A Sneak Peek

I just thought I would sketch a little sample 

and see if I could come up with an idea to complete 

my Funky Nativity Christmas Card Creations.

Seven little lamb cards

one little Shepherd Card

one little Star Card later 

a collection was born.

Thank goodness that Photo Shop allowed me to put them all together.

Now I am all set up and ready for December 2020

DECEMBER 2019

This is the first watercolor that I have ever done that just came together

from first sketch to adding color to last signed signature.

Once my signature goes on -- the creation is complete!

DECEMBER 2018

A student of my son asked if I would be willing to do a 

Nativity watercolor for Christmas.

I was skeptical at first thinking 

that it might not be appropriate for such a sacred event.

But once it was completed I kind of thought it would be okay!

Hence, the Funky Nativity was born!

DECEMBER 2020

Just add glitter! 

Voilà

My FUNKY Phase

No wonder I haven't had time to blog!

I have been a little busy

creating FUNKY watercolors

for family and friends.

It All Started With A Father's Day Gift Idea.....

It all started with "What can I get our father for Father's Day?" 

After all, he is 92 years old and has everything that he needs in life

including a wonderful and delightful new bride! 

We all love her so much and we are so happy that they can enjoy each other's company 

and plan adventures together each day. 

I thought of writing a poem letting him know how much we honor and love him 

but I gave him something similar to that a few years ago. 

I went through the sock thing and the tie thing and the book thing and nothing seemed right. 

Then I thought, 

"Hmm....I could do a watercolor of him and Grandma Georgia!" 

So I knew I couldn't draw faces, or hands, or feet but I could do a little silly, funky thing

which opened up this vision of ideas and fun things to try.

Dad and Grandma Georgia's note cards turned out so cute that I decided my sons and son-in-law needed to have a set for their very own Father's Day.

Of course, Jason's family was first....because he was "the first"!

 But I find that I always improve upon my ideas and get better as I go

and so I did an addendum of my oldest son's girls. 

Eva Lou loves horses and so a pony tail and cowboy boots were in order.

Beth is tidy and tall and perfect at everything 

so she just needed that braid and a more grown-up look.

Jae was cuter in the original but I can never make things look the same no matter how hard I try.

The original of the girls was sent to their father upon request 

and is framed and mounted for office-viewing everyday.

My daughter's family was next 

and it just turned out perfect right from the beginning and I didn't change a thing!

10 darling note cards arrived just in time for my son-in-law's Father's Day

 The funky family characters were starting to get better and better with each new painting. 

Because our little KK is the pride and joy of our whole family

she was my last little person and so fun to do.

I found that I was having this special connection with each family member as I tried to capture their personalities with my watercolor brush.

 It just didn't seem right to leave my husband out of the Father's Day fun

so I added in the things that he and I love and away I went.

Then I forgot that I can't do faces and hands and feet and made a total mess of Minnie.

Watercolor is very unforgiving. 

Oh well...It all started with a Father's Day gift idea.........

Now and Way Back When

One time while attending a party 

I was totally fascinated by the outfit worn by a little neighbor girl. 

Her name was Zoe and that in itself allowed her some privileges. 

She had chosen a tiara to go with her leopard-print tights, 

her Disney princess dress and sparkly-red "Dorothy" shoes. 

It crossed my mind that my mother 

would have never let me go out in public with those choices.

I was so envious of her freedom and for her creativity.

I longed to be like her - way back when.  

Then I received this photo through e-mail from Ellis' brother.

Well, for one thing,

the sun was in our eyes.

Me and my cousin, Ellis.

I know that I was 5 years old soon to be 6 because the photo was taken September of 1957.

For me that was the year that all of the kids in town got to go to kindergarten. 

I would wait another year before the bus would stop at our house 

out on the farm and take me to First Grade.

What a treat for me to see this photo for the first time almost 60 years later.

It isn't my wispy curly hair or my chubby little hands that caught my attention  

But it is the little outfit that I chose to wear on this day. 

It made me smile and, suddenly, I knew that my mother 

had allowed me to skip and dance through childhood and 

choose my very own clothes to wear. 

