We were at the farmer’s market today by the shop, and everyone was really nice. I ate a ham and cheese croissant and a sweet potato sandwich. The lady next to me gave me a pink iced tea. They had a live string band. It was so dang pleasant.

I bought a bunch of wood for various art projects and opened the box last night. Tonight I couldn’t figure out why the apartment smelled so pleasantly like a campfire. Then I found the box of wood cuttings. It’s delightful.

#ChicagoRainbow and Banana.

We love Scrabble in this household.

I’ve been doing a lot of memorial pet portraits, and to get a cheer-up, change-of-pace, I drew a ton of cartoon dogs! My favorite here is Monchi, the pug from The Mitchells vs. the Machines.

I’m trying Rosetta Stone for the first time in over a decade. It’s immersive language learning, which is challenging for me, but it’s supposed to be good for conversation. And it remembers my old Spanish lesson stats from when I had the box set. (They have a sale this weekend on a lifetime account.)

I went back to my old job today to say goodbye to one of the long timer dogs, who was there before I started there. His people suddenly found out he has a big, aggressive cancer. His sister dog didn’t quite get it, but I’m glad I got to see him one last time. Wish these babies could live forever.

I made an iron-on t-shirt I can wear to the store. It’s got the logo and address really big on the back. It looks nice, but man, that was challenging. I think I will hire a pro for more of them.

Ahhh, I finally finished Andor, and that show is just gut punch after gut punch, and “I can’t believe they did that in a Disney show!” But Rogue One is my favorite of the Star Wars movies. So there will be a rewatch soon.

@daimondrewthis.bsky.social and I collectively have SO MUCH OATMEAL.

My boyfriend is drawing a comic for DC Comics!!!

Y'know, if it approaches from Naperville it's considered a side haboob.

[sufjan voice] dust storm in Chicago / all dust blows, all dust blows

Today I drove my car (Toyota RAV4) from Albany Park to Logan Square, up to Rogers Park, back to Albany Park, down to Pilsen just before the dust storm, and back to Albany Park. It just keeps going. I am so happy with this vehicle. (It’s a hybrid, too!)

I bought a fabric pill shaver and cleaned all the fabric nubs off the sofa and it makes the sofa SO SATISFYING to my skin now that it’s smooth. Like freshly shaved legs in bedsheets.

She has this stuffed banana that’s her favorite, and she brought it to the park today.

Oh man, I love quirky lady solves a murder mystery shows. Elsbeth, High Potential, Poker Face, The Residence, and technically Only Murders in the Building.

She has never been fed a day in her life.

Days off are still for making art! Working on a pet portrait.

I drew it myself. It’s a goofy sketch, and it’s not AI. It sounds like it wastes water, yoinks everyone’s ideas, and adds too many fingers to portraits. Draw stuff yourself! If you can’t draw yet, hire an illustrator to do it. They’ll be thrilled. ✍️

My tropicals are loving the spring weather! Here is a philodendron verrucosum, an anthurium veitchii, and a musa banana *variegated.* So fancy! They look so happy. 🪴

Today I was a guest speaker at @cantarella.ink’s Columbia College illustration class! Her students’ assignment had been to create a mural on the side of the storefront, and I was absolutely blown away with their projects. The rainbow Matisse dance with Bonnies mock-up mural is downright wondrous. 🎨🎨

We had a tufted rug class yesterday at @heyithoughtofyou.bsky.social, and I made an artist palette!

I saw the Mickey 17 movie yesterday and it was very satisfying and creative!

When art imitates life. @uooart’s A Short Trip To The Grocery Store. It’s a risograph print made for our dogs. Bonnie did this while I was answering emails. She has no regrets. 🐶☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️ #thattoydidntstandachance

I listen to @chirpradio.org every day. Sometimes I even DJ with them, and I’m usually the person picking up your donated records and CDs. It’s their spring fundraising drive. Give them some lovin’s! chirpradio.org/donatenow

This photo of my Bonnie lass is 100% brought to you by fancy raw dog treats.

Tonight I tested out a new craft for the shop. It’s book bedazzling!

I love her.

I finally finished reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was nice, but I think I’m always looking for a magic school book with a mystery. I bet it’ll be made into a movie in a couple years. I realized I was mentally casting actors as the characters as I read it. I bet other people do this, too.

Someone made a Wiley E. Coyote style painted wall to see if Tesla’s autopilot would detect it and well…

Today we went to a drag brunch for @daimondrewthis.bsky.social’s Mom’s birthday. This place had the best mac and cheese in the city at their brunch buffet. And the drag queens were all terrific.

Sunday in the Park with Cameron. 🎡🌭⛱️⚾️ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of the things that made me want to move to Chicago. That movie made it look like such a fun place. It is, and it takes time to explore the whole thing. It changes all the time. It was a good choice to move here. 🎡🌭⛱️⚾️

I’m looking at a book about sandwiches from history. SO many from the early 1900s just involve butter, leaves, and not much else. Glad things have moved along. But what are people going to eat on bread in 100 years?

I have been working on a T-Shirt quilt. It is coming along.

Trying to do little nice things to keep from being too upset with what the Orange Regime is doing to… everything. I just keep reading worse and worse headlines. So tonight I picked up my viola for the first time in a long time. And I have about five different art projects happening at once.

We had a ribbon cutting at the shop today!

I have walking around all week singing “You really ‘bout to do it?” I’m still thinking about Kendrick’s halftime show!

God, take JoAnn's pain and give it to Hobby Lobby

How to tell a raven from a crow. An older guide I made with Dr Kaeli Swift. And yes that's an aileron roll, not a barrel roll, but only us nerds know that :)

Thursday at 12:30, we’re having a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce! 🎀✂️

Hey, artists, in case you were wondering if your work matters: I'm a scientist working on climate change and biodiversity, and I would not be who I am today without The Lorax, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and The X-Files. I know I'm not alone. Thank you for all you do.

We saw Clue! I love the @broadwayinchicago.bsky.social lottery! 🔍🔍🔍

I finally got my sewing machine repaired (presser foot broke), and am back on the shirt quilt. Here is the light blue section.

I needed some outside time so @daimondrewthis.bsky.social and I went to the lake. Bonnie chased the geese.

I read a Dave Barry book about Florida. He’s been cracking me up for at least 25 years with his books!

I started a new papercutting. It’s going to be big. The lute is a sandbox.

El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.

It’s superglue on the cracks of thumbs season.