Babies

Here is a baby with a box.
I see that someone in California had octuplets. Maybe we are getting into competitive births.
I looked it up and it goes like this:
nonuplets - 9
decaplets -10
Undecaplets -11
duodecaplets - 12
Quindecaplets -15 babies.
I don't know about 13 & 14.
Maybe they'll get their own reality show. Ick.
Here is a youtube of one baby that is exquisite.

Flamingo and Boxer

I'm having a hard time with sculpting lately. Everything is taking too long and not ending up the way I want. It is discouraging.
This computer is acting up again and I can't get into my photo program.
This is a custom piece for Penny. I only do custom pieces for friends and family because I've had the experience of customers wanting me to change something which means starting again from scratch. I hate that.
Am I bitchy or what? I am in the throes of Deep Frozen Winter Blues.
Groundhog Day means nothing in Minnesota.
It's been known to snow in June.

Updike & Tyler

John Updike died yesterday. I read a couple of his books a long time ago and decided they were not for me. He seemed like one of those guys who write for guys. Lotsa rather disturbing sexual situations, if I remember right. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Taste in reading is intensely personal. Reading is intensely personal, for that matter. Just the author talking to you.
I just got done rereading"The Accidental Tourist". I rarely reread anything, but I resaw the movie recently. It's pretty good, but like all movies, it skims over the basic plot,
eliminating characters and leaving out lovely and important observations. Macon, the main character has a lot of interesting thoughts, only some of them made it to the movie. It might be my favorite book but I would never expect anyone to share my feelings. It's a rare book that can make me cry, but this one did. It didn't hurt that the pivotal character was a dog named Edward.
This chair is from the book jacket.

How Cold Is It?

This was taken at the Art Shanty Project on Saturday. It's not a very clear picture. I wanted to capture a man who just came out of the sauna shanty. He's just wearing shorts and shoes.
He stood there in zero temperatures for a long time.Showoff. He's not the only person I've seen underdressed for the weather. I've seen guys in shorts and shirtsleeves. I think it's a macho thing.
I wore two pair of gloves this time and made myself a hat that tied under my chin and I still couldn't tolerate it for more than a half hour. I am so bad about going out in the cold that I'm putting my errands off by writing on my blog.

Ice Angels

We went to the Art Shanty Project on Saturday. It was twenty degrees, forty-two degrees warmer than it was last Thursday. It was windy. I marveled at the creativity and endurance of the builders. They had built most of their houses off site, then disassembled them and reassembled them on the ice. Alex, John and Gabe had some interior work to do on their submarine. Maybe we'll go out next weekend after I buy warmer gloves and a hat that ties under my chin.
Working on my naked bodies again today. I haven't found a perfect clay for the flesh, so I have to mix brands. I need to be more careful about mixing the batches. Since I can't match exactly the colors of the batches I need to have enough for the complete statue. I almost ran out for the second angel.

Layering

Yesterday at 5am a treasury with my skeletons made it to the front page of Etsy. This is a good thing. I was wondering how I got so many lookies so fast. It didn't result in a sale, but I don't sell much(sigh)
Today we'll layer up and schlep onto Medicine Lake north of Minneapolis to see the art shanties. Alex and his friends have been working like dogs to create theirs. I can't remember the last time I walked on a lake. It's 20 degrees, positively balmy for January. I'll bring my camera.
As a member of the perpetually lost, I love my GPS.

Naked

I want to make more people so I just have to face the fact that I'll be dealing with more rejects. If this one works out, it'll be Cupid. I have him worked out in my head. I even did a preliminary piece. I'd say that he's 80% of what I want. We'll see.
My last customer paid with an e check so I won't have to go to the post office until it clears. Fine with me.
How cold is it?
This morning Truman didn't want to go outside.

Dead of Winter

The weatherman said that we'll get the coldest temperatures of the season tonight because a cold front is moving in. Yesterday it was-16 and today is -6. How much colder can it get?
Two of my favorite pieces will be mailed to Texas. I haven't had a car lately. I wonder if Molly will drive me to the post office if I bribe her with food. It works with Truman, but he's a dog so he doesn't drive.
This is a semi- self portrait.

i carry your heart

We got a new hard drive for our computer and I'm still trying to learn it. I'm having a hard time finding the pictures I took and cropped. It's like having your things moved to a new building and you have to open new doors to look for your stuff.
One more thing to learn.
Here is an uncropped picture of my bride and groom.
It is snowing like crazy.

Bone Party

I tried to put a link on my page(again!) and I'm doing something wrong again. Alex, my go to guy is working on his art shanty now with friends. The Soap Factory where he's working isn't heated. I would have a hard time working when the temperature is near zero, but that's just me.
I'm making skeletons that I'll put on both 1000Markets and Etsy. The headless couple will be a bride and groom. I'll sew the bride a tiny silk skirt.
Oops! Truman's outside. I forgot about him.
Gotta go.

Happy Fun Winter Stuff

A couple of years ago someone from Minnesota was on the radio discussing fish houses, which are peculiar to the far north(here). She said that she had a couple of guests from Europe visiting her in the winter and when they passed a frozen lake and saw the little buildings spread out on the ice they expressed sorrow and sympathy for the poor inhabitants of the winter slums. The narrator laughed an told them that the owners of those ice shanties probably had more money than she did.
Today in the Minneapolis paper they reported that thieves had broken into a dozen fish houses on Lake Minnetonka and stole stereo equipment, flat screen TVs and fishing equipment. Most houses are basic, but some are amazing.
Alex and his friends are working in this year's Art Shanty Project. They are building something like a submarine to put on Medicine Lake. I always meant to go see the project but I didn't because it always seemed to be put on in the coldest week of the year. I'll see it this time, for sure.

Epiphany

I notice that I've had this blog for a year now. It was a Christmas present from Alex last year. It's hard to believe that I've written all that stuff because writing is not my thing. It's the only thing I've done besides Etsy and 1000 Markets to promote my statues. I'd say I've had modest success. I'll send a snowman to Germany today.
Actually, a better measure of success to me was coming upon a statue the other day that I made for Cassidy a couple of years ago. I thought it looked terrible. That means that I've improved.
"Slumdog Millionaire" is a charming movie.
Today is the twelfth day of Christmas.

Get Off My Lawn

Last summer Jim was playing at a club in a dicey neighborhood in St. Paul. We were looking for a parking spot on the street when we saw this guy and his pit bull standing in his front yard, behind a chain link fence, glaring at us. I thought that I hadn't seen such a marvelous example of a true stereotype since I used to see the polygamous girls in stores in Utah. I wished that I had my camera, but I don't think that would have gone down well. We got the message and didn't park in front of his house.
I filed him away until today. Here he is.