Madder Than An Old Wet Hen

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Do old hens really get ticked off when they get wet? Can't say I know that for a fact. But, this hawk—busy shaking out his still damp feathers from the rain the day before—appeared impatient and  hungry. A rough morning for field mice near our back yard.

Another weekend test

Here I am stubbornly trying something else. Like a dog with a bone.

More Experimenting

I am interested in connecting a picture in Blogger to a photo in my Smugmug galleries. If this does not work, please ignore me while I fumble and stumble about in here. Too bad I am slow as molasses with these matters.

What link you are asking. Funny. That is exactly the question I was asking. I pasted it in but you would never know it. Oh well, maybe another day I will come back ton this and figure it out. Just not real soon.

Snow on the Tomato War Battlefield

We had our first snowfall yesterday. It was a mere dusting, but a clear death knell for our lovely Autumn. It certainly was a far cry from the days of "The Great Tomato Wars of August".

Back then, I wrote about The Husband's tomato plants and the critters that were munching on the fruit. In spite of the caterpillars and ground squirrels, many of the tomatoes survived. The Husband continues to enjoy the bounty of his labors. While I can no longer eat tomatoes, I have enjoyed watching him reap the rewards of his labor. I am not certain he will put in the effort again next year; but, he certainly feels that it was worth fighting off the marauding enemies this year. My pleasure is doubled by the sight of the last of the red beauties still decorating the kitchen island.

Overdue Answers on Art Show Adventures

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A while back, Ken asked which pieces of work sold in the recent art shows and here I am finally getting around to the answer. Ken has probably forgotten why he cared to ask, but he is going to get an answer—just not all in one post.

The piece above pre-sold the second show. (I had a couple of prints displayed at the venue as a preview of the show.) Printed on metallic paper, that background was a shimmering gold and made for a piece that was eye-catching. During the first show, I sold two pieces and I could have sworn that I had already posted one of them, "Blue Horse Dreaming"; but, I was dead wrong. The third piece is very new. I will post both of those over the next few days.

About the same time Ken asked his question, PJ asked if I planned to write a bit more about my experience with art shows. Frankly, I hadn't planned to since my experience is extremely limited. But, I have no pride. I will reveal how little I know. I have not pursued juried shows, nor have I submitted to prestigious galleries. Mostly because I am a hard-core realist and recognize that my work doesn't exactly fall in line with what is hot these days. (And maybe because I am chicken.) My work  embodies the opposite of edgy and I have visited enough of the galleries in Los Angeles to see that my work does not come close to fitting in any of those venues. Although they might be the logical market for me, the type of outdoor art shows often done in parks would be far too rigorous an undertaking for me. The galleries in the nearest town are really co-ops. The artists pay for their space along with a commission to the gallery owners.

Both my partner and I felt that the gallery/co-ops weren't our cup of tea. My problem is that the bottom line costs pretty much go through the roof with that arrangement. Most of all, I know myself well enough to know that the predictability of First Friday every month would become routine for me and wear thin. Being in the same place month after month would cease to be fun and stimulating for me. Yes, I am undisciplined in some matters; but, at least,I have learned to face my quirks and work with them.

Although we weren't interested in pursuing the other local opportunities,  neither did the once-a-year Cultural Arts Spring Art Show satisfy our appetites. Ultimately, we decided to make our own opportunities. I am okay with having sold three pieces in three days of shows. My prices are reasonable (I think), but I definitely don't sell myself short. I figure my costs—minus labor, unfortunately, then multiply for a mark-up. I love sharing my work and want it to be accessible; but I am not going to pay people to take my work home with them.

As I had already mentioned, our operation is unsophisticated and not a high profit venture. Hmm. Sounds like me. I have never been in a high-profit business and unsophisticated certainly fits me, as well as the area we live in. In another location, I might do things differently. Who knows? So far, our venture has turned out well. Our "What's-next situation?" suits me. At least for now.

