Happy 30th birthday to Danny! My youngest son. We had a great surprise party for him in December. Happy New Year to you--I wish it to be your happiest, healthiest and most prosperous. Wow, the past 8 months have really flown right by and as usual a lot has happened since then. The summer being hot, humid and wet, made for a lot of disease in the garden and unproductive chickens, ducks and rabbits. All of the White Midget turkeys that we ordered bit the dust, but that was due to some problem at the hatchery. Really sad. I just loved the turkeys. My friend Bailey who was living in the city, had Animal Control come out and try to confiscate his chickens and ducks so they were moved right away and spent a few months here. Now Bailey and Thomas are living on a 110 acre farm in Central New York and they have all of my chickens and ducks living with them...interesting how the tables have turned. I really miss the birds, so strange without them. I still think I hear them sometimes. I miss Bailey and Thomas much more. I tried hard to keep the birds, but reality hit me with no mercy and I'm more at peace with the decision now. There were several reasons that caused me to let them go, but the deal breaker was the pain caused by caring for them, which robbed me of any real, restful sleep. My neurologist insisted that my plate was overflowing and causing more complications with my memory. So it's done. The rabbits are easy, the dogs, well they're another story. In any case, the good news is that I don't have Alzheimer's, my brain is healthy and normal, my EEG is normal. So the problem is still with the Lyme Disease, which remains to be dealt with on a more serious level. My studio is a total shambles. The damage from snow, ice and rain has totaled it. Of course having an asshole for a contractor, whose work was an absolute debacle, just put it over the top. Be careful who you put you trust in. There are sociopaths out there who have no integrity, heart or conscience and won't accept responsibility for their work. The room itself has been gutted, now that we had to have a new roof put on. The nightmare of black mold treatment is next, then putting it all back together. The impact has been just awful. I'm anxious for this whole scenario to be over. I need to get back to painting again. Still, I have so much to be thankful for in the new year. Family and good, faithful, true friends are more precious than ever and for that I am eternally grateful.

With Jeanie and the kids living right up the road, and Jeanie being a full-time student, my life has certainly been more full than it has been in years. I'm really thrilled that they're here. Isabella and I spend most days together and she's such a joy. What a funny kid. Asser and Lindsey got married last month. A fabulous, beautiful wedding. Congratulations kids! Mother's Day was just wonderful, I'm so blessed with the wonderful people in my life. Thank you God. I entered the Audubon Society's Mill Grove exhibit and had one painting juried in, no, not the one to the right. I also entered the Church of the Saviour show and the painting to the right was sold. Thank you Dawn. This goldfinch was out before the sun came up pulling the tufts of the thistle flowers out to get at the Niger seeds at the bottom. I also entered McGopa's Member's show yesterday. I think that'll be the last one for a while. That means after I get the garden in next week, I can get back to painting. So much to do. Bastone turned one on the 8th. Such a big, skinny, but very handsome boy. Primo, Jeanie's dog, spends a lot of time here and the three dogs play like gladiators. Really something. The power of the three of them jumping up into the air and crashing into each other is almost scary. So with all of that, I'm going to get back to work outside, the chickens and ducks and chicks and ducklings are calling. I love spring days like this. Glorious!

I love to paint lotus flowers and leaves. The leaves are so big and interesting and the flowers, because of their size have such impact, while being so lovely at the same time. The thing that attracted me to this scene was that after a quick rain shower, the random drop of petals, while at the end of their life cycle, were still so fresh and beautiful. I feel the raindrops scattered about accentuates this. The breeze that followed the rain, lifted the pads slightly, just enough to show the warm underside and make a reflection. The white marks in the water are not in the painting. I don't know why they showed up there. I'm pleased to announce that this painting has just been juried into the McGOPA Spring Juried Exhibit. "Tumble of Lotus Petals--Chanticleer", 14"x11", oil on linen, $400., framed.

I won't make excuses for not being here for so long, so we'll just skip all of that and say Happy 60th Birthday to my handsome and wonderful husband Jay, daughters Jeanie and Krista, and my adorable granddaughter Bitsy (Isabella)! We survived the snow and barely escaped the studio roof collapse. Sadly, we are still the poultry providers for the fox and hawk, but the dogs are definitely helping now that they are outdoors more. Of course the downside is that they love to find and eat some eggs. I've been really busy with my art. Entering shows every chance I get. Presently juried into the McGOPA Spring Juried Show and The Haverford Township Library's Art of the Garden. I have 4 out of 7 pieces juried into the Haverford one. Which brings to mind one of my latest paintings, "Hydrangea-Blue Chairs--Chanticleer", 20"x16", oil on linen, $500., framed. This painting is a zoomed-in view of another painting of the same subject that I did several years ago. Chanticleer opens in just a few days. How happy am I? Always a huge source of inspiration for me and so many other artists. Well, I need to get back to work. Enjoy this wonderfully sunny day.

My daughter Jeanie needs to have emergency eye surgery tomorrow, so please say a prayer for her. She'll also have to go back in a few days and have more. The good thing is that it will prevent her from going blind. So since I'll be taking care of her and the kids I'll keep it short. "Cippolini Onions #1", 10"x8", oil on canvas, $250. framed. Sold