Promptings

I am grateful for promptings.  Sometimes I encounter difficulties that are relieved directly by blessed intervention, mounting more surely toward the category of miracles.  Other times, like today, November 30, 2019, I avoid difficulties by following promptings.  After making a careful trip up to Salt Lake City to visit Hannah and Rudy I decided to follow a semi-plan I had made to spend the night at Nancy's house.  I use the word semi-plan because I made allowance for the possibility by taking along a hormone pill but I didn't take a change of clothing or night clothes.  Because of the snowy scene the night before, I had intended to take my time returning home, assuming that it would be best to wait until roads had a chance to dry or at least be plowed.  Around nine AM I began to feel it was time to leave without delay.  I brought along four empty plastic water jugs with the idea I could stop by the Artesian Spring Park to fill them up, but brief consideration made decide to skip the trip to the spring.  I got on the road around 9:30 AM.  The weather was clear and the roads had been plowed and most of them were just a bit wet, but not cold enough to threaten black ice.  I made good time with just a bit of threat from snow showers as I approached the Point of the Mountain.  As usual it was not really easy to drive through the maze of highway lines in the Lehi area where road construction has been going on for months, but I reached Provo at around 10:30 just as a semi truck carrying butane jack-knifed in the Lehi area of 1-15.  I was unaware of the accident that closed the freeway in both directions until after midnight.  I am familiar with alternative routes such as Redwood Road but with all the traffic on the road it would still have meant a delay of several hours and my gas tank is not full. 

Snow

I am sleeping at Nancy's house tonight, November 29th 2019.  Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a lovely family gathering.  Patricia and her family were not able to come because of the weather and her work schedule.  But early afternoon Mary had come to visit and I gave her some seedy clear glass for a panel by her door along with some leading strips.  Not long after I started to go to Salt Lake myself to keep my normal Friday appointment with Hannah and Rudy.  I started early because it was snowing and there was a lot of traffic on the roads because of Black Friday.  I prepared myself to stay overnight by bring a tablet of my hormone.  Miranda is in California visiting her father over the holiday so I am sleeping in her room.  I am fasting after my indulgence in tiny bites of pie and larger amounts of fruit salad on Thanksgiving and earlier today.  One advantage of staying here is that I'm not tempted by the fruit salad and can fast more easily.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

The weather prevented Tisha's family from getting to Provo but Nancy brought Hannah.  We had all of David's family at the table except for Jing who was working.  There were 10 of us which meant I didn't have to get out the extra table.  I provided all the usual mains and sides including the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole which was better than ever made with frozen mushrooms instead of cream of mushroom soup, yams, fruit salad made with coconut milk so Jing could enjoy it once she gets home, and canned cranberry sauce instead of the fresh ground orange and cranberry relish I usually make.  Shazia provided rolls and Nancy brought pies.  She and Hannah were a little late but still arrived in time for most of the meal.  I had purchased a couple of LDS DVDs last week and after the meal Lucinda's husband and older children came to join us while we watched the movies.  They were both quite good, although I hardly watched them as I cleaned up after the meal and rested now and then.  I overindulged in fruit salad and didn't eat much turkey which was drier than I expected.  I also had a few slivers of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. At this point my digestion seems to be at peace.  I measured my ketone and glucose levels before the meal began and they were in a good range.  I am sitting here now in quiet.  Everyone but Richard and I have gone.  It was good to get together.

Critic

The current 'Nativity' video presented by the Church is rather unmoving to me.  Mary looks lovingly at the baby but spends more time putting him in swaddling clothes and placing him in a manger than holding him to her chest and heart, let alone any hint of nursing.  The 'Heavenly Host' is subsumed into a bright light in the sky and some unmelodic strings.  The producers seem impressed with their historical accuracy in having anyone speaking speak Aramaic.  I have seen more impressive and moving nativity accounts, but all of the reviews but mine were gushing and uncritical. 

Fast for Lata

I fasted for about 22 hours for two reasons.  Primarily I fasted on behalf of my son-in-law who had a heart transplant and who is in danger of rejection.  I also fasted because I have gained about 10 pounds from my lowest measured weight of about 137 pounds.  I have been violating my guidelines for a carnivore diet.  I believe my face looks better with more weight, but I don't want to continue going in the wrong direction.  I broke my fast with a steak cut from a ribeye roast along with some extra fat and the bones from the roast.  I was not able to complete eating the steak and saved it for tomorrow. 

