What I did today – and why you should do it, too
If you found your way here because of my blatant blog-pimping today on the Everyday Matters list, I apologize for the hype.
On second thought: nope, I don’t apologize at all. However you got here, I’m glad that you did, and I hope you’ll read on and start taking action today.
We live in Southern California, prime earthquake territory. There’s a good chance that there will be another big earthquake somewhere in LA in my lifetime, and I, for one, don’t want to die of thirst waiting for help to come if the major pipelines bringing water into LA rupture. Or the reservoirs break. Or both.
I gave up believing that FEMA would come to my rescue long ago; last week’s tragedy just confirmed my concern.
So, every so often — like today — we empty our blue barrel of its water, clean it out, put in the correct amount of bleach and seal ‘er back up again.
We are fortunate to live in a house where we have a place to store a barrel. If you live in an apartment or condominium, you can store water in 5 gallon plastic bottles or rinsed out soft drink bottles and put them in a cool, dry place out of the light. You should also have emergency water, clothing and food in your car; you may not be home if disaster strikes.
Whether your part of the world makes you vulnerable to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, blizzards or tornadoes, prepare yourself for the unique hazards they represent. Don’t wait.
Even if you are living in one of the rare areas that seems to escape natural disasters, ANY city is vulnerable to a terrorism and having enough water and food to get along until help comes is not just a good idea, it’s essential. If you’re one of those optimistic folks who believes nothing bad will happen, or that the US government (local, state or federal) will come running in and rescue you in time if it does, I have a bridge across Lake Ponchartrain I’d like to sell you. Bottom line: plan to be on your own.
So, here’s what I’d like you to do:
Go to this link FEMA EMERGENCY FOOD AND WATER SUPPLY LIST and print out the information and put it in a safe place. If there’s a disaster and the power’s out or your laptop battery dies, it will be too late.
Print out this link, too: Red Cross Emergency Plan PDF with supply list
Get your emergency supplies together starting today, including some food (remember babies and pets as well as adults/kids) extras of essential medicines and that most crucial supply: water. You can get barrels like this from emergency supply stores as well as from local soft drink bottling companies (they are used for storing soft drink syrup in.)
Have an evacuation plan for you and your loved ones, with an out of state contact for coordination in case you get separated.
Know how to ‘shelter in place’ and protect yourself for the weather or geological hazards in your area. Both those links are filled with life-saving information that you can’t afford to ignore, especially if you have children or dependent elders counting on you.
Stay safe friends, OK? I want to see your drawings for a long, long time.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming of watercolor, Rapidoliners, Moleskines and puppy dogs. And I thank you for your attention.
Wishing I was there …
Well, here I sit trapped indoors, when I’d really rather be vacationing. But I’m sort of on-call doing graphics for one of our projects, yet I’m not needed every single minute. What to do with idle hands?
The photo that this is derived from came in today from an art list I’m on, so I decided to take a crack at it with Painter. I started the way I would if I was painting in acrylic or oil, with a rough sketch, then underpainting, then adding detail until it looked vaguely beachlike. Kinda. Sorta. Hey, it’s been a long day.
Illustration Friday – Empty
This week’s Illustration Friday theme is Emptiness.
The inspiration for my project comes from the story of the Zen matriarch Chiyono.
As the legend goes, she had been seeking enlightenment for years, but it had eluded her, no matter how hard she studied and how diligently she practiced.
One night, she was carrying water in a very old bamboo bucket and noticed the reflection of the moon in the water. As she gazed at it, suddenly the bamboo band that held the bucket together fell apart. In that moment there was no bucket, no water and no moon, and she became enlightened. She wrote a verse about it and this is the popular translation:
“In this way and that I tried to keep the pail together.
I hoped the weak bamboo would never break.
Then suddenly the bottom fell out.
No more water; no more moon in the water.
Emptiness in my hand.”
EDM Challenge – Something you made
Click image for larger
A drawing and recipe combo – a loaf of 9-grain bread … fresh from the oven. I bake the same way I cook – starting with a basic recipe and then improvising. The recipe is below, if you want to try it.
Soak 1/2 cup 9 grain cereal (granular, not flakes) in about 1/2 cup water
Do this about 45 min. before starting to bake.
1.5 cups warm water
1.5 teaspoons yeast
2 TBS molasses
(Mix all the above together in a big mixer bowl with a bread hook. Let it sit until the yeast activates.)
Add:
2.5 TBS soft butter
2 tsp. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour (add the flours a little at a time, beating with bread hook)
Finally, add the softened 9 grain cereal.
Add enough extra flour, bit by bit so that the dough forms a ball and starts to pull away smoothly from the sides of the bowl while beating.
Keep mixing with bread hook for at least 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and glossy and the elastic-y gluten is well developed.
Turn the dough on a floured board and knead, keep adding a little more flour if it is sticky. Knead it in well.
Finally, put it in a greased bowl, covered with a cloth, in a warm place. Let it rise at least an hour, until doubled. Punch it down, divide into two pieces. Make a rectangle of each piece of dough, and shape into a loaf. Put it in a loaf pan and let it rise again, until double.
Bake at 350 degree oven for about 20 -30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let it set up about 15 minutes before slicing …. if you can resist.
LA Summer Festival Time
Click for closeup of head
One of the great things about Los Angeles (and other big cities) is the wealth of summer festivals held every weekend. This weekend was the annual Lotus Festival at Echo Park, home of the largest lotus bed in the United States. I photographed and drew for several hours this weekend, enjoying the great variety of faces, like this Hispanic youth, drawn in pencil in my Moleskine, but finished in Photoshop because the thin paper just won’t take wet media. More about the festival and more art in the days to come …
PS. Bean is doing fine. She is now 6 inches tall and living outdoors so she doesn’t get too “rangy” reaching for the light bulb. Very soon she’ll be ready for transplanting.
You know what day it is …
Get out your Druid gear and greet the new season. Be sure to bring sunscreen.
