Sherry's Rustique Gallery

Sitting On My Butt, but...

2012-01-13T23:18:00.003-05:00

6 weeks I've been sitting on my butt...thinking about my nest and my clutter. Yes, I had foot surgery and have had to stay off the foot for 6 weeks. I learned that I don't really want to sleep all day or read all night. That I don't have to gain 20 lbs or eat take out. That I don't like a dirty kitchen. That the cat box doesn't need to stink. That I can put in a pretty good day's work in a wheelchair!

Still sitting

I was just reading this post by Cindy of Cottage Instincts, which is just what I needed to get going with my big project for 2012: getting rid of 1/2 of my stuff! Cindy says to keep what you LOVE, and teaches us how to distinguish the LOVES from the LIKES. Thank you, Cindy, for inspiring me with your decorating blog! We certainly LOVE the same sort of things. I have so much great stuff that I LIKE--collections of art, dishes, nicknacks, furniture, craft stuff and clothes! I can't get my hands on enough magazines, paper ephemera, old postcards, old books, pictures, sheet music,,,...etc. to keep me satisfied. Then there is so much stuff, I can't get rid of it...How do I decide what to keep? My name is Sherry and I'm a paper hoarder.

Speaking of magazines, all of my Somerset Magazines are non-negotiable--I may keep them forever! I read, reread, dogear the pages, whip off my glasses, and turn up the lights--I don't want to miss a single detail. I used to be the same about Country Home and Mary Englebreit's Home Companion, I miss them! (rumor has it that Mary is bringing back the magazine!) Country Living is an old standby, but I am sure missing COLOR! I like the white room here and there, but lately it seems that they feature 2 or 3 white-interior homes per issue! Give me some green and some purple! Give me robins egg blue and sunny yellow! Please...? Still speaking of magazines, have you seen MaryJane's Farm Mag? It's sweet!

So, getting back to my story...as I looked around me, stuck at home like I have been, I realized that I could not escape the mess. I couldn't just drive off with my camera and be gone all day. I couldn't while away hours at Barnes & Noble or Homegoods. I had to start cleaning out the corners. I'm sick of avalanches everywhere I turn.

Love the couch, like the table, love the rug, like the art...

I started by volunteering to host Christmas eve dinner at my "house." Which made me look at the place through someone else's eyes. Most people like my place and the ambiance (while they secretly flinch at the quantity of stuff!) They love the little vignettes and the collections. There's something to look at everywhere! I have such neat stuff! I made that? I'm so talented....Sigh. All I could see was stuff, no style.

Okay, so what stuff is unnecessary? I got rid of piles and piles of paper. I went through 5 boxes and stored what remained in 1 storage box with room to spare. I found things I have not seen in years, and must not have needed! So I got rid of them. I started putting things with other like things, descattering the clutter.

It was worse than this!

I needed to do some crafting and couldn't even get near the craft area with my wheelchair. The houseplants were overwhelming the room and I can't seem to stop propagating them. So I rearranged them all so I could reach them to trim and water them. I cut the babies off and gave them away, I threw away tons of cuttings, only saving a few of the best to start more. Pulled all the dead leaves off them and fertilized them all. Then I moved a few more inches into the craft "room" and started weeding out the clutter. In one afternoon I got into the room and found the materials I needed to begin making and wrapping gifts.

I attacked my desk and moved the printers into better positions and threw out another ton of paper. I made a paper cutting area on a small folding table. I organized the drawers. I took down the same old pictures and hung some sweet bird prints with robins' egg blue background. Nice. My Buddhist altar area was neat, so I didn't have to do anything there except vacuum. And vacuum I did! I dug out the huge pet hair remover upright and vacuumed everything I could reach. I had to empty that baby 3 times! Between the dried leaves, dead flies and wasps, the newish wool rug and the cats, the place had been less than hygienic! Wow! What a change.

Harlequin Ware--Interested?

Then I tackled my kitchen. I rearranged a couple of pieces of kitchen furniture (I have very few real cabinets) and I filled 2 carpenter clean-up bags with recyclables! I like to think I can "do something" with those soup boxes and plastic bags and nice glass jars. Maybe I can do something with a couple of them, but not hundreds! What was I thinking? Rearranging things showed me how dirty my habits had become! Yech-major cleaning! Then I got rid of a big dark hutch full of a ton of Harlequin Ware (a Homer Laughlin collection of colorful dishes from the early-mid 20th century). I picked out 4 place settings in the 4 colors I love and took pictures of what was left so I can list it on ebay. Then I packed them up and moved them out. I have an unheated "shed" type room attached to my space. It is becoming my warehouse. I rearranged my cabinets and shelves to fit more stuff inside for a later purge, finessed the art wall, put on my Christmas tablecloth and got ready to party. Christmas eve dinner was a nice pot-luck and all was well.

Lush plants, Lovely colors

My brother Jim wonders how you can vacuum in a wheelchair. He had some wild idea of my putting the handle between my knees and rolling the chair back and forth. I did call him a rude name for that picture. I find vacuuming in a wheelchair to be quite easy, and I don't even break a sweat! Meanwhile the houseplants are looking lush and the living room is still clean and neat. I'm maintaining the kitchen and keep coming up with more ideas like covering tins with scrapbook paper for matching storage bins. The craft room needs more work, though yesterday I did expose the sewing machine and hem my new sweat pants.

Yes, I sat on my butt for 6 weeks, but I did all that too! My 16-year old niece came in every day and asked what she could do. She helped with the things that I couldn't do and I gave her a few dollars a week. It is hard to find work around here! My brother kindly took the trash to the dump. It filled his whole van. My nephew moved the hutch into the warehouse.

How it could look

Now I plan to use Cindy's advice and look at everything I own. Do I like it? Do I LOVE it? We should surround ourselves with things we love. We should use our treasures every day. My new mantra is, "just because someone gave this to me doesn't mean I have to keep it forever!" Toss! I plan to own 50 % less by next January. And I will LOVE everything I keep!

"This place" (left) -- I live in an old lumber store

This year is going to be life-changing for me. I've been unemployed since April 2011 and can't find any full-time work. I never thought I could retire early, but it looks like my best option at this time. I do pick up some part time work from time to time and I can keep doing that. I hope to be able to sell my warehouse of stuff on line or by tag sales. My brother may be selling this place, in which case I will move in with Mom. We both should benefit from that move. She could use the help and she has room for me if I stick to my plan. I look forward to living in a real house for a change! Who was it who said, "Be the change you wish to see"? I am learning to embrace change in the quest for a happier life.

Keep on Chirping!

Hugs,

Sherry

Where is MY Holiday Spirit?

2011-12-11T13:13:00.002-05:00

Hi All,
I just stopped in at Dawn's The Feathered Nest to get a Holiday Spirit Adjustment! Dawn is such a busy woman and has time to make the sweetest ornaments and art and gifts. Check out her adorable snowman ornaments! I just love visiting her and seeing what she is creating now! I feel a bit of the spirit coming over me already...

So I dug out my little 2' tree. It is already lighted and decorated. It looks a little dull and sparse this year for some reason. Maybe that "country style" is not thrilling me as much as it would if I added some color and sparkle. It has a rusty birdhouse topper, which is due for a paint treatment. Then if I just add a bunch of mushroom birds and and little birds nests, some pinecones and some snowflakes and glitter, it should pop a little, don't you think? Okay, I'm off to Michaels!

OR NOT! I almost forgot that I'm grounded! I had a pretty major surgery on my right foot about 10 days ago and I have 5 more weeks "off my foot" to look forward to. I can't drive, and I need to use a wheelchair. This is an odd state to be in, as I'm so independent and ready to hop into the car and shop any chance I get. Didn't I just spend days at Pier 1 and Homegoods searching for the perfect comfy chair for my "confinement"? Looking forward to being able to walk pain free, though, and not begrudging my 6 weeks!

Grounded!

Meanwhile, I look around me and find my own nest needs fluffing in a bad way. I wheel my chair to a messy spot and actually organize and clean it as I go along. I groom my houseplants and nurture them with organic fertilizer. I keep the kitchen clean and do the laundry. There is no escaping the fact that I am home and I can do these things! I don't have to run off to another meeting at the Senior Center or work or go shopping or visiting. I can relax and improve my immediate surroundings!

Clutter in every corner!

A few days ago I started channeling Grandma as I edged the wheelchair cautiously into the craft area of my living room-not an easy task, as the space had become really messy and overcrowded. I dragged everything I could get my hands on out to the kitchen table, so I can do something creative. I'm starting with a tiny shadowbox in a windowed soap box. I have some collaged cards in the works and maybe some sort of banners. I have been wanting to recycle those soup boxes into something, so I'll see what I can create!

Craft room (some of it!)

Once I get snipping, glueing and stamping, the creativity should begin to flow. Then I'll wrap and embellish those small gifts I bought for the family at all the craft fairs this fall. (I am determined not to give any gifts that are imported from across the world at great expense to the environment--my little statement this year!) I have hand-made baskets, luscious locally made soaps, fresh pot holders, cozy alpaca socks, hand made jewelry, my own framed photos and cards, and maybe a big batch of rum balls to divvy up between everyone. I'll reuse brown paper bags as wrapping paper, embellishing all with my stash of scrapping supplies and my own gift cards. I will, yes I will!

Winter Wonderland

Okay, It's working, the Holiday Spirit is coming on. I can feel it--I'll get my holiday letter ready to send off and get to work!

I will...

Sending out my Holiday Spirit to each one of you!

Hugs,

Sherry

Hello, My Friends!

2011-11-28T02:06:00.001-05:00

Oops, It happened again! I woke up and it's 3 months since my last post! A lot has been going on with me and I have had to keep my computer usage low for health reasons (long story). I have missed you all and hope to get back into visiting you soon!

So, my last post announced my imminent trip to Cape Cod with my friend Trisha. I just looked at those pictures again and decided to share them with you, now that winter weather is settling into New England.

We took off for the Cape the second week of September in the morning. It is usually a 3 hour trip, give or take a little for traffic, etc., but instead of taking the usual way, we were following the directions from the owner of the cottage we rented. Big mistake! Providence is not on the way to Cape Cod from Western Mass! We pulled into town 5 hours later to find a charming little 2-bedroom cottage. Cute, cozy and totally equipped including a bottle of wine set out for us. We were several blocks away from the main roads and only a couple of blocks from the beach, so it was quiet and breezy the whole time.

We spent our days driving around exploring the area. We visited a lavender cottage, a winery, lots of lighthouses, shopped in Hyannis and Provincetown. We went on a seal watch and were surrounded by the adorable creatures fishing off the sandy shelves. We discovered pottery shops including one that made pottery castles. The grounds were a fairy land of castles, ponds, figurines, etc. Then there was wonderful seafood meals a couple of times a day. I was in seafood heaven!

We had beautiful balmy weather every day and the only cloud we saw was the day we went to Long Point Lighthouse. There was a big black cloud front coming over, adding drama to the sky for the photoshoot!

We walked to the beach in the evenings to watch the sun set, sipped wine and watched movies till we wound down and slept like babies in the soft sea air.

Friend Trisha

Now, after the Halloween Blizzard and a couple more wet snowstorms, fall is over in Western Mass, and winter is wrapping her cold, colorless fuzz around us. I have encased the porch in plastic sheeting to protect us from the west wind. I found it a good place to shelter some of my pots of perennials, as long as I remember to water them. I already miss that lovely outdoor room, and look forward to sitting out there again in April or May!

My porch, summer rain

The Saturday before Halloween, we had a huge blizzard! Pretty unusual to have snow that early. We got about a foot and a half of wet heavy snow, but a couple of towns North of here had almost 3 feet! Most of the trees still had leaves on them, so the heavy snow broke limbs and tore trees down all over the place, knocking down electrical and telephone wires.

I stayed with my Mom and her wood stove, she was without power for 2 days. Funny, you never think of the little things-I had not gotten gas before the blizzard hit, and couldn't find any stations open. I manually dragged Mom's garage door up and we got her car out and went to my house. Strangely enough, just up the hill from Mom, where I live, we never lost power! Brother Jim gave me a couple of gallons and told me to go up country and fill up there. It was just the opposite from most storms that hit the hills and taper off down in the valley. My aunt and uncle in Northern Connecticut were without power for 8 days! Needless to say, I was glad to get home.

Today was sunny and got into the 50's-what a treat! I savor the sunny days, storing up energy for the bleak months ahead. I am determined to keep my spirits high this winter and look for the beauty around me.

Hope you all enjoy your days!

Hugs,

Sherry

Another Vacation in the Works.

2011-09-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

Hi all,
I can't believe how time flies! Does this happen to you? You wake up one morning and it is a month later?

Storm coming in Vermont

A week before Hurricane Irene

We have weathered tornadoes, an earthquake, Hurricane Irene, flooding and another week of rainy day after rainy day! I was so sad to see the devastation from the flooding in Vermont. I love that state!

Deerfield River, a week after the hurricane/flood

Today I was shocked to wake up to nice warm sun. I'm so happy-and so are my plants. All my cherry tomatoes were split open from the overabundance of moisture. I'm hoping for a new crop that will stay in one piece!

Shelburne Falls, a week after the flood-usually a trickle here

High water mark. That WAS a used bookstore.

Tomorrow, I go on another adventure with my friend Trisha. We have rented a cottage on Cape Cod. I love the Cape after Labor day, when the crowds have gone and the weather is still balmy. I'm taking my laptop and hope to post some pictures of my trip during the week.

Bardwell's Ferry Bridge, near Bill Cosby's house

Our little brook

So I am cutting this short to get my packing done. Have a great week, everyone!

Hugs,

Sherry

My MiniVacation

2011-08-13T00:15:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends!

Last week my friend Trisha and I took a mini-vacation. We drove 8 hours west--and I do love to drive WEST!--to Scio, NY to visit Trisha's old friends the Browns. Scio is a small town in Western NY, which we affectionately call Boringsville. It's not that boring, though.

A few of the Browns

The Browns have a big family and we visited with them all and cooed over the newest baby. Then they took us to Letchworth State Park, which has the Genesee River Gorge, aka the Grand Canyon of the East.

It is SO pretty--and I do love a good waterfall!--There were three beautiful falls through a deep rock canyon. The top falls has an old railroad trestle over the top. My pictures are not great, but you get the idea.

Oops, was I supposed to wear Pink?

We picnicked on stone tables in an oak grove near the lower falls. The woods were so pretty there. Trisha remarked that the tables looked like sacrificial altars. They were pretty cool sitting atop stacked slabs.

Trisha-left, Andrew-right

The next day we followed the Browns to Bully Hill Winery overlooking Keuka Lake. The view was fantastic and it was a gorgeous day. We toured the winery with a cute young guide, who was very adept at walking backward and telling the story of Bully Hill.

They used to be Taylor Wineries, till they sold to Coca Cola. Then when a family member wanted to go back into the wine making business he found out that Coke owned the exclusive rights to his name! He had to come up with a different name. The man was quite an artist, so he designed his labels with a goat on them. He said, "they got my name, but they didn't get my goat." There's a lot more to that story, but you get the general idea.

Patio overlooking Keuka Lake

After the tour and lunch on the patio and the gift shop, I tasted a couple of sweet wines. (I used to love dry white wine, but it doesn't agree with me any more, so I had the idea that sipping a little sweet wine before bed would be beneficial.) I ended up buying a few bottles.

Rolling hills of New York

Trisha and I then wound our way north to Route 20 and headed to the Finger Lakes region. We stayed in Skaneateles. A pretty very upscale town on the north end of Skaneateles Lake. The next day we did a little shopping, (I'll tell you the earring story later!) drove around the lake, stopping at antique shops and scenic spots, then meandered our way home. New York has amazing hills, farms, lakes, countryside!

In Imagine, my fave gift shop overlooking the lake

I do love to take a drive whenever I can. Dad used to take us for rides when he wasn't working at one of his many jobs. We drove all over New England, mostly Vermont. Trisha and I are naturals at it. We try to quote the end of The Blues Brothers about road trips, though we never really remember the words. We also burst into song whenever appropriate-something will prompt us and we burst... She remembers the words and I remember the tune. We're a good team. Our Moms did the same thing. Our songs are a little more modern, but it's the same!

Maybe I'll try some of that wine tonight, before I bundle up and go sit under the stars looking for the meteor shower, though the moon might be too bright to see any meteors!

Have a Lovely week, dear friends!

Hugs,

Sherry

A Nice Way to Spend Sunday Afternoon...

2011-08-01T00:11:00.001-04:00

After a rather lazy week, I was glad to have a plan for this evening. The weather was ideal--breezy, dry, sunny with occasional puffy clouds.

In honor of their birthdays, Trisha, Tamara and I packed our chairs, snacks, drinks and cameras off to an outdoor concert at the Three Sisters Sanctuary in Goshen, Mass. (http://threesisterssanctuary.com/)


Tamara & Trisha

Built by Rich Richardson to honor his three daughters, it is a wonderland of stone, sculpture, flowers, water, glass, sprites and mermaids.

Everywhere you turn there is something else to see, outdoor "rooms", sculpture, standing stones, flowers everywhere (repeating myself!)

A big feature is the dragon fireplace. I've never seen it burning, but smoke would come out of it's mouth. Its spines are glass, it's wings are airy metal sculpture. Its tail is wrapped around a hearth set in glass, stone and metal with all sorts of curious objects in every nook and cranny.

The band was Jim K and Co, a bluesy, rock-and-rolly, jazzy blend of really good music by three real professionals.

We ate our snacks, strolled around the grounds and took pictures. People danced, drank, laughed, wandered around. Lots of cameras were in evidence.

What a great place for a party! We hope to come back for the Full Moon Concert and stay till midnight!

Well, Trisha and I are off to western New York state this week for a visit. Hope to see the Grand Canyon of the East in Pennsylvania and something of the Finger Lakes on the way home.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll catch up with you soon...Happy August!

Hugs, Y'all!

Sherry

I Live for Summer!

