Tuesday Through The Winter Window (3)

When I found my beloved bed frames at a

yard sale I immediately saw them
in my yard--not the bedroom.
Add some snow and you have winter lace.

The shapes I see out my window
this brisk morning in northern OH
fluctuate with movement
and rigid form.

Soft, and fluffy as cotton balls,
stacked like pancakes atop
a sleeping Shepherd's hook,
snow waits for a thaw or
a subtle wind to blow it
onward, upward or out of sight.
Today out my winter window
I hope it stays awhile.
It truly makes me smile.

Every window frames the splendor of winter.
Even where Opie Taylor, my sweet kitty, dines.
My studio is directly to the left of Opie's dining room.

Window treatments borrowed from nature
and neighbor's yards create an airy view.
This is decorating magic at its finest~

Winter bonnets on bird feeders
and slumbering bird baths
make me believe for a moment
that I'm at Disneyland.
Or in Sweden.
Or tucked inside a storybook
in a magical place only the wee ones get to see.

This morning's window brought me to a place
of gratefulness of being able to behold
the hands of God at work.
Or maybe it's play....
Yes, I'm quite certain it's play.

To see more of Tuesdays Through The Winter Window
visit Julie at The Swedish House.

Julie was in London this morning and I was surprised
to see what she saw when she woke up today.

Also, I want to encourage you to check out Creative Every Day. My dear friend, Leah Piken Kolidas, owner of Blue Tree Art Gallery, and founder of CED, is the lovely host. Leah invites everyone to come along for the journey of learning how to become creative doing every day things, in every day ways. You'll love the weekly themes she creates to help you look outside the box of limitations you may place on your creative mind. This week's theme is air. You could simply sit and mediate this week and practice being mindful of the way you're breathing. Or you could go all out and find ways to dry food in your oven. There is no pressure or demands, only encouragement from an amazing woman who loves to teach. Plus, you'll meet lots of inspirational people in the group who'll teach you ways to grow creatively, and help you see creativity is inside everyone--not just artists. It's just waiting for you to invite it to come out and play!

Join me, Leah, and hundreds of other people seeking to find ways to color their worlds with fun, with passionate joy, and with or without a paintbrush. This will be my third year to participate in CED, Creative Every Day. Come on! Before you know it you'll even find ways to bring creativity into the work place, the commute and especially the every day moments of living. Learn how to make your day a creative one, inside and out~

The Colors of Winter

Taken from my kitchen window

Winter is alive with color

Even if I only get a peek behind a branch

The color of winter waves back to me

Life at the Lily Pad is psychedelic & colorful.
~Groovy~

Barn Babe

I loved taking these pics of the barns in KY.
Yep... I'm a Barn Babe.

