Happy Herd of Handsome Hefty Hereford Heifers on the Homestead

The world lost a special man this week. He was an Oklahoma cattleman, a dear friend, and one who my mother (who just didn't even try to remember names after her stroke) called "that pastor that we like."  (That one makes me laugh since it made it sound as if she didn't like the others.)

Art can be therapeutic. I thought of him as I worked on this piece.  I liked to imagine that these pretty cows were looking at him as he walked toward them.  He would have loved them.

It has been a long time since I've done a big oil painting.  It felt good to get back to it. 

My Weekly-ish Challenge was "Paint Something that Begins with the First Letter of Your Name."  So... 

Happy Herd of Handsome Hefty Hereford Heifers on the Homestead

** I know, I know...  couple of Angus and a Black Baldy got in the bunch...They didn't start with H, but I liked them.

Funny that this was the challenge.  I participated in a creative journaling workshop this spring.  It was done in a different way, but the same prompt was used.  I had fun with that "H" project too. Here's the poem I wrote for that one:

Hollyhocks and hummingbirds

Happy hens and healing words

 

A Honey-baked ham, a hot chocolate mug

Hearing hallelujah, holding a heartfelt hug

 

Harvesting herbs and homey heirlooms

Helpful hints and hotel rooms

 

The hues of hydrangeas, hawks in the sky

Hot hushpuppies heaped up high

 

Hanging hammocks and holiday plans

Handsome husband and holding hands

 

Hope… home… health…

Huge breath in… hold… and… Hhhhhhhhh…

 

Thanks to pexels.com for a great reference photo.

Original Oil Painting on 22"x 28" Wrapped Canvas

Click On the Homestead if you'd like to purchase this one.  I'm going to enjoy seeing it on my own wall while it waits for its forever home.

 

Painting with Middle School Kids

This is what happens when you have two dozen middle schoolers, happy attitudes, and some paint. Terrific art happens!

 

I needed a second small project to have enough to fill our allotted time, so I asked my brother about getting some little wood scraps to make little blocks they could paint to go along with their paintings.  Of course he had wood scraps.  But, he wondered why we wouldn't make something useful.  If we drilled holes in the top, they'd be pencil holders.  If we tacked a thin board on the bottom they'd be book ends.  Brilliant!

**On a funny note, kids asked, "What are book ends?"  Oh, my! I guess they can put their Kindles and iPads between them!!!

Their art made perfect decorations for their music performance at the end.

Original Acrylic Paintings on 16"x 20" Canvases
Their paints are priceless, of course.  If you'd to purchase my example, send me a note.

Willowing Arts: A Year of Light (June)

My Willowing Arts: A Year of Light lessons from June.

Drawing...watercolor... collage... two-page journal page spread...  splatter... image transfer...

All art fun.

Every Sunday night around 7:00, I love to hear my phone ping to let me know that there are new lessons posted and ready!

I Like...

Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like getting to visit a Blick Art store.

I like Monet's waterlilies.

I like looking out the window and seeing forest friends.

I like Buff. Buff likes a box with the lid off.

I like Buff... but sometimes...
"If I could just pretend to stretch... just enough... to knock... that onion off..."

I like having friends who share flower bulbs. 
What a surprise I discovered this year!

I like picking a basketful of vegetables from my garden.

I like squirrels... okay... that's a lie.
True, they are cute. But, that's it for the positive column for squirrels.

I like my back deck in summer...my pot garden...
herbs, tomatoes, peppers. & marigolds...

I like having chicks. Fancy-like had been broody for days on end, so we got her six babies. We waited until after dark and slipped them under her.

I like how proud (and fiercely protective) of her new family she was the next morning.

It's worth getting pecked on the arm to pick up a little fluffy chick.

LeeAnne's  conversation starter topics this month:

Do you like picnics? I can't answer this on the grounds that I don't have all the information. I have questions... Does someone else plan, set up, and clean up and I just bring a dish to share? Or am I in charge of all that? Next question: What's the weather like? Hot, cold, windy, or just right? Are you a sit on a blanket on the ground person or a table outside? Table, please. 

 Would you rather spend outdoor time resting in a hammock or digging in a garden? While the idea of lying in a hammock seems lovely, the truth of getting in and climbing out is not as easy as it used to be. I spend time in my garden every day in the summer months. There's always something... watering, weeding, pruning... I love filling my little bucket with whatever is ripe each morning or evening.  I find it very satisfying to harvest, prepare, and enjoy the fruits of my labors.

Do you like shopping at garage sales? Occasionally we'll stop and walk through one. I have plenty of my own junk and don't need any one else's... but sometimes... there's the just right thing!  Flea markets?  We do enjoy walking through a flea market. It's not so much about buying things as seeing things that bring back memories. Thrift stores? Not really. What is a really good one?   Estate sales are our favorite.  They're different. You walk through someone's home, see how they lived, what they collected, how they spent their time. We always feel a respectful and quiet as we walk through the left-overs of someone's life. We like to go on Sunday afternoons about an hour before they're planning to close.  That's when they want to get rid of the stuff and mark it way down. Again, we refrain from buying much, but so often there's a special find!

Remember summer breaks when you were a kid? When I was a kid? Forget that! How about when I was a teacher! How did it feel to have so much free time?  Hurry up and relax! Did you help the family business when you were a kid? My parents were both teachers. As you got into high school and college did you have summer jobs, take special trips, or take special courses.?  I think my summers were pretty typical... Part time job at the county department of education... church youth camp... band camp... started college courses after my junior year... always went to summer school in college.

Do you like particular foods for summer dinners? Yes. I can be very specific to describe the perfect summer meal. It's more than a meal... it's an event. Do you use a recipe or combine whatever ingredients you have on hand?  

Sandwich made with:

Two pieces of white bread, toasted, cut into fourths.

Six slices of bacon, Black Label, original, not too crisp

Eight slices of fresh garden tomatoes

Scrambled egg, optional 

Sides:

Cucumber, fresh from the garden, sliced

French onion dip

Ruffles potato chips

Drink:

Coke, Rt 44 from Sonic