It’s easy to plan when you have a lot of time, but the unexpected can foil them even when you have time in abundance.

I actually had a lot of things to do today and was on schedule to complete the final item of the day: my painting and my blog post when, wham… we had to go to the hospital.  Joy’s Uncle got really sick and had to go the the Emergency Room.  The extended family mobilized. We all converged on the ICU to lend support.

It’s a good thing that I had given some thought to my topic of the day: Observation.  Since I am writing this post after my self-imposed deadline of midnight, I will just sketch out my thoughts.  They have to do with… dragonfruit (DF).

Yesterday I went on about the reptilian nature of the DF. I deduced this from my observation that the little kiwi-like seeds on the inside of a cut-open DF were randomly distributed, seemingly left on their own. Other fruits with non-reptilian names such as melons, treat their seeds in a more orderly (and compassionate) way. One can see when one cuts open a cantaloupe, for example. All the seeds are lined up and attached to the edges of the inside of the fruit, presumably for sustenance! Even the horned melon (a reptilian-sounding fruit) has seeds that are attached by what look like little umbilical cords.

However, I could have been mistaken. I know! Hard to believe, but it might be true.  As I looked closer at the whitish center of the DF’s cut surface, I saw that the texture was kind of stringy. Could it be that the little seeds were indeed attached and I just didn’t notice?  Did I jump to conclusions about how the DF treats its yet-to-be-sprouted sprouts?

At this point, I had to stop my investigation and go to the hospital.

Today’s (unfinished) study:

Below is the beginning of the underpainting of the DF. I scooped out half of it and left the other half as it was. Since an entire day has elapse since my last study, the colors and texture are different. Colors are fading and surfaces are shriveling.

Unfinished Dragonfruit
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

Tomorrow – or maybe later today, I will finish the painting and make further, more detailed observations of the DF seeds. Perhaps I will have more information to share then.

And now, to bed.