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.