Sitting and twiddlin'

The Tow Truck guy said he'd try and get here in the morning. So I am waiting.

Chores are done. Critters fed and moved around. Water checked.
Rich is still sleeping so I can't do much in the way of house work. I'm missing CrossFit to wait so I am fidgety.

Since it is chilly out and things are quiet, I thought I'd open up a tutorial on Paint Essentials. It is a program that allows you to mimic painting, except of course you use software.

About this time of year, most things around here are not so photogenic. I mean brown leaves, dreary skies, and dirt are not exactly exciting.

I grabbed some photos I'd taken in October and opened up the program and began to fiddle around first.

First snow fall on Tigen Road with an auto paint of impressionistic painting layered with detail painting.

Monarch on a Zinnia with a 'gel' layer and a bright painted detail painting.

Then I tried a pencil 'painting'.

Meh. Not too great, but then I decided to go follow a tutorial.

Why not? I'm never too old to learn something. And who knows, I might like it.

So I went to here: Getting Started with Auto Painting
and followed along as the lady did a painting....

This shot below is similar to the original that I 'painted' in layers.

It is pretty artsy fartsy. Enough to keep me engaged to try some more fun things and watch tutorials while I have to be quiet and  wait for the tow truck man.

And while I am still waiting, I did another one.

Because I cannot leave well enough alone I decided to add a layer of writing and then take my finger and smear paint around.

All in all, it was quite fun.

Since the Tow Truck Man hasn't come yet -- I certainly hope he comes before the snowfall tomorrow -- so on to cleaning the coffee pot and working on a DIY project that I'll share for the November doldrums.

Oh and laundry folding. How exciting is that?

Toodles...
Cool project stuff coming up.

Oh and for sure more cleaning in the large shed later this week.

Sometimes I just sits and thinks....

*Sometimes I just sits and thinks...sometimes I just sits...* ~ A.A. Milne from Winnie the Pooh.

I spent a long time sitting alongside the creek yesterday while my friends were exploring after a weekend of deer hunting.

I was just thinking.
Thinking about some good things that have happened to me. CrossFit is still fun and I enjoy it. I'm part of a camera club now. There will be a Field Trip to the Rotary Lights with mentors helping everyone with photography. I can always learn new things.

Rich. The newer Rich is pretty interesting. Since his depression treatments, he is either severely grumpy, thus I dub him Grumpy Gus...or very happy. I don't like Grumpy Gus times. He gets snarky and testy over every little thing.
It is hard to get him out of the house.
His knee still hurts. However it didn't seem to bother him when he was out standing for a few hours while watching for deer. But he claims it is too cold to go outside. He won't help with chores. It is too cold or it may bother his knee.

The happy guy laughs and gives me reason to smile. I like that guy. The silent guy watches TV shows on Netflix ... binge watches hours at a time... at a high volume. Then gets angry when he has finished all the seasons of a show he likes.

I accidentally started a show that we had previously watched. I said something about it being a repeat. He adamantly said it wasn't. I went in the kitchen and painted crafty stuff and wore headphones to listen to Pandora. Why not? If he can watch 6 seasons over, that is less time I have to spend searching for him.

I tossed another rock into the icy water of the creek and watched a puff of sand float towards PeeWee's.

I looked up at the Teddy Bear on the desk and thought of Winnie the Pooh and his adventures.

I pulled out the plastic ornaments from my camera bag. I'd had an idea. The Creek Bears, holidays, color, rocks, snow...and water.

I love these bears. They were lost in a flood and recovered. They have earned the right to be 'special'. I was thinking of a Christmas Card or something like that.

I took about 10 shots to find one I like and I found a flaw with this one too. How did I not see the green stuff on Percy's face? Oh well. Now I have a reason to try this again.

How about all of the bears on the desk? I can do different looks for these shots. Warmer,...colder...black and white. No sun...no shadows.

I left the ornaments on the desk with the bears looking downstream.

I went and sat on a dry flat rock and just listened to the creek for a while.
My friends were still walking above me on the hillside.

I preferred the quiet in the creek.
I mulled over the word dementia and how people can't see the brain 'damage' so it is hard for them to figure out why a person they love changes their behavior.

Perhaps if I painted a huge scar over Rich's forehead it would help me and others understand why things don't always make sense. My mother in law needs one too.

I tossed another rock in the creek. I could hear my friends coming down the hillside trail.

What was in my future? I had to think about it.

"What about it Teddy Bears?"

They didn't answer.