But on an Art Note -

I have finally updated my Children's Illustrator portfolio page...

More Spring-ish signs -

Besides the backyard being full of birds (I can hardly keep my feeders filled) -

- I got this charming package in the mail, winging its lovely way from far away England, from Wiltshire artist, Karen Davis -

She sells these gorgeous, hand painted hearts at her Etsy store.
I am tickled pink (or in this case, turquoise?) to have this one!


- And I have *finally* gotten a couple of flats of seeds planted. I've only been trying to get to that all month! I still have a basket of packets of "early spring" seeds that need put into the ground ASAP - as it becomes less early-spring by the day.

But, alas, that will have to wait for a bit. It is now spring break. My daughter is flying off on a school trip to England and Scotland tomorrow, and I was SO not invited to chaperon :-( - so I am winging my own way off to spend a few days with my folks, while my husband also heads out of town on business.

Flying for everyone! Happy spring.

(Maybe it will think about warming up a little by the time I get back).

Magical Moss -

On my drive home from the school yesterday, it was overcast, grey and drizzly. One stretch of the road is lined with bare, big-leaf maples.

This time of year, in this location, these trees are nearly completely covered in bright green moss. Moss and ferns growing from the trunks.

(These pictures can't begin to do them justice - taken with my tiny purse-camera, whilst driving, and through the windshield! :-)

The moss in the grey light nearly glowed green as the huge branches overhung the road.

I might have to go back with someone *else* driving, and my window down. :-)

February Blooming..

In the midst of February, I start *totally* craving flowers and growing things... It feels like ages since there has been any.

So imagine my delight when I noticed some tiny crocuses (croci?) peeking up out of the ground in the afternoon sunshine.

Now I know that some of you have hoards of snowdrops and oodles of crocuses yourselves, but this is the first this year in my yard. Made me wonder if anything else might be blooming.

I did discover some (hen-pecked) violas,

and some burgundy hellebores just on the brink of opening.
*

Keep thinking springy thoughts! It may come yet.

Comfort Food -

There is not much that I like better than chocolate chip cookies...

Well, unless it is homemade soup when it is chilly out - like it is in February. I love soup. I try to have some homemade soup on hand throughout the winter.

The content of this week's concoction was decided by me being terribly lazy and scrounging from what was at hand. The first ingredient being dried 'gourmet mushrooms' (they come in large containers from Costco. About a half dozen of 'gourmet' varieties.) Here they are reconstituted, looking yummy and ready to chop.

Sauteed some crushed garlic and a shallot in butter, then added the mushrooms. Thickened with a bit of flour and then added the juice of a lemon.

I had a pot of very savory home-made chicken stock heating up at the same time.

When it was near boiling I added a couple of well-beaten eggs (generally one uses just the yolk, but I have *lots* of eggs. And don't mind the entire egg included if thoroughly beaten.)

Added the mushrooms and spiked with a bit of red pepper and parsley. SO good.

*

The only thing that can make this better is to eat with crusty bread (in this case, a Artisan's Rosemary Round. MmmmMmmmm....)

*

So many kinds of soups, so few cold, wintry months... Well, maybe I take that back. There are more than enough wintry months, but thank goodness for comfort foods.

Weather!

After a week of some sun and balmy, springish weather (near 60 degrees!), it is snowing. Again.

*

I know, I know, I have no room to gripe and complain considering the *weather* in so many other parts of the country and world, but..... really! This time with thunder, lightening and hail.

*

When is it April? Or better yet, May?

Oh, Shine already!

Shiny, sunny meadow spot - wishful thinking in gloomy, chilly January weather, when the sunlight is a rarity and grey drizzle, the norm.

But, fret not! Cheer is on the way! In case you have missed the 'Internet phenomenon' that is flamboyant musician Chris Dane Owens with his glittery green guitar and his lavishly cheesy music video, Shine:




If you are now scratching your head in bewilderment (or feel the need to scour your eyeballs), there is help. Hilarious translation of the jump-cut video storyline is provided over on tor.com. Or you can read the 'official' description by the ivory-maned artist here. (which is almost a let down after the first, brilliant explanation).

Shine on, people!

Rainbow quiz

I'm a sucker for color, and when I saw this quiz on Tart's Tales blog I wanted to play along.

(and when you get the results, they come with lovely bands of applicable color. Don't know why they refuse to show up here. pout. So, you get a very simple, silly spot illustration for today).

Your rainbow is intensely shaded blue, white, and green.

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You feel strong ties to nature and your mood changes with its cycles. Those around you admire your fresh outlook and vitality. You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

This probably would be my favorite color family. Don't know about me 'trying to fit into my friends' routines' though... (or having much of a fresh outlook if it comes to that).

It's quick. Try it and see what you think.

Birds in winter -

Saw an armful of robins in the front yard today. First gathering I've seen of them this year. That's supposed to mean spring is on its way, isn't it? Yet, we have snow and below freezing temperatures once again.

The chickens can't quite figure out what to make of it all. Their water freezes in their container - much to their bewilderment. They are bored silly and are trying to dig themselves out of their coop, so I do try to let them out for bit. But with weather like this, they find that the dirt is frozen pretty solid, so fruitless to scratch at, and every thing green and therefore potentially edible in the yard is covered with chilly white snow. Curses! Foiled. Indignities most fowl!

There needs to be a better word for a collection of robins. A portent of robins? A premonition? A precursor? A presentiment? Anything that makes it feel like spring will come again! Soon please!

(For a lovely list of collective nouns for birds - from which robin is conspicuously absent - see here).

"..to sleep, perchance to dream?..."

The post-project-lurgy continues relatively unabated. All I seem to want to do is sleep. Wish it was making more of a difference.

So as to not feel completely like a slug, I am spending a few hours sitting in the studio, keeping up with email and sorting through notebooks and old issues of Artist's Magazine and Realms of Fantasy, etc... Lots of backlogged filing.

Feeling some blog-neglect-related guilt as well, it occurs to me that I have about eleventy-hundred spot illustrations that have been published and I have no real venue to ever use them for again. So, if there is any interest, I may attempt posting a-spot-a-day or some thing until I have depleted my vast spot store.

So, what do you think? Any interest? (I'll check back later. Bed is calling).

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap. ~Carrie Snow