When a Blockage Becomes and Blessing

I went down to Stevenson's last week and made eight copies of the printout of my portrait of Marge Lewis.  The copies turned out very well and I planned to glue them to canvases and 'masterize' the surface as I have often done before.  I had ordered canvases at Michael's for less than half price and picked them up the same day I got the prints.  I decided to use a spray on glue.  It was fortunately half price with a coupon.  At home I carefully prepared for the job, using my semi-outside workroom to spray the glue on the canvases and doing all I thought was needed to insure they lay flat.  They didn't.  My work seemed to have resulted in failure.  Not only did the adhesive work poorly, but when I sprayed the prints with an archival spray to protect them against fading it had a strange effect on the inks used in the prints.  Some of them were not as bad as the others, but I needed six mounted prints and I only had three that were useable.  So I ordered some more canvases, which were fortunately still on sale.  Meanwhile several of my children critiqued the portrait and said it needed something to complete the composition.  If I had been successful in mounting the prints I would have brushed away their suggestions.  As it was, I took heed and added my own insight and added a portrait of Marge's deceased husband to the empty space the the right of the portrait.  I printed out a representation of the proposed change and ran it by Marge and one of the other caretakers, Erin, this evening.  They really liked the idea and now I will proceed to change the painting.  So the Blockage became a boon.  I believe I will give the three portrait prints to Erin and Julie and Roxana.

Artists

I introduced myself to a young woman at Relief Society today.  Her name is Alexis Jeffries.  She said she is a professional artist and indicated that she is self trained and keeps very busy with portraits.  She is trying to complete a set of grandchildren and pets for a client before Christmas.  I gave her a note referring her to the Art Guild saying that while it might not matter to her to be exhibited, the critiques and companionship might be valuable.  At times like this I find myself somewhat bemused.  I have a number of talents and have enjoyed doing arts, crafts, costume design, scenery design, writing and portraiture, but although I have enjoyed periodic acknowledgement, nothing I have done other than being a parent and grandparent has ever become more than a temporary success.  I realized yesterday that I have never been asked to be a bridesmaid, although I have been the mother of the bride at least six times.  I am grateful for my life and my talents, and in the long run I would far rather be a successful progenitor than have success in any other field.

Game, Funeral and Family

I didn't make a post on Friday, November 22 because I stayed overnight with my daughter Nancy in Salt Lake.  This was due to several different plans that would all take place in the Salt Lake Valley.  As usual I planned to spend the late afternoon with Hannah and Rudy in our regular routine of going to the neighborhood park followed by a visit to McDonalds.  In the midst of the chaos that surrounds their lives I feel that my weekly visits are a stable factor.  I planned to watch the final game for the division 5 title between my grandson, Alden's, team, the Timpview Thunderbirds and the Orem High School Tigers who have had a two year winning streak.  When I asked Nancy if I could stay at her house the night following the game so I could go to the funeral of Shazia's grandmother the next day she asked if I could obtain tickets for herself and her daughter Miranda.  David purchased the tickets on Friday morning and when I got to Nancy's house that evening she drove us to the stadium then parked about a half a mile away.  It was a good game.  Although the other team won, the score, at 21 to 7 was not overwhelming.  The game proceeded without much delay and the action was exciting.  I had dressed warmly enough to hold off the chill of the evening which was clear.  Nancy offered to go and get her car after the game and return to pick us up.  I told her I would be more comfortable if I kept moving instead of waiting around the stadium.  We left when there was about a minute on the game clock and made our way down to 13th East and 5th South then southward to about 750 south.  It was a brisk walk but not uncomfortable.  We shopped at Smith's where I purchased a steak, some pastured butter and some cream and found that once again, as had happened the day before, my groceries were free.  After arriving at the chapel where the funeral for Joan Smith, Shazia's grandmother was held I was soon joined by my daughter Nancy.  Joan lived a righteous and beneficial life and her funeral reflected her contribution as a mother, a musician and as a faithful servant of the Lord.  After leaving the funeral I drove to Mary's home and visited with her and her three children.  Her husband received a heart transplant nearly five years ago and it is showing signs of rejection.  I showed Mary a photo of my painting of Marge Lewis and she suggested adding something to the wall.  As I drove home I reflected on my first thoughts about doing a portrait.  I wanted to somehow include Marge's husband, although he died 21 years ago.  Suddenly I realized that I could find a picture in the 7th Ward memory book that was published a few years ago.  I found that the picture in the book was too obscure to use, but I had encountered a copy of the pdf of the book on CD only a few days before while organizing my studio.  I was successful in finding the picture in a resolution that would work well as a model for the picture that I plan to insert in the painting.  Another sweet 'coincidence'.

