24/7 Chat About Anything

[travelaround]

Hello again - I just read everything since my last visit here. Hope you are healing well, Ben.

My Dometic trailer refrigerator stopped working. When I called for a repairman I found out they aren't coming here anymore. I did the reasonable thing and moved my van refrigerator into the trailer. At least I had a backup. I'm considering getting a second one so I can have one set as a freezer too, but maybe that's just too much of a luxury. I like the idea of the store keeping things frozen until I need them.

Speaking of food, I have an abundance. Don't worry about me running out of food. I manage to get far more food than I can possibly eat.

My daughter wants to move away! I can't blame her for that - she wants to live in a house again. (Family of five.) This will be hard for me (emotionally) as we've been living close to each other for almost two years, ever since we came back to town after the fire. I will have one trailer space available on the property and am probably going to have to rent it to someone who will do my yard maintenance in exchange for extremely low space rent. Or something like that. I have to ask for rent so I can pay for the utilities.

Aside from all that, I'm participating in Inktober with my folk art of questionable value. But I was surprised yesterday when the man who owns the deli here in town asked to display my art in his business! I was not expecting anything like that. I'm still learning. I've posted my art on a new Instagram account and on Facebook - that's how he saw it. Unfortunately I can't display it at the deli as it is just ink painting in a journal, not something that could be hung on the wall. Maybe later if/when I make something larger.

Well, that's all I can think of to write about today. Hope you're all doing well.

 

[bullfrog]

In this day of technology could you not copy and enlarge it so it could be displayed as samples of possible commissioned later works you could sell?

 

[maki2]

Travelaround. I am not surprised that people like your art work. I remember seeing some of your sketches and thinking they were very good….and I am not prone to saying such things if I do not really like the art work. With winter on its way and less yard work to do you will have more time for sketching and writing. Having an extra small income stream from selling copies of charming sketches is of course beneficial. But only sell them as limited edition copies, keep the originals for your family to inherent, they will be real treasures to your family.

Many times the most common issue of those propane fridges not working is they just need a bit of cleaning which does not require a brand specific service person. If there is a mobile RV service person that works in the area they can handle it. The trailer/RV park you were staying in last year will most likely know who in the area does such work.

 

[maki2]

Getting that restless to move to a new place feeling. That is good as the weather is getting colder at night. Still lovely sunny, pleasant days though, the oak trees are just this week starting to show color. Gamble Oaks are the only deciduous trees around this NFS area.

Still savoring my solitude camping days. Only a few of them left before I head towards Pahrump. Getting into the 30s at night but to cope with that I stay up later and sleep in. The coldest hours are early morning so I prefer to sleep right through that time of day being snug as a bug under lots of blankets.

 

[maki2]

I just dodged getting caught up in a COVID Quarantine that has at least temporarily for 10 days or more shut down the HOWA Van build known as the BYOV. I was not scheduled to work until the 19th of October. The supervisor I was assigned to is the person who tested positive for Covid. He is everyone’s build supervisor so all persons who have been on site now have to begin quarantine. Plus a lot of the people who came early to the BYOV group campsite but we’re not yet working are at the very least exposed to other people who were exposed to ground zero contact.

It paid off to be lazy and dragging my feet about heading into 90 degree weather before I really had to. Plus I am not a party girl so masses of people at evening campfire circles are not much of an attraction to me.

Unknown when the BYOV might restart but it won’t happen for at least 10 days. They are trying to get ahold of rapid Covid test for everyone who was potentially exposed.

 

[bullfrog]

Hope everyone stays healthy or at least has had their shots so hopefully they don’t get critically sick. Covid is still with us and I am hoping to get the latest and improved 5th shot in a couple months. I still carry a mask as we have been in and out of medical facilities with my wife lately and wear it in crowed stores as well. Still using hand sanitizer and have had a better year than most as far as coughs and colds go. It’s sort of becoming a habit! One of my few good ones! Lol!!!

 

[Morgana]

Unfortunately I can't display it at the deli as it is just ink painting in a journal, not something that could be hung on the wall.

In this day of technology could you not copy and enlarge it so it could be displayed as samples of possible commissioned later works you could sell?

You could take a photo -- with your phone or a digital camera -- download it to your computer, do basic edits on it if you want in a program like (?on a Mac the built-in one is called Preview; there must be something like that on a PC), then print it out onto nice paper.

Actually, I think you can do that whole thing purely on your phone, too. I've just never taken the time to learn how, but it's probably easy.

Don't we have at least one professional artist in-house here? They could probably give you better advice. But for sure it can be done.

 

[maki2]

As to making a copy of a sketch in a journal. Here is where being a professional artist comes in. It is about seeing “the bigger picture”. Which means it might not Ben as easy as you might think. It might not be an issue easily solved by technology such as digital reproduction. The potential issue is if the pages are bound at one side in a stack of pages. If bound it will be next to impossible to flatten out the sheet for reproduction without cutting it out of a bound journal. If it is a bound journal cutting it out would destroy the inherent integrity of the journal experience. So this really is not just about an image on its own. The true work of art would be the entire journal in the original state it naturally evolved into over a period of time.

