Harvesting today: 9 baby broccoli

Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes and thanksgiving greetings!

This week I have to fly south and I have no choice but to harvest my fall crops today. I have to be here to cover them to protect from freezing temps and then open them back up so they don't bake in the sun during the day. Sad, because they really aren't mature, but they should have been by now. The sun is so low in the south the trees block a lot of the light making progress slow.

Normally, I would not choose to fly. But the trip is quick and it is the only way V will go; not being willing to spend two full days on the road. I've designed a T-shirt for my travel; I will model it later this week, but it reads TSA: Training Submissive Americans. I might add some other choice words and/or graphics. This homeland security situation is just a total joke; its meant to train us to accept an increasingly evident police state. Im not walking through their radiation booth -so I guess I will be receiving a pat down. It's insane and I am disgusted by it, but I dont for a second believe the scanner is safe. They take a picture of your tooth at the dentist and they cover you with an iron blanket for crikey's sake. What does that tell you?

The red cabbage will be left to weather the frost

Also in the garden are red cabbage, onions, herbs and asparagus. We had our first tender shoots of the asparagus on Thanksgiving day. I think the unusual warm weather may have prompted that. I think that next year we will have much better asparagus because this is their first fall and I think it takes a few years to really get the nice big shoots.

I can't pretend this doesn't hurt

I lost another bird to the studio window. I hung my older paper garlands over the studio windows thinking it would alert the birds that they weren't flying into sky. The garlands moved in the wind and reflected light and I hoped that would be enough, but it clearly was not. So I have relocated my feeder to be far from any structure and hope there will be no more accidents. 

Double Cola: the fat black lab
Lately I've been making smaller dog paintings on plywood. These are 7x10".  I call these "folk art" because of the simplicity and rawness of them, and the fact that I dont spend more than 2 hours on each. They are very different from what I would call the "A" level work. Its fun and liberating to make this kind of work. Some of them are in a show down in ATL called "Little Things Mean a Lot" which is a show of small and inexpensive work made especially for Christmas gifting.  The next two dogs are loosely based on Moi's two dogs:

Chill - the dog that looks like Maddie

Cocoa: the brindle pit-bull

Have a great day everyone. I've got to drive down to ATL in a major rainstorm with 4 fussy hens. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

18 comments:

  1. Sorry about the bird. I know how much they love that bird feeder.

    Your dog paintings are brilliant. I think they will be snapped up immediately. I know I'd buy some.

    So will you at least get dinner and drinks before the TSA folks pat you down? Seems only fair.

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  2. I have the same bird problem here at the office. We have smoked glass and in the fall I use to hear the thumps on the glass (also large bees in the summer). This year I'm on the opposite side ot the building and I don't hear them anymore. I think it has to do with the way light reflects off the glass at certain times of the year. The birds either see themselves or see a clear opening.

    The dog paintings are very nice. Chill dog looks the best.

    I think if you wear that TSA shirt that you may experience searches at a whole other level that will look like the induction scene from the Shawshank Redemption. Good luck with that.

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  3. Love, love, love the dogs. And feel sad about the bird.

    Happy belated birthday!

    Love to you

    xo

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  4. The dogs are outstanding! Love em.

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  5. You know how I feel about my Coco painting. It's my screensaver here at work and it's going to be on the cover of something else I'm working on.

    Fussy Hens! I have fond memories of sharing the back seat with the chickees along with Trout.

    I hope once you get through the screening you and V can a good trip. You make a good point about the XRAY. *shudder*

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  6. I've heard it described as "Security Theater," which I think is apt. Maybe giggle or moan when they grope you!

    Put predator bird silhouettes on the glass. You know that!

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  7. doan shower from now to departure--then them pat downers will be in a hurry to git ya gone!

    We all wanna see ya model that shirt an' see the faces of the TSA goons when ya arrive sportin' it...be sure V is holdin' the camera.

    Heh.

    Real sorry 'bout yore bird, Honey.

