". Arranged Words: snow
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts

12 Dec 2023

'Tis The Season


  Hi Everyone, 

         As you can see, a snow storm arrived and painted the world beautiful.  Because sheets of freezing rain plunked itself down first, the snow stayed on the trees for several days. Lovely!

Now we are back to normal viewing, but I have no doubt there will be snow for Christmas.

Christmas decorations are festooning the corners and the newly decorated tree helps to brighten up the dark days.   These days, the sun sets around 4:45 p.m. But who cares--everywhere you look there are Christmas' lights. Soon we will take an evening drive so we can oh and ah over the lights. 

The crowd on the table.


                      Santa Clauses are a major cause around here. This dear fellow entered the fold                                                                 this year.
 Mr. Claus. A wonderful wood cut by Elizabeth Harbour. I absolutely love her artwork. You can find her here.



A Partridge and friends in an Ivy.

Not sure how many Santa Clauses I have--alas some are still tucked away. Next year, if the stars align properly, I will try for a group photo.

Cooking? Well, over this way there is still more to come. 
One must have cookies. 
Gingerbread? Why, yes! 
Thank you.

A few gingerbread guys and gals, and trees and such waiting for their attire. More in the oven.
Oh, they do smell heavenly!

       In case you wondered. The art exhibition went off without a hitch. There were 104 paintings, including sculptures. I was there for the opening and a four hour shift. So much fun to spend that time talking with people while admiring artwork.

The lady that oversees the hanging of the show does such a wonderful job. The next show for our group will be in the spring.

In the meantime, the art gallery in town is having an exhibition in January. No sure yet, I may brave it and enter a painting.  As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained.



           
                    


 Amaryllis on the grow. They are a favourite flower of mine. 
 There are two more. (When it comes to Amaryllis I can't help myself.) This one will probably bloom for Christmas, but the others will likely bloom in January.

                                                                     A table topper.

 Hold your reindeer. Please don't leave without your cookies and a cherry Candy Cane.
                      
That about covers it for today. The halls are decked, and the cookies are nearly finished, so it must be time for a cup of tea.  

                     Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas. Have a Safe and Happy Holiday                            season!
                                                  See you in the New Year.
                                          
               Leaving you with this video. I found this video so heart warming and lovely. 
               Perhaps you have already seen it. If so, it is definitely worth another view.
                                                         Be prepared to smile!


                                                           Cultivate your dreams! 
 
                                           I have a feeling this is one of this man's dreams.

                                             Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

                                                         Thanks to all for hosting.  


19 Apr 2022

You Never Know



Hi everyone,

By the time tulips have reached this stage, it's generally time toss them out. Because of the beautiful colour, I left them until the petals began to drop. 

Snow drifted down last night. I do like a surprise though, and a white world this late in the spring fills that category.  Needless to say, this spring has been a cool one. (You never know there could be snow.)

Yesterday I just had to go to the woods. Since I injured my foot last June, I haven't been going too far. I finished physiotherapy last week, and it still hasn't healed. So, the physiotherapist recommended shockwave therapy even though she said she couldn't endure it. That did make me laugh because, really, what a recommendation! I will ruminate on that one. To me, it doesn't seem wise to shock an injury, although the idea of it is to reduce scar tissue. The other and last option besides a brace I've ordered to wear at night is a cortisone shot.

Below, the tiny green sprouts of the Trout Lilies. When they bloom a wonderful carpet of yellow will fill the undergrowth. Although they are the first flowers that bloom, in the woods, in spring, they can be quite tender. Fingers crossed that the snow is kind to them. 


In May there will be an art exhibition at the mall. Three entries are allowed. I have a few paintings in mind but, besides the one below, I will likely paint two new paintings. I will frame the painting below as soon as my point driver arrives. Not something I've done before, and pastels have to be framed so that the painting doesn't touch the mat or dust may fall on the mat. Spacers are used, but I haven't been able to find any, but I can use acid free foam core. Are you with me lady luck?
                
                                                           
                                                  Pastel on Pastel mat paper 8 x 10 inches.

