Couple of Cool Updates

 Maybe it's the stark black and white?  Maybe it's that intense stare?  I've heard comments that Purrmeister looks a bit demonic.  I'm his mom, I can't really see it.  What do any of my readers think?  Does he look evil?

I do know that he has mastered the weighted, egg shaped tippy toy that has a hole which dispenses treats--IF--it's tipped just right.  So cute.  He bats at it.  Then puts his nose to the floor all around, looking for the reward. Then bats at it again.  Stops and looks again.  There's something about this new "Friskies Party Snack" that all the cats seem to find so addictive.  But only Purrmeister is willing to WORK for his reward!

And HERE is the best I can do for a close up of the insect that made up that swarm I was amazed by a few days ago here.  The bug sits on the bathroom mirror which is why there are two perspectives--top and bottom.  And it's so pure white, it was really hard to get more than a silhouette because the details are just washed away!!  I still do not know what it IS!!  It's pretty though....And since that earlier story, I do see them swarming in the evening around the same part of the pond although their numbers seem diminished.  I'm thinking many of them have become bird, frog and fish food!

And it was a lovely birthday, so far.  I think we can stretch it out a few more days as the sisters and brothers are all here at the campground now so at some point, probably Saturday, we'll eat cake!!  Thanks for all the kind thoughts.  Kinda' takes the edge off getting older, ya' know?  Have a great weekend!

Camping Cats: Adjustments

 Poor Mom--We all have to eat up on the counter so Dakota doesn't butt in and hog all our wet food.  It's a bit chaotic until we each get our faces into our own bowls but eventually, everyone is happy.  We make excellent use of a small space....

Purrmeister has taken over each and every corner here in the camper at one time or another. 

I caught him on the bed here last night and just died laughing.  He's grown to be so flat that laying on his back has become quite normal for him.  This is an exquisite example of "letting it all hang out."

The new challenge is I fear they are sort of bored since I'm away working so much.  So the hunt is on to find new toys and entertainment including stapling carpeting to choice corners or they will tear the place apart very soon.

A Flower A Day #10

A Science Experiment

...and the inspector.

"Get Your Kicks..." (& psst....My Cat Needs Your Advice...)

tigereye, black leather & silk, cool Route 66 button

I didn't want to top this post with a cheesy photo of Purrmeister (it's below the fold), so I'm showing a couple of new pieces from my new cuff series. This has been a grand adventure as I practice and practice to get good at this new form AND have a lot of fun putting together new stones with silk and leather color combinations...and best of all, very cool buttons.

I'm wearing one of these cuffs every day now. As you can imagine, as one that works with her hands, I'm really hard on my hands so rarely wear rings. I'm a little better with watches...and so wearing a cuff seems very comfy and unobtrusive. I'm glad I've decided that cool buttons were the way to open and close these because you know how a bracelet tends to sort of circumnavigate your wrist? Well, when the button lands on the "up side" it looks just a good as when it's on the down side. Wear testing is important, though, to check durability and other aspects of how my new design holds up...so far, so good although I'm still tweaking the attachment of the button and loop--but more for looks, not for function.

brown goldstone, sienna silk, goldenrod leather, antique bronze button

So now that I'm below the fold, I will put the spotlight on Purrmeister and his little problem. It's kind of embarrassing--well, not for him maybe, but for me.

You see, I'm still learning to care for a long haired cat and mostly, it's going very well since I started using a cat brush on him when he was small, so he's becoming quite tolerant of this. But down near his "groin," mostly out of sight until he engages in "back sleeping", two pretty big mats of really downy, fine fur have formed. There is just no way I can ever hope to pick, brush or comb them out. They feel like big knots and when I first noticed them, I freaked because I thought they were tumors, yikes! I made a photo of him here to sort of show the area--hard to see the white on white mats, but you can imagine their placement is rather, ummm, delicate.

So do I cut them away? And if so, what's the best tool and technique to do this so I don't hurt him? He doesn't seem concerned with them...but I am. I think it may have happened as he was shedding fine baby fur because he's definitely growing heavier, thicker fur as he grows up. I seriously need some good advice here because I'm clueless about cat mats...and I know many of you are cat lovers so I'm hoping for ideas. So many cat lovers, surely his "problem" isn't too unusual, right? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Wordless Wednesday (Summertime Blues)

pouting, stuck indoors....if only Purrmeister could sing the blues....

New Model at WillOaks Studio

I interrupted my routine today to try to take some decent photos of new work here at my camper. A far cry from my regular little photo studio, but I'm starting to get some OK results between the north and west windows here where I have my little work space in the camper.