Photo Shoot Sample

I love this amazing couple beyond words. Just a couple weeks shy of 50 years of marriage, you can see the love in their body language, and their hands. This is just a sample of some of the shots I took. I have another full day of shooting to do which I'm thoroughly looking forward to doing. Below are a few of me and my girlfriends playing on the farm between takes. I'm playing with some new editing software. It's like a candy store!

~~~ Enjoy~~~

I was mimicking a dead scare crow.
It looked like it died from being impaled by a melon.
[don't ask me where the scare crow had been entered by
the melon unless you really, really, ReALLy...
truly wanna know...]

Staying in Motion Until It's Time To Start Packing

Red Poppy 16" x 16" acrylic

I've had to rearrange my plans to show my work at one of our downtown galleries. Getting sick slowed things down, as well as the current re-routing of my studio, and nest. All is well. I'll let everyone know when the reception will be after I confirm a new date with the gallery owners.

Poppies in a Field 16" x 16" acrylic

Below is what I'll be painting next.
It's from a series of shots I took of blues singer Bekah Williams from Cincinnati, OH.

But I'm happiest to announce I am doing a photo shoot for my very dear friend, Miss Dorri of her mother and father tomorrow. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary next month. Visiting Dorri, and her family, on her farm is always a treat. I am honored to call them my family and I've been officially adopted. Officially! I'll post some of the shoot after I finish. [with proper permission, of course...]

Below are some pics from the last shoot I did a few Easter's ago.

She is even more beautiful in person. Her smile can light up a dark night.

Life Rocks

I took these shots at one of our state parks.

I want to know what stories have unfolded in forests like these

Where every twist and turn takes you to another place and time.

I can hear voices whispering in the trees, the voices of the past.

A tree hangs stoically, silently on the edge of time.

Guardian soldiers of the past.

The rocks laugh.

For even the rocks have a story to tell.

"Some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity ... " ~ Gilda Radner

Beauty Tip To Live For Today and This Time Tomorrow

The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life. ~ Frank Lloyd Wright ~

Cloud kissed skies wait for this time tomorrow

My favorite colors can be found in an early evening sky or dancing on the water. My neighbor, Mr. J, thought the last cloud picture looked like the Stay Puff guy... I think he's right.

Tornados, Yellow Slickers and Blue Herons pass by this time tomorrow

I saw these fisherman dressed in their bright yellow raincoats right before a tornado rolled through just south of me. My kitty had been long gone hiding under the bed. In fact he is still there. Now this is what I call die-hard or crazy.... I'm not sure which but it sure made for a great shot.

Just before I came in I looked to the left of the point on my island and saw this heron. I now see right before a tornado must be great fishing weather....

It's a rainy day at the tree house. This vase of fairy flowers can chase away any clouds.

Since I can't go kayaking as planned with Superman to meet Dylan, Melissa and Max, the Wonder Boy, on the lake shore beach... I'll paint instead. I realized I've only been out of the house once in a car (as a passenger) since Saturday when I experienced the "push forward" (new name I'm giving to the word "set-back" for PTSD side affects)

I've taken a couple of walks around the lake, and on Sunday night had an unexpected offer from my neighbor, Mr. J. to take a moonlight ride on his pontoon boat around the lake. How could you say no to an offer like that? Within minutes we were skimming the surreal waters at a gentle pace, and soaking up the rays of a bold faced moon. Suddenly we saw several mysterious things floating on the water. We strained our eyes to see what it was. It was a flock of geese swimming, and their bodies appeared as though they were wearing reflective clothing to alert boats at night where they were. I must say the geese looked eerie and cool at the same time. Later we determined it was their brilliant, white tail feathers that reflected the moon light, and glowed like beacons. Smart little guys, those geese are....

Nature is always surprising me... Leaving me scratching my head, and saying, "Wow. I never knew that." Or, "Wow...that's the first time I ever saw one of those...."

But other than that I have not ventured out this week. That's OK, I suppose. I'm just not feeling secure enough to drive right now. That's OK, too. I have enough to be awed by right here in my own back yard. I'll have to find some reflective gear to put around my car, my mind, my fears. Hmmmm.... maybe wearing some white tail feather's would cushion my thoughts. Hey, white tail feathers AND monkey pants.... now that's an idea!!! That combo would surely keep the clouds of dread away.... don't you think???

Once in a blue moon you'll find this waiting for you on another day called this time tomorrow

By the light of the silvery moon.....

Full moon rising this time tomorrow

It will soon be dark at the Tree House. It's a full moon weekend. I'd like to try to get some shots of the moon if the clouds cooperate to give it a chance to smile in the spotlight. From my bed, and from a large portion of my windows, I watch the moon crawl across the heavens each month like it's waltzing with the stars. The shimmery glow on the water is mesmerizing, and calming.

My goal for almost a year has been to kayak at night during a full moon. I'm not brave enough to take my camera out on the lake but I am brave enough to take my hiney all white and shiny out there to see what it looks like on the water. I'm talking about the glow of the moonlight on the water... But ~~no pun intended~~ is it any coincidence they refer to one showing their hineys as "mooning" someone?

And here you thought I was waxing poetic in this post....

I'm not the same person I was a moment ago or the person I'll be this time tomorrow

Are they people, aliens or unique droplets of time?