Our first few days here were quite lovely -- warm temperatures (but with a breeze and little humidity so it wasn't oppressive), sunny da...

I keep the watercolors I haven't framed for sale in page protectors in some big, thick binders (along with the practice work in my sketc...

We have arrived! It seems as though it has taken a long time to finally make it north to the cottage. My MRSA, Rick's Covid... would we ...

Yes, I have been painting a bit! I decided I need to finally fill my practice book, and since I had done Sketchbook Revival and then a few t...

Slow, late spring days. Rosie's poppies are gone now, but they were great while they lasted! I have a few raggy looking peonies on my b...

I devoured a diverse group of books in May! From Julia Child and the royals to some good mysteries and an endearing novel, it was a fine boo...

We're really ready for a good bounce around here. The most recent news (which is slightly old by now) is that Rick got Covid. We don...

I so enjoyed the Queen's Jubilee events. My equally-Anglophile friend Carol has been watching too, and last week she and I had a Jubilee...

From my own back yard to the house down the street, the cottage up north and England, here are a few things on my mind of late! The bird wa...

This is the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, commemorating 70 years on the the throne, Britain's longest reigning mona...

I've been doing a bit of backyard (and front yard!) bird watching these days and thought you might like an update! The big news is that ...

Every day, someone makes a difference in someone else's life. We may know a person for ages as a friend or even an acquaintance, like th...

I couldn't resist sharing a few photos from my most recent Ditch walk. I couldn't have been more lucky.

"I hug myself till my arms turn blue, then I close my eyes and cry and cry till the tears come down and I can taste them. I love to t...

Sketchbook Revival has really pushed me to try new techniques and practice drawing and sketching as well as painting. So here we have the go...

I remember when I was working and how hectic spring used to be. I sometimes wonder how I managed to have much of a life while I still had a ...

My friend Wally died last week. You've seen his work -- the beautiful images of Paris that hang above my mantel are by Wally. And my per...

The goslings have arrived and the nests all appear empty at the Ditch. Mother Goose is tending her babies! And, it should be noted, the Fat...

Let's just say that after a March with a lot of reading, April was a let down! I guess all that reading time in March was disrupted in A...

A couple of weeks ago, Rick and his musical partner Josh were playing an open mic night in Lansing's Old Town. I wanted to see them perf...

I have the most charming new neighbor!   I don't know if the Chickadee family have had their babies yet, but there certainly is a lot of...

The Ditch is still pretty much a symphony of muted colors and fairly quiet. I think most of the ducks have gone down-under, tending their ne...

Before I start this post, does anyone else who follows blogs with bloglovin' find that their site has been down for about a week? If I d...

Sketchbook Revival continues till April 30 but so far I've filled a lot of pages on my book! I shared the cats and landscape with you HE...

This weekend, many who celebrate Easter will do so on April 17. (Orthodox Easter is April 24.) We celebrated on Palm Sunday with our kidlets...

Spring is trying to break through here in mid-Michigan, although the weather is doing its best to provide the obligatory April showers. It b...

With only two weeks until Easter, it was time to bring on the rest of the bunnies! It may be frigid outdoors here in Michigan -- or not, we...

What draws you to a certain book at a certain time? Maybe it is your favorite genre, a new entry by a beloved author or events swirling arou...

Rick diligently practices his classical guitar every day. And guess what? He gets better and better. In the summer, I paint every day. And g...

Now, this is the way to spend the first day of spring! We hadn't yet celebrated the Big Guy's birthday -- he turned five in Februar...