Hump Day

A light fluffy snow fell all day yesterday, although there was little accumulation of it. It was a pleasant day; busy and productive.  I finally sent my oldest son and his family the jar of fireweed honey that I had put up last August. It had been sitting on top of the microwave along with another jar patiently waiting to be packaged up and shipped. I would like to send the other jar to my younger son and his family in Louisiana, but I do not know if they would appreciate it.  David says the honey taste like clover. And it most certainly is made with an abundance of clover and fireweed, but it has a green or grass-like flavor. It is good, mind you, just not  what one may be accustomed to. My daughter in Alaska never did give me her opinion of it, but I suspect she is judging it against her own recipe, which is a bit milder tasting than mine.

Along with the honey, I sent some Valentines to my grandchildren. Nothing fancy, just some simple holiday worksheets for them to play with. Mostly, I hope they like getting something in the mail as much as I do. In this day and age of email, opening up a letter or package that’s been delivered by the postman is still a pleasure. M and E still get excited when packages come, although they don’t jump up and squeal about them anymore.

 

Derwent Pencil Can


E’s tinted charcoal pencils were finally delivered. They seemed a long time in coming because they are a birthday present. She turned 13 over a week ago.  Right before her birthday, her dad and I had selected another gift at the local art supply. At the time, I couldn’t read her wish list very well. Her penmanship looked like scribble-scratch to me and I picked what I thought she might want, although the set of pencils didn’t seem quite right. We saw what she really wanted online and convinced her to return the colored pastels and get the Derwents. It was an excellent choice and the charcoals suit her artistic style to a tee. We saved some money by buying online, too.

 

Derwent tinted charcoal

 

This is what E sketched today.  I think these pencils are very nice for someone that would truly appreciate them. If you or someone you know would like a set of these, here’s a link to a site with good prices.

 

Kyle...guess where Eileen copied this picture from?

 

After doing some banking, (I get to use the oversize vehicle lane now), I went to the post office to drop off the packages. That’s where I saw the mailman eating some raw pea pods. A lady in the line spoke up and asked “Don’t they give you a lunch break around here?’  He grinned back without answering. She then said how much she appreciated his efforts of working through lunch. I couldn’t help but think of my husband when I saw him stick those peas in his mouth. David has been making some different food choices and wanting to eat more live food. I told him about the postman and suggested the idea of snacking on snow peas.  I didn’t get an eye roll, so I think he may consider it. At least I tried to convince him he can do it for a day.

After doing some much needed work in late afternoon, it was time for the 4-H meeting.  It was a very cold night and David and I complained about it. It’s February and even though we know better,we are starting to under-dress for the cold. When we got out of the truck onto the slippery street, David reminded me of his falling on the ice. Many streets are packed with snow and ice and can make for hazardous walking. It was at last month’s meeting where he slipped at just about the same spot.

The school felt good and warm when we got inside. A club member gave one of the best demonstrations ever on how to clean pike. It was so intriguing that some of the kids got up out of their chairs and inched forward for a closer look at the spilling guts. When the meeting was over, we chatted with a parent who was wearing a cast. Later I found out he had slipped and fallen on the ice and broken his foot. Ouch! Let this be a warning, please use ice grips!

Afterwards, we went home and had coffee and homemade date bread.

You may enjoy this article on Sketchpad:

 

 


Marlene