Oh No...Is Summer Over ??

I can't believe it's almost the end of August. My summer has been a bit crazy for me with me having surgery, the passing of my Grandmother, an art show and orders to fill....which explains the long period of no posts.

I'm happy to say that my very first book hit the shelves in June. Yay! I have no idea how well it's actually doing, but I'm crossing my fingers. Who knows......maybe I've been wrong about my destiny, maybe I REALLY AM a writer........or not !!

So, with June also came FestivALL in Charleston. It was the first time I had shown there and it was very interesting. They had lots going on each day and they had a good crowd.

The band Option22 was on our end of the tent and I was really digging their tunes. Their music someone dubbed "hippie hop" has a really cool rhythmic groove.

I've been working on a few new pieces in copper. I have never worked with copper before and I've taken a liking to it. Torch heating it gives it some cool colors. And hammering and doming give it interesting texture and shape. These pieces are nice, but not extremely fancy. I plan on doing more experiments with copper to see what I can come up with.

Well, this is all I have for now.......I'm busy but not too exciting at the moment. I'm heading out to Summersville Lake tomorrow, maybe I'll have some good to report after that, who knows!

Spring is here....and so will be the kittens!!

ON A SERIOUS NOTE.....

You've heard of the dog days of summer; what about "kitten season"? No, it's not a fifth season—it's the time of year when cats give birth, flooding animal shelters across the nation with homeless litters. Kitten "season" is really three seasons in one, starting in spring, peaking in late spring or early summer, and ending in fall.

These unwanted cats and kittens, when not left on the street to fend for themselves, often turn up in high volume at the local animal shelter.

The easiest way to help reduce the overwhelming numbers of unwanted cats is to spay and neuter your own cat and encourage others to do the same.

An End in Sight?

The vast numbers of cats that shelters accommodate across the nation during kitten season will not drop overnight. But there are many ways to help reduce cat overpopulation and to bring much-needed relief to the animals, and to the people, affected by kitten season. Here's how you can get involved:

- Spay or neuter your cat

- Help your local animal shelter
- Care for homeless or wild cats in your area

- Become a foster parent

- Adopt

BY: Rebecca Simmons, Outreach Communications Coordinator for Companion Animals at The HSUS

REMEMBER: IGNORING IT WON'T MAKE IT GO AWAY !!

Some Resources for Locating a Shelter
Petfinder
Pets 911
http://www.worldanimal.net/
1-800-Save-A-Pet.com

Future Plans

Well, it's been a while since my last post, I've just been busy with life and all the other stuff but I couldn't resist posting my newly discovered plans for the future!

Although a somewhat materialistic person in the past, I seem to have slowly evolved into a more carefree person trying to simplify my way of life, which I'm pretty sure annoys everyone in my family. I found myself being a little jealous of my U.S. touring musician

brother recently when I found out he had visited San Francisco....(and I got the t-shirt) a place I've been dreaming of visiting for years now. I'm pretty sure that just standing under the Haight-Ashbury sign would fill my entire being with the colorful aura of all the past artists that 'made' that corner back in the 1960's. And although I never really was a total believer in reincarnation, I find myself yearning to 'return' to that area.....or era....for some reason, as if it's calling me.

So....on that note, I've decided that I should head out. You know,hit the open road. I'll take a few snacks, my aromatherapy

oils and some beads to string (in case I run out of money and need to sell oils or jewelry) a couple of tye dyed shirts and a few other essentials and go west. Of course, to get the real feel for the whole adventure, I'll need a vehicle such as this really cool colorful VW Magic bus. Now, although the bus has a great paint job, I really don't have that kind of time to invest.

And I would really like a little more head room especially if I'll be spending a lot of time in this mobile condo so maybe I could settle for something like this instead.

This bus looks to have a really cool convertable top that can double as a sun deck, or slicky slide for the nearest water hole, whichever I may need at the time. Not to mention the artwork will take much less time to complete and... it still gets the message across.

Yes, this seems like a pretty interesting plan. I mean, who wouldn't want to travel, see the country, meet new people and have plenty of time to reflect or do some soul searching? The only problem I see is not having my Sirius Radio. I'm pretty much addicted to the 70's channel and I have to have a daily dose or I cannot function properly. Well, I guess I could dig out those few 8-tracks I have stored away, I'm sure this buggy has a wicked-awsome player!! Well, now that I've got the plan down, I guess I'll run it by my family. I'm thinking that they can either let me go on my journey or let me redecorate the family room like this. Note the tye dyed pool table.

