the 'joys' of organization

ha

have i ever mentioned i hate housework

really
i would rather muck a barn then pick up stuff off the floor or vacuum
i would also like to mention
that it's way overwhelming
especially the studio

now logic tells me that if i do it even one square INCH at a time eventually it will all be done

ha again

all i see is piles and piles and elephants and banannas

some folks have nightmares about scary movies etc
my worst nightmare appears to be cleaning and organizing the house

i know people who are BORN ORGANIZED
they don't get me
(that's ok i don't get them either, but i am rather tolerant of their defects)

they don't understand
1) how i can live this way
2) why i can't seem to ever really get it all done
3) why i can't just DO IT

i know part of my problem is lack of closets
lack of kitchen cabinets and lack of counter space
not to mention lack of workbench space right now in the studio

the other part of my problem is lack of the organizational gene it would appear

maybe i do have it
i do lists
i make plans and i can carry out some stuff
like if i have to can a years worth
i did the planning and then worked the plan

for some really warped reason however it doesn't appear to work for organization

or housework

i used to have a card written out, step by step how to clean the bathroom
and i followed it for YEARS

i bought all the organization books
i tried to follow them

somehow i think i am organizationally impared

or something

ok
so

i could use some help here

HELP

oye

vi

icecream

ok we got a new icecream maker
Hamilton Beach 68330R 4-Qu... $31.99
we got it from amazon with the free shipping

today we made the vanilla recipe in their book
it's similar to mine
it's a cooked recipe with eggies..... 6 eggies
but we got eggies you know...... we do we got eggies

i like this new machine, as it holds more then our old one
about double what our old one held

i will be tweeking the recipes

what i don't like about it is that you let it run until you hear strain on the motor
that worried me and bernie

but the icecream seems ok
it's in the freezer tempering now

(btw, you will be reading this in the morning......actually it's sunday night)

we did plain vanilla as bernie said 'let's try it first before you get creative'

so i am hoping to 'get creative'
every week
hahahahaha
i do so love my icecream you all know

now we had it churning on the deck but brought it in as it looked ( looks) like it's going to storm, and since it isn't even 7pm and it's BLACK out
i am assuming that those heavy dark clouds mean business

meanwhile i started to sort and label stuff in my studio
i am still not back to drawing ducks
but i did some halloween stuff
if i like them when all is finished, i am going to print them up and sell them on etsy
however in the meantime, until i can face ducks without cleo
and chickens without my marguerite.........it's halloween stuff and studio cleaning

oh and bernie's pitchforked foot appears to be healing

take good care you folks
vi

no rain?

are you sure?
better check twice..........

you know it's bad when slugs are climbing up the side of the house

colleen, my sister in law, said that before hurricane IKE hit galveston, the slugs were climbing up sides of buildings....her husband noticed it
they were up higher then he is tall and he's over 6 feet tall

now we got slugs up here

however the GOOD news is
the ducks only have to stick a bit of their beak in the very soft ground and they come up with a huge mouthful of worms

it makes them happy

happy ducks make me happy as well
it's like dominoes

so i guess it isn't all bad

bernie had to weed wack the weeds....... the lawnmower still isn't working
and besides the weeds were over my head
(ok so i am not very tall but still........)

today, in addition to ducks
i am going to make icecream
wish me luck

it makes a gallon at a time
hmmmmmmm
maybe cheesecake and mixed berry icecream???

i really got nothing to say

dead is all around

seems like that sometimes
truly death is all around
but we aren't usually that aware of it unless we are hospice workers,
soldiers,
morticians or goth
(or mass murderers, i suppose)

and all attempts at freezing time do not appear to work for very long

for taking a moment and saying 'this is perfect, let me stay here for a while'

i guess when we are in perfect moments, we feel they won't ever stop
isn't that part of the definition of perfect?

and now with the deaths of icons from the seventies, we all in our middle years
will admit our youth is gone

aging has always been surprising to me
i suppose with the arrogance of youth i felt that somehow i would not age
but at the same time, acting old
and feeling oh so old

the paradox of youth no?


i don't know about this summer, so far it's not a good one

something is biting me

i get these tiny little bumps
and they are sort of hard
if i scratch them
they pop!
and a tiny little hole is under them
that bleeds
it's a tiny drop of blood but it continues for a bit
and then they itch

now it is NOT CHIGGERS
we live up north
and there aren't any tunnels under the skin

but whatever it IS

it really really likes me

i am almost completely covered on my arms and now on my legs
and a bit on my torso

now maybe it's a good thing that this year my garden is non exhistant
as vicki called last night and told me that their garden is finished!
the rain did it in
the tomatoes all died of water logged wilts
(and they have elevated beds in the sun without trees within 200 feet of the garden)
the weeds in my garden are still doing well, in case anyone is interested
and we put a ton of manure all over the garden to help smother
next year it should be great huh?
i needed great this year


i don't like my new doctor
she wants me to lose weight but yet wants to put me on actos
i said i didn't trust actos due to the heart problems for side effects
she informed me it was benefical to heart patients ( i looked on the actos website and that's not what the manufacterer said)
she told me the only side effect was......... weight gain
hahahahaha
she wants me to lose weight but will put me on a drug that is known to cause weight gain and congestive heart failure.........

that's a doctor?


anyone know of a GOOD endocronologist in the vacinity of monroe county pa
the one guy in allentown is an ass
and this new one is in denville but apparently is not wrapped too tight...

my doctor who was good, suddenly closed her office
with no warning and no explanation

i would even go to philly i think 4 times a year if i had to
just to find a decent endo
with some brains and common sense

vi

i miss my girls so much

the ducks however do seem to be adjusting to momma duck being their 'third'

lillianna has some scabs on her beak that are peeling off
phoebe is being a brat

i keep looking for cleo and marguerite

falstaff wants to be with the girls....he's not allowed naturally
not without a fence in between them

i found out i am finally FINALLY almost over the perimenopause and will be post menopausal very shortly
which means chin hair to my toes right?

