Little Critters Everywhere!

So many animals call WillOaks Farm and Campground home.  They are mostly charming and I really, really try to be tolerant....but....

There are a lot of cute little chipmunks that have extended "clans" all through the farm.  They are adorable...really...yet so destructive sometimes.  There are some planters and planted areas in the campground that I've "replanted" 3 times now--just over the past few weeks.  Come to find out that chipmunks have a lot of fun clipping petunias off at ground level - really radical pruning I guess.  And when that gets boring, they randomly dig up plants.  This happens both to plantings directly in the ground and to plantings in pots and planters.  I haven't given up....yet.  Petunias are replaced with geraniums and marigolds...surely I'll find something they will ignore, eventually.....

One of the worst hits, unfortunately, was a whole double row of snap peas that had sprouted and were starting to grow strong in our new communal vegetable garden.  I guess the chipmunks had a feast because there are perhaps 3 seedlings left.  We're debating about trying peas again a bit later in the summer to see if we can get a fall crop....maybe....

So I've relented about letting Red Kitty and Mariah out of the camper.  That's right, I'm trying to sic my cats on those destructive chipmunks.....Not sure how effective they will be as hunters....but they sure are happy to be outdoors again!

The raccoons are really active here this summer.  I try to warn tenters to lock up their food, especially at night when the coons are on the move.  These little bandits have taken down and emptied my bird feeders, they have made off with bags of chips, and I have a feeling I've met one or more of them (or their relatives?) a couple of years ago....because they are even trying to figure out how to get into our covered dumpster, again.

Witness all the footprints on the lid?  A couple of years ago, when the wind blew open the lid, I found a youngster sitting at the bottom of the dumpster amidst a bag of trash that was all torn up.  But the poor guy was stuck in there-steep slick metal walls are pretty hard to climb back up.  So I went and got a long board, put it into the "big metal box" for a ramp, and politely looked away while the little guy scampered up and out.  So when I saw the fresh new footprints on the lid a couple of days ago, I realized I'd better keep an eye on this as the summer goes on.  I have a feeling that Ma Coon teaches her cubs "dumpster diving."

And don't get me started on squirrels--they are amazing acrobats and I'm in a constant game to protect a couple of bird feeders here.  Yet when a couple of campers showed up with a "pet" squirrel last weekend, a baby that had been hand raised and bottle fed, I realized that it was probably neat that the little guy was "coming home" to the country woods....though I was a tad surprised when I learned that as the weekend progressed, they decided to let the little guy go.

So I guess he lives here now, too, but briefly, it was pretty cute to see him up close as the woman held him like a kitten and carried him around in a cage.  I'll be curious to hear if he decides to visit with other campers here this summer--he did seem to have a fondness for humans!

Finally, on the totally relaxed and mellow side, Dakota is happy to be the campground dog mascot again, and to sleep on the deck or in the shade or where ever it's a bit cooler.  Because these northern breeds are always too warm in the summer, notice the hair cut she's got?  Hope it helps keep her cooler because it's about to go into the 90's here over the coming weekend!  Push comes to shove, we can always turn on the air conditioning here in the camper.  Because Dakota is 17 years old this summer we're treating her like the grand dame she truly is!

Have a great weekend and enjoy your own local critters!

 

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.

And then? Flora and Fauna....

So yes, one can flounder after a life changing event, like losing a parent, a sibling, a loved one. Dad passed about 4 weeks ago. I just haven't had too much to say and so, poor blog, sits here on a long pause. I think it's the first "blog pause" I've had for such a long time. I'm sorry if you missed me, ha ha!
I don't have much to say, but I do have some interesting photos to share. Images of Spring in the Midwest, starting with the return of the Sandhill Cranes, which are easier to hear than to see around here. But I did catch a flock resting in a nearby field when they began to move in this Spring.

Rite of Spring - Mariah climbs a tree.

Other signs of Spring including flowers trying to grow, and getting smacked down by late snowfalls and frosts.

I channeled my dad the first week of April and planted onion sets, some cool weather seeds, pea pods, radishes. My dad and mom raised us all to work in their gardens and I do have very early memories of different tasks. So it felt good to dig in the dirt when the weather was friendly...lately, it's not friendly. Very cold and wet....

That's OK. I'm finally catching up on indoor studio work: back orders, commitments, creativity. It's all in there, somewhere, I just have to dig for it a bit. Campground will reopen in just about a week....Happy Easter Weekend to all.

The Gray Season Moves In...

Shorter days, longer nights, gray skies, cold rain, foggy weather, gloaming vestige. So many shades of silky, pearly, subtle gray...

...better to express that touch of depression that can settle in than to succumb to it...besides, gray is so beautiful!

"Stormy Season"
And with those images in my head and thoughts in my mind, I ranged near and far over the Etsy catalogs, searching for things that helped portray this mood, these feelings of grayness. In the final form, "Stormy Season" was born and my quest for making treasuries for expressions of moods and feelings takes another step....


