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Misc. Monday

Monday, July 27, 2026 0 Art Projects, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Good Reads, Misc. Blatherings, Streaming TV/Movies, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
Misc. Monday

I was going back through old posts here on Catobear, and remembered when I used to do a Misc. Monday post regularly. I also used to do a Feline Friday post. Maybe I should get back into those, for my own sake. I doubt many people come to this site these days. Better things to do with their time, no doubt. I’ve been blogging in one form or another since 2007, nearly twenty years.

My Michigan Garden

If you follow My Michigan Garden on Facebook, you’ve seen photos of all of the gardens from the Marshall Garden Tour and the Battle Creek Garden Tour. Lots of inspiration. Today we had rain for the first time in forever. We’ve had to put the sprinkler on every other day and fill the birdbaths in the off-days. Honestly, we’re not getting much produce this year despite the watering and fertilizing. We pulled two green peppers and have some sungold cherry tomatoes each day. Looks like we have a total of three small-ish green tomatoes and two quite small cucumbers. The green beans put on a good display of growth, but not a single flower or bean. Probably time to dump all of the soil this year and start fresh next year. No frogs have attended the pond, but the flowers are starting to look nice.

Feral Cat Crafts

Yesterday I managed to get some grouting done on the mosaics. I used a pre-mixed grout and one powdered you mix yourself made especially for mosaics. Not surprisingly, the pre-mixed one (white, below) cracked like crazy as drying and yet took so long to dry it was a problem. The gray one you mix yourself was really quite good. The dark gray rock is the winner, and the same grout was used on the heart saucer and cat brick. I like the little rock mosaics, so now I need to see if I can get three of those done, and maybe three bricks, before the Mutt Market. The ones in the photo were just to try things out, and will be hidden somewhere in my own garden.

I have two of three sides painted on the second birdhouse. The third side should go pretty fast, then the first two birdhouses need to be sealed and I still need to come up with a concept and paint the third one.

You can see this one is a water theme, sunset over water on the front side, sailboat on the second, and the third will have palm trees. It’s obviously not fine art, but I think it’s cute enough and will hopefully sell.

I have my keychains and bag charms half packaged at this point, and I had an idea to make some of those cute beaded mini-flowers in vases. With less than a month to go until the Mutt Market, I’m once again pushing it to the very edge of getting everything done. It’s been kind of fun looking back at the last few years of Mutt Market items I’ve made and sold. I think the crochet froggies and scrunchies should have sold better as they were cute AF. Also, the zippered pouches were quite good. The Blind Date with Books should have gone better at the MM but they went to staff members after the event. I don’t really have any expectations that anything will sell well this year, but it has to go somewhere, right?

Wish You Were Here Snail Mail Club

I need to get to work right now on the September 1st Back to School issue. Now. Next week is August.

Reading, Watching, Exploring

I finished This House Will Feed, which I enjoyed. Then I read Kill House from Scott Thomas, which I also enjoyed. I’d say it’s the most “real” horror book I’ve read from the horror genre lately. I’m currently reading Richard Laymon’s Funland, which is actually not much fun. This must have been a print on demand book and not especially well put together as half the pages are still attached to each other at the bottom of the page. The characters are unlikeable as is the plot. I’m half way into it and thinking of just giving up.

The third season of Trigger Point is on Britbox and I’m obsessed. We’ve also been watching every game that’s available for WNBA’s Indiana Fever.

Although I am a huge fan of Mortal Kombat, you wouldn’t really call me a gamer in any other sense. This week, I’m exploring Solo Roleplaying Games in the journaling format. I’ve been watching YouTube videos trying to figure out if it’s something I might enjoy doing. As if I needed another hobby. I sat down and came up with 35 hobbies I’ve tried since roughly 2007, and quite a few I still pull out with regularity or would do so if I had more time.

What are you up to, this last week of July 2026?