2011-07-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I finally put aside a little time...I've been missing you all!

Somewhere about June 21st summer actually did come to Western Massachusetts. (Though we've had a few doozie storms!) I bought a crusing bike, very retro...My plants and flowers are finally coming along like they should and I've been eating little yellow pear tomatoes and swiss chard and basil for a while. I planted baby lettuce mix in a big pot and have cut it a couple of times-very yummy-It's called "cut and come again" and it does!

I'm pet-sitting at the most gorgeous place, it's sort of a mansion high on a hill with the most amazing views over mountains and forests! (did I mention the indoor pool?) My computer is on the dining table overlooking the views and the bird-feeders through a wall of 8' high windows. The dogs, two Australian Shepherds, "aussies," are each chewing on a buffalo horn, one under my feet and one beside me. They are both sweet and hyper-exuberant.

Just a few minutes ago a neighbor stopped by, ringing the doorbell and causing all sorts of excitement. She made me go outside and see the pink cloud with a bright red/orange/yellow rainbow coming out of it. Wow, what a scene! By the time I took the picture, the rainbow was almost gone, but the glow was still intact. I love summer evenings!

Summer mornings are not too bad up here either! Away from the traffic noise of my house, I can sleep like a baby, till the phone wakes me or the dogs need me to get up. Sometimes after feeding and letting them out, they let me go back to sleep.

This morning Paul and his sister came up with their kayaks and we took a winding dirt road to a lovely long narrow reservoir for a paddle. It is so quiet there, no roads go around the lake, just one on either end. The water is very shallow where you load, and after scootching downriver for a quarter of a mile or so you are in the reservoir/lake. It is surrounded by deep forest and granite cliffs. It is so refreshing to be out on quiet water in the morning. It made my day!

Paul's tee shirt reads: Paddle Faster, I hear banjo music! (ref: the movie Deliverance) He wears it every time we go out paddling.

Well, time to sign off for now, or I won't have anything to say next time! The sun has set, it is as quiet as .....?..... Really quiet! Too cloudy for the full moon.

Kahlua and Cream anyone?

Hugs,

Sherry

Summer Sabbatical...

2011-05-16T00:03:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody,

I'm missing you all and wish I had some more hours in the day. Since I lost my job and started working on setting up my own business I've been so busy, I'm having trouble keeping up. Of course the fact that I signed right up for basket weaving, paper marbling and yoga and joined the board at the Senior Center might have something to do with that!

I've been wanting to have a blog shop and be an active at blogger, but now's just not the time for me. I hope to be back in a month or two and plunge into the blogosphere with enthusiasm! Let's call it my Summer Sabbatical.

Meanwhile, I'm going to work on some art for Rustique Gallery Store and figure out a schedule so I can get more done. My photography seems to be the thing right now and it's all because of all your wonderful comments that I have had the courage to have my first show. It went over well and I'm working on building my stock of prints to show and sell at a local art festival in July.

I'll be checking in with you when I can and I WILL be back!

Have a wonderful summer, y'all!

Hugs,

Sherry

Grand Opening!

2011-04-15T01:43:00.005-04:00

I've finally done it-opened Rustique Gallery Store on my other blog, formerly known as Rustique Too!

I've always dreamed of having a store at Rustique Gallery. Now I have figured out the routine and will get more inventory posted soon. Please visit me there and check out my goodies!

What prompted this change? So, here's the scoop: Last December, while recuperating from my knee replacement surgery, I had a dream that I went back to work and there was no job for me. It was such a real dream that I called my fiscal director. While not coming out and telling me, she hinted that that was a real possibility, as the budget shortfall in this small non-profit was growing every day. There's not a lot of margin for these things, and after cutting people 20% they still had to let me go.

I was pretty scared at first, but I had a month of work left, and I determined to make the most of it. I checked out my options and figured out that I would be able to have insurance and income. I kept my attitude positive and did not engage in gossip about it. My coworkers were horrified, as I was office manager-what would they do without me? Which got me to thinking-What would I like to do? What was my favorite part of my job? Surely not making the coffee...

I got my ducks in a row and figured out that this is the opportunity I always needed in order to start my own consulting business and work from home. So, my business is underway. I'm taking a QuickBooks class, joining the Council on Aging, doing yoga and basket weaving, setting up my business...AND I still have time to blog. It's time I checked in with all my blogging friends, so here I come!

Meanwhile, enjoy the spring weather, dear friends.

Hugs,

Sherry

PS: My new computer keeps opening everything with the tiniest fonts. Did you know you can enlarge anything on the screen by pressing Control + ? It works for me. I don't know if the older computers have that feature, but it sure beats eyestrain!

Snuggles, the Cartoon Cat

2011-03-20T15:53:00.003-04:00

In 1998 I had to say goodbye my old kitty, Chubby, whom I loved dearly. She had been with me for 13 years, through countless moves, from Colorado to Massachusetts. She was sweet, shy and terrified of change.

Chubby from Colorado

I was so devastated that I vowed to have no more cats. I found a goldfish bowl at a tag sale and filled it with 5 cheap feeder goldfish. Feeders go for pennies apiece and they are used to feed other fish! In apparent joy of being alive, they thrived. I named them and fussed with their surroundings.

Chubby as baby harp seal

The next spring, at a party at Trisha's, her brother Jack plopped a black and white kitten on my shoulder and said, "it's time you had another one." She snuggled right into my hair. I picked her off me and looked her over. A sweet little black and white one with a pink nose. Love was beginning already-I'm a sucker for kittens.

Chubby in the middle

When I was little, we played at Grandma's house-the old farm was next door, and it had tons of amusements for little children. My mother was grateful for the half-hour she allowed us to stay. Grandma wished we would stay longer, and often made arrangements. One of my favorite things to do was play with the barn-kittens, when they would allow it, though, they were usually pretty wild.

Poopsue and her brother Jello

One day, Grandma told me there were new kittens in the attic and she needed me to catch them. I got a saucer of milk and proceeded to sit quietly on the top stair. I held my breath, trying not to scare them. One by one the kittens came to the milk and I gathered them up and gave them to Grandma. We brought them out to the barn and made a nest in the hay for them. She showed their mother where to find them. I can still remember the anticipation and the joy to see these kittens slowly and shakily coming to that saucer of milk.

Poopsue fetching

Twenty-some years later and three days after moving to an apartment in a mountain town in Colorado, my grey tiger, Poopsue Purrington had 5 kittens. They were in a box of clothes way in the back of a storage room, so I couldn't see them. After a week or two I would reach way back in the piles of stuff and put my hand in the box and feel the soft little bundles.

Spot, 6-month old Daddy!

One morning I woke up and found Poopsue, Spot-the sweet little Dad, and all 5 kittens all over the bed. She was presenting her family to me! I hardly dared to pick up my head, as they might all scatter. I slowly slipped my arm out and started petting one. After a few seconds he or she was purring like a little motor boat, and the others were gone. Every morning I was able to tame another one, till they all became sociable. We had lots of fun. I found homes for several and kept the runt, my sweet little round-bellied Chubby.

Poopsue and two of her kittens

Thirteen years later, the sweet little kitten with the pink nose won my heart. I picked her up and looked her over. She was covered with fleas! Of course, I was taking her home, but what to do? I mentioned it to Trisha's Mom and she said, "stop by my house and I'll give you some flea shampoo." Per her instructions I dunked this tiny kitten into a warm sink and shampooed her, dried her off. I made a basket into a bed with a soft towel wrapped around her and put a hot water bottle in it, staying awake most of the night checking on her. I had to do this 3 days in a row to finally rid her of the fleas.

Snuggles

My niece Diana, who was 4, loved this kitten. They would rub their faces together and purr. She wanted to call her Snuggles, and it stuck. Diana, who lives next-door, and Snuggles grew up together. The next year I got Fluffy for a companion when Snuggles started getting into all the plants and keeping me awake all night climbing the walls. The two became fast companions.

Snuggles and Fluffy

Now Diana is almost sweet sixteen and Snuggles is an old lady. She got fatter and funnier as she grew older. She looks like a Warren Kimble folk-art cat, or a cartoon cat. She is a chair thief, and hisses and growls when you try to take it back. I've lost many chair wars! She has a strong character and loves to greet all my guests. She will present her pink and white belly to you temptingly, then claw you when you pet it. But if you sit with legs crossed, Snuggles will zoom over to your raised foot and give herself a massage for hours if you let her.

Oregano Madness photo shoot

A couple of nights ago about 3:00AM, I heard rustling and scrabbling in the kitchen. That's odd, I thought, as Fluffy was sleeping on the bed. Snuggles usually snags a spot on the bed, not moving all night, and she was missing.

I went to investigate. There on the floor, lying on her back, was Snuggles. She had a plastic bag with some dried something in it. She was chewing on it, tossing it in the air, rubbing herself all over the floor!

I had run out of catnip-what could this be? I snatched up the bag and opened it. It was old dried oregano from my garden, with hardly any scent left to it! Heaven knows how long it had been sitting on the shelf, but probably Spring fever had awakened the Kitten Snuggles and she was begging for more!

The bag was full of holes and all wet... I sprinkled a little on the floor and Fluffy and Snuggles very eagerly licked it, sneezed a few times and proceeded to roll in the stuff.

Stoned!

What's not to love about a cartoon cat? Her pottie habits are not nice. She sheds all over the place and can no longer be put into a cat carrier to go to the vet. Luckily the vet will come if I need her. But when I see that chubby sweet face with the pink nose, I'm still all mushy in love!

Snuggles - Little pink nose

Diana once drew a picture of Snuggles, (aka Stinkles, Snuggie Buggie, Buggles, Bubba, etc.), with a caption that said, "I love you Snuggols, you have lots of firends." Indeed, she does!

More kitty adventures coming soon!

Enjoy the warm days and HAPPY SPRING!

SHERRY

Rainingslushyuckiness: Can Spring be far behind?

2011-02-25T16:30:00.002-05:00

Yes, the weather is so sloppy today that I had to come up with a new word for it. It snowed all night, about 4-6 inches, then started raining this morning. It's been pouring all day.

Through the rain on the windshield

But who wants to stay shut in on their day off? Not me. So I took a ride in celebration of all wheel drive. I may have to curtail that activity soon-gas prices are up to $3.30 a gallon this morning!

I love red in the winterscape

These pictures were taken in the pouring rain. But look! There are buds on these trees. Can Spring be far behind? I have faith-the sap is flowing. It is starting the big thaw before the ground warms up and sends us daffodils! Dawn of The Feathered Nest already has them!

Look closely: Buds!

The last two weeks I've been printing some of my photos and framing them in preparation for hanging an art show. Granted, it's in my office building, but we have real art shows, publicized and everything. Though I showed my collage art a couple of years ago, this is my first show of photography, and it's been fun blowing them up and framing them. It is actually a heady experience, seeing your favorites enlarged BIG! It could become addicting. In that case, I'll have to actively seek more showings. Hmmm. Just remember, when I'm rich and famous, that you saw them first! (see my slideshows)

I just finished reading Inner Excavation by Liz Lamoreux. This is a great book to help unlock the creativity inside of us. She has chapter after chapter laid out to encourage and teach us how to journey inward through photography, poetry and mixed media art. I will never think of my camera in quite the same way now. Just reading this book has got my creative juices squirting away. I think this is what I have been aiming for for a long time.

My photo, with other people's designs applied

I've been playing around in Photoshop and am starting to understand more and more of the potential it can unlock for me. A class I took a couple of weeks ago showed me that I know more than I think, but I hunger for more-I couldn't get my questions answered. So I play. Maybe that is the key...

My photo, with someone's design applied, coloration fiddled with

There is so much to learn, though, and I can't seem to find my way. I see digital art in magazines that blows me away and I want to learn how to do these things. But without going back to college for graphic arts, who will teach me? (to quote a commercial I once heard)

My photos, my design

I see some potential, but not enough information!


My photos, my adjustments, my design

I'll keep working on finding my learnin'! I have gotten a lot of help with on-line demonstration videos, etc. and I will keep seeking a local hands-on teacher. I am determined!

I have a lot more thoughts in my head at the moment, but I'll spare you a long ramble. Winter never fails to turn into Spring, and it is starting to happen already.

Have a wonderful week!

Sherry

Goodness, Where've I Been?

2011-02-12T22:52:00.001-05:00

Goodness, just when I thought I'd get so back into blogging, I have slacked off for weeks! I seem to be living life in spurts. When it's really busy at the office, I don't spend any time working at home, and everything suffers--I mean housework, watering plants, blogging...My cats like it, cause I come home and just sit down for the evening with a good book.

So, winter is progressing. The days get longer, but not warmer. We've had 7 major storms in under 6 weeks. Isn't winter in New England the quintessential curl-up-with-a-good-book place to be? I've been wishing I could get my creative groove back, and with that thought, I logged into Amazon and went shopping...

In the last week I've gotten these three great books, Some of my favorite artists and bloggers are in them, like messages from friends ready to teach me whatever they know. If that isn't cool, what is? If you are a mixed-media artist or even a wanna-be, these books are great inspirational tools!

I have some new projects brewing in my brain already! After I get my photo show hung in a couple of weeks, I'm sure I'll jump back in to my creative groove (I think)!

Remember my screen-porch project last spring? I've been storing things in there for the winter, with hopes of opening a resale shop in the summer months. It is an unheated "room" I call a shed-room. In the summer it is a nice open breezy spot to hang out and read or even sleep on sultry nights. When the porch is too buggy or too hot, the shed-room is breezy and lovely.

I went in there the other day to find that stalagtites were hanging from the ceiling and covering my cute coffee table and knickknacks with ice. I moved what I could out of the way, but much of it is still frozen in place.

The ice had built up under the eaves and behind the wall in the attic over my screen-porch. If it had happened a couple of feet to the left, it would have flooded the kitchen ceiling, possibly disrupting the red squirrel who has taken up residence there. I hear him rolling nuts around up there every evening.

This place is hardly insulated and is nearly impossible to keep warm. It is usually about 55 degrees F. in the kitchen on these cold days. In the core of the house is my cozy room, a little spot where I keep my recliner and shelves full of books for snuggling in by the major heat vent. There is very little light. Plants survive in the one bright but cool living room with southern exposure for a few hours each day. They look forward to summer in the screen-porch or the patio, as do I.


Thru my frosty windshield

As much as I like living in this old hulking former hardware/lumber store, I dream of a home with all the amenities. I enter the HGTV Dream Home of the Year and the Publisher's Clearinghouse contests on line every day, just in case it is my turn to win.

I have a few more local winter pictures for you. In a month or so this will all be a memory. We'll be going to the maple sugarhouses and getting stuck on muddy back roads.

This snack bar does a booming business from May till October.

Stay Warm and Cozy!

Hugs,

Sherry

The Forest Speaks

2011-01-21T22:59:00.002-05:00

Three storms later...

Yes, we've had 3 storms, including freezing rain, since my last post. The first one dumped about 18" on us, the second about 6" with a "creme brulee" crust on top due to the freezing rain. It covered every living branch and twig, every blade of dried weed and grass with ice.

The next day, as I got out of my car at the office building, I could hear the forest speaking. The wind was breaking and shaking the ice off the branches. The ice was hitting the crust and sliding through the forest. It was constant noise for 2 or 3 days.

Yesterday's 6 more inches of light pouffy snow quieted it down somewhat, but the dazzling sun this morning had crystals raining down on my car.

Three snowstorms in 10 days is pretty significant for us here, but we take it in stride. Most of us have plows or snowblowers or little tractors to clear our driveways. I bought a Subaru Impreza last winter, and the traction with all-wheel drive is amazing. I don't know why I waited so long!

The wonderful thing about traction is...I can go for rides even when the roads are snow-covered...without worrying about getting stuck in a snowbank or "doing donuts" in the road. (A donut is when you spin around in a circle-out of control, usually when other cars are coming toward you!) I can get up the long steep driveways at Mom's & Trisha's without getting a running start or spinning out. I can't tell you how challenging they were in the old Saturn wagon!

I always try to remember my camera so I can show you the beauty of My New England. I don't love being out in the cold, and I'm not the sporty type. I'd be happy kayaking on a balmy lake, but snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, not so much! But I love to drive around and find wonderful places to share with my friends.

I've been invited to put a dozen or so photos in a show at the end of February. My problem is trying to figure out which ones! My iPhoto file has almost 7000 pictures in it at the moment. I really need to spend a couple of weeks weeding them out-I'm overwhelmed when it comes to categorizing and renaming all those pictures. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Well, that's my winter storm tour of Western Massachusetts-in a nutshell! I hope your Winter (Summer for Rina!) is going well.

Take a closer look around you and see the beauty that abounds!

Sherry

The Sky is Holding its Breath...

2011-01-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

Hello out there in Blogland!

Yes, the sky is holding it's breath. Its cheeks are full and it is ready to blow that blizzard down on us! Many of you have already had your blizzard. It is creeping up the coast and should arrive in New England any minute now. We packed both of our small cars into Jim's workshop/garage with no space to spare. That will make it easier to plow in the morning.

I'm looking forward to having a snow day tomorrow (Wednesday). If I can get some pictures, I'll let you see them. I'm just getting into a new book, so I can snuggle with Snuggles and Fluffy and read and Blog.

Stay Tuned!

Hugs,

Sherry

Post Holiday Letdown

2010-12-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

The Holidays...

We rush around, making all kinds of plans, shopping, gift making, baking, planning meals, sending cards and letters, decorating the house...

An early photoshop project

I got creative, made gift tags and gift certificates for some creative thingies I had planned to stitch up for everyone the week AFTER Christmas, as I had the week off. Invited them all to New Year's Eve dinner at my house (what was I thinking?)...

This year's photoshop gift tags

Then I got a nasty bug and was sick all night on Monday. Tuesday I was pretty puny. Today I had just decided to go ahead with my plans, though the sewing was lagging behind. Then my brother, who lives in the other side of my house, told me he is sick now. That means his kids will get it and nobody better come up here! It seems like everyone I know has had this 'bug' and we don't want to pass it around any more.