On another note, the (mostly) black cat Mariah survived another Halloween just fine, thank you. She didn't even hop on a broom or do anything wild or crazy. Fearsome Dakota protected her from any misfortune....

A final word, on this fine Tuesday, November 2....
REMEMBER TO GO VOTE--IT'S YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY
(and you can't complain unless you do ;-)

Wordless Wednesday (So Sleepy)

Treasury & New Cat Games

Aqua Glass Works
A few of my favorites.
It's a wonderful day!! First, a new treasury that includes my new Silk, Pearls and Glass piece used as a cuff....better yet, it's within a collection of pretty things that are all my FAVORITE COLOR!! Gotta' love it and for a closer look, do click on the Image.
This was curated by Ashley of the shop ArtsyAsh101.
Her shop is a fresh, eclectic mix of painted glass, original photos and jewelry...take a peek!

And now, on to a look at the new game in progress here that has had me laughing to the edge of tears this past weekend.
A heavy, brown paper bag has become the hot new focal point here in the studio.

Purrmeister loves to climb in bags...any bag will do. But this one has become a group activity.

I was able to capture some action shots, and fortunately, was able to edit out the parts where I was laughing so hard, the camera was shaking uncontrollably...and the background of snorts and guffaws was, um, rather embarrassing.....that's OK, there was still enough left to offer the flavor of this new game that I call "Bag Boxing." Enjoy and add a good chuckle to your Monday!

Cabin Fever? It Could Be Worse.....

It seems like it's snowing all over the place--and the blogsphere is loaded with snow photos, so, I had to add a visual from the WillOaks Farm. This was before we got 6 to 8 more inches early Wednesday morning AND the wind really picked up speed.

Green silk with olive jade, millefiori, glass, serpentine, green jade, yellow turquoise---
another in the "silk experiments series"....

.....all designed to be "multi-wrap" versatile.

Meanwhile, now it's Mariah's turn to teach Purrmeister how to
drink from the faucet, like Red Kitty taught her....

....and Purrmeister is a willing and able student.

And remember that "numbers thinking" I mentioned earlier? Well, this weekend, my shop on Etsy hit the 1111th "heart me" which was a good feeling, and as we have approached Valentine's Day, I took a few more orders. (I try to imagine what it would be like if every heart equaled a sale....not gonna' happen, but it's a cute fantasy.) Not to be ungrateful, it's neat to know WillOaks Studio has been "tagged" by both shoppers and other artists.

And while I still haven't quite reached my goal of raising $100 for Haiti relief and rebuilding, through my 10% donation from my sales on Etsy, but I did hit $93 as of Wednesday!
...and I'm keeping this up through 2-14-10, Valentine's Day.

Uh oh, Kinda' Swamped Again

...and it's all good! It just doesn't leave a lot of extra time when there are deadlines and obligations, but I do my best not to neglect at least a note or two here, even if the dropping and visiting gets a little short changed. Well, as they say, everything in its time.



And I hope I can find a bit of time to capture some of the amazing icy images I've been waking up to around here. Ice fog is what they are calling it and this frozen moisture gets deposited on every twig, every surface.

Meanwhile, just a quick picture of Purrmeister who is bound and determined to get into anything/everything I'm doing. This is the edge of my photo area and I'm pretty darn sure he won't be able to just sit on the window sill for too much longer.

And then, after a strange photo of Mariah yesterday, a more normal one today.....Have a good Tuesday!

Cat Antics and Blue Hearts

Further evidence I'm working too hard. I just rediscovered this collection of "Fun Heart" earrings I made a few months ago, inspired to think ahead to Valentine's day...and then forgot all about. Until I found them tonight and went, ooops, oh yeah, I forgot! No problem! The basic idea was to play with hearts that were neither pink nor red AND to see what might happen with these cool Czech glass beads I happened upon.

Next, Purrmeister has decided that my small handwash laundry basket is his favorite bed (he already outgrew the "Dora the Explorer" chair my little niece gave him at Thanksgiving!) A new game is to hide in here and when Red or Mariah wander into the room, pop up like a jack in the box and tackle them. The long suffering adult cats.....Well, he has nearly doubled in weight since he came home with me not quite 2 months ago, so he is becoming a force to be reckoned with! Mariah regularly puts him in his place, and he keeps bouncing back for more.


And finally, my normally very pretty Mariah striking a very unattractive pose. Maybe she was about to scratch an itch or something....it's pretty amusing!

Out With The Old; In With The New....

The last sunset of the last day of the last month of the last year

in the first decade of the 2000's.

The last sunset of the last day of the last month of the last year in the first decade of the 2000's. (detail)

These cats do not get excited about holidays.

But Purrmeister does get excited about being in the food bowl.

See? He really gets into the food bowl.

But there's hope he can eventually learn some table manners here
--or at least can quit standing IN the kibble bowl...
it's a new year's resolution for 2010!

I didn't make time to do a full survey of 2009 because I was getting ready to go to the New Year's Eve party I go to every year, BUT I did snap a few photos to mark the "END OF 2009" here on the farm and in the studio.

