tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46088789375980337982024-03-05T09:06:33.905-08:00Country Mouse StudioWatercolor Birds, Animals, and wildlife art often with humor Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-56383559989171149192022-01-11T11:59:00.000-08:002022-01-11T11:59:06.808-08:00Valentine's Day is ComingFeatured Cards for Valentine's Day
See the ad on the right side for a link to all my cards
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This wonderful goat was a childhoot friend as I wrote about in a previous post. This card either says from the Old Goat who loves you or to the Old Goat so either way.
Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-91438406000299750192022-01-05T16:35:00.005-08:002022-01-05T19:12:34.155-08:00Winter SnowChristmas has come and gone and we're starting a New Year which always makes people wonder what it will bring. After last year with fires, floods, pandemics we're starting this year with more snow and cold than I've seen in a long time.
These are photos by a local photographer from a creek (Power's Creek) in Glen Canyon Park in West Kelowna which usually doesn't freeze in the winter here.
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Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-5890463584941581252021-12-12T07:30:00.004-08:002021-12-12T07:38:33.118-08:00A Friend Everyone wishes they had<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMl7HjzSHYy5E9bCD82HFEJwWD7R90JcANTljSWCOsyX0J8byb1MhRxvDSQ8O0tkwVtwKt0e2H1C4iNC7F_2qZyeFrwQlFCMNzXJZQiHG_AjBM0jVd7H76372b0UOFFPC2BqHmJuklQozFJGGV_WLHn60TKy0OwT5k5zkm_k68-YkbXtFJCWQceby3cQ=s514" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="514" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMl7HjzSHYy5E9bCD82HFEJwWD7R90JcANTljSWCOsyX0J8byb1MhRxvDSQ8O0tkwVtwKt0e2H1C4iNC7F_2qZyeFrwQlFCMNzXJZQiHG_AjBM0jVd7H76372b0UOFFPC2BqHmJuklQozFJGGV_WLHn60TKy0OwT5k5zkm_k68-YkbXtFJCWQceby3cQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.zazzle.com/youre_the_kind_of_friend_kestrel_bird_quote_magnet-147792904951589453 ?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.zazzle.com/youre_the_kind_of_friend_kestrel_bird_quote_magnet-147792904951589453 ?rf=238571156621180172</a><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-52542724516065330012021-12-09T08:27:00.001-08:002021-12-12T08:29:42.524-08:00Animal Protectors Angels or not<p> Many humans believe that there are good and evil spirits to contend with. Most believe that the majority of animals are good and even that most animals are better than most humans. Thousands of stories are available to tell us how dogs, cats, horses, and other animals came to a human's rescue. The bible itself tells us how God sent ravens to feed Elijah in his time of need.</p><p>Many also believe that each animal has characteristics that we can learn from and it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to think that God would send us examples so we could see and feel what love feels like and then hopefully imitate it since He teaches us that love is the most important thing we can do. For instance, the wolf is known to have incredible loyalty to its family or pack, ants and beavers are hardworking. These things can teach us what is good. The animal totem or spirit animal idea is based on that. If you see lots of Magpies maybe it's time to try and socialize like they do. This doesn't go against any religion it should show you a loving God that is trying to help you by sending you examples of things you may want to consider.</p><p>Sometimes animals are simply a comfort to those who need love and companionship and what greater privilege than to love and comfort someone who needs it. </p><p>I have found in my lifetime (and I've been around a while) that God has used animals to help me many times.</p><p>When I was a young girl living in the country I had a Border Collie named Shep that was my best friend. We did almost everything together. Then one day when he was outside and I was in the house alone I decided it was a beautiful summer day to go for a walk. I pushed and pushed on the door but Shep wouldn't budge. He sat so firmly against it until I got frustrated and went around to a window to see if something else was stopping the door from opening. In the berry bushes, just a few feet away was a big black bear. Shep never barked or made a noise he just sat firmly against the door so I couldn't go out. When the bear moved on so did the dog and the door opened freely. </p><p>That was my first encounter with an animal protector. I was thankful for the dog but also thankful for the one who made the dog and gave him the ability to do that just like He sent the ravens to feed Elijah.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvMsCTXsaDLr57UE-PkxpB_9u-bXF1PofdcM1gsyOnY-Ac_9-I3Yo4PvHIs2T9pkZvY2-fT2vC_FDuEpks62QcJ_a5LuYFXs-Fk0uAjyOhtYPHJrpKnTonD3nsHkYedAon-O3Q941BZME/s2048/Border+collie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvMsCTXsaDLr57UE-PkxpB_9u-bXF1PofdcM1gsyOnY-Ac_9-I3Yo4PvHIs2T9pkZvY2-fT2vC_FDuEpks62QcJ_a5LuYFXs-Fk0uAjyOhtYPHJrpKnTonD3nsHkYedAon-O3Q941BZME/s320/Border+collie.png" width="264" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-10345722692185084542021-12-06T18:33:00.001-08:002021-12-06T18:33:49.679-08:00Interesting Magpie Behaviour<p> Magpies</p><p>Since moving to our present property we've been neighbors with several generations of Magpies. Each year a couple would successfully raise about 5 young ones. As soon as they were old enough to fly they come to our yard where I keep running water and dry cat food to help them out. Once they are old enough the whole family disappears for days only stopping by occasionally.</p><p>This photo is a young one and I'm not sure if it's guarding the food against others or catching the sun to dry off after playing in the sprinkler. Interesting behavior I'd never seen before.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jQYjU7cVfxrfsF99MPYhtLi5UT09faOdg40ZK5nU8jtxt3E4tVl_nVQMJLLAWpF5gA8iYZyJw7q055q8VKqGuO5jGwq-RpczHBHavS1Cr6ZgGIqykzmcQrxAcSNQXdMHYOaCUdpzcxzG/s942/magpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="942" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jQYjU7cVfxrfsF99MPYhtLi5UT09faOdg40ZK5nU8jtxt3E4tVl_nVQMJLLAWpF5gA8iYZyJw7q055q8VKqGuO5jGwq-RpczHBHavS1Cr6ZgGIqykzmcQrxAcSNQXdMHYOaCUdpzcxzG/s320/magpie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwrbQs9PtCaQ1U7V8kSTadp5Ow9pp3Y7oXXa7seDzArT8kYH_8eVs5S8uojAXMAn-2CCje-zw_DNzG17yBs-Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0kelowna, BC, Canada49.8390992 -117.489443128.635976542739158 -152.64569310000002 71.042221857260841 -82.3331931tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-14712612474621077562016-10-01T21:35:00.003-07:002021-12-09T16:00:58.601-08:00Ravens The Problem with ImageI grew up in the north about 600 miles south of the treeline. It was inhabited by many ravens. We didn't see them too often in the summer but as the cold weather arrived, they were more willing to come near people.<br />
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The colder the weather, the more of them you saw. Usually they sat on wires above your head all fluffed up and chilly looking.<br />
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Occasionally, the cold would break and for a week or so warm weather would come. Just like children let out at recess, these huge birds would react by flying loops, diving and generally acting silly and calling to each other. Research says they are one of the most intelligent and the most playful of birds and to see them in action put a smile on your face. They have been observed playing tag with dogs and wolves and even making toys from sticks etc. I've seen videos of them undoing zippers on backpacks, garbage bags and opening containers.<br />
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In the spring, they perform the most beautiful <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aerial</span> courtship dances. I spent many hours watching in fascination. It was even possible to see them fly upside down in their efforts to impress. I don't know if it got them a mate but it sure impressed me.<br />
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Unfortunately, they have a bad image but maybe that's been their salvation because with their intelligence if they were beautiful seed eaters they would have been captured then sold as pets.<br />
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So I draw them because I love them and have fond memories<br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/i_love_ravens_quote_watercolor_raven_bird_t_shirt-235928941993527301?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113580318235682355&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="I love Ravens Quote Watercolor Raven Bird T-Shirt" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/svc/view?rlvnet=1&realview=113580318235682355&design=5796e960-2eb3-48fc-a414-a682172aa1fc&style=ladies_fitted_raglan&size=a_l&color=whiteblack&hide=bleed,safe,visibleMask&r=1475382274207&max_dim=325" style="border: 0px;" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/i_love_ravens_quote_watercolor_raven_bird_t_shirt-235928941993527301?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113580318235682355&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">I love Ravens Quote Watercolor Raven Bird T-Shirt</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/love_ravens_raven_lunatic_bird_fanatic_grunge_outdoor_pillow-189187764747800294?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113986468537702901&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Love Ravens "Raven Lunatic" Bird Fanatic Grunge Outdoor Pillow" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/svc/view?rlvnet=1&realview=113986468537702901&design=da132ad4-eff2-413b-bfbf-27f9b11d02f1&style=20x20&fabric=outdoor&hide=bleed,safe,visibleMask&r=1475382449064&max_dim=325" style="border: 0px;" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/love_ravens_raven_lunatic_bird_fanatic_grunge_outdoor_pillow-189187764747800294?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113986468537702901&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Love Ravens &quot;Raven Lunatic&quot; Bird Fanatic Grunge Outdoor Pillow</a> <br />
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and then of course Halloween is coming and there's always Edgar Allen Poe</div>
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/edgar_allan_poe_the_raven_poem_raven_watercolor_shower_curtain-256060972347502171?design.areas=%5Bmeno_showercurtain_front2%5D&CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113977215989573456&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Edgar Allan Poe The Raven Poem Raven Watercolor Shower Curtain" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/svc/view?realview=113977215989573456&design=9b564ec8-2336-4542-b030-78ccdded7cfc&rlvnet=1&style=showercurtain&liner=none&hide=bleed,safe,visibleMask&r=1475382701498&max_dim=325" style="border: 0px;" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/edgar_allan_poe_the_raven_poem_raven_watercolor_shower_curtain-256060972347502171?design.areas=%5Bmeno_showercurtain_front2%5D&CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113977215989573456&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Edgar Allan Poe The Raven Poem Raven Watercolor Shower Curtain</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/edgar_allen_poe_the_raven_halloween_poem_fleece_blanket-256578496002149601?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113092351378993518&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Edgar Allen Poe The Raven Halloween Poem Fleece Blanket" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/svc/view?realview=113092351378993518&design=849f904f-72f6-4121-ad2a-756849078288&rlvnet=1&size=30x40&fabric=fleece&hide=bleed,safe,visibleMask&r=1475382869171&max_dim=325" style="border: 0px;" /> </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/edgar_allen_poe_the_raven_halloween_poem_fleece_blanket-256578496002149601?CMPN=shareicon&lang=en&social=true&view=113092351378993518&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Edgar Allen Poe The Raven Halloween Poem Fleece Blanket</a> <br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/halloween_edgar_allen_poe_raven_nevermore_speckcase-176812939652827851?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Halloween, Edgar Allen Poe, Raven, Nevermore speckcase" src="https://rlv.zcache.com/halloween_edgar_allen_poe_raven_nevermore_speckcase-p176812939652827851z8jf5_325.jpg" style="border: 0px;" /></a><br />
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<br />Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-50084722920952145862015-11-29T05:25:00.001-08:002021-12-09T16:50:17.336-08:00December - A Month of Raccoons<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">December is Raccoon month at Country Mouse Studio</span></div>
