Ummmmmm, Why'd you do that?

My husband is a clever man. He has degrees adorning his walls and the ability to recall the most insignificant piece of info and remind me why it affects the price of shoelaces in Timbukto.

Knowledge is great. So is the ability to tune people out. I think he has developed this skill to the level of Master Tuner Outer.

Sunday we went on a family trip to Treego. This is a climb in the trees like monkeys sort of family amusement park. Florida gets rollercoasters, we get to perputate the image of the Canadian lumberjack...

Seriously it is great fun but the trip had us worried as our car seemed to be having power issues on the way up and back from Moncton.

Monday morning had me racing back home before work to put the pork chops in the fridge to ensure they were still in an edible state at the end of the day. Our cat, who seems to be a strict vegetarian occassionally takes a liking to pork so I felt the need to feed my family this source of protein and save the can stuff for Puss.

When I entered the driveway I noticed a black object. Upon further inspection I quickly realized that my fan belt had fallen off. Who knew your car could drive without one???

So David decides that he can repair the vehicle himself. All family and friends have witnessed his attempts at mechanical repair. They are not always successful. The most notable was when he set the T bird on fire and it only had 3 wheels on it inside our new garage. The learning curve on how to put on a wheel was pretty steep that day!

So he buys a new tool. I believe that is the only reason he tries to repair our aging fleet...it is a "legal" excuse to increase his tool inventory. He asks me to help. That results in great martial bliss and of course several words that would make a sailor blush were uttered. No blame will be laid here!

SO as Dave becomes increasingly frustrated at the tools inability to move the alternater thingy far enough away to install the new belt I mention that I think his tool is too big (hard to believe I said that!) (DFF _ I can edit these entries, you know: what she said was "are you sure they gave you the right tool". Of course they did...the car is just too small). He assured me that the men who sold him this tool knew what they were doing and would I please hand him the grinder so he could remove the radiator shield (also incorrect. It was only a few clips that had to be removed and that didn't work either).

I restated my belief that there had to be an easier way other than removing the entire engine and half the exterior parts. Maybe his tool was the wrong size.

Again I was reminded of the mental superioity of the mechanical community and I left the building still muttering that the tool was not the correct size to move that thingy for the belt whatcha ma call it.

I went to pick my daughter up from Girl Guides and she asked if the car was working yet. I said No. She instantly questioned, "what did Dad do this time?" She may be young but she has learned from past mistakes...opps learning experiences. She is marrying a rich man so she can avoid all this DIY repair delimmas. Smart girl.

When I enter my home I get a full nostril full of that delightful aroma that only a grinder grinding metal can make. You know the one that shuts of your lungs and attaches itself to the back of your tonsils with a grip a politician would love?

Gagging I went into the garage to be greeted by a triumphant man asking for my assistance.
As I journeyed through the garage of smoke and debris I see attached to the proper spot his new tool. I clasp it, shove it in the only direction it will go and within seconds the fan belt was in place.

Dave smiles and states,

"Once I figured out the tool was too big I took the grinder to it. Now it works great." (DFF: I hate to have to modify a brand new tool just to get it to do the job it supposed to do. Oh well, she can't compalin that my tool ids too big now ;-) )

MEN.

Whats new pussycat?

Turkey Lurkey and her showring debut (August)

This is just a quick blub to let you know that I am still among the land of the living and to get a few folks off my back!

Apparently some people do not need to see my art work each and every day. Imagine. I thought that was the point of my blog but I am told that a daily dose of Crystal is much more entertaining than the visual displays I love to show off.

I am still trying to decide if I am offended or not.

Considering the time and energy required to be truly offended I think I will take the slackers way out and joyfully continue in my fantasy that you really want to hear my ramblings, with or without art. I prefer the art but since my output is non exisitent at the moment this is what you get!

So here is my totally non art related story for you.