My World’s On Fire

Friday, July 17, 2026 0 Battle Creek, Feral Cat Crafts, Garden, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads, Weather Update No tags Permalink

The ice we skate is gettin’ pretty thin. The water’s gettin’ warm so you might as well swim · My world’s on fire, how ’bout yours? – All Star, by Smash Mouth

Michigan has the worst air quality in the world due to Canadian wildfires. We are at the center of a diarrhea parasite outbreak. Temperatures are in the 90s with high humidity as it is time for corn sweat. Also, I have to say I’ve personally had a pretty, um, – shitty – week at work. So I’m ready for autumn.

Summer Reads Update

My choices at the start of the summer for reading:

  • Last One Out by Jane Harper. Harper is one of my favorite authors. Her novels take place in Australia, and often involve mysteries. This book was published April 14, 2026.
  • The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic. I love prose poetry, and would like to get back to writing some again.
  • On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz. This non-fiction book helps to give one a new perspective on seeing things you miss regularly. It honestly sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read it.
  • The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, non-fiction. This books shares some stories from the people who survived the American Dust Bowl. It won the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was featured in a Ken Burns documentary.
  • Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler. This new novel won’t be released until the end of May.

And I’ve finished three so far! On Looking was good. It had one of the best sentences I’ve read in a long time:

“A spill of spaghetti, cooked and sauced, formed a sunburst at my feet, attended to by a cluster of pigeons.”

On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz.

After I finished it, I sent it to my friend Lois as I thought she would enjoy it. Next up was The Worst Time, about the dust bowl. It was very interesting! That one I sent to my Uncle Steve. Third, I read Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Alder. I loved how she writes, and her characters. I sent that one on to my friend Holly. After those three, I got sidetracked a bit and read The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson. I loved it so much I didn’t want to part with it, but I bought two copies and sent one to my Mom and one to my sister. It takes place mostly in the 1980s in Niagara Falls, Canada. I’m currently reading This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud, which takes place during the Irish potato famine. It’s a horror book with some Irish superstition in it, and very enjoyable. When it’s too hot and too smoky to be outside, your next best choice is indoors in the air conditioning on the couch with a book. And a cat, if you have one.

Craft Projects

I’ve sold maybe nine of the Wish You Were Here – Summer Vacation snail mail clubs, and do plan on putting one together for September. I’m getting ready for the Mutt Market, with only five weeks to go. Right now, I have all of the key chains and bag charms made but they need to be packaged up. I have so, so many bag charms I expect it will take a week to get them done.

I have one of three birdhouses painted but it needs to be sealed and the other two painted and sealed.

I plan on selling 3-4 mosaic garden bricks. I have my first three attempts that are just to test the concept, and they need to be grouted and sealed. I am also going to make a few driftwood sun catchers for gardens as well.

As I said, time is running out and I need to get busy. It’s just a challenge to work when it’s been so hot. And did I mention work has been stressful? I’m managing to get up every day, brush my teeth, shower, and get to work and try to get work done. But anything beyond that has been impossible. We haven’t had a salad in over a week, so maybe it’s lack of nutrients?

I did make up a batch of bracelets and bag charms under the Liberal AF design, and donated them to the Calhoun County Democrat Headquarters. I had hoped they would offer them for suggested donation of $10 each and make some money from them.

I did my own linocut block carving and printing on the packaging. It was a bit of an awkward exchange when I took them in, so maybe they pitched them in the dumpster right after I left. Who knows? I honestly thought they were super cute. The bag charms have “eat the rich” and “deport racist” charms on them. The bracelets spell out something like “liberal af”, or “vote dems” and the second of the bracelet duo has a charm that reads “hope”.

My World’s On Fire

As I mentioned, it’s hot and humid and smoky. I haven’t spent much time out in the garden this week, except for turning on and off the sprinkler, and dumping and filling the five birdbaths I have around the gardens at home. It seems as if our vegetable garden has been super slow to produce. The green beans are growing like crazy, but no flowers or beans yet.

I worked the Marshall Garden Tour as a volunteer hostess last weekend, which was a fun experience. The next day, I went to see the rest of the houses on the tour. I think the word of the year for gardens is “whimsy” which maybe would be good for me as a trend if I plan on working on garden mosaic bricks, suncatchers, and birdhouses. The Battle Creek Garden Tour is tomorrow, and Mom and I are going in the morning but will likely have to wear N95 masks.

