Saturday Morning Laziness

Good morning.  It's Saturday and a rainy Saturday at that.  For some reason I don't remember the weather people forecasting rain but I'm okay with it because I'm not going anywhere and we truly needed it for spring. 

Today I bring to you pictures of spring birds, flowers, squirrels and my happy time of year.

I know it is just around the corner and if we can just get through without any snow I will be so very happy.  February can be some intense cold and winter weather and for sure some of the flowers need it.  I just want spring to get here so I can feel the warmth and sunshine on my shoulders again. 

I want to sit on my screened porch with the new fireplace and enjoy waking up to the birds singing and the sun rising.

We stayed in town this weekend so The Hubby can finish getting the invoicing ready for me to type tomorrow.  So I called out the forces, my girls to come over today and help me with yet another closet cleanout.  I also wanted to have Snicklefritz over to spend the weekend with us.  I miss that kiddo.  Last night we had dinner of fish sticks, crinkle-cut french fries, tossed salad and a dessert of ice cream sundaes.  We ate the sundaes while working on the jigsaw puzzle she and I started a few weeks ago.  For 8 years old she's very good at the puzzle thing and I so enjoy just chatting with her about school and her life.  Right now it's contained because of Covid but hopefully it will change soon so she can see her friends.  The only kiddo she gets to play with is 16 month old Min.  Min loves it but I'm sure Snicklefritz needs older playmates.  

Can you just feel the warmth of the sun here.

Thursday The Hubby got his first part of the vaccine and this next Thursday I go back for my booster.  Glad to have this over with and hopefully we won't have to do it every year like a flu shot but I suspect we will.

 

Photo Finish

I was lucky enough this past weekend to boogie away on Thursday afternoon to my favorite place, our cabin.  The weather was just perfect for an August weekend so most of my time was on our screened porch with this view.  

I even got the camera set up for some closeup snapshots and I think I was on target for some more painting photos. 

Friday morning I hopped on the golf cart, coffee and camera and headed to the creek to find a bush covered with butterflies.  SCORE!  I've painted a couple of butterflies but they aren't my favorite.  They are dang hard to paint.   

Then back home on Sunday morning after a visit to Daddy I settled in to do a bit of sketching.  No, NO NO NO I did not snap this photo.  It is from the organization Wild Heart Ranch in northeastern Oklahoma.  It is a State and Federally licensed rehab facility for all species of wildlife needing orphan support, injury treatment or disease recovery.  Annette Tucker is the founder and this is her photo or rather theirs.  I am going to try and paint it, auction or sell to the highest bidder/price I can get and donate all proceeds from the sale to the organization.   

Sunshine, Painting and Friends

Good morning all.  A beautiful Sunday morning it is.  I could have slept in but alas that was not to be.  I was up and awake at five this morning.  It is frustrating to not be able to sleep in anymore but the good thing is that I am a morning person now.  Had a visitor outside the bathroom window peeking in at me.  He's still a baby.

We headed to the cabin Friday afternoon for an evening of chitter-chatter with friends and a good meal.  Up Saturday and a quick gab session and coffee with Harri next door but back in town for The Hubby.  His dance people were bringing in a professional for some extra lessons and he didn't want to miss out on that.  I was fine with it and spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the backyard in my air-chair, a good book and cold glass of iced tea.  Life is grand!  

Friday evening was dinner at Clancy's of which consisted of yummy BBQ!  It was a nice easy evening of visiting, a few gin and tonics and a wonderful snapshot of shadows and beauty in her cabin.  I think I will have to try and paint this one for sure.  I've already painted one from a snapshot I took from her kitchen window.  Her cabin is just darling and has been featured in one of Charles Faudree's decorating books a few years ago, since he designed the inside.

Art has been fun lately as I'm working on a very intense realism topiary from a photo I took on the trip to Moss Mountain Farm and Marlsgate Plantation a month ago.  It has been so much fun but to loosen up I've also been doing some mixed media with watercolor, pen and markers.  Fun stuff and selling a bit too.  If you notice on the right side of my blog there is a link to Daily Paintworks.  I've been a member of that website for over a year but had not been able to navigate or find the time to navigate it to add my paintings to sell.  Well, this past week I finally did it and now have an avenue for people to see some of my work and SELL!  It's cool because I can link it to Facebook and the third day they actually picked one of mine to feature on their page!!!!  So very excited about that.  I haven't sold any yet on the page but I'm sure I will.  I definitely get a lot of traffic on my page now!  

