Tag: crocus

staying busy

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Staying at home is not a whole lot different from my regular work day so I am not feeling it like many of you who leave home for work and interact with many children and adults. I do miss going to visit my son who lives across town and we would go out to eat, etc. For now we use messenger face to face and it will do, it’s good to see his face.
I was going to Physical therapy but have graduated and now I just plan a quick trip to the grocery store.
Tom’s job has been deemed essential, so he goes to work every day and also both our sons work for the same company and it has been deemed essential. I worry about them getting the Corona Virus but they are working and having a paycheck and then they would be worrying if they didn’t have that.

I ask every day, do you feel well, are you washing your hands, not touching anyone, yada yada. Probably rolling their eyes as I say it, but I am allowed.

I take walks around the house and around the neighborhood.
These crocus always cheer me, especially the purple ones.
We really could use a little more sun.
When I go outside there is always someone at the window watching me. The six of them are used to having me home and when I take a short trip, it is like I have been gone for months, rubbing, circling and talking, it is like having six dogs.
We have gotten take out a few times and also cooking a lot at home. Chili and Bar Cookies for this night. As I have gotten older those beans give acid reflux, how irritating. Has anyone else noticed this?
My bird feeders were beat up over the winter and also had holes and I lost much feed. When ever you buy a new feeder it takes a while for the birds to find it, it has been about two weeks now. On the old feeders I saw birds looking over the moldy feed that was stuck and I thought they would flock here saying thank you, thank you! Not so……must be practicing social distancing.
This last Saturday was National Quilt Day and so I though I would put a quilt on the porch. This is a crazy quilt made by someone way back in my husbands family. It is over a hundred years old and I use it for a tree skirt at Christmas. It is two sided and the other side has 2.5 inch blocks. Since my art is so colorful I decided that a painting on the door would be really pretty. I have decided to do it everyday and change quilts and paintings. Since my art shows are cancelled until who knows when this is a nice way to show my paintings making it look cheerful since we have to distance ourselves. This painting is titled “Bobs Hideout”.
The next day the other side of the quilt and my poppy painting “Live Out Loud”, shows well on the black door.
A quilt top of my own that I need to finish. The painting is “Oh Happy Day”. I have had fun doing this and hope that my neighbors see and enjoy it. I plan to keep it up for awhile until I don’t.
This girl is a stinker. She will bite one of the other cats if she wants to lay where they are sleeping. One of the other cats started to tap the catnip box so I put some on a plate. Look where this girl is laying….in the middle of the plate. Her face is ornery just like her.
As I had mentioned earlier many art shows have been cancelled and all of us don’t know when the virus will go down. I am going to be putting originals on my shop. I didn’t do this before because I would have been taking them with me. This new painting “Big and Beautiful” is for sale. It is 36 X 36 and if you are interested email me. Look closely there is a cat peeking at you.
My paint the sides also so that there is no need for a frame. It will come with a hanging wire and a nice write up about me and the painting.
I really like this side, it is pretty.
This is another new mixed media painting “Among Friends”. It looks really bright and pretty on my wall and would do the same for yours. There are so many interesting elements in this painting and it is enjoyable to look at.
Like all my paintings I have painted the sides and really enjoy this one.
I am very partial to these poppies, love this French Bulldog and the three birds are a redheaded woodpecker, prinia and a cardinal at the top. I will be putting this one on my shop also. It is 22 X 28. For both you can also purchase prints and note cards.

Summer is my time to do the art show circuit to earn a living so if you are so inclined to have a colorful and happy painting or print or a pack of note cards I would be so glad to send them to you. I do all the printing, packaging and mailing. Click here to go to my shop.

Stay well and safe and may everyone get along. sometimes that’s tough.

Early March Thoughts

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These little crocus are always the first to bloom. They seem petit and delicate but if we would have had snow they still would have bloomed. They are maybe the size of a quarter.
I was walking in our yard to see how my knee would fair on uneven ground and found this wooly bear caterpillar plugging along in the grass. I feel that he was confused since our winter was so mild. We maybe had two really short cold spells. I put him back out after I took his picture.
I am so glad to see these hyacinths coming up. My son Kevin had gotten me, for Easter, a pot of the blooming flowers. Then I had put them on a top shelf in the garage and forgot about them. He asked me sometime in November if I had planted them and that prompted me to grab them off the shelf. They were so dry but I got them into the ground because the next day was supposed to be some snow. They are the prettiest dark purple I believe. Looking forward to their debut.
I looked out to the pond a couple weeks ago and first saw some of our usual geese but then I saw these skinny legged birds. We have a Blue Heron that we see often but he is always solo. Does somebody know, are these cranes? They kept walking and probably flew off and only stayed a short time.
I was going through a drawer that had items that I didn’t want to get rid of, but probably won’t use again. Do you know what this is? It is a nice ceramic piece. It is a neck decoration and one puts a tie through it to have the look of a colonial woman. These are from the 70’s.
Lastly did anyone else get their pictures taken at an amusement park and get the keychain pictures? These are at least 40 years old and there are some young thin people hidden inside these plastic tubes.