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I recently received an email from a US Marine who had a request. </div>
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He wanted to know if I'd paint a special Raccoon for him.</div>
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Him and his wife had an encounter with one while dating</div>
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and now after many years of marriage he wanted</div>
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to get her a special gift that would mean</div>
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a lot to both of them.</div>
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Being a raccoon fan myself how could I resist?<br />
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Their little fellow needed to have a top hat, a cane and a pocket watch<br />
so here he is!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8ug90RmQowxNcYHmz7kEbjUxUmYUvkOjzlWpGvoCZT37AslUicpf6HoTxy0NxHuldSeexL0eAHvN7ti3zyO_9Uf4-3heyr41ElG-z-pONKNb3uvzKkpK-ErEiXzh9FhrB7IbRpzkzTWb/s1600/Scott2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8ug90RmQowxNcYHmz7kEbjUxUmYUvkOjzlWpGvoCZT37AslUicpf6HoTxy0NxHuldSeexL0eAHvN7ti3zyO_9Uf4-3heyr41ElG-z-pONKNb3uvzKkpK-ErEiXzh9FhrB7IbRpzkzTWb/s400/Scott2.png" width="361" /></a></div>
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I know they can cause a lot of grief by getting into your house and garbage but I also know there are many people who love them so this is their month.<br />
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I found this sweet story about a Raccoon rescue named Pumpkin on Instagram<br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/pumpkintheraccoon/" target="_blank">Pumpkin the Raccoon</a><br />
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I have always been fond of Raccoons and they were the first wild animal I drew. I was so pleased one day to meet a kid who had one as a pet. I was surprised to find that his fur looked soft but was rough and bristly but all the better to shed water, I guess.<br />
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Later, we moved to an area that had Raccoons. I only heard about it because they'd get into everyone's garbage at night. No one had a good thing to say about them but I hoped I'd see one.<br />
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A few more years passed and we moved into a community by a creek. Then one night on our deck one peered into the patio door. Before long we had quite a few of them who would come by and visit.<br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/collections/raccoons-119666751369223317?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Raccoons" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/raccoons_119666751369223317-r_zruem_jld9h_425.jpg" style="border: 0px;" /> </a> <br /><br /></div>
Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-14108307452776306382015-11-07T21:25:00.000-08:002015-11-07T21:27:57.521-08:00Great Gifts for Teachers<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Do you need a gift for a teacher. Christmas is coming soon so now's the time to think about it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">If you have several teachers to buy gifts for these little keychains are only $3.85</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_basic_round_button_keychain-146233254578572412?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Thanks for what you Teach US Fun Teacher art Basic Round Button Keychain" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_basic_round_button_keychain-rf51da0e44b8f4ca79d00edad0d7a104b_x7j3z_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_basic_round_button_keychain-146233254578572412?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Thanks for what you Teach US Fun Teacher art Basic Round Button Keychain</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">An ornament is a great gift that everyone can use.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_snowflake_pewter_christmas_ornament-256803386566848068?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Snowflake Pewter Christmas Ornament" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_snowflake_pewter_christmas_ornament-r436adde21d024dff9c0a68ab7fbaeb09_idxcc_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_snowflake_pewter_christmas_ornament-256803386566848068?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Snowflake Pewter Christmas Ornament</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">or how about a pen? It has the same cute kids holding the word TEACH and saying "Thanks for what you TEACH us!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_rubber_grip_pen-256221728052918539?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Rubber Grip Pen" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_rubber_grip_pen-r97ec8f00d6c240b08431a5246433d3ee_zmzj1_325.jpg?rlvnet=1" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_rubber_grip_pen-256221728052918539?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Rubber Grip Pen</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">A mug is another perfect gift. Everyone can use one of those.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_classic_white_coffee_mug-168605124277421156?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Classic White Coffee Mug" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_classic_white_coffee_mug-r29811a4167214a859fb8133f8f5460bf_x7jgr_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_classic_white_coffee_mug-168605124277421156?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Classic White Coffee Mug</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Now add a matching card ...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_greeting_card-137734042738939907?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Greeting Card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_greeting_card-ref6c321ea3a14383bb66c9c8e221d804_xvuat_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_greeting_card-137734042738939907?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Greeting Card</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">or a Mouse Pad</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_mouse_pad-144047520918319020?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Mouse Pad" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_mouse_pad-rdbda866f80434fca85a44347091ee79d_x74vi_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_mouse_pad-144047520918319020?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Mouse Pad</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Maybe it's a Guitar Teacher. Well, here's a guitar pick</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_pick-256238258045194776?view=113707670294753115&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Pick" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_pick-r005a57afe61249b5b0d9718675226e40_zvjzc_325.jpg?rlvnet=1&bg=0xffffff" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_pick-256238258045194776?view=113707670294753115&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Pick</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Browse other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute+guitar+picks?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Guitar Pick</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">How about a cute tin of gum?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_chewing_gum_favors-256538344965881873?style=box_round&boxcolor=royal_white_stripe&view=113311186037753224&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Chewing Gum Favors" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_chewing_gum_favors-rd3994288440f4f9b8a8047c2009e19f8_z16m1_325.jpg?rlvnet=1&bg=0xffffff" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_spelling_teach_for_teachers_chewing_gum_favors-256538344965881873?style=box_round&boxcolor=royal_white_stripe&view=113311186037753224&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Spelling Teach for Teachers Chewing Gum Favors</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">There's even Wrapping Paper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_speech_words_wrapping_paper-256784648047872083?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Holding Speech Words Wrapping Paper" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_speech_words_wrapping_paper-rf5f850879b7341479de6ddf109c3c34d_zkknt_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_speech_words_wrapping_paper-256784648047872083?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Holding Speech Words Wrapping Paper</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">How about a poster to hang in the classroom?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_poster-228996681304617667?design.areas=%5Bdynamic%5D&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Thanks for what you Teach US Fun Teacher art Poster" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_poster-r8e15df21c02241cdb3bb074f19ce909a_wvu_8byvr_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thanks_for_what_you_teach_us_fun_teacher_art_poster-228996681304617667?design.areas=%5Bdynamic%5D&rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Thanks for what you Teach US Fun Teacher art Poster</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">And if you have a lady teacher</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_thanks_for_teachers_vanity_mirror-256591209613973178?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="Cute Kids Cartoon Holding Thanks For Teachers Vanity Mirror" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_thanks_for_teachers_vanity_mirror-r436c89a335a74f219e7622afb464dc95_z2hh9_325.jpg?rlvnet=1" style="border: 0;" /> </a> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_kids_cartoon_holding_thanks_for_teachers_vanity_mirror-256591209613973178?rf=238571156621180172" rel="nofollow">Cute Kids Cartoon Holding Thanks For Teachers Vanity Mirror</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*%20rel=%22nofollow%22">countrymousestudio</a> </span></span><br />
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Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-20021927679207947802015-06-09T17:26:00.003-07:002015-11-29T18:37:36.355-08:00The Old GoatOne summer, when I was about 10 years old my parents acquired a couple goats. We lived quite a distance from neighbors so after the goats escaped their fence for the 100th time they were given their freedom.<br />
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Curious, playful, friendly and so darn cute, these wonderful creatures quickly became my entertainment and although I don't remember much about those years, I'll always remember the goats.<br />
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Years later, when I married, they got a small herd of goats. My parents were going to raise dairy goats so they carefully build an escape proof fence but from then on the most commonly heard comment was, "#&*#!, the goats are out again." <br />
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This one was my favourite. Her name was Blossom and she would follow you around everywhere tugging at your clothing, pulling at your hair and just being a lovable nuisance.<br />
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_lovable_old_goat_farm_animal_photosculpture-153413347817581877?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Cute Lovable Old Goat, Farm Animal photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_lovable_old_goat_farm_animal_photosculpture-p153413347817581877ad3_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_lovable_old_goat_farm_animal_photosculpture-153413347817581877?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172">Lovable Old Goat, Farm Animal</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
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Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-8409098057067680692014-10-06T00:35:00.000-07:002014-10-06T00:35:45.884-07:00Newest Family Member<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We used to have a Pomeranian/ Chihuahua mix dog. He was a little grumpy and snappy so we decided that the next dog we got would be a big friendly one.<br />
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I didn't expect my son to take on the project of finding the perfect dog. He researched, saved and monitored the classifieds until one day he told me he'd found a great deal on a dog and it was exactly the one he wanted... a Great Dane.<br />
