Hot Hot!

Things to do when it is unbearable outside. Bring some outside into the house. Since I was having fun with the candle holders, I thought I'd expand to sticks and bark. Using glue, moss, and some funky crafty items, I got busy.

and then of course I had to imagine what would take place on this piece of bark.

and I took it a step further. 
Since my 'photo table' had to be moved out, I haven't had a good place to do indoor dioramas are creations. However I muddled through and had to avoid the concentrator and avoid stepping on the 02 lines...
but I made it work.

I ended up putting the items on a box and using a cutting board that was made from an Italian Olive Tree for the backdrop.

I kept messing around and finding more interesting ways of using my decorated sticks and roots.

I went out after the sun went down and decided to watch Fireflies. On the forest edge, they were abundant in the tall grasses.

You may have to click on the photo to see
the driveway...4 minute Livecomp
exposure.

...and on to the week of somewhat cooler temps but a lot of predicted rain....

Sunday

The early bird gets the sunrise as the days grow longer. The colors are so amazing in the sky as they change so quickly.

In truth, this past week has felt more like mid March or the beginning of April than the last week of February. A year ago we were recovering from a major ice/snowstorm. This year? It is warm and pleasant.
In the morning I need coveralls to do chores. By midday, I can work outside in a sweatshirt.

I started this job:

Believe me, it will be a long long job to do. But since I can't plant a garden yet, raking, picking up sticks and stones will be a good job for me. It is good mindless work that can be done while listening to the birds and the forest noises.

I took a couple of breaks to go out and search for color in the woods. It is hard this time of the year as everything seems to be dull and lifeless.
Except when you look for Lichen and mosses. Then things get colorful.

During our morning walk Charlie and I found snow and ice on the mosses!

...and by a little after lunch time....

The Lichen was quite beautiful. But one has to pick up sticks or crouch down on a look to find the colors.

On a stick:

Lichen and moss on a log. It was so colorful!

Late Sunday afternoon, I took time to just sit on the porch with Charlie and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Charlie enjoyed it immensely.

It seems as though the ducks are starting to try and behave themselves.

Hmmm. There is one in every crowd.

I 'yam a Farming Dog!

 Guest Blog by Twila

Charlie says I am a Wild Child and I don't know much about much. Maybe he is right because HE is an OLD dog like anciently or something. 
The Grandma says I am still a pup since I am just like a year into this world.

But I like sticks and The Grandma gave me a huge one that I can play with in the yard.

Day Two of my Grandma-Grandpa Camp visit went well. We hiked in the Big Woods again and took what The Grandma called the One Mile Loop. I don't know what a Loop is and I don't need to know.

Charlie and I investigated some smells in a dry run full of leaves. He told me about all the animals that had passed through this place in the hours before we came. We investigated for a long time, following scents on the ground and in the air.

Even though Charlie is VERY old [he says he isn't], he knows stuff so it is good to hang out with him.

He knows these woods like it is his yard. Well, he claims these woods are his because he marks as many trees as he can to claim them.

There were things falling from the trees and making noise everywhere. Charlie told me that they were acorns and that we could watch for squirrels.
I know squirrels! I would like to chase them!

There were chipmunks too that kept teasing us. 

The Grandma was interested in all the cool fungi showing up on the wood and sticks. I didn't bother picking any up as the other smells were much more enchanting.

I was a really good dog. The Grandma said so! When she wanted to look at something little, she told me to sit and I did! 

I will tell you a secret. She keeps tiny little dog biscuits in a plastic bag in her pocket. When she rattles the plastic Charlie and I run to sit in front of her.

Here I posed for a photo for Mom and Dad. A tiny biscuit was my reward. Aren't I adorable?

We were tired when we got in the house and ready for dog naps. Good thing too! It rained and rained and rained.

After naps, The Grandma said it was time for one more walk to the ridge. I don't know what a ridge is either, but Charlie said it was an open area where were could see far if we were tall. Charlie IS not Tall!

After our Big Ridge Walk we came home and had our supper. 

...and more naps.

The Grandma said that Charlie and The Grandpa would get a break from me on Thursday. She thought I'd like to go do a real trail at some place with her.  Charlie said he'd stay home and rest because his little legs were tired and dealing with a kid was stressful so he need quiet time.

Oh!
I got to see something called mules last night too. I helped The Grandma do chores even though it was a bit awkward. 

The mules just stared at me and didn't snort or anything. I just stared at them and smelled them. I sat next to The Grandma and watched them while they ate.

I would like to taste their poop. Charlie says it is delightful.

I like being a Farming Dog!

