Thankful Thursday - ATC Storage

As you can see I use a regular photo album for my atc storage. I like this because I can write who they are from on the lines beside the atc and I don't have to handle them too much.

I can't tell you how much gratitude I feel and the feeling of a shared community with all of you that I trade ATCs with. Your generous loving nature is passed along with each card and I treasure them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I will be celebrating my FIL's 90th birthday. Cheers.

Animal Wednesday - Lion

I feel a little like I am cheating by using the "L"ion for Animal Wednesday. But this is my offering this week. A Lion that is on its way to Marianne. Happy Animal Wednesday all. Ink and watercolor ATC.

Blooming Tuesday

Not exactly a bloom but the results of blooms. This is a sketch I did of the first ripe blackberry I found in the garden this week. It is officially blackberry picking time. Happy Blooming Tuesday to you all.

Skywatch Friday and Magnificent Mail

After a day when you get over three inches of rain and you get up to blue skies and fluffy clouds you know it is going to be a good day. Sure enough the Mailman delivered a delightful packet to me from Judy at Naturalist Journal:Down The Nature Trail. I so enjoy her blog. I think we are on the same wave length when it comes to enjoying nature. I mean just look at the way the envelope is decorated.

This sweet card with a Chinese proverb written on it was in the packet describing some of the goodies inside.

Such as this copy of a paper from a Temple she visited in Hong Kong.

This sweet good luck charm made like a bookmark.

To top it off she sent three ATC's that she did when she saw some of my photos on my blog that inspried her.

I think of it as such a compliment to have an artist want to paint/draw something I have taken a picture of.

Thank you so very much Judy for sharing your talent and treasures with me. I feel mightly blessed today. My heart is buzzing with delight.

Dogs on Thursday - Luna's Visitors

Woe is me. My dear friends, I must tell you I have had quite the week this week. I have been dog sitting for a little friend. Let me introduce you... this is Oly. Oly is a minature poodle that thinks he can rule over my garden. Well, let me tell you this is not the case. Mom says he puts the Yap in Yappy Dog and that he is smarter than he lets on. He plays the "I'm a little dog I can go anywhere and do anything I want" but knows the rules.

He does help me with patrolling the garden for any uninvited guests.

As you can see he is often underfoot. It is a job in itself just not to step on him. He gets really grouchy when someone steps on him. Oly went home today and low and behold just when I thought I was going to get a rest...

Vinny comes for the weekend. I don't have to worry about Vinny getting underfoot. He is so active that I have a hard time keeping up with him. He is fast too.

He is a little obsessive about the Ash tree because this is where there are often little gray squirrels hanging out. They all know to stay away when Vinny is here though. Vinny will not tolerate anything smaller than he is in the garden. Actually he wouldn't allow any critter to come into the garden unless my Mom says it is ok. Yes, I have my hands full this weekend. I hope you all have a good one.

To visit other Dogs on Thursday you can go here.

Blooming Tuesday and Animal Wednesday

As I have been sitting outside more since we have had absolutely perfect weather I sat and watched a hummingbird going to the flowers around the garden. One of my favorite flowers is the annual BLack and blue Salvia. The hummers absolutely love it. It is in semishade and it still blooms up a storm. I wonder what it would do if it got full sun as it should have. There is now a male hummingbird in our garden that battles for all of his favored feeding stations. Happy Animal Wedensday too.

Cactus Monday - 07-20-09

This cactus has the longest name. I am not going to type it out but I did like the blooms and tried to capture them with watercolors. Ahemmm... sometimes things just don't work out as you see them in your mind. Anyway...Happy Cactus Monday to all the Cactuteers.

Gratitude Sunday

Gratitude is the "state of being grateful". This is the state I am in this Sunday. I have been so blessed by these gracious artists.

First off, Soulbrush has traded me this 'Zebra's Eye' and sweet little inchies. I am quite facinated with eyes and Soul has captured the Zebra's eye so perfectly. Those little inchies are amazing too. I am always facinated with these sweet little gems. Margaret has sent me this beautiful 'Poker Plant' that is part of her series of Desert Skies. The card stock she used is shiny and I just love the silver ink on it. All gives such a texture and a dream-like feeling. Below Lynn has worked her magic on felt... and the "H" with that sparkly star-like quality. Her sewn ATCs are amazing.

A litte fishy swam here from Mim, Starring a Flounder.