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I believe I was in denial but I went along. After all, I'd promised him a big dog for the next one. He mapped out the way to the breeders house and we arrived. The owners had both mom and dad there for us to meet along with 8 pups. Having never seen a Great Dane I was speechless. The very friendly dad came up to my chest. His nose could touch my chin as he looked at me. I gingerly pet him and he leaned on me knocking me into the fence. Apparently leaning is one of their traits.<br />
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We sat amid the pups and one kept coming by so he became the one we chose. Originally my son had intended on getting the typical blonde color and had picked out the name Whiskey because of the color but none of the blonde ones came near us. So Whiskey is his name but he's a reverse brindle color.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring puppy chasing bugs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long legged teenager by fall</td></tr>
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And now he's all grown up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He loves to sit on your knee. Somehow he has no idea how big he is and still wants to be on your lap. </div>
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Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-7593460076730780552012-03-11T10:54:00.000-07:002012-03-11T10:54:16.577-07:00March Blahs<div style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Much to my delight looking up the word blah on Google brought me these definitions:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">- nonsense, malaise and as an adjective - </span><span id="hotword" style="font-size: small;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">insipid, dull and uninteresting.</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span id="hotword" style="font-size: small;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">That pretty much sums up this month so far. It's too late to enjoy winter and too early to enjoy spring. We need a mid season term. </span></span></b></div>
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<b><span id="hotword" style="font-size: small;"><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">That mood led me to do this poster. I need one on my bedroom wall as the first thing I see in the morning:</span></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_bird_saying_hi_hello_funny_animal_poster-228193146279887306?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Cute Bird Saying Hi, Hello, Funny Animal print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_bird_saying_hi_hello_funny_animal_poster-r63a2dba8f83d4faba876430446a412ae_fhs9d_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>and maybe one to take with me when I go out</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_bird_saying_smile_funny_animal_necklace-177009792497260820?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Cute Bird Saying Smile, Funny Animal necklace" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_bird_saying_smile_funny_animal_necklace-p177009792497260820z8jnm_325.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a></div>
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</b><b style="color: #ead1dc; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But I'm thinking what I really need to do is Motivate and Encourage myself with this one.</b></div>
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<b style="color: #741b47;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/count_your_blessings_cute_bird_with_silly_look_mousepad-144824020343349314?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Count Your Blessings, Cute Bird with Silly Look mousepad" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/count_your_blessings_cute_bird_with_silly_look_mousepad-p144824020343349314aby_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/count+your+blessings+mousepads?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ead1dc;">So I hope you are not suffering the March Blahs too!</span></b></div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-25567537822500987552012-02-22T09:14:00.000-08:002012-02-22T09:14:00.485-08:00Perfect MomentI pass this spot about once a week and as I came up over the mountain, I realized that I would be able to see the distant Monashee Mountains.<br />
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Usually they are behind cloud or fog and by the time the valley clears in the spring, the snow has melted off the tops and they're not so visible. <br />
As I turned the corner, I made a quick decision to pull off the road and capture their beauty.<br />
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Everything was perfect even the evening light touching the tops. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nta4y3IWsf0toIkXCXzUgGwGXx0Ti84DU9VB272NXaJq_VhrxYq29G_2d20wUrEC1fNYsnFjoOcOFt_okcX5y3ePMTekZRcK3lsqz9BtU-h07zZoU5aksjg-Rj9heC0VinQi7s-zEuJr/s1600/DSC04119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nta4y3IWsf0toIkXCXzUgGwGXx0Ti84DU9VB272NXaJq_VhrxYq29G_2d20wUrEC1fNYsnFjoOcOFt_okcX5y3ePMTekZRcK3lsqz9BtU-h07zZoU5aksjg-Rj9heC0VinQi7s-zEuJr/s400/DSC04119.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3kTbz8uV_4vzXMVkflh4NlubYUXj5LtFDffu53jUxSFP5f7y31ZoEQayil6X835YWkP56UlXUJfZNkN7Z38VIRVxD6VMwaAFbu74AaiQVVLyXpi3y_dzk5zxFJxiTKZayboFud5mcHvA/s1600/DSC04119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3kTbz8uV_4vzXMVkflh4NlubYUXj5LtFDffu53jUxSFP5f7y31ZoEQayil6X835YWkP56UlXUJfZNkN7Z38VIRVxD6VMwaAFbu74AaiQVVLyXpi3y_dzk5zxFJxiTKZayboFud5mcHvA/s640/DSC04119.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-57166635745846288172012-02-11T22:58:00.000-08:002012-02-11T22:58:40.183-08:00How Do You Look?<br />
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It's been a hectic couple weeks but one thing kept popping up. I came across a blog by a woman who said that when she was doing nothing in particular like shopping, her resting or neutral face looked angry or upset and people were always asking her if she was okay.<br />
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I couldn't believe the number of people who commented saying they had the same problem. Then I remembered a tv show I'd seen years ago on the same topic. The host asked people if they were aware of the type of look that was on their face when they were resting and not thinking about anything in particular.<br />
I mentioned it to my daughter and she said her boyfriend had complained about the same problem.<br />
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Apparently all his life, people have thought he was upset or angry when he wasn't at all. It was just his facial expression when resting. He said it often made him seem confrontational and it made strangers defensive as if waiting for him to explode about something that bothered him. Over the years, he's become self conscious about it and always wonders what expression is on his face before he goes in to meet someone for the first time.<br />
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I hadn't thought about it before, do you know anyone with the problem?<br />
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<br />Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-14667439921282404322012-01-23T15:56:00.000-08:002012-01-26T16:57:21.291-08:00Red Squirrels - Neighbors from Hell<br />
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A while ago, Ratty's blog <a href="http://everyday-adventurer.blogspot.com/">Everyday Adventurer</a> did a feature on Red Squirrels which reminded me of what difficult neighbors they are.<br />
We moved from a very busy urban life to a cabin along a lake to find some peace and quiet. We didn't know that a Red Squirrel already lived there. I was used to them chattering at me when I went for a walk in the forest but knew little else of them or I might have changed my mind.<br />
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From the moment spring arrived, the squirrel was present and first light, each morning until sunset at night, everything that moved caused it to chatter angrily. If you went outside, it chattered as loud as it could until you gave up and went back in.<br />
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I was determined to live peacefully with the annoying little thing until I put up my first bird feeder. The previous owners had attached the feeder to the clothes line strung across middle of the yard. Turns out this squirrel would take flying leaps off the roof or tree branches until it could land on the feeder. I spent weeks trying to find the exact spot to move this feeder where it couldn't reach.<br />
There was a small 2 foot area it could be hung in that the squirrel couldn't reach but sometimes the wind would blow it out of that safe area. The other problem was if it couldn't reach it, the squirrel just chattered more and more. When it did reach the feeder, it would sit on the roof chattering and attacking any bird that attempted to land. So to resolve the situation, I'd move the feeder so the squirrel could eat, then would refill it and move it away so the birds could eat.<br />
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Later, I foolishly planted a garden, which it also claimed. It ate anything that grew above ground. I never got a single pea, bean or strawberry.<br />
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It did give me two very special memories though:<br />
1. The neighbor boy discovered her nest full of babies in his attic and brought one over for me to pet before replacing them.. We noticed they were full of fleas (maybe that's why they were so irritable)<br />
2.In the fall, it picked mushrooms and hung them on the tree branches to dry before storing them. At first, I thought my husband had done it as a joke but we watched and when the mushrooms dried, the squirrel gathered them all.<br />
I never knew any animal did that.<br />
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For some beautiful photos of Red Squirrels go to <a href="http://ginnyswildlife.blogspot.com/">Ginny's Blog </a><br />
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Just found a site that sells squirrel proof bird feeders <a href="http://bromebirdcare.com/" target="_blank">http://bromebirdcare.com/</a> <br />
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<br />Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-16736416413835427442012-01-14T21:44:00.000-08:002012-01-22T15:27:59.241-08:00After the StormI don't normally take photos of the sky as my camera isn't great but we had a storm front pass through dropping snow and when it passed, we got about a half hour of clear skies before the next front came through.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put the two photos together </td></tr>
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It was much more impressive in real life<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_Edl4xoLHGR3vCfXepWCXUi73e4ICdNUfsEiziCJ9amV2dwI0Im6JUfq7jF2MvtMJdCcntTeHo42B9u55I7kj59LHfYf5LI4QUGpRXMIsDGc_N1VL3kkPYbiyLkf3CPu5bxASuyG_rF5/s1600/DSC04080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_Edl4xoLHGR3vCfXepWCXUi73e4ICdNUfsEiziCJ9amV2dwI0Im6JUfq7jF2MvtMJdCcntTeHo42B9u55I7kj59LHfYf5LI4QUGpRXMIsDGc_N1VL3kkPYbiyLkf3CPu5bxASuyG_rF5/s400/DSC04080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fluffy white between trees is next storm front moving down the valley</td></tr>
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The snow is supposed to come tonight so we'll see how much more we get.Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-15459989958849257632012-01-07T20:35:00.000-08:002012-01-07T20:36:28.872-08:00Saving money on Bird Seed.When I first put out the chick scratch instead of bird seed, the Mourning Doves were impressed. They called their friends and relatives to the feast.<br />
I had no idea there were so many in the neighborhood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOZ-qbjlG5W1LuBvWdmk6oaltzpdOUUBUTso_Ujkxv31hYGb1dYRkSk66olHKxxxtq8X7RrpZqbgNF4tNsw1-XMNQ05JtHZPTkvJ3vFDokHFzP3U-J48ux2tYdJeCmGZXkXpb6Pln6xhz/s1600/DSC03946.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOZ-qbjlG5W1LuBvWdmk6oaltzpdOUUBUTso_Ujkxv31hYGb1dYRkSk66olHKxxxtq8X7RrpZqbgNF4tNsw1-XMNQ05JtHZPTkvJ3vFDokHFzP3U-J48ux2tYdJeCmGZXkXpb6Pln6xhz/s400/DSC03946.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="400" /></a><br />