It was so liberating!

My red Dale Evans vest had a matching cowboy hat. 

I must have loved that vest because I have proof of wearing it in other photos.

The sleeveless blouse with the collar was another shade of red. 

Because I seldom wore pants, 

the South-of-the-Border elastic-waist skirt 

was a quick and easy choice. 

Could it have been purple or green? 

I know it wasn't blue. 

Surly I didn't have three colors of red on? 

And what about those socks?

I just can't trust my memory.

But I can trust my heart

and it just feels all warm and fuzzy.

Being allowed to make your own choices is a freedom to cherish

Now and Way Back When.

Where Do Fairies Come From?

Happiness

Tinker Bell, 

The famous fairy, and perhaps, the first fairy ever

Could sprinkle pixie dust with her tiny wand and make everything 

Wonderful.

She taught each little fairy about the magic of happiness.

Whimsical and Enchanting 

Fairies can fly - and who hasn't ever dreamed of flying?

Fairies are elusive and shy

And hide in secret places - like inside flower pedals and under toad stools

Usually in the woods 

Where you can hear the trickling brook and the twittering of birds.

Pretending and Dreaming

There is something light and airy about a place where fairies live. 

It is far away from reality

A place where all is well and and no one is sad or hurt.

A fairy's world is colorful and full of flowers

All of the animals in this enchanted land are friends. 

Imagining

If you are quiet you can hear the little sounds that fairies make:

A little wisp, a giggle, a sweet, soft song.

Fairies will always show you the way home;

Just run and skip after the tiny lights
Dancing with powdery and sparkling pixie dust.

A Fantasy

It is fun to pretend and to dream

To make up a "Fairy" Tale.

This fairy tale is for all the little believers who have always wondered

"Where Do Fairies Come From?" 

Raccoons and Skunks and Fox(es)

Raccoons Amongst Us

Growing up on a farm out in the countryside you would think that I would have been acquainted with all sorts of animals. But thinking back, I only remember pigeons roosting in the lofts of the barn, a muskrat that lived down by the drain and a one-time viewing of a weasel. Of course we had mice and frogs and polliwogs but nothing cute like the little woodland animals that I have seen as an adult. 

Who would ever think that I would see my first raccoon in our desert home in Southern Utah?

We had heard the scratching and bumps during the night and thought we must have a cat on the roof. But one night we awoke to the sounds that were particularly loud so we turned on the outside light and surprised a large mother raccoon and several little ones munching away on the purple grapes hanging from the vines on our patio arbor. Who knew that raccoons had little homes hidden in our populated neighborhood?    

Every Family Must Have a Skunk Story

When my husband was about 16 years old he was working on a farm over in Weston which is about 10 miles west of town. He was riding his small Sears All State Scooter along the canal bank checking on sprinkler pipes. He turned down off the bank into the field to go back to the farm when he noticed a mother skunk and three babies right in his path. He couldn't stop fast enough so he jumped off the scooter which continued on and tipped over right by the mother skunk. She sprayed the flip out of the scooter and the skunks and my husband took off running in the opposite direction! Later that day he ventured back to get his scooter but decided the best thing to do was leave it there for a couple of days.  After several washes he started using the scooter again but he could always catch a whiff of skunk on his drive back and forth from home to work.  He always said "Better the scooter than me!"

One More....

My husband was working on the same farm later in the summer and his boss's relatives came from Boise to visit. They had a big black Labrador house dog that came with them in their station wagon. One day it followed my husband down to the river where he was shooting carp during lunch time. The big black lab cornered a skunk and it sprayed the flip out of the dog. It was yelping and rolling around in the dirt and ran back up to the house. The relatives were so mad at my husband and blamed him for the accident. To make matters worse, they had to head back to Boise that afternoon. They washed and washed the dog in tomato juice but it was still smelling pretty rank when they put it in the station wagon and started for home. For sure they had a momentous five-hour ride home! My husband and his boss had a really good laugh - they weren't his boss's favorite relatives anyway. 

