Ditch it

January 17th is Ditch New Years Resolution Day. Those old-fashioned resolutions like "repelling impurity" and "exercising economy in expenditure" sound nicer than "drink less" and "get out of debt."

Thirty-eight percent of Americans don't make resolutions at all.  John is one of them. Of those of us who persist, year after year, only eight percent manage to keep them. "Lose weight" is the resolution most destined to fail. 

I started my online drawing class this week. The digital classroom takes a bit of getting used to. The first lesson just covered artist's tools and was like reading a book, followed by a quiz. 

Hopefully, he will do some video demonstrations when we get into actual drawing technique. I'm not sure how else you would teach it? This makes me appreciate Amanda's effort and discipline, completing an advanced degree remotely like this.  

The weekend rolls around again. Sunday looks to be sunny and cold, so we might make our trip up to the Skagit Valley to see the wintering snow geese.

Seed catalogs

 

Remember when watermelons all had black seeds? The lady on that cover looks like our Grammy Bleam.

I told John the other day that I clearly remember a few relatives who were born in the 1800's. The century before the last. The Victorian age. Now that's something to wrap your heard around. 

Anyway, those January seed catalogs were such good entertainment on a winter day. I miss them. Burgess had an especially lurid one. Most things wouldn't grow in our climate, but there are still a few plants in this yard that came from Burgess.

You would browse for hours circling pictures, carefully fill out that tiny paper order form, then mail it off with a stamp. And then wait.

How fast things move now and how high our expectations. Thanks to Amazon, with a few clicks, I can get just about anything thrown on the porch this very afternoon.

"According to research and expert opinions, yes, the internet has likely made people more impatient, as it fosters a culture of instant gratification by providing immediate access to information and services, leading to a decreased tolerance for waiting or delays; many users expect things to load quickly and become frustrated when they encounter even slight delays." 

Incidentally, the above is an "AI research" summary from Google. Meaning, a human did not write that paragraph.

The Year of the Snake

 

 

Chinese New Year is January 29th, and Costco had these impressive lucky bamboo plants, along with other festive goods for the holiday. 

According to the tag, this was grown in Canada at Morgan Creek Tropicals. That company  made a sweet little deal with Costco, because there were pallets of plants for sale. 

I usually succumb to at least one impulsive purchase per trip, considering it my reward for the effort it takes to shop there and "save" money. Ha ha.

Bamboo plants bring good luck and cleansing energy into your home, and the number of stalks corresponds to what energy you want to attract. These had six tied stalks, which attracts wealth. Perfect choice for Costco shoppers. Anyway, something fresh to look at on my desk as we trudge on through the month. We are stuck a weather pattern of gloomy fog and low clouds, but no precipitation. Strange, for January in Seattle, which is usually one of the wettest months.

Ho hum, says Buddha.

In a fog

 

In more ways than one this morning. We had planned to drive up to the Skagit Valley to see the wintering snow geese in the farm fields, but the area is socked in with fog, and freezing fog at that. So we will wait for a clear winter day, when the driving is safer and we can actually see something. That's the beauty of being retired.

Oh my. From up here in the damp and cold Northwest, the devastation in Los Angeles is heart breaking to watch. We have not seen anything this horrific in our entire lives, or even imagined it, for that matter. 

Fire is the great leveler, affecting every socioeconomic group in that diverse city, not just "west coast liberal elites." Many dreams, large and small, have gone up in smoke. Predictably, the disaster has now become politicized, adding insult to injury. I guess finger pointing is the new normal when disasters happen.

Will they or won't they?

 

When the Christmas stuff is finally put away, it's nice to have some fresh flowers in the house. This beautiful bunch of lilies came from Safeway for only $7. I put them in a deep vase of warm water, then crossed my fingers the tight buds would open.

And they did! Nice fragrance, too. The label on the bunch said "Product of Aurora, Oregon." A quick Google revealed they are from a company called Oregon Flowers, Inc. in the Willamette Valley. 

Interesting, because the majority of cut flowers in the U.S. are grown in Columbia or The Netherlands. Almost all enter the country through Miami-- a big carbon footprint. 

These flowers just had to make their way north up I-5. Still, what a miraculous thing, having cut lilies for that price in the dead of winter.

We're headed into a "scrape the windshield" stretch of weather this week. Cold at night with little rain (much less snow) in sight.

Inspiration

 

I got this wonderful watercolor set from Amazon, hoping it would inspire my new year art resolutions. 

There's always some excuse, but part of the problem is having no dedicated spot for messy projects (I know, poor me.) But in Twisp I'm spoiled, with a whole room and two tables just for crafts and sewing. Anyway, here it just means clearing off my cluttered desk to make some space.

Speaking of jump-starting inspiration, I enrolled in an online drawing class at Wenatchee Valley College. It starts next week. 

Our Twisp neighbor, Bethany Wray, a well-know artist in the valley, is teaching a watercolor class spring quarter. That's the one I'm really looking forward to, but since I've never done an online college class, thought I'll start with drawing and figure out how it works.

So here comes the weekend and no particular plans for us. We're headed into a long stretch of dry (chilly) weather.

I gave John advance notice that we should drive up to the Skagit Valley early next week to see the flocks of wintering snow geese and trumpeter swans. It's an amazing sight, especially on a clear winter day.

And he can take me out for seafood in La Conner! Somehow I missed my fried oyster lunch this past Christmas.