Thread:Superkenzie/@comment-33437691-20200103172834/@comment-33437691-20200120173242

I had to laugh yet again at our similarities: I could have written your second note; in fact, I've had to on several occasions. Let's end this once and for all and agree that neither of us will EVER do/say anything to intentionally offend/harm/denigrate etc etc etc. I see humour before all else and often where others miss it. I had one lecturer who had a dry, ironic sense of humour and dotted his lectures with offhand remarks that often had me hooting out loud they were so unexpected, while he and I were the only ones who seemed to have known what he meant! Maybe I was the only one listening: it was macroeconomics, after all!. So pepper your notes any way you wish; I have seen your smiles in what you've written.

Your first image of me before the painting was accurate, though less of a serious artist than a panic stricken one. The serious look was before I started painting my bird (which obviously turned into not only a phoenix, but a phoenix chick, newly hatched--it is looking down at the flames with a puzzled, "what did I do wrong look?") I have it hanging on my wall even though it is unfinished; I have been wondering why it looks unfinished (I got a few suggestions from the art class when I asked) so I was looking at some photos of marine life last night and there was one of two gorgeous birds and the colouration around their beaks gave me some helpful ideas. Now I've got to do it, and face the fear of wrecking what's there already. I was thinking of changing the beak back when I started it, and rather than try it on the painting, I made changes on a piece of paper and cut out the image and tried it against the beak. I thought it was a good idea when it came to me, and upgraded that to a rather ingenious idea when I saw the look on my teacher's face.

All this talk of art is triggering me to get back to doing it--I did these paintings a couple of years ago. Life got in the way, as it does.... So thank you for being interested.

I do remember that crusty snow, from growing up in Saskatchewan, but I was very young then so I never had to shovel it. We also had that Arctic outflow last week; I think most of North America suffered its effects, but Vancouver seldom has such low temperatures. I'm sorry you have fewer birds, but now that I think of it, for all the birds I have had this year there are fewer of them than the last 2 years. I remember the deck of my balcony being "standing room only" a couple of years ago (slight hyperbole there, but the image is right), and that hasn't been the case either last year or this. It's likely that the increasingly colder weather is killing off our birds here (you frequently have deep cold, don't you?), as well as all the other things we humans are doing to alter the ecosystems... Sniff. We can only put out food and hope that's enough (not having those handy men to build warm shelters for them!!). I do envy you your cardinal though; that red is just breathtaking.

Must get to the piano. All the best, and I hope you have a lovely day. Snow is wonderful looking at it from the warmth of a cosy house. I did that all last week; the rains have cleared it all away now.