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</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This was only half of them. The other half were down eating. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I may not be saving money after all.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/turtle_dove_pink_brown_vanilla_bird_nature_tile-227487445687665376?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Turtle Dove, Pink, Brown, Vanilla,Bird, nature tile" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/turtle_dove_pink_brown_vanilla_bird_nature_tile-rfe5168a21c6747e5b9f35d1f6a5dd07b_agtk1_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/turtle_dove_pink_brown_vanilla_bird_nature_tile-227487445687665376?rf=238571156621180172">Mourning Dove,Turtle Dove</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/watercolor_mourning_dove_turtle_dove_tshirt-235758049151876477?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Watercolor Mourning Dove, Turtle Dove shirt" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/watercolor_mourning_dove_turtle_dove_tshirt-p235758049151876477zx7pl_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/watercolor_mourning_dove_turtle_dove_tshirt-235758049151876477?rf=238571156621180172">Watercolor Mourning Dove, Turtle Dove</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/special_birthday_mourning_dove_turtle_dove_card-137522204983238450?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Special Birthday Mourning Dove, Turtle Dove card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/special_birthday_mourning_dove_turtle_dove_card-p137522204983238450v7m_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/turtle+tiles?rf=238571156621180172"></a></div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-42694812353301092432011-12-30T22:43:00.000-08:002011-12-30T22:43:12.918-08:00California Quail in an Apple Tree<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOPq1CABqWQEuQY_L64e_0A3hA7BUChbgFRJ4zIRIPm3Tpv5bzpUoRznRyD4kleG8hbdU9P6OmxaKu2zsY9H0ZdMA_2pxjIIE0qtWNUOquCnL7WBF15nV2-1emD7n5U4BxEimWzqrfMsU/s1600/DSC04016-1.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOPq1CABqWQEuQY_L64e_0A3hA7BUChbgFRJ4zIRIPm3Tpv5bzpUoRznRyD4kleG8hbdU9P6OmxaKu2zsY9H0ZdMA_2pxjIIE0qtWNUOquCnL7WBF15nV2-1emD7n5U4BxEimWzqrfMsU/s400/DSC04016-1.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" width="400" /></a><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: LEFT;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>You know how the song the Twelve Days of Christmas has a partridge in a Pear Tree? <br />
<br />
Well, I don't have one of those for you but I do have a Flock of Quail in an Apple Tree.<br />
They are hidden pretty well so it might be hard to see them. I know when I looked out the window they sure surprised me and then brought a smile to my face.<br />
They seemed convinced that I couldn't see them there.<br />
<br />
It's hard to believe that this is the last post and photo for 2011.<br />
<br />
I wish health, happiness and prosperity for all of you in 2012<br />
Thank you for your interesting posts this year.<br />
I am blessed to have met all of you and thank you for your comments.<br />
I appreciate it very muchCarole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-72373632395812766502011-12-20T09:35:00.000-08:002011-12-23T22:17:40.965-08:00Favorite Christmas<span style="background-color: #cc0000;"></span>This is an old story that has been going around for years but it's my favorite.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3-tu4Lwdl3OmevIFuJ-6-B8uXMe3RKi6aTGTcBoOPWflxbhE3wsJnoBR-w0vd05Gk704wyys1w_v_4e745tQ2H4Tt7fvlMtWDcdE_asfuEXJ7TjxuLjWwjmD2b_PFYHn7DgWKm0gKCP0/s1600/mrs-claus-hi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3-tu4Lwdl3OmevIFuJ-6-B8uXMe3RKi6aTGTcBoOPWflxbhE3wsJnoBR-w0vd05Gk704wyys1w_v_4e745tQ2H4Tt7fvlMtWDcdE_asfuEXJ7TjxuLjWwjmD2b_PFYHn7DgWKm0gKCP0/s200/mrs-claus-hi.png" width="165" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Grandma and Santa Claus</b><br />
<br />
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.<br />
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered.<br />
"Even dummies know that!"<br />
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her<br />
that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew<br />
Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went<br />
down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-<br />
famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because<br />
Grandma said so. It had to be true.<br />
<br />
Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I<br />
told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she<br />
snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going<br />
around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your<br />
coat, and let's go."<br />
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second<br />
world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General<br />
Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about<br />
everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten<br />
dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she<br />
said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you<br />
in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.<br />
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother,<br />
but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed<br />
big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas<br />
shopping.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5XxXFeDMh9VIpPoH2b-xHgF3Aq9fMlJUFStRkI-NaNu5gAGsk6HEXvt58d6VAOXUz8lB-I6PPrlGpKkPXDuT30X0TylNbIcGKQ8zeTUT2H9L-F8OkRY5bVmpSY3_gebfXK12PdgaPWqh/s1600/tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5XxXFeDMh9VIpPoH2b-xHgF3Aq9fMlJUFStRkI-NaNu5gAGsk6HEXvt58d6VAOXUz8lB-I6PPrlGpKkPXDuT30X0TylNbIcGKQ8zeTUT2H9L-F8OkRY5bVmpSY3_gebfXK12PdgaPWqh/s200/tree.png" width="200" /></a></div>For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-<br />
dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.<br />
I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors,<br />
the kids at school, the people who went to my church.<br />
I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby<br />
Decker.<br />
He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind<br />
me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a<br />
coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the<br />
winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he<br />
had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a<br />
cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill<br />
with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!<br />
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked<br />
real warm, and he would like that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlrUT3ysIacAogy7qpK5Tb18J467tjZpOnue2MYQt_N74e6s9zxNuFpYohme8BWH1e1FixIOSLbbMFq2yqy0Lo_oj49ILTO7w4karqciYGIgS8qW88DX6T87W_Z30T5uxHJ7cB_v8gzrv/s1600/gift.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlrUT3ysIacAogy7qpK5Tb18J467tjZpOnue2MYQt_N74e6s9zxNuFpYohme8BWH1e1FixIOSLbbMFq2yqy0Lo_oj49ILTO7w4karqciYGIgS8qW88DX6T87W_Z30T5uxHJ7cB_v8gzrv/s200/gift.png" width="192" /></a></div>"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the<br />
counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I<br />
replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."<br />
The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really<br />
needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the<br />
coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.<br />
That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out<br />
of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper<br />
and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.<br />
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove<br />
me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was<br />
now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.<br />
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I<br />
crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then<br />
Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered,<br />
"get going."<br />
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present<br />
down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of<br />
the bushes and Grandma.<br />
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door<br />
to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.<br />
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent<br />
shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night,<br />
I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what<br />
Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and<br />
we were on his team.<br />
I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-0-1xDcs8oi-QSf6ICYNuv5xxAUB-mz8bLb2bWm7jSsXccYzymwmYHursdAMyOwhVOIyD-eGCFH4qqcfKCe_iS6m5zrZKgZ93U6iLxzcj01wJ9dHwMSg3icTVZfU8XqbJyo7CukTd_Oe/s1600/christmas-gift-card-hi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-0-1xDcs8oi-QSf6ICYNuv5xxAUB-mz8bLb2bWm7jSsXccYzymwmYHursdAMyOwhVOIyD-eGCFH4qqcfKCe_iS6m5zrZKgZ93U6iLxzcj01wJ9dHwMSg3icTVZfU8XqbJyo7CukTd_Oe/s320/christmas-gift-card-hi.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I wish all of you a wonderful, blessed, joyful Christmas.</b></span></div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-68645821274140948562011-12-09T17:11:00.000-08:002011-12-09T17:11:12.645-08:00The Owls have it againI'm still recovering from some sort of flu with sinus problems so I haven't been around too much. I've noticed that other people are having a hard time getting rid of this illness too.<br />
The one good thing about needing to rest is that I just read the most wonderful book about a woman (biologist) who raises a rescued Barn Owl. If you love birds or nature or need a gift for someone who does, this is a great read. I hope I did the link right <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wesley-Owl-Remarkable-Love-Story/dp/1416551778/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323462713&sr=1-3">Wesley the Owl</a><br />
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Owls have really become popular perhaps it's due to Harry Potter. Fortunately, they are one of my favorites too as their faces seem to display so much emotion.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/barn_owl_bird_animal_wildlife_nature_photosculpture-153966829473083483?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Barn Owl, Bird, Animal, Wildlife Nature photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/barn_owl_bird_animal_wildlife_nature_photosculpture-p153966829473083483ad3_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/barn_owl_bird_animal_wildlife_nature_photosculpture-153966829473083483?rf=238571156621180172">Barn Owl, Bird, Animal, Wildlife Nature</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Browse <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/barn+photosculptures?rf=238571156621180172">Barn Photo Sculptures</a></div><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom_dated_cute_little_owl_bird_ornament-175502037198101822?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Custom Dated, Cute Little Owl,Bird ornament" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/custom_dated_cute_little_owl_bird_ornament-p175502037198101822zvdcy_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom_dated_cute_little_owl_bird_ornament-175502037198101822?rf=238571156621180172">Custom Dated, Cute Little Owl,Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Make <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/ornaments?rf=238571156621180172">personalized photo ornaments</a> online</div><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/fun_birthday_humor_owl_bird_nature_wildlife_card-137622062323050757?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Fun Birthday Humor Owl, Bird, Nature, Wildlife card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/fun_birthday_humor_owl_bird_nature_wildlife_card-p137622062323050757f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/fun_birthday_humor_owl_bird_nature_wildlife_card-137622062323050757?rf=238571156621180172">Fun Birthday Humor Owl, Bird, Nature, Wildlife</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Shop for a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cards?rf=238571156621180172">card</a> with zazzle.com</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/funny_owl_with_attitude_bird_nature_wildlife_tshirt-235013744501250042?color=brown&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Funny Owl with Attitude, Bird, Nature, Wildlife shirt" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/funny_owl_with_attitude_bird_nature_wildlife_tshirt-p235013744501250042zuf96_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/funny_owl_with_attitude_bird_nature_wildlife_tshirt-235013744501250042?color=brown&rf=238571156621180172">Funny Owl with Attitude, Bird, Nature, Wildlife</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Browse <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/funny+tshirts?rf=238571156621180172">Funny T-Shirts</a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/old_age_over_the_hill_birthday_owl_humor_card-137950065913837859?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Old Age, Over the Hill Birthday Owl Humor card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/old_age_over_the_hill_birthday_owl_humor_card-p137950065913837859f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/old_age_over_the_hill_birthday_owl_humor_card-137950065913837859?rf=238571156621180172">Old Age, Over the Hill Birthday Owl Humor</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Become a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/affiliates?rf=238571156621180172">greeting card affiliate</a> at zazzle.com<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas_screech_owl_watercolor_bird_card-137520821249806517?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Christmas Screech Owl Watercolor Bird card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/christmas_screech_owl_watercolor_bird_card-p137520821249806517f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas_screech_owl_watercolor_bird_card-137520821249806517?rf=238571156621180172">Christmas Screech Owl Watercolor Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Browse more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/screech+cards?rf=238571156621180172">Screech Cards</a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/snowflakes_winter_owl_watercolor_bird_mug-168047200197141601?style=glass_mug&color=frosted&size=16oz&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Snowflakes Winter Owl, Watercolor Bird mug" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/snowflakes_winter_owl_watercolor_bird_mug-p168047200197141601z80a3_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/snowflakes_winter_owl_watercolor_bird_mug-168047200197141601?style=glass_mug&color=frosted&size=16oz&rf=238571156621180172">Snowflakes Winter Owl, Watercolor Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
