20

I was reflecting this morning that today would have marked the 20th anniversary of my reopening Stampeaz. We almost made it to that milestone! I had some fun things planned for celebrating the day that won't happen now, but that's okay. Many wonderful things happened along the way. 

I met some of the most wonderful and amazing people because of Stampeaz - both in person and online and I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I appreciate all of you. Sharing the adventures of art, carving, letterboxing and the quest for a better carving material  enriched my life. 

Thank you!

Celebrating a Whole Year!

Believe it or not, it's been a year since I brought Piper home to be part of my family. She's a sweet little dog (well, little in comparison to Baloo, anyway) but I will admit that she's an odd one. 

She loves to run full tilt, and occasionally plows right into something. I think she knocked herself silly at some point along the way. (This picture was obviously taken a few weeks ago, with the snow covered ground.)

Like Baloo, she loves to scoop up snow and eat it (and quite frequently grabs a mouthful as she's dashing by at top speed). And mercy! Can she levitate? Yes, she can! She jumps amazingly high straight up from a standing position. It makes me laugh every time. 

She has that one ear that just wants to stand up all on its own, but she looked pretty sitting among the blooming snowdrops this morning. 

Piper loves all the people, but still isn't comfortable around other dogs and she really hates loud noises of any kind. She's quirky, but we're learning how to manage her idiosyncrasies. I'm a bit odd, myself, so I get it. 

On the whole, I think she approves of her new life with me -- at least she looks pretty comfortable most of the time -- as long as there isn't any thunder. :)

Celebrating Half a Year!

It's hard to believe, but it has been six months since I went to pick little Piper up from the foster home where she was living back in April.

She's a good girl and has come a long way. She now knows how to sit, stay, lie down and do an automatic sit (which helps when I stop to take pictures). 

Piper is still very sensitive to sound and nothing I have tried is helping. She doesn't like going out on walks in my neighborhood right now, since we're sort of surrounded by vineyards that are shooting off cannons every five minutes or so to chase birds away from the grapes (and the bunnies have gone into hiding, so there aren't enough of them around to distract her from the booms). We'll both be very happy when harvest time is over!! 

Anyway, she got a new bone this morning and we'll be taking a trip to a quiet spot for a walk this afternoon (if we can find one) to celebrate the day. Maybe we'll even take a trip to the dog treat store. :) 

Happy Independence Day!

This year, there won't be any fireworks or air shows in my Independence Day celebration post (or any of my Independence Day celebrations, for that matter). 

 

This year, there will be much quieter celebrations with little Piper, who thinks loud noises are very, very scary.

Piper will get to gnaw on a new marrow bone to distract her from all the booms and we'll be listening to music down in the relatively sound-deadened basement while I tackle a few chores (like slicing up some Tan-Z Kut and breaking down boxes). 

We'll take some nice walks early in the day - before the lights and explosions begin, making it a good day all the way around. 

But, America's birthday simply couldn't be allowed to pass without at least a small commemoration here on the blog!  We have a wonderful country filled with amazing beauty and founded on excellent principles. We're very fortunate. 

Happy Independence Day! She's a grand old flag - forever in peace may she wave.

I Couldn't Do It

I couldn't let the day go by without posting about Baloo. I've been thinking about him all day, since this is the anniversary of his adoption eleven years ago, when it took four rescue volunteers, thirty minutes, a muzzle and cup of peanut butter to get him into the car to bring him to my house. I had no idea how I'd manage!

What an amazing companion he was for nine marvelous years. It's been two years (tomorrow) since he died and I've missed him every day since.

He had fur like velvet, enormous feet and a heartworm damaged heart as big as all the world. 

There's a line in one of the songs my brother and I sing together that goes, "How I hope I'll find you waiting at the very end of this crooked line." Yep. I do. 

I think he would approve of little Piper, although he wouldn't want to romp with her - she's far too intense and amazingly fast, but he'd have shared with her the joys of finding dead things and trotting through the fields in search of interesting smells.

 

A Puzzle from the Past - Solution

You've got good eyes! You saw it, even though you couldn't really tell what it was.  Here's the first picture again as a reminder.

The subject of this puzzle is so far out of context, it's kind of hard to believe, even when you do see it.

So, no, not a snake on the chimney - it's mother merganser looking over the world from on high.

She made me laugh. It's as if she's imagining herself on a castle turret surveying her vast domain. 

It was one of my very last walks with Baloo, so the memory is bittersweet. Tomorrow (June 7th) is the eleventh anniversary of his adoption and the 8th is the second anniversary of his death, so he's been in my thoughts quite a lot, as you might imagine. 