bernie is working on his injured foot
he's got it all swollen
it's not infected though thank goodness and he does have that tetnus shot now
he's good to go until 2019 now

and i'm good to go until 2018

the rains have apparently stopped for the moment
which is good as i am slowly being eatten by mosquitos and these tiny tiny teeny little black bugs
about 1/84" of an inch long ( no kidding they are that small)
the tiny microscopic ones pack the biggest wallop
and leave the largest and most itchy welts


i need icecream

bernie's foot

he went to work, and worked a full day
he's all swollen and in pain
(dumb ass man)

if upper management had realized they would have sent him home
(the upper management in this company is wonderful, they really are)

he's limping around and not elevating

i am going to appoligize to everyone for not really responding much to comments or even to emails

losing my two favorite girls and then bernie getting hurt knocked me for a loop
even lillianna decided to stop yelling at me and was sweet, coming up and asking for a neck rub

i miss cleo and marguerite so bad i can't believe it
i got so used to always checking where cleo was as she was the weakest of the ducklings.
and marguerite, i had a special treat for her all the time, she'd be waiting for me every morning at the end of her pen for a pet and wattle rub and her treat
i could kiss her little beak and pet her soft feathers
(duck feathers aren't soft at all but orpington chicken feathers are)

fawn has been sleeping on my head now and licking my arm most of the night
she knows something is up
even thaddeaus and calpurrnia are aware that something isn't right in our little family

meanwhile momma has been accepted into the little duck group
they do nip at her neck but i realized it's more like sibling rivelry then actual agression
she's coming around slowly
i don't know if i will ever get her to come and ask to be held like cleo and lilli do
(did?)
even phoebe sometimes asks to be held so maybe
i do know that momma doesn't really care for falstaff much so i won't be putting her in with him again unless i see her express an interest
she won't even go over to greet him when the girls do
poor falstaff
he's lonely again
i need to find him a few ducks that won't mind him

ok
back to the drawing board
i had to put aside the duck drawings for the moment
i can't bear to look at the pictures right now when little cleo was alive and well and running around

new week....better luck?

bernie went to work, inspite of the pitchfork wound in his foot
i told him let the paramedics look at it
he won't

stubborn man

momma duck is starting to fit in with lillianna and phoebe
although the girls are still biting her a bit
i don't really think that it's a mean thing
but more like a bit of sibling rivalry

i picked up momma yesterday (prior to bernie impaling himself)
and she did settle a bit
her heart stopped pounding so hard after a few minutes
she is a nicely solid duck
i think bigger even then lilli

i miss cleo and marguerite terrible
their loss is really huge for me
i am always looking for cleo to see if she needs help
and calling marguerite without thinking
seeing their absence stops me dead in my tracks

all the pens outside are cleaned for the summer
the ducks are not happy as we got not only all the winter bedding out
but the worms too
tons of HUGE fat nightcrawlers
they gorged themselves silly on those worms

well again
i am hoping this is it for the bad luck for a while
i hope no one else dies on me
no one else gets hurt

and life is quiet and happy

but i miss my girls


vi

back from the hosptial

it's quite deep but no broken bones
he's got antibotics
didn't want pain meds
is on aspirin
and is supposed to be resting with the leg elevated

so what is he doing?

baking a potato..............


heaven help me
i just may have to kill him today


vi
who is now very very tired

off to the hospital

bernie impaled himself with a rusty pitch fork

so off we go to the hostipal

i told him not to do that duck pen that i would do it tomorrow

it hasn't been a good week

losing marguerite and cleo this week within two days of each other was bad
cleo i always figured would not last long,
she was always so weak compared to her sisters

marguerite was old
this strain of chicken doesn't seem to live too long
sharon died a while back of retained eggs
we just thought she was broody
but this strain doesn't live too long
their brother larry died at about 4 months old
most likely of heart failure, as he like marguerite died in his sleep

i am grateful for that

just like little cleo dying in her sleep as well

i put momma duck in with phoebe and lillianna now
she's getting along with them more or less
the girls are bullying her a bit
i told her to bite them back.....after all she is WAY bigger then they are

i been spending a lot of time with them
i've been having them out to graze and bath
momma learned how to climb in and out of the small baby wading pond
she is learning to follow the girls
and that if i call them over, normally i have a treat for them
blueberries or worms

i am cleaning pens
i got part of the close to the house pen done
it was loaded with worms under the hay
they ate a LOT while i was mucking it

i'll most likely finish it today
then i will be doing the day pen out back
all the wet hay is going to go in the garden to smother weeds


i have to say
this is not only a bad week here
but losing two of my favorite birds in two days shouldn't be allowed
it's just not right

vi

in loving memory yet another one

marguerite the chicken november 2005- june 19 2009

there was never a more personable chicken
she made friends every where she went

they say these things come in threes.............
i've had two now this week
marguerite was age related
her strain doesn't seem to live long

cleo

may 19, 2008-june 17-2009


i will miss you so very much my tiny little baby duckie
your little duck hugs,
your sweet little twitter
your splashing and playing in the pond

why is it that

every time i try and sleep in
a very furry cat walks back and forth across my head?????

i have some sinus stuff going on.......... bernie does too
his are draining and driving him nuts
mine aren't draining and driving me nuts

so i decide since my head feels like it's been stabbed with red hot pokers
i would stay in bed a bit
after all i went to the lab YESTERDAY for the vampire doctor and left 9 viles of the good stuff
i deserve a bit of a break no?
i finished canning the blueberries
i wrangled ducks
i gathered eggs
washed clothes and dishes
cooked pork loin

i did work yesterday

try telling THAT to a fuzzy cat

fawn decided it was time for me to get UP

it wasn't that they didn't have food or anything, it was just that mom doesn't normally stay in bed until 7am
i think she was concerned
so naturally she needed to assure herself and me by walking repeatedly over my head
back and forth
did i mention the sinus thing?
it hurts
did i mention the repeatedly furry cat back and forth thing?
it didn't help as much as it sounds like it should

really
it didn't


and you can't get the good stuff anymore, tylanol severe or extreme sinus
they don't make it anymore cause of the freeken meth labs
that one was the only one that worked for me

apparently with all the rain
i got algae in my nose too

i wouldn't be surprised

vi

blueberrie conserve

9 pints of blueberries
8 cups sugar
zest of three oranges then the pulp and juice
zest of three lemons then the pulp and juice
1.5 cups of raisins ( i used dark cause i had them, but i prefer light)

a teaspoon of butter

add everything bring to a simmer/low boil
boil about 1/2 an hour
can in jellie jars in boiling water bath about 12 minutes
so you don't have to sterilize the jars

this is much better if you put it up and let it set for a year
it mellows into an amazing conserve


vi

momma isn't a momma after all

it was pretty sad but i took momma off the nest yesterday

actually i took her in the crate with the nest out to the upper pen
with fresh water in the little pond
she got out and took a bath
while she was out
i took the crate and the nest away
the eggs weren't going to hatch as it was already 4 days over their time

good thing too
because the person who had originally asked me to SET that nest had decided he didn't want them, but never bothered to tell me!
i would have had 15 new ducks to hand raise and either eat or find homes for

i still feel bad about the nest however
but it is ok
i am going to think about setting momma up again later, but probably not until next year maybe
i will however get her used to the girls and put her in with them
falstaff won't like it
but it makes for easier duck chores for me
and less injured female duckies as well
he's sorta rough with the girls

i am however truly annoyed with that person who emailed ME to ask for 12 ducklings
and then had the gonads to inform me, he had purchased three females near him ( and i remember when he did that, as i got momma from the same place at the same time)
he never bothered to inform me however that he no longer WANTED the ducks from me
i emailed him to say that momma was finally setting eggs

