In the beginning

In the beginning you were small and fragile, and Cookie thought you were her puppy. She protected you, sitting and sleeping by you, watching bath time, and trying to help with feeding.

I had wondered how the dogs would be, suddenly having a new little person in the house, but I needn't have worried, as Pixie continued with her usually rituals and Cookie became Nanny.

In the beginning, you were actually smaller than Cookie, which almost seems impossible, and certainly didn't last for long.

In the beginning, you were Peanut, a little brown wrinkled cashew of a baby, with character unknown and future uncertain.

Forever flowers

The weekend (just gone) marked the seventieth birthday of Nancy - a friend of mine. I wanted to give her a token of sorts, but didn't want it to be fresh flowers, as seventy years almost needs something more special than that. So I decided to paint her some flowers instead!

The style is a bit of a departure for me - and why not! it feels good to try something different, and the style suited the current lack of concentrated time I have for doing things like painting, so all round it seemed like a good idea.

Peanut's finalization went well - actually I guess I can say 'Marli' now, since that is her name and she is now officially ours. I will post a picture next time.

Ups and downs

Ups and downs and round and round. Sometimes it's just like that.

That's been life for a few months now, and I'm old enough (and hopefully wise enough) to roll with it, and either watch as things unfold, or read the signs that guild you forward.

The house is now on the market, and we have had several viewings, so that's a good thing. Six weeks ago my husband was laid off from work, but I am happy to report he started a new job yesterday, so we feel very lucky that it was for such a short time.

In Peanut news - we finally have a date for finalization! so on April 22nd, we go to court and she will be ours forever. Then I can talk about her as much as I want and show pictures etc, so expect more Peanut news in the future. It's been strange, as she is obviously a huge part of our lives, but I really haven't been able to mention her here too much, whilst she 'belongs' to the state.

Things are starting to shift. Unknowns are becoming knowns, and piece by piece the puzzle is becoming clear. Meanwhile, dear sweet Pixie continues with her daily routine of sleeping, eating, sleeping, grooming,sleeping, sleeping, and refusing to come for a walk - preferring to stay at home and, er, sleep. Amazing how someone within the household can be so unaffected by it all. Especially amazing as, by contrast, Cookie sees it all, and has taken to following me everywhere (even the bathroom) to make sure she doesn't miss out on anything that might happen.

In cat news, I finally caved to poor Kitty's mewing and upset one night, when we came home from a trip, and carried him (pretty sure now it's a him) under the house and made a bed from a box and blanket, and have been feeding him ever since. He's so friendly and wanting of affection, that he has to have been some ones at some point. I'm looking out for 'lost' signs, in case I find one that matches. He would probably be in the house by now if it wasn't for Cookie and Pixie's constant vigilance on Kitty patrol. But I think they are unlikely to let that happen.

Goldsworthy inspired window

At last! creative pictures of actual work! I made this panel at least a year or so ago, but made the mistake of not taking my camera when I went to install it. I only just went back yesterday to finally get shots of it, so thought I'd post them here today.

The design was for a couple who particularly liked the work of Andy Goldsworthy. So I took elements from his work and wove it into the design. The light in the house was limited, because of the great redwood trees outside, so it was decided that the window would be mostly clear textured glass except for a few colored details.

The wife of the couple is a mid-wife, so her work is represented by the hand blown pink/purple roundel on the right, which looks almost like an egg in a nest, or an embryo. The husband is represented by cast glass chunks (shown in one of the detail pics) which also represent the ice that Goldsworthy frequently uses in his work.

The window is: hand blown glass roundels, painted, enamelled, cast, stained, leaded glass.

The pictures do not really do it justice, but the light is really tricky, both inside and outside the house.

The hand of God

It may seem here like I haven't been very creative recently, as there is a distinct lack or art posted here. But in fact, it is the opposite. I have been so busy with work (and life and baby etc) that I haven't had the time to post at all!

When I have completed a bit more, I will post some hopefully suitable arty bits, but for now I need to keep my head down and get on with it.

Today's picture is of a couple of Icons from my wall. My husband would like a new tattoo at some point, and would like an interpretation of 'The hand of God'. Course, I was supposed to be designing that too, but passed it up as I am too busy. So we took this picture to take to the artist that will do the design, so she has something to work from.

The 'Milagros' or 'Miracles' are the little brass symbols on the hand, and represent prayers or 'wishes' for things, like love, health, wealth etc. I'll keep you posted, when his tattoo comes to fruition.

Nesting

Spring in the US feels very much like a time to be nesting - or moving! In the UK, moving time happens at any time of year, but here in the US I've noticed that most moving seems to happen in the spring. As we all know, the housing market is terrible, so I'm not even going to begin to think about that here, but instead dream of the possibilities.

This week, between rain showers, I took a wander round the yard to see what jobs need to be done, prior to listing the house for sale. I have a lot of bird houses - this I know, but it struck me that they are all 'little houses', and with the cottage at 'Potterton Marsh' it made me realize how many buildings I have around the place. Like a whole village or community for little animals or beings.

Today's picture is of one of my favorites. If I were tiny, and looking for a home, this is the one I would choose. But I am big, so I will instead dream that I will one day live in such a house.

Oh! in cat news, it seems that a ginger kitty is renting the space under our house! This explains the unusual activity, the poop, and the dogs going crazy every time they go outside. My husband went under there to have a sort out, and there he/she was, snuggling on a folded patio umbrella. We have seen Kitty several times since, and in fact, when we returned last night from an outing, Kitty was waiting for us, mewing in the rain. I ran in the house and got a chicken treat, which seemed gratefully enjoyed.

I must ask around the neighborhood to see who Kitty is!

Apologies and mysteries.

I feel bad. On my last post about the winner of the glass hearts, having promised to not reveal the address of the winner, I realised that accidentally posted it - Argh! So in my eagerness to remedy the situation, I have now accidentally deleted the whole post. Hmm, and I was beginning to think that me and technology were on first name terms,.

So, firstly, to ZT, I apologise. It is now gone. And I am hoping that perhaps it was not even viewed. Oh - and your heart will be posted soon!!

Secondly, in the interest of the space/blog continuum, I will post the pictures from said post, as I am still waiting for a response from Clemence, the second winner. Clemence! You won! Email me your address so I can post it!!

Finally, to distract you all from everything, here is a picture of a tiny snake on my deck, basking in the sun that briefly interrupted the rain. Not sure if he is the new tenant in the cottage of Potterton Marsh, in my garden. I will have to go knock on the door at some point when the rain stops, see if he does live there. What does one give snakes for welcome gifts?