Third week of January

Traditionally the third week of January is the coldest of the year here in Wisconsin. Sure enough the weather forecasters are predicting some lows in the single digits starting next week.

Just yesterday our March weather finally left and colder weather swept in. The Man and I hurried out in the warmest part of the day (25d) and finished sinking posts for our new animal shelter. Now our construction dude/helper/friend guy can come when he feels the weather is ideal to work outside and do the finish work. Now mind you I say The Man and I, loosely as all I did was hold the 16' long 4x4 in place as he put dirt around and tamped it down. He dug the holes and lowered the pads. My job was more the technical/engineering type. When he couldn't lower the pads in without them flipping I came up with the idea of using baler twine to slowly lower it in level. When he couldn't figure out how to square up the building I reminded him of the carpenters secret of the actual use of geometry. Advisor, yes that was my role.

I am recovering from my cold. It has settled in my chest so at least I can think. Sadly, both S and N have developed it and are home sick today. S is being occupied by Animal Planet while N is sleeping. Thus is the pattern when they are sick. S will NOT sleep. She sits and stares at the television. N will sleep half the day away and read when she is not sleeping.

Here is a piece I started yesterday on Kelzon. I am using colored pencil on mylar. So far I am pleased with the progress I am making. This is the first time I have tryed using mylar, not counting the hours of drafting I did on it the '80s. What I like about it is that you can completely erase an area without damage to the mylar. What I don't like is the limited amount of layers you are able to lay down. You have to be more selective with your color choices. I can only add two layers to the front and two to the back before I begin to just push the previous layers around. In addition I need to work on his left eye as it is bugging out of his head, and the blue just isn't working the way I was wanting it to. Overall this has been a fun experiment and great first mylar piece.