Happy Independence Day!

Sadly, most of the annual 4th of July celebrations in this area have been cancelled.  I thought that, since there won't be any fireworks, parades, or air shows to share this year, I would try and get a little creative.  

Along one of our walks, Baloo and I pass this delightful piece of folk art that some enterprising person painted and placed at the edge of their property.  It's a beautifully rough and bold piece of Americana standing cheerfully against the backdrop of ferns and sumac. Fitting for the day, I thought.

Queen Anne's Lace flowers remind me a little of the big fireworks explosions that keep expanding and fan out through the sky. You know -- the ones with the bits along the edges that do a secondary blast and extend the light show circle just a little farther. Of course, they are much quieter than their more jubilant counterparts, but reminiscent just the same. 

Happy Independence Day!

Monarchs of the Glen

Early every morning, before the sun climbs too high in the sky and before the temperature climbs too high on the thermometer, Baloo and I take our longish walk of the day. 

For the last few days, we've been seeing more than the usual number of monarch butterflies enjoying the freshly blooming milkweed flowers and other goodies out in the big field. 

This morning, we saw a pair of monarchs mating, joined together in the air as they dipped and rose, finally landing on this blossom.

I was very happy to see this, because I always cheer for the butterflies and the more the merrier as far as I am concerned. These pictures aren't particularly good, since I didn't want to take a chance of disturbing them by trying to get any closer, so I just tried to zoom the camera in as well as I could. 

Then, a little further along, I saw this lovely specimen who was surprisingly amenable to having me take a few photos. This was my favorite - I like the way the early morning sun glows as it shines through wings and leaves.

Then, of course, there's Baloo. He's the other monarch of the glen, king of all he surveys. I am partial to this image of him trotting through the flowers and enjoying all the morning smells. It's quintessential Baloo - complete with flopping ears and lolling tongue. 

Howling!

After an enticing taste of springtime weather, we had a setback and woke up a couple mornings ago to a stiff wind and blowing snow. It absolutely plastered white spots to Baloo's coat so that he looked a little like an inverted dalmation. 

Baloo had something pretty sharp to say about it all. Mornings have been pretty chilly, but it did clear off this afternoon and I took a break to go outside and trim the big hydrangea bush in the back yard while Baloo ate snow and looked for stray bird seeds.  

Thank you to those who have been sending in orders during this transitional period. I've been using PayPal's invoice system and it seems to be working as a mildly clumsy substitute while Stampeaz is in the process of rising from the ashes. Just send me an email (admin @ stampeaz . com -- without the spaces, of course), if you need anything. 

Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Stampeaz Meltdown

Well, I got home to learn that Stampeaz is completely broken and I haven't been able to fix it, try as I might. Sadly, the help I called in hasn't been able to fix it, either.  For orders that came in while I was away, I have sent refunds and apologies. I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience!!

I suppose this could be a blessing in disguise (an incredibly good disguise), as I have been wanting to make some changes to the site, anyway, and this is just the kick in the keister that I apparently needed. 

So, watch this space as I slowly puzzle out how to rebuild the entire site. 

In the meantime, if you have a desperate need for anything, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you. 

Showing Up....

Where on earth have I been? In the studio, making and clip framing lots of images for a juried holiday art show. 

These are a few of my pieces that are in the show, "Big Group, Small Works", which opened last Saturday and runs until January 1, 2020. I'm pretty excited (now that I've recovered) and I really hope some of my work sells. 

One wall of the gallery is going to be filled with 6 x 6  inch works, sort of like an Instagram wall (I don't do Instagram, so I'm not really familiar with that). Another wall will be filled with 4 x 4 inch art. The idea is to have a display of small, affordable pieces of original art, so people can give gifts of art for the holidays. Pretty cool idea, right? 

A Spooky October Project

I'm doing a group themed read/knit along project based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It's been a long time since I read it and I do love Holmes and Watson. 

We read and discuss the book, come up with something that connects our knitting with the theme and have fun sharing the experience. 

For my project, I'm knitting a pair of socks in a beautiful, hand-dyed colorway called "221 B. Baker Street" (and no, I didn't have any idea this read/knit along would be happening when I purchased the yarn - I just loved the color).  It's a fairly simple broken rib stitch pattern that gives a subtle wavy texture to the fabric, which is also nice and stretchy. I'm enjoying both the knitting and the reading so far. 

It's the perfect combination for an eerie Halloween monster project. I mean, what could be spookier than hanging out on the moors with the fabled hound? 

Of course, a warming mug of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea does keep one properly grounded. I wouldn't want to mistake my great, black beastie, Baloo, for anything sinister - he does occasionally go bump in the night!

An Ace in the Hole

Out in the Big Field where Baloo and I walk pretty frequently, there are many interesting creatures for an inquisitive dog to investigate. 

Baloo finds the thirteen-striped ground squirrel particularly fascinating. They sense his approach and make this sort of whistling chirp that sounds almost like it could be some kind of bird, at least until you come to recognize it for what it is - the alarm bell for all the ground squirrels in the area. 

They scramble for their burrows and Baloo would be content to watch a freshly used hole for hours (they apparently smell really good to him - he often sticks his nose right into the opening so that he can get a better sniff). Well, at least content until deciding he must dig it out of its little home for closer scrutiny. We all know how that would end....   So, naturally, I distract him with hopes of more interesting finds to come and we move on down the trail. There's always something new to discover.