The light and temperature always seem to change rapidly this far north and this time of the year. The nights and mornings are chilly enough to layer up the clothing and then, for a brief couple of hours, one sheds the layers due to being too warm only to start putting them back on in a few hours or so.
The angle of the sun is suddenly low in the sky and areas that were bathed in sunlight during the summer hours only briefly see a bit of sun before slipping into shade for the day. Meanwhile work in the gardens changes over from weeding, watering, and harvesting to cleaning up and either planting cover crops or over-wintered crops. In between we nervously watch the remaining crops in their race to ripen before they succumb to weather and predators.
It is time to ready the little woodstove and gather the books on the topics I want to study. I have also enrolled in an online painting workshop that I am rather excited about. It will give me inspiration to figure out how I am going to accommodate painting in my little off-grid cargo trailer and it will allow me to refocus and hone my painting skills after so long a break.
Today I gathered my winter clothing from my storage unit to replace the summer clothing I will be packing up to store. I will also be fixing the trailer up yet again. I need to insulate and finish the ceiling. I will be learning how to bend wood to attach to the metal ribs so that there will be a thermal break. I will need to make the trailer water tight to protect everything from mold, which has been an issue. While I know that a cargo trailer wasn't built to be lived in, I believe the makers of this trailer did a sloppy job with their construction. If I was hauling around tools to work on jobs, they would be rusty!
Quite honestly, if I was to do this again, I wouldn't pick a cargo trailer. I had originally thought I would travel and camp in it while painting after my divorce, at least until I got my feet on the ground and I had a chance to heal. That plan was derailed by a cold, wet December, mold, and...the pandemic.
I will just say that it has been an interesting journey and I grateful to be where I am both physically and emotionally.
I am eager to get back to my painting and drawing.
The above photo is a study I painted of a Solar Flare tomato I grew while living on Whidbey Islang from seed I had saved.
I will leave you with a photo of the jungle in the Little Hoop House which is currently protecting beans, tomatoes, figs, and various herbs.
Yours in Truth and Beauty,
-Renee
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