Tuesday, March 10, 2009

...and I'm off!

I just accepted a short term job in Richmond , Virginia and will be flying off tomorrow night. Pretty short notice! It's a quickie - I'll be back in a month - and I don't even know what the assignment is about - although I was told it is "political". Anyway, I've been to Richmond once before - for just a few days - and it is a beautiful city!...but what will I wear?...where are my boots?...sweaters?...my down parka? YIKES! They told me it was 6 degrees last week!
I'm also going to take this opportunity to go to NYC for a day or two. My youngest son is living there, so I will see him in the evening when he is not at school.
Anyway - I won't be opening an Etsy shop until I get back (on the 9th -so we're still on, Lorri!)
...i know, excuses, excuses. I'm not taking any art supplies with me because I am working a 6 day week while on location and there won't be enough time to really get anything done... so I will be art starved....wouldn't you know it - right now my muse is working overtime and I have a gazillion ideas, plans for projects I want to do, and multi projects in various stages of completion!
I'll have internet access once i get there, hopefully, so i will be able to keep up with my email.
Wish me luck!

Friday, March 06, 2009

NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY!

Yesterday Lance brought home a new member to our family.
She is half whippet, 1/4 suluki and 1/4 smooth hair terrier. A whippaterrasuki!
We named her Sookie. She's a little devil and our other dog - Chalupa - is not very thrilled yet to have a new sister.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Birds and Chickens...

I have been playing with the camera my DH gave me. the focus is so much better than my old camera - especially the zoom. The next few photos are of a mocking bird next to my car in the Safeway parking lot.

...and I just love the next one. They were happy little birds, dancing around....

...then they took a break to reconnect and do a bit of snoodling!

Then I headed into Lihue and found this duo outside my car at Walmart.

Aren't they pretty! ...and then there were the chickens. TONS of chickens - all sizes, all colors. At our house we had a flock of maybe 50. My DH had gotten into the habit of feeding them every morning, then he started feeling them again in the afternoon....and then began begging to be fed on demand! The big rooster would stand outside our bedroom window while we were sleeping and crow and crow until someone got up to feed him (and shut him up)....and then the hens starting coming up on the lanai and cackling at the screen door (..and pooping. yuck!) Finally we had to stop feeding all of them altogether. There were too many and they were too noisy. We missed them for about...
...a DAY! It is so nice to have the quiet again! Our flock has moved on to greener pastures.
anyway, these are the Walmart chickens. Look at this beautiful hen and her very large chicks. Where we live, a hen usually only has 2 to 3 chicks left that ever make it to this size....predators (cats, dogs, owls) take the rest.....

...and this spotted beauty....

...and here's a splotched rooster....


...another hen and her chicks - competition!
...and below, a couple of hens taking refuge from the rain around the baskets.
these chickens can adapt to anywhere...


Below - here's that mama again. She doesn't like me sneaking up to take pictures...

BACK OFF, PAPARAZZI!

...we are so out of here....