Stay Warm!

Today in Texas we had school canceled, not because of bad weather - but preemptively yesterday because of the potential for possibly icy road conditions? Right now it’s just after 3 pm, has dropped from 34º this morning to 28º and the weather channel says a light “wintry mix”. Hmm . . . well, if it is I can’t see it. Vehicles are driving by just fine, no windshield wipers. I ran outside for a minute to cover up a large potted plant and if I really concentrated . . . I could feel a fine mist that was maybe freezing.

Be that as it may, I think we as Texans have a valid reason for erring on the side of caution and tending to over-prepare after the trauma of the grid failure last year. A little PTSD present here for suffering and shivering through four days without electricity in 17º and snow-filled roads during a pandemic lock down. Fortunately, we had friends/family with generators to use to run space heaters, electric kitchen kettles and at night, my hospital bed. We all pitched in to help each other. It’s OK if we talk a defensive stand.

After school started in August, things have been a bit non-stop with lessons and planning. After dealing with COVID in October from an exposure at school, I have found myself exhausted and lacking of any motivation or desire to paint. In October, I did enter a painting in the Degallery International Art Contest and ended up, to my amazement, winning 2nd place from 213 entries! How cool is that?

Here I am in November, 2021, with a 2nd Place award for my painting, “It Came An Early Snow”, at the Degallery International Art Contest!

Now there is another Visual Arts contest coming up in April, with the deadline for entry in March. I’m thinking I can go in there and work on that waterfall painting to see if I can finish it up in time. What do you think?

I’ve got everything set up, dusted off and ready to go. I even ate some chocolate for good measure. Now if we can just stay warm.