Yes, I can create

Yes, I have post holiday letdown. I don't feel like sewing or doing any more cooking or much else at the moment...

Cutting & pasting

But I still have 4 days left of vacation and have hopes that I will do something creative with that time.
I might finish the e-course in Photoshop Elements by Kim Klaussen, actually do the sewing projects, start cutting and pasting again and make collages, look into that etsy store idea more closely, do some housework...

Affordable art

Okay, that's better. I have a goal or 5 or 6. I CAN create some value in the next 4 days, and hopefully continue the momentum into the new year. Though my Buddhist practice stresses goal setting, I often forget and "just go with the flow." But I usually try to come up with clear goals for the new year. What do I want to do this year? What can I accomplish? What would I love? What do I need?

Spread your wings and fly!

It's easy to forget ourselves to the pressures of life, family, work, etc. but making some clear personal goals is a gift we can give ourselves. What gets you motivated? What do you want? What do you need? What do you dream of doing, having, seeing?

Spread your wings and fly!

Sherry

To Grandmother's House ~ Revisited

2010-12-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

I posted this last year and it is as relevant this year. I added a paragraph and some Victorian pictures. Please feel free to use them-click on them to enlarge and save to your files.

There were two closets, one on either side of the fireplace. In one there was a Civil War uniform. I vaguely remember faded flowered wallpaper over white painted wainscotting and the fireplace wall was all white paneled. There was a tinder box and a bed warmer on the hearth. The furniture was victorian and dainty and pretty. There was a piano-out of tune, but pretty too-did it have flowers carved into it? On one wall was a picture of a boy in a straw hat, by Thomas Sully. The floor was worn wide boards with rugs on it.

Christmas eves my grandparents had a party in the parlor, with a tree and sweets hand made by grandma. Mom played carols on the piano and we all sang. The fire crackled and we opened hand-made gifts wrapped in old ironed paper and ribbons. That was my job, to iron the ribbons and paper. We made popcorn garlands. Grandma made potato divinity and stuffed dates. I don't remember having a whole meal, though if we did, we ate it in the dining room. Grandpa twinkled and told stories, and the uncles teased us all. That's filed away in my memory for ever.

Grandma died on September 1st the year I was 13. That Christmas Grandpa wanted us to have the party in the parlor like before. It was sweet and sad till Grandpa brought out the gifts. They had all been wrapped by Grandma before she died. There was a purple apron and a string of purple buttons for me-my favorite color! I still channel Grandma at Christmas. She and Grandpa, who died the next year are close to the surface of my heart.

I haven't been in the parlor since 1974, just before I moved to Colorado for 20 years. Now it is out of my realm--other family members live there--but I have my memory. They say long-term memory is the longest lasting...I have my own traditions now, and I hope that I retain the spirit of those long ago Christmases. I glean gifts from around the house or make my own. I reuse paper and gift bags. I don't iron anymore, though!

I hope you all have a lovely holiday season. Stay warm and cozy!

Sherry

I'm A Color and Texture Freak

2010-12-05T14:43:00.001-05:00

I looked for my camera for weeks and here it is. So now I can write, as I have pictures to show you. I love to take pictures in the evening when the sun slants over the landscape burnishing the roadside weeds and leaving long shadows in it's wake.

Cloudy days can be fun too, as the colors soften and the sky can be dramatic.

Sometimes the colors can take your breath away!

This is Stubby's barn, what's left of it. It isn't safe to be near, as boards can just pop off by the pressure of their bending.

The largest part of the barn has already fallen and been taken away. No one wants to take on the job of dismantling, as it is too dangerous. Nature will have her way. She already has, notice the texture of this wood and stone...

Stubby used to raise and train oxen. He used to drive his team by our house a couple of times a year to show or walk in parades. The country fairs around here still have ox pulls and horse and even tractor pulls. I love to watch the oxen. Their relationship to their trainers is often wonderful to see. They strain and pull and seem to revel in their strength.

Just over the hill from Stubby's is what we call the Dead Swamp. None of my local friends have ever seen anything alive here.

I want to prove them wrong. Swamps are just filled with life! Even if you don't see a moose or a great blue heron, there is life there. Look closely and you will see a beaver lodge way in the back...

The leaves are gone now and color is pretty dull. But on these frosty mornings, I get excited. I love the way the frost rimes each blade of grass and weed and twig. The textures of late fall, like spiced cider, warm the blood:

and in winter, just when you think black and gray and white will overwhelm you,

you have but to look around you to find color again!

Yes, I'm a color and texture freak! I've discovered that surrounding myself with color makes me so happy! I will spend my winter photo shoots looking for that color surprise, that texture that intrigues the imagination.

The decorating magazines show all white interiors and stress shades and textures with a pop of color. Mother Nature was the original decorating doyenne--Move over Martha!

Enjoy the color surrounding you!
Sherry

Ok, I'm Frustrated!

2010-11-21T18:41:00.003-05:00

I've read often that many of you have problems with Blogger, and I never have till now. For some reason in the last week or so, my ability to comment to you has gone away. I keep visiting and my comments keep going away and never show up. It always asks me to register and then it deletes my comments!

Do any of you have this issue? How have you solved it? I tried Blogger Help, but can't pinpoint this problem or find any answers. I'm so *@!#%^&* frustrated! I really am looking at your lovely blogs and not getting through to you.

Please let me know if you have a solution for me, because I want to keep up with you all! Meanwhile, here's a few pictures for you...

Or a couple...Now it won't let me chose pictures from my files the way it used to, in a group. It goes to cloud picker then tells me there is an error. I should be able to go to my own files...So I changed it to the old format and I can pick one picture at a time...

I hate to think that I need to learn another program because Blogger is no longer supporting me. It's been a good year and I want to continue and become more and more active. I have a give-away plan in the works too.

I'll keep you posted and hopefully get back on track soon.

Love ya all!
Sherry

Fall Color Winding Down

2010-11-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

Our woodpile

There's not much left to the traditional New England Fall Foliage at this time. Most of the leaves have left the trees and are carpeting the woods and vales. Ambitious souls rake and recycle their leaves, but Mother Nature has her ways. The crispy carpet slowly compacts into soggy masses of rotting leaves as snow covers them for the winter. In spring this natural mulch fertilizes and shelters the babies till they are ready to show their heads to the warming sun. Then it all comes to leaf and bloom again.

Deer's Dessert

I love the fall, but become sad when the colors go away. As an amateur photographer, though, I've begun to search for color when there is 'none', and though it is not as apparent, there it is!

Bittersweet

Last year on a black and white day, after the snow stopped, I went on a photo trip around the area seeking red. I came up with some spectacular photos featuring red berries covered with dripping white snow, red barns, stop signs, red doors, red lights, cardinals, etc. I made an accordian book of the pictures and sent them to a friend. I'll show you those pictures after the snow falls here, but meanwhile--What does New England look like in November?

Bittersweet vines have lost their leaves and the berry's husks have popped open. Bayberries and other red berries, apples, crabapples and other gorgeous seedy, viney and poddy things carpet the landscape, feeding the birds and creatures, seeding the area with next year's bounty.

Sumac Tassles

Bayberries

Look around! Every day you can discover something delightful if you begin to 'see' in a new way what has been right in front of you all along.

Furry roof for a rodent family

Though I don't look forward to winter, I know I will find beauty in it's austerity. I won't just sit around depressed like I used to do, I'll seek the beauty and try to capture it for you!

Enjoy yourselves!

Sherry

On Polka-dotted Horses and Speckled Trees

2010-10-29T20:49:00.001-04:00

Every year at this time I go crazy. I can't stand to stay indoors or to stay home. I drive all over the countryside, sometimes grid-like--up and down every road in a certain area--looking for the perfect picture.

Fall is winding down, the Last Hurrah before the black and white winter sets in. I can't let all this glorious color go to waste. Then, what if I could find a bunch of mating turkeys or llamas in the fall foliage? I must make the most of every opportunity! The camera stays in the car full-time.

My friend Elaine joined me on Columbus day and we took a glorious ride. There were so may beautiful places, that certain quality of light I seek. Elaine found the perfect pumpkin!

And a polka dotted horse. She was so sweet, posing for me and showing us her good side! (She must have thought so, anyway. She wouldn't turn the other way so I could take a picture of the heart on her flank.)

The next day, Tuesday, the surgeon called to see if I wanted to move my knee replacement surgery up one week, and I got busy doing all the prep work and never finished this posting.

So here it is 12 days after surgery and I'm doing well. I'm exercising with and without a physical therapist and I had my staples out today. I can already tell this knee will be a HUGE improvement over the old one! When I can sit in this office chair for longer periods I'll get back into the swing of things!

Meanwhile, I miss you all and will visit you when I can. Get on out there and enjoy your days!

Sherry

Watercolor World

2010-10-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

A short post today...

It's one of those cloudy/sunny days and the clouds are moving so fast that I can't get outside quick enough for picture taking. The wind is gusting and Autumn is here, Right Here!

The past 3 days it rained, and the colors on the trees were pretty, though the days were dark. Looking out my office window, I saw watercolors. I couldn't resist taking a couple of pictures of the crabapple tree and the woods around the building.

These crabapple trees have given me much pleasure in the few years we have been here in our new building. They were donated by a local landscaper, Jim McSweeney of Hilltown Tree and Garden. They tickle my senses all year. In the Spring they are the fullest, pinkest trees around.

The Winter brings snow and devastating ice storms. I captured these after one of those ice storms that had power out for 4 days and trees broken all over the area.

But that is a month or two away, and I'm going to live for today...Oops, here's the sun again!

Have a Sunny Week!

Sherry

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

2010-10-01T17:16:00.033-04:00

In which I took my teenaged niece Diana and her dad, my brother Jim, to Colorado for summer vacation… I was hoping to expose my niece to a different world and get her out of the high school drama circuit. 15 year old drama is so heavy! They are so co-dependent! But there is life other than the HSDC-and I wanted her to find it! So I bought her a ticket for her birthday.

When he found out, her dad wanted to go too. He didn’t want to miss his daughter’s delight at what she was to see in the Wild Wild West. Jim lived in Colorado for a year when he was young and married with a baby son. That son is 34 now, so it was all a little hazy in his mind and he wanted to see it again and more. I planned and reserved and planned some more. After all, I had lived there for 20 years and I wanted them to experience some of my favorite things. We have a cousin and her family in Denver, and we could stay with them. Jim wanted to camp, so we sent out a couple of tents and some supplies.

Diana was nervous about her first flight and was afraid to imagine the trip because it might not happen. I would try to engage her in discussion before we went, but she just smiled and said anything we did would be okay.

Georgetown, Colorado

The day came, August 3rd! We went to say Goodbye to Granny, who was thinking about all the trips she and Dad took--they were able to see so much of this beautiful country. She was excited that it was Diana's turn. Then we flew away on a direct flight to Denver. My cousin picked us up and we gabbed all the way to her house where we were fed royally and shown to our rooms. They have a huge house, so we were accommodated with style. NOT at the house below...

The Maxwell House, Georgetown

The next morning I went to pick up the rental car, a small Nissan Versa, which was all we needed, in spite of camping. I didn't want to spend all our money on a car! Our plan that day was to eat at the Buffalo Bar in Idaho Springs, visit Georgetown and go over Guanella Pass and back to Denver on Route 285 with lots of time to spare before dinner. When we got there, however, the pass was closed due to landslides and road repair vehicles, so on we went, up over Loveland Pass.

The summit is 11,990 feet high, and Diana was getting giddier and sillier as we climbed. She had finally stopped containing her excitement and went a little nuts! She took pictures and asked questions and we explained about the tree line and the tiny alpine growth that comes above it. We stopped at the summit and she started spinning around, singing "The Hills Are Alive!" Her normally reserved smile went away and we saw the spontaneous open giddiness of childhood. That's what the trip was about!

Childhood

15!

We went on over the pass and by Dillon Reservoir, through Breckenridge (oh, how it's grown!) and over another pass into South Park. Well, Diana and Jim love the cartoon South Park, so we drove around the town of Fairplay and pointed out sights. One end of town contains an outdoor museum called South Park Museum, but there isn't a real town like the one on the cartoon. The whole valley area there is called South Park, and it's open cattle country, valleys and hills, quite beautiful. We stopped for snacks and asked about the town and the woman who waited on us said her son took on the personna of one of the cartoon characters. We meandered back through Pine and Conifer and Evergreen, past all three of the places I lived when I moved to the mountains. Seeing my old log house on Elk Creek Road brought tears to my eyes. It was, and still is, the most beautiful place I've ever lived.

We had another day in Denver, doing various things, visiting various places, then out to Casa Bonita for supper. That is another link to the Southpark Cartoon, as one of the characters goes there on the show. My first taste was: YUM, Velveeta! On Friday, we packed the car and took off on our camping trip. Here's where my planning paid off! The first night we headed to Leadville and camped at Turquoise Lake.

Turquoise Lake in the distance

Leadville is an old mining town above 10,000 ft, which is known for its gold and silver mines, but most recently the Climax Molybdenum mine. Many of the people who live there are hard working miners who are often laid off by the changing EPA rules. I think of it as a town that works hard and parties harder. They host Boom Days the first weekend in August every year, which draws huge crowds. Boom Days means parades, mining contests, arts and crafts and food for sale, a gun show, a burrow race, and more.

Old mine entrance

The powder magazine at Baby Doe Tabor's mine

We found the cousins, who had chosen not to camp, at the parade and spent the day with them. What fun it all was.

Diana pored over every booth looking for souvineers, Jim went to the gun show, we found a quiet Italian restaurant for lunch then went to root for the guys in the mining contests. They, of course are all strong, handsome dudes in tight jeans, many with no shirts! We were 5 single women aged 12 - 68. Needless to say, we embarassed Jim just a little...

We camped a second night there and then drove over another pass into Buena Vista and on to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs. We met the cousins there and soaked the day away. I love hot springs, and this one has become my favorite. Not only are there several pools of different temperatures, but you can also walk down to the river.

Bathing Beauties

People have made little pools on the sides of the river and you get the icy cold mountain water blended with the hot steaming spring water that runs off the banks between the rocks. You can be as hot or as cold as you want. We all had a great day telling stories and laughing. Then we said goodbye to the cousins and went to set up camp and find our dinner.

I feel pretty-Oh so pretty...NOT

What a beautiful campsite it was, up in the canyon past the chalk cliffs, beside a cascading creek. Aspen trees and various pines and spruces, a clean, raked, spotless site!

We slept well that night, in spite of rain. In the morning we packed the car with wet tents and dampened sleeping bags and headed south to Great Sand Dunes National Monument.

Bye for Now!

Stay tuned for part two--More to come!

Sherry

Within Ten Miles

2010-09-26T00:13:00.000-04:00

Well Hello!

You may have been wondering where I've been...I guess it just didn't seem possible to spend time indoors this summer, and without a laptop, I fell behind on my blogging. And I missed you!
I last signed in to tell you that I was going on vacation to Colorado and New Mexico. I did and it was great to see my old favorite places and my old friends. I lived in Colorado between 1974 and 1994, and I just have to go there every few years to get a fix! I will have pictures for you all soon, but....

Right now, my favorite season is popping into New England, and I must drive and take pictures. Even after my travels, I find sooo much beauty here in Western Massachusetts! Today, I tried to work indoors, but the leaves kept blowing crisply back and forth in the driveway-seducing me outdoors. When the sun started slanting in from the west I took off. But I only drove around in a 10 mile radius. My camera knows where to go and how I like the light to look through the leaves a certain way. Sometimes, breaking the rules about lighting and photography makes for some pretty good pictures. Others, not so good. But with digital, it's no problem to just trash the bad ones. You don't waste any film!

Every year at least once, I stop by this adorable little shop, Posies by Piper, on a local back road. She has something like 35 crafters contributing to her little pink shop named after her daughter. The quilts stopped me, but visiting with this sweet lady who is sitting outside knitting under an arbor of red vines is always a pleasant experience. She's so happy and doing what she loves!

From there I looped around and around the back roads looking for "that certain quality of light" that I remember so well from childhood at my cousin's farm. They had an old federal style home with meadows and huge maples. We'd go help them with the haying then have a picnic under the maples in the late afternoon sun. Those yellow and red leaves still leave dappled shadows in my heart.

Like most New Englanders, I can't resist a beautiful barn. Their structures are often Shaker-like in their simplicity. Some have been reworked to become homes or studios, others are regally standing, still--keeping the hay dry and the livestock warm.

The cathedral-like buildings stand as a testament to the builders of days long gone.

My neighbors are enterprising people. If they own property, even a truck, they may be able to make an income from it. Not necessarily a living, but an income. Many work multiple jobs, most are two-income families. They still find time to make maple syrup, raise and butcher a couple of hogs, make furniture or do haying or short hauling for their neighbors.

So, as you can see, I don't have to go anywhere for some fantastic scenery. Driving around on a short leash keeps my restless heart happy. The local color can still titillate me...

and keep me goin' till I can head WEST again. Where do you roam when you aren't going anywhere?

Happy Trails!
Sherry

Misty Mountain Memories Tickle My Senses

2010-07-28T17:32:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, Trisha, Emily and I ate out at Big Mamou-great Cajun food! Em is a rather shy young woman who giggles easily, while Trisha and I are old hands at hanging out, telling stories and laughing over a good meal and a drink. It rained when we arrived, then the sun blasted out. We giggled a lot and had a great time. I like nothing more than enjoying a good meal and drinks with good friends!

After enjoying a mojito, a bowl of gumbo with cornbread and a hot spicily dressed salad, I was ready to go for the ride Trisha suggested in her new car with a moon roof. She drove, I navigated and Em took pictures, giggling to herself in the back seat. The first goal was to share a siting of the Woman in White, who I have never seen when anyone was with me. A figment? A spirit? A sprite? True to form, she didn't show for us. Em was ready with her camera, just in case.

