Firsts...

Richard and I had our first barbecue of the season this past weekend.


Don't these look great? (They were!)


But before the steaks there was much work to be done. The little bridge that runs beside my house needed mending.


And voila! It's done.


Wood needed stacking, clothesline re-hung for the season, grass needed raking, squirrel holes needed filling...


...and the blue chairs were pulled out and put in their summer spot. And the first glass of red wine was had, sitting in them and enjoying the sun. Sigh.

Ronna and Carol's Excellent Art Show

Back by popular demand! Carol and I had an art show at her home in Dorval, Quebec (about an hour east of my house) last fall and it was such a success (and so much fun), we've decided to do it again. She'll be showing her fabulous jewelry and I'll be showing my painted ceramics.
The date: Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's the day before Mother's Day so if you're racking your brain what to buy, this is the place.
If you need directions e-mail me: ronna@mogelon.com
Hope to see you there!

A Wild Show

Last Saturday, my friend Peggi and I gave a talk about Wild Edibles at the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. There was a crowd of 28 eager people! Peggi has some great slides to show how things grow as well as dried samples of what things look like up close. She also had dandelion flower jam to sample on crackers.


Meanwhile I talked a little about my experiences with wild edibles and about writing a book. I even sold a few copies.

You Are My Sunshine

The challenge for the upcoming issue of ATC Quarterly is "You Are My Sunshine." I asked my friend Peter to make an ATC with that theme and here's one he sent me. Fun, eh?
It's sunny out and the birds are singing. Doesn't that inspire you to try your hand at artist trading cards and send me one? Size: 2.5" x 3.5". Any medium. E-mail hi-rez jpeg to me at: ronna@mogelon.com or snail mail them to: ATC Quarterly, 19698 County Rd. 24, Dunvegan, ON K0C 1J0 Canada. Please include SASE to get it back.
Deadline for entries is May 15/09.

Speaking of Nests...

Don't you just love these soup bowls? Very spring-like...

Nesting Time

I love this time of year. Little nests being made on barn ledges and bushes and trees.


The American Goldfinches have lost their winter plumage and are bright yellow. They look like canaries eating at my birdfeeder.


Happy spring!

My American Cousin

It was a busy long weekend, what with splitting wood and celebrating my aunt's 91st birthday in Ottawa. My cousin Len came up from New York State to celebrate and celebrate we did.


Doesn't Aunt Sylvia look great? She reads a book just about everyday and does acrostic crosswords everyday too.


Cousin Len is a really fun guy and while he's lived in the States for years and is a citizen too, he's still a Habs fan and wears his colours proudly. Way to go Len! Go Habs go!

Coach's Corner with Ron and Ronna

On the TV show Hockey Night in Canada, "Coach's Corner" with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry always appears after the first period. Well here I am with Ron -- I made him a cake 17 years ago (when both of us were looking a lot younger)! He's a great guy. Really nice and he liked my Montreal Canadiens sweater. So I thought I'd post this blog entry to celebrate the Canadiens making it into the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. Okay, so I'm not sure they'll beat Boston or even Chicago (Richard's team) but what the heck. Go for it guys!!

ATC Quarterly: Issue 14

Yippee! The spring issue is out and the website is updated. If you want to see the fantastic centre spread and download it as a pdf to see it up close, click here.
I decided it was time to share another digital edition on the web, so folks can see a recent version of ATC Quarterly. If you want to download issue #13, click here.

There's a Hole in my Sushi

Richard and I had some grocery store sushi on the weekend which usually makes for a nice light lunch.


One of my pieces of sushi had no fish in it. Now that's what I call light!

Cats, Cats, Cats

I guess it's pretty obvious that I am crazy about most little critters. And cats especially.


Since I have five of the little darlings hanging around the house, I seem to be constantly inspired by their peregrinations.


Besides that, they are just fun to be around and I guess that's inspiration enough.

New Art Installation

Here's a new "art" installation in front of my barn. Cutting edge, don't you think? A series of plastic, grocery bags tied together, waving and flapping in the wind. Recycled art that is organic as it relies on weather for its movement. Am I ready for the National Gallery in Ottawa?


The second part of my installation is this slowly-spinning owl. It is a decoy, purchased from the local hardware store and is hung by a short piece of fishing line. My installation is to deter a couple of pigeons who decided my barn was the place to raise their young...but I decided it wasn't!

Spring Sings

On my lawn, lookie here! The first crocus blooms.


Down the road I noticed a pile of wood chips.


On closer inspection, it looks like a Pileated Woodpecker has been after this tree.


Pretty powerful beaks, eh?

Two Kitties

I did this orange tabby pen and ink drawing for a show a while back and a friend thought it looked very much like her cat George, so she bought it.


Then she commissioned me to do another drawing of George's sister, Gracie. Now I get to enjoy them everyday since they're part of the blog masthead that Susan did for me. Coolio!