Okay One More.....This story belongs to my brother.

The summer of 1965, after Dad had had his dump truck accident (September/October 1964), I had dropped out of the U. and returned to the farm. We had built the new milking barn to enable Dad to continue to milk cows, and I had returned for summer school to try to make up for lost school time. A friend from home had captured a litter of skunk babies. He had had their "skunk" glands removed by a vet (or nearly removed as it turned out). My friend offered me one for which I paid $5 or $10. I named her "Daisy". I was living in my brother's home in Murray while they were away for the summer in school somewhere. Skunks are very playful much like cats except not so aloof. Daisy loved to weave herself in and out of the drapes. When annoyed, instinct sets in, they turn their back to you, and raise their tail. It was then, and only then, that one could catch a faint whiff of Daisy's skunkness. Their personal habits are very much like cats, and they bury their poop. Hence, I kept a litter box which worked nicely. I kept her in a box outside with a wire door on top when I was not there. She was a novelty to the kids in the neighborhood. I came home one day, and she was gone. I presume one of the neighbor kids let her out. End of story. 

They Just Keep Coming!

From My Brother....of course

We lived next door to a radio personality who did the morning show on a local news station. Our bedroom window was just a few feet away and just above the window well by their living room. In the middle of the night my wife and I were awakened by the unmistakable sound of a high power rifle shot just outside our window. I said that some neighbor had probably shot his wife, but that I was not about to go investigate. I said we'll flip on the radio in the morning and then we'll know if there was a problem. And we did. We tuned to the news first thing and could tell immediately there was a "neighborhood situation". The morning radio regulars were joking about exiling the famous personality to the corner of the broadcast room as far away as possible because he smelled of skunk. It turns out that he had heard some noise in his window well in the night and discovered a skunk trapped in the bottom. Since he had to get up early and wanting to solve the problem, he simply loaded his deer rifle and shot the skunk. It did not immediately die, however, and as its final act in mortality, sprayed him mercilessly. He had no choice but to go to work wearing his new fragrance. 

The Best By Far.....

This second story is somewhat related; Same house. Our window well. My wife and I were preparing to go on our very first overseas adventure to Europe. We had arranged for our neighbor's mother to stay in our home and watch the kids. The day before we were to leave, I discovered a skunk trapped in our window well. It would have been intolerable to leave the skunk there for two weeks while we were gone, and especially with the neighbor's mother-in-law in charge. Taking a lesson from the previous story, I sought advice on other way to solve the problem. One of my law partners who was a mechanical engineer, a lawyer, a rancher and an otherwise practical fellow, suggested we cover the top of the window well to seal the space and run a hose from the exhaust pipe of our Suburban into the window well so as to asphyxiate the little fellow with carbon monoxide poisoning. Sounded like a great idea. I pumped that small space with exhaust for about an hour. Two results: the seal on the window was not so great, and I also pumped exhaust into the basement which about killed all of us. We could see the skunk through the window. He got very sick and was convulsing. but he wouldn't die. It was him or us. I had to disconnect the hose...and I still had a problem; a very sick skunk. Seeking advice from other, I learned that skunks did not like to be trapped all that much, and if one were to wrap a cloth around a broomstick so he could get some traction, most skunks will climb out on their own. Well.....unless they are poisoned and half dead. Without a better idea, I rigged up this broomstick and put it down the window well. Since we were leaving early in the morning, I kept a vigil throughout the night checking every couple of hours. When I made my 4:00 am check I was delighted to find that the skunk had recovered sufficiently to climb out on his own, and we were all relieved to be able to go on our trip without an unresolved skunk problem.  

Nothing Cuter Than a Fox

When we first moved to Southern Utah we purchased a home which was located up in the hills where the houses were sparsely scattered. It wasn't unusual to find large scorpions in our homes and an occasional tarantula on the road. Some nights we could hear coyotes yelping in the distance. The real treat was catching sight of a little fox running across the road. The sightings were usually at night when our headlights would startle them. We used to see a little white fox and that was exciting. Because of home construction and inevitable growth, the fox population and other animals moved further back into the hills. What a gift --a few months ago -- 33 years later -- to come up over the hill to our home and catch sight of a little red fox scampering across the road. Perhaps they have learned to exist in the neighborhood just like our grape-loving raccoons! 

