Goodby

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow...
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain...
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
-jane ormes-

July 30, 1918 - July 21, 2009

The Ending

I came home yesterday afternoon. This morning I take an early walk, before the heavy heat of the day sets in, and I stand for a while near my favorite tree, the Old Druid. I'm not sure why this tree has such significance for me but it seems to talk to me. It's not a big Oak tree and it's leaning toward the west, over the road. It was damaged at some time in it's life; maybe by a lightening strike or fire. The lower part of the trunk is split and the inside is exposed. I understand how this tree feels. It must stay strong if it is to survive and others rely on it for protection and food. The squirrels always run to another tree when I come down the road but return as soon as I leave. Maybe it's the cat they run from. She is with me, prancing along, sniffing the place where we saw the foxes cross the road earlier this morning.
As I unpack from a week away, the phone rings. It's my brother-in-law. He tells me that Mom is not doing well and seems to be losing her hold on life faster than we expected. I will wait to hear from my sister this afternoon and I will go back down tomorrow.

Old Oak Tree. I heard what you said this morning...., your quiet whisper, a voice that reached inside of me,..., it will be what it will be. I heard you. I was listening.

My sister called...,

Lavender Bees and Annabel

The lavender is in full bloom right now and these beautiful little yellow bees have found there summer home. I think these are Golden, Northern Bumble Bees. The small dancing yellow bodies against the green and blue of the lavender is breathtaking. I must have taken 50 photos to get a few good ones. The last photo on the bottom right is, I think, a Mining Bee. They are all over the place aroung here but usually alone. They don't hang in groups like the little yellow ones do. This little guy was getting ready for bed. I was able to touch him. He was moving very slow and didn't fly away. I use to read the boys a story about a sleepy little bee. Maybe this is him.
Yes, it's Annabel. She's still here and she's made this place her own. She controls the mouse and lizard population, catches dragonflies midair and stares down the dogs when they bark at her. She has earned her right to be a critter on 3 Dog Farm, which we now call 2 Dogs and a Cat Farm. Although she is more like a dog than any cat we ever had before. She follows me on my walks ( or I should say.., LEADS me.) and has had stand offs with the deer that come into the yard looking for water and cracked corn. Yes, the prospector leaves food for the deer. I use to think he had an ulterior motive but I don't think he does. He's too soft hearted and now the does bring their babies. You just can't think "meat on the table" when you see these sweet, spotted babies with their mommies.
Anyway, Annie has settled in to her life here and, before it got warmer, we were closing her into the garage at night. Yesterday was one of our first hot days and so the garage gets way to hot to close her up in there. We leave the back door ajar and hope that she has the common sense to stay out of harms way at night. The foxes and coyote have been very active before and after the full moon. They come in close and make a lot of noise. I hope Annabel stays in the confines of the house area and watches her back.
Isn't she a beautiful cat?

I'm leaving in a few hours to see Mom and my sister. I'll be back on Thursday.

Wine, Art, Music and Birthday Cake

Friday night I packed up my gourds and met a friend in Amador City. This is , as I have said before, my favorite little town on Highway 49 in the Mother Lode. They were having a celebration of Wine, Art and Music Friday evening and for the second year in a row, we sold gourd art on the main street. Christy( a fellow gourd club member) and I set up a table at about 4;30 p.m. and introduced ourselves to the people next to us from Drytown Winery. Then, about 5:00 folks started arriving and the music began to play. The weather was beautiful. We have had a mild summer so far (knock on wood) and there was NO SMOKE like last year, when we had such awful fires in the area.

Everyone had a great time and we sold some gourds; the wine flowed and the music was wonderful. This festival personifies the Mother Lode, Foothill , laid back kind of feeling that drew us to this area 13 years ago. Lovely town, nice people and respect for the budding wine industry that can hold it's own against all the big wine areas in California. Lots of artist were represented and the wine tasting, as always, was a great success.

