Ellie's Secret

This valentine was created by my granddaughter for someone very special. Since she wants it to be a surprise I cannot tell you the name of this person but I will say that he is the most important man in her life. He takes her to school every morning and gives her big hugs when she goes to bed at night.

Treasures

Two special people gave me these unique tiles for Christmas several years ago. I consider them treasures so I like to enjoy them each day. That's why I keep them on the piano next to my granddaughters' pictures.

Blackwings

It has literally been years since I've sketched to any extent. The arrival of a box of Palomino Blackwings has changed that. My sketch pad now has several renderings in it. I forgot how difficult faces are to draw though—especially the eyes. I think the minimalist approach might be best when working the details. I think I'll replenish my supply of erasers and pick up a couple more sketch pads.

Norman

Zombies, ghosts, witches,
and worst of all. . . grown-ups!

He speaks with the dead, this misunderstood ghost whisperer named Norman. But he plays an important role in ParaNorman when the town comes under siege by zombies. It is the second stop-motion 3-D film ever made, with the first being Academy Award nominated Coraline.

The Laika production will be released on August 17th so expect to find me seated somewhere in the center of a theater on that day with a large box of popcorn situated on my lap. After the film I will be examining each line of the credits for my son-in-law's name. Rob is a Set Dresser Lead in the movie and he also contributed to the scenes used in the above photo and the ParaNorman promotional poster. 

"Sleigh" Ride

Today was a good day for a sleigh ride.
Mine just happened to have wheels and a stack.

Little Ladies

It's all about the hat.

A church sponsored activity center for children turned my three daughters and a friend into church ladies during summer break twenty plus years ago. 

The opportunity arose during a trip to my mother's house. She suggested that they visit the center. I'm not sure what activities they participated in while there but I can tell that they thoroughly enjoyed dressing up.

The little girl in the checkered dress was a friend of one of my daughters but I don't recall the exact connection. I do know that she made an especially lovely lady.

Speaking of lovely church ladies. . .  now isn't she special? 

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This has nothing to do with church ladies or dressing up but here is a painting done by my daughter, Stephanie. The interesting thing about this piece is that this was her first painting effort. She was sixteen years old when she created this work of art for her dad. It made a very special Christmas gift.

There were offers to purchase it during the time it was at the frame shop.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

There's nothing visibly red about his belly but take a look at that head. This woodpecker has been around the area for a while and utilizes every feeder that I have out. Since he is such a large bird (over nine inches), he doesn't necessarily fit all of them, but, as you can see, that doesn't stop him.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are non-migratory and they like to eat insects, nuts, and fruits; and visit feeders and suet blocks. It hammers acorns and berries into crevices of trees for winter food. Their favorite hangout is shady woodlands where they excavate holes in rotten wood looking for spiders, centipedes and beetles. Yum! I guess I'll go have lunch now.

Tracks

Visitors knocked on the door early this morning to tell

us that they saw some of these near our creek bed:

They believed the tracks were made by:

But I wondered if they might belong to:

Then I found:

Once my curiosity was satisfied

my thoughts turned to:

And then:

(I could go on and on.)

I have on occasion seen coyotes on the property as well heard their mournful howls but we have not had any problems with them. There was a recent incident in Madison in which a small dog was attacked by one outside its home but such things are rare.

The coyote population is growing but since we have not had chickens for years, I feel that we have little reason for concern. You'll likely understand if you've ever seen the movie Barnyard. If you wish to learn more about the chicken-coyote connection, and also be entertained, I suggest you watch it. It's certainly no Buck but it is a hoot.

Collage

Painterly digitals.

It's all about the color.

Special Thoughts

Memories of Dad today,
a.k.a Santa,
on what would have
been his 82nd birthday.



"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." —thomas campbell

A Native American Prayer

I give you this one thought to keep—I am with you still—I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awake in the morning's hush I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not think of me as gone—I am with you still—in each new dawn.

