Wishing You a Fabulous Full Moon Friday!

"You have to be able to appreciate these things.

How many people can say it was a full moon

last night and appreciate it?" ~ Sandy Miller  

"If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK.

But you've got to shoot for something.

A lot of people don't even shoot." ~ Confucious

 "Aim for the moon. If you miss,

you may hit a star." ~ W. Clemont Stone

"Promises are like the full moon,

if they are not kept at once,

they diminish day by day. "

~ German Proverb

"May you have warm words on a cold evening,

a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road

all the way to your door."

~ Irish Blessing

Have an enjoyable evening and a great holiday weekend!

♥

"Summer ends, and Autumn comes,

and he who would have it otherwise

would have high tide always and a

full moon every night."

~ Hal Borland

Summer Sunflowers

Spellbinding Sunflowers
5.5 x 7.5" - transparent watercolor on 140lb Arches paper, matted to 8 x 10"

Today's painting was done from an anniversary bouquet that I received last Thursday. Sunflowers don't ever seem to last very long for me, so this time I took some photos before they got too droopy. As you can see, artistic license was taken with the colors. Compensating for the wilt and just going with the flow, I strived to infuse them with a cheerful vitality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Question of the day:

Are you ready for Fall?

If not, get in the mood!

See this week's FREE  

Halloween Coloring Pages and a 

witchy watercolor on Sketching Everyday.

Supervisor #1

On the home front -

The kittens are growing up fast and getting very

 comfortable with their studio cat positions.

Supervisor #2

They are both such a big help with production and quality control.

I don't know what I ever did without them!

"Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back and realize

they were the big things." ~ Robert Brault

♥

 

Butterfly Bliss and Hummingbird Magic

Butterfly Bliss
See painting price and specifications here.

Hummingbird Magic
See painting price and specifications here.

These hummingbird and butterfly sketches were traced

onto synthetic, nonabsorbent Yupo paper with a black pencil

then painted in transparent watercolor.

The Butterfly Bushes have been attracting some interesting species lately and I estimate that we have around 100 hummingbirds here now. We go through a gallon and a half of nectar everyday. A lot of time is spent caring for the hummingbirds, watering their flowers, making nectar, filling and cleaning feeders. There are also plenty of sweet, soothing, quiet times though. It's a relaxing meditation; watching them and listening, just enjoying their presence and entertaining aerial displays. The male hummingbirds will be leaving us soon and the females and youngsters are starting to pair up and go into training for their biannual migration. They are such magical creatures; it is no wonder that they symbolize happiness, love and joy! Do you have butterflies and hummingbirds where you live? What types do you see?

♥

Is It Too Early to Decorate for Halloween?

The summer is winding down here. Temperatures have been going down into the fifties at night! Horse balnkies were sent out for cleaning this morning. Our resident woodchuck is a tank and the hummingbirds are starting to go into training for their annual migration.

Fall is in the air.

It's the time of year when you start to want to bake

and be in the warmth and comfort of your kitchen.

I've been following a blog by an amazing woman at OctoberFarm.

I don't even know her name, but the recipes are A M A Z I N G !

This Best Pecan Shortbread Bar

recipe was tried here yesterday.

Very good, but a little over cooked, 

I'll adjust my time the next time.

Have you started decorating for Halloween yet?

I have.

Decorations are popping up everywhere.

Inside

and out!

It's a time of transition.

And now there's something to remind me

to stop, live in the moment

and savor the change

that is all life.

"To be interested in the changing seasons

is a happier state of mind than to be

hopelessly in love with spring."

~ George Santayana

♥

So, do you think that August 18th

is too early to start decorating for Halloween?

When do you start?

Life is But a Dream

"The Chicken's Dream" After Pablo Picasso

Row, row, row your boat,

gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

life is but a dream.

The Traveling Chicken
project has come to an end for me.

Wrapping it up, here's the final post and
some photos of highlights of their visit.

The Red Rooster and His Little Chickita

The Red Rooster flew in from California

and surprised the troupe on Saturday.

