Makin' some modifications

I still haven't gotten back in the studio. I am starting to think about pots and potting, but there are still a few projects I'd like to get done before I turn my attention to clay again. The weather will be too cold to fire the salt kiln for a few more months, and when I do get myself back in the studio, I want to be able to focus on it.

Anyways, it's not like the stuff I have made has been flying off the shelves and I need to replace anything!

I have gotten back into a hobby I haven't done for years and years......painting! When I was in high school, I thought THAT was going to be the direction my art passion took me. I even went to commercial art school for a month. But it turned out that it wasn't for me. Still, I've always wanted to do some painting again. So, the other day, I decided to try and paint a picture of Jaedon, my grandson. I had started it a few months ago one day when I went over to Megan's and she and a couple friends decided to have an "art day" and we all sat outside and painted. I wasn't happy with the results to I put my attempt away and hadn't thought about it anymore 'til a few weeks ago when I started getting the urge to be creative. So I pulled it out and bought some new paint, and gave it another go. It came out fairly decent. I used acrylic paints because I'm more familiar with them than oils. Here's the finished product.......

.....of course, I had the perfect subject matter!!!

Then Steve and I took a painting class in Hagerstown. We ate there for my birthday a couple Sundays ago and were walking around some of the shops. We got to talking to a gentleman in the local art gallery and he told us he was teaching a painting workshop and they provided all the materials and best of all.....it's free!!

So, last Saturday we went in and did a little painting. He had us pick a subject out of a magazine. I'm doing a landscape and Steve's doing a lighthouse scene. It was fun to get back into in, and fun to do it with Steve. And he did pretty good for his first time ever painting!!

As a matter of fact, he's been surprising me trying some other new things too!! I have been feeling like I need to get myself into shape. I've been trying to walk, but the weather's been so crappy and kept talking about getting my stationary bike which is at the kids' house. But I kept thinking about how much I used to enjoy doing aerobics aI nd I felt like it would be a form of exercise I'd be more likely to stick with since I'd always enjoyed it before. So I kept checking around to see what was offered in the area. Not much.

I don't know why I kept avoiding the "Y," I guess 'cos it's on the other side of town and I was hoping to find something closer. But it's not like we have a terribly tight schedule!! I finally told Steve what I'd been thinking so we checked it out and decided to join. So I'm going to do the step aerobics class which is 3 days a week. Steve walked on the track the first day I did the class. The second time we went in I told him that there was an old guy taking the step class and maybe he should give it a try. I really didn't think he would, but he DID!! And he actually did pretty well! I should've remembered he has a good sense of rhythm from our old rollerskating days!!

But having never, ever taken an aerobics class, I thought he might be intimidated by not knowing the moves and I thought he'd get worn out too quickly. But he stuck with it and even seemed to enjoy it.

We both were so sore yesterday though, we could barely move!!

And now I feel like I'm coming down with a cold!! I hope not, 'cos I don't want to miss tomorrow's class. I just got started!! And I've been trying to eat healthier too. I already have less heartburn at night. Trying to cut down on my beer consumption too. I really do enjoy having a couple with dinner, but I'm pretty sure I was starting to develop a beer gut! Even drinking Sam Adams Light. So I'm going to try to limit by beer drinkin' to a couple nights a week!

I hate to think of any of this stuff as New Year's Resolutions, but I guess the beginning of the year is a good time to "turn over a new leaf." The hardest part is sticking to it all!! I'm hoping that since Steve is doing it to, we'll keep each other "on task." We are pretty competitive!! Normally that causes problems between us, but there are times when we can take advantage of that trait!!

We shall see what transpires!