Of course if it is loose leaf page journal then making a scanned copy of an illustration and reproducing it is not too difficult of a job if one has access to a fairly decent printer/flat bed scanner.

 

[travelaround]

I will try to follow the art advice. I know how to take the photo and make digital edits, but have never tried making a print on good paper. I might take that part to a professional. I like the idea of numbered limited prints.

Maki, so glad you weren't in the quarantine situation, but I'm feeling sorry for those going through that at a van build event! I'm glad I'm not there. I've never had covid and don't want it.

Ben, where are you? I want an update on the surgery but am fairly sure if you had the surgery it would be hard to type. I'm wishing you fast healing and a less painful future.

 

[Morgana]

have never tried making a print on good paper. I might take that part to a professional.

That's a very good idea. Some projects work great on home printers, but others can be a nightmare. Even FedEx or Staples might be able to get you good results (or at least be worth trying before you move up to something more expensive). And you can get paper from them by the sheet rather than having to buy a whole ream.

 

[NctryBen]

Oh no... I hope everyone recovers quickly and there isn’t to bad of a set back at BYOV.

My plan is to go to my appointment on the 20th and leave the 21st. I thought he said it would feel 97% better not worse. Haha. I’ll be going and seeing grandkids for a bit. Hopefully the pain settles. I assume when they toss all them screws into bones that might make things a tad uncomfortable. My brother in law helped me out by basically doing a couple projects I needed to finish. Luck has it that the weather is somewhat mild. But a little worried I’ll have to deal with some cold.

 

[maki2]

Ben, Bones have a very different process for healing than soft tissues. The pain will get better…slowly. Much slower than people have patience for.

 

[bullfrog]

Pay close attention to preventing infection!

 

[maki2]

Travelaround you must respond the way I usually do, by using a keyboard. We are nowadays a rare breed. Mostly nowadays I see and most often hear people responding by speaking to the software to create the messages. I have not yet made myself get into that habit.

 

[lonerwolf52]

I just dodged getting caught up in a COVID Quarantine that has at least temporarily for 10 days or more shut down the HOWA Van build known as the BYOV. I was not scheduled to work until the 19th of October. The supervisor I was assigned to is the person who tested positive for Covid. He is everyone’s build supervisor so all persons who have been on site now have to begin quarantine. Plus a lot of the people who came early to the BYOV group campsite but we’re not yet working are at the very least exposed to other people who were exposed to ground zero contact.

It paid off to be lazy and dragging my feet about heading into 90 degree weather before I really had to. Plus I am not a party girl so masses of people at evening campfire circles are not much of an attraction to me.

Unknown when the BYOV might restart but it won’t happen for at least 10 days. They are trying to get ahold of rapid Covid test for everyone who was potentially exposed.

Whoa! Lucky.

 

[maki2]

Whoa! Lucky.

Well these things are bound to happen now and again at various events. So far I have not heard of anyone else feeling sick.

A few years ago before Covid 19 came along I attended a Christmas, Norwegian themed craft show where there were lots of families with young children. Boy did I catch a bad rhinovirus at that event that landed me in the urgent care clinic unable to get enough oxygen.

Just hoping to not have to do physical work inside a hot cargo trailer for a lot of hours wearing an N-95 mask. I do not think I can manage that without any issues. I would have to ask for a different assignment on the outside of a vehicle where I could do 6 foot distancing.

 

[maki2]

Not yet in sync mentally with the earlier onset of dark. It still feels much later than what the clock tells me.

Colder now so I needed some heat on this morning and evening too. Mostly because I am working and it was too cold for my hands and also for the adhesive on my cutting mats to get a firm grip.

Since my diesel heater is also a stove I used that for cooking breakfast and dinner. Plus I just made a cup of cocoa, from scratch this time as I was out of the convenient packets. I do like the the taste of the scratch made better. Takes me way back in time to the early 1970s doing winter camping at a little cabin in Alaska with a wood stove for heat and cooking.

But it is just a mini winter like camping break so I am actually savoring it before I move West to 60 degrees at night and days in the mid to upper 80s. My shade cloth will come back out and the heater will go back in to hibernation.

 

[NctryBen]

Last day of warmth here... 70’s. The next week is all upper thirties and low forties.
Hoping to hit the road in ten days. Spent all night last night pacing in pain. Icing my arm is helpful.
So by tonight I hope to have big things loaded. So my nice bed will be folded up. Wheeler all loaded. Air compressor, generator and other tools... oh..: and rain and snow off and on the next week starting tonight... otherwise all I can do is rest.

 

[abnorm]

We're thinking of ya BEN......that's been a long painful road........wishing you cheap fuel and clear skies

 

[Camper]

Hang in there Ben... I pray your pain will end real soon.