Author unknown

Mug Collection

My collection of mugs has

evolved over time. Each and 

every one adds special meaning to

my life.I hope you enjoy my unique

mug collection as much as I do.

New Cat In Town

this is Otis

he is a very lucky cat

because he has a new home

with a family who adore him

The Gift

A most unexpected gift

from two very thoughtful people.

It came with a leather case, instruction 

manual and several boxes of film.

Taking photos with the Polaroid 450 offers

many rewards I am told. It is capable of producing

professional quality photos with ultra rich color.

This will be an interesting adventure indeed.

Eye of the Beholder

New baby doll.

This pretty baby appeared during a search of my iPhoto files today. An angel faced sweetie for my granddaughters to play with when they come to visit.

I remember the day I bought her. It took nearly two hours to select the perfect doll. This one had very realistic features—especially the fingers and toes.

I looked forward to sharing her with my granddaughters. It joined another doll that I had purchased months before. But that one did not compare to this beauty. It had molded hair and lacked detail. There was some concern that the girls would not want to play with the old doll after being introduced to the new one with the sparkling blue eyes and blonde tresses. 

But  I soon discovered there was little reason for concern. As I proudly handed the new baby to Elyse, she gently held its lifelike fingers in her own and softly sighed. It was love at first sight—or so I thought. 

Old baby doll.

Within minutes, Elyse was back to playing with "old baby." She had no interest in the new one, and Samantha felt the same way. When I teasingly suggested that we get rid of the doll weeks later because they didn't want to play with her, both agreed that it was the right thing to do. I later found the doll in the bedroom trash.

Fortunately, my eldest granddaughter, Lydia, liked the doll and played with it whenever she visited. "Old baby" continued to be Elyse and Samantha's favorite. 

There is little explanation as to why children favor one toy over another. They simply do. Elyse, for instance, had Pinky Pig, who was one of her all time favorite toys. To further understand her commitment to this odd little fellow, check out The Demise of Pinky Pig. 

Lydia, who quickly adopted the new baby doll—rolling her around in a stroller for hours on end—actually has somewhat unusual tastes in toys. She absolutely loves scary things.

A favorite birthday gift of hers a couple years ago was a motion-activated head. Flashing eyes and eerie sounds made Lydia giggle as she opened the surprise package. I'm fairly certain that Lydia has her favorite of gifts still tucked away somewhere in her room—along with a variety of other scary entities. Your shrunken head and ghoul collection expands fairly quickly when you celebrate your birthday right before Halloween.

Crackle, Pop, Whisper

It's one in the morning and I've been lying here listening to the house crackle and pop for the past hour and a half. I'll blame it on the wind, which has been blowing consistently for the past two days—and the fact that I live in a 100 plus year old farm house. 

Although they seldom occur, sleepless nights are a major annoyance that are not tolerated well. I force sleep for a certain amount of time and then I usually get up and write.

There were dozens of thoughts zipping around in my head as I attempted slumber. Some of these had to do with a charming movie called Buck, which my husband and I viewed earlier in the evening.

It is a 2011 documentary about a real life horse whisperer named Buck Brannaman. Directed by Cindy Meehl, the film is a Sundance Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary.

I didn't realize that this Netflix selection, which was thoroughly ignored over the holidays, would be so entertaining. I adore the film—and the man. I especially love Buck's quote:

Your horse is a mirror to
your soul. Sometimes you may not
like what you see. . .  Sometimes you will.

Horses were a childhood passion that inspired much of my artwork. With renewed inspiration, I think its time to collect my art supplies and begin sketching these beautiful animals once again. I think you'll understand the motivation once you see this insightful documentary.

Beautiful Exotic

Philodendrons. Day Lilies. Air Plants. Cacti. Ficus. I'd consider these live plants moderately safe under my care. I hope to add this beautiful orchid, which is a New Year's gift from my daughter, to the list. I know very little about exotics but I love real plants in my house so I'll give it my best effort. Orchids, after all, do represent: love, beauty, luxury, strength, wisdom, thoughtfulness, and refinement.