Two chair paintings done

Two paintings done

I worked on these two because they have to get off soon.

I have two more going for next month.

The camera darkened the pix a bit and they seem blurry.

They are much better looking in person.

This is my favorite.



Altho I like pink.

I spray painted the easels gold and they look really good as a set now.

Here's a side view of easel.

A pin nailer was used to make the back stand swing.

Gold spray was bought at a garage sale for ten cents.

A Friend did the little easels for me for a dollar each.
Con doesn't own a pin nailer but if I keep painting these he might have to invest in one.

:)

Very well made for such little things.

The paintings are 4''x5'' and sit on these quite well.

Con called me to the window last evening JUST before dark to show me the fog starting to rise in the back along the River there.

It was a little eerie so I had to go outside to get a shot of it.

Soon after taking this it got really dark and the fog took over. its just weird the way it rises up to fill the valley.

It was so thick this morning you could have cut it with a knife.

Makes me feel like I am at the moors in some old English novel when it does that.

Heathcliff, where are you???
:)

Update on car. We called around to different Mechanics until we found one, who had been recommended, that would test the car without it being stalled somewhere in town.

We got an appointment for last Wednesday and got it in bright and early and Walla, they found out what was wrong. The electric Fuel pump wasn't putting out enough pressure to start the car all the time. Had we tried to go very far on the FWY it would have broken down on us for sure.

So they ordered us a fuel pump and had it fixed by Thursday afternoon and what was most amazing it was a tad UNDER $300.00.

We have a new auto mechanic for sure now!!!

Also my fall on ice last week manifested into lots of pain to my tail bone and a bruise on the rear. lol

I finally got into my chiropractor yesterday and I had jammed my spine from the fall, he was able to get it to move and unjam but the rib was a bit more stubborn so I will need to go back on Monday.

Sitting is kind of painful right now.

I will try to keep up with commenting on your blogs

I will also post the other paintings as I finish them.

I am having fun doing them.

I did go out and get me two more of those little canvases, all that they had, so I can paint a few more.

But right now I need to go find some ice to sit on.

Have a wonderful weekend and week.

I'll be back when I find something to blog about.

****

New paintings I am working on, Lilly update & Gifts from Paris

I've been painting.

Oil on 4x5 canvas

I have Anniversary gifts to do and I know how they like chairs

so I decided to try some small paintings of just chairs.

I am not done with them yet.

I have decided to make the last pink chair taller and add more detail and shadows.

I just wanted to post something.

The little table easels were made for me to use with these paintings. I am going to spray paint them Gold.
I will post them again when done.

Annie the High jumper
We went to visit J and Lilly Monday.
I took this ball and gave it to Lilly and she promptly took it to hide from Annie, but Annie saw her and went to get it.
I had forgotten my camera so I used J's and wasn't that familiar with it so these are blurry.
Story of my life. :)



Con was throwing the ball and so was little J.
Annie thought that was cool and kept jumping for the ball.
Lilly was wondering what this crazy dog was doing.

A little playing and nose to nose contact.
She is a bit of a klutz yet and Annie doesn't quite know how to handle it.
But in time I am sure she will.

A little ball playing.

I was having fun using J's camera because it snapped right now with no delays

so I could get these mid air pictures. Now if I only had had it on the proper setting.

Be sure to enlarge all these.

Lilly wants in on the fun here.

We don't know why she likes to jump high so much but she does.
***

Its been a frustrating past week.

Our car is not working right.

It has a problem 'starting' sometimes. Not always but sometimes. Usually when out and about and we are stuck in a parking lot for an hour or so until it will start again.

And it does. We called the tow truck last week when stuck in a parking lot and it was freezing and it started right before the tow truck got to us so we got home and canceled the truck.

I called around to different auto shops and they tell me they cant fix something that works even tho it doesn't sometimes. It has to break down. So drive it and when it does call the tow truck and have it pulled in.. RIGHT When Pigs fly. I finally found someone who will check it out tomorrow morning and I hope they find whats wrong and it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg to fix.

