§ Christmas Floral...

Real...




_ _ _

Artificial...

My last post, on Monday, was of the wooden reindeer and sleigh that Bud made -EIGHT tiny REINDEER for me years ago. I mentioned in one of my comment replies that maybe a thin leather cord with jingle bells would be better than the ribbon I've always used for the reins...I just may go to the craft store and get those supplies and change it before my sister arrives. I ask myself now, "Should I"?

§ Another Poinsettia...

A few years ago, I sketched and posted about, my working on a poinsettia with colored pencils, a favorite holiday plant in red as you can see here:

A few days ago, I thought I'd do a quick, one hour, sketch and color in another poinsettia plant. This time making it with white bracts...

 _ _ _ _

Today, early, we will once again head for the polling booth to re-vote. Our mayoral ballot was too close to call a winner, so the two of us will head out and recast our ballot. There were six candidates in November, but only two remain on the ticket. I hope my vote will help with electing the new runner!! We need 'new blood' in the city instead of the old school mayor we have had far too long.

§ C C C C - aka...

... Corpus Christi Contamination Catastrophe!!If you've listened to the news anytime in the past few days, you have heard about the water contamination in Corpus Christi!! Bud and I usually have a good supply of bottled water stored for emergencies [more likely hurricane threats - but we have cases for those "just in case" scenarios year 'round]. A bit more in this post, later...

A COLD SNAP

Ducks and Coots on the Feeder Canal at Hans Suter Refuge

A Wintry Morning Sky on the Bay

Walking in a local park, while stopping to view the ducks, egrets and herons, the icy arctic wind just cut right through me. [Yes, ARCTIC wind]. And tho it is supposed to warm up for a couple of days, the high predicted in the 80s, the front moves in and back down to the mid 30s for the morning low! And, yes, I've said it here before, when the thermometer reads 40 degrees or below, and the humidity mixed in, it feels like Colorado Rockies sub-zero temperature! but, the good part is... no snow... the freeways may have icy conditions for a while, early in the morning hours. At least on the overpasses.

Lately, cutting my walks short, once I get home, I keep myself occupied somehow. Like this:

HOLIDAY SKETCHING
colored pencil drawing of a poinsettia

This sketch took me the entire day, off and on, to finish it. I began the outline at dark o'thirty when Bud was still all asnooze. It's a quiet activity, so I wouldn't wake him! After breakfast, I started honing the lines and then choosing the colored pencils to use, I began filling in the plant bracts with red, and shading in with black and/or darker red. After lunch I outlined the entire image, penciling in each and every 'leaf'. By late afternoon, I finished, signed it and share it with you now. Before I started preparations for dinner, I took it to my room and added it to my sketch portfolio.

...or trying this earlier this week:

HITTING THE 'NAIL ON THE HEAD'
[Santa Heads on Finger Nails, that is]

I began by painting around the cuticle the red polish. After that dried completely, I opened the white polish, leaving a natural nail color for facial color in the center of the fingernail, I then dabbed the white on the edge of the red for the furry hat brim,  and then along the fingernail tips for the beard. Again, after the white dried, I finished with black nail polish for the two eyes and a brush tip of red for the nose.  And before you ask, yes, they're real nails, not acrylic.

CITY AGAIN IN 'HOT WATER'

Thursday, about 3 a.m. my cellphone alert notifications went berserk! Our city's water had been contaminated!! No drinking, showering, bathing, brushing teeth, washing dishes, laundry...don't do ANYTHING with the tap water. By early morning all stores had sold out with their bottled water supply. Emergency water was delivered by 18 wheelers, and distributed to those in need at all the senior outlets...these too quickly emptied of that supply. More coming in from around the state of Texas, while other nearby states are shipping water in for us! What a fiasco. Luckily, Bud and I only drink bottled water, so had a good deal stored in the pantry, but preparing food and cleaning up after it all was the most challenging part of this situation. You don't realize how you rely on tap water until you can't use it. Lawsuits from local businesses [such as beauty salons and restaurants] have already been filed. I really can't blame them...it's their livelihood, and depend on safe water. "What will all the hospitals and emergency outlets do?  They can't boil, filter or decontaminate the water in any way?"  I personally can't help but question the whole catastrophic episode here....I immediately asked myself, "How could this happen?  Is there no backflow?  Surely, there is!  Especially in the area where there are a lot of industrial chemicals.  And, is this the instant it happened, or did  the city know about it long before, and just now reporting the impurities in the water supply?  IT'S HAPPENED BEFORE and not just here!!"  Come to find out, as news reports filter in, the city was notified of the 'possible' contamination nearly a week before the residents were told!!!" Erin Brockovich, where are you when we need you?

PS...I just read while checking for updates, that all shelter animals have been transported out of the city; taken to shelters in San Antonio.




I found this online searching for Water Contamination Cartoons