Today is the Day....

It's my birthday, I'm 58 years old...a few times, in this past month or so I thought about only two more years and I'll be 60..Wow!....so it's a fantastic day so far.   My morning is with Morning pages by the kitchen window with a light steady rain...birds still coming to the feeder.  I've been delighted with the next generation of Harrier woodpeckers and Downey's they look alike but the Hairiers are bigger. Not sure I spelled that right..but you got the idea.  I have plans on going to a gong session tonight too..so with the Drumming on Monday and Gong bath...I'm giving myself great self care.

My oldest Daughter made me the mouse...was a fox pattern but she created the mouse..dress and sweater with a small braided tail...so cool.

I've been showered with Gifts today...My mother in law knows I use candles a lot especially in the morning hours before everyone wakes up...I sit and spill my words on the page of my journals with a good cup of cheap Aldi's coffee by candle light...thanks so much Mom. 

Had my book club today and shared some more of the Strawberry nut bread I made and was gifted with some wonderful cards...my heart is so warm. 

The mail just came and a dear friend from way back sent me this book...loved all that you wrote in there too Lorraine.  

and tonight I will be seeing another friend from my past...Flashbacks Can't wait...

 This morning before the day got really going I walked in the woods...Back to Nature is so awesome, I've been walking the neighborhood with the dogs and busy doing yard work that being in the woods was left out...so when I got out there I honestly felt like I was among friends and how I missed everyone.   Small Oak tree, in the red oak family...round tips..small not even two feet big...hope he makes it.

 The Path...which way?  Well I do the left most days... and head up the hill..

 My favorite flower the Daisy... didn't pick them just love to see them fill a field.

 Perfect straight line...must have been lightening on this tree...always think it's a cool thing to see.

 The way the water moved the pea gravel around zig zagging...interesting.

 Around one bend to an area close to the pond...There are these Cottonwoods, something about them that I so enjoy being around.

And Lastly a Georgia O'Keeffe moment looking up at the big Oak trees...it is way of righting you place on this planet...so big and one so small. 

And to my Husband who always gets me...Thank you  

Thoughts Woven, Exhibit at Tall Grass Art Association

 My Long Walking Tales won a second place...

 Humble Experience behind me..

 This is my favorite image of the night...husband and daughter looking at Wife works...

 Had to share a bit about the work....

 for those that haven't been to this Gallery space...it's awesome.

Along with a placement award I sold Three Crows...it seems to always happen when you least expect it...I'm in awe of the evening the collage work and the little surprises.

Looking at the tipi's I've painted

We live across the way from a cattail basin, got to love a good bunch of cattails 

Crow on the door with my jumping mice.   

 Sandhill cranes that fly over the house twice a year,

this is at the base of the tipi.

 I do like coyotes and here is one in the middle of  the back of the tipi. This was Jan 2015 

Early Spring  I have some cedar chips down there to make it smell nice. this tipi was a few years old and I had to clean it before I painted it...I got it in 2013 I think...and painted in 2015.

tipi poles and prayer flags...during the down time 

 Jan 2017 at Naperville Art League...I folded up the tables and layed out the tipi to trace the images with the stencils I made.

 Crawling around on my hands and knee...I was on sore persons afterwards.

 Paint was in the studio...small compared to the size of the tipi.. Had to use a weight to hold the canvas in place.

 I used lots of color for this one and had lots of feathers.

 Blue sky with lost of clouds..

 Door with the crow on it of course.

 Finished door

I do miss this one...the lay out was good and well it didn't weather well...the decaying of the material went fast...I don't understand but we had a very humid warm season.

Had to put up new rope last Year 

 Prepared the tipi for travel to Mayslake to lay out and stencil the images on.

 Mayslake, stretch out the tipi...took me about 5 hours or less to do this.

 New and old colors for past years...House paint was used.

 Using photo's of my stacking rocks that I created in Door County Wisconsin..

 A variety of stencils were made of the Stacking rocks.

 Painted a Blue heron on the back with a bison too.

 Painted in my one daughters old room.

 Sand Hill Cranes were painted on but bigger then the last time.

 The base is a light periwinkle...I was really attracted to that color.

 From the back Yard look toward the house.

 Peeking through the patio section at the tipi...

Randy took a picture of Hank, Gracie and I from the studio deck.

 Fresh photos from this afternoon.

 Inside you can see, I've got to get some light in there for the evening drumming session soon.

 Look at the sky behind with the blue peek through the clouds...awesome.  And the storm bells there ringing today...we have some wind kicking up.

 You can see the sandhill cranes and the stacking rocks with the coyotes and the jumping mice.

 Four crows for the four children we have.

 The Great blue Heron and the bison with the feathers.

A little different this year but I'm happy with it.  Project is done.   I was going to put it up without painting it but the husband said no you should paint it...  I would have to say out of the three the second one I liked best...but the all have special mean painted into them.