Virgo

Oh-oh! We're almost out of Virgo and I haven't honoured you Virginians yet. Sorry for the lateness, a most un-virgo trait but understandable since I am a Pisces. You Virgos are earthy types, nocturnal and soft-spoken. I think the above painting describes these qualities, especially the soft-spoken part. She has no mouth and she appears to be emerging from the earth...at night.

Virgo has magnetic powers and is able to heal through touch like this creature seems to be doing while the rest of the vestal virgins sway under her power.

Conservative and perfectionist by nature, you Virgos are the perfect friend to have in a crisis. Bless you all.





I know, I know, September already. I just heard on the weather network that autumn in our part of the world will continue to be warm for weeks to come. Fine by me.

And now I'll take you on a tour of our little half-acre. Above...the grapes. This bunch is gone now. I gave it to my dad over at the Lodge. But we have more, much more....

In fact this year the grape crop has been spectacular. The vines are now ten years old, maybe it takes that long for a really big haul or maybe the bees were out at just the right time. We won't be stomping them for wine though, just eating them and making jelly.

This tangle of tomatoes is coming to an end but they look pretty just hanging there. I've made all the tomato sauce we could possibly eat as well as a batch of pesto from the basil growing beneath these vines. I've also given a lot away.



 Then there are the things I didn't plant, like these sunflowers and poppies that appear every year on their own accord and grow where their whimsy takes them.



More renegade poppies sharing space with the yellow beans.

And here's a surprise...next to the hostas the ferny fronds of asparagus. I have no idea how they got there but I will continue to encourage them. There aren't enough to cook yet but the feathery stalks are lovely.

Despite getting off to a rough start this spring the pond has flourished. The four adults, two orange, two white, have produced MANY babies, some still quite tiny and others the size of sardines. I love this white fish. You can see the hint of orange under its scales and when it opens its mouth it's very orange inside.

I hope this summer's end takes its time to arrive. Enjoy the long weekend if you can.

LEO

O.K. all you cats, it's your turn! You proud leonine creatures, you are beautiful...and you know it. Other creatures usually give way to you, let you take your place on your throne and listen to you roar. You love being the center of attention and yet you give the impression that you can take it or leave it. ( I must give credit here to the painter of this lion...my son, Andrew, at age 11)

Not all cats want to be front and center though. Our Mongo, above, was very shy and meowed so quietly we called him The Whispering Cat. My painting studio was named after him.

We adopted a kitten, Our Tom, who quickly realized that Mongo was a pushover and would allow him to cuddle up next to him.

Our other cat, Danby, was not so eager to play second fiddle to any young whippersnapper but finally Mongo convinced him to stop hogging the spotlight and let the cute little guy in. So you see, even though Leos like to strut and roar and get their way, they also have a diplomatic side and will make concessions when it's to everyones' advantage.



Rhapsody in Green

Way back in April when the snow began to melt and reveal early spring delights we were aghast to discover that, after six years of successful overwintering, our pond critters had failed to make it. This time our little pond was a death scene. It was horrible. Not a single goldfish was swimming; all were floating, as were a few unfortunate frogs. We threw the tiny corpses under the cedar hedge (good fertilizer) and George proceded to pump out the water using the spare sump pump. There was a lot of disgusting slimy matter at the bottom which we tried to remove as best we could, all the while considering just filling in the hole and forgetting about the pond. But no, we decided to have another go at it. We added fresh water from the well and waited till it was time to re-stock the pond.

Luckily our neighbour has a pond as well, a much bigger one with fish galore. He gladly donated four adults, two orange, two white. By the time we put them in the water lilies had started to grow and I tossed in a handful of oxygenating plants. George installed a new more efficient pump and we created a small waterfall.

And voila!

This is where the four newcomers spent a lot of time in June, under cover of the grasses and lily pads. It was soon to become the nursery.

If you look closely around the edge of this lily pad you can see the tiny 'fry'.

Soon the frogs started to arrive. This one is Mr. Big.

And here is Mrs. Big.

And now we have a bunch of Little Bigs.

The fish fry are getting bigger now. I had to play around with the colours here in order to show them more clearly.

The waterfall trickles down.

And sometimes gushes.

And all is well once more.



Moon Children

We are now well into summer and the astrological sign Cancer. The very word 'cancer' usually causes feelings of alarm and fear among most of us...who hasn't been indirectly affected by or afflicted with this group of diseases? That's why I chose the alternative name for people born between June 21 and July 22. Moon Children have the Moon as their Sun sign, a strange contradiction I suppose but there it is.

In fact the crab comes out by the light of the moon and is affected by the tide.