Indoor Project

 

It happened again, an attack of the 'Creativity Bug'. I was walking in the last snowstorm and had seen the predictions for an extremally cold week following the snow. I decided to take a bag with me while getting the mail and find some things in nature to 'create' something with. I didn't even have any idea what I was going to do.

Sometimes creativity literally smacks me upside the head. I have to drop what I am doing and mess around to scratch the itch of imagination.

I had been reading some articles on toy photography that included all kinds of toys, but focused on the smaller posable toys. Did you know that is a thing? People photograph cars, model cars, model airplanes, Teddy Bears, and more. [I'm giving a nod to fellow blogger L.D. and his collection of old toy cars that he has been photographing in his new light box!]

I took a class in Still Life and enjoyed it. The variety of things one can do with Still Life is amazing and it doesn't cost anything really. It is fun and frustrating.

My journey in making things from weird stuff began when I wanted to do some Fairy Houses for my spring garden. I went to shops and was absolutely floored at how pricey a Fairy Garden could be. I decided then to make a non Fairy Fairy garden and some fun was born.

I wanted to go cheap. I wanted only materials I could find while on my walks. It is something I like to do when the weather is in the subzero range. It keeps my mind occupied and stirs my creative juices.

So here is 20 seconds of what I started, just for fun. You can skip it for sure....it is just some shots of the materials I used to get started.

I wanted to make a rope or perhaps a coiled miniature rug. So I even braided some dried grass. I learned something fun...
it braids much easier when it is damp. 

I gave up on going further as the grasses kept breaking, but I'll keep other materials in the back of my mind next time. I may collect some iris leaves towards the end of next fall to see if I can't weave something out of them.

I read about using plant leaves for weaving on another blog, thanks Boud!

Here is Maisie with her axe helping to build Acorn's new A Frame Home.

They decided to weave together some wild grass to use as a rope to pull more branches to the top of the A Frame.

Farmer Bob came by with a load of gnarly branches on his cart.

Hobby set down her camera and really got into the work!

Just add moss and more moss to fill in the holes and some bark...
it's messy work....

But it sure turned out cozy looking!

There he rests next to his little new house in the wild.

His friend Maisie heads out to the forest to cut some firewood.

All in a few days work!

[The trees were created from small scrub apple trees I found in the pasture. They really have character. 
I used clay as a base or in some cases medicine bottle tops. I took the cotton balls that came with the meds and dropped them in some paint and water then stretched it out to make something that looked like Spanish Moss. See photo below. It was messy, but fun.]

The project was cheap, easy, and mostly very cost effective. I only used items I had on hand.

See what happens when I'm stuck indoors? 

Snow, blowing snow, weather, play

We had some rather interesting wild weather on Friday with the winds. I walked to the ridge to see if the snowfall was drifting across the ridge roads.

It was.
I cancelled my CrossFit work out because. Well, because I could. I don't have to drive in poor weather anymore so I can relax and just watch the snow pile up and the winds create beautiful drifts.

Our road looked like this:

The winds were picking up the snow and blowing it into fantastic shapes in the roadside ditches.

I talked to a friend of mine who had said they'd gone to town and the roads on the ridges were drifting and visibility was not good.
I figured that because I could barely see across the cropland on top of the ridge.

The winds were whipping the snow like crazy. Video length about 20 seconds of snow-nadoes!

I walked off the ridge and just into the woods. 

It got quiet and peaceful without the roaring winds. Charlie and I walked down into the wild meadow where I picked up sticks, mosses, pieces of bark, and some grass. I felt that I'd probably be spending most of the rest of the day indoors and I felt like making something creative.

It sure looks like a mess, but I had ideas for a diorama of sorts.

I had some quiet time to myself so I got to work with my free materials from the woods.
Sorry, my cell phone takes awful photos in dim light. But I used and old cookie sheet to create a scene just for the camera.

 I thought it would be funny to have a Lego Robot and a Squirrel working in a garden together. 

Hey, IT could happen right???

And after all of their hard work, they decided to have a picnic.

An Acorn for the squirrel and a pizza for the robot. The Robot is the Nanny Droid, IG 11. He stars in Disney's Mandalorian episodes. I thought he was just weird enough to use in this scene.

The fork he is holding actually is an extra piece that was included in the Orchid build. 

It looks like the pair is happy with their work of planting and watering.

After I cleaned that up I wondered what to do with all the extra material I had from the woods.

I had clay, a glue gun, sticks, and moss...

And I heard that Acorn Guy was looking for a little place to live. He didn't like Lego Brick homes, he preferred more wild-like things....

...stay tuned....

We don't stop playing because we grow
old
We grow old because we stop 
playing.

George Bernard Shaw.

Play on!