On Ashfield Road, the mist was rising and the clouds were flirting with the last rays of sun. (this picture is of a sunny evening!) The road wound through the fluffing, oozing greenness. Trisha remembered to open the moon roof and the windows stopped fogging up. We were inundated with the moist humusy air. A hot humid night in mid to late summer is the most interestingly scented place! The ferns and weeds on the side of the road, the swamps, the horsey smell of the farm of the percherons, mold, flowers~loamy fertile odors.

We saw deer in the meadows, squirrels and a tiny bunny hopping into the roadside growth. Trisha flipped her hand at a soft green meadow and said, "Now, wouldn't you think there'd be a few deer or a bear~maybe a couple of moose~cavorting over there?" More giggles all around. (Trisha still fondly remembers Yogi Bear and Boo Boo cavorting in Jellystone Park, though the Flintstones were her favorites! I would roll my eyes and go up to my room and read.) But we saw no more cavorting animals till we came to a small herd of Galloway cattle. Lovely black cows and bulls with a wide white stripe around the middle. The calves were especially adorable. I told them about the Guinea pig I had just taken care of with the same coloring. He was so cute and quick!

When we got back to town to go our separate ways, the sky had turned pink and the heavy misty air had a peachy glow. Getting out of the cool car was a shock, as it was still in the high 80's with humidity in the 90's. Hopping into my quickly cooled car, I drove west following the darkening sky home, giant moths swooping in the headlights.

This highly humid heatwave has lasted since July 3rd without a break. No AC at home, but I can't drive around forever! Coming into my warm humid house the scents are not so pleasant. There is the vinegar smell of the fountain by the door. Vinegar, you say? It keeps the mosquito larvae at bay and won't harm the cats. The kitchen drain is rather nasty smelling, but the peaches smell ripe and delicious. Then there is a slight cat odor, though I've been meticulously cleaning it of late. Moving into my office, there is the moldy smell that I can't hide. Even the new wool rug is outgassing some ghastly chemical scent. The only comfortable spot in the house is in the recliner with two hepa-filtered air cleaners pointing my way. I have even been sleeping there! One advantage to sleeping in the recliner: in the morning my wrinkles are greatly reduced by not smooshing them into a pillow~seriously!

August 3rd I'm going to Colorado and New Mexico with my brother Jim and his daughter Diana. I can't wait to show them my favorite places. I lived out there for 20 years, 1974-94. That dry, semi-arid climate still calls to me. After you find a good moisturizer and your nostrils adapt, you realize you don't have those damp, swampy smells. It's always cooler in the shade in the dry air. The mountains and the desert cool off every night and offer sweetly scented breezes. The fresh air has the crispiness of a fresh cut watermelon. The scent of sagebrush wafts through the air. Pines and spruces have their way with your senses. Campfires smoke with the perfume of Pinon pine and Juniper. The freezing water of a babbling creek makes all your hairs stand up with the essence of cucumbers! Nibble on the tender light green tips of pine needles and your breath is suddenly fresh. Crush the leaves of sagebrush into your sleeping bag or rub them on your pulse points-who needs air fresheners and perfumes? Focus on the leaves of a quaking aspen~look up and watch the stars~they are a mile or two closer there!

I like to stock up on Pinon incense and sage smudge sticks while I'm in New Mexico. I bring the campfire back to my New England home. As I light it, it slowly fills the rooms with the sweet perfume of New Mexico evenings. I play Carlos Nakai on the stereo and dream myself back to the high desert. If the windchimes dance in the evening breeze, I'm so there! They say New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment. I've been totally enchanted there, that's for sure.

I fondly recall standing in the middle of a sweet sage covered plain watching the clouds march by in formation. The whole sky is mine~nothing blocks my view. Maybe it was a dream? My heart has another home in Taos, New Mexico.

I'm MELLLTINGGGG!

2010-07-09T00:21:00.004-04:00

Hello my friends! Thanks to all of you who commented and became followers since my "Where Bloggers Create" post! It's been so fun to read all your comments. I really hustled to get the room done up, and I have not had a minute to create anything since!

My friend Sara at Make Great Stuff has a solution to this problem, which I am hoping to try-The 20 Minute Club! She is a talented collage/mixed media artist with drive! She also offers web classes, using the 20 Minute challenge to do something every day. She likes to have lots of projects going at once so she can just pick up whatever she wants and works on it for 20 minutes, no matter how she feels. She has some great ideas for working the creative process. AND her art is really special. Check her out!

We're having a heatwave this week. I tried to sit at my computer to visit you all, but I melted! My house stays cool till the humidity rises, and it sure did this week. Swimming and wading is the only fun outdoor activity when it's this hot.

Fortunately, last week, when I was on vacation from the office, it was wonderful dry, breezy weather. Great for sleeping and getting some things done around the house. I was petsitting the whole time, so I commuted back and forth until the Fourth! Then Jim and I had a big cookout with lots of friends and relatives over-we gathered under the willows and cherry trees in the back yard and hung out all afternoon and half the evening, eating, drinking, storytelling and goofing off.

I say drinking-I think two whole 6-packs were consumed. We all grew up and stopped being drinkers a long time ago. I often think I'd like to have a little sip of something in the evenings, but I can't figure out what I want. I hate to get tipsy, but I like to relax. I don't much like wine anymore, it makes me headachy. The creamy drinks like Bailey's are too fattening. I like a highball once or twice a year...brandy is just too strong, sherry is yucky, though I think it would be funny to have it as my signature drink.

So tonight I cleaned out the fridge and made punch. I had 4 partial bottles of various sweet wines that I had tried, one was apple-maple, one was chamomile, one was blackberryish, and the other a merlot. I dumped them all in a gallon jug with a spigot on it and added a bottle of cherry cider from Trader Joe's! Only 1/3 was wine and the rest cherry cider--Voila, punch with a little punch! Enough to make a wine connoisseur cringe--I wouldn't make a steady diet of it, but it will give me a little evening sip.

The drink I made for the Fourth was gingerade. I partially peeled and cut into chunks a whole ginger root that had been in the freezer. It is easy to peel with a spoon when it starts to thaw, before it gets soft. Of course fresh might have been better, but this turned out GOOD. I boiled it in a medium pan of water for about 10-15 minutes, took out the root and added sugar to the water and stirred it well. Then I added it to cold water to make a gallon (with a spigot!) Make sure to pour the hot into the cold and not directly into a glass container. I reused the same root to make 2 more gallons, which I didn't sweeten, then sprinkled a little stevia in as I drank it. I carry it to work and in the car. I've cut way down on coffee and I'm drinking more liquids. You can reuse the root several times if you keep it refrigerated. It beats buying tons of flavored water!

When I was petsitting in Deerfield last week, I drove back and forth through Whately, which is a beautiful town. Rolling hills opening into the fertile flats by the Connecticut River. You might remember my old header picture:

There are such pretty farms there--mostly they were growers of tobacco, corn, asparagus, potatoes, cabbages, cukes, etc. Many of them don't farm anymore, but they preserve their old barns when they can. I picked this one out on two different days. One morning I looked up as I drove by and saw a huge elbowey bird with no head. Whaaa? I stopped the car, dug out my ever-ready camera and discovered a turkey buzzard preening on the roof. His head kept disappearing under a wing. He (she?) posed a while then flew away. Jim always tells me they're crows--I showed him!

Another day, driving back "to the dogs", the barn was bathed in evening light and shadow, just begging me to stop and shoot it. I love the red patina-the old wood is probably some ancient hardwood like chestnut, enduring for a century or two.

On yet another day I found these gorgeous Percheron beside the road. I do love it here!

What better time than the middle of July? Long days, yard sales, fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, blueberries, veggie stands by the side of the road. Who needs to cook with all this fresh food? I'm so inspired that I've given up sweets for the month! My body says thank you!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Sherry

Where This Blogger Creates!

2010-06-18T18:20:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

What fun to be included in Karen's Valentine's Blog Party! I can't wait to visit you all and your spaces and your blogs. We are an art colony - my dreams are coming true!

I'm Sherry from Rustique Gallery. I live in a sweet little town in Western Massachusetts in an old post and beam hardware store which my brother split into two apartments. I have lots of space, which I fill with way too much stuff-stuff that speaks to me, stuff with sentimental value. Stuff to create with. My brother Dave made the trunk below with vintage linoleum surfaces. the small one was my great grandma's doll clothes trunk, which Mom gave me when I was small.

But back to my space: I've tried and tried to partition off a corner of the living room, but it gets too crowded to work. My table tops get too cluttered and things pile up in all the corners! I end up working in the kitchen or on a tray on the porch. This Blog Party opened up the doors to my mind and I realized that the whole living room is the studio!

So my studio, Rustique Gallery, is a big room - 20x24' with a few big windows. The floor of the old building is crooked, scrappy, painted plywood - no need to worry about making a mess! There is an odd boxed-in pillar in the center that I have installed shelves on. I have lots of shelving and cubbies and I try to keep things relatively organized. Two vintage porcelain-topped dinette tables are my favorite work surfaces. When I get glue, paint and tape all over them, I scrape them down with a window scraper and they are all clean again. A third dinette table holds my new sewing machine, which I purchased after donating two old ones that needed work. A baby changing table makes great storage for oversized books and boxes and creative scrap.

A large desk with my IMac, scanner and printers sits opposite the art area. Here I do my blogging, keep up with friends and manipulate pictures and ephemera for my collages and greeting cards. I also run a small pet-sitting business, so an office is essential to keep it all organized.

Another corner holds my altar - a quiet place for meditation, which helps me focus and keeps me centered and inspired.

A big dream is to have a group of artsy friends over for afternoons of creating, chatting, snacking and exchanging ideas. So I have a big comfy sofa and loveseat in my favorite color, purple!

I've always put together collages in one form or another. Now I am reasserting that art form and have begun to make assemblages with old, used things. I love working with paper--old sheet music ledger pages, sepia photos, old postcards and ephemera, even distressed cardboard. I have recently started adding dimension to my art by using old wooden boxes, pieces of doors and windows, hardware, old tools--you name it!

Finally doing what I love, in what spare time I can, I find that the creative process is not confined to the studio. My eyes are always open for things to use in my collages; textures and oddities to photograph, old junque on the side of the road, a dusty freeby from a friend's barn. When I walk, I look down and find seed pods, bird's nests, butterfly wings and interesting twigs and rusty things. Tree fungi, owl pellets, old books and rotten old leather. These things tell me stories and make my imagination come alive!

In the next few months I plan to do a giveaway, open an on-line shop and set up a booth in a local antique mall (and petsit and take a trip out west and...oh, yes, work 4 days a week!) I look forward to your visits and am anxious to begin cruising through each one of your exciting posts! Thank you Karen Valentine, the Where Women Create team and everyone who has joined the party. Let's have a blast!

Sherry

Vacation, Day 5: Hanging Around

2010-06-10T10:02:00.005-04:00

I'm Back! Back to Blogland, that is. The bulk mail went out, the Alumni Banquet is over, nursing home visits, a wake for a neighbor...Today is for me. Even my vacation week is packed with stuff to do, and cleaning up my studio hasn't figured in yet! I took a ride with Mom on Monday-it was cool and breezy and beautiful out that day--took these pics at a favorite beaver pond. The flowers are mountain laurel, which is blooming up the hillsides now.

The most common ones are very pale pink, but they vary to darker pink in some places. The buds look like frosting stars.

Monday morning at 7 am the road construction crew was banging and rolling and driving trucks up and down our road. As if the vehicles aren't loud enough, they have that incessant beeping while backing up. There was a roller that went up and down the street and got the whole neighborhood vibrating. It's like an earthquake--the whole house starts shaking, banging, humming, and things fall off shelves or walls. One whole wall of pictures fell from my bedroom wall and crashed into a pile of laundry, nothing broke! Finally, the paving equipment came:

and rolled,

and made us a new road. Well, that was the first coat, anyway. Today they are doing other work, scraping the sides to match up with the edge of the road, working on the other side of the bridge, etc. They will eventually do a finish coat, but not for a while! I think they will be around for a few more weeks.

This morning I wandered around the yard with my coffee and took a few pictures of my flowers. We had rain yesterday and through the night. It's still cool and cloudy.

I'm hoping it will warm up so I can soak my feet here:

and maybe get out on my kayak. I haven't been out yet this year.

Thank you all for your comments and encouragement! I love blogging (Have I mentioned that before?), but I have cut back a bit to make time for other things. I promise to show you some more art soon. I have a couple of great encaustic pieces that I can't seem to get good pictures of. When the sun comes out, I'll hang them outside, capture their images and tell you all about them. Now, I'd better turn on some music and work on my studio!

Take care of yourselves and have a great week!

My favorite Time of Day

2010-06-01T21:22:00.002-04:00

Afternoon rain, two hours without power. Came home early from work and sat on the porch watching the rain come down. Good book, my cats going in and out. They don't like thunder but want to be near me.

After a while it stopped raining and the birds got louder and louder. The sun came out as the clouds broke up. By 7:30 there was magic in the air. I ran outside and took a few pictures. This is my favorite time of day!

Pictures can't capture the magic of the early evening light-the fresh smell of wet earth and growing things, the flutter of wings as the swallows feed over the driveway and lawn. The sun slants, making whatever it hits glow pinkish gold.

Today's humidity has lifted. The air has changed. My knees and feet no longer ache! I take a short walk and revel in the moments.

This is a super busy week for me. At the office, I have 7100 copies of our quarterly newsletter to package up and deliver to the Bulk Mail Center. I have a website to update, minutes from the board meeting to type, bills to pay - and more - by the end of Thursday.

As secretary of the Alumni Committee of my high school, I've been gathering up registration forms and checks for the annual buffet that we have at a local banquet hall. People call, email and facebook me every day to add their names to the list. The deadline was last Friday, but I take their reservations till the last minute. Then I compile lists and arrange to have tables for each reuning class and get my donation ready for the raffle. When the doors open the rush is on-about 150 people will attend this year and I will try to remember who they all are and have something to say to each one. The event is Saturday--I'll be ready for it!

Then, blessed relief is on the way! I have a week off, and just in time, too, as I've entered Karen Valentine's "Where Bloggers Create II." (see sidebar) While many of the rest of you will be fluffing your studios, I will be trying to repurpose my whole living room into a really cool place to work. I never use the living part of the room, only the office and the storage space and a couple of overly cluttered tables. Earlier this spring I did a makeover, but it was only 85% finished. But enough said! I hope to make a great space and get way more "into my art!"

Remember the Stoic Robin and her chicks? As of last week they were big, hungry, and loudly peeping. She's doing a great job!

I hope you all have a great week, and as the Mammas and the Pappas used to sing, "Go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do, with whoever you wanna do it with..."

Sherry

I've Been Busy...

2010-05-22T12:34:00.005-04:00

May 22 already, I've missed you all! Spring has totally sprung and summer now appears to be possible. I was beginning to wonder about that with the many frosty nights we had in the last 2 weeks.

Update: the robins have hatched! Ugly--a look only a mother could love! The nest is tilted and falling apart. Hopefully they will fledge before the demise of their home. I will try for another update later, though the pictures depend on my petsitting jobs there.

I've spent many days filling my huge flowerpots with dirt, mixing the dirt with compost and peatmoss and planting annuals, perennials and seeds. I'm still looking for the perfect shrub for the biggest pot. I'm leaning toward hydrangea, though a compact blueberry bush has come to my attention. Soon there will be Sweet peas growing up trellises against the wall. I will eventually add sweet potato vines and other pretties as the pansies fade and get leggy. I found that the volunteer pansies that came up in the mulch are much more compact and flowerful! I will try to save more seeds this year and start them myself.

I've cleaned up my porch and assembled a round glass-top table for dining. I've been working on my "screenporch" which is part of my workshop with a loading dock garage door that I've screened off. The retaining wall perennial garden is taking care of itself with a little water, when I get a chance. Lots more to do, and nothing is very photogenic yet! Today is dump day. So much trash to pay to get rid of!

Speaking of trash, yesterday, driving through a neighboring town, I saw a free sign and found a lovely pile of junque on the side of the road. I was careful and didn't take it all, but look what I got! Does anyone know what that bottle-type thingy is? I love old tools that have been mended and used. The small piece of wood will be a sweet backing for an art piece, and the larger one may be the top of a crate table on the porch...

Well, I'm off to a memorial picnic for my friend Trisha's Uncle Ray. He was a bluegrass musician, and all the musicians will be there to perform. It promises to be a lovely day with lots of music, friends and good food, a fine tribute to Ray.

Linking up to Linda at Coastal Charm. Stop by and see her great blog-great stuff!
Enjoy the weekend!

Stoic Little Robin

2010-05-10T23:03:00.001-04:00

Home at last! I've missed my computer and checking in with all my blogger friends. I tried it on dial-up where I was staying, but that was impossible. So now it may take me a few evenings to catch up with you all. I can't wait to see what I've missed! Thank you for all your beautiful comments and support--it means so much to me.

The colonial style house where I've been petsitting has a beautiful door with a shock of corn hanging on it. Very New England. One morning on my way out I spotted some dried grass on the step. Looking up I found the beginnings of a bird's nest in the husks of the corn. I stopped using that door and the nest progressed over a couple of days. I looked every day but never saw the builder. After a couple of weeks, I looked all around. No bird in sight. I reached my camera up and snapped this picture:

Look at that blue! So intense, that blue--she had to be a robin. We had a few hot days around that time and I still never saw her around. Then it started to get cool again. One evening as I came home she was sitting on the nest. She never moved. The glare of the headlights didn't faze her. I drove into the garage and moved slowly, so not to scare her.

The next morning there she was. I walked around the car, got my camera out and took some pictures. Shutting car doors and driving out of the garage didn't move her. Over the next week she was sitting on those eggs every time I looked. Stoic little robin!

The homeowner is awestruck--she considers it a true blessing. I'll be back there in a couple of weeks. Maybe there will be 3 little squeakers then! I'll let you know how it turns out.