The home is extremely important to Moon Children. Both my parents were born under this sign and I can attest to that fact...their home was everything to them. The above painting is an idealised version of the house I was brought up in. Though Mom and Dad rented it we all felt a great attachment to it.

Many years later they bought this old farmhouse which they lovingly restored over several years. They also set up an antique shop at the top of the shed. History and antiquity are also very big subjects on the Crab's agenda. My grandmother, a Gemini, was living with my parents at 'The Farm' and would sometimes serve customers in the shop. Her enthusiasm for old things was not so keen. She would often remark, "Who needs it?" Fortunately the customers were undaunted by her sales put-downs. The shop did quite well. Maybe because of her?



   

Food is another big item on the Cancerian list...well, it's on everyones' list of course, but it's VERY big with the crabs. Mom's garden was bountiful; she always seemed to be blanching beans or making jams and pickles. After the first year she learned to cut back on the zucchini. And, of course, we all came to visit at corn harvest.

My sons were lucky to have had many visits to 'The Farm'. Though one is Libra and one is Aquarius it provided them with wonderful memories.  

KEEPERS

Like many other parts of the country we've had a lot of rain lately so I've been doing rainy-day things. The inventory of life is an ongoing activity; you open a box and root through it, tossing some items, saving others. Here are a few mementos I've kept over the years:

Cupid here is one of the oldest cards I have. It was given to me by my very first boyfriend when we both were seven years old. His name was Stuart and our birthdays were one day apart, (I was the older one). He signed his name very small and lightly on the back. I  also remember the beautiful gift he sent me: a box of marbles, or allies as we called them. I wonder where he is now. I hope he is happy.

My sister Lynne made me this birthday card for my 26th, so it's also an oldie. But a goodie. She said it was her version of a Gordon Fraser-style card, very popular back then. I love the fine, flowing lines and the colours. She's very talented, my sister.

Our grandmother, Mamoe, used to let us stay up late and prance around "harry starkers" on hot summer nights in her back yard. Such freedom for two little kids! I made this drawing as part of a book of memories for Mamoe's birthday. I can still hear her laughing when she got it. She laughed easily and a lot.

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This is a silly card I made for my husband, George, on his 65th, with references to the 'fridge list' and all the renovations he was involved with as well as his computer efforts. I don't recall the significance of the brushes. The cartoon doesn't look one bit like him and the cat looks more like a rat. But never mind.

My oldest son, Jon, painted this stylized cow for me. He had earlier painted a very large version of a similar cow on an old tarp which I loved but it was lost in a fire. His apartment building in Montreal burned down the night before Christmas Eve. He saved his cat but everything else was lost. It was a traumatic time for him, that's for damn sure.

I begin and end this post with a valentine. This one is from my youngest son, Andrew, when he was in Kindergarten. You can see the teacher's under-drawing which Andrew happily ignored as he sloshed on the red paint with one of those impossible large-bristle brushes they always give the kids at school.

And back they all go into the box, nothing here is ready for the bin yet. Some things are just too hard to let go.



Jesus, the Cat, and Other Moggies

It's been a long time since my last post...almost a month...and I have no new art to show although I've been busy with art-related events such as our annual Art Fayre in Dunvegan. The exhibition looked wonderful and was well attended. There were a lot of sales. None of them mine this time. I must admit to feeling more than a bit disappointed about that. There is nothing like the affirmation of one's efforts via a nice cheque. As well as an ego boost it also helps to pay for the framing and the percentage to the gallery.

So.

On to other things.

This is Jesus. Officially he belongs to our neighbours who no doubt call him by another name but he is known as Jesus to us and several other neighbours because he's always turning up at the door, inspiring the remark,"Jesus! The cat!" And because we are all crazy enough to feed him, he keeps coming around, on the scrounge.

Bridget and Sam, our cossetted little princesses, enjoy visiting Jesus through the screen door.

They watch him eat the few cookies we allow him and don't seem to mind sharing. Here he is after a nosh, having a good wash.

This is Felix. He belongs to our friend, Monique and is very handsome and friendly. Felix came here for a 'playdate' recently. We wanted to find out whether he would get along with Sam and Bridget in case Monique needs to travel and avoid leaving him alone or at a cattery.

He arrived in his carrier and chose to remain there for awhile until the hissing from our two died down. Then he gradually and cautiously emerged.

A little catnip helped him to relax.

Bridget thought he was making a fool of himself but she remained tolerant of her new guest.

While Sam watched it all from a safe distance on George's lap.

In all, the visit went quite well. An hour later all three animals were racing around the basement and the hissing had almost stopped. We'll have to do it again, soon.