Marge Portrait Finished

Today was Wednesday, November 20.  I had a restless night last night, possibly from something I ate and possibly because of my bra and possibly because of my shirt being too warm.  After taking the kids to seminary and shopping at Days where I purchased a surplus ribeye and some films, I went down to Walmart neighborhood market and purchased bread and butter.  When I got home and let out the chickens I returned to rest for a while to make up for my disturbed sleep.  When the Hancock kids came over I got up and directed Leila in painting the outside of the screen door.  Afterward I worked on my portrait of Marge and made some subtle but important changes.  I finally was satisfied and took a picture of the painting in order to make prints.  This evening Marge chose to have the prints made in the form of 11" x 14" 'giclee' prints with a canvas backing.  I was able to order a pack of suitable canvases from Michael's and got them for a sale price along with a discount that meant they cost less than half the original price.  I plan to make prints of my print at Stevenson's tomorrow, making two extra in case of problems, and adhere them to the canvases.  Marge ordered 6 at 15 dollars each.

Small Issues and Big Sorrow

My heart is sore for some of my grandchildren.  Small incidents, left to fester can change lives.  Sometimes I can help directly, sometimes I am limited to praying. 
Today I addressed a few small issues, one of which was getting my Smith's Rewards Card to work to get a discount on my gas.  I plan to try it out on Thursday.  I decided to delay purchasing Thanksgiving supplies, including the turkey, until next Tuesday.  That will give a day or so for the bird to defrost and I won't have to worry about storage in the meantime.  Smith's seems the best place to buy since they have a steep discount on a store brand bird if you purchase at least $25 worth of merchandise.  I am motivated to do so by the 'check' for $25 that is the reward amount I received in the mail that can only be spent at Smith's. 

Glued and Sewed

Today after taking the older kids to seminary I returned home and worked on Patricia's dolly, securing and renewing the wig with both glue and sewing.  I also did some work on Marge's portrait.  When I finished the doll I took to to Lucinda's house so Patricia would have it as soon as possible.  I stayed to visit and engaged in a discussion of adolescent maturity and how nature leads them to 'leave the nest' by cutting off their previous tight connection to their parents.  In the midst of a lively conversation Calvin exclaimed that he had forgotten that he needed to be to work earlier.  I took him to the pizza place where he works then returned home and spend a few hours napping before it was time to go to Marge's house.  For the first time this season I began to consider the task of purchasing Christmas presents for my large collection of grandchildren.  I have a lot of time to kill on Monday and Wednesday evenings as Marge establishes her independence and I started browsing Amazon.  I ended up purchasing a number of gifts suitable for my older grandchildren. 

Sweet Sunday

My weeks have a rhythm.  On Mondays and Wednesdays I sit with my friend Marge for a few hours in the evening.  She is recuperating and gaining strength and independence and she may soon be able to dispense with my service of simply being there.  On Fridays I drive to Salt Lake to be with my grandchildren Hannah and Rudy.  We go to a park, we go to a hamburger place with a playground.  I order the same meal for them every time.  We have established a relationship.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I spend my early morning at the Provo City Center Temple until between 10:30 and 11 AM.  On alternate weeks I drive three of my grandchildren to seminary on alternate days.  On Sundays when there is Relief Society I stay at church for two hours.  On Sundays when there is Sunday School I leave the church after sacrament meeting.  I don't want to be contentious while studying the savior.  On Wednesdays and Saturdays the older Hancock grandchildren come up and do various tasks around my home and yard.  I pay them a very small salary but it is enough in total to help augment their family budget. 
I am content with my intent, but sometimes my performance does not match my intent.  I am grateful for all the wonderful family and friends I have been given.

