My son and daughter-in-law sent me a birthday gift of Emily Lex’s watercolor workbooks. The original order got lost in shipping somewhere (thanks, USPS :/ ) and after making several unhelpful phone calls to USPS, my son contacted the sender for help. It sounds like Emily Lex’s customer service was really good though, and a new shipment was sent promptly.… Read More »Trying something new – Watercolors
A favorite flower opened today. It’s been in this spot for a few years now, but I didn’t plant it there. Must’ve been squirrel gardeners. I’ve left it because, well, why not? Who am I to say where a crocus should or shouldn’t be planted? It’s lovely where it is. We have to walk around it, but that’s what makes… Read More »Finally
I wrote this post in June of 2024, but never published it for some reason. I put the final touches on it this morning and wanted to share it with you all. The house made famous by Andrew Wyeth’s paintings: My husband and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary. As our lives are incredibly busy these days, we didn’t have… Read More »The Olson House, Cushing Maine
Day 18 – My son, Zach dabbles in blacksmithing and he made a hair pin. I liked the shape and thought I’d paint it. Day 19 – After the complicated shape of the hair pin, I decided to paint something simpler. I read a while ago that painting an apple over and over is a great way to work on… Read More »Strada Easel Challenge, Days 18-25
There were quite a few days during this part of the challenge that I didn’t think I’d be able to paint. Painting at night is a big challenge; in seeing details, in dealing with multiple light sources and the multiple shadows they cast, mixing accurate colors when everything takes on a duller and more yellowish tone, and then trying to… Read More »Strada Easel Challenge, Days 11-17
I decided I needed to force myself to paint. Unless it’s a priority, creative time always gets pushed to the end of the list. And it’s been a very long list lately. The last half of the year was dedicate entirely to fighting the transmission line project that threatened eminent domain. I won’t bore you with all the details, but… Read More »Strada Easel Challenge Days 1-10
I was just thinking about how life can change in just a moment. We’ve had more than a few of those moments in our lives over the years. On June 29, not quite one month ago, one of those life changing moments came when I checked our mail. An innocent looking letter that looked like another solicitation to choose a… Read More »Fighting for our land
Our home is surrounded by beautiful flower gardens but my husband has a favorite.
A quick update to a garden planter made a big difference!
Living in Maine, we expect long and cold winters. Our first snowfall usually arrives by early November, and many years we don’t see the ground again until late March or April. We didn’t get multiple feet of snow this year, but it has been typically cold. Even though January is our coldest month, February is the hardest for me to… Read More »Surviving February