Warm Rain
Scout is much improved. While he still has a bit of a limp and seems to favor his left rear leg most, he is moving around and his mood is back to his happy reserved self. He smiles and laughs like before.
It is a much warmer day. When we went out onto the back deck this morning it was 60 degrees. It's rainy and cloudy, and there's general flood warnings out because of the amount of rain, but it was a very nice morning here. I've opened the window in my office to let the nice air in.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and so Anna comes today. Ben is off today but works Thanksgiving day starting at 4 pm. We'll have to make sure we get dinner made before then. It should be an easier Thanksgiving because we bought a couple smoked turkey breasts and ready-made gravy and potatoes and about all I have to make is some mix up dressing. It's enough for an easy dinner and then lots of sandwiches and leftovers. In my opinion, leftovers are about the best part and the most trouble of Thanksgiving anyway. Besides, it will give us more time to focus on being thankful and grateful.
Yesterday's painting seemed to be a little tougher. I guess that means I'm learning. I'm not happy with the acrylic red that I got with the paint set. It's not bright enough. I don't know about the oil sets I got. Maybe their colors are better. The picture was No. 4 and when I got to the flowers that used to hang on the back deck, I couldn't get anywhere close to the right colors for them. Very annoying. Maybe it's just that I don't know how to blend colors.
It's also annoying that acrylics dry so quickly. You really have to move ahead once you begin. I look forward to when I start using oils so that I can take my time. I think that acrylics are a better way to start learning because I can paint in my office without the smells and clean-up is a lot easier at the sink. On the pother hand, I kind of like the smell of oil paint, although not mineral spirits.
I should look around in the shop to make sure I have some mineral spirits. I used to have several gallons out there, but I gave Bill W most of it when I gave him my parts washer.
I ordered some cheap frames to hang the 8x10 pieces I bought and finished. When I get a little farther along in the shop with the tile project, I'll look at making some frame stock to make up frames for the odd sizes. I have the chop saw so it should go pretty fast once I have the stock made.
That's what practice is for, I guess. I'll have to look around for a picture for today
I plan on going over to the shop to finish off the tile board so that I can get it up in time for Thanksgiving. I might even make a mounting board for the post in the kitchen near the sinks.
I'll look around for some nice board to paint and hang for tiles while I'm over there. Ben may have to help me get one down from the overhead. He's a big help to me. A real good guy.
The other day, Ashton helped me hot glue Velcro to the backs of the painted tiles and it went very fast and it was fun. She's a great kid. I'm very thankful for both of them.
I'm still listening to Mahler's symphonies in an attempt to understand their appeal to Pete. So far, it isn't happening for me. I don't tumble for things quickly all the time.
I should write a little bit about Solomon Hirsch today. I gave some thought to that story in the shower.
* * *
I don't think I've arrived at a solid age for him yet. It's for sure that he's established on the street when we meet him. It doesn't make sense that he's homeless and hustling for a place to crash in his present stage of existence. There must be a reason he's sleeping in someone's basement. It's understandable that he doesn't live in an upstairs apartment somewhere. Welfare wasn't strong in the mid 50's so he's not set up with a place and a handicapped van and a monthly check. He hustles for his nut. It makes sense he would do whatever he has to in order to live. He wouldn't be above doing illegal stuff. There's just not a lot of stuff he's capable of doing. He could help out with the numbers. He would likely have a number of peripheral illegal stuff to do. Be on a number of small-time payrolls.
He's pretty much immobile and while he's fairly capable of defending himself, he's not exactly a model for mob muscle.
He has an advantage that people around him understand. He has little to lose by making conflict short and sweet. He is easily ignored and overlooked, but you fuck with him at your peril. There are no prosecutors that would press a case against him. He would likely not be convicted in any trial no matter what he did. It would also be tough to prove a case against him. One side of the fire triangle is apparently missing with Sally.
In the world of Means, Motive and Opportunity, absent a gun in the case, Means is a scarce property unless you lay the victim down in front of Solomon. I was careful to say apparently, because Solomon is a lot more potentially deadly than he looks. Anyone familiar with rattlesnakes would know that. It just so happens that City Dwellers, that strange variety of human that believes that the world lives on concrete, are not familiar with nature's version of the land-mine. Most people who see Solomon for the first time, are gripped with revulsion and wonder. But once they get past his initial shock value, they certainly ask themselves where he fits in the big chart of God's creatures.