Browse more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/snowflakes+mugs?rf=238571156621180172">Snowflakes Mugs</a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/great_grey_owl_print-228667317457990677?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Great Grey Owl Print print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/great_grey_owl_print-r3d40a0e9c7a9421d82f12c618e7ed5a2_8k7p_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/great_grey_owl_print-228667317457990677?rf=238571156621180172">Great Grey Owl Print</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
View other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/owl+posters?rf=238571156621180172">Owl Posters</a></div><br />
</div></div></div></div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-48416176696781064812011-11-25T12:41:00.000-08:002011-11-25T12:41:21.875-08:00Magpies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYF3pswgewG5_P6Pay7F2GPwUAblYOMsAp_hD9ttatMmVp339A-05Vg3mxMYEPTRfqIuCfjzJaE-sme_1bXCmiGkU3Opy36f1J5IliMZ6pjqFw0XFLDQeJyeL7s1lSaRMWQbSEm6ztRE2/s1600/DSC03989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYF3pswgewG5_P6Pay7F2GPwUAblYOMsAp_hD9ttatMmVp339A-05Vg3mxMYEPTRfqIuCfjzJaE-sme_1bXCmiGkU3Opy36f1J5IliMZ6pjqFw0XFLDQeJyeL7s1lSaRMWQbSEm6ztRE2/s320/DSC03989.JPG" width="312" /></a></div> This family of Magpies has been coming to my house for about 3 years now. They have a particular call for me on days when I've not put any food out yet.<br />
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There is a large bear population in this area making it a bad idea to have a compost bin with scraps of food in it so they recycle my left overs for me and in exchange provide some entertainment.<br />
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I've read that they prey on eggs and nestlings of smaller birds but my huge flock of sparrows and finches don't seem to mind them, even when nesting so perhaps it's the scarcity of food that makes they prey on smaller birds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqAWZXSfPuo5WAjJLuU8znUrxPj-Ghnz7z1_QCNWLkhxQKujmFQ0XSImyNIoyZVAdaKrjQFPRCHLtol4JLeMZ1yzKMd68gWeAZSWiiGCu8LdGIrmyCc_74nD6xb969-VJ4N3VqIanxxy8/s1600/DSC03987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqAWZXSfPuo5WAjJLuU8znUrxPj-Ghnz7z1_QCNWLkhxQKujmFQ0XSImyNIoyZVAdaKrjQFPRCHLtol4JLeMZ1yzKMd68gWeAZSWiiGCu8LdGIrmyCc_74nD6xb969-VJ4N3VqIanxxy8/s320/DSC03987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have no idea why this fellow has a crest on his head. I didn't see it when taking the photo and even enlarging it didn't reveal why.<br />
He does have a beak full of stale muffin.<br />
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The photos aren't great as magpies are hard to capture with a camera. They are very alert and intelligent so the slightest movement scares them away<br />
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Here are a few Magpie images by various artists for sale at Zazzle <br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/watercolor_magpie_in_bird_animal_collection_poster-228516816831365690?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Watercolor Magpie in Bird, Animal Collection print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/watercolor_magpie_in_bird_animal_collection_poster-r6e8920d445eb45faac65473934c665c3_wad_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/watercolor_magpie_in_bird_animal_collection_poster-228516816831365690?rf=238571156621180172">Watercolor Magpie in Bird, Animal Collection</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172">sell your art</a> online with zazzle.<br />
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I love the pose of this Magpie on the Fence from <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/aquartistic?rf=238571156621180172">aquartistic </a></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/a_magpie_perched_on_a_fence_bag-149618468504026832?gl=aquartistic&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="A Magpie perched on a fence bag" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/a_magpie_perched_on_a_fence_bag-p149618468504026832z8cfw_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/a_magpie_perched_on_a_fence_bag-149618468504026832?gl=aquartistic&rf=238571156621180172">A Magpie perched on a fence</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/aquartistic?rf=238571156621180172">aquartistic</a><br />
View other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/magpie+bags?rf=238571156621180172">Magpie Bags</a><br />
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The colors are beautiful on this one from <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/lemmingsolution?rf=238571156621180172">lemmingsolution</a></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/yellow_billed_magpie_poster-228670136737276299?gl=lemmingsolution&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Yellow Billed Magpie print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/yellow_billed_magpie_poster-r5b3060e03bd34f4c9a4f07a47fd86f47_fe3h_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/yellow_billed_magpie_poster-228670136737276299?gl=lemmingsolution&rf=238571156621180172">Yellow Billed Magpie</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/lemmingsolution?rf=238571156621180172">lemmingsolution</a><br />
Browse <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/yellow+billed+magpie+posters?rf=238571156621180172">Yellow billed magpie Posters</a><br />
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Great bird images for all species available from <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birdorable?rf=238571156621180172">birdorable</a></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_magpie_postcard-239023904963116730?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Cute Magpie postcard" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_magpie_postcard-p239023904963116730f2v_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_magpie_postcard-239023904963116730?rf=238571156621180172">Cute Magpie</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birdorable?rf=238571156621180172">birdorable</a><br />
Create a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/postcards?rf=238571156621180172">full color post card</a> on Zazzle</div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-81705897071606444342011-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:002011-11-07T09:31:17.742-08:00Feeding the Birds<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_chickadee_bird_nature_wildlife_photosculpture-153097420225309589?rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Cute Chickadee Bird, Nature, Wildlife photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_chickadee_bird_nature_wildlife_photosculpture-d153097420225309589ad3_225.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_chickadee_bird_nature_wildlife_photosculpture-153097420225309589?rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/photosculptures?rf=238571156621180172"></a> </div><br />
My husband and I agreed that it was time to stop feeding the birds. I've seen numerous posts on the internet about the increasing cost of bird food. Without expensive seed like Niger, I was mostly feeding sparrows and chickadees, magpies and a few quail and in spring, a duck family.<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_curious_duck_farm_bird_garden_photosculpture-153371434004391097?rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cute Curious Duck, Farm Bird, Garden photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_curious_duck_farm_bird_garden_photosculpture-d153371434004391097ad3_200.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_curious_duck_farm_bird_garden_photosculpture-153371434004391097?rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172"></a> </div><br />
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So last spring, I decided to quit at a time when they could find their own but they never went away. They sat out in the hedge calling and cheeping. What could I do? I had some cereal no one wanted to eat, one of those healthy ones that tastes like bird food. They loved it. Then I had some stale wholegrain bread and healthy muffins with peanut butter, a little bit of oatmeal, stale raisin bran, 9 grain cereal. The magpies came by so I added fat scraps from the ham and leftovers. Nothing like seeing a magpie try to balance on a line with half a muffin in his beak or a couple strings of spaghetti.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/curious_magpie_looking_at_you_humor_bird_photosculpture-153125147816171317?rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Curious Magpie, Looking at you, Humor Bird photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/curious_magpie_looking_at_you_humor_bird_photosculpture-d153125147816171317ad3_325.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/curious_magpie_looking_at_you_humor_bird_photosculpture-153125147816171317?rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/curious+photosculptures?rf=238571156621180172"></a></div>As cold weather arrived, I realized the birds weren't going anywhere so I went to the farm supply and asked what the cheapest edible food they had. The cashier laughed and said chick scratch. She said a lot of people feeding birds were switching since it was cheaper. It's a mixture of chopped corn and wheat, half the price of sunflower seed and with absolutely no waste.<br />
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I've been feeding it for two months now and I think I have every sparrow in the neighborhood including a few song sparrows. The flock of California quail has tripled and I don't think they'd leave the yard except for the neighborhood cat. The magpie family is up to 8 or 9 now and they call if I forget to put it out or sleep in. <br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_chickadee_and_snowman_christmas_winter_birds_photosculpture-153664241571681109?rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cute Chickadee and Snowman, Christmas Winter Birds photosculpture" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cute_chickadee_and_snowman_christmas_winter_birds_photosculpture-d153664241571681109ad3_225.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute_chickadee_and_snowman_christmas_winter_birds_photosculpture-153664241571681109?rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cute+photosculptures?rf=238571156621180172"></a></div><br />
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The good news is I've cut down my cost of feeding the birds to about half and am recycling leftovers tooCarole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-17796287454946909782011-11-05T10:26:00.000-07:002011-11-05T10:26:18.755-07:00Interview with Judy Adamson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeqfo13Z0S61F8TVdovLk_VyAJFTENsF4syBZz485Qs5xBw61MvNrY6oSowl08d9ZPNfR57IwqLPbl2G3bhCN_5-N-nKPN7InkHEfnSB5pK3iJdTKvAWDKAvaU-r0ff1lNwlM0pcRNc_N/s1600/me6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeqfo13Z0S61F8TVdovLk_VyAJFTENsF4syBZz485Qs5xBw61MvNrY6oSowl08d9ZPNfR57IwqLPbl2G3bhCN_5-N-nKPN7InkHEfnSB5pK3iJdTKvAWDKAvaU-r0ff1lNwlM0pcRNc_N/s1600/me6.JPG" /></a></div>Judy interviews artists on her blog all the time but no one had interviewed her. See my last post for more of her images.<br />