                    
                                          A few new soft pastels from Great American. 

                                                        
                                             Pastel on pastel mat Approximately 13 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches

If you've been reading here awhile, you may remember this painting. I kept wanting to add a boat to it, and finally figured out how.



             I am happy to report that my computer problems are all sorted thanks to my son, Jesse. 

Have a lovely day... 'Til next time...

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

The parties cover most of the globe; there’s much to see and admire, so do stop in for a few visits. 

                                          Special thanks to the hosts.


                    
                         



7 Dec 2021

Good Cheer



Hi Everyone,

Are you busy preparing for the holidays?

Over here, things are shaping up; lights, tinsel, and glass bubbles have enveloped the tree, compliments of my son, Jesse, and an Elf. Touches of greenery peek out from almost every corner. Plans for what goodies to bake are nearly solid. The Christmas cards are signed, sealed, and stamped and will soon be winging their way to, I hope, add a splash of good cheer to family and friends.

The sun breaks through the dark clouds at dawn. 

                     My cobbled painting path, has become a bit uneven, but I tell myself there's nothing to worry about because taking a break also plays an important role in the creative process.  Well, that’s my story…

Watercolours     
I added a white board next to my desk to post some watercolours on. (Motivation required.) I wanted to buy a cork board, but why not use what is at hand. I only had to purchase a few magnets. (Besides, should a magnet hit the floor and roll to parts unseen/unknown, until, that is, the inevitable happens, they are easier on the feet than push tacks.)


 
 Preparing for a colossal art re-entry ;^)  in the New Year, a small pastel order, plus some paper arrived. Two of the names to the right made me laugh, especially Burnt Reynolds. The pretty yellow pastel: Goldenrod. These pastels are from Great American Artworks. (Not sponsored, but I girl can hope.) They are very soft and creamy, so they will add a flourish near the finish. If used at the beginning of a painting, they could quickly fill the tooth of the paper, I reckon. (Experimentation required before firm results can be chiselled in granite.)
 
    

On the needles...

                                   Swallow Tail Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark. Also a free pattern.

 

                                                                  Nativity

Below, a very short story that I may have touched on before. 

If you have read it before, dear hearts, do forgive me because I am growing old and stories, containing certain words in just the right order sometimes forget that I may have written them down or told them before. 

Meant to Be

Long ago, in a far away land, high above the Arctic Circle, where winter plunges the land into darkness for more than forty-five days a year, where mysterious wailing winds whip the snow into eddies that either skirt the ground or whirl up a whiteout, where, in the frigid, dry air, footfalls can be heard from a mile away—there in the midst of this new to me land, with little money on hand, I put down my hard earned cash for what would be, although there were more figurines to acquire, the last two nativity figurines that I would ever purchase from Avon. (I am searching for the three wisemen.)


Yes, it had taken awhile to acquire enough figurines to make the scene. (I think, they were sold at the time without a base. But I might be mistaken because, although the news will shock you,  I confess that I have been mistaken, in my life time, at least once or twice before.)

So...I pondered and thought and pondered and thought; and I hoped and I wished. And then it came to me in a flash: Surely cotton batten would make a nice base? I sprinted upstairs to the cupboard. No way--it was just too lofty--not right.

Being quick on the uptake, as luck would have it, other appropriate materials slowly came to mind. But in such a remote place, at such a time, where one couldn’t distinguish daylight from dark, I couldn’t think of one store in Edmonton where I might purchase the necessary items. (Remember it was the dark ages and yellow pages for Edmonton were as rare as sunlight.) 

To place an order just wasn’t feasible. So I reluctantly banished the thought.

Time crept by; the winter winds continued to howl. Then on one rare, quiet, dark, auspicious indigo day a couple of weeks before Christmas, a parcel that I'd long sense given up on  arrived. When I opened the box, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Straw covered the contents. The very thing, besides an open stable, that I’d been hoping for! I can't remember what else was in that box. But don’t you agree that somethings are just meant to be? 

