Beauty in Ice

We spent a few days in southern Oregon with my mum. She'd been feeling poorly and needing a bit of support and company, so down we went, through ice and snow and freezing fog. I have mixed feelings about where I grew up, but if nothing else, I learned how to drive in the snow.

The sun came out in time for us to drive home, but for a few days, the landscape was rimed in frost and ice. I found amazing beauty in Mum's backyard.

Of course, I brought my knitting, pencils, sketchbook, and ACEO blank cards to keep my hands busy and my heart happier than it would have been otherwise. This little fox looks like I felt, alert and a little wary. He's available in my Etsy store now.

The Year Finds Its Footing

2014 is off to a pretty good start. I've done my first ACEO of the year (something I intend to do a lot more often this year), the handsome fellow above. Watercolor pencils and ink on watercolor paper. I love the very soft gray I used for his feathers, and his eye turned out gorgeously. The green makes me rather long for spring, although I really am doing my best to enjoy winter and the various pleasures and coziness thereof.

First salad of the year, our favorite local little hippie grocery store's house salad mix, with added cucumber and red bell pepper and organic goddess dressing. Yum! The way I devoured this thing, I suspect my body is absolutely craving colorful vegetables and more of them. I must remember to oblige it. 

Speaking of the pleasures of the wintry season, my first vanilla steamer of the year, something that Mr B enjoys when he's had enough coffee for the day (crazy words, I know: enough coffee, ha!) and now I do too. Seriously, I don't get why vanilla is supposed to be synonymous with boring. It is rich and delicious. 

First bike rides of the year! We've been having a rare dry spell, and even on days like today where it was gray and drizzly, there was just enough time where it wasn't raining for me to dash out and put in a few miles without feeling like I was riding in purgatory. Yes, I will melt if I get rained on; I am, in fact, that darned sweet.

One of my goals this year is to ride (or walk) every day, and I'm going to keep track of my bike mileage. So far, I'm up to just over 36 miles, which does not make for a bad little daily average.