i let a duck set for 35 days for this idiot...........
she could have been made non broody and we could have had fresh eggs for table for that 35 days
i get a better price for the eggs too compared to duckling prices
she also could have been grazing on juicey worms out with the others
happily bathing in the ponds instead of sitting on a nest

i am so mad

ok

i am going to get my blood work done today ( it's only a week late.......i had the plague remember)
and then finish canning the blueberries
then start the peaches and mangos
THEN i can start to work on the studio again

although i should do some laundry and hang it on the inside line as well
oye

ok
off i go now
i need this to get done today

take good care and i will be over the mad in a few hours
vi

blueberries and strawberries

today i will can my blues
the strawberries will be sugared down and i will get to them tomorrow

i have mangos and peaches ripening
for grilling sauces

as of last night........still no ducklings
i hope this nest isn't a dud
but if no babies by thursday
bye bye stinky eggies
hello other duckies

now that my beloved and much missed sister in law is back in texas
we've finally recovered from her lovely parting gift ( the plague)
and taken the bed down in the studio
so now i can start back again with organizing this room
i am putting all the little things in containers as i go along

i also got some odds and ends to make me summer fun earrings ( i still need some rose, lt rose and fushia swavarski crystals for one pair)
as well as a small set of 24 inktense ink pencils from derwerts

i would also like the set of 72, maybe if michaels has them and a 50% off coupon?
i worked on a halloween treat cup illustration yesterday with them and LOVED THEM
they will do some of what i want them to do so i would like the complete range

ok off i go as i got strawberries and duckies calling me

300 thread count my assets.....

we got new sheets
30 BUCKS
300 thread count
they are like laying on a tissue

what ever happened to wonderfully crisp sheets like my old laura ashley's?

what ever happened to sheets that are so nicely woven that they resist wrinkles simply because they are so tightly woven

?????

they are however a delightful shade of a coral/rose
and with the contast of some eggnog colored pillow cases as well as the matching ones......
they look nice
but
for 30 bucks, i expected a much higher quality

and don't get me started on the construction

oye


vi
still no ducklings

we are giving her until thursday, then taking and dumping the eggies

good morning drier air

Dear Mother Nature,

it's me, your good daughter vi
you remember me right?
fought that lawsuit to protect the old trees

the one overrun with slugs
( yeah thanks for that, as i got the ONLY ducks in the world that prefer worms to slugs, and i got the damn ducks for the slugs in the FIRST place)

yup.......... that's the one..... me, vi

listen, with all respect, i gotta ask............
WHY all this rain
i got algae growing between my toes
i SWEAR THEY ARE GREEN
i saw moss on the GLASS picnic table
and a bit of mold on my laundry that is still hanging limp and soaking wet on the line
actually it's wetter NOW then when i first hung it out..........a WEEK AGO

and mom, what's up with that roundup stuff.......?
we sprayed the poison ivy but it acted like super heavy duty poison ivy FERTILIZER
that shit is some SUPER terminator poison ivy out there
it shot UP the side of the house after we sprayed it

also mom, do me a favor ok?
can you light a fire or something under the township
as the road drains down my driveway and it's totally eroded now
i guess that was their cost saving anti sewer thing huh?
drain down through our driveway and they didn't need to put in sewers?

thanks mom, for listening to me
i have to get the ungrateful ducks out now
oh and mom, one more thing.............. can you help them ducklings hatch TODAY?
so the guy can come and get them tomorrow
and i can clean the pen?
it smells really BAD in that pen
cause she won't let us clean it

thanks mom........ did you get the flowers i sent for mothers day?



love
vi

there is a strange light in the east

oh my GOODNESS

it is the

SUN!!!!!!!!!

the old april showers.... have shifted through may to

june

it POURED last night
i am just going to have a fast cuppa and then go and see if the chickens and ducks are floating
at one point, it rained so hard that bernie thought that our patio umbrella flew away

we checked
it was still there

we aren't so sure about the chickens and ducks

i dreamt of an old friend of mine that i lost touch with
and even in the dream i lost touch with her!
then when i ran into her in the dream, just as i was leaving.........
she said.........'come to a party tomorrow night, it's in your honor'

which i really couldn't go to
then she said

'i wore a grey sweater just like you always did'
which is sorta true
one of my staple winter colors while working 'in the field' was grey
in all the shades
and a lot of tweedy flannelly heathery greys

what an odd dream, which i swear was brought on by the rain pounding down


ducklings.......... we aren't sure if they have arrived yet
another reason i am up a bit early
i have to go and see
they are/were spoken for

but the guy hasn't returned my emails
and i have at last 'figure' 13 give or take cause she tossed two eggs out
great
a coven of ducklings
just what everyone needs

i agreed to this setting only because the guy said he'd take ALL of them, as he has a farm
he wanted 12 so one more won't be an issue he told me
although if there WERE more i would keep back a girl or two for eggs
anyway
if there are babies...and they WERE due yesterday, so there should be
in addition to the rain
i will be fighting with a duck
oye
and babies will be in the laundry basket
AGAIN

meanwhile a very soggy sodden vi bides you adieu

ps: SEND THE ARK NOW

oh and buy that pantry book

i wish i could stop sweating alllllllllllll night

night sweats are the pits
seriously
so is coughing from this plague
then fawn decides to 'comfort' me by sleeping on my head

i love that little cat..........
and those of you who may remember when she first came here.........

wow what a difference!
we did compromise
she could sleep on my pillow on the side of me
i got some sleep at about 6am this morning
that's why i'm late with the blog
late with the coffee
late with the duckies
and still haven't gotten to the lab for the extended bloodwork

night sweats
blame mother nature

ok

just a reminder about the PANTRY book....... check out that link on the right
and when you read this book
(i hope you all love it as much as i did)
drop the author a line, she is a very nice lady
who has put up with me almost stalking her as i do love this book so much
it was a most satisfiying read and i have hopes that someday she will write the companions to The Pantry,
which should be 'summer kitchens' and preserving

she needs a new publisher i think


and to the next thing
the rain
i swear mold is growing in my ears
and speaking of moldy ears ( don't ask)

i need a bit of help
i am thinking of opening an etsy store
to sell my handmade miniatures and dolls, halloween stuff, soaps etc..........and probably greeting cards with my drawings etc

i am in need of a name!
my sister in law wanted 'things for all seasons'
it's been taken already
i was thinking of some of the following

necessary indulgences
repository of dreams ( but it may not be me if you know what i mean)
lifes little luxuries
seasonal delights

anyway i am pretty much stuck
so i could use some help


oh and i have ducklings due to hatch today
that just reminded me
oye


HELP!!!!!!!!!!!