It's not at all uncommon for them to equate physical deformity with a lack of intellectual and/or mental derangement. Those people are safe in their assumptions because the way they treat people with differences assures that they will only ever see reactions that are aberrant.
Enough for today.
More later,
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and so Anna comes today. Ben is off today but works Thanksgiving day starting at 4 pm. We'll have to make sure we get dinner made before then. It should be an easier Thanksgiving because we bought a couple smoked turkey breasts and ready-made gravy and potatoes and about all I have to make is some mix up dressing. It's enough for an easy dinner and then lots of sandwiches and leftovers. In my opinion, leftovers are about the best part and the most trouble of Thanksgiving anyway. Besides, it will give us more time to focus on being thankful and grateful.
Yesterday's painting seemed to be a little tougher. I guess that means I'm learning. I'm not happy with the acrylic red that I got with the paint set. It's not bright enough. I don't know about the oil sets I got. Maybe their colors are better. The picture was No. 4 and when I got to the flowers that used to hang on the back deck, I couldn't get anywhere close to the right colors for them. Very annoying. Maybe it's just that I don't know how to blend colors.
It's also annoying that acrylics dry so quickly. You really have to move ahead once you begin. I look forward to when I start using oils so that I can take my time. I think that acrylics are a better way to start learning because I can paint in my office without the smells and clean-up is a lot easier at the sink. On the pother hand, I kind of like the smell of oil paint, although not mineral spirits.
I should look around in the shop to make sure I have some mineral spirits. I used to have several gallons out there, but I gave Bill W most of it when I gave him my parts washer.
I ordered some cheap frames to hang the 8x10 pieces I bought and finished. When I get a little farther along in the shop with the tile project, I'll look at making some frame stock to make up frames for the odd sizes. I have the chop saw so it should go pretty fast once I have the stock made.
That's what practice is for, I guess. I'll have to look around for a picture for today
I plan on going over to the shop to finish off the tile board so that I can get it up in time for Thanksgiving. I might even make a mounting board for the post in the kitchen near the sinks.
I'll look around for some nice board to paint and hang for tiles while I'm over there. Ben may have to help me get one down from the overhead. He's a big help to me. A real good guy.
The other day, Ashton helped me hot glue Velcro to the backs of the painted tiles and it went very fast and it was fun. She's a great kid. I'm very thankful for both of them.
I'm still listening to Mahler's symphonies in an attempt to understand their appeal to Pete. So far, it isn't happening for me. I don't tumble for things quickly all the time.
I should write a little bit about Solomon Hirsch today. I gave some thought to that story in the shower.
* * *
I don't think I've arrived at a solid age for him yet. It's for sure that he's established on the street when we meet him. It doesn't make sense that he's homeless and hustling for a place to crash in his present stage of existence. There must be a reason he's sleeping in someone's basement. It's understandable that he doesn't live in an upstairs apartment somewhere. Welfare wasn't strong in the mid 50's so he's not set up with a place and a handicapped van and a monthly check. He hustles for his nut. It makes sense he would do whatever he has to in order to live. He wouldn't be above doing illegal stuff. There's just not a lot of stuff he's capable of doing. He could help out with the numbers. He would likely have a number of peripheral illegal stuff to do. Be on a number of small-time payrolls.
He's pretty much immobile and while he's fairly capable of defending himself, he's not exactly a model for mob muscle.
He has an advantage that people around him understand. He has little to lose by making conflict short and sweet. He is easily ignored and overlooked, but you fuck with him at your peril. There are no prosecutors that would press a case against him. He would likely not be convicted in any trial no matter what he did. It would also be tough to prove a case against him. One side of the fire triangle is apparently missing with Sally.
In the world of Means, Motive and Opportunity, absent a gun in the case, Means is a scarce property unless you lay the victim down in front of Solomon. I was careful to say apparently, because Solomon is a lot more potentially deadly than he looks. Anyone familiar with rattlesnakes would know that. It just so happens that City Dwellers, that strange variety of human that believes that the world lives on concrete, are not familiar with nature's version of the land-mine. Most people who see Solomon for the first time, are gripped with revulsion and wonder. But once they get past his initial shock value, they certainly ask themselves where he fits in the big chart of God's creatures.
It's not at all uncommon for them to equate physical deformity with a lack of intellectual and/or mental derangement. Those people are safe in their assumptions because the way they treat people with differences assures that they will only ever see reactions that are aberrant.
Enough for today.
More later,
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