Yesterday the Prospector, the Pupster and I went to Stockton to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. She's 88 yrs old and doing very well. We had a bar-b-que lunch and her brother came up from southern California to help her celebrate. I think that grandma Vi had a good time. This woman has always been wonderful to me and welcomed me into their family, 44 years ago, with open arms and respect. She deserved this nice day.

Today is going to be a lot warmer. I went out early and watered the garden. Now, I need to pick some basilico, cook some beets and clean the house before I curl up into a little ball and take a nap this afternoon. I love being retired but I don't know what happen to my energy level. I get up and feel like I can lick the world and then, by lunch, that energy is gone with the afternoon winds. C,est la vie....

In Search of my Mother's Garden, I Found My Own

"This very act of planting a seed in the earth
has in it to me something beautiful.
I always do it with a joy that is largely mixed with awe."
-Celia Thaxter-

So how are your gardens growing? Artie at "Color Outside the Lines" is hosting @....http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/Stop by this Blog and check out all the other blogs that show their gardens on Sundays. I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Sylvia's Farm

This is one of the most beautiful places I know of in the outskirts of Sacramento and it's where we were invited to have our annual summer Gourd Club Potluck. Well, it's almost getting to be a TRADITION. The weather was delightful! We all arrived at 10:00 a.m., greeted by Sylvia and her husband. We unloaded food and supplies, said our hello's and then got down to business.

We had a "show & tell" for new pieces that had been completed since the last meeting. Only two of us finished our puppets but there was other really interesting and beautiful gourd art on display. I introduced GOURDO to everyone and he immediately fell in love with the little goat puppet.
Our president helped us start a mask, from cutting a chosen gourd in half to deciding what we will want to do with it and placement of the eyes, nose and mouth. You kind of have to plan ahead on these masks so you have an idea what you want before you start drilling holes and adding features. The "puppet lady", who taught us to make puppets last month, brought a mask that she had completed. That would be the wolf in the bottom middle picture. Scary isn't it? She was even surprised that it turned out so downright menacing. I think she did a great job on him. He was a good example of what we could do with our "half of a gourd". It gave us motivation. We worked all morning on these masks.

Around noon we had a delicious lunch on Sylvia's back porch. She used real plates( not paper ) and different colored hankerchiefs for napkins. What a great idea..., and then, with our tummy's full ,we took a tour of her garden.
Sylvia's gourd patch goes on FOREVER and she has many different kinds of gourds growing beautifully for next Springs use. They need to dry all winter, or at least 6 mo's, and sometimes up to a year, before you can use them for artwork. See the sweet baby gourd in the bottom left corner?( click on photo for a close-up) Those will be good for pins and ornaments. They're so cute! The photo on the bottom right shows just some of her dried gourds. She had a whole barn filled with drying gourds too. She is the quintessential "crazy gourd lady", only she's not crazy at all and she will sell gourds to anyone in need..., and sometimes she just give you a few on the sly.

Thanks Sylvia. We had such a good time.

P.S. Gourdo wants to thank Madeline of Madeline's Album (in Alabama) for coming up with his name. He forgot to tell everyone that she was the person who gave Farmlady the name that seemed the most perfect for him. Thank you Madeline. It's just the best name and he wants you to know how much he likes it.

On June 15 Madeline posted this on her blog. I love it.
I don't think she will mind if I share it with you.

"Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God."

It's a good thing for everyone to remember, including myself.