vi

the pantry book and todays work

check out the link at the right....... please do yourself a favor and don't miss out on this book
i am not affiliated in any way but i adore this book
if you are a foodie and like putting up stuff you will too

if the description of mole's pantry from wind in the willows did it for you......... BUY THIS BOOK


ok
on to today's work
more studio clearing
dishes, and duckies

and still wet clothes hanging on the lines
oye
ok so i should actually get the thermal fuse for the dryer huh?
but i have enjoyed these past few years without it
i know it's only about 20 bucks
yes i know
ok
ok
i'll try and remember it

i am as some of you may remember
organizing the studio and drawing duckie pictures
i have run into a smallish problem
ok not so smallish
ok more like a large problem............. almost huge

it's the BOOKS
i gots them
tons of them
thousands and thousands of them
i never (almost) met a book i didn't like
i am the last home of unwanted books
i never willingly give them up
if i buy you a book.........i most likely will also buy me the same one at the same time
unless i already have read it
i don't have enough space in this house for my books
THAT alone is a good reason to move
but moving at the moment with this economy is out of the question
so i got book issues
they fill the dining room
climb the stairs
wander over mantels, chests of drawers, tables
pile on the floor
pile on the work benches
lean on walls
cover floors and sofa's
are tucked in here and there.........

a bibliophile's dream....
and there are books on almost every subject you can imagine
and some you may not be able to
in addition to history and literature, science, and how to's
are things such as 'naughty victorian pop up books' (not as bad as it sounds.........and quite cute)
books about collecting books
art books, cook books, knitting books, garden books, sci-fi, biographies, commentaries, green books, fairy tales, religions, art, art history, archeology, anthropology, forensics, etc etc etc......
i am if anything a truly eclectic reader
and i like to learn new things about ever 6 months or so
and along with that comes more books
numerous ones on the subject i am learning
plus adjacent subjects....... ( such as spinning, and raising sheep)
big books
little books
oversized books
sideways books

now i refuse to have a book sale
as matter of fact
the annual library book sale is going on right now .............. and i am being good and NOT going
although i really need a new copy of little big by crowley as mine wore out and fell apart

so that actually brings me to

book storage
i need some unique and original ideas
that don't take wall space
which i don't have

i could sooooooooooo use some ideas

(just throwing that out there.........in case someone has a brilliant one)


ok now that i whined about books
i need another cup of coffee

remember you all
that pantry book
i probably should get a second one to put away for when they are 200. each at the out of print and rare book websites

vi

falstaff in the morning

The Pantry this is the BEST book

thanks to 'sayingthings' (http://sayingthings.wordpress.com/) for the heads up

i have been telling folks for a while about a book i just love
it's called the pantry and i have had it for a while
i was just alerted to the fact that it's gone out of print and the remainders are available from the author

The Pantry

anyone who is interested in food, as well as preserving or even the history of houses NEEDS this book
i love my copy

i almost stalked this poor woman as i loved this book so much
i would have loved to see her do a book on summer kitchens and preserving

please tell your friends, and buy one of these for yourself
before you get to the point where the only copies will be over 200. on the rare book market

they just don't make plagues like they used to

(images are longwood, one color, one black and white of the same tree.......to see the values)

thank goodness

i think we are over the worst of it...........actually while i did sleep in

i am doing pretty good so far

of course i am not totally awake yet

but

i think i will live.................

we still haven't knocked down the antique cherry bed that we slept on while colleen was here,

it was my grandmothers, and my parents, now i have it

most likely i was conceived on that bed (different matteress however, i got this new one in 1993 for dad)

it's a 3/4 size

so smaller then full sized

we actually are quite comfortable in it

inspite of three curly cats that insisted on laying all over our heads and feet in this bed

today's agenda:

1. studio organizing
2. dishes
3. duckies
4. laundry

more or less in that order, as while colleen was here everything stopped of course.

and due to the excessive rain while she was here......... gee thanks mother nature

i have weeds as tall as i am in the garden

and still no cuc's or beans

as i had badly thrown out my back during that time

and then colleen came

so sometime this week is weedwacking the garden

followed by planting and prayers

i also have to go to the lab for tests again

the new endo found some nodes and what she thinks is a fluid filled cyst on my thryoid

plus she wants to see better fasting blood sugar levels

mine which has been going steadily down....... (january's was 84) shot up to 104

which may have been due to this cold or something

but i was very upset friday after the doctor

so i decided since i sorta felt like crap, i would wait a few more days to have the new levels taken

if it went down then she can't put me on the insulin sensitizers like she wants to

and i would prefer to avoid

well that's about most of the news, of course if i remember something i will let you all know
oh and colleen finally called us yesterday
she'd put the wrong phone number in her phone............so couldn't reach us until she found her address book
i told her next time to call bernie's phone
just so we knew

ok i have to start my day

ttyl
i will try for duckie pictures as well
dirty duckies but duckies all the same

gone but so not forgotten

colleen left us a lovely parting gift........(no not the building...although it would have been nice)

the plague from the pits of hell

and she's my FAVORITE herron family member

we are sniffling, coughing, aching and just miserable

ok let's see

what we did

bought me clothes for the summer which i needed desperately

got 6 tops and two jeans

got more storage for the studio

went to the art supply store

went to the outlets and went book shopping

got me underwear...........(that's become a tradition when she visits, we go shopping for underwear)

went to longwood

went to parts of longwood i'd never seen before!

had a few suppers on the deck.........mostly we dealt with rain so didn't do half what we'd planned

i was going to teach her to knit, can, and make soap

she learned to knit

she was too sick to can or make soap

she was too sick to help me in the garden, since she wanted to learn herbs and veggie plants

she liked the ducks

they cracked her up

oh and big news

the OLD chickens are laying again, dulcette and henrietta

not marguerite yet

and the new girls are mostly laying

so we are getting eggs again

usually 3-4 a day from them

and two a day mostly from the ducks

i have been accumulating art supplies but did no productive drawing while she was here

i did get some wonderful storage things

and i also got a couple of studio magazines, 'where woman create' and

'studio'

so i gleaned some ideas from them

due to the rain colleen didn't get to help her brother build a duck pen........which is what she was looking forward to doing

she got sick last week and was coughing, and sneezing and miserable the whole rest of the week so we didn't do much

she did go to the new endocronologist with me

where we discovered i have new nods on my thyroid since the last scan

that's about it

i am sneezing and coughing and have a very sore throat right now

oh and i discovered that 'inktense' pencils are incredible and i want the full set
so i have to find a discount coupon for them
no?

