this week’s “adventure”

I’ve been a bit too distracted to sketch this week — except for one very long wait in a hospital waiting room where I did the above sketch (loosely interpreted leaving out a lot of the details). My husband went through a 5-hour lower back surgery, then we waited 2 more hours. Apparently there was an issue with another patient in the recovery room so we had to wait until he was taken to a room. The surgery was successful, he’s doing extremely well, and will be coming home tomorrow.

after playing fetch

Keeping it simple: I sketched this in blue (I keep blue lead in this mechanical pencil), then added a few ink lines. Our corgi, Butters, wears herself out fetching her favorite rubber ball . . . then is eager to play again after a short rest.

sketching with friends

After spending a week in the Wichita area, we headed up to Excelsior Springs, Missouri to visit our dear friends, Kate and Joseph. Sharing tea and cookies with us were some of her whimsical “Little People”. After returning home, I sketched Duran hugging his dragonfly from a photo.

The four of us (and my corgi, Butters) later headed to Isley Park where Kate and I used to sketch springtime wildflowers. There, I drew a wonky sketch of the shelter’s fire pit — and Kate snuck a photo of me when I wasn’t paying attention!

pear butter

Bill has been busy picking pears from one of our baby trees, cooking them into yummy pear butter, then canning them. So I recorded it in my journal. Gotta help in some way, right?

This weekend, pears will be picked from the other tree and the process will be repeated. Only this time I think the plan is to just can the sliced pears.

Bill’s dilemma

When our granddaughter Mikala graduated high school, Bill built her a beautiful “hope chest” (are they even called that anymore?). He never likes to make the same thing twice so when our other granddaughter Jayna graduated this year, he built her this humpback trunk.

Our oldest grandson, Quen, graduates next year. Whatever is he going to build him? Quen would probably say a guitar but that is beyond Bill’s expertise.

in lieu of a gift

I’ve had several gift ideas to give Bill, one of which was to replace his feather pillow. The man is very particular about having a good feather pillow! Unfortunately, the one I ordered will not arrive until after Christmas — so I’ll give him a sketch of it.

(He doesn’t do internet so I’m safe posting it ahead of time.)

I taped the edges of this Hahnemuhle Agave watercolor paper but the paper tore as I pulled it up. Lovely paper to paint on but it doesn’t like tape.

Bill, waiting . . .

Here, I was playing with a Koh-I-Noor Magic Pencil lead refill; Bill was waiting as I received another chemo infusion (that’s my recliner at the bottom of the drawing). This time we were at M.D. Anderson’s West Houston location — so much easier to drive to than the Med Center!

Bill’s cousin Mike made this 5.6 pencil lead holder on his small lathe. I think the wood is Purple Heart. He also made me a regular sized mechanical pencil out of Bird’s Eye Maple. The button at the top of this fat pencil is pressed down to advance the lead, but it also unscrews to reveal a point-sharpener.

A very light shadow can be seen on the left page made by a Pentel Pocketbrush pen in my previous sketch. It didn’t really bleed through enough to fuss about.

autumn leaf color!

Davy Crockett National Forest is a bit further north than we usually camp. The autumn leaves are still not as colorful as we had in Kansas, but we found some color here which I painted in my journal.

We bought this Apex camper used. The slide-out contains a couch but the original table was missing. So Bill built one with folding metal legs the same long narrow dimensions as the original. It’s beautiful, made with vintage cedar — that’s the table my sketchbook is laying on in the photo.

But while providing more work space for the kitchenette, it seemed to get in the way of sitting easily, turning the couch into a diner booth you had to slide into. So we now use that table outside and Bill designed a new one for inside. This one can be used two ways: as a divider between seats — great for sharing a movie on my laptop! — or with another set of long legs, it becomes a free-standing table to be moved wherever we want it.

one final sketch from camp

We have been home from Lake Raven for several days, but I didn’t get around to finishing this last sketch until last night. This trip was for Bill’s 71st birthday and a new hammock was his gift — so of course I had to add a sketch of it in my journal!

The longest hiking trail, which neither of us are in shape for, takes you to the northernmost tip of the lake, across a marshy area, to the wilderness on the other side (the distant tree line in this sketch). It was there that a band of coyotes were spotted one evening during our stay, coming down to the shore to drink.

Bill's tomato sauce

In the early spring, Bill went to buy a grape tomato plant from the farm supply store. He doesn't actually like eating tomatoes but he knows Kristen and I both love them. He came home with SIX plants as they only sold them in 6-packs.

