Well hello there.
We’ve crossed over to another year, past the somewhat arbitrary date that was determined long ago to be the beginning of the annual calendar.
I was in bed before midnight, but the sound of illegal explosive entertainment woke me up to ring in the new year.
Wheeeeee! BOOM.
I had the good sense to take the week off between Christmas and New Year, and I am so glad I did! We had a right doozy of a snowstorm with subfreezing temperatures that made for a proper winter holiday week. Shoveling the sidewalks, trudging through the snow on dog walks every afternoon… spending 30 minutes just to get bundled up to go out.
A few years ago we bought these ice cleats, and finally used them for the first time. I never once came close to slipping, even crossing the compact snow and ice at every intersection. Brilliant! Get some if you need to walk in the snow.
The temps stayed below freezing for days, until yesterday afternoon. Icicle-spotting has been excellent, including this claw I spotted on the dog walk yesterday.
The neighbors also have a claw, but it’s not in a good place to get a photo. They did create a well-formed mountain of snow by sweeping off their deck though!
The snow has been especially challenging for the yard decor Santas left out in the cold. Abandoned, face down in the snow!
Just look at Charlie Brown and Snoopy, gleefully skating along and ignoring poor Santa!
There was one Santa I’d been watching in the days leading up to Christmas. He appeared to really be hitting the eggnog hard, and was frequently seen totally wrecked and unable to ride his polar bear properly.
On Christmas morning he was looking good - I was happy to see he’d come through the night upright. Nice work Santa! I could tell the bear was quite relieved as well.
By the next day, the snow had arrived and everything fell apart for this Santa and his bear. So tragic. Oh well - the falling snow sure is pretty!
I think we’re all getting tired of the snow and cold now. The novelty wears off after the first day or so. I can totally relate to this little penguin.
Good news though - the temps are rising and by 10 pm tonight we’ll have high winds with possible gusts up to 50 mph! Lovely. Lots of rain expected tomorrow, so the snow will be gone soon and we’ll forget it was ever here.
I’ve never been one for making a big fuss over the start of a new year, including making resolutions or setting goals. After the last couple of years, my plan is to keep my bar low and expectations lower. Seems like a winning plan for 2022.
I’ll read some books and make some art, but won’t knock myself out to complete any particular challenges. In the past I’ve been over-focused on the “do something every day” part of art challenges, and in the second half of 2021 I let go of that. It made things much more enjoyable! I feel that at this point I’ve got a solid creativity habit, even if I don’t do something EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can tell when I go too long without doing something, as I start to feel low. When I start up again I feel better.
I’ve been working on several art classes from Alisa Burke, an artist who happens to live in Seaside, Oregon. Her courses are very freeing, with imperfect expressive art making that is truly enjoyable. I also love the fact she lives in Seaside and I sometimes catch glimpses of one of my favorite places in her photos and videos. I’m really missing the coast right now, but with the Omicron surge we’re not making any plans for a visit in the near future. Here’s a couple things I’ve done from her classes.
She’s all about layering - paint, pens, collage, stamps… so much fun.
I’m excited to delve into more of her lessons, and try more things. Not to mention some other things on the horizon.
*dusts off embroidery supplies*
All right folks - time to roll on and make some art (speaking of). I wish you all the best in the new year.
Oh - and happy Public Domain Day!
~Anne
Those cleats look great! I use Yak Traks but they don’t always cut it (haha).
Happy New Year! I love this pool-theme continuation into sad snowy Santas.
Happy 22 Anne. Hoping the best for you and Michael and dog. And the snow can “snow”away now thanks. Was trapped at home all week!