New Blog Banner

Ack!  After taking the time to put together a new blog banner, and fighting with Google Chrome to post it, it turns out blurry.  I have no idea why.  Grrrrr.  This blogging business is more challenging that I really appreciate.

Messy Work Table

This is Mr. Jingles.  He is in my way.  Notice that he is lying on top of the pile of ..... stuff..... on my work table.  There are sharp pointy things in there!  The whole left side of the table is open cuz that's where the piece I'm stitching goes, but he has to lie on top of the scissors, pins. rulers, paint, paper towels, paint brushes etc.  Visualize me working while battling cat hair, and wiggly tails.  Searching blindly under the cat for my thimble.  Sigh.  And yet, I wouldn't kick him out for the world.  My cats keep me company and it makes me happy that they want to be with me.

He had his photo op and is taking a well deserved rest now.  Slug.

This is Naja.  After Jingles left, and I had added a nice crinkly sack to the table top, (cuz there wasn't enough junk on there yet), she had to get in on the action.  Now, its summertime, and its been really hot, so these little monsters are shedding like mad.  I constantly have to fish cat hair out of my contact lenses.  I keep lint roller handy to get the cat hair off my artwork.  But she was so sweet, all squirmy and purring.  After a short while she left.  But.....

As soon as I got to work again, Harry had to come say hi.  He is a 20 pound monster of a cat and my work table is his favorite place to sleep.  Whatever I'm working on was obviously designed to be his bed.  Duh!  But laying there quietly wasn't enough.  He tromped around on the pile of stuff for a few minutes and then decided he needed a cuddle.

How could I say no?  Taking a picture of him with my right hand while he is lying on my left arm was a challenge!  No artist working in solitude, with pets, could ever be lonely.

Yard Art

 These are some pictures of the art my husband makes in our yard.  The flamingos live in the front yard.  They are a miss matched bunch, including one rather diseased looking fellow that some previous owner tried to paint purple.  My husband has moved them around over the years, putting them in various poses, including hanging out of the pine tree.  At Christmas he hangs little wreaths around their necks.  The day he added the wind spinner to the mix the little girl next door came over and started "riding" the flamingos.  It was the cutest thing.  She had no idea we were watching her so we got a perfect performance.

Keith has hung about 20 of those twisted plastic wind spinner doohickies in our plum tree out back.  They sparkle in the breeze and make a little jeweled garden.  It was so pretty when the plum was in bloom. The tulips were in bloom when I took these pictures, which was a nice little touch.  The gazing ball below is sitting in the center of a smaller plum tree that Keith has coaxed into growing in a round bower like shape.  I think the yellow dandelions add a pretty bit of contrast!

The little guys below are made of mini bowling pins and plastic half balls .  They spin in the wind and are so cheerful! Jaunty even!  Most of the spinners he makes hang from tree branches but I just loved these little garden stake spinners.  He was going to make about 50 of them and make patterns in the lawn but we were afraid someone would come along and steal them.  We had someone steal two of our flamingos once.  So sad.

Keith makes all this stuff out of plastic toys, dishes, and bicycle parts that he finds at thrift stores.  Its a great way to recycle, although it is also a dangerous hobby.  He collects more stuff that he will ever use!  I think he ought to sell them but so far its a no-go.  At least I get to enjoy them!