booooooooo.....

New slippers ... 

That glow in the dark!!!

Charlie was a dinosaur briefly...

RoarYawnArrrrrr

Although the eyes have more of a Grinch look to them.

too early on a Saturday...

 Sleep is soon upon me, but I wanted to share some fall leaves and critters ...

This is a meadow vole.  He has a little burrow
there under the leaves, and I later took the pewter
dish in the photo below and turned it 
upside down over his burrow to protect him from
the rain and other weather.

a chipmunk with very stuffed cheeks

Resident squirrel

My list of wildlife in the back yard continues to grow:

• Black bear
• Groundhog
• Possum
• Raccoon
• Squirrel
• Chipmunk
• Black Snake
• Meadow Vole

And at least six different cats.  

I have quite the corner for all the neighbor cat-gossip.

Sleep well .... Ci💚

the ramblings of my mind ...

 ... on a drive through town.

No pictures this weekend.  I'm trying to stay focused on getting my office unpacked and organized.  But I did have to go two towns over to get some cat & dog treats, bird food, and other items that were NOT on my list.

It is not a long drive, maybe 15 minutes, but my mind usually gets there a lot sooner than the car and my body does.  Random thoughts racing much faster than the speed limit.

There are things I would love to stop and take pictures of, but that would put my life and freedom at risk, and the lives of other drivers.  So, pulling over on the highway to hop out of my car and run up the shoulder of the road to snap a quick photo won't ever happen.

I also don't play the radio; it can add to the distraction of my thoughts.  But this video clip shows some of the scenery on the drive between the three towns.

Leaving home, there is a field that is only seen if you are traveling west bound.  It is a huge hay field, and in the center of it is an old barn, against a backdrop of mountains.  This time of year, it is especially beautiful with the trees beginning their fall color changes.

On the return trip, there is a mountain cliff quite close to the highway going east.  In the rock wall, I sometimes see a craggy old man face that on some days reminds me of a Native American medicine man, and on other days of Paul Revere or Scrooge.  It's not a carved face, but just the natural stone that place tricks with the shadows.  Although I do confess to having quite the imagination.

Today I was thinking about a reel I saw yesterday on Instagram where a young man said something quite profound. [link>]  He said that worrying is like worshipping the problem.  When you spend time focusing on whatever worries you, whatever problems you have, you give it energy.  Power.   I wasted so much time in my life worrying about how to make someone else happy that I forgot how to make myself happy.  That was a rude eye-opener before coffee this morning.

I've resolved to do better, to be better for myself, and to lift up the people I know and love who sometimes seem to be struggling with their shadows.  I want them to know that I see them.  I want to know that I hear them, and I want to stand with them in the light.

          This is for you ... Hugs, Ci 💚

catching up ...

  This was my acrylic pens redo from a weekend or so ago.  I don't like the reflection of the flash on the plastic in the frame, but it was the only way to get the colors to pop and show what they really look like.  I guess I could photograph it out of the frame, but that would involve too much thinking on my part at present.

  I do like the acrylic pens much better than the others I was trying to work with at the class.  These do not require shaking or priming, so there is less chance of a huge splat of paint where I didn't want it.  And they are double ended with a thick end and a thin end.  The others you needed to pull out the nib and flip it, which I already had visions of me getting paint all over my hands, face, clothes, etc., etc., etc.  If there is a way for me to make something messy, I will find it.

  I was going to try to salvage my original canvas with mixed media/textiles on the original background, but that didn't work out as planned.  The bag of chenille yarn fell into a water bowl and got soaking wet, and without fully thinking it through I just tossed all the skeins into the dryer.  When the dryer stopped, instead of having five dry skeins of chenille yarn... I had a massive knot of five different colors.  At least it all came from the dollar store and wasn't a massive investment to put in the trash.

Source: allaboutbirds.org

  I did put out some bird seed in advance of temperatures dropping drastically and was rewarded with a new bird for my life list.  The [link>] Black-throated Blue Warbler!

  Stay warm ... or cool if this is your summer in the Southern ...

                         Hugs.... Ci 💚

weekend ...

 The craft class I attended on Saturday was interesting.  My project was a huge failure (in my opinion anyway), and I'm not sure I have the patience for the technique.  At least on canvas that has been painted already with acrylic paint.  I kept running into problems with the pens getting gunked up with color transfer from the base layer.  That made the pens frustrating to work with because my subject matter ~ male and female Io moths ~ required several layers of color to make them the brilliant yellow that they have on their wings.

  I've ordered some acrylic paint pens and scrapbook paper that looks like the original base paint layer (see the grass under the ladybug).  I'm going to try it again on a less fussy surface.  AND try to practice patience and mindfulness so that I'm not rushing to get it finished.  I think if I'd not left Charlie home alone, or had other plans later that evening, I would have been content to take the time there to let each layer dry completely.  

  Patience is a virtue.  Just not mine.

   Yesterday I mowed the yard, marveled at a Gerber daisy, and decorated my October tree.  The latter two came after I realized I had pushed myself too hard.  I am nothing if not stubborn.   Hopefully, it will be the last time I need to mow this year.

   A new hurricane is barreling down on the western shores of Florida again.  Tis the season...

... be safe, don't be stubborn ... Ci💚

sunday ...

 ... was a no sun day.  Storm Helene is bouncing back again with rain over the next several days.  She added a leak in my roof that has caused two leaks/holes in my living room ceiling.  Oh, the joys of home ownership!

  Saturday morning, I took a new class here locally at the [link>] Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center. Painting on feathers taught by [link>] Ron Navroski.

  The snowy owl is on a turkey feather, and the palm tree (our practice one) is on a cockatoo feather.

  He also taught a later class, painting the snowy owl on a piece of slate, that I did not attend.

  One of the things that attracted me to move here is the art community.  There is also the [link>] Clifton Forge School of the Arts.

  Friday after work, I finished this project.  I saw something similar but was not able to master the technique so I kinda sorta cheated with a stencil.

  Then I finished this project Saturday night (insomnia again).  It was something I've been wanting to do for a while, but writing on birch bark is easier said than done.

  I finally gave up and just printed the poem on paper.  It's one of my new favorites.

  Wishing you sunny days ... Hugs, Ci 💚