My son is involved in the 4H Market turkey project. It is a really cool project where members raise a turkey for 5 long months and then attempt to out do The Donald in a business model. He got these birds as day old chicks and they have grown and grown and grown.

We butchered two in August to limit the finicial bleeding from our bank account because a full grown turkey can and will ( if given the chance) eat his weight in gold. The first two turkeys weighed in at an impressive 16 and 18lbs. That is alot of hot turkey sandwiches! If you do not think this is a large amount, consider holding two newborn babies complete with full diapers and then re question the weight issue! Yeah, that's alot of bird.

Most producers do not raise turkeys for 5 months for obvious reasons. Besides the fincial draining of ones chequeing account the turkeys also grow to a phenomenal size. Any woman out there right now will agree with me that stuffing a 25 lb turkey into a 10 lb pan does not work. You men must also remember that the 10 lb pan fits perfectly in the modern oven. Simple math here folks, that leaves 15 lbs of bird that regardless of the amount of pressure or velocity at which you kick the oven door , you still have waaaay too much bird for your modern convienence cooking device.

But I digress.

The great part about the 4H Market Turkey project is that your kid has to keep track of how much money went into said beast and find out a marketable price to sell excess birds at. He has learned that women are smarter than men. Men think bigger is better. Women already understand the rules of physics. An object will occupy a given space at a given time due to its given mass. That means,

The damn turky will NEVER ever fit into your oven as a whole entity.

Men will never understand this. Therefore my son is targeting them as potential buyers of his Turkey at the Market Turkey Auction this weekend.

I watched with pride as my once super shy child chased down the manager of the local Atlantic Superstore in an attempt to use his youth as an aid in soliciting bidders for the auction.

My son has seen the inside of our freezer, he knows there is no way in Gods green acre that 5 turkeys, 1 lamb, 17 meat kings and 50 lbs of pork are all fitting in there. He has also reasoned that if he ever wants to eat ice cream in the privacy of his bed room he must ensure that there is aleast enough space to fit 2 L of Udderly Divine. Right now the odds are against him ever becoming lactose intolerant.

This is one motivated kid.

As a side bar, the above photo is of Lurkey in August. August 3rd to be exact. She has done nothing but eat for 2 straight months. Use your imagination for her present size! Even coyotes won't tackle her now, although I should be concerned for the horse!

I'll let you know how the auction goes. Either he does well or we'll be drinking shakes for a while!

Girl Power!

Ada Yonath 5x7 Oil Portrait

Wow, the world should come to a screeching halt, I have posted two people in a row!! Yikes, we better start watching for flying pigs!

Challenges are good. They help you improve and you learn things, hopefully that will allow you to become a better person.

I learned I can paint the human face reasonably well without fear of people saying "What is that? Abstract?" I might even try it again in the future. Might. Great word!

This lovely lady is Ada Yonath (for those of you who missed that part of the portrait!) who won last years Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She works on a variety of things including ribosomes and antibiotics and how to target them so drug resistance is less of an issue. If I have understood the literature well enough. Yikes.

Sometimes intrepreting that stuff is like entering a room where everyone but you speaks Greek. You think you can order your supper , wait for a roast chicken and receive liver and onions. Then you end up insulting the owner's mother when you really meant to tell them you loved their necklace! Don't laugh, it's been done by smarter folk than me!!

Everything is new again

Einstein 7x5 Oil

People who know me right now are having a good laugh at my expense. I am ok with that. Atleast I am serving some purpose in the world right now.

I am a fairly easy character to figure out. I have my likes and dislikes just like the next fella. I like chocolate, sunflower seeds and bright sunny days. Pretty simple right?

I dislike Math, Chemistry and Physics although many of my past dinners could qualify as experiments gone horribly wrong on a toxic chemistry level. I am pretty sure that the worst ones also broke a few physics laws. Pretty sure, but since physics is so far over my head that even with heels on I can not feel the rush of wind as it goes whizzing by me. I generally consider myself content with life without this added knowledge. I like my pie to contain sugar.

