granny nanny journal finished and I'm home

Mikala and I decided to end this wee travel journal with a sketch of her "kitten", Oreo. At 9 months old, this Maine Coon cat is as large in size as my own 11 year old Maine Coon, Bearcat -- who is pretty massive in size himself. Oreo is much skinnier though . . . . he'll add some bulk as he matures in the next 4 years.

Also in these pages are some quick scribbles as Mikala participated in Volleyball Camp and some berries from the day we went to pick blackberries at Matt Family Orchard just outside of Houston. We brought home over 5 pounds, eating all we could and freezing the rest to share with Mikala's parents when they returned from Scotland.

This finishes the second side of my "granny nanny" journal:

The first side was completed in early March, when I was "granny nanny" for 3 other grandkids living in Richmond, TX:

more play time

We've been playing lots of games and putting together a complicated puzzle. Wahoo, U-Build Sorry, Crazy UNO, Bananagrams . . . . whatever the game, Mikala always makes the game challenging.

It has been very hot and humid here in Houston this week, so it's been a good time to spend time indoors. Hopefully a bit cooler next week --- we might ride bikes then. And we want to check out a couple of book stores or make a trip to the library.

The last pages of this "granny nanny" are in process, shown below. I sketched while Mikala was at her volleyball workshop, then drew blackberries after we went to pick them at a farm in Tomball. We want a sketch of her other kitten across the rest of the spread . . . when we catch him in a quiet moment.

sketching time

Our son, Jason, brought Jayna up to spend the day with Mikala and me while he took a class on this end of Houston. Jayna brought her own paint palette and paper, ready to sketch.

But first, lots of silliness and games with Mikala and her cats.

LOVE real books!

During some down-time, I listened to an audio book on my Kindle and sketched a small section of the library shelves. Kristen, Michael, and Mikala all have multiple shelves packed with books, both loved editions and to-be-read piles.

The round glass vase is a special memory: it once held 12 tiny pink roses on the day Kristen was born.

Monday's fun

A busy day, especially for Mikala --- junior golf, a quick lunch, running errands, and volleyball camp in the evening. Mid-day, we stopped for frozen yogurt sundaes.

granny-nanny journal, side 2

And so begins part 2 of my "granny-nanny" journal --- a small accordion fold journal with two sides; I filled in side 1 in March while helping take care of 3 of our grandchildren in Richmond, TX for a week. This month, I am keeping another grandchild in NW Houston and plan to fill in this second side. IF there is time between Mikala's junior golf, volley ball, piano lessons, swimming, etc. Such a busy young lady!

The cat shown here is Mocha, one of Mikala's new kittens. I failed to get his subtle stripes in, but the color is right. Then I sketched Mikala and her mom as they watched baseball and made last minute plans for the trip to Scotland this week.

This journal was made by Cathy 'Kate' Johnson, using the loveliest of papers, Fabriano Artistico's older version of cold press -- sadly not made anymore. Ink pens glide along it and it has the perfect 'tooth' for watercolor! Too bad the company decided to change it.

summer fun begins . . .

 

I arrived in Houston yesterday, literally fighting storms part-way through. So much head-winds through Oklahoma, the flight attendants were never able to serve drinks. Southwest Airlines is new to Wichita; these balloon sculptures were left over from their opening festivities. Flight attendants made us laugh with their silly-sung instructions.

I'm working on my daughter's fancy laptop -- not used to it and not used to working without a mouse. Meanwhile, here are my two new buddies, Mocha and Oreo:

Mikala wants to raise a cow.

Every year Mikala goes to the rodeo in Houston. And every year, she loves to check out the cows. She also loves the pig races each year but so far has no desire to raise one.

But she does want to raise a cow. And with her wanting to become a vet someday, why not? There are currently too many small-animal vets in practice, but large-animal vets are in short supply. I hope she gets her wish. Meanwhile, I bought this longhorn cow to add to her collection of Schleich horses --- I will be flying to Houston this week to stay with Mikala while her parents travel to Scotland.

Saturday's sketching

 

This past Saturday, we drove to Pawnee Rock to attend Bill's aunt's funeral.  Arriving there too early (a common habit with Bill), we walked around looking for the oldest gravestones --- many from the civil war and earlier. The ones I sketched here are all children, the oldest one possibly the one now being embraced by a red cedar tree.

Popping up everywhere were these sweet wild geraniums. The ancient cemetery would have been quite peaceful if it were not for the fierce, cold Kansas winds.

can we wear sandals yet???

 

Apparently not.  It is now June and I had to wear a sweatshirt to walk Ceilidh this morning. This sketch is from 2 years ago, when sandal weather arrived early in April. Strange year!

But in a couple of days, I will be in Houston, already into summer heat. After a month there, maybe I'll return to Kansas and find springtime?