The biggest challenge is how tiny this space, shared with Purrmeister and Dakota, can be for certain tasks--like taking photos. Cats, in particular this cat, are extremely curious and anything/everything is a game. So I gave up and let him play a bit, before I shut him back up in the bedroom here.

I must admit that he is one of the most handsome models I've used to date! Too bad his wrists aren't just a little bit larger so he could show off one of my new cuff designs! Maybe I should be careful what I wish for, though, because he continues to grow bigger and bigger since he's not a year old yet!

We've been totally in the throes of the brutal heat wave here. This means we're pretty darn busy at the campground and the swimming pond is getting a lot of use, too. Somehow, I've been working well into the night when things quiet down around here and slowly, new work is piling up, new designs are coming along, and new pieces are about ready to post in my shop. That's why trying to make some new photos became a priority today....and I carried on both with and without the help of the Purrmeister!

Wordless Wednesday (Random Projects)

Well, not quite wordless....

New addition to the Peridot for August pieces

Part of a materials sequence for a new wedding piece proposal

Making progress on a green and purple commission

Purrmeiser hanging out in his new closet hidey hole....

.....being overactive and.....

...being creative. Purrmeister is learning to sculpt with toilet paper...what do you think?

There's a Cat in My Art Studio....

...and it's both fun/funny and exasperating! The Purrmeister really enjoys the "picture window" that I've parked my studio table under....and is going through this chewing phase, which can be a little nutty.

The studio table MUST have a towel thrown over any work in progress or I can pay dearly, as in, work gets undone....I've been under some pressure to finish orders so I'm really trying to learn to protect the work even on a 2 second notice....sometimes I forget, like today. He managed to undo all the delicate sorting I had done, sigh. On weekends, a lot of campers show up so I'm in and out, back and forth to the office even as I'm working on pieces laid out here....at the house, no cat would DARE to get up on my work bench.....here? Normal rules don't apply.

Even my tools are fair game when he goes into his hunter mode. He likes to attack the corners of my laptop and there are now toothmarks on the cover..how cute? No matter that he gets treats, has his own toys, & etc....somehow, my stuff is always better and more interesting. If he weren't so cute and innocent, I might.....................................

Keeping Cool

Happy 4th of July! The fine art of keeping cool.....and a demo of kitty yoga.

Have a safe and fun holiday and make sure your cats & dogs can safely hide when the loud booms begin!

To Bee or Not To Bee

I was totally thrilled to spy honey bees just a couple of days ago! It seems we had the hive collapse syndrome or other problems with our local honey bees for a few years as there were none to be seen. Now I'm in the garden a lot, and I am always looking at the general and particular state of any number of insects around here. Luckily, there are other pollinators in our area, including the big woolly bumblebees, but I wondered if I'd ever see the good old workhorse, honey bee again.

I'm not an expert and have no idea where their hives are, etc. But here I was photographing the blooms of our local milkweed plants (because I'm totally fascinated by how in the heck these pretty flowers turn into those big pointy seed pods! I keep reminding myself to try to watch the process...then I forget to pay attention!) There were several bees hovering and nectaring on these lovely flowers. They were moving pretty rapidly, so their images are a bit blurred, but I am so happy to discover they are back in the neighborhood!


And Purrmeister says "Relax, Have a Happy Sunday on Me!"

His human says..."What am I growing here, a giant? How much bigger is this cat that rules the camper going to get??"

That Darn Cat - Movie Version

This is it, really!! Where the Purrmeister takes on his mortal enemy: His Tail!

And then proceeds to act like a stark, raving mad lunatic. A Mad Catter. You'll just have to see it to believe it! And the ambient music in the background?? "A Prairie Home Companion" was on and apparently, one of the musical selections was in progress. I didn't really notice until I replayed it. I was so hypnotized by this crazy cat's antics to the exclusion of anything else.

So it's Thursday night here and Dakota, Purrmeister and I are settled into the camper again. Got here quite late and so supper was very late. Only a few early arrivals today....tomorrow will be a major day for checking people in and I imagine the peace and quiet out here now, during an amazing full moon, will be "slightly" more active as folks get into "the holiday spirit."

I'm finally caught up on "regular orders" and hope, over the weekend, to get a handle on a pile of special orders and new ideas....we'll see. Progress can be painfully slow when there are dozens of interruptions. And so it goes. If you're off camping this weekend think of me and be extra nice to your campground host or hostess ;->

And even if you're not camping (poor you) have a lovely holiday where ever you are!

That Darn Cat

Purrmeister was such a funny guy the past weekend I have a treasure trove of new images and one more absolutely hysterical video clip that I'm saving for the weekend.

I'm not sure he is aware of his size...and high, higher, highest has been his mantra. Running up trees is the lastest heart stopper--but I haven't had the camera handy for that move yet.

