Most of you know I love to color. It is my way of relaxing. It is therapeutic in keeping me calm to lower my blood pressure, which in turn helps my heart. Last week, I decided to purchase a book which has intimidated me for some time. I’ve come a long way since I began my coloring journey. I chose to color this picture with oil pencils. After finishing the water and the bookshelves, I took a short break.
Tuesday I was looking through Amazon and saw a set of 120 pencils I’ve wanted to try for over a year. They were on sale at 25% off. So I ordered them and they arrived yesterday. They are oil based pencils and they are square in shape. I have another set that is wax based where the pencil barrels are hexagonal. They are my favorite pencils as far as comfort goes. Aging fingers do not grip round pencils without difficulty. So I wanted to see how the square pencils worked.
Wow! They feel fantastic and they are very pigment saturated. I loved swatching them. Today I am going to use them to color the books. I’m having a lot of fun coloring this picture. Kirby Rosannes is the illustrator. He has many fantastic books and all are different types of pictures filled with little objects. This book is called Worlds Within Worlds. I’m enjoying coloring something besides portraits.
Here is a picture of what I have completed so far and a picture of the pencils. I will share the final picture once it is complete.
This week has been a busy one for me. On Tuesday, I decided to venture to the BMV to get my driver’s license renewed. With a tote on my arm holding all the documents I thought I needed for the enhanced license, I stepped into the parking lot filled with people standing socially distanced and holding clipboards. I wasn’t sure what to do at first, then I heard them call a number. Hmm. How in the world would I get a number?
I asked a man near me and he told me to go to the door and a woman would come out and instruct me. Okay, not so bad. I stood in front of the door until a woman opened it slightly and asked how she could help me. “I need a number to get my driver’s license renewed.” She ushered me inside to a table right next to the door. She looked through my documents and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t accept this.” What she held was my divorce decree. “This doesn’t have your maiden name on it. You will need to provide your marriage license.”
Let me say, my first husband was a man who took care of everything, not letting me handle any personal documents or bank account information. He took care of the license after we received it and drove me and my grandmother to another county to get married. I didn’t know why he was always so secretive, but I was young and naive. Making a long story short, I had no idea where we were married and how to get a copy of the marriage license. So I opted for a regular driver’s license.
Two hours later, I finally received my paper documentation and was able to come home. As a sidenote, I did see the county where we’d been married in the divorce papers and was able to contact the clerk’s office there. I can get a copy if I decide to go that way. However, since I do not plan to fly anywhere, I may not do it. I have until next year to decide.
That afternoon, I planned to go to my small group, and just minutes before I planned to leave, my heart monitor beeped at me saying it was critically low and needed to be charged. Sigh. So, I missed my small group.
Wednesday was a bit brighter. I met my close friend for lunch. We wanted to do Cracker Barrel, but seeing so many people sitting distanced outside waiting to be called, we turned and headed for our normal mexican restaurant across the street. Great conversations, lots of laughs, and back home. Wednesday afternoon and evening I was a little nervous because I had to wake on Thursday morning two hours earlier than normal in order to be at the hospital at 6:30 for a coronary CTA scan (computed tomography angiography).
Yay! I woke in time to take a shower, make my cats happy with fresh water and food, and get to the hospital. The most difficult part for me was walking from the back of the parking lot to the main entrance (a slight incline) because I am so used to walking fast. I struggled for breath and contemplated resting on one of the benches along the way. The test itself went smoothly. Not a good test for anyone who is claustrophobic. I just remained still, with my eyes closed, and breathed slowly like I was trying to go to sleep. About halfway through the scan, a nurse put a nitroglycerin tablet under my tongue to make the arteries appear larger. Near the end, they injected an idoine contrast dye intravenously. The hot sensation abated shortly after the test was finished. The rest of the day I spent at home trying to get warm.
Not sure why I have those episodes where my body is completely chilled, but when it happens all I can do is curl up on the sofa with a warm blanket and watch television! So I did. Ha! Good excuse to relax, right?
Friday I always Skype with my daughter in Wisconsin. The internet gremlins made that impossible, so we talked on the phone (speaker on) while we crafted for our 2 hour session.
Even with this not so perfect week, I didn’t get frazzled. After all, the little things don’t matter. What matters is God continues to look after me and I’m so blessed with family, friends, and a cozy home.
Here are the pictures I colored this week. Again, I used markers a lot. On the portrait picture with the wolf, I used colored pencils over a marker base. I really love the final result. So that is my update for the week on my colorful life. I hope you all have a good week ahead and stay safe and healthy! Love and hugs until next time!
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 