The experiment in closing off parts of this very large house for bitter cold weather continues. I have left the heat on in the main house at 58, being concerned that if I turned it to 50, the house would settle into too low a temperature and be harder to heat up again. Everything in the house would be at that temperature, so when the heat is turned back up and as it works to keep the house a certain temperature, it doesn’t just have the job of heating the air, but also of all the objects in the house and the actual walls and timbers as well. Tabitha is not liking the house closed off, and I admit, it’s not my favorite either. She is meowing at me now, up in my face practically, trying to tell me something about this perhaps. Cats hate closed doors. She has started purring when I invited her to share my lap and is now in one of her favorite spots across my arms while I type. It is 17 this morning with a high of 29 and it is snowing. The accumulation is negligible but we must be expecting more as the town truck just went barrelling by. Tabitha was shocked by the cold this morning and only has had two quick trips outside that convinced her that maybe being by the wood stove was best.

I left the gas heat turned up in the studio in anticipation of more work today. Yesterday, I got my beloved old computer back with the old fashioned orifices, so that my ancient monitor still works. I’ve been working from the small laptop screen on some projects and I’m glad to have the 27'“ screen back. I’ve asked Bob Holman to be on the look out for a large screen to replace the old monitor eventually. Now that my camera is now blue toothed to my iPhone, I can send photos. How to get them to my photo app on my laptop is still a mystery. I will email them until I get this figured out. But I do have the old computer which will accept the memory card from the camera, so that works! for now. When I paint portraits, a good deal of it is done from life, but then most people have come to rely on photos, especially when great distances are involved and time is crunched. I’ve gotten used to it, and have adapted to the world as it is. With the Lyme infection of the past, I’m much more cautious about painting outdoors, but will stand by the side of the road and sketch, or if lathered up sufficiently with cedar oil, will venture out into nature. The tick infections made me respect how much damage those little critters can do, so I tend to be a studio painter now, although with decades of Plein air painting well before it became a big thing. I love painting in the studio in lots of ways. It allows me to pursue a painting to a finish that on site often does not afford. And it has given me ample opportunity to exercise my memory and to draw on feelings sometimes one doesn’t have time to indulge on location. In the studio, with steady wonderful light, and glorious music, I am often transported! I have great views out my studio window too, which gives me feelings of loft and inspires me.

I went to the dentist yesterday and was grateful to be told that I’m in pretty good shape for an old lady. The damage done to my mouth is evident from a badly done and probably unnecessary equilibration 46 years ago when in my twenties. It reset my jaw back and put tremendous strain on my teeth, straining to meet each other in the molar regions. He is making a device to wear at night, to reduce the strain and as sort of maintenance thing. The fix would be draconian and expensive. It could be done, but I’m not sure I want to go through it either. For years, dentists have asked me if I grind my teeth. I didn’t.( I don’t think they believed me when I tried to tell them what happened.) The dentist did the damage so many years ago. What a mess.

Tonight will be even colder the weather says. And then it will get slightly warmer again. We are descending haltingly into winter sometimes and diving into it other times. My neighbors who were just summer folks are opting to live here now. The deciding factor were grandchildren in upper state NY. Florida would be too far away. It’s nice for me, as I will have them all winter. Their 70 acres is at the back of my 134 acres and the road to their off grid lovely home bisects my farm almost right down the middle. I might get out my snow shoes this winter! even though they will keep the road plowed. It is a town road, but is a road the town only keeps up with drainage, and not snow plowing. I have trails through the woods from logging a few years ago, and if the snow is deep enough, will make wonderful adventures to get out of the house in a pandemic.

I intend to paint more snow this winter. I do think it is a natural treasure the memory of which we might treasure. I’m hoping that Americans wake up to the urgency of saving the planet for future generations of not just humans but nature as we know it. Even though being grateful in itself, is almost a luxury, I intend to keep trying. it's how I know to keep going and to stay positive. Faith (confidence? is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, AND the EVIDENCE of things unseen.

Tonight will be even colder the weather says. And then it will get slightly warmer again. We are descending haltingly into winter sometimes and diving into it other times. My neighbors who were just summer folks are opting to live here now. The deciding factor were grandchildren in upper state NY. Florida would be too far away. It’s nice for me, as I will have them all winter. Their 70 acres is at the back of my 134 acres and the road to their off grid lovely home bisects my farm almost right down the middle. I might get out my snow shoes this winter! even though they will keep the road plowed. It is a town road, but is a road the town only keeps up with drainage, and not snow plowing. I have trails through the woods from logging a few years ago, and if the snow is deep enough, will make wonderful adventures to get out of the house in a pandemic.

I intend to paint more snow this winter. I do think it is a natural treasure the memory of which we might treasure. I’m hoping that Americans wake up to the urgency of saving the planet for future generations of not just humans but nature as we know it. Even though being grateful in itself, is almost a luxury, I intend to keep trying. it's how I know to keep going and to stay positive. Faith (confidence? is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, AND the EVIDENCE of things unseen.