So, sometimes the puzzles are a long time coming. There are a couple even older ones that I planned, too, but haven't gotten around to posting yet. It's been long enough that I have to go searching for them - so, I'll have a treasure hunt of my own!

A Puzzle from the Past

This picture was taken a couple years ago, before the brilliant Baloo crossed that Rainbow Bridge (I've been thinking about him a lot, since we're coming up on the anniversary of both his adoption and his death). Anyway, we happened upon this amusing thing. I hope you enjoy hunting for it. 

The reveal will come tomorrow - and don't forget that you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it for a closer perusal. :)

It's Draw a Bird Day!

 

Once again, it's Draw a Bird Day! On April 8 we celebrate the birthday of Dorie Cooper, who in 1943, visited her uncle in the hospital, as he was recovering from a land mine injury during World War II. He was understandably upset and depressed at the loss of a leg and, in an effort to cheer him up, Dorie asked him to draw her a bird.

He complied with her request and they laughed at his poor artistic skills, but she promised to display his bird in her room, anyway. After this first visit, every time she would come to see her uncle, the soldiers on the ward would hold bird drawing contests to see who could come up with the best picture. It always seemed to lift everyone's spirits.

Sadly, about three years later, Dorie perished in an automobile accident. At her funeral, the soldiers, nurses and doctors from her uncle's ward filled her coffin with bird drawings in her honor and her birthday has become an unofficial celebration of Dorie's bright and indomitable spirit and an excellent reminder to find joy in life's simple delights.

Here's an invitation to draw a bird for Dorie's birthday. Your drawing doesn't have to be fancy or accurate – remember, her uncle's was pretty bad. But if you're great at drawing birds, show off your skills! This year, I drew a playful bluebird of happiness, thinking of the 8 year old Dorie.

Don't forget to share your drawing with someone to spread the joy and honor Dorie's memory. 

 

Happy Draw a Bird Day!

Happy Birthday to Stampeaz!

Eighteen years! I can hardly believe it. It has been quite an adventure.

How will we celebrate?  Well, first Tan-Z Kut is on sale for the day.  But wait! There's more!

I will soon be introducing a different line of inks to the store and I will need to make room for all the beautiful new colors (sadly, I can't keep everything). So, I have decided that I will be replacing these VersaMagic inks with the new kids. For the rest of the month of February, these inks will be on sale. They're great matte finish chalk inks. 

Many thanks to all of you for a great eighteen years of Stampeaz! You're the best!!

Happy/Sad Anniversary Sale

Today would have marked ten years with Baloo. His memory walks with me every day and often causes me to laugh and cry - sometimes at the same time. I still frequently call his name (with a smile) when I accidentally drop something on the kitchen floor that I know he would have loved and we all laugh about the dead-things we notice along the roadside that he would have been thrilled to sniff. My brother thinks of him every time he empties a yogurt container (Baloo often walked around with a white stripe around his muzzle from trying to get every last bit he could). He was well loved and is still deeply missed.

 

Today is the tenth anniversary of the day he came to live with me and tomorrow is the first anniversary of his crossing the Rainbow Bridge (and yes, there are tears in my eyes as I type). So, since I can't commemorate the day by giving him a special treat, I'll share one with you in his honor. Today and tomorrow, all Tan-Z Kut (including the already discounted Grade B) is on sale for 10% off.

Hug the ones you love - furry ones included! I'd give a lot to hug that sweet boy again. :)

The Merry Marsh

Marigolds, that is.

Marsh marigolds are one of the earliest spring flowers, brightening up the wetlands with their beautiful, sunny yellow blossoms. These specimens are growing in a shallow pond (one that's often highlighted in the trail camera pictures) on our family property.

Their early blooms are some of the first to provide pollen for bees and other pollinators, while frogs appreciate the shady cover provided by the shiny, leathery leaves.

This plant has long been used as both food and medicine, though it must be cooked to be consumed safely. My brother and I had heard they were edible, so I had to do a little research into what parts (flowers, leaves and stems) could be eaten and how to pick and prepare these little beauties. I'm sure we'll get around to trying them sometime. I'll probably tell the tale when we do.

Draw a Bird Day

Once again, it is Draw a Bird Day! If you haven't read the story of Dorie Cooper and the origin of this day, it's well worth the effort (https://www.dabday.com/). I like to celebrate the anniversary of her birthday and this year I have chosen the plucky chickadee to honor a plucky little girl.

Don't worry! Your picture doesn't need to be perfect! Just pick up a pencil and draw a bird. Who knows? You may even come up with something to carve along the way. I'm thinking of carving this pert fellow (carving improves almost everything!). :-)

What Day is It?