We could not keep up with the exuberant harvest so he made tomato paste out of the overflow. And it tastes wonderful! In recipes we add additional herbs according to whether we are going for an Italian or Mexican flavor; my absolute favorite is to warm the sauce up in a pan with milk added -- Best. Tomato. Bisque. Ever! He put it in glass jars without processing; it will keep several months in the freezer.

I like to lightly pencil in a sketch before drawing in ink; this time I tried a Caran d'Ache non-photo blue pencil instead of graphite, eliminating the need to erase. I would normally just sketch in a few basic shapes for placement but we were watching an old Murder She Wrote and I got carried away! I still used graphite lines for the text placement area. The next day I added ink lines and text. Then let the ink dry before erasing the text lines and adding watercolor.

To make the sauce, Bill tossed the grape tomatoes with jalapenos in olive oil and roasted them in the oven. Then he sautéed chopped onions and fresh garlic in a large pot before adding the tomato mixture with all the juices. He added oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper and brought to a low boil, letting simmer 30 minutes to an hour. If the batch was too sweet, he added a bit of lime juice. (None of this was measured -- that's just the way he cooks.) Finally, he pureed it all with an immersion blender and put in jars.

. . . and Bradley laughs

 

Our daughter and son-in-law’s dog, Bradley, often visits us in our barn-house — probably because he has full views through the glass in our front and back doors, keeping guard over the property from the air-conditioned comfort of inside. His over-thick Great Pyrenees coat can be a bit much in Texas’ heat (and he does Love his comfort!)

Bradley took one look at Bill wearing his neck brace and seemed to be laughing at him. He recently had to wear a doggy “cone of shame” to prevent his licking and chewing at his skin, probably from nerves. Either our daughter or son-in-law have been staying out here at the farm to help care for the goats while Bill is unable to, and Bradley is having a hard time adjusting to one or the other not being home where he thinks they belong.

Now we call the neck brace Bill’s “cone of shame”.

Bradley with one of his cats, Reeces

waiting continues . . .

Bill’s surgery is finished, all went well, and now I’m waiting till they let me see him in recovery. 4 hours of sketching, reading, doodling, more reading — but I am so thankful they let me wait here where they come out in person to give me updates. I’ve heard some hospitals make you drop the patient off at the door and tell you to leave!

waiting . . .

About 3 1/2 years ago Bill had neck surgery, repairing 2 bulging discs. This was supposed to correct whatever (pinched nerve?) was causing the severe chronic pain down his right arm.

The pain has continued but our family doctor was able to find a pain reliever that worked. Until this past year when pain again increased and a new dizziness was added. So he was sent to a different neurosurgeon who found that the first surgery didn’t go far enough. So today he is having more surgery, taking care of the discs above and below the previous “fix”. It’s high enough in his spinal column that mobility should not be impacted, and he’s expected to be sent home the same day if he’s feeling up to it.

Meanwhile I sit and wait, thankful that they’ll at least allow one person per patient in the waiting room. I drew the above as they prepped Bill; now in the waiting room where it’s too cold to sketch — I’m going to drink some hot tea instead.

morning routine with Stubby

Our outdoor kitty, Stubby (named for her half-tail, which she wags like a puppy), loves spending her mornings on the patio with Bill. She politely looks at him, asking permission to jump onto his lap for some extra petting and purring, then jumps down to go about her busy day ahead.

This Pocket Palette is mostly filled with Daniel Smith lunar watercolors. I prefer using transparent red oxide as my warm orange-brown rather than lunar earth. The empty pan is waiting for a tube of burnt umber I ordered to add chocolatey browns.

early morning routine

Bits of my early morning routine: greet donkeys (Tater and Tot), get them a bit of fresh hay from this storage shed, turn the goats (Wilbur, Norbert, Bentley, Mikey, Abe, Iris, and Cognac) out of their pen, top off the water trough, and give some loving attention to any goats needing it. Then feed and water Stubby, the outdoor cat, before heading inside to do the same for Bardie and Scottie, the indoor cats.

Cognac always gets the first drink, before I even have a chance to fill the trough enough to wash the previous day’s scum away.

Bentley always needs a snuggle and scratch, usually followed by Mikey and Wilbur.

