Every Day Is Earth Day

"Every Day Is Earth Day"

Just ask my husband and he'll tell you that I'm a devoted recycler! Yes, I've been known to go through our trash and pick out plastic wrap and cardboard that could be sent to the recycling center... and I have no shame about that! Walking our dogs every day, I'm liable to pick up bottles and cans to deposit in the nearest recycling cart. My thinking is always, "If I don't pick this up, then who will?" Just trying to keep our neighborhood beautiful one dog walk at a time!

Not only that, but I'm an unapologetic scavenger and enthusiastic repurposer! "Are you throwing that out?... Hmmmm! How could I reuse that in some creative way?" My brain just seems to be "wired" to see the possibilities in discarded items. Our home is decorated with lots of random finds and hand-me-downs... and I really love the uniqueness and whimsy they add to our environment!

This week is the Bulky Item Pick Up in our neighborhood... the once-a-year chance our city gives us to clear out our attics and basements of "junk" and have the city take it all to the dump. My next door neighbors have used this opportunity to clear out a HUGE amount of unwanted "stuff" left in their home by the previous owner. So we've had a front row view to the ever-growing pile of "stuff" they've brought out to the curb this week.

They say "One man's trash is another man's treasure"... and we've been witness to that this week as many folks have come by to pick through the mountain of random things and happily cart them away for who-knows-what-purpose.

As I watched out our front windows, I spied two older black rocking chairs someone put out at the curb... and I literally SPRINTED across the street to nab them for my front porch. My husband and I hosed them down and dried them off... and now they're looking soooo cute on "This Old House's" large front porch. I'm happy to say I now have a rainy day place to sit outside and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a friend!

Are YOU an avid recycler like me???... Please tell me I'm not the only one out there!!


** The painting "Every Day Is Earth Day" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

Lake Life

 "Lake Life"

A few weeks ago, my husband and I packed up the car and headed to a long-awaited family time (post pandemic) at Lake Santeetlah in Western North Carolina. My son and his wife had recently purchased a lake home there, and we were so excited about seeing it for the first time!

To be honest, I had never heard of Lake Santeetlah before... and I've lived in North Carolina for nearly 35 years now! So I had no idea what to expect! To my delight, we discovered a GORGEOUS, very quiet and peaceful mountain lake with a little marina and a small public beach. Even though the new lake house is on the side of a big hill, there are flat roads that wind around the peninsula that even I, with my wonky knees, can easily enjoy walking on. And the views!... They are spectacular at every turn in the road!

As a mostly-city-gal, being out in nature at the lake was a breath of fresh air (literally!). The sky was a bright Carolina Blue... The water sparkled, reflecting the summer sunshine... The tall trees whispered in the breeze. It was just soooo peaceful and inspiring!

I'm grateful for opportunities like this to get away from my "normal life" and travel not-so-far from home to a beautiful place of quiet and rest, surrounded by Mother Nature. My soul felt refreshed from our time away... and I look forward to returning again and again to this new "Happy Place!"


** The painting "Lake Life" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

I'm A Dog Person!

"Good Dog!"

My husband Joe and I have been married now for 43 years... and over that time, we've had the pleasure of caring for five dogs... all very different in their personalities, but all very very lovable!

Our first dog came unexpectedly!... a cute Miniature Schnauzer named Jonathan. Friends of ours were going overseas as missionaries and were not able to take their dog along with them. So Jonathan came to live with us at our house. At the time, our oldest son Ben was only two years old, and I was definitely NOT looking for a dog! Ben was a handful!... an extroverted, busy, into-everything toddler with a mind of his own! When Jonathan arrived at our house, Ben made it his job to chase Jonathan around the house, trying to pull his tail. My job became running around after Ben trying to protect Jonathan!... Crazy Mom Life!! My mother-in-law was fond of saying that Jonathan was a "jaunty little fella"... and he really was! 

Next came Salem (named after our hometown, Winston-Salem). My husband saw her featured on the local news, a brand new puppy from the Humane Society. We took our boys over to see her and (of course!) fell in love with her! She was the runt of her litter... a chow mix with a beautiful auburn coat. What we didn't know at the time was that she had terrible separation anxiety, was very territorial and was dreadfully afraid of thunderstorms! When the mailman came to the door each day, she barked and barked in an effort to protect our home from outside invaders! Still, she was wonderful with our boys and was a great companion to them during their growing up years. Years later, Salem is probably the dog my sons both remember the best.

After both the boys had headed off to college and beyond, our house felt very empty. So I hunted online and found a black lab named Winnie at a lab rescue group here in North Carolina. Winnie was really sick when she was rescued. We suspect she'd been raised as a breeding dog, and when her usefulness as a puppy producer was over, she was abandoned. She had fleas and ticks and needed treatment for heartworms... but from the very first, Winnie was a "love bug!" Of all the dogs we've owned, I think I've been closest to Winnie. Joe traveled a lot during that time... and she was my gentle, faithful companion at home. There are some dogs who are more than just dogs... It seems like they see into your soul. And that's who Winnie was for me.