**

That was on Friday. On Saturday morning I went out to feed the birds. Everything was freezing around here so I was being careful not to slip on black ice and aware of any frozen bricks and walked around them only to be undone Saturday morning by one stinkin' little brick lining the lawn I didn't even think of and Of course I went flying landing on my rear and back in the bushes with bird seed all over me. Con only saw me laying there and thought I had died. I think I took ten years off his life at that moment. Once up I went in right away and iced everything and so far I have only had some minor problems. But I will have to visit my chiro again soon. Sigh. So I was a bit discouraged and then Mondays Mail came and I had a package from Andrea. See below.

She sent me some Eiffel Tower Earrings she knew I loved from her last years give away and didn't win so she got me a pair this year and sent them off to me as a surprise with a lovely Card of her mask drawings and a wonderful MISS DOODLE ATC

Thank you so much again Andrea

You made my day, week, month, Year.

What lovely blog friends I have.

:))

Its a Cat and Dog's life and Puppy (Lilly) update.

Daisy & Annie

The Animals rule our house.

Did you think other wise??

Check out the pillow under Annie's head.

She knows how to get comfy.

:))

I guess if you look this cute you can get away with anything.

:)

Yesterday we took Annie over to J's house to let the dogs meet for real.
Puppy saw Annie and started barking her head off at her.
Annie backed off and let the puppy get over it and then they seemed to be all right. and puppy started to play with Annie.

Puppies name is

Lilly

because of Pink Martinis song LILLY. Jokingly she said, it has to be about a dog.

I hope I have this video right.

It should be Lilly by Pink Martini

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NcmcJT3Ddg

She sure is adorable. J said she did so well the first night in the crate and didn't whine.

and has been going outside pretty good when let out.

Yep that's Ice on the lawn.

We got down to 13 last night.

It hasn't gotten over 32 degrees in a couple days.

Worried about a few plants now.

Some I brought into the garage some I covered but even under the sheets they froze.

But the paper says that warmer weather is on its way.

Yeaaaaaa

Lilly loves little J and she follows her all around.

She liked Con too.

Look at this pose.

I love it. She's already at home.

Seems to love the crate too.

Con and I went out yesterday and got her a stuffed raccoon toy with a Squeaker in it and J said she LOVES it.

I feel like a surrogate Aunty to a puppy with deep chocolate brown almond eyes.

:))

Hope everyone is staying warm.

*****

A trip to an Alpaca Farm to help pick out a Puppy today

I had the privilege of going out to the country to help pick out a puppy with my Friend, and new neighbor J, and her 3 year old daughter, J. The 7 year old boy and 13 year old girl were in school and have been begging for a puppy since they moved into the new house. So after checking the ads we went way out and up a bit in the country. It was a ways out but the trip was fun.

We are heading to the farm now in this photo. the place was about center of pix in the trees. What we saw on the mountains was heart breaking. The denuding of trees for selling. Such bare areas up there.

We both hated seeing it.

This was mama. It blurred but more pix are below. Be sure to enlarge these.

The puppies were born and raised with Alpaca's.
I think they are adorable.


Look at this face. It was eating. No it wasn't about to spit at me.
:)

Mama is a pure bred Akbash
I have never heard of them before but they are guard dogs, Good for herding the Alpacas, but gentle with kids.
The lady had young kids running around too.

Look at this face. The puppies had the almond eyes like this.
They will get to be about 60 to 80 pounds.
But J wanted a bigger dog as a guard dog too.

Here's J & J with the puppies. We had just gotten in to see them. They look like mom but had a bit of yellow on them. There were THREE for sale and two not for sale that were grayish and long haired but just outside this barn.

Papa is a Golden Retriever. Mama had 11 puppies in this litter.

They went right to J and she loved it. She is fearless for a 3 year old.

I think this is the one we picked out because it kept laying its head on her. The male was bigger and the two females smaller and one was a bit smaller yet. and it was more laid back and it seemed to like J and laid her head up against her more. We all seemed to come to the conclusion that the smaller one with the fuller face was the one to get. Even tho it played like the other two it was a bit more laid back and not biting at her fingers & feet like the other two.

They were so similar in personality it was really hard to pick one that stood out more.

