Sylvia's Simple Shots

Wet floors this Sunday morning.  All plans went out the window.  

Waited for someone to come and investigate and by noon fans and dehumidifiers were set up.

Baseboards torn out.

Later, the floor was unceremoniously broken and torn out with no consideration of keeping the floor to be reinstalled.  

Life has pivoted 180 degrees and this will take over my life for the next several months.

These huge machines and fans ran 24/7 for 2 weeks. 

The dehumidifiers also heat the space to help with the drying process so it was like Florida in my house.

Earplugs and closed captions were necessary to live in my space for that time.

Drywall was torn out in the front hall and storage room.  No wetness was found thank goodness.

Several insurance adjusters have visited several times and then contractors bidding on the job have been by.  

It is a waiting game.

Took some time out of the crazy to visit with my aunt at her art show on Friday.

Lovely work including paintings, glass pieces, mosaic pieces, collage work, and a bit more.

Had supper with her and her husband and it was a lovely break.

The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah was the book I read this week in the semi quiet of my bedroom with the door closed.

Set in 1814 Scotland, Sara Stevenson is in love and plans to defy her father and marry the man. Thomas Crichton does not come to meet Sara at the arranged place for their elopement. She returns to her father's house and is transported to Cape Wrath, a lonely island which has a lighthouse and a keeper William Campbell.  She is accompanied by a woman servant and her husband who will replace the assistant lighthouse keeper who recently passed.

Sara is pregnant so things will get interesting.  These 4 people live in a small cottage near the lighthouse. Things are tense in the house with 2 women being added to mix. 

Sara settles into life on the island, discovers other folks who live on the island.  William Campbell has not encouraged community during his time so making friends with these has it's challenges.

She still hopes that Thomas will return and they can have a happy family.

A mysterious package arrives at the island from an Oxford antiquarian which begins the process of finding out what happened to Thomas, meanwhile Sara is developing a friendship with the distant William Campbell.   Interesting times.

This was a great book.

Inktober 2024 - Preparation

I am posting this retroactively after all my pieces are done.

This is what my desk looked like for the whole month of October.  Watercolors on the left with my small ceramic palette. A small light table and a grid sheet I created myself. Sheets and sheets of Canson Fluid Mixed Media 154lb paper which worked wonderfully. My dip pen with the red handle and the bottle of Daler Rowney FW Acrylic black ink. Black markers from several brands and in several sizes. The Staedtler Technical pen which I refurbished some time this month. I used a Staedtler 4H pencil for my initial sketching which was easy to erase with my Staedtler eraser. Three different sized watercolor brushes - a wide, #8 round, and a tiny one. Two dishes for water. A ruler or two. Scrap paper for checking color, etc. Rags for drying the brushes and general clean up.

The month has not be all fun and games. I awoke on September 29 with water squishing out from the vinyl planks in the front hall. I had dehumidifiers and fans running 24/7 for 2 weeks. I worked with ear plugs so I could even stand to be in this space. Watched TV with the captions on. Now four weeks in things are moving slowly. Adjusters have been in just about every week. The tear out crew was in October 3rd to pull up the vinyl and 2 feet of drywall. Plans are being made for me to move out while abatement takes place.