It's All About The WHIMSY!

Hello Monday!

 

This captures the mood for this Monday...Here in coastal New England we are all preparing for the "blizzard of historic proportions".  Out early for provisions~honestly, I did not buy any bread but always find the bread isle amusing pre-storm.  How many sandwiches can anyone eat?  We needed dog food for Miss Maggie, our elderly Labrador.  She's been "under the weather" this past weekend and needs a special diet.  Clever how I worked the weather in....

 

 

As the month of January comes to an end, the past week's painting has all been in shades of grey. The "sprout" for the week in Gina Armfield's No Excuses Art Journaling group above- a grey wolf.  

 

Playing with grey in my daily pages....

 

Food for thought in the blank pages of my journal. 

Talk with you all after the blizzard!

 

Notes the other cats left me...

Alfie,

The best water in the house is always in the glass your human friend just poured and left on the counter,

Signed,

the other Cats...

 

Endings and beginning again...

After a long Spring of ups and downs sweet Mateo passed in early June...fortunately for all it was quick and for Mateo relatively painless.  I will spare you all the details.  For the first time in 30 years we were catless.  Such an odd feeling.  

Enter the new kid on the block!

 

 

We rescued Alfie, a 4 year old male from the the Town's Animal Shelter.  He was "surrendered" by his owner because a health issue that required surgery that they could not afford. Risky, yes I know, with little in background information you never know what you might get...The Shelter arranged for his surgery and as luck would have it, I know the vet who volunteered his services to set him right.  

 

We certainly picked a winner! Quite affectionate and well behaved, it's as though he has always been here.

 

 

My nephew Robbie was here for a few weeks and they became the best of friends. And once again our house feels like a home...

Catching up!

Miss Maggie "study" sketch...

And here is her new "happy place".  She loves to lay in the stream under the waterfall to the pond and soak... She needs a helping hand to get out but we are happy to accommodate.

 

And a few new additions to the pond, a large fantail goldfish and a shubunkin!  They are quite the pair flitting here and there among the plants.  

Thank you Mother Nature!

Missing in Action

I have been a "bad" blogger of late...and I apologize....Daily life is a cycle and mine are in large part regulated by the furry creatures who live with us...

Mateo, our diabetic kitty has been struggling of late and vet visits are an almost daily routine.  He is doing better with IV fluids but each day is a question mark....He used to be a rather large cat of 17 lbs.....now a shadow of his former self at 8 lbs.  We do love him to pieces and it is hard to watch the decline...

This is his "I have to go to the vet again?" face...tomorrow another visit to the vet...

I am thankful for each snuggle with him...

As promised..the finished pond!

This is the new view from the Studio window!

Inspirational!

We've already had visitors.  This youngster has been roaming the woods for days..strangely all on her own.

The frogs are quite happy with their new home and each has claimed his/her real estate.

Fish population has increased to an even dozen.

It will be some time before the ground cover takes over..patience.

Stream detail...so peaceful!

A few plants are still flowering!  

A somewhat blurry but more total picture..

waiting for the grass to grow..

This is my new "happy" place...

care to join me for an early morning cup of coffee on the edge?  

That's where you can find me as the sun rises..

I lost a dear friend today...

Dear sweet Binx

Oh how we will miss you...

Rest easy, in peace.

 

1995-2013

Binx loves Mucha too!

Binx, the senior citizen of the household seems to love Mucha too.  He insists on laying on my open journal...or perhaps he's just demanding attention.  Yep, that's probably it.

 "Look at Me!"

 " Look at Me!"

 

I took elements from four different Mucha posters and blended them into one big spread.  Quite happy with the resulting watercolored collage.

 

I wonder how Binx feels about Georgia O'Keefe?  She's up next in

No More Excuses-Under the Influence

Sea treasures

Finally...FINALLY...back in the studio and able to play with all my toys post surgery.

daniel smith PrimaTec watercolors

 

 I bought a foam floor mat to ease the foot pressure so I can stand for extended periods of time on the hard cement floor...however Miss Maggie has decided that it is her new studio bed....

We will have to discuss this....

I suspect she will win.

Keeping busy, a list of sorts...

Due to the need for foot surgery to correct a bad bunion (all the joys of advancing age)...I am grounded for a few weeks.  Unfortunately I cannot use the stairs to my studio so my Flora Bowley class canvases will just have to be patient.  

I miss them..do you think they miss me?

But there are things I can do while couch bound:

1. 2012 NME journaling each morning.

 

 

2. Working in my "NME under the influence" journal..

 

This month Marc Chagall, last month Louise Nevelson.

Loving this class!

 

3. Surf the web and discover an artist whose work I LOVE!

Joseph Broghammer- fabulous!!

4. Spend some cuddle time with the menagerie.

5.  Next on my list~ I think the creation of a collage of all the beautiful shoes I'd like to wear once this boot is off!