All in all; It was a Very Good Day

Today was a very long day. I got up really early (5:30 a.m.) because it's the second Thursday of the month and that means it's Gourd Meeting day. Usually we meet at the Ag Center, near the airport, but today was our Potluck lunch and workshop at Sylvia's house in Sacramento. This is always so much fun. There's lots of good food and something new to learn about gourds.., in a beautiful environment.., with friends.
But, this morning, I dragged myself out of bed, and went straight to the shower. My body was feeling all of it's 64 years. Yesterday was very busy too. I had to bake two desserts ; one for today and one for a meeting of the Amador Art Association last night. This evening our neighbor arrived to pick up a dozen eggs, he stayed for dinner and then I took off for my meeting. If I really wanted to whine I would add that Maggie's new medication for her painful arthritis made her incontinent all day and the water pressure decided to act up because we used too much well water the day before. But, whatever it was that brought on the fatigue, by this morning I felt like I was AN OLD LADY. The shower helped and so did coffee.., and breakfast.
I packed up GOURDO, the new puppet, all my things needed for the workshop and the dessert I had made..., picked some lavender and yarrow for Sylvia and left for the Valley. The day was lovely. We all had a wonderful time and had a really great lunch. Tomorrow I will post some photos and tell you about all the fun.
When I got home I was so tired that I took a nap; something I hardly ever do. The Prospector woke me up at 5:00 p.m. and said that it was dinnertime and "..,shouldn't we eat something." I got up and together we fixed dinner. Later, I realized that I had not turned on the computer all day and thought I better check the email to see if maybe I had won the CALIFORNIA LOTTERY or something. No such luck!
But there was something that "made my day". Susan, at Susabella's Creative Pursuits, sent me an award. She is the lady who had a give-a-way a while back and I won a beautiful pair of pearl earrings that she had made. Well, she sent me this award and I'm basking in the glow of it.
As hard as it can be, sometimes, to create blog posts, day after day, that are interesting and fun, it's very gratifying to have someone acknowledge what you do. It makes the writing of this blog just that much more worth the effort. It lifted the tiredness of the day a bit and made me smile with delight. Thank you so much Susan. You really did make my day. A friend of Susan's explained the award like this....

"I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honor the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger whose friendship and influence inspire us to do our best. That I named it after Bella Sinclair is because she epitomizes all of these things. She is an inspiration to many of us."
.

.
"I have chosen to symbolize this award with the Quercus lobata or Valley Oak. It is a simple and unadorned award but heavy on meaning. The Valley Oak is a large handsome tree with a stout and sturdy trunk and widely spreading branches that form a broad open crown. It can reach up to a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet, sometimes much greater. It is the largest of the western deciduous oaks and is a handsome and graceful shade tree."

Isn't that a California icon, the Valley Oak. What a great symbol for an award. I have been asked to pass this award on to someone else, so I want to give it to three bloggers that I think are deserving of this award....

*Roslyn, of Ros the Quilter for her beautiful gift of making quilts, her giving ways and her fortitude.

*Jan, of Little Pink Houses for her amazing energy, her artistic way of looking at something and making it into a work of art, her painting techniques and her quirky sense of humor that keeps me laughing.

and..., *Julie of Julie Whitmore Pottery who "speaks to the earth" like I do and and makes the most amazingly beautiful pottery I've ever seen.

I hope that this award makes you feel as good as it made me. Life is about living but it's so nice, once in a while, to have someone acknowledge your efforts.

Wordless Wednesday

"Oak Leaf Bath"

"Catdazzle"

"Flower Show"

Tribute to an Artist's Studio

Recently I sent away for the last two issues of STUDIOS. This magazine is filled with stories of artists that have these amazing work spaces that are inspired by their artistic abilities. As I read through one of these magazines I saw someone very familiar to me. Diana Frey was one of the "students" in our workshop at Asilomar a few months ago. I want you to see what Diana has done with a single car garage. This proves my theory that true artists create their own environment. I love this studio because it shows that you don't have to have a lot of money to create a place for working on your art. All you need is a small space and a lot of imagination. With some fresh paint, storage, creative uses of thrift shop aesthetics and salvaged furniture, Diana has created this beautiful space for herself. She calls it her"..muse and inspiration". When I asked her if she would mind my using this article in one of my posts she said "Go for it."..., and I did. Her studio is proof that controlled chaos and creativity co-exist in this world. Just take a look. (Click on photos for a close up view.)

Diana is an accomplished and well-known artist of mixed-media jewelry. She has created some of the most amazingly unique pieces, filled with beauty and whimsy..., and her ability not to be afraid of allowing your "Muse" to inspire you. I know that this wonderful studio is what helps her create these works of art. Like having a well cared for garden seems to produce more vegetables, fruit and flowers..., having a well-organized workspace gives you permission to find and create art.

