A Passing Snow Squall
It was a balmy 32 degrees Downeast today - a most welcome change from the sub zero temps that have lingered. Traveling the roads the past few days has been harrowing. Snow on top of ice is never fun. Today, rich with sunshine, gave the crews a...
A Season’s End
As has become our tradition as the Christmas season ends, our Charlie Brown tree has another chance to bring a bit more joy. Hannah helped me bring it outdoors - strategically placed outside one of the living room windows. I dipped apple slices...
Snow Day Aftermath
Plan for the worst and hope for the best. That's what we were thinking going into this snow storm. At moments it was wild with blizzardy snow whipping around. The wildlife was a bit nervous gathering food while they could. I haven't seen...
I Love a Good Snow Day
Bombogenesis. The word alone sounds ominous. The forecast is enough to have us all planning for a snow day tomorrow. We've had storms with more snow accumulation than is expected with this one, but hurricane force winds along with heavy snow and an...
The Benevolent Blue Whale
Whale number two in my whale series is the Benevolent Blue Whale, designed with love for my new nephew. He's too young to appreciate them, but I'm having fun designing them for him. I hope you have fun with him! [sdm_download id="30291" fancy="0"...
The Wondrous Sperm Whale
When I learned that my new nephew's bedroom was being decorated with whales, I went to work designing them. If you've been visiting for a while, you know that I prefer to design realistic looking ornaments. And while I tried to do this for the...
Treasures
Just yesterday I talked about family treasures. Today I have been gifted with new treasures. A couple of years ago Paul and I took a class on carving and printmaking. He put those skills to use in his gift for me this Christmas. He created this...
Merry Christmas
All is right in my world today. Hannah is home from college. We sit snuggled on the sofa enjoying an afternoon of Patriot's football. Cookies are baked. A Christmas eve dinner of yummy appetizers is underway. I've got a puppy warming my feet. It's...
A Late Start on Christmas
This year has been a rush to plan for Christmas. With Hannah away at college, I had no interest in searching for a tree on my own. Last weekend I made the trip to Ohio run to bring her home for the holidays. With just days to go, Hannah and I made...
Eagles on a Snowy Afternoon
I spied this bald eagle perched over the river today and paused for a photo. And then there were two. It's so good to be back in Maine where the traffic is slow - it doesn't matter if I stop the car in the middle of the road for a photo...
Christmas Red
As I was cruising about Downeast this week, I couldn't help but notice the pops of red in the landscape. The snow created a wonderful backdrop for this winter berry tree. And the winter berry shrubs that tend to grow along the highway. A red...
Felt Christmas Stocking from Downeast Thunder Farm
I've wanted to find another way to use my felt birds for the holiday. I created this Christmas stocking just big enough to feature an owl and to tuck a few goodies inside. The possibilities are endless. Use a wool or wool-blend felt for a sturdy...
The Season’s First Snow
It's official. We're in winter mode. This was the sight greeting us this morning. We spent yesterday procrastinating, only moving into winter prep when the first flakes began to fall. Yard clear of stuff; check. Snow shovels distributed to all...
Addicted to Christmas Wreaths
I admit it. I've become a bit addicted to decorating Christmas wreaths. It started with my Whooo's Home for Christmas wreath. Then we had some extra undercoated wreaths from our WHRL Christmas Tree Festival that I felt compelled to do something...
A Patriotic Christmas
Our Christmas Tree Festival and Auction at the WHRL is but a memory except for the cleanup. This year's tree was inspired by an Adirondack chair we had leftover from our "Chairity" auction this summer. Paul said he wanted to paint it up for us and...
An Upcycled Pallet Tree
It's Christmas Tree Festival time here in town. The past few years I decorated trees with my owls, birds, and woodland critters. I'd planned to follow in that theme, but just didn't have the time and was in the mood to do something different (I did...
A Saint Nicholas for the Season
This ornament pattern deviates from my more realistic nature designs. Initially inspired by my husband's beard now that he's moving into "winter mode", here is a Saint Nicholas ornament to welcome the Christmas season. [sdm_download id="30294"...
A New Custom Designed House for the Ducks
A new duck house has been on my "Honey Do" list for more than a year now. Peep, Squeak, and Oscar have been living in a makeshift house that was recycled from another project. The old house was never designed for ducks and was too big for our trio...
Whoooo’s Home for Christmas
Whoooo's Home for Christmas is my wreath contribution to this year's WHRL's Christmas Tree Festival & Auction. It features the face of a barn owl peeking out from the wreath. The felt owl in the wreath is about 5" tall, but you can size him...
Too Short a Visit
At last! I finally got Hannah home from college for a glorious week. I made the three day round trip drive (13 hours of driving per day) to Ohio to pick her up and bring her home. We packed a lot into six days at home - shopping, movie theater, a...
A Tiny White-faced Scops Owl
In my search for another owl to create, I stumbled across the tiny White-faced Scops owl. I like the crisp black, white, and grey markings of this little owl. I hope you enjoy making him! ...
Morning Frost
A couple of degrees below freezing this morning as I ventured out for my day. I relented and dug out a jacket and gloves and then sat in the car watching the sun rise over the trees waiting for my windshield to defrost. How pretty a morning frost...
Hairy Woodpecker
After a morning of planting garlic (100 cloves), I enjoyed hanging out on the porch photographing this hairy woodpecker. The feeder visitors have been mostly of the blue jay and morning dove variety. I didn't fill the feeders for much of the summer...
The Lonesome Lobster
This lobster pattern has been a long time coming. It took me numerous starts before I was happy with the pattern. The challenge is in how narrow the legs are - there's not a lot of substance to them. I wonder what would happen with pipe cleaners...
The Striking Steller’s Jay
If you live in the western sections of North America, you're likely familiar with the Steller's Jay. This is the first bird I've drawn on my iPad rather than on my computer. I hope you enjoy him! Right click here and select "save target/link as" to...
