What Goes On

Around here, what's been going on is wonderful weather. We've had many days of sunny skies and temps in the mid to upper 60s, even reaching 71 one day! You know I have been loving it, as have the daffodil shoots, and last night, I even saw some new irises springing up through the February ground. I found these lovely flowers and plants while I walked with my daughter in Old Salem yesterday!

I've been working on new paintings and new songs. I have a solo gig on March 5th in downtown Winston-Salem, so I'm seriously thinking about my set list and getting my new songs tightened up. When I'm not doing that, I'm either walking around the mountain or painting.

Here are some of my newer pieces. Most have been listed in my Etsy shop, so you can easily check them out by clicking on the link.

Several itty bitty miniatures... each of these has been framed in a mini bone or mother-of-pearl frame, averaging around a mere 2.5 inches in size. They are perfect for a little spot on a windowsill or bookshelf or bedside table.





A mixed media with oils, photography, and text, measuring 24 x 30 and also listed, as of today.... A Morning Song.

This white-throated sparrow is one of my favorite watercolors. It measures 5 x 7 and has been framed in a beautiful cobalt blue Italian made frame.

And lest you think that I only paint birds, here are a couple other newer watercolors to prove you wrong (though it is quite true that birds are my favorite subject of late!).



Until next time, enjoy the world of nature, listen for the birdsong, and hug the one you love!

One Fabulous Friday Date!

Earlier this week, my husband declared that we needed a date, so we set Friday as the time to take a drive into Virginia. We'd heard predictions of rain and storms for most of the week, but yesterday, we woke up to beautiful skies and warm temps... not too hot, just right! I left in the morning just before 10 for my singing gig with the old folks at the skilled nursing care facility nearby. Our dog Abby walked me to the door, and she looked so hopeful, as if she wanted to take a little trip with me. I've promised the old folks, and Abby, that I'd get the records of her shots from the vet so she can become a regular visitor. The old folks will enjoy it, and I think Abby will make a great pet therapy dog too... she'll love all the attention and pats!

When I returned home, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Abby behind again, so we put her water dish, a bottle of water, and her leash in the car, and she hopped right in, ready to go on our little trip across the state line. We headed up into Virginia to eat at a little cafe in Meadows of Dan. On the way we stopped at a couple places to check out the view and let Abby stretch her legs. The air was cooler up that way, though it was a hazy day at times.


We ate on the porch of the cafe so that Abby could have a clear view of us, and I could easily take a few steps to the car to give her some lunchtime treats off my plate. It worked out quite well, and she got to stroll through the yard beside the cafe before we got back in the car.

After lunch, we decided on the spur of the moment to visit Chateau Morrisette Winery which is only a few more miles from Meadows of Dan. We traveled the back country roads where we enjoyed many a field full of cows, wildfowers, and lots of summery green! And what a delight when we arrived at the winery! With the Blue Ridge Mountains as the background and long, rolling green fields and gardens at our feet, we strolled around the grounds with Abby on her leash and I took some photos of the sights.





This last photo is the gift shop, wine-tasting room, and location for the start of the winery tour. I'd already decided that I'd like to take home a bottle of white, so we put Abby back in the car and went into the shop. After looking around a bit, we figured we better do a wine tasting so I'd know what I wanted to buy. Five bucks a person... you can't beat that, and of course you get to keep the wine glass too. Our first glass was poured as we explained where we were from and that we had our dog in the car. "Well, bring her on in here! We're dog friendly!" said our server. John went out to the car as the woman explained that the staff's dogs are often found roaming the shop and the grounds. And yes, here came two sweet pups around several cases of wine! Abby was the perfect dog; she said hello to the other dogs and then sat at our feet or stretched out on the cool tile floor. And she even got some pats and tummy rubs from other folks in the shop.

So here's the perfect winery, we decided. Many of their labels are named for dogs, their "bundles" of wines are called Kennel Packs, and one of their wines, Independence, benefits a Service Dog charity. This is my kind of place, for sure! We decided right away that we'd return with some friends for lunch at the Chateau Morrisette Restaurant (I've already checked out the menu and they are vegetarian-friendly too!) and an afternoon on the grounds where we can bring our guitars and spend the time drinking wine and singing and enjoy the beauty of this location amid the Blue Ridge Mountains.

So yes, we picked out two bottles of wine and got back into the car, this time getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit where we saw some gorgeous fire azaleas. Here in the lower elevations, the azaleas finished blossoming about three weeks ago or more, but there were so many on the parkway.




So I'll leave you with these last two photos of our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains... enjoy! And have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Letting Go

In the quiet of the house, I hear the clock ticking away the minutes, see the dust and dog hair settled on the floor in the sunlight sneaking through the windows wintered with fine dirt. I know I should sweep, do some spring cleaning, but somehow, right now I can't. I hear the strong March winds, come a day or two too soon, and the chimes out in the trees, clanging and singing, a sound so familiar yet so far away. It's a reminder, a knowledge that the world is there. But it is not the same. I want to set things aright, there's a need and a desire both, but somehow I am frozen here at this table, a cup of coffee growing cold in my hand.