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I grew up in the Isle of Wight, which may explain why I love to paint boats, but I’ve lived in various other parts of the UK before moving to Wales, nearly ten years ago. Part of the attraction of living in Wales is the wonderful mountain scenery but I’ve painted the local Meadows more than anything else, and I think this is because I also loved the flat landscape of parts of Norfolk, where I lived previously.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/55th_birthday_card_blue_boats-137750910399519446?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="55th Birthday Card - blue boats card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/55th_birthday_card_blue_boats-p137750910399519446f8a_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/55th_birthday_card_blue_boats-137750910399519446?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birthday+cards?rf=238571156621180172"></a></div><br />
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<b>1.When did you begin to be interested in Art?</b><br />
I grew up with four much older sisters and two older brothers and most of them drew and painted to some extent. So some of my earliest memories are of one of my sisters, who was a schoolteacher, teaching me to read and drawing little pictures to illustrate the letters of the alphabet. Drawing just seemed to be the natural thing to do in my family, though I can’t remember either of my parents drawing.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/burgundy_geraniums_poster_print-228947397080927029?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="'Burgundy Geraniums' Poster/Print print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/burgundy_geraniums_poster_print-rbc0d62bcab864b9c927f40b38d1c59fc_j7un_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/burgundy_geraniums_poster_print-228947397080927029?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/geraniums+posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><br />
<b>2. Has anyone in particular encouraged you?</b><br />
Yes, in fact my mother always encouraged me to draw on any scraps of paper that were to hand. Although there was very little spare money around in such a large family, she bought me some little books that I still have today, one about the Impressionists and one about Renoir. <br />
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My art teacher at the boarding school I attended from 11 – 18 was also very encouraging, though I got my second lowest mark for Art in the exams we took at 16 – I hated drawing balls of string and wilting philadelphus flowers pinned to our drawing boards on a hot summer’s afternoon!<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/16_gloucester_docks_05_size_3_400_dpi_business_card-240772840571234217?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="16. Gloucester Docks 05 Size 3 400 dpi profilecard" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/16_gloucester_docks_05_size_3_400_dpi_business_card-p240772840571234217a7vh_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/16_gloucester_docks_05_size_3_400_dpi_business_card-240772840571234217?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172"></a> </div><b>3. Have you done formal Art Training?</b><br />
No, I’m afraid my mother’s encouragement didn’t stretch that far! I very much wanted to train to be a ‘commercial artist’ but my parents believed that Art Schools were full of ‘Beatniks’ (this was the early Sixties!) so I did a degree in Modern Languages instead.<br />
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I’ve been to various Adult Education classes but the only ones I really benefited from were the Life Drawing class and the Art and Design class at Wensum Lodge, when we lived in Norwich. Even then, it was more the encouraging, free atmosphere, with expert advice on hand, that taught me more than the formal parts of the lessons.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/winters_walk_fine_art_christmas_card-137780910055657439?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="'Winter's Walk' Fine Art Christmas Card card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/winters_walk_fine_art_christmas_card-p137780910055657439f8a_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/winters_walk_fine_art_christmas_card-137780910055657439?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas+cards?rf=238571156621180172"></a></div>4. What is the most important thing you've learned from experience, or other people?<br />
Probably the most important thing is not to worry about my art! I used to fret about whether I was doing it right – because I hadn’t had the Art School training. A neighbour who had trained at the Slade and later taught Art, got sick of me pestering her with questions and told me ‘there ain’t no knitting pattern, gel!’ – she also held some of my watercolour landscapes under a running tap and much improved them!!!!<br />
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<b>5. Who is your favourite artist and why?</b><br />
I’ve loved Cezanne’s work http://www.paul-cezanne.org/ since I was quite young, difficult to say why but it just seemed ‘right’.<br />
More recently I’ve developed a liking for Paul Klee <a href="http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Paul-Klee-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Klee&gclid=CJLqiuTNn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g">http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Paul-Klee-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Klee&gclid=CJLqiuTNn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g</a>, C.R. Mackintosh <a href="http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Rennie-Mackintosh-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Mackintosh&gclid=CIr_ztbQn6wCFYEZ4QodOzpc_">http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Rennie-Mackintosh-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Mackintosh&gclid=CIr_ztbQn6wCFYEZ4QodOzpc_</a> Q Gaugin <a href="http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/paul-gauguin.html/&pid=UK999?gclid=CJyf7vXOn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g%20%20">http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/paul-gauguin.html/&pid=UK999?gclid=CJyf7vXOn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g </a>and Degas <a href="http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/edgar-degas.html&mpos=1003%20">http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/edgar-degas.html&mpos=1003 </a> and when it comes to illustrators, Quentin Blake <a href="http://www.quentinblake.com/%20">http://www.quentinblake.com/ </a> and Ezra Jack Keats <a href="http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/%20">http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ </a> have to be my favourites. On the other hand, there are far too many artists and illustrators whose work I enjoy to give a full list but I find myself still very much drawn to the Impressionists – maybe something to do with those little books my mother bought me when I was still a child?<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/golden_sunflowers_blackberry_curve_case-179744733232201969?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="'Golden Sunflowers' BlackBerry Curve Case casematecase" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/golden_sunflowers_blackberry_curve_case-raf29db1b64af4a4097f2d858fcf56273_a460o_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/golden_sunflowers_blackberry_curve_case-179744733232201969?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/ipodtouchcases?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>6. Do you paint regularly?</b><br />
I try to but it doesn’t always work! Sometimes the need to paint or creating a design overwhelms me and I take time out when I should be doing other things but it also happens the other way around with tedious chores crowding out my painting time. <br />
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Roughly how much time do you spend painting? Nowhere near as much as I would like! I’m often lucky if I can get an afternoon a week – and that’s at the expense of having a social life!<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mountain_scenery_thank_you_notecard-137166588584119249?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mountain Scenery Thank You Notecard card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/mountain_scenery_thank_you_notecard-p1371665885841192497uu_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mountain_scenery_thank_you_notecard-137166588584119249?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/thank+you+cards?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>7. Do you paint fast or slowly and meticulously?</b><br />
When I paint my soft pastel paintings, I work very fast, usually completing one in the time it takes to play a CD – about 45 mins. If I go on longer, I tend to ruin what I’ve done. <br />
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But I’ve had to adapt to working more slowly and meticulously for some of my greeting card designs. For one thing, there’s usually a lot more small-scale detail than in my pastel paintings. But also, there are considerations like waiting for the paint to dry!<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/monmouthshire_garden_poster_or_print-228849820003833581?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monmouthshire Garden Poster or Print print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/monmouthshire_garden_poster_or_print-r3fe9988eb2e345f49cde00089f74ca23_akeyw_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/monmouthshire_garden_poster_or_print-228849820003833581?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/soft+pastel+posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>8. What is your favourite medium?</b><br />
For my own use, soft pastels or oil pastels, both of which I love using because there’s no mixing or changing paintbrushes involved, all of which tends to interrupt my ‘flow’. Recently I’ve enjoyed making ‘painted paper collages’ as greeting card designs. But I am tremendously attracted to other people’s watercolour paintings, especially if they’ve succeeded in achieving a transparent, fluid effect.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/near_abergavenny_castle_print_or_poster-228748176824778926?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Near Abergavenny Castle Print or Poster print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/near_abergavenny_castle_print_or_poster-rc44302bdebf9407f81d3fc3b90431dd9_akanu_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/near_abergavenny_castle_print_or_poster-228748176824778926?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/fine+art+posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>9. What subject matter draws you to paint it?</b><br />
I seem to have painted a lot of landscapes and flowers but it’s more the composition of shapes and colours that attracts me so that could be anything at all, if the composition seems to ‘sit right’ for me.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/great_massingham_norfolk_print_or_poster-228303377042050912?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Great Massingham, Norfolk - Print or Poster. print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/great_massingham_norfolk_print_or_poster-r52ff739793764d9fa3746c3ffc8f2ca4_azxjn_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/great_massingham_norfolk_print_or_poster-228303377042050912?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a> </b></div><b>10. Do you paint from photos, sketches, memory, en plein air?</b><br />
I rarely, if ever, paint ‘en plein air’ these days; my scary encounter with some deer who crept up behind me and tried to eat my watercolour tubes really put me off! So a digital camera has become my sketchbook these days. On the other hand, I do a lot of greeting card designs from my imagination, just using reference photos on the internet to check things like anatomy occasionally, particularly if animals are involved. It’s so easy to think that we all know exactly what a squirrel, for instance, looks like, but when it comes down to it, I need reminders of things like the shape of its head, the position of its ears and so on. Maybe this is because I don’t have a very good visual memory.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bruges_canal_poster_or_print-228992712931416879?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bruges Canal Poster or Print print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/bruges_canal_poster_or_print-rfa2d9bd31ad745ccad822886939226a4_6k9r_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bruges_canal_poster_or_print-228992712931416879?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a> </b></div><b>11. Where do you sell your work?</b><br />
