I Got "Lens Of The Day" Today! YAY!

"Every day (or nearly that) Squidoo's Community & Charity Organizer, Kimberly Dawn Wells, highlights a lens that stands out from the crowd, a lens that is unique in topic, approach, personality, tools or timing. Or, you know, just a lens that made her day." ~ Lens Of The Day

Today Kimberly wrote in my guestbook; "Congratulations on your LOTD! Thanks for teaching us how to make such great art with such simple directions."

WOW! SketchingEveryday is my top rated lens and this really made my day. My Summer Sketching Series is now in full swing . . . and I am truly thrilled to see that my Six Steps To Sensational Sketches got "Lens of the Day"! Thanks Kimberly!

Rating Hummingbird Feeders From My Reject Pile

Avoid These Mistakes!

Here is a snapshot of some of my Hummingbird Feeder mistakes, discards and disasters. I'm sharing them with you, so you don't make the same errors! :-D



Going from left to right (clockwise) . . .
Bottom Left:
A. Perky-Pet Brand Hummingbird Feeder - I'm not sure where this came from or when. Pros: Made in USA, Cons: The picture on the box shows the dreaded red-dyed hummingbird nectar which the company still sells! It is common knowledge that at best the dye is totally unnecessary and it may even be harmful to the birds. This feeder would be a nightmare to clean for various reasons. You don't even want to get me started! To tell you the truth, I can't ever remember even opening the box before. And from my experience with flocks of hummers, they prefer the saucer feeders.Top Left:
B. No-Name Arty Hummingbird Feeder -Pros: A gift. Unique. Cons: Made in China. Hard to clean, too many parts, not my type. (Probably goes for 70% of all pretty feeders too.)Top:
C. Best One - Giant Hummingbird Feeder - Pros: Made in USA. A half gallon capacity and eight ports! (See bottom in center of basket.)Woo Hoo! Could last me more than 24 hrs. in an emergency situation. (ie: I couldn't be home to monitor the nectar situation 24/7.) Cons: Hard to clean and fill. Very Heavy when full. Top loop broke off from weight and hubby patched it. Plastic has discolored. Too ugly to put back up. I still have good feelings for this object though and will keep it on hand for back-up.Top Right:
D. The Droll Yankee Window Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Very cute, Really Close-up Viewing, Fun, time consuming project. Cons: Doesn't hold much nectar. Messy sticky windows from hummingbird poo. Many little parts. Time consuming project.Far Right:
E. Perky-Pet Brand - Oasis Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Hummingbirds love these feeders! I used them for years and just retired my last few. I have phased them out for several reasons. Cons: The company stills sells red nectar. The little yellow flowers are unnecessary and create a lot more work in the maintenance department. They fall off and get brittle and are a bitch to clean. (Please pardon my French.) Loop on top of hanger is smaller, making connector "S" hooks necessary when attaching to a shepherd's hook.Bottom Right:
F. Aspects Oriole Feeder - Pros: Made in USA, Quality product, Easy to clean. Nectar recipe on bottom of lid. Cons: I can't seem to attract Orioles. They pass through occasionally, but quickly move on. Only four ports. Not optimal for hummingbirds, but would do in a pinch.

Gee. Not Pictured (All in use.):
HummZinger - Aspects - Pros: Many! Cons: Few! - I now almost exclusively use Aspects HummZingers. I have many of their various sizes and models and love them for many reasons. See yesterday's post's photo of a 16 oz. HummZinger. There is too much information to go into today, but I promise to tell you more about them, list their features and rave about the benefits of owning these in a variety of sizes in an upcoming post! Until then, Happy Humming!

See 5 Steps to Happy Hummingbirds here.

I'VE GOT FLOCKS OF HUMMINGBIRDS!

I had to take my Macbook Pro to the hospital today. Seems the (old ticker) battery isn't what it used to be. After the Mac Doctor ran some diagnostic tests, my fears were confirmed. A replacement is on order. Until it comes in, I'm tethered to the wall. A hard thing to get used to after 2.5 years of continuous roaming around The Sandarosa while online.

Anyway at the Mac hospital I got talking to a couple of the technicians about two of my favorite subjects, HUMMINGBIRDS and photography. I had to search my sites for the information I wanted to show them, but found it on one of my newest Squidoo Lenses, An Obsession With Hummingbirds. Here you'll find a link to a photographer who specializes in photographing the incredible creatures and even gives in-detail, expert advise on how to do it!! Be sure to check out his wonderful hummingbird gallery too!! I'd mention him by name, however it doesn't seem to be on the site. It's just DyessCreek.com.

Is Your Left or Right Brain Dominant?

WHICH WAY DOES SHE SPIN?

Watch this video and see if the dancer moves clockwise or counter clockwise. If she moves clockwise, you're probably more right brain dominated. You often function using your NON VERBAL, intuitive, creative side. If you see her move counter clockwise, you are in the majority and are more of a left brain dominated, VERBAL, analytical individual.

