JT Rules!

I had to go to Ft. Bragg to take care of some business today. I stopped in to see this cute little man. Isn't it a statistical marvel that I ended up with the 2 cutest babies that ever lived? Whoda thunk it? Me, Bert and JT went to eat at a place called Yesterday or something like that--a sports bar and burger joint about 10 miles this side of Bragg. Pretty decent food. JT had a grilled cheese sammich and sweet potato fries. He is cutting some molars which makes him grumpy, but he's eating pretty well these days. I had to rush back home and log back into work. But I'll be spending a lot of time with him next weekend. I will be babysitting while his parents attend a wedding in Charleston. Good Times!!

A Flower Blooms in Winter

Gardenia

Clematis

These 2 crazy plants are blooming. The overnight temperature just dropped to 31 for the first time this season and here we are well into autumn and yet I have flowers. It's weird, but such a beautiful sight. Gardenias were dad's favorite. They smell so nice.

More reasons to get a dog

They make excellent pillows and neck warmers.

I just learned dogs are sensitive to aliens (I mean extra-terrestrial aliens, not illegal aliens--although technically speaking, I guess ETs actually are "illegal" aliens). SO, beware when dogs barks at night.

Cats can sense aliens as well, but they don't care. That's the difference between cats and dogs.

That gives me yet another thing to worry about--alien home invasion. Bummer. And I just resigned myself to the fact that in the event of a zombie apocalypse--I'm doomed. Miguel and I realized we are particularly unsuited for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. We have no skills of any practical value. When anarchy reigns, there will be no need for visual artists or guitar teachers. I repeat...bummer.

the Cat's in the bag

This looks like a great place to take a nap.

See! I told you I could fit in here.

A couple of quick things

postcard from my niece in Korea

painting in progress

 I got a postcard from my niece. What a lovely surprise. She graduated from William & Mary and is now in Korea teaching English. She is loving it, plus she's able to start paying off those school loans. Yikes. Also I'm posting a photo of a painting I am working on. Acrylic with palette knife, based on a design by Peter Adderley. Must give credit where credit is due. My co-worker, Glenna, volunteers for Cat Angels--a rescue and shelter for kitties. They are having a fund raiser next month and I am donating a painting (or two) for the auction. I keep saying I am not going to do any more acrylics, so I quit buying paint. I was using up some tubes from my stash with this painting. The kitties need a face, so after that I think this painting is complete.

Doing some sketching

quick sketch in my Moleskine watercolor notebook

It's 76 degrees and cloudy. I LOVE it. Finally getting to enjoy some gorgeous fall weather. I stepped outside for a few minutes to do a quick sketch of the front of the house. It's watercolor, watercolor pencil and pen (Micron). I haven't done much in the way of "real" art in months. So, I'm trying to force myself to look around and paint/draw what I see. Because of rain and hurricanes and whatnot, the last Triangle Sketch Crawl was cancelled. These days, that's about all I'm doing, artistically speaking. I want to keep my hand in, but I haven't felt very creative. Can't really BE creative if the spark isn't there. I'm kind of waiting for the muse to return. Until then, I'm piddle around with this and that and see what happens.

Hops Burger Bar

After church today, picked up Miguel and drove to Greensboro. Met Mal, Jon, Lila and Jaymart at Hops Burger Bar in Greensboro. Let me just say quickly--the place was BUSY. I was talking to this young lady in the bathroom line and she said it doesn't matter when you come, they are always packed. We had about a 20 minute wait, then got seated outside. Let me also say, it was well worth the wait. Best veggie burger I have ever had. I thought Buns in Chapel Hill was pretty darn good...I'll give them a solid  'A', but Hops gets A+. I got the cauliflower/mushroom burger with a fried green tomato on it. Mike got the nutty burger which was a bunch of different kinds of seeds and beans. Both are excellent. Oh yeah, and I got to see my grandbaby. He was adorable, as always. What a great kid. So easy going and so smart. I am one lucky grandma. So, it was a nice 3 day weekend for me. Got a LOT accomplished. Even washed the dogs and brushed their teeth. Actually had to wash them twice because they rolled around outside in something foul. I am almost finished with the cat painting I am going to donate to the Cat Angels auction to support their rescue and shelter operation. And then tonight is the season premier of Walking Dead. Perfect way to end the weekend. Going to work a little from home in the morning so I don't have to go into the office at dawn. It just doesn't get any better than this!

Jaymart, 16 months and 12 teeth