I have sold my original pastel paintings and prints through solo exhibitions in the past. But I think the Art Teacher who told me that I’m a designer rather than a fine artist was right – I’m far more interested in designing greeting cards and using my designs on other products these days. So I sell my greeting cards through Greeting Card Universe,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore"> http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore</a> CardGnome <a href="http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs">http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs</a> and, more recently, SendaSmile, <a href="http://flutterbydesigns.sendasmile.com/">http://flutterbydesigns.sendasmile.com/</a> as well as Zazzle.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://www.zazzle.co.uk/helikettle*"> http://www.zazzle.co.uk/helikettle*</a> I also sell my greeting cards in local shops but getting a price for the printing that makes sense is difficult so I don’t spend too much time on that. A few of my pastel paintings are available as prints on Red Bubble <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/helikettle/portfolio">http://www.redbubble.com/people/helikettle/portfolio</a> and Fine Art America. <a href="http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/judy-adamson.html">http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/judy-adamson.html</a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/great_massingham_norfolk_print_or_poster-228636126442203701?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Great Massingham, Norfolk - Print or Poster. print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/great_massingham_norfolk_print_or_poster-r9c19b1e5293745c5bfd51f12b15ae242_akey6_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
12.How do you feel about parting with your originals when someone buys them?</b><br />
I hate it and feel compelled to make sure that my painting is going to ‘a good home’!<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/path_near_castle_meadows_abergavenny_print-228391894871074947?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Path Near Castle Meadows, Abergavenny Print print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/path_near_castle_meadows_abergavenny_print-rcf7d6b6ce1b24b34aea57a0f2e9f5dd5_0ov7_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/path_near_castle_meadows_abergavenny_print-228391894871074947?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/affiliates?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>13. Do you or have you ever painted to commission?</b><br />
I have occasionally tried to paint things specifically for a friend, such as a painting of their house. But I didn’t enjoy it much. On the other hand, I sometimes find it useful to have a ‘Design Brief’ as a starting point for a greeting card design. How I interpret that brief is sufficient freedom for me and I’m glad of the parameters the brief gives as it gives me something to focus on.<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sugarloaf_mountain_from_abergavenny_wales_poster-228475431231236217?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sugarloaf Mountain from Abergavenny, Wales print" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/sugarloaf_mountain_from_abergavenny_wales_poster-r7b5227389f4347be95ab90ba4e79bdb5_cz16_125.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><b><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sugarloaf_mountain_from_abergavenny_wales_poster-228475431231236217?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"></a><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/mountains+posters?rf=238571156621180172"></a></b></div><b>14. Do you have any particular future plans or projects in mind?</b><br />
Or where do you foresee your artistic journey taking you? I would really love to see my greeting cards sold widely in shops, I don’t have enough time to embark on self-publishing in anything but a very small way, which doesn’t make much sense financially. So the only route open to me would be if a publisher licensed some of my designs. In 2009 I had a ‘near miss’, with the publisher pulling out because of the economic downturn, after several months of keen interest,. I’m planning to create some new designs to submit to publishers after Christmas, not expecting too much as it’s such a highly competitive business and publishers themselves are feeling the pinch. But even if I don’t succeed, I look upon this as a way to keep my designing up to a high standard.</div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-29415114011264964972011-11-04T11:39:00.000-07:002011-11-04T11:39:16.592-07:00Featured Artist - Judy Adamson<b style="color: black;">Judy Adamson</b> was one of the first people I met when I started creating art for Zazzle.<br />
We became friends online and although she lives in Wales we discovered that we had a lot in common. She has encouraged me many times when I was ready to give up and I'm grateful for her friendship.<br />
She features other artists on her blog <a href="http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/">http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/</a> and I would like to repay her kindness by showing you a collection of her beautiful art. <br />
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This is her store at <b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Zazzle</span></b> <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle#">http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle#</a><br />
She also has stores at:<b><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></b><span style="background-color: white;"></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></b><span style="background-color: white;"></span><a href="http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs">http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs</a> <b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Card Gnome</span></b> <b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></b> and<br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Greeting Card Universe</span></b> <a href="http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore?gcu=43752923941&mid=cwu">http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore?gcu=43752923941&mid=cwu</a><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/very_pretty_floral_blackberry_curve_case-179916270170797914?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Very Pretty Floral Blackberry Curve Case casematecase" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/very_pretty_floral_blackberry_curve_case-rffc98c14c51340e1950836d34b25a4d1_a460o_325.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/very_pretty_floral_blackberry_curve_case-179916270170797914?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Very Pretty Floral Blackberry Curve Case</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Make your own <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/samsunggalaxycases?rf=238571156621180172">samsung galaxy cases </a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/65th_birthday_card_red_geraniums-137227701319353555?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="65th Birthday Card - Red Geraniums card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/65th_birthday_card_red_geraniums-p137227701319353555f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/65th_birthday_card_red_geraniums-137227701319353555?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">65th Birthday Card - Red Geraniums</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Browse other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birthday+cards?rf=238571156621180172">Birthday Cards</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sweet_pea_ringer_mug-168961316849695746?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Sweet Pea Ringer Mug mug" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/sweet_pea_ringer_mug-p168961316849695746zvan3_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sweet_pea_ringer_mug-168961316849695746?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Sweet Pea Ringer Mug</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
See more <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/ringer+mugs?rf=238571156621180172">Ringer Mugs</a></div><br />
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She also does wonderful character paintings<br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/gone_fishin_white_t_shirt-235426185415566801?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Gone fishin' White T-shirt shirt" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/gone_fishin_white_t_shirt-p235426185415566801z7tkx_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/gone_fishin_white_t_shirt-235426185415566801?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Gone fishin' White T-shirt</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Browse other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/tshirts?rf=238571156621180172">t-shirt designs</a> made on zazzle.com</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/the_life_in_your_years_birthday_card_for_a_man-137258219669626233?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img a="" alt="" birthday="" card"="" card="" for="" in="" life="" man="" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/the_life_in_your_years_birthday_card_for_a_man-p137258219669626233y3_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" the="" years"="" your="" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/the_life_in_your_years_birthday_card_for_a_man-137258219669626233?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">"The Life in Your Years" Birthday Card for a Man</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Learn <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172">how to make money as an artist online</a> at Zazzle.</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/red_hats_birthday_card-137712685231302032?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="'Red Hats' Birthday Card card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/red_hats_birthday_card-p137712685231302032f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/red_hats_birthday_card-137712685231302032?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">'Red Hats' Birthday Card</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Join Zazzle.com's <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/affiliates?rf=238571156621180172">greeting card affiliate program</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/good_luck_well_miss_you_card-137910230170505118?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="'Good Luck, We'll Miss You!' Card card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/good_luck_well_miss_you_card-p137910230170505118f8a_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/good_luck_well_miss_you_card-137910230170505118?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">'Good Luck, We'll Miss You!' Card</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
View other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/good+luck+cards?rf=238571156621180172">Good luck Cards</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/toddler_t_shirt_with_chinese_dragon_and_lantern-235145110468798758?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Toddler T-shirt with Chinese Dragon and Lantern shirt" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/toddler_t_shirt_with_chinese_dragon_and_lantern-p235145110468798758zz87e_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/toddler_t_shirt_with_chinese_dragon_and_lantern-235145110468798758?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Toddler T-shirt with Chinese Dragon and Lantern</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Become a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/affiliates?rf=238571156621180172">shirt affiliate</a> at zazzle.com</div><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cat_notecard_just_to_say-137420330649121208?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Cat Notecard - Just to say... card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/cat_notecard_just_to_say-p1374203306491212087uu_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cat_notecard_just_to_say-137420330649121208?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Cat Notecard - Just to say...</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