The one we picked was the whitest and its name is yet to be decided but last I heard Marley was the favored name. But they are still searching for names.

These 2 were separated from the other Alpacas.

This little guy is the baby and it was so dang cute. But my camera was being temperamental and I missed a couple really good shots.

I REALLY DO NEED A NEW CAMERA.

Maybe I will be like Suki and lose mine..

LOL

Look at that head

I love the little coat

She was looking right at me but the camera wouldn't click in time and she turned her head.

There were two darker gray puppies in here, one is hiding behind the chair, that were of the same litter.

Where the dark gray came from I don't know but she wasn't going to sell them. These had longer hair like the Papa.

Here we are heading to the car with the one we all picked out. Papa not sure he liked his baby leaving. The other female puppy is on the ground.

Better picture of Papa.

Hes looking at his mistress holding his baby about to leave.

I held the Puppy all the way home and it just laid in my arms, looked around and snored. She said it had gone for a long ride and been in the house but they do have to house break it. I lent them our old wire kennel so they can crate train her.

She came alive when it could be with the kids when we it got home to Js house.

First we came home for the kennel we had and I let Annie smell her as con got the kennel out of the garage. She was so good & gentle about it. I think they will be good friends. Con had to peek in too and thought it was adorable.

I didn't get a good pix of the puppy as we were just to enamored over it. :)

But I will soon.

****

Oh and its FREEZING here.

Got to 19 this morning.

Going to 17 0r 18 tonight.

I covered what I wanted to save.

NO we have no SNOW Andrea.

JUST solid ICE.

Its hard to feed the hummers right now as the water keeps freezing. So I have to have two going and keep switching them in the day time. This will be with us for a couple more days yet. :(

****

Gifts From Sue & Friends we helped move

Weeks ago Sue of http://abrushwithcolor.blogspot.com/ came to visit us on her way to her next destination in CA for her job. We loved having her visit. We yakked like we had known each other for years.

Yesterday I got a package from her in our mail box. it was full of Rooster things.

She had noticed all the Roosters in our dining room and kitchen.

This painting of the Rooster she did on some YUPO paper with Watercolor I believe. I have no clue how she got the paint to stick where she wanted it to as it is rather slick.

But I LOVE the look of it.

Its very small and I am going to find a frame to put it in and hang in my Kitchen with the Rest of the Roosters.

This was what was in the package. The little painting, the tea towel and the cute colorful tree ornament that has red and green chili peppers in the feathers or as feathers and it came in the cute box that reminds me of something from Mackenzie-Childs..They do clever designs on furniture and things. The box says POULTRY IN MOTION. :))

The tea towel Rooster has Fruit on it . . hence the name Fruit Cocktail.

Sue said it wasn't much but I think it was. The thought behind any gift is what is so special.

Thank you again Sue.

This 5 piece dinner plate set was in a box outside our door when we went for a walk Saturday afternoon. It was a thank you for helping our friends move up the street and help clean their old place.

While on our walk we stopped in to thank her. She said she had gotten it that morning in the Black Friday crowds at Macy's. She knew I loved tea/coffee cups. (I do LOVE that cup too). It was originally $100.00 for the box set & marked way down. It was the only one left. She decided to get it for us. She got to the cash register to pay for it and was surprised to find it marked down even more and ended up paying only $2.98.

I love that story.

Thank you also.

Someone emailed me recently and said something else would be on its way to me, but I will have to wait to tell about this one.

I just LOVE these surprises.

I haven't done any painting. My back and neck have been killing me from all the activity we have been up to. Yesterday I finally went into the chiropractor to get an adjustment. I wanted to wait till the yard cleaning was done. Its almost done but Con can handle the rest.

Maybe.

:)

Annie and Anabelle playing

Well I tried to upload some pictures but it would'nt let me.

So tomorrow I am going to re download the photos and see if I can post them then.

I tried this to see if it would post and it did. Dont know what happened to the photos. I wanted to post something so this will have to do until I can get the photos on I wanted to post on.

