The Copperheads&Dancer

Below Zero

I have never sculpted a person that I was happy with. There are things that I don't like about this one. Now that I have things on two websites I'm not sure which one to put it on if I decide that I don't hate it.
I'm going to distract myself by wrapping presents. It's something that really needs to be done now. The skater can wait.

Great Christmas Video

Music by Walter Afanseiff

Words by Mariah Carey

Perfect

Dog, Hydrant and Tree

I'm expected to have a blog on 1000 Markets. They discourage members from linking to an outside blog. I can understand that. It will be hard to contribute to two blogs. Reading others blogs I'm impressed by how articulate they are and full of Deep Thoughts, which I hardly ever have.
Okay, here is something that is not deep, but true. I am terrible at multitasking. When I try I have just a bunch of unfinished stuff. When I sculpt my house seems to fall apart behind my back. I have to do things one at a time.
Here is my dog which isn't on Etsy but 1000 Markets.

My Machine

Well, I learned something new today. Start in the middle of the driveway when using a snowblower, not on the side. You just have to redo parts because you've blown snow on parts you've completed. Hey, it's my first time. Sure beats shoveling.
I'm having some trouble taking pictures of statues today. There is snow on my kitchen skylights. That is my favorite place to take the pictures. I'll work on that.
Everything that needs to be mailed is mailed. It feels good.

Winter Dog

Lately I've been busy with other things. I'm now on a website called 1000 Markets. Kathy told me about it. She's on it already. I'm trying to see where I can add the link.

http://www.1000markets.com/users/pangaeadesigns
I don't know if this will come up as linkable. Kathy's jewelry is great. Buy some.
It was -7 when I woke up.Wind chill of -35. Ahhh, Minnesota!
I'm working on this dog that will go on 1000 Markets. So far I only have things that I've pulled off Etsy. I can't have them on both because no two are alike.

Merry Bettie Christmas

Bettie Page passed away tonight. Her image steamrolled into iconic history only a few years ago. Teenagers are more aware of her than many older people. Hot Topic carries things with her cheesecake images. Interesting. There is another more Christmasy picture of her, but you'll have to look it up yourself.

Dogs

Last night I went to band practice with Jim. The people at the house had two dogs, Apollo, an Airedale and Elroy, a Jack Russell terrier. I spent a great evening with them and my Sue Grafton book,"T is for Trespass".That means that I've read twenty books in that series. She's that good.
Anyway, the two sweet dogs wedged themselves in the loveseat with me. You could say that they were ghosts of Christmas past because I've had both an Airedale and a Jack Russell years ago, though not at the same time.
Between the dogs, the book and the great music, I had a great time.

Minnesota- Not For Sissies

It is snowing steadily. That makes me think of snowy things. The sissy part of me would like to stay indoors until spring, which is about mid-May in Minnesota. Alas, some things require venturing out in parkas, boots, gloves and long underwear. We bought a snow blower last week. I hope I remember how to use it. The driveway is filling up fast.
The little guy with the red hat in the background is a caganer I made for Jamie (or Cole) I don't think of additions to a nativity set a Christmas present, so I'm not spoiling a surprise or anything.

Weird

Well, Jamie, maybe I'll make some more pieces for you. This is a picture of a caganer (pooper) found in Spanish area nativity scenes. He is placed in the background and children have fun spotting him, much like the German pickle on the tree. This picture is a lot less graphic than most. I bet Cole would be crazy about him.

Nativity

My mother used to say that the Nativity sets out there bothered her because they all had Mary kneeling in front of a very large baby. She said that Mary should be sitting down, at least, since she just had a baby. The baby should be a tiny infant. I made her a Nativity set years ago with Mary sitting and holding the baby. She liked that.
I've made a few sets since then, but they take too long. I'm working on a miniature with just the basics.
I just got my statues from Sandra Healy. They are marvelous. I wish I could keep them.

