Sunday, February 26, 2012

Man vs. mouse

Just a quick note on the morning and Man Vs Mouse - I do not rely on my four cats to catch the mice that make their way into my home.  My spouse is the true hero when it comes to the mice.   He like me is sensitive to the little creatures and really does not want their guts all spread out on the floor as well as tortured by four big kitties.
 
To make a long story short - Sinbad decided to bring his catch of the day indoors alive.    In letting him loose it caused me to squeak (pardon the pun) and two other felines to gather around this one poor mouse.   Dick my hubby being the hero he is, rushed into the fray with a wet dishtowel and in two swoops was able to fling it over the mouse thus capturing the little creature.  He then gathered the towel with the mouse inside and took it outdoors and set it free. 

I would normally have said this was just a rare circumstance but this has now worked twice according to my husband.

Last summer we had a similar situation but I had went outside figuring that in time the kitties would finish off the prey although they were not overly interested in doing their duty.  I unfortunately was left with a mouse in hiding.   Being the brave soul that I am I decided to just forget it and go out and mow leaving Dick and the cats to deal with the little intruder.
My Hero
In coming indoors later my hubby was proud to tell me how he used the wet dishtowel as a Frisbee and caught the mouse under its weight and thus saved it from the vicious felines.  Not having seen this for myself I was a little in doubt but now I am a believer and think we should patent this technique.

So for all you mice lovers hope this trick will work for you as well.   God Bless and have a great day!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Cats and more cats

If you haven't guessed by now I love cats and I enjoy painting them.   With four of them running about the house it can get pretty crazy around here.   My hubby doesn't feel quite the same about them as I do but  because he loves me so - he tolerates them.

I have made arrangements for them in case I check out before my husband.   I have a girl friend who will take them .  I think she has eight so what is four more. 

One must always be prepared for the inevitable!

Smokey is above and Scooter is to the right.   Both have been known to spend time in the studio with me.   Unfortunately I have found fur in the paint and paw prints on an almost finished watercolor painting.  What's a person to do - I guess you just have to love them and go on.

Below is one of my first cat paintings in watercolor  -  it was done with my white cats in mind.   Both are gone now.   Still miss them. 



To all of you cat lovers out there have a good nite and God bless!

















Monday, February 20, 2012

winter- art - friendship

This is my second post and I was happy to find myself under google blogs- this is all so new to me but I am enjoying the process.

Winter here in Ohio has been very kind this year to us.   The two big snowstorms have fallen on the weekends and so we have not had to venture out to work on the bad roads.

 This was a photo my hubby took last week after the snow had finished with us.   Winter truly can be beautiful - God is such a great creator!

I've been in my studio this week working on a new spring floral.     It is not quite finished yet but thought I'd post it .  I've been known to go too far and ruin it in the last stages so in case I do  I will have a record of it to remind myself when to quit.

Do any of you out there who paint have the same problem?

Thank you for stopping by - all friends are welcome.   Have a blessed day.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Welcome to Harmony Hills. This is my first post. I hope to share my art, daily life and make friends along the way.  I hope you will check in regulary and give me feedback.  I love taking photos and hiking outdoors in all kinds of weather so you will find country scenes posted often.


 I am an artist who works mostly with watercolors although I still love doing pen and ink work.   I discovered about ten years ago the love of drawing.  It was as I say " a gift from God".  I had never drawn anything in my life except stick figures and for some reason I started playing around with pen and ink one morning.  It was during my morning quiet time with the Lord ( I have kept a prayer journal for years) that I found myself doodling in my journal .  I had a Thomas Kincaid devotional filled with his lovely paintings and for some reason I started copying one that had a Gazebo.  In looking back now at my doodle I realize it was not all that good but the fact was I'd discovered if I looked, really looked I could make my hand draw what I was seeing.


For a while I was just happy to draw and copy pen and ink  drawings of other artists. I've read since that all of us can draw; it just takes practice and I believe that to be so.   The more I practiced the better I was able to render what was before me.


One day I showed my art to my mom who works with oils and she said that I might enjoy learning to paint.   Due to my day job I knew I didn't want to work with oils because of the mess and clean-up.   Besides I really didn't have a real place to paint and leave my stuff out.  During this period of time I met a lovely lady. She was a client of mine where I worked.   In a casual conversation she mentioned that she was a watercolor artist.   When she showed me her lovely work I was in awe and practically begged her to give me lessons.  She was so gracious and patient with me and really gave of herself during a hard time in her own life.   Her husband had just passed away and she was learning how to live without him.

Later we both said that it was certainly God's hand that lead us together.  A decade later we laugh over all the failed paintings and smile at my early enthusiasm.  What a great friend she has become to me.  I wish all of you out there can be blessed with such a wonderful friend in this life.


Hope you have a lovely day and come back to visit soon.

Sow

 It is the time of the year when I begin to sow seeds for the coming season.  Discovered a different method on You Tube...they call it "...