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  8. I hope you have a good flight after your intrusive 'X-Ray', that T shirt sounds like a good idea.
    Poor little bird, I know that would hurt you.
    The dog paintings are so cute,I like the rawness and texture of the paint, I'm sure they will sell quickly.
    Take care sweet girl.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  9. I too love the doggy paintings! Bet you could sell and sell and sell those things. The extras are what makes them, too. Re the scan ... well, I have to agree about not wanting the x-ray, but would probably take it just for quickness. There is no modesty in the world anyway. I can certainly understand why the flight attendants and pilots do not want to have to use that several times per day. Flying is awful, but it is still the best and quickest way to get somewhere. Dang terrorists. Remember when flying was a luxury?

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  10. What is the rule about use of those scanners and protecting gonads or babes en utero?

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  11. maybe it's time to become less inhibited when traveing anyway..

    check out this...

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  12. shamu: well i know that "chill" sold because it was the first night which was the party. he made it to the front wall which is the entrance to the show. I was happy about that.

    you know i saved the bird in the freezer so i could paint it later.

    buzz: thats the thing about these glass buildings. we lose lots of birds to them. but i hadnt thought about the light being a factor...makes sense though.

    you might be right about my protest T making things harder for me. but i have to at least use the opportunity to remind anyone in eyeshot of me what this is. and its bad - if we accept this we really are asking for it.

    thanks about chill - i think you called it right

    faery: thanks a million. it is so hard to find a bird down like that. i really really look at them too. i wish i could preserve them somehow!

    troll: yay! thank you.

    boxer: that was one packed car, was it not? the hens are actually pretty good riders now that i cover them for the ride. before, man, they complained bitterly. and loudly. I will have a good trip because i see the security check point as an opportunity. we'll see

    xl: i should have done that - and i knew about that but i failed my birds! as far as security goes...its an idea not a reality

    aunty: oh i will model it aunty -maybe over at K9's pen though. No - i plan to look as good as i can and wear my killerest underwear and smell great. and i will be very calm and polite. but i will say to my pat down minion "you realize you are the agent of an oppressive state, right?"

    V wants no part of this. he says he is fine with the scanner. *he doesnt want to be delayed*

    dianne: thanks for supporting my t-shirt protest! i bet they dont try and run this scheme down in Oz. grrrrr. thanks about the bird. xo

    pam: my disgust is not about modesty - i even went through a "nekkid" stage. i dont like the submission part. the act of supplication; the presumption of guilt the disregard for reason and logic with regard to profiling. this is very very wrong. theres cameras on all the streets, emails monitored...

    flying -the part about riding in an airplane -especially one thats is half empty (doesnt happen anymore) is fine. its the steer ramps and chutes to get on one that kills it.

    fishy: i have plenty of concrete evidence where the G says something is safe and then, oops, no, no it isnt after all.

    this was a post that K9 should have handled. grherha

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  13. foamy: you know what? ow. would you ride on a bike nekkid? think about those seats! another observation: human skin looks bad painted green.

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  14. Brilliant blog! Bookmarked!

    I once visited FDR's house on the Hudson. It had a room filled with stuffed birds he had collected. Sort of horrible but beautiful.

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  15. Aw, Moi's dawgs are so flattered. I love this direction you've taken and am honored to have one of my own. Is Fat Lab the Lab from the hike? Every time I think about her I get verklempt.

    Sorry about your bird. An olive sided flycatcher flew into my sun room window last month and was really stunned. So I took it inside and put it in a shoe box with a towel and kept it on my lap at my desk, but it died anyway. I threw it over into the field across the way so at least the vultures could have a nice snack.

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  16. I LOVE the dog paintings - they are fantastic and I especially love the bits collaged in and the bottle caps.
    Brilliant 'tis !! xo les Gang

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  17. We have the same problem with the birds. I found some window decals on-line that seem to help (they have the outline of soaring birds on them). We have very tall windows in our living room, and the birds come in from the woods and sometimes smack right into the house. On a happier note, I love your new dogs paintings! And a happy belated birthday to you, my fellow November baby. :) xox!

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  18. Love the dog paintings! I've missed seeing your work on here...glad to see it back. Your blog and pictures are so inspiring! Stay safe and warm in Georgia...it's cold in Alabama!

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