After eating a few nibbles, Stubby shares Bill’s morning cup of coffee, usually demanding his lap for a few moments.

different type of painting

I do intend to move on to a new journal and use this one for people-drawing practice . . . But when Bill brought his wee paintbrush and paint caddy in and set them in my line of vision — well, I just had to sketch them, right?

yes, Bill, bumblebees sting!

Large bumblebees love hanging out in the chaste tree near the swimming pool. Bill keeps telling us not to worry, they won’t sting us.

After swimming on Thursday suits and towels were hung out on the clothesline. Friday morning I gathered them in my arms, bringing them inside to fold and put away. I folded my own suit, which has an attached skirt, loosely and just laid it on top of my dresser.

Friday afternoon, I pulled my swimsuit back on to go swimming again. Before I got to the front door, I heard a loud buzzing. Then screamed as I realized it was coming from my suit! Batting at it wildly, I found a bumblebee hiding between the body and skirt of the suit — and she did sting me, though through the fabric so it did not hurt much. She flew across the room as I called Bill in to “TAKE CARE OF THIS BEASTIE!” as the cats were now after her and I didn’t want them hurt.

And he did . . . He went after the angry bee with whatever he had in his hand. His pocketknife! And he dispatched the thing.

I have no doubt he would fight off dragons with the same weapon.

(Both queen and worker bumblebees can sting. Unlike honeybees, their stinger lacks barbs so it is not left in the wound and the bee is not injured; it can in fact sting repeatedly — until a dragon slayer comes after it.)

post-Bardie rescue

Sunday morning and here I sit, on a plastic sofa in a hospital room in Tomball, TX.

On Wednesday our wee cat Bardie got his leg caught in the iron leg of a vintage ice cream parlor chair. We’re not sure if he was trying to jump onto the table or off of it — either way, he somehow missed. We heard his terrified screams and came running to help; he was so panicked that Bill had to let him bite his left wrist while freeing the cat’s leg with his right. We were afraid that Bardie had broken his leg, as horrific as the screams sounded, but he was fine. Just very embarrassed.

We knew cat bites are serious injuries and Bill was in major pain with lots of blood, so we headed to a nearby 24/7 ER in Magnolia. After a thorough cleaning, a tetanus shot, and antibiotics, we were sent home with wound care instructions. (It didn’t help any that one tooth went deeply into a bad fire ant bite from a few days previously.)

All seemed well until late Saturday afternoon — swelling and pain increased enough to head back to ER. This time, they sent him to their hospital in Tomball for a few days of IV antibiotics. This is often necessary following cat bites so we sort of expected it.

Just a tad bit more intense, as the Corona virus has appeared in the Woodlands. Hospitals are limiting visitors; those that are allowed in are interviewed, info recorded, and wrist-banded as cleared.

I didn’t mean to!

Veterans Day, a week later

 

Hidden in the bottom of my purse today, I found this flattened crepe poppy. Last week we spent Veterans Day in Needville, attending programs to honor relatives and friends of the students that served or are still active in the military. Not only students, actually — a Coast Guard serviceman in dress uniform came at his mother’s request (she’s a teacher).

Ceremonies were held at Judah’s elementary school, Josiah’s middle school (theirs was actually held at the high school), and Jayna’s junior high school — which kept us busy running from school to school! Bill is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served during the Vietnam war.

BTW, the Kaweco Liliput fountain pen shown in the picture was skipping badly, even after cleaning the nib with a pen flush solution and installing a new ink cartridge. After fighting with it the past week, I suddenly thought of trying a Waterpik made to clean between teeth. The tiny pressure-jet spray of water worked! The pen now writes very smoothly.

I’m not the only one drawing . . .

Bill must have drawn at least 10 different versions of converting a sheep barn into a cottage plus woodshop — but I think he has finally settled on one. The main open living space will be down the center of the barn where the roof peaks (we’ll have exposed trusses), partially divided by a counter-height eating bar. Because it’s the middle of the barn, there will be huge windows at the front door and the back to let in as much natural light as possible. He drew this upper drawing of the north-facing kitchen windows and back door, the kitchen sink and lower cabinets. Then he drew the second one showing the east kitchen cabinets with stove and microwave. There will be additional storage next to the refrigerator on the west wall.

I love watching Bill’s thought processes as he designs our new home and the new woodshop. He has such great ideas, such as a wall of built-in storage in the woodshop on the common wall dividing house from shop — creating an affective noise buffer! Also the perfect place for things like camping gear and Christmas decorations.