Saturday, April 24, 2010

THEY'RE HERE!!


I saw the first arrivals today. There are at least two of them, maybe more. I've got three feeders up now and I am in hummer heaven. Be sure to check out my Five Steps to Happy Hummers and get lots of tips on starting (or increasing numbers) of your very own hummingbird colony!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Screaming, Rearing and Charging


I'm sitting here on my screened-in back porch with two hummingbird feeders hanging on either side of the door. Jerry said he had one dive bomb him this morning, but I have yet to see one. I've been working out here for a couple of hours and no customers yet! Oh well, I did take Rudy for a spin this afternoon. He was a perfect gentleman. Rita, of course, carried on like a maniac. I figure when I ride Rudy, I get two for the price of one. Rita gets her exercise too. While screaming like a stallion, she entertainingly demonstrates her athletic ability, rearing, bucking, leaping, spinning and charging. It's quite a workout. More than I'm up for, FOR SURE! :-D
Here's a quick sketch of Rita today. I'm starting to draw more again, in preparation for my summer sketching series... I'm dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. Hee Hee, Go figure.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Oh Where, Oh Where Can My Hummingbirds Be?!


OK, they're late. I'm beginning to worry. The first males have been arriving here around the 19th or twentieth of April for several years. (I write it on my calendar.) We did have a very cold winter here, but according to hummingbirds.net, they've been spotted as far north as Canada. Oh dear . . . I put up another feeder today by my studio window. Maybe I'm just missing them. I'm on edge and everything that goes by my window catches my eye. I'm even dreaming about the little cuties. Oh well, I'll try to be patient. Today's sketch is one I did in preparation for my studio drawing classes that I did in Florida last week. (And, I have been informed that the course was a huge hit with all the students.) :-D

Thursday, April 8, 2010

An Obsession With Hummingbirds

I will be traveling and giving s few drawing demonstrations next week, so I thought I'd better practice a little today. Not drawing as regularly as I would like, my session started off slow and a little rusty. After a short time however, it became much easier. Here's a few steps of one of today's sketches. No hummers have been spotted here yet, so drawing some will just have to quench my thirst for now. Last year the first one showed up here on April 19th, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait now!

Monday, April 5, 2010

The Hummers Are Here!

I looked at Hummingbirds.net's hummingbird migration map and quickly got a hummingbird feeder out this past weekend. The little travelers have been spotted in my area and as far north as Massachusetts! No need to put out more than a single feeder just yet though. When you see one bird, you can then put up another. Once your spot is established, you can be certain within a day or two you'll be seeing more. Be sure to check out my Five Steps To Happy Hummers site to get your hummingbird season started off with a bang! I'll keep you posted on our arrivals here. Good Luck and Happy Humming!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A Mystery Project


OMG! It's been almost a month since I posted anything here on my web log. That's my longest break ever! Truth is, I'm working on a project that I'm having lots of fun with right now. I can't share it with you all just yet. I will say however, that our horses are very interested in my recent activities. I'm sure my neighbors and people driving by are thinking; "What the heck is she up to now?".

Friday, February 26, 2010

Insight Of The Day ~ Keep Dancing!


I have been receiving Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day emails for years now. You can sign up and receive an inspirational quote Mon. - Thurs. and a short story on Friday. Today's is a good one. Here's a quote from it. "If you are feeling stuck, and afraid to take the next step, or any step for that matter, you will never achieve the life of your dreams. Life is not always about being comfortable. It is about moving forward, out of your comfort zone." Worth the read here: Keep On Dancing by Veronica Hay

Friday, February 19, 2010

Meet Baby Hope


"Baby Hope, as she came to be called, was put in a cardboard box that someone sealed with duct tape and left on a Philadelphia curb for trash. She was all alone, sealed in a box with no food or water for at least two days before being discovered by a Good Samaritan who noticed a slight movement to the box. 

Baby Hope was lucky because when she was bought to PSPCA, a volunteer from Burlington County Animal Alliance (BCAA), a local rescue group from my county with a long history of helping homeless pets in the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey area, came to her rescue."

Yes folks, Baby Hope's story does have a happy ending! She's one of the LUCKY ONES.

See Baby Hope's full story and more about her on the Art For The Animals post for today.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

America's Wild Horses


More Links about Wild Horse Preservation and the BLM Roundups:

From their web site: "In 1971, an unprecedented public outcry moved Congress to unanimously pass the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, granting federal protection to America's wild horses and burros as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, that contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people.”


