Quote for the Week... or a Lifetime

"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty."

..... Albert Einstein (now there's a smart man!)

Not A Wordless Wednesday

I will never understand how some folks live without pets in their lives. Animals bring such wonderful companionship, warmth, joy, and comfort, and I have been blessed to experience this for all the years I have been on this planet. When I was young, we had cats. As I became an adult, I had my own cats, but I also brought dogs into my home. As my human children came along, we had pet hamsters, rats, and guinea pigs too. Here are the current members of our family.

The Queen, our oldest pack member... Abby

The Other Queen, our 2nd oldest pack member... Scout

My Handsome Prince, and the newest pack member... Foster

The Sweetest Princess, also fairly new to the pack... Cooper

My Grandpuppy Princess, a true delight... Empi

And my part-time puppies, the ones I dog-sit for on occasion... Sophie, Lexi, Carla

And such good friends they are...





Until next time, share a smile, kiss the ones you love, and let sleeping dogs lie.

Mini Watercolors

I have always loved the ethereal, dreamy look of watercolor but haven't really worked in this medium much, only a brief foray into it during college art classes. But I'd been asked to donate some work to benefit an animal charity, so I thought I might sit down with some watercolor paper and paints and see what I could come up with. My first attempts were not so good and went straight into the trash, but I stuck with it and feel that each new little painting is getting better... or at least I don't feel like throwing them out!

These are all miniatures, anywhere between 3 and 4 inches in either dimension... they could be framed, used as a magnet on your fridge, placed beside your computer monitor or on your mirror for a cheerful little reminder of the natural world, slipped into a Christmas stocking, or used as a special gift tag on that very special holiday gift. And they are priced right! As always, they are inspired by the elements of nature around me. Several have been listed in my Etsy shop; just follow the link to check it out.

Chatty Titmouse

Autumn Dusk

Funky Chicken
Lakeside in Summer

Little Bluebird
Goldfinch and Flower
BlueJay Baby

WoodThrush
Heron at Water's Edge
The Hills Are Alive
Scarlet Tanager
Some of the watercolors for the animal charity project

Dogs, Dogs, and More Dogs

This past weekend was crammed full of activities around these parts... dinner parties, brunches, family visits, graduation, and not least... Woofstock which took place on Saturday.

Woofstock was a fundraiser for the Forsyth County Humane Society and it was the kickoff for Art Unleashed, the project for which I painted the fiberglass cat form which became Scout in the Garden. All these dog and cat sculptures had their debut on Saturday, and wow! They were all beautiful and so very different. Here are some photos of the forms, the first includes Scout sitting between two very precious puppies.




I was happy to discover that Scout was featured in the Art Unleashed brochure! Also, each artist learned where his or her animal form would spend the summer before the exciting auction party in September. Scout in the Garden will spend her summer months at Associated Artists, which is the artist organization to which I belong. I was thrilled to learn that bit of news. That means I'll get to see Scout a couple times during the next few months!

Woofstock took place from 1:00 - 10:00 pm and there were many wonderful musicians who provided great music and entertainment throughout the day.

There were also animal-oriented booths such as artists whose work features animals, animal-rights booths, booths who sold animal treats and services, and booths who wanted to make the public aware of various local laws regarding animals. The Humane Society had a few of their adoptable animals on site, and making a big splash was the doggie pool! Sometimes there were two and three dogs in there, and sometimes just one while others patiently waited their turn at the edge.

There were dogs of all kinds and sizes everywhere, so for us dog-lovers, we were in heaven! Woofstock was a fabulous event for all who attended, it was well run, and I hope that it made lots of money for the Humane Society, a very wonderful organization run by wonderful folks who care immensely for the dogs and cats who find their way there, looking for a forever home.

Rocks, Birds, Bottles and Whatnots

A couple of days ago, I was featured in an interview on the EtsyProjectEmbrace blog. One of the questions had to do with things I collect. My answer was rocks, bones, and feathers. And it's true... I have many of these things in my house. So this morning, I decided to take a few pictures, and then I realized that there are other things I collect. So I'm sharing some of these things with you today.

