Grateful For Green

Are you like me where you just have days where your heart is flooded over with gratitude...

gratitude for green!  For fresh greens & beautiful kind healthy food and beautiful new plants!!??

The Double Crested Cormorant

We were walking down at our beautiful waterfront a few weeks back,

it was a perfect summers evening when I was looking out at the boats in the marina

and I saw a big black bird.

This big black bird had a pretty extensive wing span so I was immediately wondering what it was.

Than I realized it was holding it's wings out to dry in the sun,

I've never really seen any ducks doing that

and even from a distance you could tell this bird was quite black and substantial.

I recognized the profile almost right away, I said to my honey 'Oh My Gawd, is that a Cormorant".

I've never ever seen one of these birds around here, only out on the East Coast and West Coast.

We watched it for a few minutes

than decided it was worth the chance to run home for the our Nikon zoom lens.

He was still there, sunning his wings, when we got back.

He/she was absolutely magnificent.

Look at his incredible turquoise eyes, holy smokes!

I later learned that he/she was a double-crested Cormorant

and that they were in fact plentiful around here about 30 or 40 years ago

but they were killed off by people using a certain kind of pesticide in their yards etc.

Now they are making a comeback but much to my dismay I read that the Ford government

has or is about to pass a law that says anyone can kill these amazing birds for no reason!

Oh stupid people think they have good reasons though!

They complain that the birds poo smells too much!

They complain that they destroy their property!!

and the worse most idiotic one is that the fisherman say these birds eat too many of the

young sports fish, not leaving them with enough when it comes to their fishing derby times etc,

how gross and pathetic is that!

I mean, I am pretty sure any human can go into a grocery store full of food

and find something to fill their bellies but the Cormorants rely on the fish in the lake alone.

The fish is theirs to eat, not ours, come on people, at least learn to share!

If you think the Cormorants are as beautiful and incredible as I do, send a message to your government and express your dismay that these amazing creatures are once again at risk.

And if you live anywhere near these birds and you see they are in danger, try to educate people

about sharing this world with these animals...like all animals, these birds need our help!

Melting

It's been to hot to even turn on my computer!...Are you melting too?

This summer has been too damn hot!  But I guess at least we have a lovely space to melt in!!!

Heatwaves & Watermelon

I hope your all surviving this heatwave!

We're eating an awful lot of watermelon!!

Sketchbook Peek

Just a little peek into one of my sketchbooks...

Some pieces are fully rendered now whiles other linears wait somewhat patiently.

Choose Love

I so far only have one regret in life.

That regret is that I haven't always been vegan...if I could go back in time & change that I would.

Spending time with precious beings like these two duck friends

is such a powerful reminder to me of why I choose compassion and love over the alternative.

Tiny Or Big

Tiny Bunny?

or Extra Big Carrot?

Goldfinch Gold

This is hands down one of my favorite photos I have ever taken.

We got ourselves a Nikon D750 last year and I am absolutely loving it.

Pencil On Watercolour Paper

I really fell in love with using my beloved colored pencils on really textured watercolor paper.

I feel like the colors are so deep and I can layer like crazy, especially with the Prismacolor.

Sometimes I drag my heels on images because I am multi-passionate & can't decide on a medium.

 but now and then an image just scream on out

"I want to be done in watercolor...I want to be a lino cut...I want to be ink pen on board"

I love it when that happens and I try not to ignore the instinct.

Apricot Strudel Our Grumpy Gus

Korra-Soleil is such a beautiful dutch rabbit and such an easy rabbit too for the most part.

She wasn't always, she was pretty grumpy when we first adopted her but she's loving with us now.

I wish she got along with the others in the house though but she doesn't, she wants to fight everyone.

Someone commented recently that the way we live with rabbits is so interesting, seeing how some hate each other for no reason, seeing others fall in love etc ha ha.  I think I should be putting

"Relationship Manager" on my resume because some days I feel like all I do is referee rabbits!

A Visit

When you have real friends they just accept you as you are...
This is one of the few people in my life who truly accepts & loves me as I am, my oldest pal Lisa.

We have been friends since grade one, over 35 years now!
She always wanted kids, even as a kid herself, I didn't, we accept & love that about one another.

We don't get to see each other often, she lives 4 hours away & I can't travel, so I love any time we get together like this super fun day at the same beach Lisa & I used to haunt as kids together.
It was lovely sitting with my oldest pal, feeling that connection to the past,
watching her kids & our honeys make new memories there too, it was a very special day for me.

Ink to Lino

Have I shown this ink drawing of mine to you guys yet?

I think it's going to be one super fun image to redo in linocut, I can't wait.

Baby Lydia

These are shots from Lydia's first week home.
We had to quarantine her in the bathroom for the first week before
the doctor said it was okay to let her near all the other buns.
She lived outside in awful conditions outside so we didn't know if she had mites etc.
So whiles stuck in the bathroom, we took turns sleeping with her, we wanted her to feel safe & loved.

The very first night she was home was rough.
It was an exhausting week, the stress of it all had knocked us down a couple pegs
and we just got home when a friend of ours called in a panic because their bun was very sick.

My sweet man ended up over at their house helping with their bun all night
as I took care of our newest little rescue Lydia on her first night in her new home.

It was thundering and storming that first night home

and I will never forget how she had tucked herself all comfy in my arms but
suddenly in her sleep, or maybe rather I should say in her nightmares, she screamed.
A sound to break any mama's heart I tell you, ugh.

I think she was still there in the dark dangerous scary night
where she would be completely exposed and drenched during any storm....
and it was a very rainy season!
Thankfully she's only done that twice more, both during storms.
It's our job is to wipe as many of those bad memories away & I think with Lydia we're succeeding.