baby ducklings are due the 11 ( and due to leave on the 12)

colleen leaves today

and i am heartbroken

colleen's longwood pictures

part of the set colleen took when we were down at longwood

my sister in law is leaving tomorrow,

a day early as my nephew forgot to tell her that his graduation is tomorrow

she'll get in just in time to get there

i am going to miss her so very much i can't even tell you all

i had such a wonderful time with her

she is like the sister i should have had but didn't

we laugh, and joke around

give each other advise

confide in each other

this trip, bernie didn't get any time really with her

normally they take a few days and do something together,

last time they built the duck pen

i sort of stay out of their way so they have some time together that they were cheated out of when they were kids

(talk about screwed up families.........their parents took the cake)

he didn't get time this time, they had planned on the new duck pen, but it rained .........a LOT

she also got a bad cold which she still has

she sounds terrible

she just got over asthmatic bronchitis right before she came, so i am very worried that it would be that again

anyway

that's where i've been

soaking up the family time with my sister in law

i will miss her so much when she goes back

i want them to move here

away from galveston and hurricanes

vi

a bit more longwood

a taste of longwood

there are THREE treehouses...........cool huh?

pictures!

longwood gardens, kennett square..........today

pictures maybe tomorrow

i'm back..........

i didn't have a modum since sunday

and my sister in law is here

talk to you all later

this is it

colleen arrives today
bernie is a wreck worrying about her visit
the house..............

is well.........

lived in

(apparently by pigs and packrats)

normally i clean and such for two weeks
i cook i fret and i do all the prep
this time between my back and other issues
i couldn't do much at all

bernie had to do it
he kept thinking i would

i told him i didn't think i would be able to

apparently i was right

now
i hope that with what i did do
i didn't throw my back out again
that lower back is feeling not only twingie
but also like it's about to twist again
i don't want to revisit that particular pain
if it's ok with the universe
to say excruciating is an understatement

and it seems to get much worse if i get upset

so now he is dilly dallying around
i have to finish my coffee and try and find the living room table
then do the bed for her

he has to run to get some stuff at the store to augment the greens on in my little deck garden for supper
he's sitting there working on a model car
i am just as bad as i am sitting here typing to you all

colleen better really really love us

anyway
if you don't hear from me
it's cause me and her have run off to the outlets shopping

i didn't get her gift basket done either
damn

busy busy

oh man this published before i wrote it!

ok
colleen comes tomorrow
we aren't ready
she'll have to live in our real house instead of our 'for company' house

no raccoon that i saw yesterday
we are dumping the ducks ponds out before bed every night
i laugh when i hear people say

'trap them and take them MILES away and release them'

yup make them someone ELSES problem


ok anyway, i got the winter clothes/out of season stuff all done except for coats
i need new plastic storage boxes for them
i want air tight ones as i am going to put them in the attic i think
with the mice
and i hope some mice bait

i got almost everything i need to start color drawings of the duckies
except the paper
sorta
i would like a vellum finish but am going to do ink and light water colors i think
finished up with pastel pencils
i think
i am going to sit down and play
as soon as i get the paper

after the duckies,............ should i do chickens?
cats?
badger the lamb?

bernie tells me btw, that he intends on getting the duck house finished
hahahahahaha
i shouldn't laugh huh?
hahahahahhahaha
after all may 19 they turned a year old
and still no duck house
by the time the duck house happens
i think it will be only enough for three ducks and the rest will be living in the daylight basement with the chickens


in soon to be baby duckling news
the new duck ( WE NEED A NAME GUYS.......nothing so far has fit her)
appears to be setting 15 eggs
i may hold back one or two to raise as tame birds
to add to the outcross of the flock
if the girls like them

bernie is putting the ducks out for me this morning as you see
i over slept
since i didn't sleep last night
i went to sleep at 6am
and just got up a bit ago
no that isn't like me
but apparently, it's menopause me
that and excessive facial hair

oye

as my life flashed before my eyes

i went out to bring in the girls
i was a bit late BUT it was still LIGHT OUT
and they were extremely anxious to get in
when i got to the pen
i saw a RACCOON on top of the wire part
luckily he hadn't figured how to get in yet

i got the girls out and they RACED to the top of the path
(then greed got the better of them and they started to hunt wormies)

meanwhile i am sick at the thought of what could have happened to my beloved and darling precious little duckies

the ones i raised
the ones i tell you all about
the ones i photograph and draw daily


i am just sick

little chickens laying eggs

and occasionally forgetting to put the SHELL around the egg makes for an interesting egg gathering experience

oye

the new pullets are still trying to 'get it right'

we had the typical pullet eggies, tiny, rough shelled.... oddly shaped
some double yolkers
then came the shell less wonder
it broke in the nest hay

as it didn't have a shell just a very very thin brownish membrane

oye

it isn't as much fun as it sounds
i realize i don't talk about the chickens as much as i used to
the new pullets i am purposely not getting attached to, as down the road they will be stewing hens

and as to talking about the cats, well due to some really horrid people in the la perm world
i felt it safer not to talk about them
so for the most part you get to hear duck tales

maybe next year it will be turkey tales in addition to duck tales?
who knows what barnyard inhabitants will make it into our lives here

ok for the past few days, i have been doing out of season clothes, winter sweaters actually
(said just a day after 28 degree morning temps huh..........?)

as we don't have closets i am washing and drying and fixing to box them up for the summer
doing a HUGE amount of daily dish washing...... (someone PLEASE tell me WHERE on earth it all comes from?????????????????? there are only TWO OF US)

and drawing
and doing the studio

have you all noticed that the list doesn't include my main garden
i am heart broken
but maybe my wonderful and beloved sister in law will help me?

the salad garden on the deck is ok though thank goodness

oh shhhhhhhhhhhh can you all keep a secret???
i bid on and won a used set of rapidographs
as i can't find mine
the koh-i-noor ones
set of 7
for less then the close out price retail for a set of three
they are used, did i mention that?
i have to clean them
but that's ok as i am used to cleaning technical pens

yesterday afternoon, as a break from the endless dishes/laundry/cleaning

i took my girls out for a bath
three duckies in the pond
they didn't like the pond under the apple trees for some reason

"but MOM, we want the BLUE pond on the driveway''

and so since they were filthy again, and i don't LIKE filthy duckies
i filled the BLUE pond on the driveway and the duckies bathed

imagine having to either force a duck to bath
or
to bath the silly thing yourself

and how many times i have stuck duckies in the basement slop sink and washed them
i can't tell you

oye
meanwhile the countdown is on for the new ducklings to hatch
they are all sold however
the second they hatch
that was the condition of setting this one up to nest


so that's my little world today
in a few minutes duckies will go out
i will get my day started
(drinking the last of the coffee now)

and please everyone
if you all have ANY ideas on how to organize and effectively store my art/craft supplies
PLEASE let me know
i am going out of my mind here

because of the woodstove things get dusty fast
so i need dust free
and i need to see it all
cause for me out of sight literally means it doesn't exhist

oye

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

vi

never too late for spring cleaning i suppose

(the driveway in color, see those SHADOWS?)

