A DISTURBANCE IN THE FARCE

Last week one of DH’s buddies came by to tell us his business had a special deal going and wondered if we were interested in replacing our old furnace.  By the time they got done negotiating, a new furnace was on the way at sale price with the added condition of a trade on the repair of the buddie’s stereo system.  DH would also help install the furnace so the deal was even sweeter.

In a couple of days the new furnace was in the basement and the old furnace was removed.

 Then all kinds of weird and loud noises began to emanate from that part of the house as Buddy and DH went to work.

 By the time they stopped work that evening the job was almost done.   The only minor inconvenience was the electricity going on and off a few times and the gas water heater was temporary off line. 

To keep the house warm that night the guys hauled in a couple of loads of wood and fired up our wood stove.

 The final details of pipes, wiring and venting were wrapped up before noon the next day.  The fireplace had kept the house so warm they had to open windows to cool the house off enough to find out if the thermostat would trip and kick on our new furnace.

The worst of the debris was removed and the tools were put away by that evening.  DH told me if we’d hired a crew to do the job the price would have been well over a thousand dollars more.

The room was still full of soot and stray fiberglass, so before I did laundry I brought in the vacuum cleaner to finish tidying up.  It had been years since the place had seen more than a hasty wipe-down.  There were saggy gray spider webs hanging in all the corners.  I moved the folding table by the washer and found over a dollar in change lurking under the dust bunnies.  I worked for more than an hour and emptied the vacuum cleaner out twice.  Yet, when it was all done there was little evidence of the labor and commotion of the past few days.

By the way, this followed the replacement of our water heater only a month or so earlier.  DH also purchased and, with Beavis’ help, they installed it and carted the old one away.  I can only guess how much we didn’t pay an appliance repair and installation service for that one.

I don’t remember anyone telling me I should look for a man who could fix things when I chose a husband.  Even if I was told I know I didn’t listen. Still, it is so nice to have a spouse who can use tools, understand mechanical and electronic devices and figure out how to repair the broken and maintain the rest.  

ART WORK

Since DH and I spent the past few months working at summer camp, I didn’t have an opportunity to do any watercolor painting except for a few sketches.  Not long after our return I did a piece requested by a lady from just over the Teton Mountains in Jackson, Wyoming.

 My most recent undertaking started out with this value sketch.

 I transferred the sketch to watercolor paper and went to work.

Before long I had the forest underway.

 I started on the foreground and then decided I’d better put in the deer so I could add their reflections in the water.

This is the finished product.  I’m calling it “Energy Drink.”

 

 It is for sale on my Etsy site along with two other paintings I’ve finished in the last few weeks.

 This one is called, “Saturday Morning” and came from photos and time I spent watching kayakers along the Oregon Coast enjoying a morning away from their weekly routine.

 “Power Surge” is of a blustery afternoon near Maxwell Point.  The tide was coming in between the beach and the rocky islands bringing the roar of waves to add to the rushing wind.  Brown pelicans were scanning the surf looking for a meal kicked up by the surge.

WHEN YOU HEAR HOOF BEATS

Even though the sun seems to think it’s okay to sleep in and neglect its job of warming the morning air, I still get up early a few times a week and go for a walk.

 One morning last week I arrived at the river bridge when the sky was lighting up with a glorious sunrise.  I regretted the only camera I had with me was my cell phone. Although it did a pretty good job of capturing the moment.

On I tramped, following the river road with my mind wandering about when I heard a galloping sound.  Well, of course I thought it must be horses.

 It sorta looked like horses.  But I pulled out my cell phone and grabbed a fuzzy photo when I realized it was mooses not horses.

 Dang! If I’d had my Nikon I most likely would have a clear photo of this momma and her calf stopping to see what scared them out of the trees. 

They hurried off into the willows and disappeared down the river.  I walked on and didn’t see anything else remarkable.

SO…this morning when I decided to go along the same path, I grabbed my camera with the zoom lens so I would be ready when I heard hoof beats.

 The big Hunter’s Moon had spent the whole night lighting up the sky and was heading for bed.

By the time I arrived on the bridge, the sun was painting the sky with another brilliant sunrise.  This time I could capture the tip of the Grand Teton in Wyoming poking up just behind the Big Hole Mountains.

 I got a few more shots of the sunrise and, as the sky grew a little lighter, I carried my camera down the road where I’d seen the moose the week before.

 The pink sky reflected in the pond where a flock of Canada geese were taking a break on their trip south.

 More geese were already up and on their way.

Only gooses, no mooses, no hoof beats, not even any horses waited for me as I walked down the road.

 By the time I turned for home the moon was settling down and giving up the day to the sun.  Yeah, even though I didn’t get to shoot a moose or two, it had still been a good walk and a good start for the day.