Yeah, I’m struggling. But who isn’t at this point?

Summer Reads 2026

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 0 Good Reads, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
summer reads 2019

After a brief hiatus, I’m publishing a Summer Reads 2026. Not only that, I’m making a zine out of it, and I’m also sharing some of my favorite past reads which I think you should consider adding to your own Summer Reads 2026 list.

In 2011, I came up with my first ‘summer reads’ list, as selection of beachy reads and “good for me” non-fiction books to read between Memorial Weekend and Labor Day. I shared my list for the first time in 2014 on www.catobear.com (go there to see past full lists).

From 2014 – 2019, I dutifully shared each summer’s reading list and wrote brief reviews on each book. I came up with my lists by looking at the New York Times Bestseller list, Maureen Corrigan’s (NPR book reviewer) lists and reviews, and anything that I had seen online that looked good. Somehow in 2020, perhaps because of the state of the world, I didn’t read much or come up with a list. I returned in 2021, skipped in 2022, and again published my list in 2023 which was the last year of my full list. I did have a number of books I read and shared last year, but nothing official.

Over time, my list has become shorter, as free time seems to be much more precious these days. When I was young and had no responsibilities, my Mom would take us to the bookmobile each week and I would select the maximum number of books I could to take home and read (was it ten? 14?). I always read them all. In doing the summer reads as an adult, I normally selected between 8-10 books. This year, I am starting out with five, and if I finish all of those I can always add more.

My Summer Reads 2026

  • Last One Out by Jane Harper. Harper is one of my favorite authors. Her novels take place in Australia, and often involve mysteries. This book was published April 14, 2026.
  • The World Doesn’t End by Charles Simic. I love prose poetry, and would like to get back to writing some again.
  • On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz. This non-fiction book helps to give one a new perspective on seeing things you miss regularly. It honestly sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read it.
  • The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan, non-fiction. This books shares some stories from the people who survived the American Dust Bowl. It won the 2006 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was featured in a Ken Burns documentary.
  • Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler. This new novel won’t be released until the end of May.

My Recommendations for Your Summer Reads 2026

For many folks, the idea of a summer read is a coastal romance with maybe a hint of mystery. There seem to be a number of books by Carley Fortune and Emily Henry on reading lists this summer. And honestly, in many years I’ve included books from Elin Hilderbrand and similar on my list. Who doesn’t enjoy those? But this list for you are some of my absolute favorite books, those that have stayed with me for years after reading them.

  • Joyland by Stephen King. This is my favorite of King’s books. It is spooky, not scary, and takes place in a theme park in the summer. It is also fabulous on audiobook, if you prefer your reading that way.
  • The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. I just finished The Fox Wife, her newest novel and I have read The Ghost Bride as well. While the other two are very good, The Night Tiger is amazing. Historical fiction with a hint of supernatural, I felt myself transported to the locations in this book. I constantly recommend this book.
  • The Burning by Tim Madigan, a non-fiction book about the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots. This book is fantastic, everything you would hope a non-fiction book could be in regard to teaching you not only about something you might not have known, but how it felt to be there. I wish high schools would require this reading in American history classes.
  • Into Thin Air by Job Krakauer. This book, a first person account of the disastrous 1996 climbing season on Mount Everest, will have you (as they often say) on the edge of your seat. While there have been some criticisms of how certain real people in the book have been portrayed, I encourage you to read this and then follow up with other accounts. Into Thin Air is one of those books you always see recommended on Reddit, and it deserves the recognition.
  • A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This non-fiction memoir of a boy soldier and his participation during war in Sierra Leone also has a little controversy with some of the details, but I don’t think that impacts the powerful nature of this book. In fact, I think this should be taught in American high school English classes instead of four whole years of Shakespeare. It’s not easy reading (content-wise; it is a very fast read in terms of beauty of writing style), but I think it is one that should be on your list.
  • The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore is a historical fiction book about the surprisingly recent history of leprosy homes in this country. It’s a great novel, well written, and will stay with you.
  • The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Everyone loves Erik Larson’s writing. It feels like a novel, and is a mix of true crime and narrative non-fiction.
  • Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Want to learn a little more about the Troubles in Northern Ireland? This book won TIME Magazine’s Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. The audio book is also excellent.
  • State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. This novel was one I heard reviewed by Maureen Corrigan in 2011 and I had to read it. Fifteen years later, I still think about it monthly. You can feel yourself in the setting along with the characters. It is unexpected, and fantastic.
  • American Fire by Monica Hesse is amazing. It’s one of those books that I always recommend to everyone. It is non-fiction that reads like a novel, and I featured it in my Three Books mini-zine as well as on my website.

