What a year!!! Covid is still around causing havoc. But so is the Flu and RSV. We managed to gather for Thanksgiving and everyone was well. It was a brief respite from the toddler/preschool illness treadmill our family is on. And it felt, as always so special to have all three kids, their partners, the grand girls and all four grandparents in one place at the same time. Two weeks later our son and family would visit so they could attend a concert while we babysat. For several weeks it seemed all I did was cook and clean and cook and play with the grandchildren. It did a number on my poor back.
I finally got a steroid shot for my back and it made me aware of how much the chronic pain was impacting me. I hope I can start the new year off moving and doing more than I have been doing.
Now I am back doing ink drawings. I keep saying I want to make a series of cards to use as gifts for my mom (who turns 85 this week) and for others. But as I know from years of experience the worst thing for me is to put pressure on myself to make something pretty.
Meanwhile I am experimenting with the ink. I have discovered an interesting technique where I draw with the alcohol ink on print making paper (which can handle getting wet repeatedly) and then wash it off. Light marks are left behind and so just as I enjoy drawing with charcoal and wiping away and redrawing over and over again…I can do it with the ink but in color. It is quite exciting. I almost gave up on the drawing pictured below but I just kept working it over and over again and then suddenly something emerged that I was happy with.
The gang…..all together for our annual couch photo. Not sure how it is going to work as those girls get bigger…LOL.
I am especially proud of this cake because it is egg free, nut free, soy free, dairy free, legume free…so sweet Nikko and her mom can eat it.