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

After seeing a video about encaustic this morning I realized I needed to move forward in preparing panels.  I prepared gesso from hide glue, marble dust and titanium dioxide several days ago and the woman in the video said you can't keep hide glue for more than a week before using it.  I found what I feel is a really nice panel at Lowe's.  It seems to be made of poplar slices glued together to make the face and back.  In one way it is a very well engineered version of 'strand board'.  I had a 4' x 8' panel cut into 3 32" sections.  The hide glue is made from collagen, the stuff of ligaments, and the panel is made from cellulose, the equivalent for the plant kingdom, and of course the marble dust and titanium dioxide are minerals.  Cellulose has its uses, both in plants to let them grow tall and wide, and as a support in the form of wood and products made from wood, like paper and cardboard and engineered panels.  Collagen is not widely used now that plastics have replaced hide glues in most applications, but apparently it still is the best basis for encaustic gesso.  On the personal side of my life, I have retreated from the foolish behavior that saw me eating bread and butter and candy bars and overindulging in Strawberry Altoids.  My ketones seem to be back on track at .8 although the glucose level in the blood test I took this morning remains at 101.  I received a prescription from my doctor's office which means that given my usual fairly good health I won't have to see them for a year.

Score!

I spent most of the day watching football or going to and from Rice-Eccles Stadium at the U of U to watch football.  I rode up to 53rd south with David and we caught a train that had just started to enter the station but was delayed by a careless man who got hip clipped by the bumper of the train that was drawing into the station just as we were ready to cross the tracks.  We went to the other end of the platform and had plenty of time to get on the train when it started up again and took its place after a delay for the victim to be examined.  I find no mention of the accident on the internet so I assume it was not a serious injury.  The weather was mild and the game between Timpview, where Alden plays football and Lehi, the opposing team in the semi-finals for 4A, was well fought and fairly intense.  The end score of 35 to 7 doesn't reflect the ongoing feeling that things could shift until we were in the final half of the final quarter.

Portrait

My main enterprise today was working on a portrait of Marge Lewis.  I had a fantasy of doing a receding repeat of the portrait on the wall to the side of her face but I realized it was a silly idea when I was fully enough awake to think clearly.  The portrait is something of a success in a mild way.  I took it with me when I went to visit with her this evening, a little early in order to get the opinion of another caretaker.  There is still some work to do on the chair that is so distinctive. 

Staking out Steaks

I ate some liver yesterday but I have mostly been eating steak along with a few other treats.  Today at Walmart I discovered some 'cowboy' ribeye steaks for sale.  I still had a fair portion of yesterday's steak remaining to eat today and as it happened I had enough I couldn't eat that I gave Richard a good portion.  I have one portion of rump roast steak to eat before I eat my newly acquired cowboy ribeyes.  I have been doing some 'cheats' that leave me tempted to break the normal OMAD routine.  I have resisted so far today and it really isn't worth falling into regular bad behavior.  I started working on my portrait of Marge this evening.  I added a front view of one of her dining chairs that she keeps near the staircase in her living room.  The composition of the painting is much improved by the subtle rhythm of the series of arch shapes including the actual arch of the door, the arch of the head and the arch of the back of the chair.  They are only incidentally repetitive.

Ann Brown

I drove by my doctor's office but it was closed for lunch and I proceeded to explore the possibility of driving up Timpanogos highway to American Fork canyon and possibly getting water.  The park entrance was closer than I expected and I didn't have my pass so I proceeded home along the upper road, eventually joining State Street in Pleasant Grove.  I had stopped at Cal Ranch to purchase chicken feed.  I have been somewhat loose with my diet protocol.  Because I was leaving the house earlier to visit Ann I ate some liver and fat as well as rootbeer flavored cream sweetened with stevia and a small part of the very large steak I had tried to cook.  I decided to reserve most of the steak for tomorrow, but I also indulged in some candy.  I have decided to pay my Duschesne property tax bill but leave the Utah County tax until after the 25th when I should have sufficient money without withdrawing from my savings.  My pay from Marge will mount up to 390 in the three Monday paydays between now and then.

Tithing

I was the first on the list for tithing settlement today.  I arrived at the church early but I was soon followed by others.  By the time I finished there were several people in the hallway.