I had Mom and her sister and my niece over for lunch on Mothers' Day. Fresh pea soup with goat yogurt, local asparagus, sauteed ginger shrimp and a nice green salad. A lovely light lunch for the ladies. Knowing that at least one brother would show up, I got a loaf of bread and some goat cheese (a few of us are lactose intolerant). I ended up with all 3 brothers and a nephew-8 people in all. We finished the meal with Trader Joe's Sweet 16, a dessert tray of 16 little treats topped with whipped organic heavy cream and lemon curd. (Yes, I did have some whipped cream!) A nice meal, good stories and gifts. A happy Mother's Day.

Driving Mom home later, we noticed that the ladyslippers were in bloom! They usually bloom on Memorial day or thereabouts--this year they are 3 weeks early--and it was cold that day!

Ladyslippers always remind me of Dad. In July of 2004 he passed away after many strokes and illnesses. We had had to place him in a nursing home for his last 18 months. He had lost much of his speech and memory by the end. He and Mom had agreed that when he died, we would scatter his ashes in the ladyslippers.

The following year we had a Memorial Day service for Dad and his brother Jake who had passed away 6 months later. That day we all went to Mom's and got the ashes and walked around the yard and into the woods to all the ladyslippers. We told stories about Dad as we walked through the woods, each of us, including Dad's grandkids, taking handfuls of ashes and sprinkling them everywhere we saw the flowers. Richard finished by leaving a few ashes next door at the farm where Dad was born and grew up, and some in the brook that runs through the woods.

Ladyslippers are orchids and they require very specific growing conditions. I worried that all those ashes might upset the balance and damage the plants. But Lo! The next year, there were more ladyslippers than ever. It seems that every year there are more and more. Dad wasn't a great gardener in life, but now he's showing us!

This Spring everything has bloomed 3 weeks early. It was a remarkably beautiful, lush, blossomy Spring. All I can think of is "stoic little flowers!" We all got excited and planted flowers and seeds. Now we are having a cold snap with heavy winds. Who knows what next week will bring. I'm hoping for calm winds and warm days so I can get out in my kayak. Dreaming on...

Woman in White

2010-05-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

"Are you leaving?" asked the old man. Yes, she said and finished her outdoor routine. She picked up her camera and whooshed out, screen door slamming behind her. The old man blinked a few times and looked around the room. More green, he thought. More green. One wall was covered with 4x6 photos, the other walls each contained one large print-more green.

She walked briskly up the road, camera at the ready. Covered neck to toe in white and wearing a big navy blue flat-brimmed nylon hat and a reflective vest, she made her way slowly north, bending over and looking through the close-up lens. What she could see there! The patterns and the details! Triliums, trout lilies, dandelions, wild strawberries. Horsetail, crabgrass, buttercups and daisies! The side of the road never ceased to amaze and awe her...I catch a glimpse of her facial profile in the rearview mirror as she straightens up. She could be young or not. Long dark hair and dark glasses conceal eyes. Look up, I want to say--new leaves, blossoms! Birds, clouds! Look up!

You may wonder where this came from...real life and a story. I usually make up stories about the pictures I use in my art. Now I realize that I am making up stories about real life in the present. That's a good thing, right? On my petsit drives back and forth on Ashfield Road, I see her. Almost every day, bent over her close-up lens, never acknowledging a car or nodding to anyone, she examines the ditches and banks on the side of the road.

Who is she? Does she live alone or have a family? Does she live in the little cabins by the Mill River? Is she someone who has been here forever, or a former city person who just recently discovered nature? Her seeming reluctance to acknowledge puts me off. I don't want to break into her solitude. What might I find if I did?

Like bees in a hive, we are all interconnected. Some of us reach out and others look within. Life would be wonderful if we all embraced each other with a smile or a nod. But as my Uncle Mike used to say, "it takes all kinds!" Meanwhile I'm waiting to hear about an art show--subject: the side of the road.

At home with Ralph

2010-04-26T22:29:00.001-04:00

I'm home at last. Over the last 3 weeks, my kitchen became shipping and receiving, so I may take a few days to clear out the place and get back into collaging. My cats now have velcro paws and keep sticking all over me. They missed me! Last night I fell asleep on my giant recliner with fat Snuggles beside me and Fluffy stuck on my front. I had to peel them off to go to bed.

Saturday, I stopped at my favorite local junktique shop and found Vic, the owner, thumbing through an album. From the parking lot, I shouted, "postcards?" He answered, "no, old photos." We looked it over for a while and I bought it. I don't know about you, but I love old albums. They have so much to tell--about a time and a place and the people who lived there.

This album belonged to Ralph. Ralph took most of the pictures. He loved cars and there are many pre-1960 cars shown in all their finned and chromed glory. He also loved Dorothy, also called Dot. There are so many pictures of Dot, that there would be no album without her. I don't know if he married her or if she was his sister or a neighbor...there are no wedding pictures. Some of the last names are familiar to me as are some of the locales. They were of my parent's generation, and I didn't recognize anyone myself. Ralph must have ended his days in a rest home in my home town, as there are a lot of pictures of the place. Dear Ralph, what stories will we tell?

Whenever I make a collage, I start with a picture. I look for clues or I just start from scratch and make up my own story. I picture Ralph as a bachelor who loved a good time and "the gals" and maybe drank and played cards often. He took some road trips in his beloved cars. Dot loved a good time too, and often accompanied him. Hmmm. Maybe a travel theme.

Vic threw this sweet vacation pamphlet in for free along with the album. Dated 1951, it should be right on the mark for a background piece. Now for more travel themed pieces. Old postcards? Road maps? But wait, this pamphlet has maps, pictures and advertising. This will be fun. I can't wait to begin!

I love traveling! Last year at this time I was deep into my plans for the Dream Vacation. Now, my 15-year-old niece thinks the world is boring and messed up. She has never really been anywhere but here, where she was born and grew up. This summer she and her Dad (my brother Jim) and I are going to Colorado and New Mexico to visit our cousins. I've been telling her about my favorite places since she was little. She is excited, but afraid it won't happen, so she doesn't have much to say about the whole thing. I can't wait to see her reactions to all the new sights, the beauty of the mountains and the desert--the country, the cultures and the city life. I hope she will be my future traveling partner and learn to love it as much as I do.

Where does your art take you? Though we're not all artists, we can imagine anything we want. Art, as well as travel, opens the doors to our minds and our imaginations. With an open mind, we continue to grow and keep a youthful excitement in life. The more I age, the more I feel that youthful spirit. And how wonderful to see it through the eyes of a 15-year-old!

I hope to have a new collage about this for you by next week. I'm pretty busy this week, but I have to create something soon. My brain is itching and my fingers twitching to get into another art project. Thanks for all of your encouraging words about my art and my often-daft ramblings!

As Ralph probably sang along with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, "Happy Trails to You!"

Their Fairy Petmother

2010-04-19T14:14:00.003-04:00

Whoa, just when I start to get on a roll artistically speaking, my second job picks up. Yes, I am a fairy petmother to many cats and dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, chickens, fish, and even an aquatic frog in my local area. It's something I happened into just as I lost my full-time status at the small non-profit where I work. I love my 4-day a week schedule, but it doesn't pay the bills. I was glad to pick up an overnight stay here and there. It got bigger and bigger. People with swimming pools & hot tubs--lovely old and new homes. Some of them became like health spas to me! Normally considered a "cat person," I met many sweet dogs and found that I "have a way with them." I never advertised and I don't have set prices.

Right now I'm on the last few days of a 3-week session in a nearby town with two dogs. While there, I also picked up two catsits in the same area, so now my mornings and evenings I make the rounds to feed the cats, then settle in with the dogs for the evening and overnight.

As you can imagine, half of what I need at any given time is at an alternate house. When I'm home, I don't have this and that, then I get "there" and have forgotten a critical item at home. Luckily home is near the office, so I stop there morning and evening too. The first week at this place left me baffled. I drink decaf coffee in the morning with soy creamer. So I packed up the commuter cup, the creamer and coffee and moved in. The first morning I looked and looked-no coffee filters. I thought I had packed them. This is a tea drinker's home, no coffee filters! So I folded up a paper towel to fit in the cone. No cone! I tried holding the paper towel and passing the water thru, it broke and flooded the sink with grounds. I tried a paper towel in a colander. Well-try getting that into a cup. I should have used a big bowl. (Not to mention all the volatile chemicals in the paper towels!)

So I packed up my creamer and went to work. Drank regular coffee there. The next day, you can be sure I had my filters, but I still forgot the cone. I used a funnel with passable results. You just have to keep lifting it and checking it. It's really slow. If you are not careful the bottom of the filter splits open. Finally, after two tries, a cup full & NO CREAMER!! About the 4th day I managed to actually have the real thing. On the fifth day I brought my small coffee can back home to refill and forgot it. I had hot water, filter, cone, creamer and no coffee. This is how it is to live as a fairy petmother on the edge of daft...

I'm seriously looking forward to next week in my own home. I am reading Somerset mags like crazy to keep my artistic brain working. I want to create! I don't dare start bringing all my art things to these places, I can't imagine how many days one piece would take when the scissors are here and the glue is there, the clippings here and the pictures there, etc. (Not to mention how long it takes to move out!)

I'm trying to come up with an idea to keep the coffee hot longer. The cup is insulated stainless steel, but the top is just a plastic lid with a hole. I cut a nice circle from a soup box-one of those tetra boxes- and it fit right in and kept the coffee hot. But I couldn't get it out. I had to stop the car and pry it out with a key. Now I've stuck a piece of tape on it for a handle, but this is really a temporary fix. I'll keep working on it. Now I see a project with recycled tetra packs, buttons, stitching--maybe a cozy made from an old sock? HMMM. (Did I mention daft?)

OH NO, not Brutus! (more pics of Brutus on the Dream Vacation 2 slideshow) Though someone did ask me to come and milk his goats. I was appalled--He said it was fun! Well, maybe for a goat farmer, but not something I can imagine myself doing before going off to the office-I'm not even a morning person!

Hopefully I'll have my sanity back next week! Y'all have a lovely one and "Ramble on..."

Sherry

Art Hangups or Slap Together School of Art

2010-04-09T14:42:00.002-04:00

Happy Spring Y'all! It's been an unseasonably warm week and is now cool and gray outside. But things are blooming and Summer seems once again possible.

I have been taking a clue from you and trying to create more art. My collage art sometimes gets too tight and too "perfectionistic," in which case it ceases to be fun and I don't make anything for long periods. My time after Christmas is usually a dry, non productive time. But I want to create and I want to keep up the momentum when I do! When this happens, I revert to the Slap Together School of Art. I created the "school of art" to help a hung-up-on-perfection friend, and it works for me too.

Cleaning out my studio in January, I kept kicking around a piece of cardboard that seemed like a perfect junky tag. I looked at it for a couple of months. I watched Diane Knott making those lovely tags every day and actually won a runner-up gift on her give-away. It was filled with sweet tagable scraps and clips, pieces of lace, and ribbon. I started with a small piece of background paper, a magazine card rose picture, printed out a sweet sepia girl and the piece started to come together. My idea here is to stop obsessing and just glue it down. So I did. It came out pretty cute. I call it "The Key to a Pretty Girl's Heart.

The next two were fun--little birds you gave me were cut out and placed over sheet music with feathers and flowers, On a roll~

I realized that the point of Slap Together is to not measure and cut too much, but to tear and distress everything I could. I like the wallpaper-type prints over the distressed cardboard. It reminds me of old lath and plaster under crumbling wallpaper. That brought me to make The Traveling Salesman using clip art from my blogger friends and an old picture from my family album. I found a train ticket and postcard picture in my ephemera and hung it from a Tim Holtz chained clip. As you can see, I make up little stories about them as I go along.

But my favorite so far are Sophie's Choice and Dear Edward. Don't you think they were made for each other? The flowers are a little modern but I like the contrast to the distressed background.

Art is evolution. I think I will keep this up for a while. I like the raggedy ones the best. What do you think? Shall I keep slapping them together? My goal for April is to open my own Esty shop. You will be the first to know when. Stay tuned, dear friends!

My Trip to OOB

2010-03-31T17:37:00.004-04:00

It’s gloomy today and I don’t have any news to share with you, so I thought I’d take you to the Maine Coast with Mom and me. We went last fall to Biddeford to see our friend Sandra who grew up with my brothers and me. We got a room in a motel in Saco, just up the road.

Sandra had left me an email just before we left, stating that she would be in OOB that day, and we could call her there. That was a mystery, but whatever! We called her and went out to dinner with Sandra and her handsome son. Seafood, of course! I finally asked her about OOB. Silly me, that’s what she calls Old Orchard Beach!

Saturday we got up early and Sandra took us riding in her car. I had seen a very intriguing picture that a friend had taken at OOB and wanted to get some pictures myself. I loved it there off season! The amusement park was closed up, as was the boardwalk. I found them both to be especially intriguing in this state. No crowds and cotton candy. No noise, no shoving. Just us, seagulls and a stiff wind.

The weather started much like today--cloudy and drizzly in the morning and clearing up when we finally got to Portland Head Lighthouse. I say finally, because we got lost and went back to the same intersection and started again at least 3 times! Sandra was mortified that she kept losing us, but we spent the afternoon laughing at ourselves and had a great time.

The lighthouse is beautiful and historic. It is on the site of an old fort from the Revolutionary War era. There is notice of a wrecked ship just off the shore there. It probably hit the rocks the Maine coast is notorious for. The rocks make up the rugged shoreline that you see on calendars and postcards. I could stand for hours watching the waves crash up on the rocks and the seagulls reeling in the wind. As you can see from the slide show I did!

Mom and I split a “lazy lobster” dinner that night. Lazy lobster is chunks of lobster meat already shelled and prepared. Dipped in melted butter with simple side dishes of coleslaw and French fries. A treat seldom afforded with my meager paycheck!

I wanted to see OOB again in the evening light, so we drove around a bit, and took even more pictures at OOB and the lighthouse, Back at our motel we slept very well. On Sunday, we got an early start and stopped to shop the outlet stores in Kittery. They call them outlets, but very few are. Most are higher-end retail stores. No great deals there, I’m afraid, but I found some wonderful fuzzy pajamas and a pretty ¾ sleeve shirt.

We had a great time, made some discoveries, found some treasures and got good pictures--A good weekend haul! It was also fun to reconnect with our old friends and tell and retell the stories of our pasts! Check out the slideshow on the right for more pictures of OOB and the Portland Head Lighthouse.

It's Coming...or How Shabby is Chic?

2010-03-21T13:19:00.010-04:00

Yes, Spring is coming. We've had a week of remarkably warm, sunny weather. The snow has melted and the creeks are high. Oh yes, in New England we call them rivers and brooks and rivulets. And rushing water is everywhere. I love the sound of the small river that runs by my "house"! The beavers have made a bit of a dam, so the water is falling from it making that wonderful water white noise that calms the spirits. I have a very rustique wooden settee down there, so I can sit and meditate by the water. Now that the snow is melting from the adjoining woods, I can walk the plank over the rivulet into the woods and lay in the hammock I hung between two trees.

In April and May all seems possible! The things I will grow! The flowers and herbs! Tomatoes and Swiss chard! My 'plot' is half barrels and large plastic tubs. Big pots and a perennial bed on the retaining wall by the edge of the drive. The rest of the yard is paved or a rough rugged lawn. By mid- June the woods fill with sticker bushes and goldenrod, and the blackflies come and hang in clouds around your face and bite your ankles. A screen porch would be nice...

I don't live in a house. It's a ramshackle old building (below on the left) that used to be a hardware/lumber store. The old lumber mill is a museum across the street (right). Our building is an old post and beam structure with some of the old stone foundation still standing on one side. Snakes and salamanders are apt to show up in the basement to surprise us at any given time. My apartment is in the back of the building, overlooking the woods and river. My brother and his son and daughter live in the front and upstairs. The walls are a combination of exposed beams, rough paneling, planks and rough drywall. I've painted some walls and covered others with sheeting. I have 5 windows in all. On a sunny day, the living room is bathed in light till late afternoon, when the shed area roof shades it, keeping it cool in the summer.

The floors are a joke! They are mostly painted plywood, wavy, up and down over the main beams, higher by the walls. The kitchen is ramped up about 4 inches higher than the rest. Some of the kitchen has old asphalt tiles, other had spray paint spatter finishes of different colors- there was even a section of sticky black tarpaper! I've put a subfloor over that and vinyl roll remnants. At least it is washable now! Other rooms have area rugs. I warn people not to trip on them when they walk through. I always wanted to live somewhere funky, and I got it.

Last Spring, I cleaned out an area of the building I call a shed room. It is uninsulated and has a garage door like a loading dock. I covered the opening with 3 screen doors from Home Depot. I now can open up the garage door and make it a screen porch! I hung sheer curtains over the screens to billow in the breezes. I brought in my twig settee, opened an old army cot for a daybed. I decided on sea-glass colors--I covered cushions and pillows with green, turquoise and blue pillowcases that I can wash when they need it. I covered the walls with white sheets, hung swag lamps and potted plants. Made a very rustique coffeetable from an old barn door, and bought some cheap art to go with a couple of nicer paintings I hung on the walls. I even brought in a table that I can craft on, when I'm not reading or snoozing the evenings away. Folding screens hide the storage and workshop area.

Right outside is a small "patio" where I grow my flowers and vegetables along with a fountain I found at Home Goods. It's so nice in my shed room, that I spend every evening there when it's warm enough. That whole project probably cost $300 including the cheap screen doors, pillowcases, sheets, art and fountain. Now I have a 3 season room that, when the garage door is open, brings light and fresh air into the rest of the house. The cats are content to spend all their time in there watching the birds and chipmunks play.