More <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cat+cards?rf=238571156621180172">Cat Cards</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/foal_birthday_card-137866905833474526?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="'Foal' Birthday Card card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/foal_birthday_card-p137866905833474526f8a_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/foal_birthday_card-137866905833474526?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">'Foal' Birthday Card</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Join one of the biggest <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell?rf=238571156621180172">artist affiliate programs</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birthday_card_for_a_grandpa_algarve_fishing_boat-137638783985379326?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Birthday Card for a Grandpa - Algarve Fishing Boat card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/birthday_card_for_a_grandpa_algarve_fishing_boat-p137638783985379326f42_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/birthday_card_for_a_grandpa_algarve_fishing_boat-137638783985379326?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Birthday Card for a Grandpa - Algarve Fishing Boat</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
See other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/cards?rf=238571156621180172">greeting card templates</a> on zazzle.com</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/50th_birthday_card_evening_in_the_meadows-137323330722449154?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="50th Birthday Card - Evening in the Meadows card" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/50th_birthday_card_evening_in_the_meadows-p137323330722449154f8a_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/50th_birthday_card_evening_in_the_meadows-137323330722449154?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">50th Birthday Card - Evening in the Meadows</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Create a <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/notecards?rf=238571156621180172">notecard template</a> at zazzle</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/magnet_with_quote-147200733547447938?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Magnet with Quote magnet" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/magnet_with_quote-p14720073354744793828r_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/magnet_with_quote-147200733547447938?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Magnet with Quote</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Browse <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/woman+magnets?rf=238571156621180172">Woman Magnets</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/poppies_magnet_friendship-147023645904094008?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Poppies Magnet - Friendship magnet" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/poppies_magnet_friendship-p14702364590409400828r_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/poppies_magnet_friendship-147023645904094008?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Poppies Magnet - Friendship</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
Start <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172">selling my art</a> online with zazzle.</div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/george_eliot_quote_bookmark_business_card-240666246896608380?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="George Eliot Quote Bookmark profilecard" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/george_eliot_quote_bookmark_business_card-p240666246896608380zwl1m_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/george_eliot_quote_bookmark_business_card-240666246896608380?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">George Eliot Quote Bookmark</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
View other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/bookmark+businesscards?rf=238571156621180172">Bookmark Business Cards</a></div><div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/magnet_retirement-147612066363369072?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Magnet Retirement magnet" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/magnet_retirement-p14761206636336907228r_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
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Join Zazzle.com's <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell?rf=238571156621180172">artist affiliate program</a></div><div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas_angels_card-137992825260023643?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/christmas_angels_card-p137992825260023643f8a_325.jpg" alt="Christmas Angels Card card" style="border:0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/christmas_angels_card-137992825260023643?gl=helikettle&rf=238571156621180172">Christmas Angels Card</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle?rf=238571156621180172">helikettle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/greetingcards?rf=238571156621180172">Create a greeting card</a> online</div><br />
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<div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is just a small sample of the many hundreds of items available by this incredibly versatile artist.</b></span></div><br />
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.Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-36383226834369223752011-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:002011-10-22T10:38:58.614-07:00A True Halloween Horror Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1WpQztlRS-kNleSVsfTADCpY2Q_kR9Kjv7e7tT8lUb01t3mVx4xTyzUSEK5RvOdDOJg5cpn158wsoo847XTfQiyr6DHlorPjt-By1vVllDMsNVBw6H-b7rAo2bvk4Xuh-kPhEu6lvgqW/s1600/bittersweet+pumpkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1WpQztlRS-kNleSVsfTADCpY2Q_kR9Kjv7e7tT8lUb01t3mVx4xTyzUSEK5RvOdDOJg5cpn158wsoo847XTfQiyr6DHlorPjt-By1vVllDMsNVBw6H-b7rAo2bvk4Xuh-kPhEu6lvgqW/s320/bittersweet+pumpkin.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
While reading Fiona's beautiful blog <a href="http://raindropsanddaisys.blogspot.com/">http://raindropsanddaisys.blogspot.com/ </a> I spotted a plant with an orange berry that I have been trying to name for a while. I did a search on Google and found a perfect Halloween horror story. <br />
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Oriental Bittersweet, often used to decorate at Halloween is a true horror story. It was originally introduced into the USA in 1860 as a more robust replacement for the native American Bittersweet. <br />
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Often planted under a tree, it engulfs the poor thing by wrapping so tightly around, that it strangles them. At the same time, the vine's massive crown of leaves shades its host and robs the plant of light. If the tree isn't dead from lack of light and being closed off from food and water, the vine grows so huge its weight will eventually topple a smaller tree. It's berries are much brighter red making it more attractive to birds so they will choose them over the American Bittersweet and then spread the plant when they drop the seed usually while sitting on a tree branch therefore dooming another tree to certain death. Unfortunately, because of it's beauty, it is still being planted.<br />
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Here's an image of it from CarolsCamera on Zazzle. She got a good close up of it. <br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.ca/bittersweet_vine_berries_items_postcard-239164344806317799?gl=CarolsCamera&rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Bittersweet Vine Berries Items postcard" src="http://rlv.zcache.ca/bittersweet_vine_berries_items_postcard-p239164344806317799f2v_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.ca/bittersweet_vine_berries_items_postcard-239164344806317799?gl=CarolsCamera&rf=238571156621180172">Bittersweet Vine Berries Items</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.ca/carolscamera?rf=238571156621180172">CarolsCamera</a><br />
Create a <a href="http://www.zazzle.ca/custom/postcards?rf=238571156621180172">full color post card</a> on Zazzle</div><br />
Once I recognized it I was surprised to remember that even I thought it was pretty and had used it in a painting from last year <br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/black_capped_chickadee_bird_sticker-217279488388323759?rf=238571156621180172" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Black Capped Chickadee Bird sticker" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/black_capped_chickadee_bird_sticker-p217279488388323759f9j_325.jpg" style="border: 0pt none;" /></a></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/black_capped_chickadee_bittersweet_fridge_magnet-147745054692249490?rf=238571156621180172"><img alt="Black Capped Chickadee, Bittersweet, Fridge Magnet magnet" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/black_capped_chickadee_bittersweet_fridge_magnet-p147745054692249490f96_325.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/black_capped_chickadee_bittersweet_fridge_magnet-147745054692249490?rf=238571156621180172">Black Capped Chickadee, Bittersweet, Fridge Magnet</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.zazzle.com/sell/designers?rf=238571156621180172">Sell art</a> online at Zazzle.</div><br />
The pumpkin image above is from www.stylehive.com <br />
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</div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608878937598033798.post-30788596213404783352011-10-18T08:24:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:00:51.806-07:00Autumn Chickadees & OwlsThanks to Jean at <a href="http://jean-livingsimple.blogspot.com/">http://jean-livingsimple.blogspot.com/</a> I have been enjoying the contest <a href="https://apps.facebook.com/birdingthenet/">https://apps.facebook.com/birdingthenet/</a> to find birds. It's great fun but not too conducive to getting work done.<br /><br />We've finally had enough cold weather to turn the leaves in some areas and I still haven't had any luck getting out to view nature so I have no photos just some Autumn art:<br /><br /><div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_tile-227607772290369505?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_tile-r991f94d223314c029c86a8bb7f9a782c_agtk1_325.jpg" alt="Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird tile" style="border:0;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_tile-227607772290369505?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172">Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />Shop for another <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/giftboxes?rf=238571156621180172">gift box</a><br />Who doesn't love a Chickadee?<br /> <div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_case-179949757801694271?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_case-ra42c5dd8328b45d990a597827df542b5_a460y_325.jpg" alt="Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird casematecase" style="border:0;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_chickadee_bird_case-179949757801694271?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172">Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />Design your own <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/iphonecases?rf=238571156621180172%20">iphone cases </a></div><br /><br />Or an owl<br /> <div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_owl_bird_case-179446140288383433?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_owl_bird_case-r8daf4af02e6a4f03ab5d677a6ec92138_a460y_325.jpg" alt="Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Owl, Bird casematecase" style="border:0;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_fall_watercolor_owl_bird_case-179446140288383433?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172">Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Owl, Bird</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />View other <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/ipod+touch+cases?rf=238571156621180172">ipod touch cases</a></div><br /> <div style="text-align:center;line-height:150%"><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_foliage_watercolor_owl_wildlife_tile-227810591065057923?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172"><img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/autumn_foliage_watercolor_owl_wildlife_tile-r9dccd4d34bda4d8bb5febec53ecfb6ab_agtk1_325.jpg" alt="Autumn Foliage, Watercolor Owl, Wildlife tile" style="border:0;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.zazzle.com/autumn_foliage_watercolor_owl_wildlife_tile-227810591065057923?gl=countrymousestudio&rf=238571156621180172">Autumn Foliage, Watercolor Owl, Wildlife</a> by <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/countrymousestudio*">countrymousestudio</a><br />Design your own <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/custom/tiles?rf=238571156621180172">photo tile</a> on Zazzle.</div><br /></div>Carole Barketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18068078540295273489noreply@blogger.com9