Ariel on the porch

Today it's raining... but two days ago it was sunny and warm. I'm not complaining. I love the rain. We need as much as we can get.
But, on Wednesday, Ariel wanted to go outside.
So we took the air... on the porch.

I think she's tired of being poked and pulled and sewn into. So we both took a break and sat on the porch together. I never left her side because Carl would just love to use Ariel as a pull toy and he was right there watching her every move.
She enjoyed the warm weather and the sun on her feet. I even think she closed her eyes for a moment.

 Ariel's hair ribbon is sewn into place now. Her hair is kind of a mess for all the pulling and sewing. She needs a little brushing and some hair spray. Human hair is hard to contain in place. I'm thinking that yarn or some other ribbon, or dread locks made with wool roving, might have been a better choice. But this is my first doll, so I can always try something else down the road.
The scarf I made for her is keeping the spring breezes from her neck.

I've made her a gold Lamé jacket and a blouse out of gold chiffon fabric...
and "tutu" skirts in bright colors. I'm going to add more skirt.
Faerie's can't have enough beautiful, flowing skirts.

It was recommended, in one of the sites on doll clothes, that you burn the edges of any synthetic fabric to give it a more wild look and to keep it from unraveling. This is kind of dangerous. You must be very careful.
I used a votive candle in a glass votive holder. I held each piece of fabric with both hands and ran it quickly through the flame. It works well, but does catch on fire if you stop moving the fabric. Also if a small piece of burnt synthetic fabric falls on your hand, it will burn a nice little spot right through your skin. I know, because I did it. You have to be very careful. This takes practice, but it gives a fun, kind of ragged edge to the fabric.

I'm so proud of her little Nuno scarf. I felted it twice because I didn't have enough wool in it the first time and the pieces of sequined fabric that were cut into leaf shapes, didn't catch. I had  loose leaf ends. So I wet it again, added a bit more roving to the scarf and felted it a second time.
Now, I'm happy with it.

Ariel is happy... So happy in fact, that she got up and did a few ballet steps. Give a girl some sunshine and new clothes... that's all they need... oh, and maybe some ballet slippers.

But...She still needs her hair combed.

Wordless Wednesday: Springtime

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

Yesterday we had a wonderful day with friends across the canyon in San Andreas. They invited us to join them for a bar-b-que. We had a great time. I brought Cream cake and Tapioca Pudding. They had an Easter Egg hunt for the children. That's when I started missing my Beans, my grandkids. Didn't get together with my family this Easter. Missed them... but being with these friends and their family was a nice way to spend the day.
Today...I'm trying to walk more to help a damaged hip that keeps giving me fits... so it's down to the country road again for some exercise.

The road was lined with Chinese Lanterns. They are more productive than the Lupine right now and they are so delicately beautiful.

The first bend in the road turned into an orange wonderland.

The hills are still alive with Poppies.

I'm still having a love affair with these wonderful spring flowers.

We have a couple and their dog that are living near our creek. They seem very nice. We told them that they could stay there as long as they don't start any campfires. They are panning for gold. So far, they have been rather successful... enough to put gas in their truck. They are thinking about going to Alaska.
I told them to watch for rattlesnakes and poison oak... and to dig under tree roots.

Their four month old pup is a beautiful black lab. It was interesting talking to them. they have been all over. The Prospector told me that they were there. He met them last week and has talked to them a lot. I hope they find enough gold to seek their dreams. I wish them well.
A photographer friend stopped to say hello. He showed me some images that he had taken earlier in the day. Lovely shots of a succulent that grows right out of the rocky soil and blooms this time of the year and a beautiful globe lily image.
I found one of these succulents that didn't have anywhere near as beautiful a flower as the photo friend's flower did. I'm always amazed at the tenacity of these plants, growing in between the rocks, with very little soil, on the hillside. I think this is called a Canyon Dudleya.

Then my neighbor, heading for town, stopped me on the road. We talked and discussed the affairs of the weekend.  All in all my 20 minute walk turned into an hour or more. But that's what I love about where I live...the pace...and the people.
 Half way up our road I had to stop. I found another wildflower.

 This one is called a globe Gilia or the blue field Gilia.  It such a pretty, pale blue.

 As the day went by, the wind picked up and the clouds moved in. We may get some rain this week. I hope so, because with this heat come the snakes. I saw a racer snake in the garden a few days ago. It was rustling in one of the bushes near the composter. I heard a noise and turned around to look. It came out of the bush and whipped past me, into the grass below.
Then there was the huge gopher snake at the back door, just down the steps, one hot afternoon last week. It startled me. Our gopher snakes always seem to have markings like a rattler... but the heads are, of course, a different shape and they don't have rattles.
This one poise for me while I took a few photos. Then it moved away and into the old goat run.  It was quite a specimen.

Can the Rattlers be far behind?