How shabby is chic? I can make any space not only liveable, but comfortable and even charming without spending money. I grew up in the house that Dad built and didn't move out till I was 21. I don't know how many times I redecorated that bedroom! Then I lived in so many apartments that I couldn't count them. I can remember at least 35! I lived here in Western Massachusetts till I was 24, moved to Denver and then a log house in the mountains for a while, came back here 20 years later and settled into this place about 10 years ago. I've decorated and cutened up every apartment I had with whatever I could get. Some people might cringe at my "house" but shabby is chic here. I have everything I need and all the space I could want. When I entertain, people "love what I've done with the place."

My favorite place to shop for shabby chic is the side of the road! In the Spring, people start putting things outside with free signs on them. Or they have yard sales and whatever is left is free. Goodwill doesn't drive up here to pick things up, but someone will probably want what you leave! I have found a computer desk, a microwave, many chairs, a retro dinette set, dishes, silverware and countless other thingies on the side of the road. Trisha and I love to go to the yard sales too. I usually set a limit of $5 or $10 for the day and see what treasures I can find. What I don't want goes on the side of the road for free!

Meanwhile, I'm thinking photography classes are in order!

Spring Flooding and Lovely Memories

2010-03-14T12:50:00.001-04:00

It's raining. Last night it tried to turn into snow, but rain won out. The river out my window is high, though not a threat. I love spring rain. It turns the grass green and starts the bulbs growing. That yucky brown thing I call a garden will soon be up and blooming!

Staying inside today has prompted a memory to share with you. A few years ago my Aunt E. was cleaning out her barn, and she thought to give me a big plastic bag full of cloth scraps that had belonged to my Grandma. My Dad's parents lived next door to us, so we were really close to them when we were kids. Grandma died when I was 12 and Grandpa when I was 14. I miss them so!

It looked like a bunch of rags to me until I started to dig through it. There was a slight scent of mildew, but not much damage. I started to take things out of the bag and stack them up around me. There was some yucky old quilt batting and some gauzy stuff, not attractive then, but now I'd think of something to do with it. I started to see colors-my next handful was scraps of the most adorable vintage cottons. I kept pulling them out. There were triangles, squares and even a butterfly. Grandma had planned a quilt!

Farther into the bag I found the unfinished bodice of a sweet little girl's dress. Had she been making it for me? Then there was some really pretty orchid satin and tulle trimmed from the bottom of a gown. By then I was getting teary-eyed. My Grandma had died in September, and for Christmas that year, we all got gifts that she had wrapped for us before she died. Since I loved the color purple in any form, she had given me a string of collected purple buttons and some purple ribbon. Had she saved this orchid fabric for me?

Grandma was an Olde Yankee (my term) from way back. She was born and brought up in northern Vermont. She came to Massachusetts to work in the mills and met my Grandpa. She never had much and never wanted more. She raised 5 boys and one girl and had a bright sunny disposition. She loved to entertain her friends and family. The old farmhouse had been in Grandpa's family since pre-history (late 1600's or early 1700's). She never quite kept on top of the housework--my younger uncles were rough and tumble farmboys, not the easiest to clean up after!

That's my Dad on the left. He would have been 83 this year.

We kids loved to go over there after school. Grandma made each of us feel special. I often played with her sewing things. Her old button tin gave me hours of enjoyment. She had some beautiful old dolls I played with-she'd help me piece together doll clothes for them. She was always cutting up old clothes, many donated by church ladies, to make yoyos, which she strung into clowns for the kids or the church fair. She'd have me cut up nylon stockings to make filling for the clown heads. My brother Richard would gather the punky apples from the orchard and he and Grandma would cut out the worms and make apple pies. Jimmy usually liked to hang out in the barn with the uncles and their friends, often coming home with new swear words and interesting facts of life. If Grandpa could pin the boys down he'd give them buzz cuts with his electric clippers, singing the whole time. As you can imagine, we hated to be called away for supper.

In the bottom of the scrap bag I found some pieced together quilt squares. Not really pretty, maybe made with old mensware. And there was some yardage of a pretty rose fabric with sweet little flowers on it. That scrap bag brought back so many memories! I had a good cry, but it made me feel like she was there! Her unconditional love reached down through the decades to me here in my living room.

I have the dolls now and I have a penchant for collecting old sewing supplies. I buy jars of buttons at yard sales, just to poke through. I have Grandma's mother's sewing table too. So it goes back another generation. I don't have a daughter, but I try to impart these stories and feelings to my dear niece, who lives next door. She comes over here every day or two to do crafts and tell me about her days. We have reading contests and share ITunes on my computer. She's also very close to her Grandma, my Mom, who tells her stories while getting out the art supplies. She hangs her art all over the refrigerator.

I live in a neighboring town, next to a small river, in an old post and beam barn-like structure that used to be a hardware/builders supply store. Across the street is an old mill that used to run on hydro power from the river's flow. Another building across the river is filled with old machinery and belts that harnessed the power of the moving water. It was a booming business in this little town. My grandpa and my Dad shopped here when they needed to build something. Grandpa made gutter hooks at a little forge in the old corncrib and put them into barrels and shipped them out to the hardware stores. I keep finding them around here. The past combines with the present in many ways, and just like the river flooding its way by me, life keeps rolling on. I love that!

Happy Spring everyone! Take time to remember the good things.

It's Sugaring Season!

2010-03-07T22:43:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about signs of Spring, one of which is sugaring season. Here in New England and Eastern Canada we make maple syrup from the sap of the sugar maple tree. You can read more about it here.

The weather has finally started to cooperate and the sap is running. Last weekend the first of the sugarhouse restaurants opened up. So yesterday Trisha and I made plans to go to South Face Farm Sugarhouse. I'd been salivating for weeks thinking about the waffle with blueberries and maple syrup that I'd have there. Since my lap band surgery, I have had lots of trouble eating breakfast, and usually manage to barely eat 1/4th of a waffle. So we planned to go for lunch. I got up early enough to have a huge cup of decaf and a breakfast bar and get some housework done. When Trisha called and said she'd be right up, I took my book and sat outside in the sun. It felt so good when the wind was quiet! The sun was dazzling and the roof was dripping. We took off on our scenic ride to Ashfield.

Worried that it might be closed when we got there, I had an alternate plan. But there were cars in the yard and it was still open. We opened the door and went in. The front door takes you past the boiler, and the steam was rising furiously and escaping out of the roof vents. The smell of this steam is heavenly. Hopefully this is what clouds smell like, if I get to heaven!

There was no sign-up sheet, as they were not too busy on their first day. We got seated right away and perused the menu over hazelnut coffees. I ordered my long-awaited waffle with blueberries on top and Trisha ordered a waffle with bacon and eggs. We oohed and ahhed as food came out of the kitchen. It didn't take long for ours to arrive. I slathered butter into every hole in that waffle then smothered it in syrup. The blueberries covered the center and dyed it all purple. That waffle absorbed the syrup and softened up to just the right consistency of butter, syrup and crispy cooked batter. Ahh, the first bite was Spring incarnate! I very carefully chewed and chewed. Heavenly. Taking my time, chewing thoroughly, putting my fork down and resting between bites, I ate the whole thing! I was so happy.

The building looks like an old chicken coop to me. It is long and low and on a slight slant. They have whitewashed some of the interior walls and covered others with weathered barn-board. There are short gingham curtains on the windows. The room glows in the afternoon sun. The walls are hung with old kitchen or farm implements along with old pictures and posters of flora and fauna. The room gradually filled up with families with kids, older couples, friends getting together -- people from all over. The waitresses were chatty and sweet. We could see someone walking around in the kitchen with an aluminum foil hat with horns on it. The mood was easygoing and fun.

After paying at the checkout counter, we looked over the displays in the "waiting" room, then we left for our ride.

All I have to do is look at Trisha and tilt my head north and she says "Let's go!" We drove through Shelburne Falls, Colraine and into Jacksonville, Vermont. There is a little store there we like to stop at. It smells like Patchouli and is filled with beads, peace flags, jewelry, incense, tarot cards, yoga mats, India bedspreads, "smoking paraphenalia," gemstones, smudge sticks...you name it. The place takes us back to the Psychedelic Shop in 1968! We bought a few treasures and left to drive home a different way, (cause you gotta!) route 8A into Charlemont. Another little store, this one is the local bakery, deli, liquor and gift store. Another cup of coffee and a snack for the road. We chattered and laughed all day, making plans to go to Niagara Falls later in the year, telling stories about this and that. A lovely early Spring afternoon!

So, see? Spring is coming! The sap is flowing. Heaven is in the air!

More snow and craft projects

2010-02-26T20:03:00.004-05:00

Friday--I slept till 10, got up and it was just beginning to snow (again!) I decided not to go out looking for Lazertran waterslide decals that Flea Market Trixie tempted me with. Another time!

I made a cuppa decaf and visited my blogging friends. Myrna at More than Heirlooms showed me the gratitude journal she made inspired by her friend Joanne. It's so cute! Diane Knott showed me some more of her adorable tags--So cute! Terri at Dimples and Dragonflies showed me a beautiful mirror she decorated with a vintage print from The Graphics Fairy, then there's Dawn of The Feathered Nest with her bird and nest images--SO CUTE!

Okay, I get it! All this inspiration is supposed to make me do art! Blogging is not the end-all here, art is! Sharing and showing and telling about my ART! At least that was my original goal. I spend way more time blogging than making art! I work in an office 4 days a week, so I like to catch up on my blogging on the weekend. Must seek balance!

Mom called and reminded me about my Aunt C's birthday on Sunday. The gratitude journal sounded like a perfect gift. So to get into it, I made a huge salad, divided it into thirds. I ate the first salad downloading and printing some awesome vintage prints from the Graphics Fairy. I quickly decided on a theme and began making a gratitude journal from a tiny composition book from Staples. I edged it with a satin ribbon with a long tail on top to become a bookmark. I typed up a gratitude poem for the inside cover and stamped the word Gratitude on the cover. Ooh, pretty cute!

I oohed and ahed for a while, cleaned up my catbox, had a cup of tea and visited some more of my friends. Cindy of Cottage Instincts showed me around her parent's lovely condo in Florida. Zuzanna played me an old song and make me feel young again. Oh, I feel great!

I decided that I should make a tag to match the book. I had another salad, and split a can of salmon with the cats. The second salad saw me through the tag process. Diane has been putting tiny envelopes and pockets on her tags to hold things. I could do that. I borrowed the prose by Melodie Beattie that Myrna had quoted in her post this morning and typed it up on flower petal paper, cut and inked the edges. I folded it and put it into the tiny envelope/pocket. Decided that I had not said happy birthday to my aunt anywhere, so I put another piece of flower petal paper behind the note and wrote a secret happy birthday message.

Now, as I sit here with my third salad, It's time for show and tell. My digital camera wouldn't flash, so the pictures came out YELLOW. I tried everything, then I remembered my scanner. A piece of scrapbook paper makes a shabby background.

Oh, I hope you enjoyed my day as much as I did. There is not time or the room to mention ALL my friends today, but I so appreciate you all! Your comments make my day, boost my self esteem, make me feel like I'm part of a wonderful community of friends. It's been such fun creating with you today!

I'm not sick of salad yet, but I think some beans and rice for a later dinner would be good. I try to eat 5-6 small meals a day, as I explain in my other blog, Rustique Too Lifestyle. Yes, I love blogging so much I decided to try a different approach. In this blog, I talk about my weight loss journey and explore ways to eat healthier and feel better.

Have a wonderful, creative weekend!

Could Spring be in the Air?

2010-02-17T18:31:00.003-05:00

The Chickadee has been singing his spring song! It sounds like "Seee Sir! Seee Sir!" We used to call it the See Sir bird. That and the sound of chainsaws in the woods used to be sure signs of Spring. We hardly hear chainsaws anymore, but I'm pretty excited about the See Sir bird.

The big freeze is starting to break up. We had 3 or 4 inches of snow Monday and Tuesday, making it all pretty again. The woods are a study in black and white. But it is starting to get above the freezing mark during the days. The icicles are dripping, only to freeze up again at night. As I looked out of the window at the office today, I saw what looked like an animal's tail flapping in the woods! After staring for a while, I realized I was looking at a man waving at his two children. The children were wearing pink and blue jackets-a splash of color. They have sap lines attached to the maple trees back there, and they were checking the hoses and connections. The weather is starting to cooperate with the maple producers.

Maple syrup is a product of the sap or water of the sugar maple tree that grows in the deciduous forests of New England and other northern states and into Canada. When the days get above freezing and the nights are cold, the sap starts to "run" and enterprising country folk take advantage by tapping the trees and gathering sap. Buckets hanging on trees is a common sight, but more and more often you see blue hoses strung up from tree to tree. The sap is then boiled down into maple syrup. It takes 45-55 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, but the stuff is Manna from Heaven! I remember my Dad taking us kids off to a dark smoky sugarhouse. The smell was so sweet and woodsy! While the guys stood around talking, they gave us tastes in little tiny pleated paper cups. It was hard to get enough.

There were always a few sugarhouses around that ran rustic restaurants during the sugaring season. One was Gray's Sugarhouse in Ashfield, Mass. People came from all over, even New York City, to sit on logs covered with oilcloth and eat corn fritters and pancakes generously buttered and covered with warm maple syrup. Sometimes the wait was as long as 2 hours to get in. Gray's is closed now, but sugarhouse restaurants are becoming more and more popular--we all anxiously await the first ones opening. We all have our favorites-I love South Face Farm, also in Ashfield. They have pancakes, french toast, waffles, corn fritters, blueberry sauce, ham, bacon and sausage, and maple ice cream and milkshakes too! If you have to wait to get in, you can talk to Tom while he boils the sap, or peruse the museum-like exhibits around the room.

Another sign of Spring that goes hand in hand with sugaring is MUD SEASON! Every driveway and every dirt road turn into slippery, treacherous mud. There are places you just don't want to go during mud season. Gosh, the old "Nash Rambler" that my grandfather used to drive got stuck half way up the side doors in mud on the way to my uncle's dairy farm one year. They had to pull it out with a tractor. Cars are a lot lighter now, and most roads have more solid bases and don't get so deep. Many of us have all wheel drive. Its a good thing! I've had to be towed out of a few places because I couldn't wait till summer to explore this road or that lakeside drive. When there has been a lot of snow, the rivers burst forth with runoff, as in this picture of the dam in Shelburne Falls. I love to go and check it out on a rainy spring day. Below the dam when the water is lower, you can see the glacial potholes that the Native Americans used to consider sacred. The rock formations are smoothed out by eons of water, creating holes and hollows-some shallow, some deep, that are great to see and imagine climbing around in. For safety's sake the area is closed off, but there are great vantage points.

So we're on the verge of Spring ... maple syrup and See Sir birds ... meltwater runoffs and pussywillows ... snow drops and crocuses! I can just feel my own sap starting to flow. I have always gotten new hairstyles, painted walls, bought flowering plants in February. It's like I'm waking up from a long nap. Bright colors start to thrill me. I begin to plan my summer trips, start looking for some good sturdy sandals. The kayak is waiting. It's coming!

For now I'll make Sprouts

2010-02-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is still cold in Western Massachusetts. Not much snow for us, but for all of you who are not accustomed to it--enjoy! I did hear the chicadee's spring call this week. Hopefully they know something I don't! I long to get out there and plant flowers, but I have to wait till May, then the hearty pansies go in first.

So for now, I'll make sprouts! Sunflower sprouts grow in dirt and mixed salad sprouts, including alfalfa, radish, mung and lentil, grow in a jar-rinsed 3 times a day. I chop them up in my daily salad and put organic, live, enzyme-filled food in my tummy. Yummy! I also add organic romaine, dried tomatoes, black olives, persian cukes, red bell peppers and sheep's milk feta. My dressing of choice lately is Cardini's Caesar, combined with goat yogurt and dillweed and topped with fresh ground black pepper.

I never wanted to be a person stuck in routines, but I love the ritual of chopping the ingredients and making the salad. At work, I usually eat at my desk, but I take 15 minutes to make the salad from "scratch." It relaxes me. It recharges me. Time to make the salad!

See the slideshow and Part 3 of the Dream Vacation below

Dream Vacation 3

2010-02-12T19:06:00.003-05:00

Last week I left you all in a hotel room in Helena, Montana. It was a lovely room. There was a hot tub and a pool. Boy, did I sleep well there! Looking at the pictures today, I realize that the previously mentioned Montana Grizzly Encounter was the next day, on Bozeman Pass, not too far north of Yellowstone. We reached the northern gate of Yellowstone National Park late in the afternoon. The weather had been just beautiful for two weeks, and now it was cold, windy and starting to rain. We checked into the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, had dinner and it started raining in earnest. There was a great show in the hotel, with historic photos and narrative of the park in the early years. We were warm and cozy there. Our room was in the old part, way down the end of a long hallway. The pipes banged and popped all night, but after traveling as much as we had, we were pretty good at sleeping through it!

The next morning we learned that snow had closed the road we wanted to take south through the park, so we decided to take a side trip on Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to Cody, Wyoming. The scenic byway was totally socked in with fog, snow, hoarfrost and more fog. It took a long time to get over the mountains and below the clouds, then we found ourselves at a beautiful canyon, outside of Cody. We got there in time for a late lunch in the historic Irma Hotel, took a trolly tour, sat outside the hotel for a shootout and spent the evening listening to music at the cowboy review in the old theater. The art museum I had hoped to visit was closed, so we spent hours the next morning visiting the Buffalo Bill Museum. It was great! The collections were extensive and the exhibits so well done. The garden there was lovely and peaceful. After lunch at the museum, we drove back to Yellowstone through the East Entrance. It had been sprinkly and overcast most of the day and as we approached Yellowstone Lake, the clouds started breaking up and lifting.

First we drove north a bit to the upper and lower Yellowstone Falls and Artist Point. The falls are spectacular and very impressive! The walls of the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" are "painted" in oranges, reds, greens & even blues, depending on the minerals that leached down through the layers of the canyon walls. When the sun peeped through, they glowed with richness. After getting our fill of the falls, we headed back south and traveled the length of Yellowstone Lake. The sky was getting more and more gorgeous with every mile we went. I kept seeing glimmers out of my left eye, and thinking I was getting a migraine, I stopped and got out of the car. The faintest corner of a rainbow was peeking out of the clouds and reflecting in the lake! No migraine, rainbows! After that we saw rainbows everywhere we turned. They came down in front of trees, over geysers, in meadows with buffalo beneath them, in the water at the geyser basin. I have never seen so many rainbows in one day! That's why it rained on us!

