Mingus Day #41. 5.25 x 12 in. Mixed media on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

Mingus Day #42. 5.25 x 12 in. Mixed media on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

The sky in day 42 was a mess. You can see ghost cloud goofs. I splattered water over the drying watercolor, made more of a mess. Scrubbed to get rid of hard edges from the drops. That didn’t work. Washed more paint over that to cover it all up. Still not working. So I took the last few drops of white acrylic, mixed it in with the remaining blue, and washed it on.

It is still a mess. But coming back to it this morning, I kinda like it.

A Three Hour Tour

Caught up again. Painting on the current day. Life has been hectic. My Dad Pete has been in ICU since the 2nd of May. He went in for surgery to remove lumps on the right side of his throat. Cancer. When they got in there, they found more on the left. A four-hour surgery turned into eight. And a three-day stay, well, we’ll see. But he is cancer free!!!

I have been splitting my time between taking care of home, and staying at my brother’s house in Phoenix (2 hours away). Driving Mom to and from the hospital. Forty minutes in traffic. Last week I remembered to take art supplies with me, but there really wasn’t time.

Yesterday he finally woke up, and is making quick and steady improvements. They had to do a tracheostomy. He had been intubated longer than usual and that causes complications. He is doing better, getting physical therapy. Time out of his room. Has been breathing on his own for most of the day, part of the night. Able to write, since he is unable to talk due to the trach.

HALLELUJAH AMEN!!!!

I am at home for a few more days, and then I will head down again. On top of all this. Last Friday there was a fire in the fields near our house. We were at the hospital when neighbors called. About 5100 acres burned.

You can see a photo here, of how far it spread. The video talks about one of the neighbors who helped to clear a fire break behind several homes. It really is a miracle that the development was untouched.

Prescott Valley Fire. Yellow highlight marks our location.

At its closest point, the fire was about three-quarters of a mile away. There is only one main route out of the subdivision. And the fire has prompted talks about completing some of the roads for better access.

Two homes were lost, and 12 outbuildings. The fire was human caused.