Friday, 10 February 2017

More sketches for Paint Party Friday

We've experienced another week of unbearable heat and humidity and, to top it off, we are expecting a heatwave this weekend where temperatures could reach 42°C/107.6°F in our area.  It's times like this that I wish we had air-conditioning but I guess I'll be grateful when the electricity bill arrives. Looking for the positives, people... It's the humidity I can't handle — give me a dry heat any day.



Below are some messy pen/ink sketches from the past week or so. First up is Cody, my baby. He will be 11 years old this year and I love him dearly.  He is a Maltese/Shihtzu/Chihuahua mix but looks mostly like a Maltese.


And here he is having a good stretch after a nap


This is an extra large kennel which sits by our back sliding door. Cody and/or Jack only ever go in their kennel when they come inside with wet paws so they are only in the kennel long enough for their paws to dry off — which can be anything between five to thirty minutes. Both detest being put in the kennel yet, sometimes, I will wonder where Cody or Jack are and yep, you guessed it — I will find one of them curled up inside the kennel fast asleep. Crazy dogs! 


A messy, loose sketch of my foot


And lastly, my mobile phone


I'm linking up with Paint Party Friday again. To see the work of other participants, click HERE.

I'm having trouble with my hands again. Aaron (son) and I were refurbishing our old dining chairs and I was spraying them with a can of paint.  Well, the pressure of having to hold the nozzle down kept seizing my hand to the point where I would have to swap the spray-can back and forth between hands repeatedly. Now, I'm feeling quite a bit of pain in both my hands, particularly the right one. I'm finding it difficult to do simple tasks like opening or closing a peg, squeezing out toothpaste, lifting the water jug, using hairspray type nozzles, etc. I'm hoping it's just muscular as the pain travels all the way up to my elbow. Either that or arthritis.

I haven't had much luck with my hands over the past five years. My regular readers will know that I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands last year at different times due to long term issues.  I then went and fell in a puddle of water at a local shopping centre a few months after the surgery on my left hand which happened to take the brunt of the fall. Major OUCH!

I'm hoping the pain will settle down soon with a bit of rest.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone.  I hope those of you suffering our heatwave conditions somehow manage to stay cool.
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28 comments:

  1. Valerie-Jael10 February 2017 at 23:11

    Wonderful sketches, what a sweet doggie you have. Yes, dogs are sometimes crazy! Happy PPF, hugs, Valerie

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  2. Neesie11 February 2017 at 00:48

    I remember it was this precise weekend when tragically Black Saturday happened. We'd only arrived in Melbourne one month before that terrible weekend. I seriously wondered if I'd be able to stay, but thankfully that was the hottest weekend out of six years.
    Now I'm in Bonnie Scotland so there's no chance of a heatwave.
    Cody sketches are fantastic Serena. I've tried to draw Muffin but fail miserably. I also realise how pampered she is because we dry off her paws with the hairdryer!
    Happy PPF to you

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 06:02

      I remember Black Saturday too. Heartbreaking that so many lost their lives to the bushfires after dealing with dreadful heat. To think, some of those fires were deliberately lit too. Devastating. :(

      I find long-haired dogs quite difficult to sketch compared to short-haired ones. I never get Cody or Jack quite right. Awww, sweet, little Muffin. I used to use the hairdryer on their paws all the time but got lazy when my carpal tunnel issues started. Now, I only dry off their paws with the hairdryer in winter.

      Happy PPF to you! :)

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  3. carol l mckenna11 February 2017 at 04:50

    Beautiful sketches ~ favorite is the first one of Cody ~ thanks,

    Wishing you a Happy and Peaceful Weekend ~ ^_^

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 06:05

      Thanks, Carol. I hope you have a happy and peaceful weekend also. :)

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  4. Linda Kunsman11 February 2017 at 05:24

    Wanna trade places with me?? I'll gladly take the heat and humidity and you can have my bitter cold and snowy weather! Your sketches are absolutely fabulous Serena-I especially love the dog portraits. Happy PPF and hope you can cool off a bit this weekend.



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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 06:18

      Yes, please, Linda! hehe I've experienced a Wyoming winter before and even got caught in a white-out blizzard once. I remember the multiple layers of clothing well. It was the first and only time in our lives that we saw snow for real — quite the opposite experience to here. We had the benefit of central heating in Wyoming so that made life a little easier. It wouldn't be too bad here if we had air-conditioning in our house. :)

      I'm glad you like the sketches. Happy PPF to you too and I hope you manage to stay cosy and warm in the cold. :)

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  5. Jennifer McLean11 February 2017 at 05:47

    aww my dear, I sure hope that pain gets better soon. It's so hard when your most used body part is giving you trouble. I'll cross my fingers for you. Your phone sketch looks like the phone is sitting on the page of the book, lol. I almost choked when I saw your high temp, we're inundated with snow here on the westcoast of canada. I'm on Vancouver Island but I hear Vancouver is out of salt for the roads, it's a mess here, we never get this much snow! Be good to yourself Serena. Hugs to you.