Lazy Saturday

I went to ministering interviews with Catherine Parry this morning and found that it was a wait in line kind of thing.  We spent more than an hour in casual conversation with an assortment of other women.  I like the idea of appointments much better, not only for myself who can easily rearrange my schedule, but particularly for mothers of young children.  I guess a muffin and breakfast drink buffet was a great treat to some, but it only reminded me of the steak I planned to cook when I was finally at my usual 'breakfast' time which is normally at around eleven in the morning.
I had some cream and freeze-dried strawberry dices following the steak and ate a couple of mini bars at around 5 PM.  Other than being prone to head colds I don't experience extreme symptoms when I break the 'Lion Diet' pattern of beef, salt and water in minor ways.  Even so, the things I have learned about the problems of eating plants and grains and seed oils keeps me relatively centered.
Tonight I made some collagen glue, referred to as 'rabbit skin glue' in the art world, and after reserving a few ounces, I added powdered marble (calcium carbonate) and titanium dioxide to the rest and screened it through a small nylon knit laundry bag.  It was a messy process but I enjoy making some of my art materials from basic ingredients. 

Medical Visit

Today, October 8, 2019, I went to the Health Plus office and had a brief physical exam that yielded the information that my blood pressure is normal.  They were impressed with the amount of weight I have lost since my last exam.  I talked about my concern with the possibility that my way of eating will cause false information about the state of my thyroid function.  I took Rudy and Hannah to a park near the new library just off 2300 east and 3300 south where there is a really nice park.  Our usual park was filled with members of a Tak wan do school.  I saw Trisha for the first time in some time.

Rerun

I forgot to take Sister Lewis's names to the temple this morning so after I came home and ate my lunch I took the names to the temple, stopped at DI to get some utensils and deposited my salary at the bank where I received a coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of ice cream.  I stopped at Lucinda's house to visit and drop off the coupon.  It is fun to have her and her family in the neighborhood. 

Oil Change

This morning, October 6, 2019, I took my car in for an oil change and tire rotation.  They also checked out all the systems from tires to filters and all was pronounced very good except for a bit of dust in the filters.  Afterwards I picked up Jacqueline and took her to look at a coat at Old Navy that she had located on the internet.  It was hung high but I used a rolling ladder to retrieve it and it fit her very well.  The internet price was less than half of the $59.99 price tag on the coat.  Jacqueline got the internet deal and was very happy with her purchase.  We had shopped at Ross for a few minutes before to make sure the coat she purchased was a good deal.  The children came to do their tasks with Lelia doing the entrance area for the first time.  She did a very good job cleaning the front door and I told her she could gradually bring the other door and woodwork up to match, but for now she had done plenty.  Ralph served as a good apprentice to Adam and received praise from his brother.  I went to Walmart to pick up a new splatter screen I had ordered and found that it was badly bent.  I was able to remove the wax forms from the muffin tin but won't use it again for the purpose.  I had a very good day overall.  My cast iron skillet arrived and I look forward to preparing one or more t-bone steaks tomorrow.

Scaling Up

Today, November 5, 2019, I decided to try and make a larger batch of encaustic medium.  At first the pot I used on the outside of a large mixing bowl was too small and created instability which resulted in spills.  I exchanged the pot for one with a diameter only slightly larger than the bowl and things began to move along.  It may have been faster to make three small batches, but I think I will use this combination of pot and bowl in the future.  Fortunately I have enough large stainless steel mixing bowls that this one can be dedicated to making encaustic mixtures.  I also published the UVAG Newsletter e-mail edition and printed out the mailed edition ready to be cut and stamped.  I brought in the large stand fan from the work shop to provided ventilation.  I also ordered a fairly hefty mask for when I work with the pigments.  I also ordered more beeswax and Damar resin.  A warning light in the car turned out to be about the oil change.  When I went into the dealership they were very busy.  I made an appointment for tomorrow after I take the kids to seminary.

