Christmas Season Snapshots

Christmas Card Project

I think that for many of us, December goes by at Warp Factor 7...  it seems like yesterday I was making my Christmas cards in a leisurely fashion, feeling I had all the time in the world...  and suddenly I was realizing that I needed to cut those cards post haste and get them in the mail!  And the packages!  And open an Etsy store!  And..   and..  and..  and so it goes.

Front Porch Decorations

Daughter Shoots the Ice

Today, I am reflecting back on all the fun visits I (we) had, the gatherings, and the expeditions across rare sheets of fast-forming lake ice that provided so much artistic fodder for me and my daughter both.  AND, we took many of those photographs together, which makes it even better.

Ethyl and I focus on our work

The ice formations were so remarkable this year, I devoted several afternoons to taking photographs.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves as I include a few here...

Hoar Frost and Bubbles

Photo taken by Daughter

I could post many many more of these types of photographs taken on Little Lake east of town here...  I will be using these in future art quilts and can't wait to get started - right after I finish a commission or two!  Many thanks to photographer Joy Hamilton for the fun photo of me and Ethyl "on ice".  Please click on the link to view the many fine photographs that Joy and her husband Howard take all over the West.  Their website is worth a visit.

I cannot resist adding another ice shot or two - these are from Big Payette Lake.  My Little Family and I were walking along the shores of Ponderosa State Park yesterday afternoon and we could see that the ice had just frozen within the last day or two.

Trapped Lake Trout

This lovely 12" lake trout found itself trapped between the sandy lake bottom and an icy ceiling.  After I took a few photographs, I stomped on the ice behind the fish and coaxed it along until it swam out into deeper waters.

Frozen Wave

Last, but certainly not least, I spent part of December creating a new hand and face cream called "Backyard Rose" made with rose water I distill myself from Idaho wild roses, rose essential oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil and thickened with beeswax.  It's fragrant, but lightly so, as I do not add any fragrance - all you smell is the rose water and rose essential oil!  I've already heard back from several customers and one comment was:  This is the nicest thing I've ever used on my face - my skin finally feels hydrated!  My other Thea's Bee Beautiful project was to reformulate my popular Gardener's Healing Hand and Body Cream.  The result yields the same great cream for hard working hands, but in a much lighter cream that sinks readily into your hands so you can get back to work faster!  I'm working on my ETSY store to make these and all my other products readily available.  It just takes so long to create all those pages, as anyone who has an ETSY store front knows...  and like most artists, I am happier making things than writing about it.  So...  it will be soon!

Backyard Rose 2 oz. and 1/2 oz.

Gardener's Healing Hand & Body Cream in 6, 2, and 1/2 oz.

Rose Cream in Jars

Wishing Everyone a very Happy New Year!!

Recovery Ramblings

October Crabapple

Yes, I'm afraid so.  Can you believe this is the same cheerful crabapple I photographed in my last post?  This is the early morning scene off my back porch.  Checking my journals from previous years, this is a mite early for a sticking snow even for us.  Hunters and skiers are jumping for joy.  Me... well, I'm sure this is a passing anomaly and I'm so close to real studio time...

I am one week post-op today and, though frequently tired, am doing extremely well.  My "swelly belly" is slowly diminishing and as of yesterday, I can walk upright without too much mincing.  I was feeling and looking like Yoda there for awhile, but I rapidly improve and am enjoying catching up on a few things that are couch friendly...  like FINALLY putting those 1998 pictures of my trip to visit my sister who happened to live in France at the time in a photo album.  With narration.  Of course.  Words, words, words, I love and live for words.  I think about them all the time.  Running narratives populate my mind constantly.  I was writing this blog in my shower this morning while gazing out the bathroom window which has returned to it's winter state of reflecting dappled gray and silver light.  See what I mean?

Oh Happy Day

My good recovery is aided greatly by my wonderful friends and family who have sent care packages, brought meals, and dropped by to visit.  Thank you thank you.  One such friend drove my car (and me) out to the woods on Monday where she sat me in this chair and took my picture then went off to harvest Valerian.  I was in heaven even without my book..

Cousin Jon:  If you are reading this from your fancy phone and you are still in Michigan, would you please pick up a Petosky stone for me?  I lost my brown paper sack of them when I moved from there to here years ago and it has always grieved me.  Thanks!