And the Winner Is.........

Well yesterday marked the last day of July. I'm always half loving summer and yet somehow sad that it will be over soon. And I now live were it is almost virtually always summer climate-wise. I think I have a residual thing from when I was a kid and couldn't wait for school to be over so I could be FREE! -Then of course before you know it school and winter would be looming. As an adult I have one of the free-est jobs there is- No freezing cold winter, and somehow the brain (or heart) still hangs onto those patterns.
  Anyhow I remembered it was time to pick a winner for my little give away and after throwing the names in a hat the winner is Jan Polacco. Congratulations Jan!

 Jan's new friend......And thank you for all you who entered and added your kind comments and encouraging words. I will continue to do a couple of these a year, so stay tuned.

 I have been working on some tiny paintings for the upcoming Enormous Tiny Art Show in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Here are are a couple of them below.

And of course my faithful companion.

Jewelry and Adventures in Dogville

Just a hello and a check in with some random art in the form of jewelry and as requested (here you go Fran and Maureen) 'more dog shots please.'

A little pearl necklace with copper beads and a tile fragment with the perfect color blue. The reverse of this just happened to be clay color that goes well with the copper.

This is one of my hand knotted pearl and beach glass necklaces with a double strand. I'm sure I'd get quicker at this but it sure takes a while.

This was a nice match with the stone and the colors back to front. When making a piece two sided I have to really find two images that have similar colors so any stones used don't clash too much with one of the sides.

 And as promised an Abby update. Above was a great day Jim and I went to walking on the bluffs in Goleta. We decided (after lots of training in 'offleash' classes) we were ready to try her with out. she was very good and even healed when reminded. She's okay but if she sees a rabbit or someone walking by the house she runs and won't come when called. -More work necessary on this front. Do I have the patience?

 In the studio she struggles between boredom and entertaining herself. Here she chews a bone, then later some kindling she finds from near the wood stove, then later a cardboard tube she pulls out of the trash. I suppose I need to scold her for pulling stuff out of the trash, but sometimes I just want to leave her to her own devices if it's not a paint tube or something. -But then how will she know the difference between that and the trash in the house which she is forbidden to touch. (which of course doesn't always stop her)

 Cuteness.

 After a bath. Which she reluctantly allows us to do every now and then. We are on the verge of trying to cut her ourselves. (It's going to add up if we have to take this fluff-nugget to the groomer all the time). I found a pair of good sheers on Ebay and now just have to muster the courage. Hope she doesn't mind.

The Book of Abby

This is a post I've had waiting for me take the time and photograph......

I did this a month or two ago for the Art and Thought Lab class. I've done a few quickie books and like the format. This was another attempt at just going and writing as I turned the pages without laying anything out or giving my persnickety brain too much time to fuss. Hence the sketchbook pages didn't have much extra room at the top when it came to bind them together. It may be a bit hard to read in spots but you get the gist.
I stitched it with the sewing machine
If you click on a page you should be able to see it larger.....

Dog eat Dog Toys

I know why they call it animal magnetism now. I think I'm getting to work, and before I know it I look over and there she is. I have to stop what I'm doing and squoosh her.

(And all she want's is non-stop squooshing).

We had 13 Tanya Heggestad stay with us for a week and Abby was in love. She wants a little girl of her own.

And now just about every evening there is the Abby-Channel, where we just play and stare at the dog.
Yes we have become those gewey parents who think that their dog/child is perfect.

Dog Days...Meet Abby

Abby the dog. Tuesday eve I was ready to turn her in. Wednesday was a much better day, I had my hour and a half cello rehearsal so I took most of the morning to tire her out before the big separation. Of course I can't really know how she did as I was gone the whole time. I think I need to set up a recording device to find out if she is barking the whole time. It has only been two weeks but she obviously is a bit afraid of men approaching her (especially in the house) and she does NOT want to be more than ten away from me. I made the mistake of thinking she wouldn't wander when I went from the studio to the house and unfortunately she caught site of the chickens and all hell broke loose.- Of course a "come Abby" had no effect whatsoever and it took some very frantic (the chickens AND me AND the dog) few minutes for me to catch her. I carried her into the house and went back out to find one chicken missing. I spent around 10 minutes looking for Flo the hen and found her huddled in a frightened puddle up against the outside of the coop. She was fine but allowed me to pet her and just sat there. Which is not Flo's usual behavior.-So much for the easy chicken introduction.
People say she is a poodle with a lot of Bichon Frise in her. She has a long body, big head and short legs. Strange little shape that seemed quite awkward and silly when I first saw her and now seems adorable. Am I one of those parents who thinks their kooky looking child is just beautiful?
I have a trainer coming over on Monday to help with some of the worse problems and check out what I'm doing (or shouldn't be doing) to help get Abby over some of her phobias. As she is a rescue dog we have no history of her past. She is about one year old and VERY fond of children. (She would have me adopt an 8 year old I think instead of another dog for her to play with)