Weekly happy things, volume 4

Another Friday, another round of bright spots in my life this week. And, considering the news and the dumpster fire the USA has become, I think we can all stand to appreciate the smaller happy things more.

This selfie

Felt cute. Actually put a little effort into my appearance after feeling like I’ve been living in jeans and oversized shirts for a few weeks. I will miss this brick wall as my go-to selfie backdrop for my future finished knitwear once the shop closes.

Discovering my fig fruiting

I hadn’t really been paying attention to my fig (brown turkey variety? Chicago hardy? I can’t remember), so when I discovered these wee bulbs growing off the branches I squealed with delight. Perhaps this year I’ll finally get my first figs!

This mystery plant bloom

When starting my veggie garden seedlings earlier this year, this mystery plant popped up that wasn’t anything I had planted (this year, anyway). Turns out, I tried to plant some calendula last year (maybe the year before?) and this seed in the soil was still viable and germinated.

This wee bouquet kiddo brought home after school

Dandelions, violets, henbit blooms, and some Johnny Jump Ups kiddo stole out of a classmate’s garden. ♥

This hilariously rotund pear

It’s my second time with oil painting. More mistakes were made, including trying to soften the edges of the pear which just kept dragging the color out wider. I mean, at least you can look at it and know it’s a pear?

This sleepy sketch

My husband’s car needed some emergency maintenance, and considering he’s the one that works the Adult job that pays our bills, my schedule was deferred to take the car to the shop. To pass the time, I sat and sketched this off a reference photo while I waited. Sketching in public is scary (to me) so I’m trying to push myself out of that comfort zone in preparation for an Urban Sketchers event next month that I’d love to go to.

This spontaneous creative adventure

There’s a local artists group that meets once a month, and I’ve been wanting to attend but honestly haven’t yet embraced the title of “artist” when I think of myself and, therefore, was pretty intimidated to just join in on my own. A friend texted me earlier that day, asking if I’d be interested in coming, so I took my chance to say yes and give it a shot – and I’m so glad I did! One of the other members led a workshop on using soft pastels, and we each picked our own reference photo and made our own pieces. I ended up with this rabbit that I just love – wonky ear and all – and probably a new reason to try to earn and save back some money to buy yet another art medium.

Being back at my favorite bar

I’ve lost a ton of my strength, gained weight, and am – in general – vastly out of shape from my pre-pandemic self. Every workout is H-A-R-D and I am angry at myself during them for letting myself get where I am now… But there isn’t a better way, I’ve learned, to burn off a lot of my emotions and anxiety than completely exhausting myself with heavy weights, and I’m always feeling in a much better mood after. So, I re-joined my favorite local gym and am committing myself again to moving my body more in this new era.