Some Cats Have All The Luck

After spending the morning on and off Etsy and heading out to run errands, when I didn't want to, I came home to this face. It brought me back down to Earth and reminded me that very little outside our home and circle really matters in the scheme of things. Some cats have all the luck. Count me and Althea as two of them.
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Pinterest Love

I've been in love with Pinterest for a while now. I'm a visual person, so we're a perfect match. Yeah, I have a twitter account, but I just can't get into it. I slammed the door on FaceBook last year. I have a neglected tumblr account. Just couldn't get it. And I'm trying to bring my flickr back. But for right now, it's me and Pinterest. Come visit me over there. Click HERE.

Today's weather is expected to be in the mid 70's. This is January y'all! We're expecting strong storms tonight. Damaging winds. Possible tornadoes. It's too early for this. Let's hope the weather folks are wrong and we come out the other side unscathed.
Until next time.....

New Arrows

You know those times when you are in a creative rut? Well, I'm not in one. It's the exact opposite. I have a sketchbook full of ideas suddenly and plenty of time to work on them. I have pictures to take and pictures to edit. So, why did Picasa decide to mess with me now? I've been fooling with it for the last couple of days. So frustrating! Hopefully in the next few days, I'll fully understand what's been happening. I can't stand to have something unfinished and up in the air. It will work itself out in the end. It has too. Right?
Look for these earrings to hit the shop this week. Here's to a productive week for all.
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Afternoon

A walk around the place on a cold Tuesday afternoon. The daffodils don't think it's that cold. Neither does the kale. We're still getting kale, spinach, turnips and turnip greens even though the temperature has dipped below 20 degrees. The green onions are fine too. Here it is mid January and we're still eating out of the garden. And that's a good thing.
Until next time.....

So Very Young

Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people,
But it seems the good they die young.
I just looked 'round and he's gone.

The above lyrics were taken from the song "Abraham Martin and John" performed by Dion. To this day I still don't have words to describe what it felt like to live through those times. The photo is from this Etsy shop.

The Solitude of Snow

It's no secret that I love snow. I spent hours outside playing in it as a child growing up in New Jersey. Unfortunately we don't see a lot of it here in middle Tennessee. But when the first flake begins to fall, I bundle up, grab my camera and head outside. Snow makes me feel so peaceful. I can sit for hours watching it fall. And when I come back indoors, I make a cup of hot chocolate to warm my soul, just like my mom used to do when I was but a wee BlackStar.

A few winters ago, snow was predicted. John suggested we head up to Crystal Lake and set up camp. I couldn't go, but sent him on his way with warm clothes and stew to fuel his fire. All I asked was that he take the camera and bring me back some pictures. He did just that. I love that man.
Until next time.....

Just A Splash Of Color

It's been raining for days. The ground is supersaturated. Perfect weather to stay indoors and do some of the many things on my 'to do' list for winter. I started cleaning the studio. Bags and boxes of unwanted supplies, ready to send off to Goodwill. I know that someone(s)out there will love them.

The garden catalogs are pouring in. It has me dreaming of Spring and all the flowers that will pop up from the now supersaturated earth. Above are a few of the flowers from the Sprng gardens.
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Open For Beadness

Now that the holidays are behind us, I re opened my Etsy deStash shop. I closed the doors in November so that I could slow down and enjoy the holiday season. Last night it felt right to put the lights back on. I'm slowly but surely re listing expired items and photographing and listing new ones. I use this shop strictly for deStash. I don't buy beads in bulk to resell. There are times when I make a purchase and decide later that I don't like what I bought or I simply don't use that particular treasure anymore. It's nice to have the bead shop at times like this. I even turned on direct checkout for those of you that don't like or don't have PayPal. Click here and you'll magically appear at the door. Check back often. You never know what you'll find.
Until next time.....

Cupid Draw Back Your Bow

Just in time for Valentine's Day. Hearts and arrows in my Etsy shop.

Growing Onions From Seeds

We grew our onions from seed last year. I've been wanting to do this for so long, but never actually took the time to do so. We grow everything else from seed. Why did it take me so long to try this? It is so easy and there are many benefits to growing your own. You can choose from a wide variety of onions. You can start them throughout the year so that you have fresh green onions whenever you need them. We have some growing right now that were planted in late summer/early fall. The temperatures have dropped to 19 and they're still alive.

You can start them right in the ground or in seed starters. I use the starter trays that we bought from Gardener's Supply Catalog about 20 years ago. Fill the trays with seed starting mix. Sprinkle in a generous amount of seeds. Cover with a thin layer of mix. Water. Wait. They look so fragile at this point and I was afraid that I'd hurt them when handling them, but don't worry. Onion seedlings are strong and don't break easily. After they're up about 2", I transplant them either in the ground or in another tray; one per cell this time. In the garden, I plant them 6" apart. I sink them in the ground about 1". Make sure the white part of the set is covered with soil. Keep them weeded and watered. That's it folks.
Sometimes in the spring, the ground is too wet to plant. When this happens, I transplant some sets in pots. They grow in harmony with my spring flowers.
Until next time.....

grumble grumble

yesterday i wrote a post about starting onions from seeds. i tried to upload my photos, like i have been doing since i started this blog. clicked on the 'insert image' icon. went to the page where the swirly thing goes 'round. 'browse' did not show up in the box, where i would choose photos from a file on my computer. so, i tried copying the urls from flickr and that didn't work.
i can't blog without photos. i won't blog without photos. i guess i'll try to poke around the blogger help forum to see if i can figure this out. maybe. quite frankly, i don't want to do it.
if anyone out there can help me, i'd be your bff for life!
yeah, i'm pissed off. and cranky. and i don't like to write negative posts. but i NEED my pictures. i'm a visual kinda gal.
so, if you don't see me for a while or ever again, it's because i can't figure this out.
grumble. grumble. grumble.....

UPDATE! i found this blurb and feel hopeful:

The photo upload icon is not appearing for some users on Internet Explorer. We're investigating the issue and will update this post as soon as we have more information.

Fingers and paws crossed.

Did I mention that I got called for jury duty? I have to go to the courthouse on Monday. This should be interesting.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy New Year

The black eyed peas soaked overnight and are ready to simmer on the stove. When the rain stops, I'll run outside to pick a mess of greens. Today will be filled with our family traditions. Black eyed peas for luck. Greens for wealth. And football. Lots and lots of football.
Happy New Year. From our home to yours.