Despite our current drought conditions, my garden is thriving. I’ve been watering it every few days, and that seems to have helped. I have loads of ripe cucumbers, green peppers, and eggplants, and the tomatoes are just starting to turn red. The sweet corn is finally ripening, and the raccoons haven’t wiped it out yet. […]
Category: Gardening
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 28-29
Whew! It’s been a busy week. I finished up my first Sketchbook Journaling class, which I was teaching here at home, on Thursday, and today I started a new one at our local public library. Seems there’s a lot of interest in learning how to sketch – that makes me happy. I want others to […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 20-21
I kind of went wild with daisies on Day 20’s page. It was one of those summer mornings when I was awakened by the sun at around 5:00 am, so I figured I might as well get up and get to work. But, instead of working, I ended up sitting outside by the flower bed […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 18-19
This sketch challenge is definitely keeping me busy! I’m managing to keep up with the drawing, but have fallen behind in my posting. We’ve had power outages to contend with after last Friday’s damaging thunderstorms, and four days of no phone or internet, but things are back to normal now, and I’ll try to catch […]
The First Fruits of Summer
Today was a scorcher, just what the first day of summer should be! I spent an hour in the garden early this morning, as the sun was just peeking over the trees, and did my weeding and harvesting before it got too hot. Watercolor & ink (Lexington Gray) in Stillman & Birn Alpha Series sketchbook […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 6-10
I’m already reaping the rewards of the 75 Day Sketch Challenge… and I’m only on Day 11! It’s becoming second nature to draw directly with a pen. No more fussing around with a pencil drawing first. Now I simply observe closely and record what I see. It’s saving me time and energy. And I think […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 1-5
I’ve accepted the challenge – the 75 Day Sketch Challenge, that is! Artist Brenda Swenson came up with the idea as a way to encourage people to hone their drawing skills and gain confidence as an artist. You can read all the details on her blog. Basically, the challenge involves doing 75 sketchbook drawings in […]
Garden Marauders
After tending my patch of June-bearing strawberry plants for weeks, carefully weeding, mulching, and watering, I could hardly wait for the berries to ripen. The plants were loaded with pink berries – they only needed a few more days till they’d be ripe, juicy, and ready to meet their destiny swimming in a bowl of […]
Quick and Delicious Refrigerator Pickles
I usually don’t have very good luck growing cucumbers. Every year, the vines start out looking lush and robust. I start thinking, “Maybe this is the year …” My optimism grows. Hope runs high. Around the middle of June, I go to the garden and see ripe, perfect cucumbers! At that point, I start planning […]
Springtime at Mother Earth Farm
Just down the road from my house is a wonderful nursery called Mother Earth Farm. It’s filled with so many pretty flowers that it’s an exercise in frustration to wander the rows, because I want everything I see! It’s so hard to control myself and not buy one of each! I’ve already brought home three […]