Do tell me what’s on your reading list for this summer, and let me know if you have read (or plan to read!) any of my recommendations. Happy reading!

June Crafts

Monday, July 7, 2025 0 Feral Cat Crafts, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
June Crafts purse charm

I somehow missed all of June. It was super hot and even when it was in the 80s, the humidity just sucked the life out of everything. I did manage to get some crafts done somehow, so here are the June Crafts update. First, I kept making purse charms (see above). I mostly did a beach or coastal chic theme for them, but this one above is a pink coquette theme. I put them up on my Etsy, and have sold none.

June crafts phone charm

I also made a ton of phone charms. I really like to make them, like the purse charms! I put them up on my Etsy, and again have sold none. I made one and did a tutorial for my YouTube channel (for the love of all that is holy, please please subscribe and if you watch a video, can you just like it? Please?), and put it on my own phone. It did hold up to the wear and tear, but it bugged me so much I took it off after about ten days. How do the young people manage to use phones with charms on them?

June crafts purse charms

Here’s some more purse charms! Only these aren’t for the store. My dear friend Amy came for a short visit to the shelter on her way to vacation, and I made her a cat-themed purse charm and a dog-themed one for her sister Mary (with whom I was on the school paper, The Crystal, back in 1993). Seeing Amy was one of the highlights of my summer for sure.

June crafts bracelet

Bob suggested I try making some bracelets, and so that is the plan for July. I’m making stacking bracelets, sets of threes. I’m also making some Halloween-themed bracelets, as I saw that people start searching Halloween stuff in July on Etsy. Will they sell? I don’t know. I like stackable bracelets, especially surfer or beach themed bracelets, but generally if it’s something I like, it might not sell.

I’m not officially doing a summer reads this year, but I have been reading. Since my last reading update, I’ve completed the following:

  • Hospital Hill by Katherine Anderson (hard copy)
  • The Long Walk by Stephen King (audible)
  • We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin (audible)
  • Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin (audible)
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (hard copy)

I’m most of the way through the audible format of Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd, and I’m getting ready to start Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. The Long Walk was quite memorable and it’s coming out as a movie September 12. I’ve already forgotten what We Are All the Same in the Dark was about, though I know it was a murder mystery. Her Paper Ghosts was a murder mystery as well, and pretty good, about a woman who takes a suspected serial killer with dementia on her search to find out if he killed her sister, but I wonder if I will remember it in a few months. I felt the same about The Lost Bookshop, which was about 100 pages too long to get to the point it needed to make. Murder at Gulls Nest is about a nun who left her order to solve…you guessed it…a murder mystery! Again, kind of cute but probably will be forgettable after a few weeks. I need to update my reading journal and do a YouTube recording soon.

The Mutt Market is just over four weeks away. What all will I finish? I suppose some of it depends on how hot and humid my art space is. Last night it was over 80 degrees and I had two fans blowing on me. I managed to get a little work done, as it felt cooler in there than it had in the previous several days.

Summer Reads 2023

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 0 Summer Reads No tags Permalink
summer reads 2019

My last year of summer reads was 2021. After that summer, something happened and I was no longer able to really enjoy reading. I’d get a headache or I couldn’t concentrate or I’d fall asleep. Very frustrating. This year I didn’t set out to do a summer reading program, but I got a new pair of prescription glasses. Instead of my progressive lenses for regular life, this is my prescription complete with prism but only for reading. It has made all of the difference! Though I’ve been quite busy with crocheting for the upcoming craft fair, I’ve managed to complete three books so far this summer. And with the algorithm on TikTok feeding me #booktok suggestions, I’ve got a list of books coming up! Here is the summer reads 2023, so far.