i am doing winter sweaters,

yesterday it was 28 degrees in the morning

and 71 in town in the afternoon.......(a breezy 60 on my deck however.....as town is much warmer)

so i am washing and putting up my winter sweaters

going through my summer tees and finding out what i can't wear, or need to mend

with no closets this is a twice a year thing, but last fall i didn't do it

i have to do winter coats too

i have to get a BIG plastic storage for them

so that is my day today, that and getting ready for colleen

til next time

cleaning ( huge groan) the studio now with pictures

ok today amoung other things i am to clean off the sewing table
i was trying to clean off one long workbench and one smallish bookcase

( which will eventually live on the long workbench, thereby freeing 12X24 INCHES of footprint)

hey every inch counts around these parts ya know.......

the arco box painting experiment is pretty successful so after i get more headway
i will prep the next one and get that sprayed up

when i woke up this morning it was 28 degrees out!
huh?
it's after our last date of frost
too bad it won't kill off the grass and weeds in my garden
BUT if i had planted cuc's they would have been toast right now

i also discovered that LONG duckie necks with LONG STRONG duckie BEAKS have been turning one of my garden beds through the chain link
RIGHT where i had planned on beans and cuc's
mmmmmmmm

bad little duckie girls huh?
looking for worms

i swear right now the girls live for worms

it's a matter of 'mommy who?......... do you have WORMS? no........ move on then'

yup.
thems my girls

now
i need some ideas for storage for the studio,
i am going nuts
i don't want to buy too much that may not work well for me
i got the inks to store, and watercolors
my taboret which was a sort of homemade rigged one doesn't hold anything that is over 2" high as that is the depth of the drawers
actually if i can modify it and get deeper drawers it would work a LOT better
maybe that would be worth looking into?

in the mean time
i was thinking of the smallish clearish stacking plastic drawers
to hold inks and watercolors etc

i am going to have to use my old old desk from when my siblings were kids ( so it was from the 40's, or maybe the 50's )
i am however going to paint it (yup you guessed it.............) CREAM
and give it a topper of either glass or a drafting table covering
i can put most of the stuff for my drawing/painting area on that
including i think, craft painting............as i have been known to paint things like bird houses and such from time to time
( miniature and full sized ones with tiny english cottage gardens.... yup nuts but someone has to do it no?)
it;s 18X42 inches with three drawers under so it should be ok no?

well if any of you have any ideas...........now would be a good time to post them to me


oye

vi

ummmmmmm don't send an artist to the art supply store

without a lease, muzzle and a restraint harness.........

i went to allentown with vicki today
to dick blicks

first off it isn't where it used to be............
it's in the south mall now not at that dead end street
second of all it's not got everything it should

sniff

but it had enough for me to do a bit of damage to my CC

the kid checking me out said, 'did you find everything you needed today'

i said.........YOU MEAN, did i run out of MONEY YET....

which i had
sorta

i got

a drafting light, (my old ones are all crapped out..this was 15.00 so i got it)
a set of pigment pens
a cheapo set of watercolors, ( when i say cheapo it's relative, as the winsor newtons cost a kidney and i only had a quarter of a kidney to bargin with)
a basic set of transparent inks (six colors)
two pads of bristol board as i couldn't find the bulk stuff
and some drafting tape

oye
i still need a few things but that should get me started off
i am hoping i can find my pastels and pastel pencils
as well as my winsor newton water colors
and some other supplie i had when we moved in here and haven't used in a while
the gouache is toast i think
i priced qouache today..... i would have to sell a lung for that
which actually may come up
but not right now

ok now that i broke my poor little credit card
i have to turn BACK into cindie by the fire and clean some more around here
but i just want to play on the board with all my pretty new colors
sniff

no pictures today
maybe tomorrow

thanks so much to vicki who went to town with me
i wouldn't have had the nerve to drive all the way down there and pay all that money by myself

she kept telling me
you know exactly what you want...... (i did but they didn't have some stuff)
you're here, get it

so i did

i love vicki

and now i owe her one big time


vi

rustoleum shell white is the right cream

i picked up two cans of rustoleum for plastic today at home depot
in color 211364 - Shell White 4.99 per can--- i got two cans to start
(primer 5.19 per can)
outlet strip for desk and drafting table 19.97 ( edited to keep a running total)

it's a cream color and the RIGHT cream for what i was thinking of
so i did the one poor little arco box
and i am going to start the plastic drawers as soon as i can
this week i also have to put seasonal clothing away which means wash and dry and bag etc
as well as try and plant my beans

however i am going to start studio updates here on the blog......so i remember when i finish (i hope i finish)

i priced stuff at staples and saw some really cute things at TJ MAXX, which i can't afford i think
so i will keep looking
i will try big lots and office depot and kmart and probably walmart (when colleen comes as she loves walmart.......)

but anyway, i started with the plastic painting

now while in the shower this morning, i was thinking of beidemier china
it had a sort of stripe of black/white then rose garlands
(at least i seem to think it was beidemier china, i could be wrong)
that may be a solution to one of my problems
i could ALWAYS paint the stripes and then cut out wallpaper borders
or even paint the whole thing!

so there is a fast studio update

one week to go

and colleen will be here (btw, that is part of my studio, with a drawing in progress on the board, you can also see my 'comp' which is the layout and photo refrences i am working off)

bernie did the heavy cleaning in the bedroom
he is to do the scraping of the ceiling in the bathroom so we can paint
i would like the living room and front hall painted as well but that isn't going to happen before colleen comes

meanwhile it rained yesterday so i couldn't finish painting the arco boxes for the studio.....
next i will do the green and blue plastic drawers

i have been looking at fabric patterns and wallpaper
i intend on covering a bookcase with either wallpaper or fabric, as well as lining my shelves with it and covering some storage boxes etc
i can't decide
i love toile
i would LOVE vintage laura ashley ( wild cherries in plum and cream.....my FAVORITE)
i would also love a french stripe interrupted with bunches of sweet violets
or a violet patterned toile...( be still my heart)

and if that all fails some of the 1940's chintz patterned chintz?

oye

now i have a red/cream/white toile for the kitchen, with BEE SKIPS on it
i wonder if i could get away with a toile in the studio
(and probably also the bathroom.........i really do like toile)

when i was 16 i 'redid' my bedroom
i had black and cream toile cafe valence curtains ( the awning type, with the two rods, not the flat kind)

over wood shutters (3/4 of the way up the windows)
cream walls
fuchsia ceiling and bedspread
and a country blue tile floor ( couldn't change the floor)

did i mention i really love toile?