Leaving Yellowstone behind this final time was sad, but we still had 4 or 5 days left and I had a couple of places I wanted to revisit. In 1993 I had taken my friend Doris in my VW Pop-top camper and driven to Yellowstone (from Denver, where I lived at the time). The van broke down, we parked it in the lot of the Conoco station in the park and waited for a part. It didn't work, so we got towed to West Yellowstone, Montana, rented a car and drove from there into that corner of Idaho that is adjacent to the back of the Tetons. The map showed a dirt road over the Tetons, so as the sun was setting I took it. Of course, as it got darker and darker, the road got narrower and narrower and higher and higher! It finally came down to Flagg Ranch in the northern part of the Tetons. I have dreamed of that road ever since, and wanted to see it in daylight. An internet search named it for me: Grassy Lake Road.

We pulled into Flagg Ranch about 6:30 or 7 PM. It is a facility of the Grand Teton National Park. There is a big lodge with restaurant, several cabins and a campground. We opted for a cabin. After a nice hot meal at the Lodge, we settled into the cabin for the night. An evening walk showed an open area with a river running through, scrubby willows and sagebrush with mountains all around. I couldn't wait till morning to see what animals would congregate there! About 7:00 AM, I snuck out and looked around-no animals. I got in the car and started up that dirt road. I couldn't wait for this ride! The air smelled so good-sage and pine. There were scattered wild flowers. Swallows flew over the river. Then, there it was: Road Closed! I rode back and found Trisha sketching on the porch with a big smile.

We had a few more days to explore Jackson Hole and a drive over the mountains to DuBois, which is a charming town tucked into red rock formations up against the hills. There we visited a store that provided skulls and antlers and the art that they made from them. Fascinating, mildly yucky, but so Western! We flew home after 3 weeks. It's always good to be home...

Of course, I have to go back. I have to hit those closed roads or I'll never be satisfied! I hate to leave a road unexplored, especially when they show so much promise! We'll have to explore closer to home for a few years and save our pennies. Maybe I'll have that cute teardrop trailer that I dream of, and we can go off and explore the west again. Anyway, that's my plan and I'm stickin to it!

Its all in the ATTITUDE

2010-02-07T23:36:00.003-05:00

Well, the last 15% of the Craft Room Redo is moving pretty slowly. If only I had more time off! I'm so ready to retire, but need to work at least 5 more years and pay off the new car. I keep reminding myself that the job supports my habits: it pays for my cozy home, my good food, my art, my travels and the insurance that takes care of me. I must adjust my ATTITUDE! So here's a little piece by Charles Swindoll called--

Attitude:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude to me is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money,

than circumstances, than failures, than success,
than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break an organization...a school...a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday

regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past...

we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have.

And that is our attitude...

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and
90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you...

Hope you all have a great week!

Dream Vacation, Part 2

2010-02-05T21:45:00.004-05:00

Last week I left you hanging as Trish and I continued our Western Tour. We had a great visit in Portland. Now we headed northeast into Washington. Since we arrived in Portland via the south side of the Columbia Gorge, we left on the north side. We pretty quickly left the city behind and cruised along a 2-lane scenic drive overlooking the river. We planned to go up and see Mt. St. Helens at the eastern visitor center. We left the river drive heading north and after some time arrived at an overlook. We actually could see Mt. St. Helens pretty well, though the top was in clouds. We had snacks, used the facilities, took pictures and went on. After a couple more miles that road was barricaded! It was the end of May, and the road was closed in snow. We backtracked and stopped again at the overlook, another drink, another pee, took more pictures, as the clouds had lifted some. Then we headed north, hoping to go into the Cascades and come out near Leavenworth. After going quite a few miles, that road was closed too! Again we backtracked, stopped at the overlook, peed, had a snack, took the best pictures yet, and went back to the Columbia River road. We drove east for a while and took another route north. End of day 1! Be sure to see my Dream Vacation 2 slideshow.

The next day we headed for Leavenworth, a ski resort town in the eastern Cascades that is modeled after a Bavarian village. We stopped and shopped for a couple of hours. It felt good to walk around, we'd been driving for hours through lovely green country and over mountain passes. I was determined to cross into Canada that day, so we drove and drove. We went through Customs, drove till I was starving and stupid. Trisha picked out a hotel in Penticton, and we ate, drank, hot-tubbed and crashed.

The next day we wended our way through many cities on pretty lakes, stopped at Staples for more camera memory cards, and headed for the Rockies. Another LONG day of driving! When we got near Revelstoke, we were getting pretty excited about the mountains looming around us. But we hadn't seen anything yet! We made it to Banff Provincial Park, Lake Louise area at sunset. Wow! Talk about mountains! The rest was a blur of snow covered mountains, turquoise lakes and rivers, elk, bears, glaciers, gift shops, and finally the Banff Hot Springs for a REALLY great soak. The city of Banff was a pleasant surprise too, a college town surrounded by mountains. Warm days, crisp cool evenings, dining outside...nice!

The next place we headed was Waterton/Glacier International Peace Park. Waterton was glorious. The lakes area is quite extensive, and the mountains surround it. After driving through prairie for hours, you come to this beautiful area, which is only the beginning of another mountain adventure. After dining, we took an evening ride into Red Rock Canyon. It was so beautiful at sunset, that we did it again in the morning sun. Then we headed south to Glacier National Park in Montana, where we saw all we could see on the eastern side. The Going To The Sun Highway was only open part-way, so we didn't see all we wanted to. We drove up it for 18 miles, then there was a big snowbank, and the road was closed. We headed south toward Helena and found Montana Grizzly Encounter, where we took too many pictures of the two grizzly bears that were out that day, Brutus and Chrissy. (see the slide show on the website) Finally, we ate, drank, soaked and rested in a cushy hotel in Helena. Can you guess where we went next?

I gotta say, it's hard to write a capsule version of this. We had so much fun! I did all the driving, and I'm pretty happy driving, especially in the western mountains. Trisha was in awe of everything, and we giggled and sang the whole time. I had loaded my Ipod with travel music, oldies, cowboy, blues, folk and anything else we could sing to. When I got tired and hungry, she guided me into a hotel and restaurant and we giggled through dinner and drinks and hot-tubs when we could get them. We made up words and told stories over and over. We discussed everything under the sun. The picture above is Trisha spinning around singing, "The Hills are Alive!" There's nothing better than traveling with such a good friend! Look for Part 3 next week.

Don't forget: The destination is the journey itself!

85% Finished

2010-02-01T18:04:00.004-05:00

Yes, 85%. That is my answer, and I'm sticking to it. The Craft Room redo, that is. I worked on it all weekend except when I went out to lunch Friday and Saturday, had people over Sunday evening and discovered an old friend on Facebook that I had to chat with for hours. Hello Lil Suzie!

First thing, was the mold on the corner of the ceiling, under the roof leak. I know, you're supposed to fix the roof leak first! Well Jim is an Olde Yankee, and they never ask for help. He has worked on that section of roof 2 or 3 times now, and it still leaks. He can't fix the ceiling till the roof stops leaking, and it's winter and dangerous, etc. I was going to bleach it. But the more I thought of bleaching over my head, the less appealing that sounded. So I covered it with plastic (on a slant, so any new drips would drain off) and I covered the plastic with a white sheet. Clever? (slipshod, I know.)

Moving the furniture was damn near impossible, and even though I live with my brother and nephew and niece, I wouldn't think of asking for help! (see a trend here?) There was no place to put anything in my living room, so I moved things mostly filled, rather than unloading everything. Those Ikea shelves weigh a ton when loaded and don't like to be moved! And those old tables, well they are great, cause the tops are enameled and can be scraped with a razor blade. But the legs are all wobbly and the leaves want to fall off, and the floor is way crooked! So I shimmied and shoved and grunted and groaned till they were in place, then I took Tylenol and slept in the recliner till my knees wanted to work again.

Saturday I finished moving the tables and started to organize the stuff, which is a process of discovery: every piece of paper has to be checked out; everything has to be dusted and read and examined; every gadget and geegaw has to be placed with other gadgets and geegaws; everything that can goes into containers that go onto the shelves; everything else is stacked and awaiting classification. And the magazines have to be looked at again. Trash needs to be hauled out. It's HUGE! So, I'm about 85 percent done. I seem to have lost the camera in the mess, so I had my computer take the picture. It is mirror image, so it is backwards, but here you go!

What I have learned from the Studio Redo:

I have too much stuff

Don't spray bleach on the ceiling

Staple guns are not made for human hands

I'm not as strong as I think I am

I need a crew

I have too much stuff

My favorite ivy has scales!

I'm stronger than I think I am

Good enough is good enough

It will never look like a magazine redo

I have too much stuff

On the upside:
The room is flooded with light in the winter, as it faces south. It's cool in the summer, as the other part of the roof shades it in the afternoon. I will have a big L-shaped work surface under a window looking out at the woods and the river. I have tons of ephemera and all kinds of projects waiting to be made and I will have ready access to all my STUFF! Now I can get to work. (well, after that 15 percent next weekend!)

Here's the best part: You All! Thank you all for visiting me and encouraging me in all my endeavors! As I have mentioned before, I'm so thankful to have found this community of wonderful people who want to exchange ideas, art and encouragement. I love seeing what you do--the art, the beautiful pictures, the flea market finds, the furniture refinishing, the decorating and projects you are working on, and best of all, your wonderful spirits. I am inspired and empowered every day! Thank you so much!

P.S. Part two of the Dream Vacation should be out next weekend!

Dreaming of Spring, Chapter 1

2010-01-30T22:41:00.003-05:00

Sitting here in Zero degree temps surrounded by snow, I'm dreaming of my vacation last Spring. I thought I'd tell you about it in installments, so I won't bore you with it all! My best friend Trisha and I went on my Dream Vacation. Since it was my dream, I did all the planning and reservation making. I plotted out a route, ordered a car, made reservations for the first night, and for a B&B in Idaho. I stayed awake too often, planning every eventually. I loaded my Ipod with music, packed car snacks, a water heater for the car, so we could make hot drinks on the road (which I never used) too many clothes, hiking boots, jackets, summer clothes, warm clothes, swimsuits...

The day came, May 16th. We flew into Jackson, Wyoming and rented a nice new Nissan Rogue. I was so excited to be back there, I had to show Trisha all my favorite places and explore new ones. The plan was to go into Yellowstone from the south and out the west entrance, continue on through Western Montana, Northern Idaho, into Portland-where we each had family to stay with, then go to the Canadian Rockies, down through Glacier and Yellowstone and back to Jackson. We had three weeks, enough money, good weather, music and a friendship that goes back to babyhood.

There were so many highlights! We saw wonderful places! The mountains were spectacular, cloaked in snow and wildflowers peeking out all over. We said Hello to the Grand Tetons, went through SW Yellowstone, staying a night at Old Faithful Lodge. We stopped at Quake Lake, west of Yellowstone. We fell in love with Ennis, Montana, a sweet little town surrounded by mountains, which is a huge fly fishing hub. We stayed in El Western Motel, which had log cabins with full kitchens in front of a lovely brook. It was so peaceful there that I had my first real night of sleep of the trip! The sunset on the mountains was pink, true alpenglow. We toured Virginia City, an old silver mining town, and had a great soak in one of the hot tubs in the C'Mon Inn in Bozeman.

We crossed over mountains into Idaho and followed a rushing river for hours on end till we got to the Palouse, where we went to Mary Jane's Farm B&B. What a find! I was so excited to surprise Trisha with a glamour camping experience. After her initial panic at seeing outhouses and tents, she was totally charmed by the place. Picture platform wall tents with wood stoves, real beds, fluffy comforters and pillows, outdoor kitchens with vintage fittings, a gourmet 4-course breakfast served in the plum orchard. Fresh eggs and produce from the farm...outdoor bathtubs with a view! (Click on the link for their slide show.) We were the only guests at that time, and they really pampered us. The Palouse was a surprise-high rolling hills where farms tuck into the folds. They do dry farming there--no irrigation--and grow canola, corn, wheat, soybeans. Quaint little towns filled with shops and antique stores! We shopped and shopped.

In Portland, Trisha's brother Paul took us to an iris festival/ flower show. OMYGOSH! Well, you must just look at the slide show, because what can I say? We both had nice visits with our relatives for a few days, (I had my own apartment at my cousin Jennifer's!) then we headed northeast to.......to be continued!

Snowy Thursday

2010-01-28T12:33:00.001-05:00

I don't remember hearing that it would snow today, but we have 2 inches so far, and it's still coming down. I have Fridays off from my "real" job and am looking forward to a stay-at-home weekend.

The desk at my "real" job!

This is the weekend I get the studio organized! I've been following about 40 bloggers, many of whom have done wonderful organization projects in the past month. It's time to root out the rubbish and find the goodies and make it pretty and usable! It is, after all, a large corner of my living room. Maybe I'll even do before and after shots and set up an area to take pictures of my pretty things to show you all.

I wish I had more time to blog! I see all these great challenges, groups to sign up with, things to win. What fun they will be! Meanwhile I'm loving the blogesphere, where I can put my thoughts and words and images out there for you to see. I have received so much wonderful encouragement from my blogger friends that I can't wait to see what develops.

When I started in November, I said I'd show pictures of my Dream Vacation. I'm working that out now. It will have to come out in bits and pieces, as I have over 1200 pictures and lots of ground to cover. Don't worry, I won't make you watch all of them! I will (yes, I will!) get the first installment of the Dream Vacation out this weekend. Now, back to the real job. Have a great day!

The Little Church Burned Down

2010-01-22T20:59:00.000-05:00

Early last Sunday morning the little old church in a neighboring town burned down. It was such a sweet little church, built in the 1800's. Even though it was a little church in a small village, it had a big following of dedicated people who came from miles around to attend.

The church had one front door, and the pulpit was also at the front. The story goes that it was built that way to shame anyone who came in late. There was no back door until, in the 1920's, when there was a double wedding scheduled. The fathers of the brides cut a door in the back so the brides could walk down the aisles.

It was a simple church, heated with 2 wood stoves. Painted wooden pews, lovely old victorian chairs and a walnut pulpit in the front. Painted in soft green, it gave a lovely sense of serenity. Hanging over the pulpit was a hand-made quilt called the loving quilt, which was loaned to anyone who was in need of comfort or suffering ill health.

I drove by there today to take a picture, and it is bulldozed now, so there was nothing to see. But the picture in the paper showed the side beams and much of the facade blackened, but still standing like a ghostly shape in ash.

The pastor, a dedicated, sincere man, welcomed members into the parish house and promised to rebuild, somehow. A parishioner donated one of her hand-made quilts to be the next loving quilt. I don't doubt that the rebuilding has already started.

This is a little story in the light of the suffering of the world, but it's a huge story to the people in the small community of the church. Even though I've been a practicing Buddhist for 34 years, it touches me too.

The suffering in Haiti and Afghanistan and elsewhere seems small from our living rooms in the big world, but it is everything to the people in those communities, their families, their neighbors. I pray that we can keep our hearts open, no matter who or where we are. This is what humanism is all about.

I Love a Good Tree

2010-01-17T18:18:00.002-05:00

Looking out my friend Chris's window at this ancient apple tree made me think of trees that had been important in my life. Yes, certain trees are memorable!

As a toddler, I had had a circle of bunnies, birds and squirrels as imaginary friends. I was a lonesome girl, as we lived in the country and all I had was little brothers. Before I was old enough to get on my bike and ride to Trisha's, I went to the woods for friends. Then I discovered books. I fell into reading and lived vicariously as Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, etc. The most wonderful place to read was behind my grandparents' old orchard, on a rock ledge covered with moss with a tall white pine at my back. The sun dappled down through the boughs and branches. I could see the goings-on at the farm. Mostly, I just poured over those books and imagined...until a bobcat ran past me one day, close enough to touch! (I'd rather have been standing up when that happened!)

After that I found an old apple tree in the orchard that I could climb and I fit right into the angle of the first branch and the trunk. It became my new reading nest and my horsie, too. I wasn't all that interested in horses, but that tree made a good one. The orchard was eventually cut down to grow grass for heifers and later, for ponies.

When I was 20 and in love with Joe, we climbed Shingle Hill and got lost in the juniper bushes. I didn't know which way to go, so I climbed another pine tree. This one had big heavy branches all the way down, so it was easy. I got all the way to the top, got my bearings--and the branch broke under me. All the way down, each branch deposited me onto the next one without harming me. I landed at Joe's feet, laughing. Joe and I didn't last, but I'll bet the tree did. These old knees make climbing Shingle Hill but a memory.

When I was 24, I moved to Denver, made some friends and spent many a day discovering the lovely trees in Washington Park. Somewhere I have a picture of me up in one of those trees, big snaky black trunks and branches. I loved the evergreens of Colorado, and even lived in the towns of Evergreen, Pine and Conifer.

Several years ago Mom and I went to Oregon for my cousin's wedding, and we took a drive down into Northern California and back up the coast. After driving for quite a while in Oregon, we went over Grant's pass, heading Southwest. I turned off the main road for a change of pace and we found ourselves in a redwood grove! Mom got out and hugged a tree, first thing. We were awed and spellbound. We went into every grove we could find, took lots of pictures that didn't come out, and enjoyed our trip immensely! Driving through Northern Idaho last spring, Trisha and I found an old cedar grove at a roadside rest area. The hush and peace of the place reminded me of the redwoods and had us charmed. Could gnomes and fairies live in the holes?

