Heart String ATCs

My artist trading cards for this month's trade are a sort of cats cradle, string thing, intertwined with some hearts with various words on them. Fun.

Looking for Signs

I went for a walk in the field to look for signs of spring. The light was dancing on the sparkling snow.


A-ha! The first signs of spring. A few pussy willows poking out from their winter slumber.


Some other trees along the edge of the field were starting to bud.


One thing about winter is that you remember where you came from...


...but you keep looking ahead, anticipating spring.

Good Times

Okay, so it's warming up outside a tiny bit, the days are getting longer and I'm painting more ceramics every day. Lupins are definitely on my mind as I feel spring's approach.


Time to break out the champagne...?

Winter Light

I love this time of year because the days are getting longer and the shadows are intense on the snow and in this case, the white, tin siding of a house in Vankleek Hill as well. This is a really wide drawing, and was scanned in two halves so it appears to have a line through the middle of it...but you get the idea, right?

A Rose is a Rose...

...is still a rose! Richard gave me this huge, gorgeous rose for Valentine's Day. I have kept it in the bathroom as it is less likely to be mauled by my cats who love fresh flowers.


A week and a half later, check it out! A few of the petals have darkened somewhat but it is still amazingly beautiful. Some of the greenery hasn't been so lucky. I discovered both Oreo and Cookie chewing at those leaves. But that rose. Wow!

Not so Awful Offal

After a weekend of cutting and dragging wood, a hearty meal is what one needs. My neighbour is a deer hunter and he gave us a heart (which I had frozen). Since I'm a carnivore and have tried ostrich (in Florida), moose (in Labrador) and frog's legs (in France), I figured I was game to try it.


I found a recipe on the Internet that called for marinating the heart in red wine, spices, garlic and onion.


Then we cut it into strips, dredged it in flour and pan fried it.


Once I got over the "I am going to be grossed out" thing, the hart's heart actually tasted pretty good.

Latest Painted Ceramics

I haven't been painting much this winter but still managed to produce a few little beauties, if I say so myself. This charming, vintage teapot was one I picked up this past summer at a shop in Dwight, Ontario in the Muskokas. Love the shape of it.

This little, blue teapot, perfect for 2 cups of tea is kinda fun, eh?


I can just imagine this large bowl full of popcorn. (Might use if for the Academy Awards on Sunday!?)

Here's the back of the popcorn bowl. Very silly cats chasing mice. Sounds like a typical evening here...


This large, 12" x16" lobster platter was a gift from folks in Florida to their friends who live not far from me. They loved it!

File 6, Photo 6

I read quite a few blogs and I found this interesting little thing. A wonderful artist I met thru an article she wrote for ATC Quarterly, Shelly has a blog called Paper Mischief. In it she talks about an idea that has been circulating the blogosphere. Go to the "Pictures" file of your hard drive. Choose the sixth folder. Now, open the folder and choose the sixth picture from that folder. The picture that comes up is the one you are to post.
My photo 6 in file 6 was an ink drawing of a sheep that I did for a Christmas Show back in 2006. What's yours? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Obama Mania BeaverTails?

Lining up for BeaverTails on the Rideau Canal during Winterlude is de rigueur.


No, they're not really BEAVER TAILS but a pastry in the shape of a beaver tail.


There are many types to choose from. Not on the list is a special flavour, one being served only today when Barak Obama visits Ottawa.


It is a cinnamon and sugar variety with a big "O" made out of whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup. Unfortunately, my visit was too early so I had a regular one with cinnamon and sugar.


Yum-o!

Brunch in the Woods

This old picnic table was placed in the woods by my dad about 25 years ago in the hopes that we'd have summer picnics out there. Unfortunately, deep in the woods as it is, there were so many bugs that the first picnic we had there was also our last. Until last Monday.


Monday was Family Day in Ontario and a good day to be in the woods. It was a glorious day, about -5C so Richard and I had brunch en plein air.



This time, no bugs! I brought blankets for us to sit on and hot, milky tea in a Thermos.


Tea definitely tastes better in the woods.


As does bacon, scrambled eggs, hot, buttered toast and fresh strawberries.


There was evidence that other forest creatures had enjoyed a picnic of pine cones on the very spot where we were enjoying ours.


Okay so I guess winter isn't half bad afterall...

Birthday Card

For my friend Roberta's 50th birthday, I made her a two-sided card that was a sort of trip down memory lane. The card was a z-folded affair with flowers all over it. I gessoed them out to be less of a distraction. I pulled out all my old photo albums, scanned the best photos, reduced and printed them and made an eight sided collage of our friendship. Hallmark couldn't have said it better, eh?

Valentine's Day Report

On Valentine's Day I went to my friend Barb's house for a meeting about Art Fayre. Our committee is planning the art show that takes place in June at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. Outside her house the deer were grazing.


Inside, the meeting wrapped and we switched hats and started making Valentine artist trading cards and drinking wine.


My silly ATCs were men's torsos torn from the pages of a movie magazine. I added rubber stamped "tattoos" and heart and rose stickers.


Others in the group did more sophisticated ATCs. One gal did detailed cut out hearts with a mesh fabric behind it and another did pop-ups. One set was a play on kids' valentines juxtaposed with adult bodies. All very clever and fun.


Barb made these psychedelic heart cupcakes.


And a brownie with heart-shaped sprinkles all over it.


Life is short, eat dessert first, right?


When I got to Richard's later in the day, he had prepared an amazing supper: sautéed lamb chops sitting on chili polenta with a pistachio-lemon crumb. It was a lovely Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day #5

Every year I do a different valentine for Richard which I give to him framed, instead of a box of chocolates. This year I used a photo we took last year when we visited Banff, Alberta where we dressed up in old fashioned western gear. Silly but fun!

Red Squirrels

For comparison purposes to my night visitors (see previous post below), I'm posting some photos of the red squirrels that feed here in the day. Here's one on my suet block.


They are much redder and larger than my flying squirrels buddies.


They're also really noisy and pesty because they scare away all the birds.


A few folks have suggested that since Rocky has visited me, Bullwinkle can't be far behind. I'll keep you posted.
(Moose pic by Richard, 2008.)

Flying Squirrel in my Feeder!

I was working late last night and I heard something climbing the wall outside my office window. We've had a thaw the last few days and I thought it might be a raccoon coming out of hibernation. But it wasn't! When I saw this little guy, my first thought was that squirrels don't feed at night.


Then I looked closer. This was no regular squirrel, it was a flying squirrel! Those huge eyes, flat tail, and lovely, silky fur. And it was much smaller than the red squirrels that usually feed by day around here.


Check out his "wing." It's really a flap that goes from his wrist to his back foot and acts like a parachute.


They don't actually "fly" so much as "glide." I saw one of them fly from the windowsill to the ground and another glide out of the tree. (There were three of them out there!)


I hear they make very good pets. Okay, me, my flying squirrel and five cats? Nah, they're nocturnal and we don't want to be kept awake at night, right?