Weekend Snapshots
After so many gloomy days, we deserved the beautiful weather the weekend brought. Here are a few of my weekend snapshots. This year's only Pink Lupine in the morning dew. A critter's eye view of White Columbine (I think!) Purple Lupine framed by my...
A Lunchtime Beach Walk
It's been a cloudy and cool June. I stopped waiting for the rain to go away and chanced a visit to the beach. An unscheduled outing, once there Hannah and I both realized how much we needed the meditative calm of the ocean. Mist rolled across the...
Family Treasures Re-imagined
I'm learning that when a loved one dies, there's a stage of needing to hold on to their belongings - as if having those items close somehow strengthens our connection to them. I am finding this true with my mom. There are keepsakes she wanted me to...
Unexpected Gifts
Mom passed away two months ago, on March 17th. Today I received a gift from her - something ordered months ago before we knew cancer would rule the rest of her days. Shopping was mom's favorite way to care for those she loved. Unexpected boxes...
The Winsome Nashville Warbler
My creative mojo has been hard to find lately. Maybe starting with something relatively easy will help me get my groove back. A Nashville Warbler has been popping up in the sound recordings on my Merlin app this spring. Here he is in felt. I hope...
Just Another Day
I love where I live - my little spot in the woods. Even better are the days I can work from home, like today. When letting Gidget out this morning, I startled a turkey noodling about in my weedy flower bed. Gazing out the window while pouring my...
Windbells
Mom became ill in November 2021. She put off seeing a doctor for a bit, and when she did, the doctor took a wait-and-see approach. By Christmas week 2021, she was in the hospital for fluids and tests. Seven hundred miles away here in Maine, it was...
A New View
This fir tree has brought lots of joy to our home. Shade. A place for birds to rest and frolic. Home to a squirrel family. However, it's been years since it's looked healthy. An oak sprouted in the shadow of the fir and has been growing strong....
Blustery April Beach Walk
It's been over three months since my last beach walk, with the better part of February and March spent in Pennsylvania.While in suburbia PA, I felt oddly disconnected from nature. Today, I relished this interlude at the beach, sitting on the rocks,...
Mom
We first understood that my mom was seriously ill on Christmas Eve, 2021. In 2022 she experienced two hospital stays – one very long after which they sent her home without hope. Two months later, in March, during one of my frequent visits to...
The Blazing Blackburnian Warbler
Sitting here with my mom on a Saturday afternoon in Pennsylvania, I started exploring birds common to the area. Most of them I have already designed. The Blackburnian Warbler caught my attention - a bird who visits Maine in the summer. Click below...
Sixty-three Years
My mom and dad. February 27th was their anniversary. Here's what 63 years of marriage looks like. Keep scrolling. 😊
The Darling White-tailed Deer
The White-tailed deer first appeared in my latest pattern book, Animals of the Northeast. Leave the antlers off, and it's a doe to go along with my White-tailed Fawn. Enjoy! Enjoy the free download below – or purchase the White-tailed Deer felt kit...
Flying the Coop!
I'm taking off to spend some time with my family in Pennsylvania. If you plan on ordering, please do so by Thursday evening, February 9th. I'll be closing the shop for a bit after that. Thanks! https://www.downeastthunderfarm.com/shop/
The Secretive Gray Fox
First introduced in my book Downeast Thunder Farm Animals of the Northeast here is my Secretive Gray Fox pattern. I've only spied red fox on the farm here but the gray is abundant in southern and mid-coast Maine - and throughout much of the United...
A Weekend Window into the Woods
In the winter, my favorite spot for morning coffee is by the northern-facing facing window in the living room. I typically have my camera at the ready and take more photos than I ever share. I love capturing the birds in the trees waiting for their...
Oven Woes
Wednesday is a work-from-home day, so I got up early this morning and mixed up a batch of pineapple carrot muffins with pecans. I didn't think anything of it when the oven came up to temperature unusually quick. I popped the muffins in and then...
Wrapping Up Christmas
One month into official winter, it looks more like Christmas than ever. Ice and sleet last weekend and five inches of snow this weekend. The snow makes a beautiful landscape with the soft winter light. The pond pictured above is frozen over once...
Minimalist Chickadee
For Christmas, I received the book "Beguiled By The Wild" by Charley Harper from Hannah. About his style of painting, Charley Harper coined it "minimal realism." He said, "Instead of trying to put everything in when I paint, I try to leave...
First Winter Walk in the Woods
I've felt oddly disconnected from nature lately - likely due to the colder weather and my schedule keeping me indoors. With the storm debris blocking our road gone, and the electricity finally back on, Hannah and I headed out for a rare walk in the...
Christmas Morning Without Power
Christmas morning 2022 is our second morning without power. Our generator operates one outlet in the kitchen, so it's a constant rotation of plugging in what's most important. The coffee maker. The internet. The toaster. The instapot. And this...
Merry Christmas!
It's a bit of an adventure this Christmas Eve. The house is clean. Presents are wrapped. I've got a plan for the holiday menu. All is on track for a happy Christmas. There's just one little bump in the road. We lost power around 11 pm last evening,...
Early Morning Snow
early morning snowfalling softly on the pondbrings wonder to me
Joyful Owl Tree Topper
It's been a stressful year with mom's health challenges, feeling overwhelmed with work, job changes, and Hannah moving home (exciting things on that front coming), to name a few. I've felt less spunky, less resilient than normal. For the first time...
Christmas Cats and Dogs
These little cats and dogs have kept me busy in the evenings - the perfect project to help keep me awake during TV-time. I plan to use these as little extras tied to Christmas packages. The cat design was inspired by a Pinterest picture from this...