Jake came into our lives as a puppy... and boy was he difficult to train! We had gotten him through the same lab rescue group, and assumed he had at least some lab in him... but he started growing so fast that we soon suspected he wasn't a lab mix at all. I guess his silver gray coat should have clued us in! One of his litter mates had a DNA test, and it turned out that the puppy was a mix of Great Dane, Collie, Husky and German Shepherd... and not a drop of  Lab in him! So we assume that Jake has the same lineage. We took him to a local puppy training class and he failed miserably!... So Joe very diligently and patiently taught him to walk nicely on a leash, to come when called, and lots of other essential puppy tricks. Eventually Jake settled in here at home, and he's been a joy!... although his hard-headedness and ninety-five pound size continue to be a challenge at times. He's in love with the bunnies that sometimes hop around in our back yard, and can't get enough people attention when we have visitors. He's an extroverted dog in a home full of introverts!

We never planned to have two dogs at a time... but when both my parents passed away within nine months of each other, we brought their Labradoodle Shadow home to stay with us. Shadow was nine years old at the time.She had not received the care she needed at my parents' house. She was very overweight and unkept. We took her to our vet and learned she needed to have several teeth removed and that she had a thyroid condition that required medication. On top of that, she had arthritis that made it difficult for her to get around well. So, at the vet's suggestion, we put her on a diet and started walking her so she would shed some pounds. Twenty-five or so pounds later, Shadow is a frisky old lady who loves to play with Jake out on our deck. Shadow has never met a food she didn't want to eat, so we always need to keep a watch to be sure she doesn't steal Jake's food. She seems to have an inner alarm clock that tells her it's 5:00 and time for dinner. It has taken a while, but now she's perfectly comfortable and happy at our house.

There have been so many joys for us in caring for the different dogs God has brought into our life!... but there has also been sadness as we've had to say goodbye to some too due to sickness and age. That's the hard part about being a dog owner... You risk having your heart broken when they need to leave this earth. Still, I know that for me the risk of hurt is far outweighed by the joy I've found in loving our dogs! I'm grateful for each waggly tail and sloppy kiss I've received by being willing to be a Dog Mom!

Are you a Dog Person too???... I'd LOVE to hear about your furry friends!!

Big Changes And Finding Inspiration

"Tiny Mermaid"

Life has been happening around our house as my husband Joe and I get ready for his retirement in August. I almost can’t believe it’s actually happening... but it IS!! We’re both looking forward to living according to our own timetable and seeing what each new day brings!

After hunting and searching for a one story house that might "fit" our next stage in life, we finally decided that nothing quite felt like home to us after all. And so we decided to do some major renovations on "This Old House" where we've lived for 34 years now. Much more on that later as we work through the process of making changes around here!

With so much on my mind, I’ve found it hard to find inspiration for new paintings lately. I’ve been sketching quite a bit, but nothing has seemed quite right to actually transfer to a canvas and paint. So I decided to paint one of my tiniest canvases with this cute mermaid.  It felt important to keep creating... and she was not very intimidating to paint. Just a little project to get my creative juices flowing again!

What do YOU do when you find yourself without inspiration???... What are your tips for getting back to creating again? I'd LOVE to know your secrets!!

Until next time... HAPPY CREATING!!

 

Do Artists Blog Anymore???

 "Cat Loves Bird Loves Cat"

Long, long ago (January 1st, 2006 to be precise!) I started my very first blog. I called it Simple Blessings... an arty blog that gave me the opportunity to capture my everyday thoughts and feelings and illustrate them with my doodles. Really, it was the first place where I shared my art publicly... and that was a very BIG deal back then for this shy, introverted artist!

I learned a lot from that blog!... the value of telling my story, even the small seemingly insignificant things.... that I really DID like to write... that it was worth it to take the risk and put myself and my art "out there," even when it wasn't perfect. I "met" other art bloggers and for the first time, developed a sense of creative community. And I even learned a little bit of HTML too!

Eventually, I decided to stop posting in SimpleBlessings and I started the PholkartStudio blog instead. If I remember correctly, I ran into "technical difficulties" with the darker background and white type I'd used in my old blog. Another lesson for me on the blogging learning curve!

I can't say that I was a regular blogger back then... but I did post quite a lot whenever the mood struck over the years. And it always gave me JOY!

Fast forward to the present...

Instagram became the "next great thing" and it seemed like art bloggers were abandoning their blogs in favor of this very visual (and fun!) platform. I held off on jumping on the Instagram bandwagon for a while... but eventually I caved and hopped on Instagram too. And my blog was put aside and got very DUSTY!!!

But lately I've been feeling the pull to get back to blogging. I quit Facebook a while back (that' a whole 'nother story!) and Instagram just isn't feeding the writer in me. I guess I miss blogging... but I'm wondering...

Are there any Art Bloggers out there anymore???

I sure hope so, 'cause I'd really love to find them!

** The painting "Cat Loves Bird Loves Cat" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!