Life isn't fair, and death often cheats. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. This time we lost. Up on the hill beneath the grass that will one day be green again lies Bruschi, at 5 1/2, so young but oh so old after 18 months of seizures and medications took their toll on his beautiful body. He is not far from Amos, from BeeBee, from Gesso. They each have a flowering tree, but Bruschi will have blueberry bushes. When we used to walk through the yard, or when I went out in July to pick the berries, he loved to join me, and he ate his share off the branches, using that wonderful hound nose of his to seek out the ripest. I know that come harvest time, five months from now, I will still cry.

John dealt with his grief with a shovel in his hand, muscles straining to remove heavy loads of dirt enough to open a hole in the earth that would envelop our 95 pound baby. It took him several hours, a lot of water, and a shooter of whiskey to get through.

I simply could not participate in that. I had held Bruschi's head in my arms while he died, and I could not look at him again, motionless and still, on the cold February ground. So for once in my life, I was thankful for a dirty house and during those digging hours, I vacuumed, scrubbed the smell of seizures off the floors, washed dog bedding, rearranged furniture, some of which had been moved over the past months in light of Bruschi's condition, cleaned bathrooms and the kitchen, cleaned the winter off the windows.

And now, the house seems so quiet. Our morning routine has changed. So much focus and energy had been spent on Bruschi, and while there is a sense of relief, there is so much strangeness and lonesomeness about the house. It seems so empty. As John says, Bruschi was such a big presence and he could not be ignored. He is missed in so many ways.

Our Abby knows the emptiness of this one-dog house, and even on this sunny Sunday, she has chosen to stay in bed, sleeping the morning light away.

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.

Snow is a'falling

And somebody is very happy about it! Just look at that smile! Our grandpuppy Empi knows how to have a good time and enjoy the world around her.

Here is a photo of the sky on Thursday night. It was full of clouds and a pretty ring around the almost-full moon... according to the old wives, the sign of coming snow.

And come it did. It started last night around 8... small pinpoints of dry snow coming done in the moonlight. It covered the ground and was deepening by the time we turned out the lights around 11. This morning... there's about 8 inches on the ground and it has now turned into a wintry mix with snow and sleet. So it will be a good day to sit by the woodstove, enjoy a good book, maybe watch a movie, maybe play a game of Scrabble, eat popcorn and chocolate, and feel okay about not really doing anything at all. And oh yes... the chance to listen to the extreme quiet that always accompanies this kind of weather.

Fortunately, yesterday John split the oak that had been in the shed, so now our woodpile is larger and we're all set for the cold that we'll have for a few more days following this storm.

The front yard, looking towards Moore's Wall

Behind the house, up the hill... John's barn / knifemaking studio

And a few more photos of Empi checking everything out.


At 9:30, it's still a very dark morning. Tonight will be a full moon, and if the clouds have moved on by then, it should make for a very bright and magical night. Stay tuned!

Two New Members of the Household

Today we welcomed two new members to our household. Well, one is not so new, having been here plenty of times before. Empi, our grandpuppy, returned for a 5 or 6 week stay while her dad goes off to snowy Ohio and then to sunny Florida and then back to Ohio for photo shoots for his job. She is always welcome here; she's a fabulous little pup to have around, and our dogs accept her as one of their own... they are very gracious.

Our other new guest is a very large cat! She will become Scout in the Garden, a process that will take about 3 months before she is transferred to her summer home through the Art Unleashed Fundraiser for the Humane Society of Forsyth County. We picked her up this morning and loaded her in the car before heading off to Greensboro to pick up Empi.

Here she is in her bare white beginnings, standing like a sentinel on our table, where I most likely will paint her.

She is pretty darn big; her head is almost as big as mine! She stands 27 inches tall at her head, 32 inches at her tail, and is 29 inches long from head to tail... much bigger than my own Scout, and even bigger than Empi!!

Because of her size, I think she will remain in the house rather than my studio. She'd take up so much room there that my canvases might get squeezed out!

I don't think the cat forms are as nice as the dog forms, but they all improve when color is put over the white base. Scout will turn gracefully into a joyful cat as the weeks progress, adorned with a variety of colors and flowers. Stay tuned to watch her progress!

My First CD Arrives With Winter!

Here, winter arrived with a bang... but today, the first day of winter, it is sunny with a bright blue sky and blinding with the snow still on the ground. We made it through the weekend just fine since we got only snow, 9 or 10 inches, and no ice. We have not left the house yet, but we're planning to this afternoon - with a trip to the post office to mail a few packages and to do a little bit of shopping.

I listed my Homespun Girl CD on Etsy last night and have had one sale so far! Yay... what a wonderful surprise to wake to this morning! You can check it out by clicking here.

Here are a few snow photos for you to enjoy!

Still snowing when I woke up on Saturday morning...

Our house in the snow...

Front yard wonderland...

Our snow dog, Abby...

John's footprints up the hill to the mountain...

The woods...

Hope everyone has a spirited, festive, and fabulous holiday!