Grandkids Artwork
with a Little Twirling Thrown In
Taylor Twirling
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Cat Story
One day I started feeding and sheltering,
(on my porch, in home made igloos) three
starving feral cats (it was winter).
One I named Smokey (he was a solid smokey grey),
the other Grizzly (thick, matted grey cat with no ears
---well stubs--his ears had been frostbitten, and the
last cat (who showed up months later) I named
Hunter.
Smokey, disappeared after the summer
of last year, Grizzly ( in the care of a baby sitter)
disappeared three weeks after my husband
and I left for Charleston for the winter. We don't
know Smokey or Grizzly's fate, but Hunter has
become an adorable pet. He doesn't scratch or bite
(he has FANGS), and is very affectionate. He has
his own spot in the house, complete with bed,
scratching mat and toys.
We try to keep him in the house as much as possible
because he is a KILLER, more so, I believe, than
most cats because he had to survive without humans.
I had contacted the Feral Cat Society in our town and
had each trapped. FYI it costs $30.00 to have feral
cats neutered, administered shots and wormed.
The downside is that the vet cuts the tip (quite a bit)
of the cat's left ear so it is recognized quickly as being
neutered and free of rabies. Feral cats are not adopted,
but returned to the person who brought the cat(s) in
or returned to their original location or colony.
So now we have a pet with a clipped ear as you can
see in the photos below.
I am teaching Hunter how to "catch and release"
because if anyone knows me well, I am a bleeding heart
when it comes to animals. I can't blame Hunter for his
instinct to hunt, but I see a trend of him now bringing
the prey into the house and releasing for me to take care of!
Hunter has inspired a children's book!
Gardening Tip
I've lost many bird feeder saucers. They've shattered from the
weight of squirrels knocking them over or high winds blowing
them over. I even tried ceramic glue to attach the saucer back
on the pedestal without success. So, finally I thought of a great
use for the base. Invert it and plant it about 9 in. into the soil,
fill with dirt and use as a planter. It worked beautifully in my
herb garden. I like the tapered shape and the ample root space
for the plants. I think I'm more creative in the Spring than any
other season. How about you? I do more writing and painting
then too.
Meet Kara
My neighbors, Sue and Pete, have a granddaughter, Kara, who is in
Kindergarten. Her teacher read MarcoFlamingo to the class and Kara
was so excited to learn that I lived close to her grandparents that Sue
arranged a time for Kara to meet me. What a delightful child! She had
prepared questions to ask me. And when I said I'd include one of her
art works to post, she ran home to her grandparents and whipped off
this expressive lion. Oh, to illustrate so quickly---my, oh, my, if I could
only do that! I love the full circle of creating children's books---
children inspire writers....writers inspire children...children inspire
writers...to eternity.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I'm back from Charleston, SC and back to blogging. My husband and I escaped the frigid North for a few months in Atlantic (visited my son and family-check out our adventures there-Feb post) and Charleston. We explored every area of downtown Charleston---especially loved the ironwork and gardens---visited many art galleries---and got info on the writing community.
The food was incredible, loved the hominy grill (great low country cooking) --- we had the best breakfast ever at The Lost Dog Cafe in Folly Beach. Poe's Tavern was a quaint place filled with Poe posters
(Edgar Allen Poe served in the army at Ft. Moultrie). and across the street was Dunleavy's Pub---the best mussels --steeped in broth and chunks of garlic! Can you tell I love food!! Actually I have a PB manuscript that is very food inspired that I have yet to finish.
Some other highlights of our trip were:
Visits to the Edgar Allen Poe Library--unique place-
housed in the Battery Gadsden
(nat'l register of historic places) >>>>Meeting Wendy Pollitzer, an interpretive Ranger
at the Hunting Island State Park. She wrote
Isle of Palms, a history of the Island. My husband
and I stayed in a villa by the ocean on the
Isle of palms, so I bought her book. She bought
Marco Flamingo for her daughter. It's spooky that she
looks like me---a blonde version! >>>>
Of course we walked the beach almost every day---
even on cooler days there was sun! It only rained a few days.
The expanse of salt marshes revived the soul, birds singing
in January--uplifting. Harbors of shrimp boats--scenic.
A highlight for my husband was touring Naval and Maritime Museum at Patriot's Point (Charleston Harbor). The USS Yorkstown is one of several ships moored there. I enjoyed it too, but Gary is a WWII
buff on propeller driver fighters. There were plenty of those and jets too--like the Panther F9 below.
Hi, Gary!!
Once back home in March, I had to scramble to get the illustrations done for the second book in the Marco series the adventures of Marco Flamingo under the sea. The book will be released in Fall '09---a year earlier than previously scheduled! I agreed to meet the new deadline. I actually loved working, sometimes till 2AM, on the paintings. It went easier than the first book...what a little experience does for one's confidence and creativity! There WERE flamingos in South Carolina--the plastic kind.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Many area writers and illustrators were there and Vivian Vande Velde
took many photos of the event. It was surprising that many of us dressed in teal.
Not planned! I sat next to Robin Pulver, the author of Silent Letters Loud and Clear.
I know Robin from our RACWI group. To my right was Shella Shubuck, the author
of I Love You All Year Round. It was great getting to know her. Of course I bought their
Barnes and Noble Holiday Book Signing (cont.)One of the great perks of book signing events is reuniting with old friends and meeting new people.
Thank you Ray for stopping by, dear friend. Ray and I worked together at Ward's Natural Science Center (my first job out of college). I haven't seen him in 40 years! We had such a blast at Ward's. We worked in a little stone cottage apart from the main building. Our small group of illustrators kept ourselves amused in between assignments by measuring our smiles with a ruler, locking the art director in his office and having picnics.
It was great to see Ashley, a former
student I taught at The Harley School.
She's graduated from college already!
How time flies.
One of the beautiful families that came to the event.
Their daughter loves ducks.
There are plenty of ducks in my story.
I met Duane Palyka, a retired film and animation professor
at R.I.T. and we chatted about projects. I want to share
his innovative process. In an email to me he explains it well...
"For the last five years I've been developing a computer program
which incorporates computer graphics and animation with
performance. It gives the illusion of real-time video editing
of live videocam images. Using graphic cards, I've been able
to map those images upon animated 3D forms. So far I've
performed with this software eleven times in theater settings,
accompanying musicians and dancers. The most notable is a
dance performance called
'Handamation' performed at NTID Panara Theater last May."
I wish I had seen this performance live! It's amazing.
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