WIP - Cougar update 6

Okay, time for today's update. Worked on this a long time today. I'm thinking I can finish the empty space tomorrow, then take a day off, or two, and go back and work the details. Smooth the rocks where they are too rough, or visa versa. Be sure the cougar is in its space properly. Then sign it and make a final scan for the show entry. I'll be glad to have this one off, and I have to get the small drawing that is going to the Annual show off and there like between the 15th and the 30th of August. I think. Will have to take a look. So much to keep on this old brain!

This should be the last of the over 90 degree days making the new record 25 days from the old 18. I'll certainly be glad to have the temperature go down some.

We shall see.

Good night all.

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

Good morning

Just a quick note this morning. Last night we had a bit of rain. It didn't last long, but it was long enough to make the ground wet and even better, cool off the air. It is almost 9:00 now and it is still only about 70 degrees. The miracle is that when the sun come up and I was looking out on the yard everything sparkled. Not with dew, but the light was hitting little green blades of grass. The dry brown crunchy yard, after only a hint of rain, was perceptibly greener.

It will be another 90 degree plus day today, but that will be easy because I was granted this mornings joy with a little cool, and a hint of emerald green.

WIP - Cougar update 5

Okay, another day of rocks. Did go back and anchor the cougar to the ground and darkened him enough to put him behind the rocks. At the very end I'll be putting in a few weeds, and some whiskers, but until then it will be rocks, and more rocks.

Today was another hot, 101 degree day, and 23 days in a row over 90. When I hear the temperatures south of here, or Mohave way, I have to say that I guess we don't have it so bad here. It did rain for just long enough to take the ground temperature down, and the breeze through the wet cooled the air this afternoon. For this I am very grateful.

Hopefully another update tomorrow, but won't promise. I'm going to have to get some other things done too! (I'm running out of clean dishes, and I don't have a dishwasher!)

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

WIP - Cougar Update IV

Okay, right off I know this is a bad scan, but you'll get the idea and I'm too tired to go back and scan it again. Also, I know that I should have waited until the last to do the tree and sky to surprise you with the color, but I gotta tell you, I was starved to do something of color and that took different brush strokes. So here you are. Enjoy and good night!!

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

A couple of days past

When I opened my blog just now, at 4:49 p.m., the temperature gauge read 103 degrees. Our record for consecutive days over 90 degrees was 18. And that record was set 107 years ago. Today is day 20 of the new record. Now what should I do with this child; urge it on, or shoot it down?
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Enough of that.
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Since I haven't posted an update on the cougar in a couple of days, I thought I'd just give a day to day accounting. I should be posting the cougar again tomorrow.
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A while back we had a wind storm that while it was furious, was not the micro-burst wind that I told you about earlier when the side of the neighbor's barn was peeled off by the wind. But this one was out of the west north west, and it was kicking up all the loose dirt in its path. I noticed it at first because of the yellowish light out the window, something you look for with tornado conditions. The picture shows the dirt in the air so thick that it blocks the sun to the degree you can look at it. Like most of nature, on one hand, beautiful, and on the other, frightening.
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.Then just Wednesday I was attracted by a Robin outside of the bedroom window. It was making these very melodious tones, and as I watched, the bird was preening itself, and sounded very like it was experiencing an extreme pleasure. Just as I was feeling I was intruding, this fairly large object sailed right past me and smashed into my bedroom window. I mean he really did a nasty header into the glass. This one is a Flicker. Beautiful larger bird, but very stunned. Its beak was open and head turned sideways and he would try to shake "it" off from time to time. But every time he took a step, it was wobbly. I took a couple of pictures through the window, then went out and to photo him. That was when I knew for sure he had really addled his brain. It took quite a while, but he walked farther and farther, little by little, and finally he was gone. Really glad he recovered before the cats spotted him!
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Today the winter hay arrived. I have a barn full of the sweet smelling alfalfa. The horses were lounging by the barn gate the whole time, talking to me with soft nickers hoping to get a bite of new season hay. The trailer left quite a bit behind on the ground, so I shoveled some treats their way. Trouble is, they are typical kids. Today a treat, and tomorrow they will be at the gate expecting more, and this time it most likely won't be soft nickers.
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Have a good day. Stay cool. And don't complain any more than you have to.
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See you tomorrow. (Late!)

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WIP - Cougar 3rd Update

Update #3 on the Cougar.

The rocks are looking pretty solid now and am moving on to ...

more rocks.

