I just love this pic, it’s in my new gallery (under photography) along with some others that I haven’t shown here in my blog, and I keep looking at him but put off showing him for some reason!

Here’s a fun little tidbit, when Mark was in Iraq, I had changed my IM “chime” to a roosters crow. Every time he logged on then, there was a resounding “cock-a-doodle-doo!!!” throughout the house as I also left the speakers on full blast. Nothing was more reassuring and exciting to me than hearing that (damn) rooster crow!

Nowadays, however, not so much! If I hear a rooster crow on TV, at the zoo, wherever, I about choke on my heart for some reason. What once used to calm me is now something that I find somewhat startling and maybe even a little terrifying!

I really am that nuts. (Ask around, I’m sure any number of people can confirm that.)

So, dear friends, some of whom used to get an earful (on the phone) of crowing on occasion, how do you feel when you hear a cock doodly-doing?

Really, the proper name is Cicada. I just took this photograph right outside our front door. This is amazing to me, their cycle of life. His wings are still wet, as he just emerged from the shell that mirrors him. He’s hiding from his predators now, as he will until he’s dry and can fly. Then I’ll watch as sparrows trail him in flight in hot pursuit of their dinner.

The lazy days of August always bring the steady buzz of Cicada’s, I wonder how many of them fill the trees around us?

Mark and I had a backbreaking weekend working in the girls room, but I think it was worth it!

Here are the before shots – messy as they are, I had started emptying their room and then remembered to take the before shots. Woops!

And here’s what we did:

Awww….

Okay so I’m looking at the little gosling, and I’m thinking, I don’t hear anything! Argh! I just see cute, fuzzy, sweet, awwww I wanna take him home and let him live in my bathtub! So maybe he’s not “captionable”. I can live with that.

It is Friday, so “awwwww” is a good way to start the weekend, I say!

I don’t think I’ve shared this pic with you! Of all the poppies growing in my wildflower garden, me likes this one the best. I think it likes me, too, because it seems to keep coming back in the same spot, reincarnating itself. I know that I’ll be painting this one, some day over the rainbow, it’s on my list of things I want to paint.

Ooh I know! This will be the one I paint when I try out that linen canvas I mentioned yesterday!

(Gotta finish my other projects first. Yes. I’m working on those!)

I love elephants. I love their wrinkles, I love how gentle they can be for being such massive creatures.

To me, she’s not a caption candidate. She just looks so thoughtful, a little sad, but mostly beautiful and majestic. I love this photo because I feel like I captured a very personal moment for her. How does this photo effect you? Do you look at it as a moment, with meaning behind it, or simply as a picture? I’m curious.

Today’s another full day, I’ll update later with another progress on Lucy. Lastnight and this morning I’ve been illustrating a custom graphic for a blog design and I’m trying to get that finished up! I also ran down to my favorite store lastnight (Dick Blick) and picked up my matting, frames and three photographs, so I need to get those framed up. I was hoping they’d have some of the new Linen Panels (or even the boards) in store but they don’t, so I’ll have to order online – I’d really like to try a new surface and see how I like it. I also picked up 3 books, hoping to break out of my tendency toward realism with graphic illustrations. You’ll probably be seeing my practice doodles on my tablet here from time to time!

I have to say that Bruce should win the Dick Blick best employee ever award, if there is one. I’ve never met someone so genuinely wonderful and good to the soul of an artist. I’m sure that he has to be every local artist’s creative therapist. I think from now on when I’m feeling in need of a little artistic therapy, I’m just going to have to hop in the car and run down to the store when Bruce is working. That, and he always carries all of my bags (oy) to my car and loads them for me. Simply put, if he’s there while I’m shopping, I feel famous. Sweet.

Kay, better get to work, have a great day!

What a b e a u t i f u l morning! It’s HOT. That’s okay by me, the pool water is a balmy 84 degrees, so it’s allll good. We’ll have a dip in the pool in a little while.

I have some bad news. I tried to grow food. I know. That was my first mistake. Sugar snap peas though? I had to at least try! Well, I did it. And I had results, I swear! I had a itty bitty baby pod, and in the right light you could see the little peas inside. It was beautiful. I held it in my hand, it was barely the size of my pinkie. I was so proud. :sniff:

It’s gone. :sniff-sniff:

Someone ate my baby pea, and it wasn’t me! 😥

Oh well. Maybe next year.

I have some lovelies to show you!! All of these pics were taken in my very own yard. I am so excited, and I can’t decide which I like best, so I am just going to have to show you all three. You decide for me okay? I would wait, and just show you one a day, but honestly. I can’t wait. I’m bad that way, I could just unload my camera’s memory right here, right now, and let you sort it all out. It’s a tough job. (Okay, I’ll stop tooting my own horn now. Jeez. Not like I do that very often!)

I’m going to hide them though. So you have to close your eyes, and count to three, and then click, then count to three again, and open your eyes! Doesn’t that sound like fun? If anyone actually does it, I have to know. You better tell me. hehe!

(And if you’re still on dial-up, click, go get coffee, come back.. you know the drill!)

Okay, ready?

One…. Two…. THREE!

Here are a couple of bugs, pests, insects, however you wish to classify them! I snapped these photos this morning out in my wildflower garden, also have a few more beautiful pics of my sunflowers as well.

The bees are loving this garden, that’s for sure. Thankfully they don’t mind me shoving my camera in their little faces. Oh believe me, I’d be outta there if they got annoyed with me!