Feeling Peppy!

The drop in temperatures plus a couple of good storms to clear the air makes me feel peppy! 

So I have attempted to be mindful of my rule for 2016 to finish my work. 
Yesterday, I finished the journal page of the day Mr. M. left the hospital in Paris. I remembered how slowly he moved and the difficulty he had to eat. I am thankful for the progress he has made. 

I have limited my sketching practice to errand days once or twice a week. He drives and I draw. 

The small size of my sketchbook allows me to go from page to page without getting bogged down, gathering material for...well, I don't know, just gathering for the time being until I finish the Pomegranate Tree Quilt (PTQ).







This week, I stared at PTQ hanging in my living room--I had to get it vertical. I took photos. I reconsidered. I fiddled and fidgeted with it. Then I added a few more leaves.

PTQ has been around for 5 years as of November. It's time to finish. "Just 

a bit longer, just a bit longer," it whispers, "I need this and I need that." 

We are old friends. Ok, a few more leaves. But then I'm squaring you up and you better hang straight!

In the meantime, I worked on "He Went to Work Everyday, Then He Retired." 

Or maybe I should just shorten the title to "Retiring"? In any case, I will soon be adding the third of five shirts, and what a tangle it will be.

Just trying to stayed focused and get back on track with my artwork in 2016.

Heat and Buses

Public transportation in Paris is wonderful. Efficient and reasonably priced, it can take you just about anywhere in the region. When public transportation employees go on strike, traffic becomes so snarled that is nearly impossible to go anyplace.

The French recently sold some of their used buses, without air conditioning, to Tunisia. Now in France they probably don't need A/C, but, in Tunisia, temperatures are usually over 90°F for most of the summer, and into autumn as well. How do we solve this problem? Simple solution: Open the windows and doors and drive faster.

That's exactly what I noticed when I took the bus a few weeks ago. Certain employees of the bus company get the choice spot of standing by the open doors. Never mind if the driver should hit the breaks suddenly--heat trumps safety.

Fortunately, it rained last Wednesday; it was a glorious thunderstorm that washed away months of dust. The temperature dropped below 90°F. Autumn in Tunisia is a pleasant time of year. Hot weather will continue, but, it will be less extreme. They may even close the doors on the buses... 

Sea, Sand, & Sun, 4

 A final summer memory as the weather begins to move towards autumn. A high point of our beach vacation was the parachute ride that I went on with one of my granddaughters. In case you've never witnessed this, a motor boat pulls a parachute behind it and there you are strapped to the parachute and floating way above the sea, hanging in the middle of the air (and hanging on for dear life). I can now check that one off my bucket list.

So, this was rather irresistible. These tourists sat almost in front of me during my stay at the beach hotel in July.

Ok, I admit that I made up the conversation. Couldn't help myself...