Cristoff in the Rotten Wood

 I ran into Cristoff this morning gathering herbs in the Rotten Wood. He was delighted when I asked if I could take his picture. At fist he wanted to pose but I told him to just act natural.

The Mushroom That Blooms in the Rockpile...

...is the most beautiful mushroom of all.
The sun is coming back out today and there are lots of interesting things going on in the woods.
Some wild ginger..

A new gardenia for fall. A tree actually fell on this bush a few months ago but it is coming back nicely.

Wild Morning Glories.

And another mushroom, this one is very stealthy!

Stop....Hammock Time!

So we had a regular woven hammock out in the woods but then the last big storm that came through dropped a tree on it. Needless to say, it was ruined. On a recent trip to Lowes I discovered that their hammocks were on sale and I was able to pick up this baby for half price! It is the bee's knee's! Super soft and comfy. I decided to hang it under the deck this time where it will stay nice and dry.

Isobel in the Garden

Isobel is one of the first dolls I made. She is sculpted from paper clay over a foil base. She enjoys visiting the garden on cloudy days because bright sun is just not good for her pail skin.

The Lemon Balm is lovely!

The lilacs smell heavenly!

Doggy Farts Warm My Heart

Well, it's been a while but I'm back. I have a new puppy, he's 9 months old and I've had him for about 3 months now. Needless to say, I've been very busy training him and molding him into the perfect dog. So far so good. His name is Drexel and he's pretty DARN CUTE:



His personality is totally different from my other dog, or, as I like to call him, "my old man baby":

Tony is 12 years old and still going strong, feisty as ever! They didn't get along so well at first; Tony has been our only dog for 10 years and he wasn't too happy to give it up. I think I interfered a little too much in the beginning, trying to make everything 'fair', but that's not really how it works in the canine world. After a pretty bad scuffle that left Tony with a few ugly puncture wounds, I decided to rethink my approach. I kept them separated for a few days then took them on some adventures together in the woods. I also decided not to intervene when Tony growled at Drexel because it seemed to encourage Drexel to become aggressive. I also started taking them to the dog park to give both of the boys some much needed socialization.
The plan has worked wonderfully and I am happy to report that they are getting along much better now:


Peace has been restored!

Masks

Two little mask paintings, just for fun!

Sketchbook Project Finished!

Hooray!! I finished my sketchbook and I mailed it of to NYC yesterday. If The Sketchbook Project is coming to your area this spring (you can see the tour dates on their website) please go and check it out! Now I am ready to move on to other projects, like doing some original paintings for my Etsy shop, coming soon!