I answered, "Maryann!"

#LightTheWorld Day 5

Matthew 15:4 ".....Honour thy father and mother.....". 

I have learned, through the years, that to honor our parents really means that we are kind and loving to others, good citizens in our community, willing to help others be successful, and striving to give our very best each day to our work and other obligations.

I think it is essential for us to understand that our parents did their very best and provided the best life for us that they knew how to give. At some point, honoring them means that we must forgive them for those instances in life where we felt that their parenting was unfair. 

Now that I am older, I choose to remember those little things that are sweet and tender about my parents. 

My mother helped me memorize little readings and monologues that I would present at Farm Bureau Talent Shows. I distinctly remember being very young, standing on stage with the heavy, deep-red, velvet curtains behind me and resighting the family-favorite poem entitled "Maryann". I was holding my favorite doll, Betsy, in my arms looking at my mother sitting on the front row of chairs smiling and encouraging and oh......so proud!    

Maryann

I studied my times tables over and over

And forward and backward too

And I couldn’t remember six times nine

And I didn’t know what to do.

My sister told me to play with my dolls

And not to bother my head.

If I called one fifty-four for a while

I’d learn it by heart she said.

So I took my favorite Maryann

And thought it a terrible shame

To call such a perfectly lovely child

Such a dreadful, horrid name.

I called her my dear little fifty-four

For a hundred times or more

‘Till I knew the answer to six times nine

As well as two times four.

One day at school Elizabeth Wiggleworth

Who always acts so proud

Said six times nine was sixty-four

And I nearly laughed out loud.

But I wished I hadn’t when teacher said,

“Now Dorothy (Michelle), tell if you can,”

I thought of my doll and sakes alive,

I answered, “Maryann!”

Another Glimpse

It is kind of funny, really;

We think we can remember things in our past

but those memories are just a little glimpse of time....

one brief moment.

In the home I grew up in we had this enclosed back porch 

that housed the washer and sugar barrel. 

The back porch was the way to get outside, 

the way to the half bath,

 to the cellar, 

the basement, 

the attic and the back bedroom.

Each area and object is a separate memory all on it's own. 

From the washer, 

the clothes were taken outside and hung on the clothesline.

The wooden clothespins kept the tablecloths, sheets, and all of our clothes 

billowing away until dry.

The denim pants were hung on pant stretchers kept in the half bath. 

The sugar barrel was a 50 gallon size. 

That much sugar is almost a ridiculous amount to store in today's world 

but it was mostly used to preserve fruit and 

make delicious deserts and breads for our family. 

I loved to go out and scoop and break up the dried lumps of sugar.    

Because of the high water table,

the fruit cellar filled with water each spring. 

We had to stand on cinder blocks 

and use rubber boots to get to the fruit on the shelves. 

The narrow cement stairs always had to be swept for spiders. 

Even though the basement was only a few steps down 

we still called it the basement. 

It led to the outside 

and provided a place for Dad and the boys 

to take off their dirty boots, coats and gloves from the farm. 

It also housed the coal bin and coal furnace. 

There was a desk for keeping records 

and a roll-up mattress to use when we had company. 

That mattress was a soft perch for the cats 

when I was relegated the task of sweeping and cleaning the basement. 

However, the cats really weren't allowed in the house, ever!

The attic had treasures 

but not a good floor. 

We had to be very careful when we played there 

so that we wouldn't accidentally step through the cardboard ceiling. 

We could crawl across the boards from the attic entry

and come out in a wardrobe closet in another part of the basement.

The back bedroom belonged to the boys 

and the door had a creak in it. 

Seriously, the door would creak about every 90 seconds.

But today's glimpse is really about the hole, 

in the corner, 

out on the porch.

It was just the size for a marble to sit in.

I can see it in my mind.

It seems so funny that a tiny marble,

pushed in tightly, 

could keep out such a critter as a little mouse. 

