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Summer is just a week away, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. The last few days have been gloomy and wet, and today the air has a chill. I can see some blue sky, but the clouds are still dominating the scenery.
Yesterday we had a huge rainstorm - 1.5” of rain, mostly over the course of the afternoon. My weather station recorded a total of 2.29” for the “event” which includes Friday. Here’s yesterday’s measured precipitation - the dark blue is the rate/hour, so those spikes mean it was raining REALLY HARD.
Here’s a video I took around 5:30 - I’m sure glad we weren’t camping!
I was already putting off walking the dog, and shortly after this it seemed like there was a slight break - or should I say, it wasn’t raining quite as hard. The radar map indicated the rain was going to go on for a while, so I decided to take him around the block for a quick walk and get it over with.
He didn’t get off to a great start, wanting to go across the street (where we’d been that morning) and with a slight limp. His leash collar fell off, so I had to get that back on him and get him moving. We made it around the corner, and when we hit the end of the alley behind our house he turned in to head for our back gate.
Friends, the back gate has a lock on it and we only went in that way a couple of times before we added the lock! He was a little confused when we couldn’t get in, and I thought maybe we could just get around the shortened block.
Nope. Two houses down he turned around, and tried to go in the gate again. He was having none of it, and I was laughing at the poor fellow who usually doesn’t mind the rain. I finally managed to get him back around the corner to the front of the house where we could get back in.
And it was just in time! It started raining even harder than it had before. We would have been caught in it if we had continued around the block. The rain was dripping off of our gutters like nothing I had seen before. This correlates with the tallest spike on the graph, when it was raining at over 1.25” per hour!
Rowland had good instincts I guess. We had a mini-flood in our garden bed.
Since outdoor activities were off the docket yesterday, I spent some time moving photos from shoeboxes to nicer storage boxes. It was fun looking through the old photos, which are a completely unorganized wish-mash of my life. Me as a kid, college, geology field camp, Nolan as a baby - all sorts of stuff. Great fun to see all of those old pictures.
Then I worked on my index card for the day. I’ve really been enjoying making time for art every single day. Some days it takes just a few minutes, and others take longer. Yesterday I spent the longest on any of the cards so far. I inked, then painted with watercolors. It was very satisfying!
I realized that I never showed you the top secret gift project I was working on!
Ta-daaaaa!
A crocheted blanket for a dear friend who just had a baby. Michael for scale and helpfully holding it up so I could get a good photo. I need to make one for myself.
I’m still in an artsy mood, so am off to play around with my watercolors and some gouache, which I’ve never used before! Should be fun.
The next time I write it will be summer - at last!
Dispatches From Idaho
More lovely photos from Nolan and Mia. These were all taken on their way to Idaho Falls. They’re spending a few days in the remote mountains of Utah, so should be sending more beautiful photos soon!
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Pahoehoe lava
Dwarf Buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium) - also called Cushion Buckwheat (Nolan will let me know if I’m getting anything mixed up here). This variety is endemic to Craters of the Moon.
Some mountains near MacKay, Idaho - a small town with an history of mining.
Tidbits
Amarillo, Texas Could Be America's Covid-19 Future - hint: it’s full of racial and economic disparity and isn’t a good answer
Comics journalism from CHOP (formerly known as CHAZ) in Seattle by Tessa Hulls
Quarantined Travel Photographer Creates Miniature “Outdoor” Scenes With Everyday Objects - mostly food! (Instagram @erinoutdoors)
Homemade watercolors - so visually appealing! Someday I will try them out… (Etsy shop: ArtsyOubliette)
Learn to identify edible mushrooms while playing solitaire or poker! (more from Life Science Studios)
The Ultimate Summer 2020 Reading List - a list made from other lists so you only have to read one list
Making: just my ICADs - take a look at what other people do with their index cards! Really wanting to sit outside and draw, but the weather just isn’t cooperating yet…
Recently eaten: every day
Reading: a variety of things. I’m not great with eBooks, but I try.
The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (eBook) - Layla F. Saad [waiting for a print copy]
The Joy of Botanical Drawing (eBook) - Wendy Hollander
False Knees: an Illustrated Guide to Animal Behavior (eBook) - Joshua Barkman [much needed comic relief, try the webcomic here]
One Square Mile: An Artist's Journal of America's Heartland - Cathy Johnson
Videos of the Week
Such talent.
Everything is just ducky…
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question, hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared in next week’s newsletter - anonymously. Don’t be shy! General public commenting is available too at the end of this post.
You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it?
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Last week I asked you to share something that has made you smile recently.
Caucasian Nart Sagas, the sassy graphic novel version: https://www.c.urvy.org/?date=20171021
Not safe for work or children - they don't shy away from the Nart Sagas' lusty authenticity.
2 things are making me smile: the sound of the squacky crowbabies hidden in the trees, and the Northern Flicker that has been visiting one of the bird baths in the backyard. After having a bath, he suns himself on the neighbor's roof, showing off those magnificent feathers.
Birds 1, Humans 0.
Go get ‘em Governor! Be sure you’ve got your sound on for this one…
Current Temperature: 62.4 F (16.9 C)
Current Humidity: 61%
Wind (max gust): 10.3 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 in