So, do you know what day it is? It's an anniversary day. I like to celebrate anniversary days. I'll let you think about it for a minute while I tell you the other news.

In keeping with my resolution to post tutorials on the Stampeaz site, I put up another one today. I had enough questions about what to do if you had already carved your block and still needed to sand it to get better ink adherence. It's called, But I Already Carved. 

Okay, back to the original question.... Seventeen years ago, I purchased Stampeaz and opened it up for business again on this day that year. There have been some rocky times (like the big site crash), but it's been great to be a part of this wonderful carving community. In honor of the anniversary and to celebrate seventeen amazing years, Tan-Z Kut is on sale today. And, if you order, don't forget to ask for some of the bits and bobs that I still have hanging around on the packing table.

Flag Day

I did a little research about today's holiday. It seems I've known and remembered Flag Day forever, but I realized this morning that I wanted a refresher on its history.  In case someone else might be in the same position, I thought I would share a little about what I learned. 

 

At the beginning of the American Revolution, colonists were fighting under multiple flags, depending on their region and regiment. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress met to create the Continental Army in the hope of unifying and organizing the fighting force, under "Continental Colors". Different possibilities were suggested, but rejected for things like having the Union Jack as part of the design, which seemed like the wrong message.

On June 14, 1777, in the midst of drafting the Articles of Confederation, the Second Continental Congress resolved, "That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." I really like the "new constellation" idea - brilliant phrase.

It wasn't until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day, celebrating the anniversary of the 1777 creation of a new symbol of freedom for a new nation. 

This is also the day that the United States Army celebrates its birthday, as that fighting force united under its colors. So, Happy Birthday!

A history refresher is never a bad thing, in my book.

Farewell to My Silent Partner

Baloo waited. He waited until we celebrated our 9th anniversary. Yesterday, the very next morning, he had a seizure at around 6:00 as he was waking up and died, so my best buddy has gone over the rainbow bridge and I am completely shattered and bereft. 

I am also so very grateful. Grateful that he didn't suffer, grateful that he got to be at home and I got to be with him, and incredibly grateful that I had nine wonderful years with this amazing creature who taught me so much about love and joy and loyalty and grace.  

Many of you know that Baloo came to me because the rescue group I fostered for needed a home for him immediately. He was next in line to be euthanized and, though I'd been taking a short break after six fairly intense fosters in quick succession, Baloo only had 15 minutes to live because the shelter they found him in thought he was a hopeless case. He had an advanced case of heart-worms and was 20 pounds underweight. (In the picture above you can see that toys tended to collect at the kitchen door, where he brought them as meal tickets. He looked forward and counted the minutes to every meal! His internal clock was flawless.)

Baloo came to live with me and he was so gentle and stoic through all the terrible, continually life-threatening medical stuff.  By the time we were through all that and he was back on his feet, I had fallen in love and we were thoroughly bonded. I couldn't let him go - he became my foster failure and, really, my first dog. (The picture above is of him enjoying  blissful belly rubs at nap time.)

What you may not know is that Baloo, in keeping with his strong, silent type character, has been the mostly silent partner in this blog. While he rarely appeared in person, he's frequently been mentioned as the one who discovered something I shared in pictures and stories. In fact, there are still quite a few blog posts ahead in which he will continue to have a contributing paw - or nose.  (The picture above has him transfixed by a chipmunk that has no clue how much danger lurks behind those golden eyes.)

While the going sometimes got a little rough, he was always ready for an adventure and he loved his walkies, no matter the weather - really deep snow wasn't his favorite, but he still wanted to go. He asked me take him for rambles three or four (and even five) times every day, which usually ended with a sunset walk, watching the evening come down together.

Baloo loved looking for anything interesting to sniff (and when there was contraband in the offing, eat) - he loved going through the grounds of a nearby restaurant, hoping someone had dropped a valuable morsel on the ground for him to devour. 

Scouting the woods for scurrying chipmunks and, of course, dead-things was another favorite pastime. He wandered just a bit, but always kept me in sight. If his attention was distracted, I would sometimes step behind a tree to play hide and seek with him. As soon as he realized he couldn't see me, he came running to track me down. 

When coming to a crossroads or fork in a trail, he'd look back at me and wait to determine which direction we were going to go. I'd often let him choose until we had to turn for home (and he'd sometimes huff at me because he didn't want to cut the adventure short and would rather go a different way). 

 

Now, once again, Baloo has wandered out ahead of me, blazing a trail.

I hope he's surrounded by beautiful fields and woods with teasing chipmunks to chase and treats galore. 