So..., this is where I stand. This is the dilemma. The kitchen table is my workspace. The bed in the extra room is my fabric and soft collage assortment center. The plastic "organizer", in front of the closet is where all my acrylic paints and scraps of paper live. The MESS under the old sewing machine, in my bedroom, is just that..., a mess, where I can't find anything and constantly find myself looking for something that has mysteriously disappeared.The only reason that the cabinet next to the computer stays half way organized is because of the printer. It must have space around it to work properly.
The rest of the creative elements in my life are in the garage. All the gourd working equipment; the leather dyes, the saws, drills, boxes of gourds and all the embellishments , including gallons of DUST, are spread out over half of our two-car garage that we can only get one car into now.

I keep reading these STUDIO magazines and trying to figure out how I can change my guest room into a well organized, inspirational place of creativity. I re-read Diana's vignette on her studio and look at all the organization and loveliness of it and I want to empty my extra room and create a new venue of artistic inspiration. I have to keep the twin bed in here because , once in a while I do have guests and, with only two bedrooms, I need to maintain some sleeping arrangements. Sis would not like sleeping on the couch in the living room. It's a 10X10 ft. room, with one north facing window that's 4 ft' by 6 ft'. It has a good size closet that is under utilized and it has way too much furniture in it.

If anyone has any ideas, let me know. If you just added a big beautiful room onto your home just for crafts and projects I'm very happy for you but I can't really afford something so grand. That's not one of my options. This is "thrift store Elly Mae" here. There will be a BARN before there is a craft studio built around here. That's life on the farm.
I need all the ideas and help I can get before the clutter takes over and someone finds me in that corner of my bedroom, under the old sewing machine, buried under a huge pile of creativity. Please help....

Please take a look at Diana 's blog @ dianafrey.blogspot.com
You will really enjoy her photos, her jewelry and her stories about the artistic life. You will also find out where she sells her jewelry. "Go for it!"

Born On the Forth of July

Here he is. My new puppet that I finished this weekend. Not quite knowing what I was doing when I made his clothes I realized that if he was going to have a hand inside of him that his ears were too long and would interfere with the fingers that control the front paws. I decided to use a small gourd, cut and cleaned out, tucked inside the top of the black fabric and attached it all to the head. This gave him a "neck" and raised the ears enough to get my fingers into the arm holes. Then I found a very cool "collar" (at the thrift store) that just fit his new neck and glued it all together. Look at him. He's so proud of himself.

The prospector just about had a heart attack when I pulled the sewing machine out and sewed the little outfit. I haven't used the machine in years. It was very basic and easy. I did short paws in honor of the Pupster, Carl. I stuffed the arms and some of the chest with Poly fill and if I decide not to use him as a puppet, I can fill him up with more Poly fill and make him into a pillow.

Then I let him take a nap. After being born and all, he was a very tired pup.

Oh, by the way; I had three people offer ideas for his name. The names were Homer, Gourdo, and Jake. I loved them all but, after careful consideration, I Chose GOURDO, because I just think it's cute and I might use him as our greeter for the next gourd show. It just fits. Thank you all for the ideas.

This was so much fun. I also want to thank Mary Jane for the wonderful workshop. Making a puppet is such a personal thing to do and the possibilities are endless. Your feel like you're giving birth to a new little being, without the pain of childbirth of course.

I Feel like I Have Failed All of You

I hate to break this to you but your chances of buying that house in Berkeley, Ca. have pretty much gone down the toilet. I have never had such a response to a post of mine before and I feel kind of responsible for the outcome of this story. This afternoon I looked up the listing and it wasn't there, so I went to "listings sold" and..., are you sitting down?...,OUR beautiful house, that one blogger said she would buy as soon as she got her jogging shoes on to run to the bank for "earnest money"; and another who thought we should all get together and buy it as a group; and one artist in Cambria, Ca. who asked if they might take one of her teapots as a down payment...., is"PENDING".

I was so upset that I went outside and watered the garden, picked up the dog poop, fertilized the roses, cut back the irises and told the goats to be quiet when the poor guys just wanted to tell me about the lack of grass in the field. Then I just stared at the Basil, which needs to be picked and made into Pesto before it bolts and flowers.