I also don't paint people. Usually when asked, I will agree to paint the daughter, grandmother or lover for an addition $25,000. Surprisingly no one has taken me up on that offer. Wonder why????

So in an effort to expand my horizons, become a better person and open my mind ( you know the cr*p I am talking about!) I thought I would attempt to do some people. Einstein was an obvious choice just because of his radical hair and idolic status as a genius. The interesting thing is that once that paint started moving around on the canvas and I focused on his face I was mesmerized by the interesting qualities they held. The more I painted the more I felt like he was alive and my level of empathy increased exponentially (see what happens when you paint genius'? Your vocabulary improves!!).

He may have been a genius but I dare people to look at the man, at any time in his life and look at him. In each and every picture, whether it is a professional or amateur photograph, he looks incrediably tired; as if the knowledge within him was too much for a mere mortal to hold.

I loved how this painting turned out.

Next time I look in the mirror and see bags under my eyes I am just going to pretend it is the genius weighing me down!!! LOL

A drink of water for a thirsty woman

Moving the flock

Working a Tough Crowd

What a wonderful, fantastic, glorious, soul fulfilling weekend this was.

Sounds kinda silly when I put it that way doesn't it? Its the truth. It was a great weekend that quenched my soul like a desert traveller finding an oasis.

First there was the art show where I got to meet up with a variety of other artists and talk about our experiences. It was so refreshing to hear them discuss their life stories and realize that I was not so unique or that I was the only one who had experienced difficulties. When we isolate ourselves we have a tendency to feel as if the rest of the world does not expereince the same hardships we do. I was wrong, and it felt great to know that. It also felt wonderful to discuss issues and look for solutions to problems you saw with other open minded people who also shared a "lets do it" attitude. It gave me a great sense of hope and the courage to say "Ok, lets see if we can make this better."

Sunday was filled with sheep and wool and folks who loved their job and people who wanted to learn about thier job! It was Open Farm Day here, an event where the public is invited to see farms throughout Nova Scotia. I have mentioned before in this blog about the huge disconnect people have from where their food comes from. This was no different. Over 100 people showed up to learn about sheep farming and the various applications that applied to it. Gwyneth and I spun wool and did needle felting. I taught many folks to spin wool. It was ugly wool but they learned and appreciated a part of their history and I believe left with a better understanding of why craftsmanship and creativity is an important part of our life.

There was shearing demo and a sheep dog demonstration where poor Mark the Border Collie got the short end of the stick with a bunch of ram lambs who were not impressed with the situation in general. The above photo made me laugh because as a creative person who wants to do things it feels like you are the Border Collie, all this energy and no place to put it. Having a flock of ram lambs face you down can be a daunting task! Mark buddy, I feel your pain!

SO the next time you feel alone, go visit people. If your really lucky like I was this weekend you will find a ton of like minded folks and you'll get to feel like your one of the "flock"!!

Last of the Harvest Moon Specials

Red Tailed Hawk 4x6 oil $45

Fortress Louisbourg Turret 4x4 oil $40

Ross Castle Raven 5x3 oil $35

The Glass Insulator 4x4 oil $25

It is the day before the big one day sale and Harvest Moon Art Exhibition. I am all ready and my bags are packed in preparation. I am looking forward to meeting people and chatting with fellow artists. Sometimes being artistic is a very lonely hobby. You wander around your studio creating pieces that in your mind are great. Sometimes you create a piece that is flawed and unlike the famous cubical you do not have the luxury of calling out loud to your coworker for a solution.

Then you continue on knowing something is wrong but unable to see through your eyes the cause. It can be a very irratating feeling. Those are the paintings that I leave on the floor, gathering dust while I glare at them for sometimes months.

I am looking forward to meeting other artists that I know have similar issues and seeing how they correct them. Also learning the latest "good" gossip about the industry is a draw.

Have a great weekend I know I plan to!