Marianne traded these ATCs with me. I absolutely love the "Iris" and...

Marigold mandalas. Such detail in such a small area and the colors take me away.

Thank you all so very much. I hope you are having the best weekend. You have certainly made my week with these lovlies arriving in the post.

Animal Wednesday - Cow Face

Cow faces always intrigue me for some reason. This one had a blaze of white that looked like the state of Ohio. Happy Animal Wednesday everyone.

Blooming Tuesday - Dragon-wing Begonia and Persicaria 'Red Dragon'

Ah yes, you just thought I gave up the Dragon-wing Begonia. Here I have coupled it with Persicaria 'Red Dragon'. Now the Dragons have it. I have a whole set of these tiny vases that my Daughter gave me. I just love putting small blooms in them and having them on my desk. Happy Blooming Tuesday.

McDonald Marsh

Yesterday my DB and I drove to Muscatatuck National Wildife Refuge to try for a couple of immature White Ibis that had been sighted there. We were of course a day late getting there since I had to work extra this week and the birds didn't turn up for us. However we had a nice tour of this NWR that is a 2.5hr drive from our house. I have only been there one other time and that was during winter. It is a lovely place. We sat here, by McDonald Marsh, watching for the birds to come in. They didn't but we did have two different kinds of turtles, Racoon, White-tailed Deer, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, and Killdeer. Dragonflies were also abundant. More about them later.

I had my trusty little travel set of watercolors and my sketchbook so I kept myself busy. I didn't have a decent size brush. I must get a regular sized brush to keep in this set. I used the largest of the tiny brushes that came with the set. While it did ok I just wasn't used to using it. I hope you all have a great weekend and get to see lots of wildlife.

Skywatch Friday - 7-10-09

After a good rain this week I went out into the garden to look around. When I looked up through the trees in the garden I could see a break in the clouds. The big ole thunder clouds were breaking up. Rolling along to another place in the sky.

The blue sky was trying to peek out from the clouds.

For some more sky watching go here. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Luna on Dogs on Thursday

While you might think I am just another pretty face I must say there is a lot more to me. I am a great conversationalist. I can also sing fairly well. Wooo Wooo is my favorite song to perform.

I am also a great collector. My favorite things to collect are tummy rubs.

I also have a job. I have to patrol the garden. You never know if a trespassing squirrel, cat or other varmint might sneak through the fence...or burrow under ground to invade the garden which is my domain.Of course I often take time to smell the...well I sniff a lot of places actually. You never know where someone is going to leave their smelling card.

Imean when a girl wants to lie down and relax, well, you just never know where there will be a smelling card.

For visits with other doggies you can go to Dogs on Thursday. Be sure to visit my dear friends Snuffles and Apollo.

Animal Wednesday - Roseate Spoonbill & Snowy Egret

Last month we had some excitment in the birding world here. We had the first confirmed State Record of a Roseate Spoonbill in IN. It was great excitement. It took two trips for my DB and I to find the bird in the marshy area where it was hanging out. It was with a Snowy Egret the day we saw it. HAW to you all.

Blooming Tuesday -

I have been facinated by the Dragon wing Begonias that are growing in the pots in front of the Casa. I have drawn them several ways. I have grown them before but this year I guess because Ihave been in the Casa a lot they are entertaining me. Happy Blooming Tuesday.

Cactus Monday-Echinopsis klimpeliana

Happy Cactus Monday everyone. I hope everyone survived the weekend and had a great time. To see more cactus go to Teri's Painted Daisies. Have a great week.

Fablous Friday

For those of you thinking this would be a Skywatch Friday post you will have to click here to see what I posted about the skies in our area. Here this evening you get to see my fablous treasures that came in the mail this week. The first group is from the incomparable Teri C. She is so thoughtful and has sent ATCs of things I adore. The Eminent Maven of Mandalas, Marianne, sent me this gorgeous "G" goldfish and a bonus of 'Nature's Eye'. Both were neatly packaged in this sweet little pink bag with crystals along with a postcard of the work of Gustav Klimt. These things certainly made my day. Many thank yous to you lovely generous ladies.

Planter Power

It is such a lovely day I have been sitting outside painting. I did this watercolor & micron pen of the planter sitting outside the Casa. I just love the way Dragonwing Begonias dangle those blooms. They bloom so well in the shade of my back garden. Also in this pot is verbena and icicles (helichrysum thianschanicum).