has changed quite a bit, and I have a renewed interest in being consistent; and I have actually achieved some goals by practicing every day (or nearly) that had seemed out of reach.

In March of 2020, daily life became constricted and limiting with the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting much of the world. Staying home has become the norm for me, and I began to take advantage of being here with my tools and supplies and toys. I finished the Calla Lily Quilt I had started for my daughter, completed a quilt for my new grand-nephew in Arizona, and continued doing ART with Helen, although not in person.

Then in July, Ron Drotos began a YouTube series of "lessons", a workshop for beginners, in Rock and Roll on the piano. 20 minutes every day. I did it, and when August came along, I continued with the Jazz workshop for beginners, and I've played nearly every day since then.

Why does it take so long for us to accept what we KNOW is true? If you practice something everyday, you will get better at it?

Well, I haven't given up yet

I started to update this blog last summer. It is what it is.

Months go by. So much happens. Here's the latest (sort of). In April 2016, PG&E came and replaced some gas lines on my street, and then in early June sent a contractor to fix the hole that had been left in the street (appropriately covered, I hasten to add). A gorgeous CAT backhoe showed up out front, and I ran out to take photos to share with my 4-year-old grandson and his sister. I liked the photo, so posted it on Instagram and facebook, and one of my online "friends" commented that I should be drawing it. I replied that at 100 degrees Farenheit outside I wasn't interested, but might try something from a photo. She immediately suggested we BOTH do a sketch from the photo. I liked that idea, but it took me a while to get around to doing it. (Expert procrastinator here.)

Speaking of procrastination--it is now February 2017, and I am finally getting around to making this blog update. I had to figure out how to add the .jpg to the blog. Not difficult when I finally did it...

The original I actually had framed (it fits in an 8.5x11 frame with a small mat) and gave to the grandson for Christmas! It's sketchy. I thought I would do a "better" one, but it is what it is. So there.

I keep telling myself I will get the sketchbook out, but I don't do it. Until this morning. Danny Gregory posted a Friday challenge: Draw a piece of toast. I did!

Saturday I went to a musical event, Local Women's Music Festival, at a nearby vineyard's redwood grove. As I listened to the music, I played with my watercolors, and this is the result. A few of us in the Everyday Matters online group have been discussing the differences between "real" watercolor vs. watercolor with added ink lines. To me it is a toss up. Sometimes I draw the piece in ink first, then add watercolor. That's fun. But sometimes, as here, I just jump in with the watercolor. I am not unhappy with the results here, but I often wonder "Would ink improve this? A little more definition in the trees and leaves?" But if I add the ink then don't like the result, what then?

So I tweaked the photo (I tried both photo and scanning, and think the photo worked better in this case) a little, and then printed two copies. My plan is to play with the copies, adding ink. I hope to post the results of that experiment soon, but now, I must go usher at the local symphony. Life is so hard here....

Wow! cloud

It has been a challenge for me to get around to posting anything because of my desire to include visual content. The time to sketch or stitch anything post-worthy has escaped me (I am the Empress of Procrastination--don't argue! I hold the title.) But the other day I took a walk, and although we weren't going to get any more rain, the air was still "unstable" which produced dramatic clouds.

You do see what I mean? And I have not been totally noncreative lately. I have been dipping my pen into the "poetry pool", producing collections of words that might become poems. I just have to keep working on them a bit longer. The last "poem" only took 34 years? The newer ones will happen faster. I have fewer seriously emotional distractions. Please keep coming back. Leave a comment if you will.

Acoustic Café

Last night the group Dgiin played fabulous music (kinda Gypsy swing) and we danced and danced. I took time for a quick sketch as the light was fading. It was a wonderful evening.