I do have a lot to be grateful for and happy about! The party was really fun and I even won a prize--a big, beautiful Starbucks mug with a MOOSE on it...so cute! All because I answered most of the game questions about Alaska and the great Northland correctly. (The theme of this year's party was Alaska and the great north--OK, it's a long story.) So I can quit saying "I never win anything now."

I didn't bring my camera to the party. And I'm back home now and about to call it a night, but since I've been pretty regular about getting posts up on a daily basis, I had to get this up and say....here's to a whole new year of new blog posts!!

Fun & Games at WillOaks Farm

The snow and ice are, again, lovely but dangerous. The bad gutter in front of my patio door is magnificent...and a big drag. The poor dog, well, she thinks she's camouflaged but only slightly. And Purrmeister cracks me up then he dives into the cat food bowl, feet and head first. Frankly, he's a really messy eater yet, as most babies are. But standing in the food bowl? That's a first for me.

What I don't have photos of here is the wild time we're having chasing mice all around the house these days. You see, when surrounded by corn fields, and then there is a harvest, well, the mice tend to migrate to warmer places looking for food...like in my house! Truly a 3 ring circus here right now. Mariah is an amazing huntress BUT never goes for the kill. She catches them, gently carries them to another part of the house, sets them down and ZOOM, off the little rodents run to start the chase all over again. It's a perpetual motion machine that changes from room to room....

Feeding time tonight: Red and Purrmeister are all ready for their bowls, meowing at my feet. I call Mariah, as usual, to join us. She shows up, all righty, with that blasted mouse in her mouth, again. This time, it's set down in the kitchen and dashes under the stove--safely out of reach of the cats. But it was like magnetic attraction: all three noses were pointing intently at the stove, frozen in time and space and all thoughts of eating were forgotten. What a tableau! I can pretty much count on lots of action until these rodents either die or are killed...and the cats? "Just doing our job, ma'am!"

A Very Good Day, Good Weekend, & Busy Week for WillOaks Studio

Quite a weekend here as new pieces finally got finished AND photographed. Things are kind of messy here at the moment as I'm just focused on finishing pieces, filling orders and all that kind of thing. But I just love this new neck piece--kind of a relative of the Red one I posted about a week ago or so (and have since sold 2 copies of, wow!) This one happens to be one of a kind as I used some things in it (the special leaves) that I can't get anymore. But that's OK--kind of like the difference between a painting and an art print-there's only one of the first, and multiples of the 2nd. Did I mention that "wasabi green" is one of my favorite colors? No? You should see my sweater and shirt collection in this color...it's kind of scary except this color just makes me happy. I have a pair of Born wedges in this color, too, that I got seriously on sale because, I guess, this color isn't for every one! Lucky me...ha ha ha!


This piece also came together and got posted over the weekend. These plump, baroque pearls were such a find last year and have inspired me so many different ways. I found them in shades of white, natural, pale peach and darker peach. I just love the organic shapes because when I use them in pieces like this one, they represent blossoms on branches to me (a bit less literal than the actual pressed glass flowers used above.) In this piece, I paired the pearls with a beautiful soft golden yellow citrine and hand dyed brown leather instead of using linen. Both of these new pieces are listed in my Etsy shop and the photos link to them, if you want to see more views, etc.

And finally, while I'm manically working, check out my two boys here. I'm not sure Purrmeister looks particularly attractive posed like this, but he sure does a good impression of a relaxed (lazy) slacker! And while I didn't mention it here last week, Mariah, the female cat of the house is on the mend.

She because seriously ill while I was away at Thanksgiving, leading to an animal E.R. Room visit last Saturday night. I was pretty scared, but we ruled out my biggest concerns in E.R. (for a fee of $250, yikes!) And then my regular vet got us set up with some medicine that seems to have done the trick. Mariah is unusual, in my cat experience, in that she was born with very serious allergies (esp poultry and eggs, plus vaccines and insect bites) and whenever she has a reaction to something, it's a big deal. Unfortunately, these reactions seem be have become much more dire the older she gets and I had hoped she'd outgrow them....no such luck. But she survived another event and for that I'm very grateful because she really scared me this time around!

Doesn't Play Well With Others

An amazing list of names for the new kitty continues to grow, and I'm just thrilled for all this help and input on my naming challenge! I plan to make a concise list of all the names tomorrow, just for easy reading, and hopefully to chose a new name by Monday. All of your help and inspiration for this has been fabulous! Thank you so much...hey, I'm as excited to learn the new name and curious to know what it will be as you all are...ha ha ha!

Red Kitty and Mariah are not happy campers. They are hiding downstairs while the kitten stays right by my feet or on my lap upstairs. Right now, I'm not pushing it at all but will simply move a litter box downstairs to be on the safe side. As the Little Prince once said "Things Take Time."

Make sure you add a name (entry) to my contest by Sunday midnight (CST) 11/22/09 to name the new kitten. There's a real prize here for the winning entry!!

And what a lovely sunset last night! I love the skies this time of year, I mean, if it HAS to get dark so early, at least it's happening in a beautiful way!