Tuesday evening was also a night out with friends, Bev and Kelly.  We have season tickets to the Broadway show at the PAC with them now and makes a nice evening of dinner and a show with friends.  It was 42nd Street which The Hubby was not too much of a fan of.  I loved it.  We had dinner at Wild Fork and of course I had to snap a photo of the table.  

Always looking for a painting aren't I.  

Summer is going by way too fast for me.  I know everyone is HATING the heat but I LOVE IT!!! I love the sunshine, the warmth the warm glow that I see when I am out there.  I love summer and I'm sorry we are having a heat wave but hey, IT'S SUMMER!  I go outside and sit and just soak up the heat.  It's healing for me.  

Have a great day, week!

BOOMS and Blooms

Finally, FINALLY, we headed out of town for the weekend to our beloved cabin.  The skies were awesome blue with tons of beautiful white clouds.  Kind of an omen of the storms brewing for Monday...

When we pulled up the first thing I saw were my peonies in bloom.  I have three of them and two had not popped yet.  So beautiful. 

A quick drive around the compound and I found a neighbors glorious yellow iris bed in full bloom.  I love yellow and pink and purple and, and, and...heck I love flowers.

Saturday The Hubby had to head back to town for a funeral (boo) but I opted to stay put.  Another drive around on the golf cart with camera in tow and I found some beautiful sights.   

The rains from last year have done some major damage to our creek bank and commons areas but they seem to be trying to come back.  The water was definitely up, so much so that the rock barrier was covered which allows boats from the river side to eek into our little slice of heaven.  It's kind of scary to have strangers floating in but it's quite legal, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T GET OUT.  It's private property on the land part.  

Further down the creek I found this beautiful white heron enjoying the sunshine too.  Might be a painting in here somewhere. 

More drive time as I made my way around the place.  I love these kind of photos, roads leading to who knows where.   

The weekend was spoiled a bit though.  We slept with our windows open which I love to do.  Saturday night about 12:28 a.m. all of a sudden BOOM, echo, echo, echo.  At first I thought it was thunder but as I looked to the darkened sky all I saw were stars.  The Hubby rolled over and said, "Well, that is his reply for T calling the sheriff earlier today." The story is that there is a guy on the hill above the grounds that has a cannon, he likes to shoot off his cannon, mostly during the day but lately he's been doing it at night too.  He can directional the thing and he has a thorn in his butt about "us" so he points it directly above our property.  T had had enough so he placed a phone call to the sheriff's office and they paid The Hill Guy a visit, and so his response was: 12:28 a.m.  BOOM, 12:35 a.m. BOOM, and 12:58 a.m. BOOM.   Talk about messing with your sleep.  I definitely got up in a grouchy mood.  I hope The Hill Guy can get his panties out of that wad they're in and he relents a bit.  I don't care about during the day but fella, not at night PLEASE.  

Oh and the kiddo got to visit her greatpapa this weekend.  He was thrilled I'm sure. 

Ain't Life Grand

Looks like blogging will be a bit slow this year.  I've been very busy doing this 30 Day Painting Challenge and as you can tell, I'm ready for spring!  Lots of birds and flowers.

Hummingbird 

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$ 75

Daffodil

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$50

Downtown View

8x10 oil on canvas

$100

Purple Finch

5x7 oil on canvas panel

$50

Woodpecker

8x10 oil on canvas

SOLD

Winter Goldfinch

5x7 oil on canvas panel

SOLD

Yesterday was such a lovely January day that I sat on our brick wall around the patio and sipped bubbly with frozen raspberries and soaked up the sunshine.  I spied the daffodils popping up the green all ready for spring! 

Decided to take a quick pic of MEEEEE... in one of the many mirrors we have around the yard.  Yes I never got out of my lounging clothes yesterday! 

Random 5 Friday

Random 5 Friday is at hand.  If you would like to join in then please our host, Nancy at A Rural Journal to see how it's done!