But it seemed to work.

By the way....

mice were, 

also, 

not allowed in our house. 

But that doesn't mean it didn't happen....

on occasion.

Girls Girls Girls

Back in the days when ultra-sound was only used for life-saving procedures during a pregnancy, 

it was a big guessing game when it came time to give birth.

My first little baby was a boy.

His grandmother had made the perfect little quilt that could be used for a boy or a girl.

That quilt was loved for years and over-time mended on every seam.

When I was expecting my next little one 

I was undaunted and purchased pink material to go around the 

little nursery rhyme squares that I had embroidered.

I was positive that I was going to have a little girl.

My mother quilted around the Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffit and other nursery rhymes and made darling quilting designs on all of the edges and borders.

I packed the totally girly, pink quilt in my going-to-the-hospital-bag

By-and-By

The nurses were all a twitter 

and kept coming in to see the little pink quilt 

and the new little 7 pound baby girl who would be its recipient. 

They considered it a lucky guess on my part.

But I knew.

Boy-Girl-Boy

That was it!

My chance for another girl was over.....I thought......But

My oldest son grew up and found the perfect girl

Then there were two (2)

They welcomed a little baby girl

Then there were three (3)

My little girl grew up and delivered a girl of her very own

Then there was four (4)

Son number two grew up and found the perfect girl

That made five (5)

My oldest son added

 six (6)

and 

seven (7)

My youngest son

Eight (8)

and

Nine (9)

Nine Darling Girls.

Each one my favorite.

Each one very special to me.

All mine!

My cup runneth over with love.

Mother, Daughter And.....Daughter

It started years ago

Too many to count.

It was my daughter's idea;

She wanted to do something special with me

For our birthdays.

So we went shopping

To the big city.

We stayed overnight and ate out and shopped and shopped.

We had such a grand time that the next year

We did it again.

And the next... 

And the next.

Then she came up with the idea to do something bigger;

Disneyland perhaps.

So we decided to fly to get there faster.

And that was such great fun

That we started saving to do it again the next year.....

and the next...

and the next.

Then she came up with the idea to do something bigger.....

A Disney Cruise perhaps.....

So we flew to Florida

And cruised to the Bahamas.

And that was such great fun

That we started saving to do it again....

And daughter of the daughter said,

"I want to go!"

So this time it was three years in the making.....

The cost -- a tad-bit more,

And it took quite a bit of planning,

And turned into the trip entitled

G.R.E.A.T.

Graduation - Retirement - Escape - Adventure - Together

Graduation for Sissy (daughter of the daughter)

Retirement for Me (the mom)

Escape for Soni Bonnie (daughter with all the big ideas)

Adventure For Sure

TOGETHER

TO ALASKA

Dreams Can Come True

I remember 
wanting to be a mommy when I grew up
to have a house full of children
a horse of my very own
a friend to play with
a kiss from Prince Charming

Later
it was to get a driver's license
be asked out on a date
compete and win
play the piano like Liberace
have a best friend

Then
more than one bathroom
an uninterrupted night's rest
a grand piano
a car without problems
more money

Of course
grandchildren to be born healthy
courage and strength for my children to meet life's challenges
a garden outside my bedroom

Now
happiness and blessings for all of my family
safety when they are far away
protection from all that can harm

I have everything I never knew I always wanted
Dreams Can Come True!

ON A TUESDAY

It is a transition of sorts....

to be home 

"On a Tuesday". 

I thought that it would be easier than this.

I never expected to have a bit of "grieving" for things that are gone.

But I do.

The first reality check was.....

Have I ever nourished friendships beyond 
my office friends and co-workers?

It has taken a while but I am identifying and finding them again.

I never expected to not want to begin all of the projects 

that I have always wanted to do but never had the time.

I am feeling this panic and anxiety that time is passing and 

I will lose the opportunity to to do them...but not wanting to do them. 

So I am just wandering around and not really accomplishing anything.

I never expected that my time-clock would be thrown off!

I wake early to have that precious morning time without interruption

checking my office e-mail that isn't there

making lists and planning my day.

