I'm Home And Playing Catch Up

We got home on Monday afternoon to about a foot of snow. It would appear that either my muse moved out while I was gone or traveled with us and got tired of waiting for me to do some art and got lost somewhere on the way.

Life has not been boring, though. While I've unpacked and done laundry, the clothes are not all put away yet. By unpacked, I mean out of the suitcase. There is still the next step of getting them put away. The house needs a serious cleaning even though we left it pretty clean when we left. Dust doesn't go on vacation.

We had Momo (the 2 1/2 year old) yesterday and we have her again today. Also today the first grader will be riding the bus to our house and they will be here until 9:30 or so.

Yesterday just after my daughter got home to meet the bus, her car broke down. I have given her mine to use until she figures out what is wrong and how much it will cost to fix it. I can use the hubster's truck, but I don't like driving unfamiliar vehicles, particularly in winter when it is snowing every day.

According to the extended forecast for this area, we will have some kind of snow activity through Sunday, but high 30s and sun afterward. C'mon Spring!!!

I'll share a few pix with you from the trip to brighten up this drab post and hope to break out of the art doldrums soon. I am "taking" a watercolor class with Molly Murrah through Creative Techs which started last Friday. I missed that one, but watched the Q&A video to find out about supplies and what is planned. I am also "taking" a watercolor class beginning on March 1 through Artists of The Round Table using the book "Watercolor Made Simple" by Claudia Nice. The supply list and the techniques look very much like the Molly Murrah class. I am so hoping to learn something from these classes and try my hand at watercolor. I'll share with you when I begin the classes.

Meanwhile, here are the pix I have to share now:

Pensacola Beach finds.

We have the shells soaking in a bath of mostly water with a little household bleach. Is this the way to clean them? We picked up some small, brown sand dollars and some small starfish on Hilton Head Island that got really mushy and smelly and had to be thrown away.

Englewood pelican.

This pelican was in the shade when I saw him with his head turned around and his beak tucked between his feathers and appeared to be sleeping. It was so cold there, I think he may have been depressed because fish were hard to find. He was nice enough to come out into the sun and pose for me though.

Osprey near nest.

There were babies in the nest. I could just see their heads once in a while. I took this with my little point and shoot and wished I'd had my better camera and longer lens with me. But I am pleased with the quality anyway. I was able to crop it and still get a decent picture.

I was up most of the night sick to my stomach. I am severely lactose intolerant and am sure that along the way I have gotten some things that I would be able to avoid at home. This has been building for a long time, but was almost unbearable last night. I am hoping to have a quiet day with the little one and get a nap when she naps.

Meanwhile, I will be trying to either find my muse or adopt one that has been lost by someone else and get some kind of art begun that I can share with you tomorrow or the next day.

See you then, I hope.

xoxo