He came with orders to gather the flock

and move along to their next destination.

TC and he were overjoyed at their reunion!

They told me they wanted so badly to get married.

The Chicken's Dream wedding was performed here on Sunday.

I know the local justice of the peace,

so a simple ceremony was arranged

and performed here on Sunday.

The New Mr. and Mrs. Red

The newlyweds are anxious
to settle down and start a family.

The chickens visited some of their country cousins.

The Little Traveling Chicken and her troupe
were sent on their way on Tuesday, but on Monday,

we had time to relax and visit some of the locals.

The Chickens enjoyed popcorn on the deck.

Regardless of their many cultural and physical differences,

birds of a feather, really do flock together!

The Chickens all had a blast.

All in all, the time went by way too fast.

I'm going to miss The Traveling Chicken.
 She and her friends made quite an impression on me.
I'm sure I'll continue to see them in my dreams.

Have you ever participated in an online project like this one?
I'd love to hear your feedback!

Have a great weekend
and stay inspired!

My Famous Guests Have Arrived!

The Little Traveling Chicken

and friends got here last night!

Today she wanted to relax and enjoy some down time.

"When I am in the country,

 I wish to vegetate like the country."  ~ William Hazlitt

Everyone went outside with me. They were

immediately drawn to the Hens and Chicks. I was

thrilled when they asked me to take their pictures.

Little Chick's manager / boyfriend seems very nice.

I was disappointed that her bodyguard didn't come!

I need to get the full story about that.

When I do, I'll report back.

Here's her sweet momma and two little siblings.

They spent most of the afternoon outdoors, unwinding

and soaking up the peace and quiet of the country.

Later, the kittens; Opie and Cutie Pye,

wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

I told them they could meet TC

if they promised to be gentle.

They promised and they were.

After a few gentle pokes

and sniffs, they were done.

Unimpressed, the kitties ran off

to play with their toys.

TC and the troupe were then introduced to

some of the smaller members of our household.

They seemed thrilled to meet some folks their size!

I can tell it's going to be a wonderful visit. 

Everyone is getting along famously!

Check out the 

Traveling Chicken Blog

And see a snapshot of them

relaxing and shooting the breeze here today.

Keep Smiling!

☺

The Summer is Speeding By

Calico Kitten - 5.5 x 7.5" - Watercolor on Yupo paper, matted to 8 x 10" 

I did this painting today from one of the sketches of my little calico

girl that I recently posted on SketchingEveryday here. 

The kids take a nap after a hard morning of playing in the studio.

It has been one month today since we started catching the babies. They are growing like weeds and have more than doubled in size! 

We caught their mother, Ja Ja, and had her spayed on Tuesday. YAY! We are keeping her in a cage in the barn while she recuperates. She is really sweet for a feral and we are hoping to tame her even more before releasing her.

Me (L) and blogging friend, Robin Larkspur(R).

Here's a snapshot of my good friend, Robin.

I am so glad we got to meet and spend some time together in person!  

My Princess Cutie Pye with Robin's Pyewacket and Pixie.

Robin's blog, PurrrrSnicKitty, is humorous and fun to read.

Her spunky Little Miss Pixie has already been busy

creating amusing games.

Golfinch on the new rocking chair feeder.

I've been trying to get a photo of this cute bird feeder that Robin and her hubby gave to Jerry when they visited. It looks so sweet when the Goldfinches use it. Unfortunately, the Doves now like it too and tend to hog it.  I'll have to settle for this poor shot through the window for now. At least you get the idea.

My Mom and Dad posing in font of the studio.

My folks were here visiting for a week on their way up to Michigan with their motorhome. They left yesterday morning. I miss them already. It seems so quiet here now.

I've got more company on the way though! And the guests are coming all the way from California. One of them is actually a celebrity and is touring the world! I'll be letting the cat out of the bag tomorrow on my Sketching Everyday blog.

☺

Thanks for reading!

As always, I look forward to receiving your emails and comments.

 

♥