summer reads 2023

Jane Harper has become my favorite author, and her latest book Exiles came out at the perfect time. Another mystery that takes place in Australia, this book is the perfect mix of interesting story and a gorgeous backdrop described in a way that makes you feel like you’re there. Honestly, 10/10 for me.

summer reads 2023

Next up, Emma Torzs’ Ink Blood Sister Scribe. I saw this one on TikTok. It is light reading for sure. This book follows two sets of characters who work on writing and curating magic books, and brings them together in a unique way. It was enjoyable, but probably forgettable over time. 7/10.

summer reads 2023

People on TikTok love this Riley Sager book, The Only One Left. It is a murder mystery and it is set in Maine, which in my view is a great place for a summer read. It is one of those books where it goes along at a good clip, but then everything happens in the last 50 pages. Sager throws in everything and the kitchen sink at the end. I enjoyed the rest of the book more than the ending. I didn’t guess all of the plot twists, but it felt like there were so many that you couldn’t really savor any of them. 6/10.

Next up on my Summer Reads 2023 is another TikTok recommendation. This week is supposed to be hot, hot, hot, 90 degrees plus. Halloween decorations are already out at the stores. Folks are already thinking of back to school, and spooky books are taking over on recommendations. Everyone seems to love The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Although I think that’s a stupid name for a book, I’m going to give it a try. I just started watching A Discovery of Witches on tv, based on the trilogy by Deborah Harkness which I started reading in 2012. Spooky season is on the way.

What are you reading this summer?

Mid July

Thursday, July 14, 2022 0 Garden, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads No tags Permalink

It’s already mid July. How did that happen? The summer is going much too quickly, as always. What have I done to show for it? Not much, actually. Some art projects. Some garden maintenance. Lots of riding the spin bike in the evenings. Watching YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I’m trying to take care of my health, but I’m still waiting for my CPAP machine and new glasses to come in. I don’t know, it rather feels like I’m squandering life.

The last two summers were spent with painting, and I haven’t done any painting at all. I do miss it. My latest project was creating this small moss terrarium (below). I wanted it to be like a living book nook, but I don’t think it was successful. I did manage to make a tiny staircase which is kind of cool. I will be interested to see if the moss grows or dies. I think they are kind of fun to make, and might make nice gifts, especially for people who have cats and can’t have regular houseplants.

Not that anyone ever reads these posts, but if you do, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d subscribe to my YouTube Channel (click here). As I mentioned above, I’ve been watching lots of YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I don’t know why I find the work so interesting. You can see more garden updates that way, too as I’ve been taking regular videos.

I do miss reading. I used to love the summer reads each summer, sitting on the couch with Maxy on my lap. Maxy is gone, reading puts me to sleep, and my bad glasses give me a headache when I do try to read. I have been listening to audio books. The latest is Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. They aren’t ghost stories in the traditional sense, though I suppose there’s one or two like that in there. It’s more the uncanny type of stories that will remain in your mind long after you’ve read them. I wasn’t sure with the first one or two, but now I highly recommend it. Many years ago I read a collection from Breece D’J Pancake, and there was one particular short story that never left me about a snow plow driver. This book is full of interesting tales like that one.

After finishing Severance on Apple+, I am now on the third season of Servant. I guess it is renewed for a fourth season, but that won’t be out for quite awhile. Severance was excellent.

Yes, mid July and I am squandering life. How is your summer going?

Misc. Summer Updates

Friday, July 23, 2021 0 Battle Creek, Good Reads, gouache, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Painting, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
misc. summer updates - garden tour lily

Garden Tour

Ah, time again for some misc. summer updates. It is a busy time of the year, no? And I actually left the house and did something outside of work! Mom and I went to the Leila Arboretum Society‘s summer garden tour this year. We hadn’t been before. This year’s gardens were on the north side of town, and many were in very small lots. It is amazing to see what can be done in such a small space. If you’re interested in seeing some of the photos, swing over to My Michigan Garden. It was a really fun time, and I’m glad we went. I think, give it another year, Mom’s garden could easily be on the tour. It’s that good.

misc. summer updates - tim madigan's the burning

Summer Reads

I finished Tim Madigan’s The Burning last night. You know how a non-fiction book can be a horrific tale, but it is written so well and is so enlightening you’d call it a really good book? This is that book. I think anyone who reads it would be horrified over the events in Tulsa and how the story was essentially buried for so many years. I think you’d be hard put to read it and not think reparations are due, not just for slavery but for how black people in America have been treated every day since slavery supposedly ended.

