Claude Monet

This is my favorite Monet painting ever. It's so simple and yet so beautiful.

Posh!!

This song somehow came up in a conversation tonight. Don't ask how,it just did.

I also found it in German.

What I've Been Working On

I have been practising a interesting water color technique. I though I would share.

1. First you draw your subject in detail. This allows you to become familiar with your subject and with the feel and look of what you want. You leave out thing that may distract you from the focal point, such as grass, sticks, dark lines were they look bad, etc.

2. Next, you make a quick sketch from your drawing. Basically just an outline. You then write in your lights and darks, color, reflections, and other bits of information that are important. Believe it or not, this really simplifies your subject.

3. Lastly you paint your water color from your drawings. DON'T look at the actual thing, just the drawing and your notes. It also helps to paint it several times experimenting with different colors and such.
Try it, its fun.

It Pays to be Organized

I am disorganized. I blame this on genetics. No matter how hard I try, things will be lost. I have a drawer that I keep important things in, such as bank statements and forms. Just so I know where the important things are. Well, today I needed to gather up my check stubs for some reason or other so I went to the drawer that holds that portion of my life. Of course, it was in disarray. I found what I wanted ( I had to completely empty the drawer to do this), but then I decided that maybe I should organize this important drawer. I did. I now have folders and envelopes and everything is where it is supposed to be. Wonderful as being organized is, it gets better. I found money!!! At one point or another I probably said to myself " Don't forget that you put money in this drawer." But I did, I try but as I said before I can't help this underlying fact. So now I am doubly happy; see what being organized can do for you. Life is good!!

Take a Nap Wherever You Please

I think yesterday was Saint Patrick's day, or maybe it is today, I don't know, either way I didn't wear green. I wore a pale purple yesterday and black today. Please forgive me for my unholidayish manner of dress. Well, yesterday was a beautiful day, so after our sign language class ( I can now sign 'my neighbor ate my pie and now he is my enemy.') we went for a quick drive around Red House Lake. There is still a thin layer of ice on the lake but that is melting quickly. As we drove past the bath house I saw something up in a tree close to the road. Unsure, it took me a second to identify it as a raccoon. Of course, I made them stop and go back. And sure enough, it was a coon. Sleeping, out in the open, right next to the road! I have never seen a raccoon during the day sleeping like that. It was odd. And the little guy never woke up while we were there. I had Spencer run over real quick to get a better picture than what I was getting from the car. The coon never moved, and he was standing almost right underneath it. We weren't even being quiet. I guess when you gotta sleep you gotta sleep. Personally I would be afraid of falling out of the tree while I was sleeping.

It's Lambing Season

These are not our sheep. We do not have sheep. I have tried, but still we have no sheep. We do however have friends that have sheep.

Every year at some point or other we find a lamb that our friends did not know existed yet. Most of the time it is when they are not at home, vacation you know. And as we do not have sheep we know nothing about what to do with a new born lamb. We have to call them and get instructions on what to do, we have never lost a lamb yet. Well, this year about a week before they left for vacation, I went up to paint with Mrs. Alianello. Mom, Spencer, and Samantha went in the barn to see the lamb (that they did know about) that was born a few days earlier. Low and behold, there was a lamb in the pen with the ewes. Clearly that raised a question. Spencer came in the house and asked if there was supposed to be a lamb in with the ewes and the ram. NO!! It was a very good thing that we happened to be there. They were not planing to go out to the barn until later that night and by then the baby may have been trampled or bludgeoned to death. All was well. There is also a rule about the lamb (I think mom made it up) you find it, you name it. Anyway, Daffodil is alive and doing well.

Where Do You Tattoo

Tundra Swans

Mom spotted these beautiful swans on her was home today. She pulled in our driveway and ran in the house yelling that I needed to get my camera and get in the car. Glad thing I did!

Taking flight Flying over a very flooded fieldSoaring into the wide blue yonder.

As we were parked on a rather dangerous corner and I was hanging out the window, a policeman stopped and paid us a little visit.

Goodby Forever

Our cat Newman is no longer with us. We don't know what happened to him, one day he was here the next he wasn't. He did have a liking for long adventures of several days but he always came back from them. He loved kisses. I remember back when we first got him and he was so small. One day we were sitting on the couch and he came in the room whining his face off. I said he wanted a kiss. He jumped up and nobody kisses him. He continued moaning and I say come here I'll kiss you. He runs around the couch, climbs up my arm. I kiss him on the head and he jumps down and leaves. He was such a cute little guy. He was mean though. You picked him up when he didn't want to be picked up and he took out his anger on your face. I hate to say it but I hope it was painless and quick. I loved him and I will miss him even though some of us may not (no names) .

Its Here!!!

Three exclamations is just not enough.
( pictures by Spencer taken twenty minuets ago)

Eskimo Living

(This post is for Spencer, because he has been bothering me about it)

Ok so the other day, back when it was snowy and cold, (Now it is warm,wet, and muddy, and today very foggy.) anyhow, Spencer decided to sleep outside in a tunnel. He hollowed out one of our snow piles, making a small room in the center. He even had a window. He laid down a tarp and blanket, to stay dry. Dressed in something like five layers, flashlight in hand he went out into the night. He said it was surprisingly warm in there and was doing just fine until he heard the coyotes.
Next morning he was still alive. He did however melt the shaped of his body into the ground he was sleeping on. ( Now people will know how crazy you are boy.)

Square Root Day

03.03.09

Square Root n: a factor of a number that when squared gives the number (the square root of 9 is +- 3)

(The next square root day is 04.04.16 so mark your calenders)