Sifting through old photos, ran across when NYC surprised me. I pictured concrete and glass, angry people. Instead I found the old growth forest underneath, abandoned mansions swallowed by vines and headstones washed clean by time. Neighborhood was quiet, lined with trees, chipmunks in the backyard. I often pictured Poe listening to the sound of wolves out of his window. Art littered the walls more than trash on the ground, and cheerful bodega owners helped me find black market goods.

Last year, my kid got sunflower seeds from Grandma, and we put them in a container on the porch garden because there was no more room. It grew six feet tall, and I could stand on the bench to get pretty macro photos (shown). This year, I was able to plant them in the ground, and they officially reached just a little taller than the trailer before the bloom started to open. So, this year's flower photos have to be done with the telescopic function instead.

#gardening

I can participate in Caturday! Here's Freddie the formerly feral earning his keep by heliping me shred cardboard for worm food.

#caturday #catsOfCoSo

Freddie the feral rescue kitten update. He is no longer bony, and recently finally started coming to me willingly as soon as I enter a room and call, rather than hiding until I gathered him for feeding time.

#petsOfCoSo

Been playing The Sims and their "Happy at Home" event is giving me the earworms, and the kitten is happy to have a home and I also realized the other day that I am myself happy at home and BAM.

Kitty is Freddie. He can sing duets with Bowie the dog. Great month for it.

As soon as Not The New Dog left, Joe handed me You Will Pry This Away From Me Over My Dead Body. Now in a soft jacket and starting to sleep :). He made momentary mouth noises about fining (something, I didn't let him finish the sentence) before I reminded him I'm a Cat Person. Haven't flipped over frightened baby yet to check the plumbing.

Not The Dog has two people who want her, and I REALLY hope she works out with the first one. She'll have a job! Emotional support dog for hospitals!!

Not The New Dog got a bath and haircut, to help find her a home. We'll get better pics outside tomorrow and put her up on the web, maybe walk her around the neighborhood and see if anyone falls in love. What do you think, Schnauzer mix? She leapt right over a fence too high for even Romeo without even blinking, even though she's a low little sausage of a thing.

Finished studying diagrams and using them to adjust my notes. At this point, I want to see what happens if I use only my notes for the next page :).

Finished studying pics of fossils. I had fun straining the old eyes trying to figure out how this thing was pieced together the way someone did when they were first discovered. Just looked at an actual diagram of the thing and it wasn't too far off. Definitely done with that though, it's time to study diagrams and models, to really see how these guys fit together instead of guess and wonder :).

Good morning! Time for coffee!!

This was supposed to be a sketchbook page that ended up with a little watercolor for my wall. Now I also want to do an in depth study of their anatomy, research and illustrate their eyes, see this trilobite in yellow duckie pillbug and zebra millipede colors, and bring out my toned paper. Guess I want to make this a whole thing for a little while.

Can anyone spare a grand so I can get me a museum quality piece to study?

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Day three of "But what if trilobites had colors like my fancy pillbugs?" Have changed page layout three times. No graphite lines on a single trilobite yet. Am glad I am not a professional with deadlines.

Ran across one of my old pics and laughed all over again. A bit blurry, but the best photobomb ever. Daughter didn't realize the camera was out when she came to watch me feed the spider.

We both used to be scared of spiders, thanks Shadow, for helping us get over that while we gave you shelter through the winter :).

I managed to figure out several similar but distinct textures, not that either my scanner or my phone wants me to really show them to you. I need a new scanner. Anyway, that's the prettiest S I've ever drawn, if I do say so myself.

I have always wanted to sketch my stones, but have been way too intimidated by the number of textures they have. I've been at this a couple of days, but I'm starting to feel like I'm figuring a few things out. The trilobite is going to feel like cheating after trying to portray white crystals. Thankfully I have many stones to study, and no deadline to get it right.

When I grow up I want to be:

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Time for zoomies in the freshly mown grass.