BLUE JAYS! Part One!     Actually they're called Scrub Jays but I don't think that's a pretty enough name for them so I don't use it!    :0)


Here is one of the Blue Jays that flys over my head to get into my studio. He searches for just the right peanut to take home. 

I finally  attached a small porcelain dish to the edge of my antique art table and keep it filled with salt free shelled peanuts!  He pulls several of them out during the day, pushes them around until he finds the perfect one and then takes off.  

BLUE JAYS!  Part Two!

He also quite often flys around the studio looking for places to hide his treasure.  Everyday  I'm finding one or two of them inside my brush jars or stuffed into my pencil  holders.

​ Watching him always makes me smile!

I love to garden! Spend time outside in the sunshine. Feeding my sparrows, crows and blue jays! It revitalizes!  Digging around in the dirt, planting and looking forward to it blossoming and giving me something beautiful to look at.

​Here is a photo of one of my antique English roses that just exploded with buds and gave me a long lasting cascade of bright pink roses! So many I had to wire them together to hold them up. I hope you like them as much as I do!

I thought I'd post a few more photos of my garden over the season since I spend so much time outside as a hopeful gardener! Especially in these solitary times.

A friend recently told me about a trend that is sweeping the country!  The idea is for as many people as possible to put a Teddy Bear in their window so children out walking with their families during the current pandemic, can search through the neighborhood looking for those elusive Teddy Bears and keep a count!  

Well, I didn't have a stuffed Teddy Bear, but I had a drawing of one I did years ago, which was published in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Bulletin.  So, I printed it out and placed it in my window.  I hope my sketch has already been spotted by a lot of adventurous searchers!!

Following is a link to an article that has more information on this fun family game!  Just when we can’t bear it, teddy bears are popping up in windows and on porches.

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Above is my drawing  tucked into the corner of my front window.

Below is a close-up of the pencil sketch!  Hope it brings a little joy to the kids on their jaunts!

It was such a magical site to see a kaleidoscope of Painted Lady butterflies flying past my house!  I couldn't resist and went outside to stand in the front yard. Then I raised my hands, as hundreds of butterflies brushed over my fingers.  I don't know how many thousands of them passed by that day.  It was an amazing experience.

They were not pausing on their journey but flying together with a purpose. I waited for a long time to get a photo or two. I finally got pictures of a couple of Painted Ladies that did pause for a moment before rejoining the migration.

My favorite color is purple, so a lot of the flowers I plant in my garden are shades of that color.  I think the prettiest combination is warm against cool. Maxfield Parrish colors I call them.  The painted ladies orange against blue plumbago  and purple straw flowers was a perfect example.

My friend Katherine took me to the California Poppy Reserve for an unbirthday present.  (I had a big deadline around my actual birthday and didn't get a chance to do a real celebration.)  We had a glorious day looking at the poppies and wildflowers that were rampant!  Because we had so much rain in California this year these spectacular flowers were the result!

The contrast of warm colors, orange and yellow, against a brilliant blue kept reminding me of Maxfield Parrish, one of my favorite artists. 

Everywhere I looked each vista was more beautiful than the other. So beautiful, almost surreal. Here is a slideshow of only a few of the photos I took. 

Cashew Nut is one of The Three Mixed Nuts, which includes me, and Peanut!  My little rescue dog has been afraid of everything!  Water dishes, food bowls, dangerous corners, and frightening doors!  But, he has been getting braver. I'm always telling him to be brave and now he knows what I mean and tries his best. Recently he has overcome a lot of his fears. 

I'm learning lessons from my rescue Chihuahua Mr. Cashew Nut.

Below is a video of Cashew warning my printer to be quiet!  He used to leave the room when my printer started up. Now he is confronting the danger!  This was his first brave moment, printer wise:

Celebrating my friend Katherine Zwers Francis' birthday at the Hollywood Bowl.

​We were there for the Dixie Chicks final performance on their DCX tour. Packed a picnic and ate before the show.  Then saw an amazing performance! Such a great evening!  I always love live shows!!!!!  

Katherine wrote the text for A STAR IN THE PASTURE, my first picture book! 

Recently my dogs Peanut and Cashew Nut, my constant companions in the art studio and guardians of the "weendo" (window),  had to have their teeth cleaned.  In the process they had quite a few pulled.  My sweet little Peanut now has a new look!  The tip of her tongue sticks out most of the time. Personally, I think she's even cuter!!!!

The Orphan Works Act is back.  It will never die, because it will be so lucrative to unscrupulous companies.  They want to steal our art and use the images free of charge. The fact that we have created these images is of no importance.  They want to be able to make the prints, cards, and t-shirts from our work and take the profits.


Letters must be written by  July 23, 2015 to try and keep this from happening.


Here is the link:
http://copyright.gov/policy/visualworks/comment-form/

Write your letters today!

I've just learned that today, April 8th,  is Draw a Picture of a Bird Day!  This is an annual event so I hope to post something every year!  

Here is my painting of a little sparrow to commemorate the event!