• I read the local paper every single day and the most interesting section for me are the obits.  Not that I'm morbid but I read to make sure I DON'T know anyone listed.  I'm also struck by the fear that I will someday grace these lists of the dearly departed and as time passes the time gets nearer and nearer.  The ages of a lot of them are at least 58 -70 years old and I realize that I will soon be 58!  EGADS!!!
• Insurance, we all have some sort of insurance don't we.  We have life insurance, health insurance, auto insurance, fire and casuality insurance, liability insurance, worker's compensation insurance, general liability insurance...oh I could go on forever.  We met with our "insurance" guy yesterday for the business insurance and I am struck by the absurdity of just having to have insurance.  Really it is for the "What If" in your life, be it home or in business.  Frankly, we have had a couple of instances in our business to use the "What If" factor in insurance.  I think the only one benefiting in the industry are the insurance companies on our "What If" fear.  
• The wind lately blowing around is just about to drive me crazy.  I am hoping it is helping to blow away this stupid never-ending winter that just keeps hanging on.  It is almost April and we are still having below freezing temperatures!  Enough already.  My hammock is calling my name please.
  
• This random stuff is kind of hard.  When I think of something that is random enough to write about I'm usually in my car with no paper or pen and no place to write it down.  
• Anyone want some zebra finches.  About 3 years ago a friend called me, since she knew I already had birds, to ask if I wanted some zebra finches.  The story was that a lady friend of hers daughters had given her 4 zebra finches for Mother's Day and she absolutely, under no uncertain terms, HATED them and was going to let them out the front door.  Well, for one thing the little guys are African and not meant for Oklahoma, maybe the summer but not the winter.  Especially the winter we've had here.  I fell for the story and took the little fluttery things in and quickly discovered that there were two males and two females.  Thank goodness I had lots of cages to separate them.  I love birds but I'm really ready to find them some new homes.  I'm tired of taking care of them but will continue because that is what I signed on for but I really would like to find them another home.  Have to get hard at work at that be it the zoo or Craig's List or maybe an assisted living center!  

Early Morning

Sitting in the hot tub this morning I was in the zone, so to speak.  It was after my workout with Wade and the moon was still out in the west but the sun was coming up in the east.  So quiet and peaceful, chilly but warm from the water what an awesome morning.  I could hear the crows cawing and in the distance smaller birds waking up.  Then the trash trucks were squeaking and and squawking as they stopped at each house.  I so love the early mornings.

 

Multiplying Bunnies

Yesterday I decided that since my easel was totally empty of anything to paint that I would try and set up some still life's to paint.  What happened was me digging through my china hutch and getting rid of some stuff and finding memories long forgotten.

As I was pulling all kinds of junk out I found a raggedy, torn gift bag with these wrapped in old newspaper.  I remember them fondly.  Actually half are mine of the blue birds and the other half, including the red bird, were my Granny's.  I believe they were made by someone in Arkansas and were very popular at the time.  I loved them and now I have a whole aviary of little blue birds, and Mr. Red Bird!

Bunnies, I found bunnies but as usual they began to multiply...the large one in the above picture was my mother's.  I think it was given to her with flowers or a plant when I was born.   

See, multiplying...I found another one several years ago at the flea market and couldn't resist... 

the metal one was Granny's.

More treasures.  Cups and saucers that were Grandma's, Granny's, Greatgranny's and Momma's.  Now they are all mine.  The little tiny girl by the wishing well was Momma's when she was little girl.  I love it.

The top of my parents wedding cake...hey, who's intruding on the picture...

BAMBI!   

My favorite movie character...we had the record album story of the movie and I could recite every line from the movie plus sing the songs.  Momma would put it on the record player at nap time everyday and we would listen to it.  I still have the horribly chipped record and album cover.

Awww, three little elves waiting till it is time to come out and play at Christmas.  These too were Granny's.  

All these things makes me remember being at Greatgranny's and seeing all of her lovelies on her little shelves in the freezer room.  We loved to go in there, stand on the bed and touch her things.  People were all the time bringing her knic-knacks.  She is the one who taught me about knic-knacks and I have many.  Often she would send us home with some of her precious things.  I can't wait to do the same with little Rio and make memories with her.

Oh, and last but not least were these beauties.  Someone gave them to me a few years ago and I totally forgot about them.  Now I remember why I started really digging in that hutch, candle stick holders for these.  Man I can get sidetracked but made for an awesome blog post, don't you agree!  Memories!