Bringing It All Together

My hotplate was available today, October 4, 2019 and although I had already shopped at Walmart and given in to the lure of chocolate, almonds and cream, I returned to fetch the hotplate for my encaustic work.  I had picked up a couple of items at DI when I went back to donate several small heated pots that only got a little above 114 degrees and therefore were useless for my purpose.  Instead I found some dishes I could use for a double boiler and a strainer.  I also found some pans that make lovely little disks about the right size for the tins I purchased.  I can stack two or three of them in each tin and have a good supply of medium that is delicate enough to melt relatively quickly.  The glass sheet works very well to insulate and designate the space I'm using.  I also found the glass crusher I somewhat reluctantly bought for crushing glass to be very efficient at crushing Damar resin.  Both types of work need something of this nature unless I want to mess around with towels and plastic bags and hammers.  I completed 24 disks of medium after stirring the mixture over water on the hotplate to keep the temperature within range.  I added some salt to the water to raise the temperature because, as I understand it, the Damar resin and the small amount of carnauba wax I added make the melting temperature a little higher.  I avoided putting in a lot of resin or carnauba wax in order to keep the wax from becoming brittle.  I got a battery for the slick little kitchen scale that looks something like an electronic tablet.  It worked quite nicely to weigh the proper proportions of beeswax and resin.  One purchase I made today may be either very useful or sort of foolish.  I used a 40 percent off coupon at Michaels to purchase a crayon melter, a pen like device that uses electricity to melt crayons so they can be applied like paint or marker.  Even if I am limited to using Crayola crayons, the ability to make a long, definite mark could prove very useful. Although I had a few minor setbacks, I'm fairly certain my choice to go way out of bounds of my chosen way of eating had something to do with setting a new low weight record from before I was a college student.  Fortunately I still am most fond of good meat and I scored quite a bit of it today at Day's Market.

New Bishopric

Today we had a strong hint that Bishop St. Clair was being released when he and his wife were called and sustained as nursery leaders.  "Joey" McMurray was called to be the new bishop with brother Gabbitas and brother Pace as counselors.  The remaining portion of the fast meeting was given over to those who had been released along with their wives.  I have seen Bishop McMurray around the ward but never really got acquainted with him.  After church I ate my 'break fast' which in this case ended 24 hours of dry fast added to 24 hours of water fast.  I ate steak and some cream and cream cheese and strawberry mixture.  When I weighed this morning I weighed 137 pounds but of course that was while fasting.  While portions of me have grown quite skinny I still have pouches of skin and tissue under my upper arms and in other places.  I wore a grey knit tube dress for the first time to church today and I didn't look lumpy. 

Gathering Resources

This morning, October 2, 2019 I took two paintings to the Provo Library.  Afterward Adam came up and helped me bring the desk from DI into the house where he skillfully dismantled it.  I kept several pieces that game promise of future use, but we made a trip to the final day of Provo Fall Cleanup with the pieces left over.  The piece of glass from the top was definitely worth the price of $20.  Unfortunately the other things I purchased, namely the little double pot, may have been less of a bargain.  I need a temperature that will keep wax liquid, near 150 to 200 degrees and the highest heat I have measured with my thermometer is around 100 degrees.  There may be ways to work around this, such as putting the three pots into a cake pan on the hotplate with water surrounding them.  The water would have to be steaming hot.  Perhaps I could use one of the ceramic casseroles to obtain the purpose.  I'm glad I ordered a hot plate.  I may get another as a supplement if I intend to keep a 'wash wax' and a melted medium batch going simultaneously.  I have been reorganizing my studio to accommodate the new supplies.  I have also been fasting.  I fasted beginning at about 11 yesterday and at 12 noon today I finished the water fast and began the dry fast for Fast Sunday. 

DI Finds

Early this morning, November 1, 2019, after cutting a mat and framing my encaustic painting which I call 'Blizzard', I went to the local Deseret Industries and found some items to use with my encaustic setup; two nice small stainless steel sauce pans with lids and a small sauce warmer. The cost was less than ten dollars for everything.  In the afternoon I briefly stopped by the DI at 4500 South and found a very nice double ceramic pot, with the additional advantage that the pots are not only covered but can be removed for cleaning which I plan to use for encaustic medium, both Damar and Carnauba.  I believe I will use the sauce warmer for the soy wax 'brush cleaner' I purchased at Michael's Craft with a  40% discount coupon.  While there I spotted a desk with a nice glass top for $20.  After taking Rudy and Hannah to the playground and McDonalds I returned to the DI and purchased the desk.   Fortunately it fit inside the back of my car with the back seats flattened.  I plan to dismember the desk and use the glass for my work surface for doing encaustic work since it is both heat resistant and easily cleaned of wax residue.  I was pondering what I would do to isolate the work surface from the surrounding studio furniture when I went looking for a cast iron skillet on Amazon.  I found a folding metal screen that is supposed to be used to keep grease from spreading.  I ordered two, one for my stove and one for my encaustic area.  I also got two polycarbonate scrapers which will mean one for the studio and one for the kitchen.  I have been spending quite a lot on finishing out the needs for getting fulltime into encaustic, but the items I picked up from DI combined with other items I have on hand have reduced the expense.