Light-dark

Chiaroscuro (Italian for light-dark) is a term in art for a contrast between light and dark. The term is usually applied to bold contrasts affecting a whole composition, but is also more technically used by artists and art historians for the use of effects representing contrasts of light, not necessarily strong, to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects.

The weather today has been a bit chiaroscuro -- blue skies followed by dark clouds, rain followed by sunlight and so on.

There have been other light-dark aspects to the day. I got a letter from a monastery in California telling me how much they are enjoying the mystery and ordering five copies of the Elijah book. It is always nice to sell a few books. I see online that someone bought a copy of the mystery yesterday and another copy of the Elijah book sold today. The nuns' letter also encourages me to get to work on the second novel once work at the railroad slows down after Labor Day.

I went by the bank and put another $10,000 into a certificate of deposit. Not that I am going to get rich on the interest they are paying these days, but it is good to have money earning something.

When I went to the library, however, I found out they have already hired a new guy. He is a young yellow named Jim, very friendly and likely to be a real asset. It does mean, however, that my hopes for a job there are pretty much dashed at this point. Something may change, but I have decided not to put any more effort into that. I will keep up with my volunteer work, and next month I can get involved again with the Friends of the Library. But that is all I will expect to come of it.