Then I had a better idea....

I went down town and got a pedicure. It was worth every dollar spent. I came home feeling so much better.
I'm so sorry about the "Masterpiece in Redwood". I really hoped that one of you (with a lot of money, of course) would buy it so my sister I could come and visit...., and I could brag that it was Farmlady who told you about it. Sometimes life is just not fare. Sometimes you just have to go and have your toenails painted to feel better.

Vintage Thursday: Want to buy a house?

This beautiful house in Berkeley, CA. is for sale. My sister and I went to an Art Festival a few weeks ago and on our way home we saw an "home open" sign. When we saw the house we came to a screeching halt, parked the car and went inside for a look. Wow! This is a gorgeous old home built in 1914. ( for all of you youngsters, that was before EVERYTHING. Most folks were still driving around in a buggy pulled by horses.) It's in "move in" condition and is being sold at a "bargain" price..., well, a bargain for Berkeley.

It has 3 bedrooms( each with it's own sun porch), 3 full baths, a lovely terrace off the living room that's covered with Wisteria and a remodeled kitchen with a pantry to die for. It's all redwood and the wonderful staircase leads to a landing with windows and built in shelves and file or magazine slots. There is a distant view of San Francisco Bay and each window looks out over other lovely homes and gardens. The house is 3439 sq. ft. on a lot of 7600 sq. ft. I don't know about the condition of the plumbing and electricity but in a house this old it would be a good idea to ask questions.

This home is so beautiful and has such a good feel about it. My sister and I walked through it thinking about how nice it would be to live here..., talking about what we would do if we owned it and how we would decorate it and the surrounding garden. Oh, well, we can dream. It's always fun to dream.
This home was special. I could feel the love and comfort whispering in every corner. As we left, I thought I heard a quiet voice...., "Buy me, please. Love me. I need a family to move into me and I will wrap my wooden arms around them forever....
Is anyone interested ?

For other Vintage posts, see the list on Colorado Lady's Blog. Click on photos for a close up view.

Wordless Wednesday: Western Tent Caterpillar Moth on our nightlight

Close Call for a slipper

"What do you think, Bro? Where are we? Look at those big, dogs out there. One has horns. "

"I don't know little sister, all I remember is being put in a box and then it was dark. I know one thing. This isn't the same place we lived in before."

"Do you think the new lady will wear us? "

"Probably not 'till it gets cold. She looks like someone who goes barefoot a lot."

" Oh. Well..., I haven't seen any cats. Do you think they have cats, Bro?"

"Don't know. I did hear a dog bark though. "

"Maybe they sent the big white one with us."

"I don't think so."

" They liked that white dog, didn't they? They wouldn't have given him to someone else."

"Ya, that's true. But I'm sure I hear a dog bark. Hold on . She's moving us into another room. Hey, don't throw us around like that! What the...., hey Sis, I fell off . I'm down here on the floor."

"I see you. Are you all right? Oh ...., what's that. Bro, watch out! Behind you...., it's....,oh no...., it's a dog."

" Help! Help! A dog is attacking my brother. Stop, you bad dog. Don't you hurt my brother. Stop!"

"Sis, quick, throw a pillow at it. Ahggg..., Ou..., Hey, stop, you mutt. Get off of me. You're lucky I'm just a slipper and not a real monkey. Sis..., don't just lay there, throw something. Sis?....."

"I don't know what to do. Bad dog!..., stop...., "

"Hey, watch the ears. OOf!.... Sis, I could use a little help, here."

"Some one's coming Bro........, oopsy daisy."

"That was a close call. I never want to be that close to losing my stuffing again."

" I'm pretty sure it was a dog. It was so little and fast.I was just so scared."

"YOU were scared. I was the one on the floor! Look at me. I have dog hair and saliva all over me. My tie is crooked. I think part of my nose is missing. I'm lucky to have my eyes and ears attached."

" I'm sorry Bro, I just didn't know what to do. I think we're safe now.

