Hello Friends,

You may LAUGH at this one!  They just look too funny.  This one was tough!  The picture in the book of animals my daughter gave me has them laying down in the grass, but it is cropped so that you can’t see much of the rest of their bodies except their heads!  So I think their heads are too big.  The mama’s body is almost the same color as the grass that is in the bright sunshine, too.  Very challenging.  Anyway, I used my Prismacolor watercolor pencils for this one on the small watercolor sketchpad I’ve been using for all the other recent mama and baby animals I have been painting.  I realized I have not done a large painting at my art table in a long time!  Using these are so much easier, but I do miss mixing the paints and using my larger brushes.

Onto other news, though.  On Friday I took my husband’s truck to town to get groceries.  We have been having very warm weather for February, up in the lower 80’s, so I had a lot of meat and dairy to put in the coolers (for the 45 minute drive home.)  I had to open the tailgate to be able to do that instead of just putting them in from the side of the camper shell like I usually can.

THEN something happened after I put the tailgate up and started to drive!!  I saw something fall out the back after I drove out of the parking lot!  (I never went back for whatever it was.)  So I drove straight across the street to the Barnes and Noble parking lot to see what happened.  When I got out to look, the tailgate was hanging half-way off!  I thought, what the heck?  So I tried to call my husband but he was working and didn’t pick up on his cell.  I sent him a text and still no response.  (Our cell phone reception out where we live is not great.  He got my text that night.)

Fortunately,  an able-bodied, middle-aged guy drove into the parking lot, and I asked him for help.  He took one look at the back of the truck and said, “Whoa!  You aren’t going to be able to drive like that!”  (I thought to myself, “here’s your sign.”)  He reminded me of myself!  My kids have always teased me about pointing out the obvious!

So he tried lifting the left side back into the slot it had slid out of, and of course I had to help him.   I had to hold the other side while he fixed it.  I was SO thankful he came along when he did!

However, after driving home and unloading the largest load of groceries I have bought in a long time, my back was strained…a lot!  So I spent the weekend nursing it with wet heat and some exercise.  It is still sore, but I’ll be okay.

I spent Sunday afternoon doing laundry, watching t.v., and reading while George went to play D&D with his friends.  It became so warm I had to turn on the A/C!  I sure hope we get some cold weather again soon.  I am not ready for spring or summer!

Have a wonderful day, and give someone you love a big hug!  🙂