Here are a couple of the rock groupings that live on my shelves and windowsills...


Here are my glass balls hanging above the window by our dining table which looks over the side yard and towards Moore's Wall, part of the nearby mountain range...

Here are some of my vintage bottles on my kitchen windowsill which looks out onto our front yard...

Here are a few of my favorite ceramic plates... love the colors and yes, I have a thing for barnyard animals. These live on a shelf above our fridge...

And these pitchers sit atop an antique shelf and mirror that my dad and step-mom gave us. The taller pitcher is from Finland, the ancestral home of my mother, and the little pig teapot was given to me by my sister... it isn't valuable, but I love it nonetheless...

Love and Commitment

For several days now my husband and I have been consumed with the health issues of our 5 1/2 year old dog, Bruschi. We haven't had much sleep and have been at wit's end with strange behaviors, constant pacing, and other such things. Bruschi's been having seizures since October of 2008, and last August he had his first cluster seizure... meaning more than one in a short period of time. He's had a few of those since then, and he can't seem to go more than three weeks without having at least one seizure. The meds he's been on have been very, very hard on him. He stays fairly stoned, which is something I was strongly opposed to last August when we had such a very long and stress-filled day with those 6 seizures in several hours. We do not like seeing our wonderful dog in such a state, unable to get up without flailing and struggling or without help, walking into things, falling down. Which is worse... that type of condition or the seizures? In my mind one is as bad as the other.

We have ordered online a new medicine recommended by our vet, but it seems to be taking forever to get here. So today we will pick a local ten-day supply, at a much much higher cost, in hopes that this medicine will help control the seizures without the other side effects. Research shows that it has a 70% success rate, but each dog is different, so we can only keep our fingers crossed and send up prayers that this will work for our dog. We know that something has to give. We do not believe that Bruschi is living a happy dog life right now and interaction with him is not the same as it used to be. He looks frustrated and confused, and can you blame him? He must somehow understand that he is not the dog he used to be. I have always said that I will not live my life on medicines that keep me from functioning and being who I am, and I surely don't want my dog living that way.

So we will try this new drug for a couple weeks, watching closely for improvements and hoping for the best. If you don't see me online much during that time, you will know why, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

MY DESIGN WAS CHOSEN!

Yippee!! Time to celebrate! I posted back in September about the Art Unleashed fundraiser to benefit the Forsyth Humane Society. Click here to see that original post and find out about the fundraiser. I'd entered two designs this time around, and I just learned that one of them was chosen! They picked Scout in the Garden, and I am so excited! The design was based on my cat, who likes to lie around in the garden when I am working the dirt and weeding and planting, and on the flowers I grow and the scenery around my home. For the last fundraiser in 2008, I'd painted a dog sculpture, so this time it will be fun to do a cat... they are not quite as big either!

Here's the design I submitted and what I will follow once I pick up my form.



Forms and bases should be ready for pick-up in early January, so once the holidays are over, I'll be busy with this project. Stay tuned... I'll post images and descriptions as Scout in the Garden develops.

World Vegetarian Day... today!

Today is a celebration of ALL life in the sense that it is World Vegetarian Day... a chance to recognize the importance of animals in our lives and to acknowledge a healthy diet without the consumption of meat or animal products.

Learn more about this special day by visiting the EtsyVeg blog where you can find recipes, sales and promotional events by team members, and more!

A Thousand Invisible Threads

This 24 x 48 original oil painting is currently hanging in my home. It's listed on my website, but for now it is gracing my walls with beautiful color on these dark, dreary, grey days we've been having. I love its quilted look of vibrant squares, and I added my favorite quotes within it to make my statement of the connection of ALL life, of the value of respect, of the importance of each creature and being on this planet.

The quotes are:
"We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." ~Herman Melville

"When on tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world." ~John Muir

"Walk in harmony with the universe." ~Native American quote