Christmas Stuff

I'm working on a couple of Christmas things. The gingerbread house will have a mouse.
The pictures on the left are of mica putz houses. I didn't know their name until last year. One of my grandmothers had a nativity scene under the tree. My other grandmother had putz houses. I really want some but I don't know if I want to spend the money. These are reproductions on Etsy. There are originals out there, but being cardboard, they show signs of wear and tear. There are directions for making them on the internet. I've got the mica. I probably won't make them, though. I made a nativity set several years ago but I don't put it out because I don't like it anymore.

Nice Surprise While Cooking

Thanksgiving Eve

I'm spending the day cooking what I can for tomorrow. It'll be just the five of us. It's been years since we've had Thanksgiving with extended family.That's what happens when you live so far up north.I do all the cooking and the family does the dishes after the meal. I rest. It's a sweet deal.
I got sidetracked shopping on Etsy this morning. I realized that it's less than a month till Christmas and I had not done a thing about it.
This is a picture I came across of a cake. Well done! I suppose they had to take some license with the wings.
Time to go back to the kitchen before I get sidetracked by clay or computer.

Guinea Pig Wearing Mouse Ears

I was putting photos away and I came across this picture of Dudley. I had made a statue of him sitting on the pillow a while back. I sold it to someone in Great Britain whose mother had lost a guinea pig named Dudley. Dudley sitting on the pillow had been my screensaver. It gives me hope that that picture is somewhere around.
Dudley is proof that any pet can be loving and personable if you handle them enough. He loved us. He had happy noises and a happy dance. I miss him.
I think I'll make a dragon today.

Christmas Bunnny

I really shouldn't put this on Etsy. I'm certain that it's copyrighted. I'll decide about that tomorrow. Maybe it'll be a Christmas present.
I love getting notes on the internet from people who like my work. I don't get out much(especially when it's freezing) so it's like I have invisible friends.

Saturday Fairy

I think I've made five other Bone Fairies and several various skeletons. You'd think I would be able to make them faster because I've had lots of practice, but that isn't so. I always seem to encounter a new problem with the fairy and she takes longer than she should. I'm almost done. I will take the rest of the day off, I think.

Again

The worms and flamingos sold right away. I'm going to take the advice given to me years ago and concentrate on a few pieces (at least for awhile). I wish remaking a piece would be easier. The way I work doesn't lend itself to molds.
I should have written my titles down. There is a pretty complete list on Etsy, but there were some that I pulled off or didn't put there in the first place. I wiped out a bunch of older pictures.
Molly and I will see"Twilight"together this weekend if her boyfriend doesn't want to.
Jim went back to work today.
Now, back to work for me.

Flamingos & Worms

I am remaking two of my favorites. I took the last can of worms to Greece and gave it to Georgios. It was probably a mistake, since it didn't seem to translate into any Greek sayings. Oh, well.
I sent my donkey and elephant to Switzerland today. I was surprised about that one because it is so American. I was happy to sell not just that but four pieces to the same person.
Happy day.

Truman's Toes and the Toads

Truman went to the vet for an eighty-one dollar bandage and pedicure. Turns out that Cassidy attempted to cut his toenails. It was a disaster. When I took Truman in for his very first nail clipping I could hear him in the back room, screaming like a banshee. No one nipped his quick then. He eventually got better about it, but this will be a major setback. I could hear him in that same back room yesterday whimpering twenty different ways.
Here's the toads.
I can't open my email.
Alex, how do I fix that?

Sad Truman

When I went into the living room this morning Truman was laying there with bloody footprints all over. It seems that he pulled a toenail. I get all woozy with blood, so I can't look at it closely. I've been meaning to have his nails clipped because I can't do it myself. I worry too much about cutting to the quick and having them bleed. Stupid. He'll go to the vet in an hour to have them fix what I should have taken care of.
Then I'll make toads.

