Winter Nothings

It's cold out there! We reached 20 degrees last night.

 Frost on the plastic sheeting on the porch ~

 However cold it was on the porch, my tomato plants seem to have survived it. 

 My herb pots were closer to the cold edge of the porch, but the basil looks okay too.

 When it's very cold, Adam has to cook. Yesterday we didn't want the calories that come when he bakes, so he opted for beef stew instead.

 He made Tasha Tudor's cornbread too.

 Yesterday I stitched up a lightweight baby blanket for the new baby coming this summer. 

 It's clearly a woven fabric (but delicate), so I chose a needle for woven fabric. Still, it picked the threads over and over. I was not happy about how the underside of the stitching looked. I'd like to find some silky lining to put all around the edge. Babies like that.

I forgot to share this photo with you from Saturday morning down at the farmers' market. This sailor was repairing something on the top of his mast.

 He had a rope tied under his seat, and another fellow was on the deck, hoisting him up there. We were nervous watching.

There's not much happening here, just winter doldrums. I finished writing my newest book by hand onto its pages. It's called The Rescue of William Shrew. I want to paint all its pages, but I'm not sure if I'll make copies. It's not a silly/funny story. Rather it's a story of a floody storm and a tiny shrew who is lost and needs to find his family. It ends happily, but it's more exciting than funny. But I really wanted to write and finish it because it has a contribution from Adam! He suggested a toasty warm tavern for animals called The Nutmeg Tavern. I love that name, so I put it into the little book. We'll see how it turns out. Last night when I was up in the wee hours of the night, I sketched a little shrew.

Now I'm finishing a truly silly and delightful story, Ned the Labrador Falls in Love. It needs a shorter title. 

Thanks for stopping by on such a boring day! Stay warm out there.