Hummingbird Heaven

We enjoy watching the hummingbirds out our bedroom patio window. This year, they started off very slowly. We only had 3 for a very long time, then about 10, and now there are over 20! The other afternoon, I stood outside by the feeders, camera to my eye, and just waited patiently for the birds to come down to eat. The longer I stood quietly, the more birds came and the longer they stayed. I took lots of shots and many of them were blurred or empty, but many of them were also amazing. I will include a few so you can see them, too. I think there are 3 varieties, but it's hard to tell. The Rufus, with their rust-colored tail feathers, were the last to arrive.

I was reading about hummingbirds as "totem" figures and found out that they represent joy. Isn't that interesting?

Yesterday, there were 7 people at my mixed media class, all artists in their own rights. We had a fun morning together and all appreciated the unseasonably cool weather. This afternoon, Roy and I went to see "Julie & Julia" and both of us loved it. If you haven't seen it, DO!

Summer Days of June

I'm trying to get myself back into the routine of blogging every day, but I'm having a hard time getting started. I had one attempt 10 days ago, and this is the second. I CAN do it, I know I can!

Tomorrow, our Art Marketing Salon group is meeting in North Fork to have lunch and to finalize our group portfolio for submission for a group show as "Sisters7". The seven should be raised so it reads like "Sisters to the Seventh Power". And powerful we WILL be! Seven strong-minded, talented, creative women who have bonded as we have been improving our marketing skills to become more successful and organized artists. It has been a wonderful experience and I'm totally glad that I decided months ago to take part. We finished the nine "official" sessions, at two week intervals, and now are planning to continue to meet periodically to maintain the momentum that has all of us "on a forward roll." As I think back to where we were when we started and where we are now, I believe we have all made a lot of progress and definitely moved forward in our quest to become better known, more successful, and to achieve our artistic goals.

I have done my homework for tomorrow and one part of it that wasn't required but that I wanted to do was to create an (optional) Powerpoint portfolio. I am going to try to include it with today's blog post, but I'm not sure if that's possible or not. Let's all cross our fingers, think good thoughts, and try it out!

{Unfortunately, it didn't work and I'm having to try--read that as "LEARN"--how to do it another way. Hopefully, that will work and I'll have it up very soon.}

Monday--BRRRRrrrrrr!

After a week of beautiful weather, today was really chilly! We had someone come by to look at some things we want to do in the yard but we didn't work outside. More work on the taxes because we can't put them off any longer. As far as I'm concerned, taxes are right up there with childbirth and root canals on the list of my least favorite things to do! :(

Another day outside. . . .

It was beautiful today, in the mid 70's and I actually planted some flowers, worked in the yard, had an oboe lesson and ran an errand. Then, I picked up dinner on the way home and we ate outside before doing another hour or so of yard work. We made "furniture" (ha ha!) and I stacked some wood slices for my art for the day. We made a couple of stools and a flat-topped table out of some huge slices of wood cut in the yard. Then I made 7 little "towers" of wood slices with a wood plant-holder on top of each. One log was hollow and when Roy cut it up, it made a natural container in each piece. I'm going to put a small plant in each one. Pictures to follow, in the daylight. . . . .

The Oakhurst Gallery today

Timberline all day today, very peaceful. . . but also very quiet. There will be a lot going on there in the next couple weeks with a large painting project, among other things. As I left at 4 PM it was raining lightly, then there was sun on the way down, then a drizzle, and then clouds at home. The weather has been VERY strange the last few weeks--raining about every other day, with beautiful sun-shiny days in between. We've been enjoying those and trying to stay dry on the alternate ones.

A Glorious Spring Day!

And a hint of what is soon to come in this part of the San Joaquin Valley. I actually live on The Blossom Trail, a miles-long "loop" of beautiful driving territory covered by acres and acres of spring-flowering fruit trees. You can read the write-up about the area every year in local, state and national publications. It happens for a period of about 2 weeks each year in February and when the Trail is at it's peak, you can see pink and white everywhere you look as you drive down mile after mile of country roads. It will be starting very soon and today's weather (about 72 degrees) reminded me of that fact. But tomorrow, we are supposed to have thunderstorms! Every day is another day this time of year and we learn to enjoy it when it comes and know that it will be back when the weather turns cold, wet, and/or foggy. Overall, we are so lucky to live where we do and enjoy a temperate climate much of each year.