Politically Correct Bear

Pleasant way to spend Saturday night, Making bears. I thought it was very visual, but I'm not sure of it's name. Lots of puns come to mind, but I don't think so.
I just checked the news. Al Franken is closing in on Norm Coleman in a very close race. Just goes to show that votes count.
I hope Franken wins.
Shoot me.

Get a Dog

"If you want a friend in Washington,"said Harry Truman," get a dog."
It seems that presidents are obliged to get a dog. It looks like every president in the last hundred years had one. Clinton went to the White House with a cat, but eventually he got a dog, too.
Obama promised his daughters one in his acceptance speech. Bush's Scottie, Barney, bit a reporter the other day. Big news.
I love dogs. I'm guessing that a dog softens and humanizes the presidents image. Great photo ops.
That's fine with me.
I'm making a dog in a white house. I don't know what breed the first dog will be so I'll wing it.

Twilight in Minnesota

Outside is just about dead. Snow is just around the corner.
I picked up Molly's copy of "Twilight" because I needed something to read in the waiting room. I was hoping it would be like"Harry Potter", which I started to read a few years ago when I was desperate for a book and I'd bought them for Molly. I'm not in the habit of reading children's books but the Harry Potter books delighted me. I was at about page 100 and Molly asked me if I liked it. I said that it was too romantic for my taste. Molly said that it gets a lot more romantic later on. Damn! I think I'm done.

November 4

Voting reminds me of going to church. It's something I only do every few years, people are pleasant and I feel so virtuous afterward.
Like church, I wonder if my small voice really counts, but I suppose it is enough that I did it.

All Souls Day

We went to see Cassidy play on Halloween. He is harder to photograph than Truman. When he's playing he moves around A LOT.
I was going to make some skeletons today but I wasn't in the mood. Each skeleton is made of almost fifty pieces of clay. I would like to come up with a faster way of doing things someday. Sigh.
This promises to be an interesting week.

Halloween

Cassidy wanted Truman to be Alf for Halloween. I'd call this a minimalist abstract costume. Truman hates costume stuff as much as he hates having his picture taken. I had a dog,Indigo Jones, who wasn't very good at a lot of things, but he seemed to love wearing costumes and having his picture taken. Go figure.

And a Gargoyle

When I was a girl at the Cathedral school the nuns would take us down to the crypt under the Cathedral church on Halloween.Here is a picture of the gate that leads to it. We went down a winding stone stairway.There were sarcophagi along the walls containing the remains of past bishops. It was wonderfully creepy, better than a haunted house.
I revisited the crypt a few years ago. Still scary. That is what Halloween is about. Love it.

Paddle Ball

Here is another rat. He is almost done. I've spent a lot of time reading Harlan Coben. His books are hard to put down. I saw something that looked awfully like snow falling yesterday. Damn!

Skel-A-Flamingos

It's almost Halloween. I love it. I put these flamingos from Barb by the front door. I hope they don't get swiped. I made a couple of miniatures for friends.

Cat's Paw

Here is a cat having the upper hand with a dog.
I once had a dog who went after a cat. The cat scratched him on the nose and it bled. After that he would never acknowledge a cat. It's as if they didn't exist.
I came across a document on the internet that was a statement by my great-great grandmother. She said that her maiden name was Margaret Coleman and that she came by boat from Ireland. I knew that I was Irish from my mother's side but I wasn't sure of my dad's. The internet is just packed with goodies.

Now

The fabulous autumn leaf show is almost over. This weekend we will start to rake the dead leaves. I am sad. I took this picture out of my bedroom window yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? I'm reminded of a line from something something from when I was in school. A famous quote said that," A thing of beauty is a joy forever." I've always had a problem with that. A lot of things that are beautiful don't last. I really try to appreciate fall and it's colorful beauty because I didn't when I was young. I always thought of bleak,cold,dead winter.

Enough of that.
These are "Speak no evil, see no evil , and hear no evil" I was wondering about "Do no evil", which seemed like the logical next thing. There is one for that,I looked it up,
but you don't hear much about it.
There are things I
don't like about them which I won't mention.