More Harvest Moon Art Exhibition Specials

Cork Cormorant 3x5 oli $20

Across Cobequid Bay 7x5 Oil $35

Olde English Dorset 5x7 Oil $20

Brillant Sunrise 5x3 Oil $15

Here are some more smaller peices that will be at the Harvest Moon Art Exhibition for ONE day only!! Make sure you come on Saturday at 12:30 and add to your art collection, it is cheaper than a family dinner at MacDonalds!!!!

The Harvest Moon Art Exhibition Special - One day ONLY Special!

Little Bird 4x4 oil $25

Hedley Wilsons Boarder 7x 5 oil $45

Soaking in the Rays oil 8x10 $90

The Frog Oil 5x3 SOLD

The Modern Texel 7x5 Oil $40

I like being busy. I get lots done, feel great and usually lose weight because I don't graze in the vicinity of the kitchen!

I am getting prepared for the Harvest Moon Art Exhibition that opens this Saturday from 12:30 -4:30 pm at the McCarthy Hall of the NSCC campus here in Truro. One new thing they are doing this year is allowing artists to bring in small pieces of work and sell them directly to the public without a commission charge. The catch is that the artists must be on hand to handle any transactions.

So I decided that since I like meeting, talking and displaying things to people that this would be a great time to start reducing my inventory. This would be a one day only chance to pick up some really nice pieces of art for some really reasonable prices. Get a jump on the Christmas (sorry I brought that up sooo many months in advance!) season and acquire some art work for your collection or help a friend start their own private collection.

I plan to have 20-25 pieces there for you to look at and above is just a few of them and the prices I will be asking. Do I pique your interest now???

I was here and people noticed!

I was here Black Point July Photograph

Yesterday was the sheep sale and I am glad I went and I am glad it is done! Hurricane Earl delayed the sale from last weekend to this one and it did not affect peoples attendence. Can you say busy???

I sat and spun wool for a great majority of the day and I was able to chat with friends, old and new.

Sometimes you isolate yourself from others for a variety of reasons and you begin to feel alone and odd. I found yesterday that it was very therapeutic to be proven wrong and I know I was not the only one. Many people came and chatted about themselves and one thing most of us shared was a love of creating. An idea of having a clinic/workshop for working with wool had been tossed around by a couple of friends and I and when I bravely asked if others would be interested the response was a unified "YES"!

People who I thought might not be interested in a needle felting workshop because they are very accomplished spinners were very emphatic in wanting to be included. A woman who has her own rug hooking business was thrilled and as she tried to learn to spin said "Count me in I want to try!"

Sometimes we sell ourselves short when we underestimate not only our abilites but the desire that other people have to want to belong among like minded individuals. Just because you are known for your abilities in one genre people often assume that you would have no interest in their ideas. I do not know if this is precipatated by fear of rejection or plain ignorance of individuals but I know I learned to be fearless and stride forward.

Your not alone, there are others out there who want a reason to gather, learn and enjoy the company of like minded individuals. Much like my off kilter photo from a weekend get away, just becasue it is a little off center does not make it bad or undesireable!

Stayed tooned for future "wool gathering" up dates!!!!

White and Woolie Weekend coming up!

North Country at Dusk 7x5 Oil
$75 +S/H

I figured this painting was appropriate since the big sheep sale is on this weekend. For those of you who follow this blog this painting should remind you of a previous photograph!!

I have been asked to come sit at the sale this weekend and spin for the amusement of others! Apparently folks seem to think I have a talent for entertainment and that with my "mythic powers" I should be able to keep the youngsters of the deep pocketed bidders entranced long enough for their parents to drop copious amounts of cash on the sale's many entries. LOL

I say this in jest but hopefully I can do more than entertain...maybe educate and encourage some young ( and not so young!!) minds to try crafting with wool. I have been busily washing Abby, Eve and Precious' wool and dying it with kool aid so that the kids ( and adults) might want to play with something that doesn't involve electricity...namely the computer!