My knee is coming along and at times it acts up but I have been given the tools to bring it out of the hissy fit it is throwing. Sometimes there are cats sleeping on that leg and it wakes up pretty stiff and protesting. I have been working on picking up heavy items and the 35 pound bag of cat litter is the choice heavy bag. It makes it feel funny but just have to work through it. I am able to do the regular work at home, grocery shopping and all that. So it is what it is. and I am thankful for it.

Hoping for a good art season. Right now they are shutting them down in the southern states but nothing that has affected me but later on we will see. Working on new paintings and have many more in my head and sketchbook.

I just keep washing my hands…..like usual.

Bunny Pillow, crocus, johnny jump ups, paintings

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I fell in love with this bunny pillow while shopping at my local Kroger grocery. At Christmas there was a snowman pillow that I had looked at so many times and put back down. When all of them were bought I was irritated with myself for not buying it. The conservative brain kept saying “you are spending for Christmas, not for yourself”….you understand, but I have decided to relieve myself of that mindset. the minute I saw this sweet bunny face I snatched it up, put it in the cart with no second thoughts. I look forward to summer. Who would have thunk to pick up your pillows at the grocery???

This corner was naked too long, so I brought out the teal and blue painting. I have had so many customers think, and ponder about this painting but not purchase it. I am going to leave it there for a while, it really brightens that spot up and also picks up colors from the antique grandmothers flower garden quilt. The painting is still for sale. It is 24 X 24 and is $250.00. Just send a message if you have a question or are interested.

So desperately wanting some warm weather. We have a forecast tonight of some rain mixing with some $)*%!!! The plants are not giving up though. A few years ago I took 2 or 3 packages of johnny jump up seeds and threw them out in the landscaping. They multiply and become like a bed of moss. I even get some blooms in the winter. I suspect when it gets just remotely warm those little faces will be popping up everywhere.

Oh my, the crocuses are pretty. When there is some sun they open their petals and soak it up. In the evening they close up shop again. I need to make a point to plant more for next year.

Such a happy yellow!

The new day-lily leaves are popping up through the old, brown, shriveled ones of last year.

This suncatcher, that is in the studio window would reflect on a blank canvas that was on an easel. One early morning I finally paid attention to it,the yard light was giving it the reflection component so it was quite early in the morning.

I decided to trace it and do a painting because it was so neat. Here it is in the early stages. Thinking about adding some bronze paint and flowers twisting around the rays.

This is my very favorite gold in the whole world. Golden brand, Iridescent Bright gold fine. Check back for updates. Happy Easter and warm weather wishes to you.

 

Watching

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Pavel, watching me take pictures outside. They have the best view in the house on my art table. I have that old rug there so they can be comfortable….it’s a cats life.

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I am watching Spring come alive through the crocus blooming in my landscape bed outside of my studio window. These were just planted in the fall so I didn’t really know how pretty they would be. I will love it when through the years they multiply. I have really been enjoying them!

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Watching the candystriped daylilys green start to sprout up through the dead leaves from last year.

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So happy that the transplanted forsythia is starting to bloom. I love watching each plant grow.

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I am very tickled with my magnolia tree. Look at this big fat bud, it’s going to be beautiful this year.

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The whole tree is covered with these gems. I am so enjoying the development of the buds.

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Pretty yellow forsythia.

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Another sweet little face looking out and watching me.

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Watching the field turn green behind us and wondering what the farmer has planted that had laid dormant through the winter. Also watching the storm develop off in the distance. It’s been a day of rain.

I have a book, “The Best Loved Poems of the American People” and I don’t feel that I appreciate it enough.  I think poems are to be read slowly and one has to absorb them to get the whole meaning of them.  I am going to start using some in my posts to share with you, my visitors. 
 I SAW GOD WASH THE WORLD
I saw God wash the world last night
With his sweet showers on high,
And then, when morning came, I saw
Him hang it out to dry.
He washed each tiny blade of grass
And every trembling tree;
He flung his showers against the hill,
and swept the billowing sea.
The white rose is a cleaner white,
The red rose is more red,
Since God washed every fragrant face
And put them all to bed.
There’s not a bird, there’s not a bee
That wings along the way
But is a cleaner bird and bee
Than it was yesterday.
I saw God wash the world last night.
Ah, would He had washed me
As clean of all my dust and dirt
As that old white birch tree.
WILLIAM I. STIDGER

Thanks again so much for stopping by!

 

Spring Nature

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I walked around the house yesterday with plans to capture the start of spring through early blooms and buds. This is a fully opened crocus from bulbs I planted last fall. The wind had made it fall over.

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Here is another crocus with the bloom just emerging out.

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Tulips that I also planted last fall. I really don’t remember what color they are. It will be a nice surprise.

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This is that same crocus later in the day.

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Magnolia Buds

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Redbud sprouts.

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Crab apple tree sprouts.

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Another flowering tree sprout. I am so glad to see this one, I was worried about it.

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Lilac bush

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Pretty blue water of the pond behind our house.

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Wet and dry rocks along the edge of the pond.

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The weather station I received for Christmas. It was windy and the spinner on the top was going fast. I really like to know the wind speed from the house.

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Ripples from the wind on the pond going northeast.

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Our birch tree before leaves. It has really grown in 4 years. We have had a few really nice warm days that were just teasing us. but oh so enjoyable. Spring is coming my friends and we welcome it with open arms. Thanks for sharing with me.