(To date, lovely readers, that was the only time in my life that I ever received a parcel packed in straw.)

 

It’s time for me to go,  but before I do I would like to say:  Many thanks to everyone who visited my blog this year. I thank you for kind support, readership, friendship, and lovely comments.

  ❤️

          Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

And if you do not celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you and to yours!

Cultivate Your Dreams!

Best Wishes,

Dixie

 Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

The parties cover most of the the globe; there’s much to see and admire, so do stop in for a visit.

  Thank you for hosting.





3 Nov 2020

New Phenomena

Hi everyone, 

 Appearances tell me November has arrived. This means, as of today, snow covers the rooftops, and most of the leaves have disappeared, but I haven't quite caught up with it yet. What a difference a week makes. The snow may stay or go, but mother earth has given us much and she has certainly earned her rest.
I haven't been out to capture this new phenomena, so here's to living in the past for just a little while longer.


The River Institute's sapling nursery.

  The River Institute plants native species of flowering plants and trees along the river to protect the ecosystem. In the spring, wild yellow irises line the river bank in one area.
Small birds delight in the cover and make their nests there. I found this out last spring when an angry bird started dive bombing me. I immediately moved on before I got a chance to recognize her and make her acquaintance, but I think she was a Wren.

                                
                           I always admire this wonderful big house resting at the river's edge that I walk by when I skirt around  the parameter of the marsh. You could skip out the door and down to the dock, untie your boat and zip down the river, leaving any cares in your wake.  What a spot!

* * * 

I recently bought a few different types of pastel paper, but I've only tried out one colour so far. The package has several different colours, so I picked the lightest one for a painting I finished the other day. Pastelmat paper in grey looks good as well, but it arrived crinkled, so I will probably send it back. And a Clairefontaine Velour will arrive soon too. I like to blend certain areas with my fingers, (some pastel painters do not blend) and these papers are easy on the hands.


From the easel:



       Two colour choices for the mountains here. Haven't decided which colour I like the best.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post. I have replied to each of you on that post because Blogger, for some obscure reason, only occasionally sends me your emails. 

   Be safe and well. 

'Til Next Time

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Thank you, lovely ladies, for hosting!

27 Nov 2018

Winter's Light

Hi there,

I hope you are all well and happy. And for my friends in the U.S., I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

'Tis nearly the season. Can you believe it?  I've been shopping and doing a little decorating. One must get the wreath on the door and a few lights twinkling early to knock the dark afternoons out of the ball park so to speak. The candles are lit every night this time of year, too. Light. So good for the spirit.

On the creative side of life, I've been painting and sketching. I also have two paintings in an art exhibition that is currently on for nine days. And I will be hosting at the exhibition this week along with other people, so I am mostly keeping out of trouble.

On the home front, the snow arrive early this year. Eleven days ago to be exact.


       The light seems remote this time of year...wispy, delicate and fleeting. A barely there type of light.  Amazingly beautiful.



 Once the leaves are off the trees, many nest that I never knew existed appear.


Thin ice covering the brook.


Merry and Bright.



Far off, a skein of geese heading south. Lucky ducks geese.

I love to hear them calling to each other. Enthusiasm and encouragement. A winning combination. 

Almost bedtime...must have a snack first.
So pleased to see that she/he is nice and plump and prepared for winter.

I only had a few seeds in my pockets, but I think these Chickadees forgave me. The dear hearts.



A Nuthatch knows how to make an entrance. They walk down the tree head first, fly to another tree face down and then land at the feeder. They move and fly so fast.

What a profile. It speaks of wisdom.




More snow coming down as I go to press.  So much like fairyland out there today... very mild and lovely, so I took a walk in the snow.


A few cards I've been drawing/painting on my desktop. The wee desk better known as "Abigail."

I'll be linking with Wednesday Around the World, and on Thursday with Soma who hosts the blog Whims and Fancies. Many thanks for hosting, ladies! 💗



I've left a reply to everyone who left a comment on my last post.
To my lovely readers a big thank you. You all make the world a better place!

Cultivate your dreams!