Next book up is Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary. I told you I was no longer shopping at amazon, so I got the book from New Story Community Books in Marshall. They happened to have a signed copy in stock, but they can order whatever else you need. It is a fantastic store, and I highly recommend locals shop there! A friend recommended the book and I read a sample online, and I can’t wait to start reading it. I think it’s going to be really good. If I finish that and still have time on my summer reads, Tom Cooper’s Florida Man will be the book after that. Originally I only set three books and was concerned I wouldn’t have time to get through them, but all three books so far were very engaging and pretty fast reads. Don’t you think summer reading just hits differently? I love it.

misc. summer updates - gouache cat painting

Painting

We finished the HSSCM Pet Portrait fundraiser (here is the catalog). There is one painting that hasn’t come in, and I will need to paint it myself if it doesn’t make it by the end of the month. Currently, I’m doing a special cat portrait in gouache for a dear friend who lost her handsome panther just recently. You can see I have the colors blocked in, but that’s it. I figure it will take another three hours or so to finish it. I’d like to say it will be done this weekend, but I’m not confident in my time. After I finish this one, and the one that didn’t make it to the HSSCM event, I’ll hopefully get back to watercolor. I find the days are very long and hard, and by the time evening rolls around I’m too mentally tired to paint.

Can you believe we are nearing the end of July? The cicadas are singing on the hot afternoons, and smoke from the wildfires out west are creating hazy sunlight skies. Bob is quite busy at work, and will be attending some events coming up for his job. I’ll be attending the MSU Master Gardener conference virtually in August. My thoughts are already turning to Halloween. With no event, there will be no costume this year. But maybe I can entertain myself with some historybounding? Who knows. There are so many things I’d like to do to entertain myself, and so little time outside of work. And some of the hours (many of the hours) outside of work are still dealing with work issues.

Anyhow, hope your summer is going great.

Summer Reading Update

Monday, July 12, 2021 0 Good Reads, Painting, Summer Reads, watercolor No tags Permalink
Summer Reading Update - How to Stop Time

We are maybe 1/3 through the summer, and I’m making progress on my summer reading. First up was Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time which I guess would be classified as a fantasy novel. The main character ages very, very slowly. It was a good read, but not very memorable. A week after I had read it, I forgot what happened in it. If you’re looking for a light beach read though, this could be your book.

summer reading update - convenience store woman

Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman is maybe more of a novella. I started and finished in it just a couple of hours. It was an interesting read for sure. The woman the story is centered around has some sort of un-diagnosed personality disorder. From not being understood in childhood to trying to find her place in life, she finds peace working part time in a convenience store. The descriptions of the store and her surroundings are quite good. You can really feel yourself there. Though I couldn’t identify with the character personally, the story gave me insight into another kind of life. I don’t think this is a book for everyone, but I have a few friends who might like it including my cousin Angie.

I’ve also been daily reading selections from Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Stoic looking for peace and inspiration. I’ve also been tracking down the Splash watercolor books. They are excellent for ideas and inspiration. Here’s my latest watercolors, #44 and #45.

The second one got a bit of traffic on the watercolor Facebook groups I belong to, and I did learn a lot through all of the comments. It seems the watercolor people are more active than the gouache or acrylic people. I did start a new watercolor last night and it’s not going well. Hoping it can still be salvaged. I need to sit and wait for things to dry instead of constantly reworking them while wet. Things always look different in the morning. That’s a pretty good metaphor for life as well. Worry and overwork things at night and it’s a disaster. The morning light will cast a new reality for you.

