The Dog Days of Summer
Summer is always a busy time of year for my family. Weekday evenings are filled with trips to the ball diamond and weekends are spent driving from one event or activity to another. My grandson was born last month, so one of the most exciting activities this month was making the trip north to go and see him. He is very small and very sweet and I am looking forward to watch him grow. His parents are doing a great job in their new roles and are also adjusting to the lack of sleep that comes with it. Last weekend we made a trip to Cedar Point to celebrate my youngest son’s birthday. While Jack and his father enjoyed the centripetal forces of the rides, I spent my time drawing the views from the shady spots around the park in my sketchbook.
This weekend has been a small break in the busy schedule with no plans for either day. While I enjoy all the activities of the summer, a moment of rest and respite is a welcomed pleasure. I spent Saturday puttering around my balcony garden, fighting a battle against some mysterious insect that had taken over my borage, trimming the lower branches on my tomato plants and shifting pots around. I also found some time to get to the pool for a swim and did some painting in the afternoon.
This morning, after I catch up on housework and finish this blog, I will be spending time with my paint brushes again. Over the last couple of months I have been working on a painting of deep magenta peonies. Everything had been going well with the painting and I had been very happy with how it was turning out, but then I got stuck on the background. Initially my plan was to paint a black background, but then when I sat with the painting, I thought that maybe the background should be brighter. To try to make the decision easier, I played with the background colours on procreate, but this only seemed to make the decision harder. Today I am determined to come to a decision and finish the background even if it isn’t any of the colours that I previously contemplated.
The rest of the day will be spent enjoying time with my family and hopefully spending some time outdoors if the weather cooperates.
As for the rest of the dog days of summer, there is plenty more in store. I will share more in the coming weeks, but until then I hope you find a moment to enjoy the sun and the heat this week.
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On my bookshelf:
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
After finishing The Wheel of Time on Prime and finding out the series was canceled before the story was completed, I decided to do what any reasonable person would and read the series. I’ve started by listening to the audiobook version of The Eye of the World. This fantasy series centres around five friends who grew up in the river lands that have a destiny that impacts the fate of the world. The series explores the traditional battles of good and evil, light and dark and although the ultimate hero appears to be a man, the women are the strength, decision makers and power in this story. I look forward to listening to this series and seeing where it overlaps with the story I watched on screen.
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In my ears:
Ask Iliza Anything
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger and her friend Emily Higgins host this podcast where they answer listeners questions and give big sister advice. Iliza and Emily share a banter that only two close friends can have and they let us in on it every Wednesday throughout the year.