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 06:57

      Thanks for the well wishes, Jenn.

      Goodness, our weather is at opposite ends of the scale. Crazy!

      You be good to yourself too, my friend.

      Love and hugs xo

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  6. Sue (this n that)11 February 2017 at 06:24

    Hello Serena, I hope your hands heal up soon. I don't know how you cope without air conditioning - we use ours as a heater in winter too. We keep it at a realistic temperature always and the cost is not as bad as we thought it might be.
    Your sketches are charming - Cody is gorgeous! Cheerio now, hoping you can find relief in the heat. Thanks for sharing your beautiful work. Happy PPF :D)

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 07:00

      Thanks, Sue. My Mum has used her air-con a lot this summer. Maybe we will go visit her tomorrow. hehe

      Glad you like the sketches. Happy PPF to you! :)

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  7. Christine11 February 2017 at 06:46

    So sorry about your hands, you need them for the lovely art you do! Beautiful work today! As we wait patiently for spring, you complain of the heat...such is life!

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 07:03

      Thanks, Christine. January has been our hottest month on record and I think the same will be said of February. I long for winter but yes, such is life, and we must deal with it as best we can. Happy PPF! :)

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  8. Jennifer Rose11 February 2017 at 10:21

    :( really sorry to read your hands are hurting you :( Really hope they feel better soon. If it doesn't, should you go see a doc or is there nothing they can do?

    the sketches are really nice, the phone colors are great and Cody is very cute :)

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 10:43

      Thanks, Jen — I hope so too. If the pain doesn't ease off in a week, I will go to the doctor as, if there's no improvement by then, it may mean something more than muscular. No doubt, he will put it down to arthritis and tell me to take my anti-inflammatory medication (given for my arthritis) which I hated taking with blood pressure medication. I now only take them if I'm absolutely desperate. Good news is that I am no longer on blood pressure medication so at least I don't have the worry of them conflicting anymore.

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  9. Rita11 February 2017 at 10:41

    107 degrees!! OMG! I would be dying. That's horrible. Stay cool any way you can.

    I love the sketches, but am concerned about your hands. It is so easy for things to go blooey any time we are doing something repetitive, isn't it? I hope resting them will help. Just got your letter today!! Will be writing little by little as I can't see very well for a couple of weeks till I get the other eye done. But I am close to finishing up one to send soon, regardless. :)

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    1. Serena Lewis11 February 2017 at 10:50

      I'm not looking forward to it at all, Rita. We have decided to go visit Mum for some of the day and take Cody and Jack with us so they can also benefit from her air-conditioning. I will make a nice lunch to take with us. At least, we will be cool for some of the day.

      Yes, not good that my hands are acting up again. Don't think it can be carpal tunnel this soon after surgeries last year, however, I have read that scar tissue can cause issues. I will give it a week to see what happens. I can function fairly normally except for those fine motor tasks that require pressure.

      Yay! Glad you got my letter. Rest up and don't feel you have to write. Hold off if necessary. In any case, I will look forward to receiving your letter.

      Love and hugs xo

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  10. Maarit at Violets Corner11 February 2017 at 20:07

    Super sketches, come to us, we have cooling -3 degrees Celsius today.

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    1. Serena Lewis12 February 2017 at 07:39

      Thanks, Maarit. OH, that temperature sounds like heaven to me!

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  11. Victoria Zigler12 February 2017 at 01:43

    Well, of course, the kennel is great if they're in it because they want to be. Things are always more fun when you use them because you want to, whether you're a person or a dog. ;)

    I hope your hands stop hurting soon, and that it's not the start of more problems with them for you.

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  12. likeschocolate12 February 2017 at 10:45

    Love your sketches! What an amazing talent you have!

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  13. Gloria j Zucaro13 February 2017 at 10:38

    You have wonderful drawing skills. I also enjoyed the photos of the beautiful area where you live, with the water, gorgeous trees and birds.

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    1. Serena Lewis13 February 2017 at 11:36

      Thanks, Gloria. The bay-side is definitely one of my favourite day-trip destinations. :)

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  14. stapeliad13 February 2017 at 10:54

    Awww Cody!! <3 Your sketches are adorable.
    Our weather was not been especially delightful (I do love snow though, just not slush) but I'll take the cold over a heat wave any day. Stay cool...I'll huff and puff some cold air your way.

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    1. Serena Lewis13 February 2017 at 11:40

      Thanks, Jessica. Yes, I hear that from a lot of people — about not liking the slush, that is. OH yes, that's me too! I'm definitely a winter gal and I always feel sad that our winters are barely more than a Wyoming fall, not to mention very mild and short. Yes please, I will take that cool air gratefully. xo

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