ACCORDING TO BETTY EDWARDS, AUTHOR OF DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, "The right brain perceives and processes visual information, in the way one needs to see in order to draw, and the left brain perceives in ways that seem to interfere with drawing."
"An individual's ability to draw is... the ability to shift to a different-from-ordinary way of processing visual information - to shift from verbal, analytic processing to spatial, global processing." ~ Betty Edwards

I just got my new, revised, expanded and updated copy of Betty Edwards' wonderful classic, "Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain"! Betty says learning to draw is like learning to drive or ride a bike. Once it's learned, we don't have to think about it. I decided to go through the book and do the whole class again. (It has been a while.) Follow along with me this summer as I go through Betty's course and sketch everyday.

Robert Henri's Art Spirit

The Art Spirit
inspires my art and life

Robert Henri's book, The Art Spirit, is a collection of notes, articles, fragments of letters and lectures to students. The book was complied after his death by former student, Margery Ryerson. Henri's highly inspirational material taps into the core of artistic expression and picture making. Learn more about Robert Henri (pronounced hen-rye) on my new page here.

Three Cats In The Yard

I decided that the pictures I posted of Jerry's tomato plants didn't really do them justice and show their size, so today I'm including these two shots.




When I was shooting the plants, the cats came out and wanted their picture taken too. This is Leah. Short for Ugly-a. She's a feral feline that we had fixed and take care of. At first I thought she was ugly, but now I see her beauty.

"A cat improves the garden wall in sunshine, and the hearth in foul weather." ~ Judith Merkle Riley


And Ziggy (our orange house cat, Tigger's brother). He's also a feral we had neutered. He's nothing like his laid back brother. He's afraid of us and like Leah, always stays a safe distance away. He and Leah are real pals and are almost always together.

"The cat has too much spirit to have no heart." ~ Ernest Manual

"Women, poets, and especially artists, like cats; delicate natures only can realize their sensitive nervous systems." ~ Helen M. Winslow

And last but not least, this is Princess. She is my studio cat, waiting at the studio door to be let in. She was here first and thinks all the others should definitely go!

"I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days." ~ Bill Dana

Deer Trouble and Jerry's Giant Tomato Plants

We've had to put our hanging plants up on the side deck because we've got a juvenile delinquent problem. A brazen, ravenous, young doe started eating my flowers! I gave up years ago trying to have flower beds out here, but have gotten away with hanging baskets right up next to the back of our house. The deer have always stayed away . . . 'til now. We bought some spray, but I'm thinking it's easier just to move them around everyday. I scared the curious culprit away in the middle of the day yesterday! Any suggestions (besides hunting of course) will be considered. Here are a few shots taken early this morning with my little Cannon Power Shot.


Before I got off on that tangent, I wanted to show you these hu-mung-ous tomato plants that Jerry picked up! I've never seen a potted tomato plant get so huge. I hope the little deer doesn't decide to go up on the deck and give them a nibble.

Two More Lenses Added To Squidoo

I've been giving all my old lenses a facelift and have created four new ones so far this week. What a great sense of accomplishment. I'm on a roll baby! 

Your feedback and comments are most appreciated! THANKS!!

Check out: Hummingbirds For The Holidays

And: Native American Stories and Spirit

I also did a major revamp on : Five Steps To Happy Hummingbirds

And: Eight Ways Animal Spirits Teach Us About Life

Too Much To Share And T.M.I. !

I started looking at my Squidoo Lenses this past weekend and realized most of them had way T. M. I. - TOO MUCH INFORMATION ! So I decided to break them down into more digestible chunks.

I've got two new lenses so far. I hope you find them interesting, helpful and worth your time.

An Obsession With Hummingbirds was inspired by a comment left recently here on my web log.


Simple Sketching Steps contains a new drawing demo.

In Simple Sketching Steps, I also explain my materials and make supply recommendations. My SketchingEveryday Blog starts in one week, so if you plan on following along and doing my sketching challenges this year, make sure you read this short lens and pick up any materials you may need.

To Internet Hell And Back

I've been to internet HELL and back over the past week. To make a long story short, it all started when I went to renew my domain name, SpiritArt.us. It was ten days before it was due to expire. Turns out my domain registrar went out of business. They were resellers, so I had to go to the main registrar to find my data. With the high rate of scamming and manipulation on the web, beware, of even the big guys. I was slammed in the beginning by the company, did meet with some cooperation mid stream, but then ended up short changed in the end. Thank God for my wonderful technical support staff at ViaVerio Web Hosting !! One by one, hour by hour, Jason, Tim, Oscar, Dave, and James all got me through this. Thanks so much guys! I still have some work to do, but now there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!

Today's InspirationEveryday quote:
"To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist." ~ Gail Sheehy

On a brighter note, I became an exclusive photographer with iStockPhoto yesterday. Now I have a bronze film canister and a gold crown by my name. It looks so much better than that old grey thing. I didn't have a photo of me in a crown, so here's the next best thing. It's a shot of me taken by Robert Genn , the Author of "The Painter's Keys" in September of 2005 aboard the cruise ship "Coral Princess" in Alaska.

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

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?".

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

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.

Birthdays And Attitudes

I celebrated another birthday yesterday and my horse, Rembrandt, will be thirty tomorrow!

America's Wild Horses

More Links about Wild Horse Preservation and the BLM Roundups:

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign 

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.”

See the I-Team Special Here