Plan B

I had big plans last night.  It took me an entire day to recover from Thanksgiving (which was a lovely, lively dinner with Eletra, Wayne, Derek, Mandi, Greg, Corina, Dylan, Denis, Helen, Anne, Jon and Suzi) but by the time the work day was over I felt I could think about food again.  Poodle and I drove to the grocery store on icy roads, then went home and immediately turned on the portable heater.  I call it the fire - I turned on the fire.  It was cold!  Really, it was C.O.L.D.  I was going to cook some dinner and eat it while reading the magazine I just bought, then pack a couple of boxes and cook some chicken for lunches and start some paintings.  I have been commissioned to paint five (FIVE!) tree paintings like this one as Christmas gifts:

Woo hoo!  I figured with the fire on, and the oven on, it might be warm enough to not worry about the paint cracking while it dried.  I was all set to experiment with drying the paintings in my toaster oven if need be; wicked low heat - it could work.  So here I am with bulk Italian sausage cooking on the stove and while I am mid-chop with the cabbage, ... wait for it ... the power went out.  Let me say that again.  THE POWER WENT OUT.  It was about 6:15 or so.  sigh.  I rounded up all my candles (five of them) and put fresh batteries in my tiny little flashlight.  Poodle and I huddled under a comforter on the couch, reading my new magazine by flashlight, with ten frozen fingers and one frozen nose.  The power came back on at 10:30.  Needless to say I had a really late dinner, no chicken was cooked, and I packed my stuff and brought it to work today so I can paint here after we close.

Note to self:  get more candles and a bigger flashlight.