Under The Moonlight

Sebastian came across her in the night along the riverbank under the moonlight. He was a painter, a well known one in fact as he had been commissioned several times by the King. He often walked to the river in the middle of the night to clear his head. This night he saw a beautiful maiden staring at the moon with a look of pure anguish. She was not frightened by him, and when he asked about her heavy sadness, she explained that she was tormented by nightmares at night and ghoulish day-dreams each day. Sebastian tried to comfort her with useless words, but he instinctively knew that her soul was allready lost. After they parted he could not get the image of her out of his mind, and spent three days and nights painting miniature paintings of her in the same pose, as he had seen her on the bank that night. He confusedly tried to erase the anguished look in her eyes each time he painted her. When he felt he succeeded, he begged off a favor from the local jewlerysmith and had a necklace made with her tiny portrait in the center of the pendant. He went back to the river, treasure in hand. He wanted to show her what her lovely face could look like without sadness. When he arrived to the river, he found another beautiful lady weeping. It was her sister! She explained that her sister had taken her life, here, in the dark swirling waters, as her maladies had been too much to bare in this life. Sebastian took the sister's hand and gently placed the jewel in her palm.

Abby's first hike

I've been working with Abby to walk on her leash in our back fields. Monday we put her to the test and took her to Damariscotta for her first official "hike". After stopping to smell everything in sight, she finally got her rhythm and we were crusing along the trails.

I haven't spoken much of this, but we have lost the last of our "old" four-legged family. A few weeks back our beautiful Bella kitty was hit by a car. I couldn't even say it out loud, let alone write it here. Then we had to say goodbye to our old Weezie cat. In July our 14 year old yellow lab, Rudy was ready to go. Last summer, we had to let our 14 year old Dakaota (dog) go. The three oldest animals lived a long and happy life here at The Plenty To Do Farm. Losing Bella to the road was a horrible shock though.

Now it's just Abigail, me and Big Daddy. I think that's the way we'll keep it for now. Perhaps you can see in her eyes that she is Princess of this castle? LOL!

She has breathed new life into our everyday lives. It is funny, you do not realize how heavy your everyday life feels like when you are living with animals that you know will be ready to leave this world soon. It was almost like being depressed but not really knowing it.

Abby makes us laugh everyday (several times a day)! This morning she discovered what frost feels like. From the slippery deck to the cold and crunchy grass under her toes, everything is new and different. She makes me feel inspired.

xoxox

Flowers Fit For a Fairy

"Wild Rose" now in the shop!

I created these flowers for my article "Flowers Fit For a Fairy" for Belle Armoire Jewelry's 2009 Fall issue. Each flower was created from polymer clay and handpainted with many layers of paints and glazes to give them a vintage-shabby feel.

The Owl Who Knew Too Much

A tale of an owl

There was a church with a very old bell tower that sat on top of a hill in a small village in Maine. From the church you could see the village on one side and the ocean below on another. In back of the church there stood a small stand of trees where an owl lived. The owl would sit for hours on top of the bell tower to hunt for small moles and other delictable treats. The villagers felt very superstitous about this old owl. They knew he knew their secrets, because for many years they felt he was listening in on their most private confessions. To appease the owl each villager commissioned the local Metalsmith to make them a doorknocker in the shape of an owl. They felt their secrets would be safe with the owl if they showed him the respect he deserved. The Metalsmith and his family became so well known in the area for their owl doorknockers, he created this necklace for his daughter and wife to wear.

NEW She Dreams of Art

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When I picked my four featured artists this month I began to look at "Halloween" differently. It is not a stereotype and certainly not just another holiday. Each artist expresses their love for the entire season and not just the day. Through talent and artistic expression, they show us how to look at the season in different ways. A jack-o-lantern created from felt and found-objects can be beautiful and full of mystique, there is humor in the devlish mayhems of a man in black, and there can be love and respect in even the seemingly frightening Spirit-World. This is just a sneak peek of this month's She Dreams of Art. Swing by Indie Public and check out the four fabulous artists I have featured this month!

xoxo