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

New settings

Hello to all my friends and readers out there. I have begun to get a lot of automated spam on my blog which is most annoying. So, to help reduce unwanted solicitors cluttering up my Blog, I have activated some new settings. One of which is word verification. I never understood how this was helpful, and always found it annoying to have to type in the letters and numbers on a graphic, but now know that the step takes a human to type in the "code" and automatic spam just can't read or type.

Those of you who have a subscription to my Blog will not be affected by this, and you will continue receiving your updates as I post something new. (The subscription form is below my profile on the left side, and only requires your e-mail address to activate.) Since I have no way of knowing who all my subscribers are, You might be receiving two of these messages. My apologies in advance.

For the rest of you, thank you for taking the time to take a look and comment from time to time. It makes my day to know that you enjoy my Blog enough to say hi.

Western Regards,

Judith Angell Meyer

WIP - Cougar

Okay, I'm pooped. I have been working on the cougar all day. Took a couple of breaks. Gizmo instisted on it!

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Except for softening the cougar's outline so he appears to be coming out of the cave and not just a "cookie cutter" effect on top of the darkness, I think he is finished.

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The rocks have only begun to take form, so bear with me on this.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Happy to help if I can.

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Enjoy!

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~J~

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

Cougar

When I last wrote I was expecting to be in surgery Tuesday the 22nd. That's been three days ago already. Jeez. Anyway, that was canceled. Seems not all the test results were in, nor even completed. So my primary Dr. took care of that. By Thursday all the reports were in and I was given the okay to get the surgery. My Dr. was going to have to explain to the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, why the bifascicular block in my heart wasn't going to be a problem. He suggested that without the explanation, when the anesthesiologist read the ECG, he'd just throw up! So now I wait for surgery to be rescheduled.

In the meantime, the little piece I'm painting for the SAA's "Small Art, BIG Impressions" show this fall, opening at the Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colorado on November 4th, is finally beginning to look right. The cougar is so small that even my magnifying light is barely enough. But I'm finally getting the watercolor to mold its body.

Have done nothing but pencil illustrations for a long time, and I guess it's just taking a while to get the watercolor brush going again. Too much time away from the work I should be doing.

The whole painting is 5" x 7" making the cougar about an 1 3/4" high x 2 1/4" wide. The cougar is the watercolor start, and the source picture of the rocks and cave is where the cougar will be walking out of.

I'm pleased with the start now, took a while. Now to get it finished in time. It has to be entered by August 17th.

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We actually got one heck of a thunder and lightening storm tonight and with it came this real cool wet stuff. Took me a while to remember it was rain. It was a nice one too, and cool! I took my popcorn and sat out on the porch to enjoy the wind and cool and the wonderful fresh smell of the rain.

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Delicious.

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Good night all.

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

New Old Motor Home

I have forgotten completely to show off "my" motor home. Took a while to get the engine back up to snuff, and of course cleaning the years of dust. It was Mom and Dad's since 1985, and they toured all over in it. They bought it for an ambitious trip through Canada to Alaska, and then back down the coast to Washington, then back to Colorado.

It is a 1984/5 Toyota pickup with a 1985 Dolphin camper on its back. Mom and Dad always took good care of their things, and passed that on to me, but I cannot believe how well this little camper is preserved. I know my parents, and camped with them all my childhood, so I know for a fact that Mom cooked three times a day for Dad. Sandwiches for lunch maybe, but I'm sure there was always coffee and probably soup. Then the catch of the day for supper. So, when you see the stove you will not believe that she spent years of camping trips cooking in that camper.

In this one I am standing at the door looking toward the back of the camper. The galley on the left, the bed in the rear across the back, closet over and to the right of the bed, then the bench and table on the right side.

This one looks the other way. Back to front. The driver's seats are all the way front and a step down. The overhead bunk is low, so I usually go out of the camper to get into the driver's seat. You can see the over the cab bunk bed, where I'll be storing my easel and art supplies. To the left and beyond the table is the bathroom, which has a potty, shower and sink. (Not a large space.) It is my hope that I can drive someplace in Colorado and just sit there for several days. Hiking, taking sketches and pictures. Maybe read a book. Mostly just being outside in our beautiful state. (And higher than here. It is currently 3:20 p.m. and 101 degrees.)

Of course I'll have Gizmo with me. It will be interesting to see where he will settle and call his own. It will be different. I don't plan on, or especially intend on using KOA's. Will first set my sights on the valley where Hans is and settle in there for a while.

I guess this it. Hope you like my little home away from home. I'm sure it will give me a lot of pleasure, as it did for Mom and Dad. Now if I can just take as good a care of it as they did ...