Next up on my reading list: The Burning [Tulsa Race Riot] by Tim Madigan

No More Amazon

Monday, June 28, 2021 0 Garden, Good Reads, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Summer Reads, Weather Update No tags Permalink

I’m done with Amazon. Their refusal to pay corporate taxes, the way they treat their staff members, and the horror that is Amazon Prime delivery services has finally ended it for me. So for me, it’s no more amazon. I’ll be paying more to place orders at independent stores and will be supporting hopefully the USPS (even UPS and FedEx are better than Amazon Prime deliveries). Today I ordered a book from The Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan. Last week I ordered two from Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately we don’t have any great independent art supply stores around here, so I usually order from Blick. My favorite peanut butter is cheaper on Amazon, but I ordered directly from the company. And don’t even get me started on Etsy:

Favorite Soap: Pie Town
Watercolor Paint: Ruby Mountain Paint Co.
Washi Tape: my friend Michele at Goat Girl

Anyhow, in July please consider shopping local or supporting independent sellers online. It can really make a difference in their lives! Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite local or online independent retailer.

It’s been raining a crap ton (over four inches in the past week). Everything is wet, inside and outside the house. Ants have moved into my office. But at least we haven’t had to water? Consumer’s Energy gouged electric rates daily from 2:00 – 7:00pm. That’s not an exaggeration. It was literally a 50 percent increase. When it rains forever, it’s pretty humid. And the only way to beat it back is using air conditioning. Which is now much more expensive. At least it’s not as hot as it is in the west right now.

No More Amazon. The rest of my summer reads will be purchased through independent retailers!

I did start the summer reads with Matt Haig’s How to Stop Time. It’s pretty good so far. Lots going on this week, and at this point I’m not sure how everything is going to shake out. In the meanwhile, try to breathe deep and appreciate the little things.

Misc. Updates

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 0 Good Reads, gouache, Living in Michigan, Misc. Blatherings, Painting, Summer Reads No tags Permalink
misc. updates Van Pennen's Flowers

Time for another misc. updates post. How quickly June passes! Since the last post, I did finish my final baby blanket, but forgot to take a picture. Hopefully no more baby blankets for some time. I have a personal crochet project I’m kicking around in my mind, but in the meanwhile I’ll probably just crochet a few cat blankets for the shelter. Last week was super hot and humid, but this week is cooler.

misc. updates family

Last weekend Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney came to visit. We went up to Lansing to water the graves, and the lavender was in bloom on the Thorne/Cleary plot. Drove past Hudda’s house, stopped for lunch. It was a lovely few days, and it’s a reminder of how lucky I am to have family I not only love, but I really like and enjoy spending time with!

misc. updates cemetery flowers

In my last post, I mentioned the pet portrait FUNdraiser for the Humane Society. In the end, we had 26 people request a portrait, for $520 in total revenue which is really disappointing to me. Some of the completed works have already come in, and they are fantastic. I’ve been slowly working on the one I assigned myself, otherwise known as painting #42 in my collection.

I’ll have to take some photos and a video of the gardens. I’ve had to water a lot as it’s been so hot and we haven’t gotten much rain at all. In fact, Calhoun County is now in a “moderate drought”. The flower beds look good, though we have yet to have a single monarch butterfly or caterpillar. I would guess our group didn’t survive the winter in Mexico. The honey bees and bumble bees are enjoying the flower garden, and we’ve had some moths as well.

Michigan is pretty well open from the pandemic closures, and what isn’t open by state regulation will be released completely July 1st. The shelter is still open by appointment only, mostly for the stress benefit to the animals and staff members. Not sure when that will change. The Field of Flight balloon championship will go on as usual this year, with 20,000 guests expected and only 42% of Calhoun County folks vaccinated.

I’ve started pulling together my list of Summer Reads. With so much going on (gardening, painting, work, worrying) I’m not sure how much time I have to read. I’ve got three books set for sure, then some potentials if I get time. Here’s the list

Will Absolutely Read:
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
How to Stop Time: A Novel by Matt Haig
The Burning [Tulsa Race Riot] by Tim Madigan

Might Read:
Again Again by E Lockhart
Florida Man: A Novel by Tom Cooper
Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings

What are you reading this summer?