This past year has been busy, painful, fun, and blessed. The Lord is good and has brought us through. I only did six portraits this year. I plan to do more this next year, but we will see. Also, I am planning to do more in acrylics and less oils and pastels. Mostly because of health and breathing problems. I have an air purifier in my studio now and will try to keep things much cleaner in there.
My last commission of the year was a pastel landscape of the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. It was large, 16×28, and on sanded paper. It was a success after a difficult start. I needed to order large paper and it came in twice with the same damage both times. The seller was wonderful about it, but it took time to get the replacements. In the meantime, I made a small study sketch to give me some idea of the colors. I believe it is 9×12 and it is on sanded paper.
Then I finally got my large paper and got started on it. It didn’t take me as long as I was afraid that it would. I was able to get it done in plenty of time for my clients to get it framed to give for Christmas. Everyone liked it. I’m glad. The final is below:
Books, books, books! I have been reading. Never fear, I will read until I absolutely cannot in any way, shape, or form. There are many ways to read. Audio books is one that I particularly like. But, I LOVE reading a regular old musty, dusty book that has been sitting on my shelf for a little while. My old friends…
I try to set a reading goal in Goodreads every year. This past year my goal was 50. I read 118. Or at least that is what I remembered to document. LOL! Some of the nifty new books that I read were:
Victoria: The Young Queen by Monica Charlot (Very interesting, but took me a little time to read it.)
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis (I have had it on my shelves for many years and was afraid to read it, because I thought it would go so far over my head that I would feel like a fool. Well! Of course, it was very readable and very wonderful. I highly recommend it.)
Happy Trails: The Story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans — Autobiography (It was very interesting and revealing. Of course, that is what autobiographies do, is reveal. They were very interesting people and had their troubles, but they trusted the Lord through it all.)
R. C. Sproul: A Life by Stephen J. Nichols (The first biography of the great theologian. So good! If you love him, you will love this book.)
Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan by Micheal K. Deaver (Very good. She is one of those people that I admire from a distance. I would not have wanted to be close to her.)
The Family Treasury of Children’s Stories, Book 1 Edited by Pauline Rush Evans (I LOVED this book! So many good stories, but also poetry. Below is one of my many favorites from this book:)
The Tale of Custard, The Dragon
by Ogden Nash
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
and a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse , she called her Blink
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink, and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival.
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said, "weeek!" (which is giggling for a mouse),
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Suddenly, suddenly, they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
"Meowch!" cried Ink, and "Ooh!" cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
Belinda paled, and she cried, "Help! Help!"
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
But up jumped Custard, snoring like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon.
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon.
He fired two bullets, but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With the little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.
I read many more nifty books. If you want to see my whole list, get you up a Goodreads page and “friend” me. I am not on any other social media.
Some of my old friends that I re-read this past year (and probably for many other years) are:
The Anne of Green Gables Series by L. M. Montgomery
The Thrush Green Series by Miss Read
The Sackett Series by Louis L’amour
Emma by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
So, what have you been reading? Anything that I should read? Reading is so subjective. You may love a book that I just can’t get into, but that is no reason not to share what we are reading. We may find something wonderful that will change our lives and become an old friend.
As for my health, right at this moment I am dealing with a sinus infection that I have had for about four months. My appointment with the ENT is this next Monday. My appointment with my oncologist is tomorrow. I am dealing with what I believe to be rheumatoid arthritis that was caused by the immunotherapy. My right leg is so swollen and painful that I am struggling to get around with a walker and using pain medication which I don’t want to do, but you do what you must to get along. Because of my pancreatitis, which has cleared up by now, I was taken off the immunotherapy about two months ago. We will see what Doc says tomorrow. It all could be much worse. I could get what I deserve. No, thank you. I am grateful for the mercy shown by my Lord! However, even after all that, I do struggle with depression and anxiety. God is good, though, in spite of me.
Please let me know how you all are doing.
I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve. — Montesquieu
Virginia C. McCoy Fine Art 