Art restoration with eye shadow

water color: didn't need restoration but needed a good cleaning

this Renoir poster had several scratches but worse, when I took off the price tag, it was left with a big white splotch. What to do?  Color in the scratches and splotch with various eye shadows blending them

I was going to arrive at the Moms group too early so I stopped by briefly at another nature preserve

very pretty sky

There is a pond in there somewhere. I will go back and find a better vantage point

Where that bald faced hornet came from that stung me a month ago

Since I hate being stung, I have avoided the exact spot that the bald faced hornet landed on me while searching for its nest. Yesterday it finally was uncovered hanging about 50 feet away suspended over the intersection of the two roads I run on almost every time. Huge. But is tiny compared to the monster nest that grew in one of the Moms storage boxes outside. She showed this lumpy thing the shape of a hubbard squash (hornets go for the football shape) and the volume of two beach balls. It is probably a yellow jacket nest as they use paper too but usually have underground homes. She said she doesn't know the difference between hornets, wasps and yellow jackets though she is a beekeeper. She did harvest another crop from her 'nice' hive. This time the honey is darker  and more viscous. Bees were feasting on clover in the summer and now she thinks goldenrod for the fall. She has left the mean hive alone, who aren't productive and will need help from the nice hive to survive through the winter. One good side of the killing frost hopefully means less yellow jackets to pester us. We have two full bags of decaying wasps in our traps but it hardly made a dent in their population. It is sad seeing many of my pretty flowers dead.

 

I tend to get to places early rather than late but I try not to be too early thus my side trip to yet another nature preserve. But when I got to the Moms group, I saw that everyone had been there for some time and were quite settled in. Did they tell me one time and everyone else a different time so they could have some blissful Sue free moments? Depression will make me see things this way no matter how irrational I know I am being. This too shall pass...this too shall pass......

 

And there was the ten seconds of infamy that we all knew about even though the big game was off. Another example of it's not over until it's over. I didn't want to open up Facebook to not look at gloating as I do have some MSU fan friends. The groan heard across the country and the poor kid that fumbled the kick.....

 

I did eventually come out of my pity party mode (who wants to be around someone in that?) to enjoy myself.

 

Home decorating. So far it has been me putting items of the same color in rooms painted that color and filling in the gaps with thrift store purchases At some point, I will make things nicer and lose the stuff that really doesn't work. I come home the other day and see this tiny brightly colored poster in our living room. violating my admittedly poor sense of style. WTF Steve?

Well you have things in this room this is blue...

His purchase has since been relocated to a bathroom where I still cringe when  I look at it but not so much.

But I guess he could point on that at least it was new and not covered with scratches. I do think I did a good job covering up the damage with eye shadow blending where appropriate. And its in another bathroom, one that only I use except when we have guests staying over.

 

On Sunday morning I am usually out bicycling. It is pretty outside but brrrrrr. I will go out this afternoon on an organized ride when it's a bit warmer. Meanwhile Josh and Allie will be here shortly. Steve asked what did he say about the game?I  said that I won't rub salt in the wound. I could hear his groan 50 miles away.