§ You'll Go Down in His-s-s-tor-r-ry!!

WATER UPDATE

Late Sunday afternoon, the city of Corpus Christi's tap water ban was lifted. Of all the over two dozen water samples sent in for testing, the results were negative for any poisoning. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry...from what I read online that afternoon, the testing and observing for further contaminates will continue for weeks. We residents have been given an 'all clear' for the use of showering, cooking, laundering, drinking, with the tap water. I'm going to be a bit leery from here on out. ONLY using the water from the pipes when necessary. I think I will continue to use bottled water from now on with my cooking. I'm not sure I even want to dine out in a restaurant because of the water treatment any more.  But on 2nd thought, I'm sure there are many many MORE hidden secrets behind the kitchen doors in a restaurant other than the water situation.   And for me, trust with government officials just flew out the window in my household! [what else is new?] LOL


SCARFACE
If you have visited me and recall reading a recent post from a while ago, you may remember the white tailed deer and the yearling I spotted at Bazemore Park...I fell head over heals for the yearling that I dubbed "Scarface" since it had a healed over scar on its muzzle. Over and over in my head, I envisioned the cute critter!  Eventually, I convinced myself I had to attempt sketching it.  And since it was too cold to be out in the open fields walking on Sunday, I watched a couple of movies, and then...another sketch!  I found this task a bit difficult, demanding, and way too much use of my art eraser this time. First the eyes are too large [but for me, deer eyes are hypnotically pretty], the muzzle was too long, then after re-drawing it, too short. The shading and tendons with the ears and jawline aren't showing as they should in my opinion. I find many faults with this one. But, I'm done with it!! Maybe some other time I will retry with a clean slate! Maybe.



NOTE TO SELF

Get my driver's license renewed! It expires on my birthday that's only a couple months away. Texas law tells me I can renew it 1 year prior, and or 2 years after [?]!! I don't understand this...if it expires on your birthday, why can I wait 2 years after the fact? Makes no sense at all....it's expired!! Any logic in this? No. At least I don't think so. Again, government issues puzzle the heck outta me. Maybe it's my age. Which brings me to another quandary. If I am allowed to renew online/snail mail, without physically going to the DMV, do they use the OLD photo from 6 years ago? Now, that makes sense [sarcasm]...I don't have as many wrinkles on my photo from back then...the cops [If I need to show my valid license] will surely think I'm having a bad hair day, or I aged 6 years overnight!!



AN EARWORM of a song
You know...
Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all...


...the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor

Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say

with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee

the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history"

§ 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