"I hope so. This looks like a closet. That lady put us on a shelf and she took that little monster out with her. I think were are safe, for a while."

"Brother?"
"What."
"I don't want to be a slipper anymore."
"Why?"
"Because I just feel vulnerable and used."
"Tell me about it."
"That was a close call wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was Sis."
"Are you sure you're OK?"
"I will be when I think of some way to keep our stuffing."
"Could we become real monkeys?"
"Maybe..., just maybe."

Will this story continue? Is there hope for a couple of slippers in a house with a little dog? Can monkey slippers become real monkeys? Stay tuned....

Pooch Puppet

This is a puppet head. At our last gourd meeting one of the members gave a workshop on "How to make a Puppet." We had a great time. Everyone was given a small gourd and two pieces of gourd that were shaped like ears. We learned how to use Apoxy clay to sculpt the eyes, nose and mouth. I had used paper clay and Sculpey oven bake clay before, but Apoxy clay hardens within a half hour without baking and when it's dry you can sand it and carve it any way you like. It's amazing!
When I was done shaping the dog face and attaching the ears I gave the head a coat of Gesso to give the gourd some texture and cover the differences between the gourd and the clay. Then I painted the face. The eyes were the hardest. I don't draw or paint, so this was a real learning curve for me. I went on-line and looked at dog face drawings and did the best I could. I'm happy with the face..., kind of cartoonish but cute. The paints are all acrylic and I used a natural sponge for the fur.

The hole in the underside is for your fingers. I have material to make a black cover( or outfit ) for the dogs body. Black is good for puppets because, against a black background, you only see the colors that contrast. I think I will give him a brown and blue collar and front paws that are stuffed. We'll see about all this, because I'm not much of a sewing person either.
I think he's cute..., in a surprised, old dog, crooked kind of way. Sort of like he just saw a cat run in front of him but he's just not up to running after it, so he just "woof"s at the cat as it goes by.

This was a really fun project.We are all suppose to bring our finished puppets to the next meeting. I will bring my camera and take some pictures which I will post at a later date. It will be fun to see all the different faces that were just beginning to appear two weeks ago.
I haven't given him a name yet. Anyone have any ideas?

The Pupster on the Mokelumne

Last weekend we thought that it was time to introduce Carl to the beautiful Mokelumne River. We drove over to Electra Rd, a narrow road that follows the river east from Highway 49 to the Electra Power plant. Carl is a great car dog. He loves to go for rides and he was very excited about being in the car. If we slowed down to let someone by, he would stand up and look out the window to see who it was and he would bark if he thought that they might be a threat. So when we got to the river and stopped, he was ready to get out and investigate. The Prospector put him on a leash and off they went. The Pupster was overwhelmed with the new smells and scents of other dogs and critters that frequent the area. He went from one tree to another leaving his own sign of dominance until he didn't have anything left. Then he needed to leave a more solid reminder. I always get the feeling that animals, especially domestic ones, are embarrassed when humans are watching. But dogs are just dogs and when Nature calls, they just find a place and leave their droppings efficiently and without pretense. When he was finished doing his duty, Carl continued to sniff out the area, with his nose to the ground and didn't really pay attention to the huge body of water flowing next to him.

Then the Prospector said " Carl, lets go down to the water." Well, to paraphrase an old saying..., you can lead a (Corgi) to water but you can't make him drink. His paws touched the cold water and he stopped, dug in and would not move. "Dad" talked to Carl and gently tried to make him walk into the water but Carl was a frozen statue of a dog. The term "stubborn Corgi" comes to mind. He planted his feet and looked at my husband and then at me..., and HE DID NOT MOVE.
Corgis are suppose to like water. But this was BIG water and Carl wanted nothing to do with it. We let him have his lead and he went on with his walking and sniffing,only he took the high ground and NEVER got into the water. We will try again later in the summer when the water is low and the sun has heated up the river enough for Carl to be comfortable sticking his little paws in it. We wouldn't want our sweet, little purebred to be traumatized by this wild, old river. We'll try again another day. Carl will grow and the river will wait. One paw at a time..., one little paw at a time.