i also love the romantic roses but i would rather have sweet violets

anyway
everything i do in the studio except the windows will be able to come with us
i don't want something too fru fru........cause bernie has a model building workbench in here too
and i don't want something that either me or the cats are going to trip over
so no ruffles or lace
but i am so tired of a hodge podge of castoffs in the studio
that's why everything is going to be painted white (actually cream........ cause cream is my 'white')
that will unify things a bit and give my poor beleaguered eyeballs a rest no?

and more storage with LABELS
i found a bag of glue sticks yesterday and can't find the glue GUN
and i have two of them!
this has to change

so today after we eat it will be off to home depot
i need an outlet strip that has an on/off switch and a long cord
some cream paint for plastic (and primer)
a storage container for the glue sticks and the guns (when i find the guns their home is waiting)
and hopefully a paper rack
but that may mean office depot as well

oh, i also need some mugs and some art supplies

hmmmmmm
i need to go shopping!

just for you GREEN lovers out there

this is on the one side of our driveway,

i am typing this friday night

but you will see it tomorrow morning

so good morning everyone



bernie is on a road call down the parkway, exit 8

(down da shore for you jersey folks)



in studio news, i spray painted one of my arco parts cabinets white

it was a sort of gray that had yellowed over the years

so that is 4 more arco to do

and ten LARGE plastic drawers to do as well



then some bookcases to paint or decoupage


i am sorta looking around to find a rubber stamp that may work to stamp fabric.......i would like a toile type image



i am finding all sorts of stuffs in there ........oye......



i am thinking toile, ticking stripe and a small check for whatever soft stuff i need in there..... chair covers i suppose and maybe valances for the windows (when we get the new ones in)


the only thing i can't decide is the COLOR of toile

whatever color it ends up
it has to be on a cream groundi used white paint on the arco but i am going to overspray with cream
i can't handle the white

i guess it's a toss up between, purple, red, pink, blue or black toile
with i imagine the blue, black or purple in the running
i am thinking of skirting my workbench so i want it for that and for shelf liners
and i want it WASHABLE
i probably will go with ticking for the shelf liners

i can't afford a really really nice chintz with violets and lavender stripes (which i can't find anyway)

so ticking, checks and toile it will be
(if i EVER get around to it that is)

so i am doing a little bit here and a little bit there in the studio

now a week from this sunday my sister in law colleen (bernie's only NORMAL sister) comes from galveston
where they are STILL rebuilding her houses....
i love this sister in law
this one i figure is MINE............. the others are just bernie's relatives

i enjoy her so very much i can't tell you all
we laugh until we are hoarse
and seriously we lose our voices for a few days every time we get together

so you may not hear from me for the two weeks she's here
i will however try and sneak in and tell you what's going on
and post some pictures

ok?

vi

calpurrnia and the drip drip drip show

this morning, i watched calpurrnia watch water dripping
she does that often

she stares at the drain in the tub and every few minutes a drop of water drips into the tub

she doesn't look up and wonder where the water came from
she is content to just watch it arrive at the drain

she sits right in front of the drain to do this

if you talk to her, she looks up at you with her big innocent blue eyes...........
and if you don't ask her to get out of the tub..........she just goes back to watching the drops hit the drain

she always makes me stop and think when she does that

it is a form of cat meditation?


thaddeaus and fawn don't watch the drip drip drip show
thaddeaus just drinks the water in the rim of the drain, and fawn rolls on the rug

such is a cat's life

*** the picture is of cleo, she got half in the frame

it made me laugh

just when i watered the plants...

it's raining today, so i put this photograph up for you
taken yesterday of the driveway looking towards the street,
the light blew me away........it's so mysterious in the dark area to the middle and right.........actually my van is parked there but i SWEAR i can see elemental spirits flitting in the dark

or at least it would be a good stage for them
i LOVE this photo
love it
and it will be drawn i believe ....next

we got rain, overnight

so today i am just going to take the mighty hunter duckies out and then come back in

no pictures i think

because i don't want to get the camera wet

i am trying to decide on the color illustrations to go with my black and whites

well folks a lot of you asked me to write a book and it looks like it may actually happen

that's why i ask all the time about favorite stories

anyway back to the color work

i am seriously thinking of doing it in sepia ink drawings with watercolor washes over it

maybe a bit of pastel here and there

anyone that has any familiararity ( is that spelled anywhere near correctly?)

want to point me in the direction of some sepia ink pens that are lightfast and have different sized nibs

i can't find my rapidographs ( still.......damn and my set NOW, to replace would cost over 200)

i have to say i am enjoying this

years ago when working in the field, i can now admit i always felt in over my head with some stuff

it was just difficult for me........even after all the schooling and the experience

NOW it feels right somehow

i can't explain it but i think the time is very ripe for this

in fiber news

i am knitting a simple series of cotton placemats

peaches and cream cotton

just cast on 30-38 on large needles ........sized 10.5 or 11 or even 13

and just knit garter stitch until the end

i do need to start hats and mittens for the winter soon

and a few balaclava's

plus socks but that will be more towards end of summer

and i still don't have the garden planted

colleen i hope will help me a bit

it's not going to be too hard

am going to spread a lot of straw in the paths and just put in the beans and the cuc's

that's it for this year due to me messing up my back at the wrong time

oye

don't get old

it is amazing what taking pictures will show you

yesterday i took pictures of the duckies.......

as you can see they are in black and white, the first one is their favorite grazing tree. that tree is an old apple tree with a luxuriant crop of poison ivy growing on it

the second.............is falstaff ( he needs his claws trimmed)

he is out to graze, and is looking at jackass neighbors screaming kids......... the duckies HATE the noise, it scares them

(i hate the noise too, it always sounds like someone is getting killed next door)

there are a few other pictures ( like 130 more pictures) of various parts of the yard and the duckies.......mostly all in black and white to be used as reference for the duckie drawings

i was most concerned with the qualities of the light and shadows and the light i can tell you, was amazing

i got pictures of the driveway with shadows so interesting that i am so looking forward to working on them

and pictures of the duckie day pen and the woods with a wreath of shadowy trees around a brightly lit center

wow

and just because they are so beautiful.............i give you a nodding columbine

one shelf down

or should i say up?

