Azaleas Blooming In November???

Two years ago I relandscaped in front of the house and planted 6 Encore Azaleas. They have done really well and had a few blooms last fall. They were really pretty in April, but have put on a show this fall. The plants are covered in salmon pink blooms and have lasted about a month. Encore azaleas are definitely worth the extra cost!

I'm a Cat Lady!

I've always been an animal lover and have adopted or found homes for many stray cats and dogs. Right now there are 2 onery cats and 2 dogs in my pack. It breaks my heart to see the photos in the local newspaper of the adoptable cats and dogs in the area. Two weeks ago I noticed the New Leash On Life rescue organization needed volunteers to help care for the cats they have at the local PetSmart. I went Friday night to learn the ropes and I think I'm really going to enjoy this. I start this week, two mornings a week I'll be feeding and cleaning the kitty condos for the kitties waiting for their forever homes.

It can't be fall already!

Today was the first day of fall and I am not happy about it. Fall means winter is coming and I don't like winter either. I'd rather be outdoors. There is always yardwork to do in the spring and summer. If I don't have dirt on my knees and under my fingernails, I'm not happy.

Now I get to look forward to chores like ripping down old wallpaper and painting the hallway with 9 doors/doorways. Some of the ceilings are looking drab too. Nothing to get excited about.

I've been looking at some of the photos I took of my daylilies and other flowers and don't want to even think about cleaning up the acorns and leaves that will begin falling soon.

Ok, I'll admit I'm coming down with a cold and feel like poo. Sorry about that!

Getting Ready For the Christmas

Although I'm not quite ready to start thinking about Christmas, I have started listing Christmas items in my ArtFire and Etsy shops. I have a lot of Christmas suncatchers or ornaments. The smaller ones make great package tie-ons.

Learning Something New

I recently bought a bottle cutter and spent some time scoring and breaking out the bottles. Beer bottles are good to practice on but I've already found that the clear bottles break cleaner and on the score line than the brown bottles. A few broke way off, but I did get the hang of it. It took a few tries to know how much pressure to apply with the cutter. Tapping the score line took a bit of finesse because the rod you use to tap is from inside the bottle.

The main reason I was interested in cutting bottles was to make windchimes. I made one for my son and daughter-in-law with Landshark beer bottles to hang in their Tiki bar.

My Junkyard Dog

June is a busy month because we have 3 birthdays. Last weekend we celebrated all 3 at once. My birthday was June 12th and I got some awesome sandals (it's nice to have a son who works at Zappo's), the 4th season of Rescue Me and a dog made out of scrap auto parts. The best part was having the whole family together.

I need to learn to weld so I can make the junk sculptures!

Just Fooling Around

Today was dreary and cool. Instead of wasting it, I went downstairs to my studio and made a suncatcher using a potmelt a friend had sent me. Sometimes I just like to see where the glass is going to take me. I found several pieces of scrap glass that matched the colors in the potmelt and laid them out on my workbench. I may have to trim an edge or two, but it mostly just fits together like puzzle pieces. Working with a pattern was just too tedious today. So, this one is for my friend Nancy.