Back here in Western Massachusetts, I fell madly in love with my old home territory all over again, and it was the trees! The spring fluff of new baby leaves and soft red maple buds that make my eyes water with allergies. The heavy summer maples, some with brown leather-like leaves. The sycamores-their mottled bark captivates me, and they have these dangling balls like ornaments at the very tops. What could be better that the yellows, oranges, reds, browns and sometimes pinks and wines of the autumn leaves? The sap will be running in another month and a half or so, maple syrup time. That means Spring is on its way, and the cycle of life goes on.

Have you hugged a tree today?

Open the Door

2010-01-13T22:30:00.018-05:00

When my brother Jim bought this old hardware store, it was full of junk. It had been vacant for over 5 years, and it was overrun with rodents and sawdust and dirt. You see, it was originally an old lumber yard storage barn. It was made into a hardware store in stages. The old post and beam structure still shows in places. There was lots of structural damage over the years. Everyone who worked here must have tried their hand at hanging a ceiling or adding a wall or a window, because everything is mismatched, and most of it is crooked, unfinished, sagging or stained. The brothers who had run the store had retired and sold it to a farmer, who sold it to my brother.

Jim and his partner emptied it out to build our apartments, and all the wood stuff went into a huge pile out back. Every time I visited, and after I moved in, I gleaned treasures from that pile. Even the nail in my foot didn't deter me from climbing up that pile and digging out old drawers, a picnic table, an old wooden rake, old signs, shelf boards and a piece of an old door. He eventually got permission to burn it all, and my digging days were done.

I hung that old door piece on a beam and welcomed it home. But it was bare, and didn't have anything to say to me. After a couple of years, I dusted it off and made this piece. All the quotes and poetry on it relate to opening the door. I gave it color, personality and a reason to come back to life. That is why I love working with old wood, texiles and photos, to bring the life back into them. When the younger generations look at pictures and recognize no one, why keep them? Things that people discard can mean much more to someone else.

I've always been sensitive to old things. I have a tiny silk baby quilt that my great-great aunt Orril made. She was married in 1902, so it was probably from that decade--I took piano lessons from her in the 1950's. She lived to be 99-what a treasure her memories were! I have a picture of her when she was 17-sweet, innocent and very Victorian. She is my bridge to the past!

I am the oldest in my generation on both sides of the family. I guess it's fitting that I hold the history. I only wish I had more. So I make the connections in my art, slowly, piece by piece.

Keep on Dreaming!

My New Look

2010-01-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

Do you like my new look? I love these interchangable backgrounds, but the old template made it look cluttered. This one shows my pictures in a better light. Let me know what you think. I love to hear from you!

What A Day!

2010-01-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

Did this ever happen to you? I blogged till 2:30 AM, then got up to go look for a new car. I have needed one for a long time, and wished for all-wheel drive, roof rack, hatchback, low miles, affordable, etc. I looked at one that seemed like a good deal, but high mileage, and older. Then I found it. It is all of the above and in top notch shape. The salesman was adorable and very pleasant. I took a test drive, went out for a late lunch while they tried to finance me, then went home and awaited the call. It came! I'm financed with a lower price than we had settled on. YAY! I pick it up on Sunday.

Coming home, I was aware that I felt spacey, what with my new car dreams and lack of sleep, so I kept my eyes on the road and followed the speed limit. I got home and made some calls, worked on my blog, ate supper and then tripped and FELL face down on the floor! I'm no lightweight, so my housemates came running when they heard the crash. I laid there till I figured out nothing was broken, then they helped me up. My "good" right knee and my left wrist are rugburned and swelling, so I'm icing and taking anti-inflamatories. My nurse-practitioner friend Meg told me to put arnica on it, so here I am! Cold, gooey and sore.

But back to the car! It's gray, which I didn't want, but I can work with it. It is a good neutral for me with my silver/gray hair. Trisha thinks I could accessorize it with a bright throw and pillows. I thought of a big daisy on the antenna and a bright commuter mug. Maybe matching litter bucket and umbrella? Or rugs--I saw some cute ones somewhere... Okay, back to the ice pack and a good book.

Have a warm and cozy weekend!

The Crow Box, or A Crow Named Charley

2010-01-07T20:15:00.010-05:00

Last summer I was reading “As The Crow Flies” by Jeffrey Archer, and I inadvertently left it out in the rain. I hadn’t gotten into it yet, so I decided to leave it outside and see what would happen. After more than a year out under the dripping gutter it started molting. The cover had turned into a warty rotten thing, but you could still read “The Crow” in the crusty paper. As the pages got crumbly, I tore them out and dried them.

I had purchased some old wooden boxes from a former antique dealer, and one had captured my imagination. I started to formulate the crow box in my mind. I found a perfect scrapbooking paper for the background-turquoise swirlies with a flocked brown tree on it. As it was nearing Halloween, I was able to find a fine feathered crow at Michael’s. With a found crow feather, the book cover fragment, various cutouts from a bird book, and other collected objects, the lid came together, then with wisteria vines and shredded print from the book, I formulated a nest. Crows are collectors of shiny things so I gave him a key, some pull tabs and bottle caps and some shiny silver thread. The paper shreddings were all about Charlie, so I call the piece “A Crow Named Charlie”.

This is the first truly multi-dimensional piece I’ve produced. I liked it so much that I made more shadow-boxes, including miniature ones with some of the same features as the crow box. I’m moving into a form of art called assemblages.

When I was in Portland, Oregon last spring, I was fortunate to meet a collage artist who does wonderful assemblages. Her name is Judy Vogland, and she showed me around her lovely arts and crafts style home, which was filled with her art. She also showed me her studio, the whole second floor of the house, with a balcony overlooking the neighborhood and it’s lovely gardens. Her work so inspired me that I came home with new hope for my future art. When my brother Richard gave me a birthday gift of the broken down bits and pieces of an old pump organ, I was in Heaven! And Jim gave me a rotary tool that cuts, carves, sands, drills, etc. Dave keeps me supplied with feathers, rocks and seed pods. I’m always on the lookout for paper wasp nests and birds nests. People often give me odd things, saying, “you’re so crafty, you’ll find something to do with these.”

I admire the work of Joseph Cornell, Tim Holtz, and Michael deMeng (Secrets of Rusty Things), along with the great mixed media artists in the Somerset Magazine series. Look through the Blogs I Follow for more multi-media art. My goal for 2010 is to open an Etsy shop and offer my work to you. Meanwhile, I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

From an old cereal ad, “The best to you each morning” and throughout the day!

Mom's Red Wagon

2010-01-05T12:46:00.002-05:00

My mom is 81 this year and lives alone in the house Dad and she built. She has me and 3 sons between 50 and 60. Her only wish for Christmas was a red Radio Flyer wagon!

Mom likes to garden, but has trouble lifting and carrying things. The wagon would be great for transporting tools, pots, dirt, weeds and leaves, bringing in the groceries, carrying wood from the garage to the wood stove, and any number of things.

Everyone said, "you already have a red wagon, why do you need another one," to which she would hang her head and say, "it's broken." This was a pathetic display of sympathy seeking, if I ever say one. My brothers berated her for leaving it outside to rust. She said she had had it for 20 years and it came from the dump!

As the older sister and solver of problems, I decided I had to be the one to get the damn red wagon. I had been keeping my eyes open at tag sales since summer, but there didn't seem to be any around. Living in the country, I couldn't even figure where to begin looking for one. Wal-Mart didn't have one, Craigs's List didn't have one. There are no good toy stores nearby. A local garden center uses them, but doesn't sell them. Then M gave me a lead on one at the pharmacy, of all places.

The closer it came to Christmas, the more pathetic she got. "I hear the pharmacy has a wagon---" I told her they didn't, I had looked. (I had bought it!) I told her to get over it. My brothers and our friend M chipped in and I carried the box around in the back of my car so she wouldn't see it in my house.

Christmas eve, I decided not to put it together, so I could wrap it in the box. It fit perfectly in two pillowcases. We gave it to her after all the other gifts were opened. She got all cute and coy and said, "what could this be?" Then her eyes lit up like a toddler's as she saw it was her beloved Radio Flyer wagon. Priceless. David began putting it together on the living room floor. As he refused to read the directions, he made a couple of mistakes and had to take it apart and rebuild it. Mom was getting nervous-she came into the kitchen and had a cup of tea till it was over.

Now the wagon resides in her lower parlor, where the wood stove is. She has a cardboard liner in it to keep it nice. She shows it to everyone who comes in, saying, "see what my kids gave me for Christmas!" I don't think we'll ever have to get her another one!

My friend Trisha thinks she can salvage the old one and plant flowers in it. Mom says it's junk, and Trisha lights up and says, "I know." She is expert at reusing junk, much more adventurous at it than I am. It may live on.

Happy Trails!

A New Day, A New Year!

2010-01-01T20:01:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! We all say it over and over, but what does it mean? Is it like Happy Birthday, referring to a day? Or like have a great year? Should I wait and see if it will be a happy year? What if sad things happen? Can I still have a happy year?

In my younger years, I went with the flow-observing where I was going, but not sure if I influenced the flow too much. When I began practicing Buddhism and discovered the idea of cause and effect, I started to realize that I made my own flow by the causes I made. I became a person who decided to do something, then actually DID it. I eventually realized how that thinking puts me in the "driver's seat" of my own life. I'm writing the script, I can make it be what I want.

The next thing was to want something. I had to work my way out of complacency into a person who makes goals. It took me weeks to start writing down what I wanted, then I turned it into an art project I call a tag journal.

First I altered 5 tags with two different scrapbook papers. On the tops of one I wrote I AM:, on the next one- I LOVE:, then continued with I DREAM OF:, I WANT: and I NEED:. I had a nice fine-point marker, so it was fun to start the word association on I AM. I am cool, music lover, artistic, gray haired, etc. You get the picture! I took me a few days to complete the tags, as I really opened my mind and started a dialog with myself. By the time I got to the I Need tag, I knew what my goals were.

Next, I made a large tag out of chipboard and altered it with nice scrapbook papers. (it is about 10" by 18") I put a picture of me on it and some pertinent quotes and journaling. I made two rows of pockets to put my tags in, so the tops show. I hang that one on the wall. It has accumulated a few other tags over the years.

Finally, I altered a small Tag Journal with the same papers as the large tag, and filled it with meaningful quotes and pictures of me. Many old ones (when I was cute) and newer ones, even though I didn't like my looks. I stamped and wrote on the front. I made a pocket at the back for my tags to reside and hung fibers from the tag holes. This is the portable version!

I did that project 5 years ago, and in those years, I have accomplished many of those goals. When I slip back into complacency, which is apt to happen in the dark of winter or when sad things happen, I look back at my tag journal and refresh my goals. I never want to forget what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it. My art has progressed a lot in 5 years, and I know I will continue to advance. So Happy New Year to me means--Create a happy life!

A Week Off

2009-12-28T22:09:00.006-05:00

Anticlimax! There was the big rush to get the office newsletter out, then the Annual Appeal, then the big rush to do 3 craft fairs, then the big rush to Christmas-3 days of parties.........Squeal to a halt!

Now I have the week off. I have spent Monday sitting with a good book and overeating. The dishes are waiting to be washed, as is the laundry. I've spent hours looking at lovely blogs and artwork that I love, trying to get motivated to do something of my own. As I said today on my facebook wall, "unstructured time is great, if you add some structure to it!"

Even though Christmas is past, I'm making some ornaments for Aunt E. They are called Ghosts of Christmas Past. I print sepia pictures onto transparencies, cut out, add a touch of glitter and insert them into clear glass ornaments. Then I decorate the tops with ribbons and flowers or leaves. This year I did some custom ones with family photos. That's what I'm working on this week for Aunt E. Some photos work better than others-the pictured ones are B&W, but I like the sepia prints too. I can turn any picture into a sepia print, but if they are not sharp with lots of contrast they don't show up well. Unfortunately, I am running out of glass ornaments in this size, and Michael's is out of stock! Later, y'all...

Create a Happy New Year!

To Grandmother's House

2009-12-23T23:00:00.004-05:00

When I was growing up, we lived next door to my grandparents. They had an old shingle house with a formal parlor in it. It was a magical place. In the summer it was cool and private, and I was allowed to go in there and read all I wanted. The shelves were filled with flowered poetry books, boys adventure stories and other wonderful things. There were two closets, one on either side of the fireplace. In one there was a Civil War uniform. I vaguely remember faded flowered wallpaper over white painted wainscotting and the fireplace wall was all white paneled. There was a tinder box and a bed warmer on the hearth. The furniture was victorian and dainty and pretty. There was a piano-out of tune, but pretty too-did it have flowers carved into it? On one wall was a picture of a boy in a straw hat, by Thomas Sully. The floor was worn wide boards with rugs on it.

Christmas eves my grandparents had a party in the parlor, with a tree and sweets hand made by grandma. Mom played carols on the piano and we all sang. The fire crackled and we opened hand-made gifts wrapped in old ironed paper and ribbons. That was my job, to iron the ribbons and paper. We made popcorn garlands. Grandma made potato divinity and stuffed dates. I don't remember having a whole meal, though if we did, we ate it in the dining room. Grandpa twinkled and told stories, and the uncles teased us all. That's filed away in my memory for ever.

I haven't been in the parlor since 1974, just before I moved to Colorado for 20 years. Now it is out of my realm--other family members live there--but I have my memory. They say long-term memory is the longest lasting...I have my own traditions now, and I hope that I retain the spirit of those long ago Christmases. I glean gifts from around the house or make my own. I reuse paper and gift bags. I don't iron anymore, though!

I hope you all have a lovely holiday season. Stay warm and cozy!

Interconnection

2009-12-20T21:00:00.009-05:00

Sunday night--As a new blogger, new facebook user and active emailer, I find that it is an effort to keep up. But I love this blog. Hope to get more followers and be more active on it. I'm planning next week's slide show. Maybe parts of my dream trip last spring. That should warm us all up.

I rode to Providence last night to pick up Paul W, who had been trying to get to Bradley, had had flights cancelled out from under him for 36 hours. Jim drove and I navigated. We knew a major storm was coming in from the south and we got all the way to Providence before we saw the first flakes. After going to the airport and picking up Paul, we dragged that blizzard all the way back to Worcester! Jim was our hero driving in white-out conditions. I don't know how much snow they got in R.I., but we were glad to get out! Before we hit Springfield the road was dry and there were only flurries. We never did get any up here in the hills of Western Mass THIS TIME! Welcome Paul!

Keeping it simple this Christmas-small or home-made gifts, a hot chili dinner Thursday night and to Mom's Christmas day for a more traditional dinner. Then we can all set our weight loss goals for the new year! Happy Holidays to you all

Dave'sTeepee Raising

2009-12-17T22:09:00.006-05:00

In September, my brother Dave's teepee was finally ready to set up. He had worked on it for the two previous years, making the pattern, cutting and stitching the canvas, working on all the details. He got a commercial sewing machine and converted his cabin into a tent-making factory. He invited Mom and me and my friend Tamara up to watch the set-up one sunny September day. Then we had a potluck/ceremony inside the teepee. It was fun and serious at the same time. I took 109 pictures of the event, which are attached as a slide show. If you want to see them bigger and faster, click on the picture, it takes you into the Picassa program and lets you do that.

Dave is honored to be a Firekeeper for many Native American ceremonies. He is 1/64th Native American himself. He travels around with a shaman from South America when he can. His teepee is for holding ceremonies. It is about 32 feet in diameter. The canvas weighs 250 lbs., not including the poles.

Technical difficulties...

2009-12-15T13:03:00.003-05:00

I have had major technical difficulties with my computer, which should be resolved after today, so the slide shows and further postings have been on hold. This weekend should bring out my creativity. I will do a slideshow of brother Dave's teepee raising, to start with--then, who knows? Hanging in there...Sherry

Winter Blanket

2009-12-09T17:31:00.003-05:00

Today ushered in the first real snowstorm in our area, blanketing us with 8-12 inches of wet white stuff. I already miss color! I know people miss the light in the winter, but for me it is color. I need to surround myself with lots of color to keep a positive spin throughout the black and white season. I have purple sofa & loveseat, light green walls and lots of turquoise in the living room. My kitchen is red, yellow and white, retro style. I have always loved to wear bright colors, they make me happier!

What's it all about if we don't strive for happiness? I started really striving for it, not waiting for it, 5 years ago when my Dad died. After heart surgery and many strokes, he lost the struggle, and I began mine. I realized that I wanted to live better and healthier, so his issues would not be mine. I got off antidepressants, had lap band surgery, lost weight, adjusted my diet to a more healthy one. My Buddhist practice really helped! I guess I needed to get inside and really examine myself, to find out what makes me happy. I know I'm the one who controls my mind-nobody else can do it for me. So I started with small things--the light bright green walls, purchasing music I love, getting my brows waxed~it all contributes to a better life condition!

So, as the snow turns to rain and makes our white blanket a soggy mass, I will turn up the music and neaten up the red, yellow and white kitchen before tucking into a good book (this one about pioneer women). Stay Warm! Sherry

Progress!

2009-12-08T12:38:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to say Hello and please check out my first slide show. This is one way to have a picture album for you to see. If you click on the pictures it will take you to Picasa and you can view them enlarged. After I get my Imac back on line, I will post pictures of the Dream Trip, as promised, and I'll also add some pictures of my current art work. Have a nice day!
Sherry

Craft fairs, revisited

2009-12-07T12:57:00.002-05:00

Here it is Dec. 7th already. I did my third craft fair this weekend, and I've decided to severely limit my craft fairs in the future. In this fair, our setup was on the second floor (up 30 stairs) of an old town hall, cold, no tables, etc. It was a town wide event with lots of advertising. I made a modest amount, but when the commission comes out of it, it will be pretty piddling. I enjoyed the networking with other crafters, but it was really too much work hauling tables up and down the stairs. The second day we got heat. Then I needed a crew, my brother and niece, to help me get it all back downstairs. Etsy, here I come! So I will work on developing my blog and starting an on-line store. Yippee, I have a plan.

Tonight I hope to be able to set up a picture gallery or a slide show for viewing.
Later....
Sherry