Yeah, after they see the new 'Sugar Shack' sofa/bus, I figure my husband will be installing new wipers and helping me to 'pimp my VW ride'. And to make it feel a little more like home, I may even strap a rocking chair to the top. Californy...here I come!!

Can You Believe It?

Well, here we are again. The beginning of a brand new year. It's hard for me to believe that another year has just zipped by. Where did it go? It feels as if only a week ago I put my Halloween costume away and I'm sure I still have Thanksgiving leftovers to eat up in the frig. (Hmmm, which could explain the strange noise my frig has been making lately...indigestion!) Now normally, and in past years, I'm just as much the 'party animal' as the next person, but I'm guessing I slept through all the festivities on New Years Eve this year, explaining the bow-tie wearing cat on my lap and the face full of multi-colored confetti stuck to my drool crusted chin when I woke the next morning. Wow, I must be getting old...or just lazy, or both, I'm not really sure. Either way, now starts a brand new year in which I can continue on my journey of self improvement. And the good thing about life is that it's kind of like your cell phone plan...it has rollover. So, all the stuff you didn't accomplish in 2007 (or before) you can now roll over into 2008, which works well for me...the procrastinator! So...here's to 2008....a whole NEW year! May the sun shine warm your face, and your moonshine have good taste!! CHEERS!

Is it Christmas......already?

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything....sorry about that...but it seems that time must have fast forwarded while I was in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. I mean, I stepped on the boat....it's Thanksgiving. I stepped off the boat....it's Christmas. What the heck?!? I must still be living 'on Bahama time' too because I can't seem to take off the grass skirt and sandals and Old Man Winter keeps pulling the Pina Colada drink from my ice frozen hands. But Christmas is here....again....already! And just in case I have missed sending anyone greetings this year (as it's been a busy one for me) I say Happy New Year's and Merry Christmas and everything in between!!!

Today's Quote...

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.
Robin Williams

Be a Beach Bum?....Why Yes I Could!

Okay....so Gilligan and the Skipper thought they were just on a 3-hour tour, and so they did get shipwrecked....IS THAT SO BAD?! Well folks, I'm here to say...maybe MaryAnn and Ginger had it better on that tiny little island than people thought!
For me it all started with a boat trip. Now, people will say that it's not a boat it is a ship. I say 'la-de-dah...if my butt it will float, it be a boat'! Well my lil 'ol boat looked like this. The Sensation which, by the way, is my new buzz word for a while. And although we were on more than a 3-hour tour, it only really felt like 3 hours as all vacations seem to whiz by before you have time to finish your 2nd umbrella drink.

Frankly, the sheer beauty of the islands is breathtaking! I am so addicted to the color of the water and the softness of the sand there. And the fact that the temperature hovers between 70*-90* all year long is very enticing to someone that has a new aching bone with each new winter. So, on that note, I've decided I want to relocate...to the Bahamas. Oh sure I could go further south like Cozumel, Cancun or my favorite snorkeling spot...Belize but that makes for a longer journey to visit the relatives and being that I may have to paddle my way ...the Bahamas seem far enough yet still close enough.
You see, I feel that I'm becoming less materialistic as I evolve. I think I can find a cool little shack to decorate (I'm artsy, I can come up with something). Or maybe share a shack with some Rasta folks, and I'm thinking that I could make a living by stringing seashell jewelry, making all natural exfoliating beach sand scrubs or just helping out this guy who obviously needs an assistant. Sure, I may not have all the luxuries of life like pizza rolls, vanilla coke and mint oreos but hey...I need to drop a few pounds anyway then maybe, just maybe I can finally look like this.... Yep, I've decided. I want to look like this and live there. I mean, the world is beautiful and life is short...THIS is what I want...is that too much to ask! I think not.

So, here I am discussing my plan for relocation with my friend Beth. Explaining just how I plan on using my jet ski
(which, by the way, is the coolest thing I've ever done next to parasailing and snorkeling) to enter and exit the island without worrying about all that red tape at customs. She however, was a little reluctant to join me.

Of course if the beach shaggin' shack doesn't pan out for me I guess I could contact Paul Allen, co founder of Microsoft, to see if he needs any help on his yacht, the Octopus...seen here docked at a Bahama port. Surely he needs a personal jewelry advisor or fragrance tester or something like that! I could even be his towel animal designer. They do this all the time on these fancy cruise boats. No problem, it's a cinch. I made this one without even any training ...this is an elephant.....Tammy style! Okay, so it needs a little tweaking, whatever.

However, for now I guess I'll just be seeing this image of me leaving the islands in my dreams... while I work on my 'wicked awesome master plan' for the future.....at least for now! ha ha ha ha ha ha...HAAA ha ha ha ha ha ha!