Warm Hug in the Sky

2025/12/04

I didn't sleep well last night. That's a first for this trip. As I reviewed possible causes, I realized I may not have taken any of my supplements last night. Oops! I rarely do that. But when I do, I have noticed a decline in sleep quality. There might be a connection. I hope to remember them tonight... hehehe

The sun came out in full force today! That really boosted my mood! With the way I slept last night, I'm really glad to see the sun today... hehehe I opened the blinds of the bedroom window where I'm working so the sunshine could fill the room; and warm my heart. That gave me the further opportunity to watch the squirrels frolicking about in the snow and trees... hehehe

I've been inspired to do more art pieces on this trip. So many ideas are floating around in my brain now... LOL I'm already thinking about New Year's Resolutions. Perhaps one should be working on more art! I definitely love doing it. And the newest technique I'm working on is motivating me. I think I'd like to dedicate more time to it. I don't really have a style yet. So it's fun to explore ❤️

Today I discovered another art program called Krita. I stumbled upon it from a Reddit post where someone was looking for suggestions on apps to create digital art. I have no clue why I've never used this one before. It's origins date back to the late 90's and was part of a suite I once knew about. It's free and open source. They now have an Android port of it; which is why it made the list on Reddit. It appears to be designed for pro artists. I like the interface as it has ways of getting out of my way as I paint. And it has a quick gesture to pull up quick-access tools. It also works on Mac if I wanted to do any work from a computer. It looks promising.

I was also wondering if there was an iPhone camera app that would allow me to manually adjust the focus so I could better capture what my eyes see through the window. The default app does the focus automatically and typically focuses on the blinds or something on the window itself. You can tap to sort of tell it to focus on a certain area. But it often fails to focus on what I want through the window.

An AI driven search led me to Halide Mark II. I'm doing the free trial. It's $20 per year if I want to use it. I like it so far. I have the regular iPhone 14. So I don't have the pro cameras. It still works well, though. If I continue using this camera app, I may consider upgrading my phone to a pro next year. With my daily photography this year, I've noticed the limitations of the standard iPhone cameras... LOL It's also a dated phone now. But everything else works fine and I have no other reason or desire to upgrade.

But that leads me to another track for my train of thought about phone technology. The e-ink devices I use are Android. So I've given thought to switching back to Android with my next phone. I've been on iPhone since July of 2020. I like the Apple ecosystem. Android is okay too. I don't miss having an Android phone. But I also like what I've heard and seen about some of the camera technology. But I really don't have a desire to get a new phone, iPhone or otherwise... hehehe These are just thoughts right now.

I'm really glad I started consuming the news through the lens of The Pour Over this year. They aren't my only news source. But they showed me a spiritually healthy way to find an objective world view. It has been a tremendous help in finding ways to pray for events that may not have a direct impact on me. But some of those events do impact people in my life. So I'm glad TPO became a part of my news cycle this year. And even though I don't have family at home to talk about the news with, I really appreciate what their Decaf Edition does on Thursdays. That's actually what triggered this thought today... hehehe

My brother came over for a visit. Mom, Dad, and I were just about to go out for dinner when the doorbell rang. Mom immediately said we weren't leaving just yet because Andy was here. Dad and I were a little puzzled at how she knew Andy was at the door...LOL It turned out she had forgotten he was coming... LOL Had we left just a few minutes sooner, we would have missed each other... LOL I opened the door, looked at him, said "oh" in disgust, and closed the door in his face... LOL I then let him in, of course... hehehe

We all chatted for about an hour or so. Mom then asked him if he wanted to join us for dinner. So the four of us went out and had a lovely time of fellowship and breaking of bread. I was glad for the surprise. Ooh! And after dinner, we went to Target. Mom and I went in and did some quick shopping while Dad and my brother remained in the truck. Mom had something she wanted to pick up for a Christmas gift. She got a few other things too. I'm glad I went in because Trex found something for Trexina... hehehe Trex hopes she'll love it... hehehe I think she will ❤️

With the exception of the lack of sunshine most days, I'm personally enjoying this winter weather. But I'm afraid my skin, bones, and muscles aren't enjoying it all... LOL My body is ready to go back to Florida. I hope to heal quickly since I'll be back in 3 weeks. I also hope it isn't so cold when I come back... LOL The current weather is quite rare for this time of year. This is January and February weather... LOL