i started putting up one of the new commercial shelving units from sam's club in the studio
boy that thing is BIG
in spite of having two of them for a partial pantry inside
i didn't realize how BIG they would be in here

and 18X23 foot room is just not that big these days
especially with a woodstove in the center

however
i think if i shift the furniture around
and edit the odd ball stuff i currently have ( like wire store shelves we spray painted white that hold molds.....)
i think i can get this all to work
the ethan allen stuff has to go however
it's not as hard working as i thought it would be
so it's going up into the second bedroom........ along with the soap storage
i think
i have the bases full of dinnerware, so they will have to have a new home then

does anyone have any ideas on HOW big a butlers pantry for tableware should be?
and if you do.......... could you help me figure out also how to STRETCH the rock walls out 25 feet......
we need a miracle for that one cause i can't afford to do renovations

i can't remember if i mention that i am getting to the point with the duckie drawings that i need to think of color for some
i am debating on which way to go so i may try a bunch of different stuff
i think i will probably go with pen and ink with transparent washes and some pastel highlights

but we'll see
i could also go with straight watercolor, gouache, or even oils
the only other ways i am thinking such as oil pastels or colored pencils are not in my opinion at the moment...... a feasible option for me

i will say that i am blessing my art school education more and more
i went to ridgewood art and design in ridgewood nj
my teachers also taught at pratt and parsons
this was the same art school that pauline campinelli went to
and i think there are more folks that are famous as well

i studied under joanne landis, richard protovine ( i can't spell his name)
and two painters jim and sharon
i think their last name was anderson
i always just remembered them as jim and sharon ( my painting teachers)
and monty was my art history teacher
ken was my airbrush and i think lettering instructor
i remember my etching teacher, ( she called me a babbling brook) but i can't quite remember if her name was grunelle or grunourer

joanne was my fashion illustrator and book illustration teacher
richard was my drawing and animation teacher

these folks were very highly instrumental
and i do STILL quote joanne often

if she ever stumbles across this blog
i will say this

i told her once i figured that at 50 folks had it all figured out
what i really learned is that by 50, you have acquired true charactor
or have become a true charactor

however these folks passed on a lot of learning about art, and life
some of the seeds they planted did take 30 years to come to fruition but they have appeared to have germinated now

i would love to say thank you to them all
( btw
last i heard, joanne was teaching at drexel)

morning has broken and it's green

the light if not the sun is coming up
i look out the windows and all i can see is spring green leaves
the studio is again a treehouse

yesterday right before i put everyone to bed,
i let falstaff out to graze
he's starting to get used to it
first off of course he has to run down to the day pen to check on the girls
but i herd him back and get him settled enough to graze

it does my eyes good to watch him
when the new girl finishes this hatch she is going to learn to graze too
(she does know how to graze but i mean learn to stay close to me while doing it.......for protection)

falstaff is funny, he's big but out of the pens he doesn't look as big as normal
since i been letting him out to graze he's calming down
and i make sure i touch his back every day when i go to take him out
he'll come around eventually, i am sure by end of summer

bernie has stopped work on the pens, partly cause of other stuff and partly cause of his sister coming, we put the money into stuff for her visit

we'll be back to it soon
we need a lot more 1/4 and 1/2 inch hardware cloth
some more wood and some plywood and the clear roof panels
i think it will be chickens going out first
since bernie cleaned them yesterday, and put fresh hay and some bedding
they made a nest!
and they are laying in it
so that's good
no one is sleeping in it
but we find the eggs

and i think lilli is laying again
one of them is
either her or phoebe
i think even cleo laid a tiny marble egg
i don't WANT cleo to lay however

she was funny last night
when i went into the pen to start to let them out
she came running up for her neck to be scratched

it's stuff like that which makes all the work worthwhile
all the icy cold days
the falls
the frozen buckets
who knew?

wait wasn't mother's day LAST weekend?

no?
shit
ok happy mother's day everyone

are you SURE it wasn't last weekend?
you know........... maryland sheep and wool weekend?

we got two new commercial shelves from sam's club yesterday
for the studio
they went up 20 bucks
from 79.99 to 99.99
it doesn't seem like much but damn

however they are still better then the commercial shelves at lowes or any other place
and still cheaper

i intend on building my old workbench with them
(sort like a U shape, with the worktable at the bottom of the u and the storage on the arms.....the arms will support the worktable)

i need to start back to making dolls again
probably miniatures as well
my former wholesale distributor died about two years ago, i recently found out.
so i will have to either find a new distributor or distribute them myself

meanwhile i am still drawing
it's about time to start the color drawings
and i am trying to find my supplies
oh and i forgot to get the ammonia to wash the plastic drawers off so i can paint them
i HATE the green on them
the blue isn't so hot either
meanwhile i am sitting here writing this blog

as an aside
to anyone who does read this blog
are there any duckie or animal stories you particularly liked?
i have so far done the one with the duckies and the polar bears
the one with the duckies going down the hill to the day pen
the duckies in the bath tub
i am working on a general one of the garden and day pen
i imagine ( yes dorothy i didn't forget you) that the one where i fell in duck poop will make it into the roster (however NOT in color)

are there any other stories i should be thinking about?
even older ones like the woodpecker on the roof?
or ones about the chickens
or cats
there are almost 700 posts on this blog now
and i am overwhelmed at trying to find stuff
i wish i could figure a good way to organize the blog ( the style sheets are messed up...... so when i go monthly the type at the oldest posts is so small as to be invisible)

i am sort of thinking of redoing the look of the blog
because of this issue
i am kicking it around in the back of my head
any comments on that?
i am thinking of making it much cleaner and simpler
instead of the gramma's parlor look it has now
( although i love gramma's parlor.......and my house sorta looks like that)

well that's todays post i suppose
falstaff's wife is actively brooding eggs
the girls are laying
falstaff is getting tamer by the day ( one of my current projects is to get him used to being handled as i want to cut his toenails)
the young chickens are now cleaned ( bernie did it yesterday)
the old girls are retired and spending their days eating and talking to the younger ones

and the cats are doing cat things
thaddeaus naturally is always getting into trouble
and finally grew his fur back
he's a curly lambsie now

have a wonderful sunday you guys

nightly bathtime for the duckies

if you've been following the duckies.......
you know already how reluctant phoebe is to bath a lot of the time

today i put the two wading pools up and filled both of them
one was out on the driveway by falstaff's pen and one just at the top of the little hill that goes down to the day pen

i let the duckies out tonight ( you all will be reading this in the morning)
and let them graze around for a while
cleo got in the hilltop pond
she had a blast splashing around and hopped in and out
in.....splash splash.......out .......nibble nibble

in again splash splash
hahahaha
lillianna was too busy grazing as was phoebe
but i snuck up on phoebe.......... and wisked her away to the pond on the driveway filled with warmed by the sun fresh water
and she bathed!
and bathed and bathed

'PHOEBE!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are taking a BATH!

yup mom, i don't like to bath with the others,
lillianna poops in the water and cleo bites me on the neck

phoebe, i am so proud of you.......now do your wings dear......

yup mom, i will do my wings..........

don't forget behind your ears too Phoebe, and then you have to preen......'

after 20 minutes of happy splashing..... a very soaking wet and dripping phoebe emerged from the now dirty cloudy water

meanwhile in the other pond
lillianna was splashing and having a grand time
while cleo hunted wormies on the driveway.......

'ok girls, time for bed now, get your last drink of water'

and the duckies follow each other into their bed