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

BLM WILD MUSTANG ROUNDUP

The BLM, Bureau of Land Management, (also known as the Bureau of Livestock Management), is currently rounding up wild horses in Nevada. They are removing these animals from public lands because they say there is not enough forage to sustain them. However, the BLM then turns around and leases this same acreage, our own public land, (which was specificly set aside in the 70's by Congress for the protection of the wild horses and a unique ecosystem), to cattle ranchers at outragously cheap rates! It's all for the benefit of the ranchers and the government, not at all for the good of these beautiful wild animals and not for the American People! Somehow I feel that it's not only these magnificant wild creatures, it's also  our heritage that they are destroying.



This all happened a month ago. I just found out about it tonight. I will post links as I find them. 

Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Secret of Personal Magnetism

An excerpt from Owen Waters' NEW BOOK ~ "Love, Light, Laughter: The New Spirituality"


"When people open their hearts to unselfish, unconditional love, a whole new world of possibilities opens. Rather than spending effort avoiding the selfishness of others, they spend time making sure that the way they choose to serve society is done in the best way possible. When people can trust others to treat each other with love and respect rather than as competitors, then everyone gains.

As heart-centered awareness grows and blooms within society, people’s primary focus will shift away from service to self and towards service to others. When it does, the world will transform out of all recognition.

But you don’t have to wait for all of society to catch up. In both your personal and professional dealings with people, you have a reputation, and it is fed by word-of-mouth recommendation. Build your reputation as someone who tends to give more than is expected of them, and you will find yourself becoming increasingly popular in both your business and personal lives. People respond to heartfelt action and, as they say, what goes around comes around.

Action and reaction are opposite and equal in all types of thought and action. Your heartfelt action, by automatic reaction, will create a heartfelt reality among you and the people who are attracted to your energy. When you operate mainly out of a heart-centered frequency, you will notice that people are attracted to you in all aspects of your life. Friends, lovers, professional associates; everyone will be attracted to your magnetic personality.

Personal magnetism has been one of the great mysteries of life simply because, in the past, so few people have operated from that heart-centered frequency of awareness on a routine basis. However, it’s really no secret. It’s just one of those common-sense facts of life.

The secret of personal magnetism is that the more you unconditionally love people, the more they love you.

You don’t have to make a big deal out of it. You don’t have to stand there like some transmitter beacon, radiating huge amounts of heart energy. Top stage performers do, but you don’t. You can be very quiet about it and everyone will be quietly drawn to you. Everyone of a similar nature, that is. Everyone who appreciates kindness and a truly warm, genuine smile.
In other words, you’ll attract the very best of friends.

There’s nothing more attractive than a warm smile from a person who quietly radiates a sense of unconditional love for themselves and all others."

This was an excerpt from "Love, Light, Laughter: The New Spirituality" by Owen Waters, which is available exclusively at Amazon.com.
www.amazon.com/dp/1932336281

"Posted Courtesy of www.InfiniteBeing.com"

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Support Haiti Earthquake Response


Your gift to Doctors Without Borders will support emergency medical care for the men, women, and children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Please give as generously as you can. Haiti Earthquake Response will help save lives. Read more about Doctors Without Borders here.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Photographing At The Zoo


I just found a helpful article on Nikon's "Learn & Explore" section by Julie Larsen Maher. See great shots and learn many tips for making the most of your visit to the zoo from this accomplished animal photographer.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Freelance Illustration Spots

I had some good fortune on New Years Day. That's when I learned that the deal was sealed on a freelance illustration project with German / Australian award winning web designer, Kai Brach of www.brizk.com. I finished them yesterday and will shoot them in high resolution today. I am happy with the job and really anxious to see the finished results when Kai puts my paintings together with his fantastic sense of design on his impressive website! I'll post a link to the page when Kai launches it.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Photography


"The artist may never feel the urge to grip a camera, but the photograph - black and white, sepia-tinted, in blazing color - is part of her secret cache of loved things." ~ Eric Maisel

"A photograph is a secret about a secret." ~ Diane Arbus

"Sometimes I get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." ~ Ansel Adams

~ These quotations on photography are from "Affirmations For Artists"

Friday, December 25, 2009

I Love Wikipedia!

My donation today celebrates everything Wikipedia stands for: the power of information, freedom, sharing, learning and discovery. My contribution will help keep Wikipedia freely available for its 330 million readers around the world!

Many people love Wikipedia, but surprisingly few know it's run by a non-profit. Please help Wikipedia and donate today!

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