By 5:00 pm my body thinks it is exhausted and my work day is done

And I didn't really have a work-day at all.

I am learning that this opportunity to be home 
"On a Tuesday"

is going to take while. 

So this week....I made a plan

Number #1

Make a Plan

*

Do a service for someone everyday
to lift them and help them be successful 

*

Play the piano

*

Exercise

*

Plan and eat nutritious and healthy meals and snacks

*

Create a new Blog Post "On a Tuesday"

I'VE BEEN THINKING.....

In Idaho, we don't pick peas until July 4th. 

But in the Southern Utah desert, peas can be planted in January 

and they are long gone by the time July 4th rolls around. 

Because I just finished picking the last batch of peas from our garden, 

I've been thinking about other things that I used to do when I was younger. 

And today being Memorial Day 

I've been thinking about those lilacs and tulips and iris and remembering their fragrance.

Mother and I would collect the lilacs, tulips and iris from her garden. She had an array of old buckets and tin containers in which we would fill with water make fragrant flower arrangements to put on the graves of our grandparents and other loved ones. We would travel to the Fairview, Richmond and Logan Cemeteries. No matter the cemetery we visited, we would meet up with cousins, aunts, uncles, neighbors and many friends. My.....how my life has changed from those bygone days. However, when I smell the hard-to-find lilacs and iris here in the desert it "takes me home" again. The effort we put forth in honoring the grave sites of our loved ones helps us to feel close to them, to think about them and remember. I've been thinking that a trip north is in order.

NEVER BEEN BEFORE

A wise and successful women whom I greatly admire
shared this bit of wisdom:

"Make certain you are retiring "TO" something

not retiring "FROM" something."

At this posting,
I am still rolling up my sleeves,
going to work and getting the job done.

 However, each day I face friends and colleagues
interested in what I plan to do in a few months.

Actually, my answers seem a little superficial and silly.

I am finding it very difficult
to look ahead to a future where I have never been before.

Is it wrong to just want to be home for a while?

I haven't been home......really home for so long.

I yearn to putter and plan a day just for me

and then do it again tomorrow.

What a novel idea to do laundry in the morning
on a day other than Saturday.

I wonder if I can remember how to make bread?

I know that I will play my piano anytime I want....

set up my watercolor room and
paint to my heart's content and
create something wonderful.....

perhaps sign up for a geology class....

maybe learn how to speak Spanish!

I have this amazing sewing room and I know how to sew.

I wonder how much it costs to take a flower arranging class?

I do know 
that harvest season will require the canning of
peaches and pears and apples

It is a sure thing 
that opportunities will come and
that I will make commitments again.
And

my family and church responsibilities
will continue to bless my life.

But just for a little while

I would like to discover those
places in me that I haven't gone yet.

ONE BRIEF MOMENT

It was just a glimpse -

So brief that I often question whether it really happened.

But it is there in my memory.....

We were bundled up with layers of sweaters and coats, boots and mittens.

My white hat had long knitted ties with large puff ball tassels on the ends.

The horse came trotting up on the ice-covered road,

Her dad tied up the sled and away we went

Laughing and giggling and going oh so fast.

It lasted just long enough to remember.

ALL BY MYSELF

Hibiscus flowers are not native to this hot dry climate but they will flourish in the summer if watered and kept from the relentless sun.

I found them on a charming patio in Springdale, Utah.  They were tucked away amid trickling water fountains, cement cherubs and volunteer hollyhocks and sunflowers.

I took a few days "All By Myself" to just "Be By Myself"
and do some watercolor.

No TV

No cell-phone service

Just quiet.

I found the bed & breakfast

Under The Eaves

on the internet.

But when I arrived, I discovered that I had seen it dozens of times while traveling through on my way to Zion. 

Delightful and Pleasant.

I was charmed by the

stained-glass windows

Sleigh bed with comfy quilt

and

private outdoor patio with a view of Zions majestic mountains.
And of course the complimentary breakfast at
OSCARS
My favorite place to eat.

Just what I needed
All By Myself