So any of you dog lovers enjoy. Annie and Anabelle, who is a whippet, were playing really hard at first, but my camera wasnt taping it so when I figured that out I missed most of the action. arrgh

I was trying not to get Fair on camera as she was still in PJs and didnt want to be seen on camera. This was taken last Friday. She was tired out after Thanksgiving with her family, and we wanted the dogs to get exercised.

:)

Another This and That post. What we've been up to.

We've had a busy week or two.

I haven't had time to paint or post much. I have tired to keep up on some blogs, commenting.

I have my trusty little camera with me as much as possible and have taken a few pictures of this and that when something strikes my fancy. So this is another one of my 'This and That' posts.

Today since it wasn't raining we went over to the duck pond to see what was going on and walk Annie a little bit.

Found these three Cormorants out sunning themselves on the barge in the duck pond.

It was a high of 51 degrees today.

I love both this shot and the one below. Be sure to enlarge all photos.
Two of them sunning.


This Egret was in the second pond and I just wanted a shot of the View.
The colorful leaves are about gone. The White bird really stands out here.

All three birds suddenly flew off and one circled back and onto the top of this pole and continued sunning.
HE'S THE KING OF THE WORLD.
I should never have seen The Titanic movie.
:)

Had to get a photo of this huge mushroom

The stem was huge too.

We spent a couple days last week helping our Friends move into this cute little house up the street from us. Its three bedroom even if it looks small. The front window is hidden behind the rust tree. Its within walking distance which is nice.

The mushrooms were in the backyard.

I took them today when I went up to see what they have gotten done.

I took this photo of our tree on the walk home from Friends house today. Lots of raking later it still has some leaves in it yet but getting fewer. Yeaaaaaaaaaa...

While I was visiting my Friend Con was raking and Annie was over playing ball with Anabelle and Fair. Like a kid going to visit HER Friend.

Then this afternoon we went out to the country to our other friends home.

(The one that had the Big Garden I posted a while back)

They had some plywood that they didn't want and Con wanted.

He has another project in mind for next spring/summer. :)

This is on the road they live on. You can come out here and pick your own Fruit in the summer for a fee. They have Walnuts for sale too. Not our friends but places along the way to their house.

You can see some of the trees off to the left.

Up ahead to the right is our Friends place. You can see the Barn in back.

He hays his field next to their house on the other side and sells it in the summer.

This is their view across the street right now.

we spent a nice hour or two visiting with them.

Below are a few pix I haven't posted.

My View out the Studio window when the leaves were still thick.

Daisy

One of our two cats

Making herself comfortable with my blanket that hangs over the back of the couch.

Out the window you can see Con raking and Annie with her ball.

Annie thinks she is a lap dog.

All 42 pounds of her.

Nikki.

She hurt her paw once and got so much sympathy from it that when ever she wants something now she comes with the paw up.

She really knows how to work you.

Well that's all I have I'm afraid.

I hope to get some painting in soon.

Have a great week.

*****

Fall still falling and another sneak peek at my painting in progress.

Walking towards our driveway and yard.

I had to take this photo.

The fall colors seem to be so much prettier this year then usual.

It might be due to the warmer weather this year.

We have yet to have a hard freeze like we have by Halloween each year.

Sunday con was out raking the back.

Today it looks like he did nothing.

Today I took these photos.
At least the front leaves are colorful laying around. The back ones not so.

We decided to rake the front yard as it was beautiful out. It got to 64 today and that wasn't expected. Look at the leaves.

Con got out the leaf blower and did the driveway and the parking area.

I used a push broom and did the drive way and then we raked piles and put into that bin and then dumped it into HUGE bags.

We filled four big huge black bags not shown here. As we were raking the wind came up and started blowing the leaves down as fast as we could pile into bags.

This was taken after we got done.

WE SPENT AN HOUR AND HALF AND IT LOOKS WORSE THEN THIS NOW.

WHAAAAAA

LOL

Progress has been slow on my house painting. But it is coming along.

I still have tons to do yet but here's a sneak peek.

I cant seem to find a good place to photograph my work without it blurring or the color looking exaggerated. Sorry.

Our good Friends have bought a cute house up the street from us and we will be off helping them move and settle in this week. It will be fun having them close by with only a short walk away.

****