Dear Diary,
WTF

Fall

Autumn in Minneapolis is heartbreakingly beautiful. The last farmers market and the brief changing of the leaves brings to mind the swift passage of time. I kept telling myself today," Notice this and wallow in it's gorgeousness, it's temporary. "
Well, not temporary, but that's it for this year. I'm not a hanging around in the snow kind of person.
It was an excellent day.

10/08/08

Jim's back in the hospital. He'll be okay. I'll probably bring him home tomorrow.
One bright spot came when a nurse passed through and took blood from him. His name tag said"Igor". He had a heavy Eastern European accent. I was mesmerized. I knew it would be rude to comment on his name and accent. He's certainly heard about it a million times.
Igor had taken blood from Jim before so all we had to do was look at one another and try not to laugh.
I thought of Peter Lorre. I looked it up. Igor has turned into the Lorre-like sinister character, but Lorre never was called Igor.

Rhubarb

Last night I got to do something I've wanted to do since we moved here. We went to the annual "Prairie Home Companion" street dance in St. Paul. The weather was perfect. It's often cold this time of year. Not last night, when the music was sweet, The biscuits were flaky, and Garrison Keillor was just like you thought he would be.
I loved it.

He is Us

I'm trying to make an elephant and a donkey. I'm having real trouble with the donkey. I realize that I've never made a horselike creature that I remember.
Oh, wait, there was that unicorn. Damn! Better forgotten.
How can something simple be so hard?
I've noticed that my work has shown up on some blogs.
That makes me unreasonably happy.
Jim's right hand isn't doing what he wants it to do. I told him that it reminded me of"Dr. "Strangelove".
Nothing worthwhile is easy.

Dickens vs. Doyle

I really need to do something about my picture files. They are crowded and confusing.
This is Miss Havisham from"Great Expectations", a book I read for English in high school. Dickens annoyed me, but I don't remember why. I just remember that you're not supposed to say that you don't like Dickens.
My favorite Victorian author was Arthur Conan Doyle. Both authors works started as serialized in magazines. Sherlock Holmes was more vivid to me than any Dickens character. I will make a statue of him sometime. I doubt if there is a copyright.

Tiny Dancer

This is my first retablo. I bought the box at Michael's. It has a lid. Maybe I can make a bas relief with it. It took longer to make than I thought it should, but maybe the next one will come easier. Etsy's swimming with skeletons because they're seasonal. I think of them as year round.
I remember when I was a girl and I realized that we all had skeletons inside of us. That disturbed me for some time.

Tonight

I have partially stepped back into my fantasy life today. This is Django Reinhardt, who is incredibly inspirational. He lost the use of two fingers on his chord hand and retrained himself to play guitar with the remaining two fingers and his thumb. He made beautiful music. He was a French gypsy who died n 1953. There is a cartoon of him in the beginning of the video,"The Triplets of Belleville"
Sweet.

Tango

It's fall and you know what that means-Dia de los Muertos.
Ok, that was fun. Now I have a thousand other things to do that are necessary.
Judy and Nancy are flying in today. They are marvelous. They'll keep Jim laughing for sure.

Detective Tuna

I was able to take some time from Real Life today to start on a statue commemorating the life of a cat who met a car.
It is for Emily from Cassidy.
Now it's time to go back to the hospital.
Maybe I will finish it tonight.

Red White&Blue

I've been busy but I just had to post this. It's from the Republican convention going on in St. Paul. I know it's bad form to dye your dog, but I think it's cute and the cop(or whatever he is) gives the picture that little extra something.
St. Paul is so close to us that Steve got maced and I'm not sure if Alex was in on the fray or not.

@#$%!

This is a failure. I'll have to throw it away and remake it. I wasted way too much time on it. When I tried to fix it,the humidity made the clay too gooey. I should have known.
The weather is beautiful outside and I have the windows open. Just enough moisture in the air to make things difficult. Damn!
This will be pack rat. Next will be rat pack.