I'll let you know how sucessful I am!!

Evenings last light

Hedley Wilsons Boarder 7x5 Oil portrait
$95 +S/H

A different and looser style of painting for you to look at today. I really enjoyed it and in some ways I found capturing the light to be much easier in this style than my usual tight realistic versions.

The horse featured here is one I captured while visiting my farrier one evening. The sun deeked down below the horizon about 2 seconds after I took this shot. I loved the richness of light and colour that the evenings last light created and when I saw the photo I knew I had to paint it!

Hope you like it!

Gettin' 'er done!

Traveling Minstrel 11x14 Oil
$175 +S/H

I finally finished a painting!! Only 19 more to go!! LOL

This is a portrait of my daughters Welsh pony Traveler. He was a rescue animal who Eartharc (http://www.piczo.com/eartharc) purchased at the local cattle market for $20. That organization nursed him back to health but because he was 19 years old, had severe heaves and Cushings no one wanted him.

My big mare Chloe (pictured on top of the blog) needed to be taught horse manners and Traveler fit right in. He lived with us for 8 years and died this last Christmas, three years after the local vet claimed he wouldn't make it through the winter! I guess the vet forgot to tell him!

This picture is how I remember him, running up for his supper with his tail held high.

Dodged the bullet

MacElmon Pond Frog 5x7 oil
$100 plus S/H

Well we are here, all in one piece and miraculously all the shingles are intact! The Hurricanes southerly approach was its saving grace for us and actually we heard very little of the storm. The joys of a concrete house are such that you really can hide from the real world in one!

I spent the entire day working on paintings and I know some of you will groan but it spent my time starting new pieces! There was such an energy during the storm that I found it hard to focus on the fine details of a class of racehorses that I lavishly spent my time smearing paint on to new canvases. What joy! :)

This little fellow lives in a small pond near a park I frequently walk. I took my 4-H photography group out to photograph the environment and this little fellow featured prominently in everyone's album. This painting is based on a photo my son took and it was one of his album enteries that won a red ribbon at the Exhibition.

I thought he (the frog not my son!) looked so calm and relaxed and I had to paint him. Maybe there is a little bit of the fairy tale princess in me where If I kiss a toad my prince charming will appear.

Opps, forgot..I already did that and married him!! LOL

Buckle up baby, its gonna be a bumpy ride!

Stay away damn Hurricane!

Take that you miserable weather phenomenon!

What's your problem?

What Hurricane?

Still working on larger pieces and of course, preparing for hurricane Earl. To say I am worried would be an understatement. We have replaced our north roof 4 times in the last 2 years due to strong winds. And YES, it was installed by a professional each time and YES it was tarred down and YES we have the best shingles money can buy. I should know, we've bought them 4 times!

These pictures were taken during a summer trip to Fortress Louisbourg and I love the ones of the men firing their weapons. They kind of explain how I feel with this approaching Hurricane!

For those of you who have never experienced the joy of a Hurricane let me fill you in on a few pertinent facts.

1. You will lose power....for an extended period of time. This means you will be wrapping your freezer up in your best duvet to prevent any loss of all those chemical free home raised meat kings.

2. You will need a powersaw. That cute little tree you bought at Canadian Tire three years ago will now have a trunk of steel and your handsaw will be insufficient to cut through it when it becomes lodged in the front seat of your "not quite paid for yet " car.

3. Stock up on kitty litter. Strong winds and sideways driving torrents of rain will ensure that your barn cat becomes a permanent fixture in your house, most likely under your feet because lets face it..that is the most safe place in the house. Of course when you fall face first on your kitchen floor flattening your cat, it will now experience a loosening of the bowels. Hence the stocking up of cat litter. Make sure it is a jumbo bag capable of absorbing orders. Not that cheap stuff that you can use as traction during blizzards. See future blogs on the proper application of this product!

