Kentucky afternoon...

Kentucky sky, with hollyhocks.


One white blossom left...and some pink ones around the side of the house...


Purple martin house on a long pole...


House on the hill...

Running to the house!


Deer in the back yard...they know they are safe...


This is at my parents' home in western Kentucky.

Right now I'm in Ohio and I can hear the cicadas vibrating the air outside. Summer evenings...

Being a Warrior...

These days I'm advocating for a little boy in Eastern Europe. Valentin just turned five; he has cerebral palsy, and he lives in an orphanage. He needs a family.

See what a love he is?

You can learn more about him on Reece's Rainbow, a ministry that raise awareness and adoption grant funds for special-needs children in other countries. And you can, if you wish, read my other blog about him.

(Come see!)

Sitting here listening to my beautiful daughter doing voice exercises...It takes practice and learning how, to sing.

Sometimes the mermaid sings in the silence. Sometimes she sings with the wind.

Sometimes she sings so only the wind can hear. And the wind listens, and sings along.

Among the fishes...

These are pics from visits to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, a year or two ago...I discovered that tanks of water gave me new ways to play with images and reflections...












Here are two of my girls looking into a tank of sea anemones. Or are they looking out from the tank?...

















Here they are watching the spotted sharks.

















On another day,
between the barnacles...

















Two taller daughters,
seen through misty waters...

















A small mermaid
taken by surprise...








And one more mermaid,
dreaming in the waters...

Looking through faceted glass...

This was Christmas Day at my parents' house in Kentucky.

It was so lovely to have snow for Christmas. It lasted about three days. I made a snowman to greet my little nephew on the side porch.

I was just there again to be with my parents after Mom had surgery. Didn't take too many pics this last time. I loved being there, though. Eating breakfast together with the view of the meadow. Watching movies in the evening.

I got home late last night after my flight was delayed two hours. It was a good thing--let me see my youngest sister (and nephew!) arrive from Texas before I flew out!

Quiet day with fever

Two of my teens have had fevers for a week now. Last night it caught up to me. So I've been not trying to do much today--sitting working on a sweater I've been trying to finish. I have had to rip several rows of the body twice. (I'm doing an openwork pattern below the Empire line.) But I think I'm on track now. I found a mistake just now where i forgot to decrease after a yarn-over, so I undid two stitches and fixed it. Well, I fixed it in the row above where it was supposed to happen. But it's on the back, so I'm going to leave it be. Hand made charm and all that...

Leonie

This is Leonie.

Originally she was All-Stars Midge, but a couple of days ago I finally got around to giving her a new poseable body. And somehow having that poseability, and the flat feet, brought out a young playful aspect to her personality. She is one of my very favorite dolls now.

Just being able to bend and unbend her arms--not have them locked into the dreadful bent-arm pose--seemed to give her a new sense of freedom in my eyes. And with the jointed (not the rubber bendable) legs, she can even ride a horse!

Several days ago I borrowed my daughters' two Barbie horses, Misty and Rainbow, and had some of the dolls go horseback riding. Leonie wasn't the first, but she was in the second group. And she seems to like horses, and riding. It suits her.



Here she is with the two horses.



Here she is riding with her friend and--sister? cousin? another Midge with a new body. (The other one doesn't have a new name yet.)









And here she is riding with Oliver.

Somehow I love the sight of dolls riding horseback. It gladdens my heart. I need some doll-horses of my own...I suppose the horses need saddles and bridles, too, but for now we seem to be getting along fine without them.

Leonie will be coming with me when I go to see family for Christmas, and I expect we'll bring a horse or two...