I told him many times daily, "I love you forever." And I do.  

This oversized dog house feels too quiet, empty and hollow now. Baloo and I had a sweet rhythm to each day and I am feeling really out of sync without his little routines to guide me. It's going to take a while to find a different heartbeat to life's song.

Though Baloo has been veiled from my sight, my job now is to live the rest of my life in a manner worthy to be greeted by his great spirit when it's time for me to join him on the other side of that rainbow - he always was so very good at waiting for me when I lagged behind.  And he always brought out the very best in me.

Best Dog Ever! I love you forever.

Happy Anniversary to Us

It has been nine years since this sweet boy came to live with me. Little did I know then how much Baloo would change and enrich my life. We've seen each other through some rough times. 

He makes me get out for several walks every day, so I get to see all the subtle seasonal changes, regardless of rain, snow, sleet or shine. He points out creatures I might otherwise have overlooked, which have occasionally appeared here on the blog - and there are a couple more coming up shortly. Also, he missed his calling as a cadaver dog, because he can smell an old, bleached deer bone at a thousand paces (as well as any other bit of dead-thing that might be anywhere in his vicinity). Hunters have had their proverbial bacon (or venison) saved by having me bring Baloo to track a downed animal. He's outstandingly good at it.

Since Baloo was a starving stray when he adopted me, he's always been a scavenger and reminds me of every meal, treat time and reward that should come his way.  In this case, he got to do puppy pre-wash duty on the yogurt dish and claimed the bowl as his very own. 

Baloo's getting to be a senior dog now (13 or 14 years old, depending on whether we go with the estimate of 4 or 5 when I got him), with some health issues that can scare the willies out of me sometimes. We had a big one this weekend and I wasn't sure I'd get to post this! So, I cherish every day I get to be with him.

Happy Birthday, Stampeaz!

While walking Baloo earlier, I realized that February 8th is the 13th anniversary of my opening the cyber-doors of Stampeaz.com. That was sort of a mind-boggling revelation and one that seemed to invite a party!

So, to celebrate 13 years of sending cool carving stuff around the world and getting to know so many great carvers, printmakers and generally wonderful people, I'm having a one day 13% off sale on Tan-Z Kut. I think I figured out how to set up the store software to do this all automatically, but just in case I goofed somehow, know that I'll fix anything that doesn't go according to plan!

Thank you all for a great 13 years. It feels like a pretty lucky number today!

Happy Anniversary Celebration!

As amazing as it is to imagine, Baloo and I are celebrating our fourth anniversary together. It was on this day, just after I got off work on a Friday afternoon, when the folks from Second Chance called me with an emergency request to foster a dog that would otherwise be 15 minutes from its final walk down the hall at the Humane Society. I could not possibly refuse. 

Enter Baloo! I wasn't sure I would be able to handle him when he arrived at my house an hour or so later, having taken three people, forty minutes, a cup of peanut butter and a muzzle to get him into the car to transport him.

By the time he got over heartworms, neutering, near starvation, fear of getting into cars and a few other issues, we'd become bonded and he'd completely wiggled his little way into my heart. So, he became my "foster failure" - I adopted him, myself.

There have been a few health scares with him since the early days, too, but he's doing so well now (quick! where's some wood to knock on??).

I took these pictures of him yesterday afternoon toward the end of our afternoon outing. There were some lovely spirea blooms and iris to set off his furry little self. He caught a sniff of something interesting just as I snapped this picture - there's a little blur on the muzzle, but that's just who he is. He sees the world through his nose! I enrolled him in Darwin's Dogs and they think he'd be a good tracking dog and I totally agree.

So, we're celebrating our anniversary all day today. He's getting a bone that I filled with turkey and rice and put into the freezer so that it will provide both treat and entertainment. We'll find nice walks to take and games to play (so, yep, pretty much like most other days...). See? We're a perfect match - I'm just as silly as he is!

Happy National Chicken Day

It is National Chicken Day today, commemorating 7 years since that sweet bird was rescued from a snowdrift by my brother and brought inside to thaw out by the fire.  She's been the happy house chicken ever since.  As you can see, her sweet home is under construction at the moment.  My brother caught a picture of her watching her mom painting the wall.  

  

The lucky chicken has developed a bit of a limp (she's no longer a spring chicken, after all), but she still gets around pretty well and enjoys her daily adventures.  My brother tells met that she is currently celebrating with a nice helping of corn.  She loves that......  :)

Simone Says...

Simone says to keep looking for anniversary treats through the weekend.  There are still several more to go.  Thank you to all who have sent kind words and have played along with my foolish little anniversary game.  :)