4. Stock up on propane AND charcoal briquets. You will get hungry. You will need to feed your family even though it is unsafe to leave the relative safety of your home, you will venture out to the deck and try and create fire. Usually a frustrating venture as 120 km hour wind gusts blow out your propane tank with a regularity that the makers of Metamucil would envy. Because your family will complain about the taste of propane on their very rare hamburger you will then attempt to please them (AKA shut them up) by starting up the charcoal. This guarantees your children will now also leave the safety of the house to roast marshmallows. When the Hurricane passes you will look at your exterior walls and ponder why there are gobs of hairy green things firmly attached to your siding. Eventually you will realize that your offspring only ingested 1/4 of the marshmellows while Hurricane monster man spread the rest around your home. The grass is revenge for not having raked up the lawn clippings prior to the event.

It will take several days to clean this up and no, insurance will not cover it!

5. Stock up on water because with the power off you will have to rely on the horse buckets and tubs to help flush the toilet. Remember, the cat will not be the sole occupant of the house with loose bowels.

6. Hide the mirrors, because after watching your shingles fall like a BP well spews oil you will not be getting any sleep. You will not be getting any gourmet meals and you will cetainly not be getting any hot showers. Soooooooo, on your first day back to work, you will wake up in the morning with hair resembling the above rooster. Good morning Sunshine!

7. By day three after the storm, you will become very sedentary. You do not care if there is bare wood exposed on your roof, that all your food has the texture of burnt wood or that your home now smells like a cat house. You will view people very much like the goose we saw at the Fort (see above photo). Even though your hair can now repel rain and you can now longer hear the whines of family members you will sit in your spot and retreat into your fantasy world where running water is a given and insurance men like to help. You will become that proverbial duck where all your troubles wash away because nothing sticks to you.

So here's to all my fellow Maritimers, May you weather the storm with your head held high (once the debris settles), your power is never ending (because you LIKE that duvet) and your water ever flowing ( no more separating hay from your loose tea)!

PS If you never hear from me again, watch the news...we are probably the house the flew away!

Where's my Supper?

Crossbred Lamb

Clun Forest Weanling

Move it or lose it!

I do not have any finished paintings to view today. Things seem to be moving tediously slowly. Could be this bone melting heat wave we are experiencing and it could be the fact that I took my camera on another farm tour!

I visited Nant Y Mor Farm today. There are breeders of Purebred Clun Forest Sheep and this is where we purchased Bella from. Nant Y Mor is one of only a dozen breeders of Clun Forest Sheep in the country so I had to go get some photos of these special girls. The 33 degree temp had them hiding under every morsel of shade they could find and it was only the enticement of grain that had them running hell bent for leather!

I was reading the latest Jersey Canada magazine (online- how clever Russel!) and saw an article about the Jersey cow having a smaller carbon foot print than other more traditional breeds of dairy cattle. This piqued my interest as I have long speculated about Heritage breeds and their carbon foot print. The Cluns are a known grass finishing sheep which means they can reach optimum market weight without all the added grain inputs of the more popular "meat" breeds. With the cost of transportation increasing exponentially I wonder how long it will take the face of agriculture to catch up with the cost of doing business?

If a farmer can raise a market lamb to slaughter weight in 120 days but he requires huge amounts of grain inputs does this make sound business sense when compared to someone who can raise the same amount of lamb on pasture with only a few more weeks added?

I know I have been giving this a considerable amount of thought. Breeds I once considered "prime" are now less desireable to me. Unfortunatley the public knows little to nothing about where their food comes from. When we were transporting our market lamb to the butcher we stopped at a gas station where a woman approached us to pet the lamb. She naively asked where he was going and when we explained his purpose she was horrified.

"How can you eat him?"

When I asked her where she thought lamb came from she proudly announced she didn't eat lamb. I questioned whether she was a vegetarian or not and she quite happily told me she loved chicken, beef and pork.

She didn't make the connection.

That makes me very sad.