Jumping the Line

I have other posts that I have been trying to add here, but they have to be completed at the desktop. Instead, I am taking the easy way out and getting it all done from the iPad. I have worked on some photos that had been synced from the desktop; but, with the end of flowers in sight, I succumbed once again to the temptation to use the iPad as a camera. (Ove, no one was watching—made sure I was home alone.)

We have a hard freeze, as well as some rain, coming starting Thursday night. Perhaps that's why flowers are on my mind. It appears that The Husband's pots have one more day to enjoy the beautiful balmy fall weather we have been enjoying before the axe of winter falls. Of course this photo was done indoors and these are dried flowers. What can I say?


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Uh,Oh! Caught in a Filterstorm and Found Snapseed

I started experimenting with photo editing apps and what a keen distraction from real work and an excellent way to avoid deadlines. The truth is that I still have hopes of being able to do a bit of travel and, at least on some occasions, I would love to join the crowd that travels light.

The photo above was taken with the iPad—not my idea of a practical camera. Still, it provided sufficient material to keep me glued to the screen for an absurd amount of time stumbling about in the two new-to-me programs. The Husband is off on an endurance ride, leaving me here to get into all sorts of trouble.

I have another reason for wanting to do some photo processing on the iPad. Some days—many days—I do too much and have to park in the rocking chair for a good time before I am functional again. Once I can take full advantage of the editing capabilities (I may not have any hair left by then),I can both rest and feel somewhat productive. That is the sort of plan that suits me.

Of course, sigh, this means that I will be ordering the adapter cable so I can use a much more user-friendly camera. You would think that with the bucks paid for the iPad the darned adapter would be included. That Steve Jobs was no fool. A smart capitalist out for as many bucks as possible. Oh, well, shelling out the money will buy me lots of hours of entertainment. I am a confirmed capitalist myself and know I won't regret the purchase. Here’s to Steve and to many happy hours in the rocking chair!

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No New Address

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Someone new to my blog might deduce that I live either in a horse barn or somewhere on Highway 58. Nope. I haven't moved. No pun intended there. Calling what I feel "restless" would be a disservice to the English language. At least, I can find a small silver lining. Whenever I can sit at the computer, I do spend time combing through old folders for those files that I passed over for one reason, or another. I am clinging to that old wisdom (or is it wishful thinking): "When one door closes, another opens." Heck, I am up for testing the windows at this point!

Looking forward to the next small show in the teeming community of the Tehachapi Valley, I have purchased some metal easels through Amazon. they are sufficient for my needs, but gee, could they only find beginner welders? Not ready for prime time. Another two easels that The Husband picked for me when he was in LA will have to be returned. They are too heavy for me to handle. It is difficult for him—or anyone else—to imagine how little weight I can muscle around.

Since the latest two purchases are a bust, I am reluctantly returning to the Internet solution. The easels are to help me be more independent with my little art show obsession, and I am still a couple short. I have a little time to research, but burn out pretty quickly shopping online. Let's face it. I burn out quickly with any sort of shopping. It is a nasty chore.

Painful Admissions

Probably because I always over-valued my independence and dependability, this is painful for me and frustrating. Recently I have not been able to keep up my blog, nor have I been able to keep up with fellow bloggers. My back pain has come back with a vengeance and I have to take a lot of pain killers to function at all. They are just over the counter stuff—the heavy duty drugs knock me for a loop and my system rebels. Nevertheless, even the lightweight drugs leave me a bit fuzzy-headed and lethargic after a bit. I got through both shows in decent condition, but maybe I pushed too much. At any rate, I have been in rough shape.

This is not what I want to be talking about. It is so boring it makes my teeth hurt, but what is more painful is having friends think I am so caught up in myself that I have no interest in what they are writing about and the images they are sharing. I have hopes that my back will settle down. I have tried some remedies lately-all of which backfired, big time, but I remain hopeful.

I shall return! Meanwhile, I will stay in touch as best I can and am determined that this week I will at least be able to get out on the web more to see what everyone else is up to.