Long, incredibly busy days for his mom (that would be me, of course.) I'm still sort of overwhelmed with studio orders (it's a blessing!) and with the campground moving into high gear here. After all, Memorial Day is the unofficial "beginning of summer." Hope you all have really nice plans for the weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

Watch him do his worm act....I laughed 'til I cried!



(I do not know how he got in here, but seems Purrmeister will try just about anything once!)

Three Quick Things

Yesterday I mentioned how Purrmeister was worming his way into every nook and cranny of my camper and look, how cute, he's in a cupboard....

...UNTIL you see that it is right above the kitchen sink.....bad kitty!! Well, he knows where the pet food is stored. I just have to learn to close doors quickly. I have to wonder what I will do when he doubles in size yet again? Although he's now over 8 lbs, he still isn't close to growing into his big, really big, feet!

Yesterday was a glorious overcast day except that it was quite windy, which is always a challenge when doing photos in the garden. Lots is finally in bloom so I chose this one to begin my garden "show and tell" because....


...the colors coordinate perfectly with the beautiful treasury that included my work, posted yesterday. Sunny Monday--I really like the title AND the yellow and purple theme!

It was curated by Sirpa of SirpaKJewelry. Her Etsy shop is full of really pretty pieces including lots of wire winding with lovely oxidation framing pretty jewels. Please visit and see what you think!! And click on the treasury image here to go to the actual page...we need comments!! I think this collection should make it to the Etsy front page but we need your views to help make that happen!

By the way, in case you're wondering what looks different? This is the new format that Etsy treasuries are presented in now...a bit wider and over all, a bit larger. It's a nice improvement!!

A Week in the Life....

....of the WillOaks Farm manager, WillOaks Campground Hostess and, lest we forget, WillOaks Studio artist.

Heavy weather moving in...again and again...

Studio window view, deck view

Moving in includes getting the deck ready for action

New studio corner in the camper

New silk thread order

Outdoors comes indoors through interesting natural artifacts, a growing collection

Purrmeister rules the roost as the newest resident at WillOaks Campground, Site #1

A pair of Mallard ducks are the newest residents on the pond at WillOaks Campground

And what a season this is shaping up to be! Lovely balance of the familiar and many surprises and if I can find new balance, I'll resume my regular blog posts here soon, rather than try to jam everything in at once. But obviously, that balance is missing at the moment....

Weather is a big deal this time of year and we've seen it all in the past few days. The nip of late frosts, pounding rain that caused quite a bit of local flooding, and occasional bursts of sunshine. As I write, we're in the busiest weekend we've had to date, tenters everywhere, but wooo, it's really chilly outdoors. Great for firewood sales, tricky in a tent if you're not well prepared. I'm snug as can be here in the old camper.

Slowly, things are getting more and more organized. I hunted for and found the makings of my new "studio corner," got the parts installed and so have just begun to bring some supplies from the main studio. My camera gear and my laptop are now in service here. I need propane and hot water yet, but repaired the electricity the past week and thankfully, the repairs done last year to many bad leaks are holding fine, despite the intense storms.

And what is really fun is, of course, the animal side of the equation. Dakota is an old hand out here in camper mode, but Purrmeister is new to this and seems to be adapting very well. Granted, he's not especially calm and can cause quite a ruckus when he finds new and creative ways to "blow steam." Shredded toilet paper roll? Every little thing left on a counter knocked to the floor? Crawling into the tiniest nooks and crannies just to check it out? He can be quite a handful. Last night, he decided to knock over both a glass of water AND of tea such that they soaked my bed so I guess a bedside drink isn't a good idea out here....I must learn to think more like a cat....

I'm delighted to mention my new residents here at WillOaks Campground: a pair of Mallard ducks have chosen to stay on the pond and I'm so happy they are here. When I first spotted them, I thought they were passing through, but they are still here and now, I'm so curious where they will build their nest. I must learn more about the habits of ducks because these haven't stayed on the campground pond before. I don't want to get my hopes up about baby ducks...too many bad things can happen...but the thought has crossed my mind.

And I'm amazed to mention that I have filled numerous studio orders all around this seasonal chaos and have made a lot of progress on a whole new series of neck pieces. I have not had the time, together with the right light, in order to photograph them yet, however. There were amazing bright cloudy days here late last week, but I was struggling with car repairs, shopping, and my parental duties....am hoping to get a dose of the good light during the coming week and then, can photograph and post my new work!

Sorry I've been so negligent about posting, visiting other blogs and dropping for EC, etc. the past week and a half but as I've mentioned, I'm seeking new balance with all these things soon--thanks for not giving up on me!! Happy Sunday everyone.