Bobcat!

 What a fun way to start the day! I was opening my dining room curtains this morning about 7 a.m. and saw several deer running and jumping over the pasture fence. I didn't know what startled them, but then I went to my south window (the big living room window) and saw a bobcat walking down the driveway headed east! He trotted past that pile of logs and past Josh's old silver car and kept on going. 

Of course, I jumped onto Google Images to confirm whether I'd seen a bobcat or a lynx (both in the lynx family). I'm sure it was a bobcat. It said they have about a 7 square mile territory and like to be where there are lots of deer and turkeys. We have an abundance of those. We've also had a reduction in our barn cat population. My "trusty" camera decided to be contrary or I might have gotten a distant shot before he disappeared. I'll be looking for him in the mornings! :)

We've been having some "crisp" autumn weather. I prefer it to extreme heat. Adam's been firing up the wood stove, though it's hard to know how to act when the temps can change so much from day to day. It's a major deal figuring out how to dress for a walk, lol. 

The grand girls have been spending lots of time at my dining table "doing art" and sometimes tuning into an online art tutorial. They start the day playing outside in knit caps, gloves and jackets, then discard them midday and re-don them later in the day. 

I've been doing a bit of art. Let me go rummage through my memory card. Hmmm...

Well, I was proud of myself for neatening up the art table. It's quite a mess when the kids get done. I piled their coloring/dot-to-dot books on the counter in the background, which is also where I keep my daily planner where I keep track of appointments and miles walked. 

I've moved my personal art materials to the back bedroom, which may work better than using random places to set up when I feel the urge to create. There are lots of lamps and other light when I need them. I also have a large bin full of books I tear pages from for collages. The painting leaning against the wall is one I rescued from the thrift store.

The plastic tub contains odds and ends I use for collage, and lots of Poker cards and such. The three ring binders hold my ATC collection, and this is also where I collect the kids' paintings and a pile of books for them to the left.

My first creation in my new art space was this "found poetry" card. You snip random words from a variety of places and make a "poem" (using the word very loosely) from them. Weird, I know. My brain is challenged by these "irrational" types of card making swaps, but I'm also intrigued to see if I can come up with something. (We were supposed to add some little item to "enhance" the card. Hence, the owl.)

I also made these "moos" this week. (1"x 2-3/4") I have no idea why they're called MOOs. Any guesses? The host of this swap gave us a long list of items which most of us have in our "stash". We were required to use 3 of the items on the list for each MOO. (Ex: rubber stamps, postage stamps, paint, stickers, maps, text, washi tape, magazine clippings, etc.)

Then there were these Fall themed inchies...

and a Pick-A-Theme swap where the other players request a certain theme...

Once again, apologies if I've shown these before. My memory card is so random and out of order. These were for an ongoing APC swap. Working our way through a deck. Theme: Flowers and a Little Something Else.

A twinchie swap (2"x 2") They were supposed to be "whimsical", which is another thing that my mind finds challenging. So, most of them were copied from artists in books I have on the shelf. (The mushrooms were the only thing from my "imagination".)

This was a card I made for a Random Act of Kindness. This lady likes owls. 

My new favorite coffee mug. I'm growing very fond of my redneck brothers in the Lord, lol. Check 'em out on YouTube.

Another Pick-a-Theme swap... All cards were to be in black-and-white only.

A folk art angel and a player's puppy...

A forest scene and a vintage boxer. This swap reminded me of how much I enjoy simple pen and ink drawings. 

And a random card that I think I made as a hostess gift. She loves cats. (For the host of Flowers and a Little Something Else.)

Well, I kind of think that's all for now. I really need to go through my memory card and delete some stuff. Hopefully I'll get around to that. 

I hope you're all having delightful fall weather and that nobody is in the path of a hurricane at the moment. (Texas relatives? MK?) Gretchen stay safe in California! Right now I'm glad to be in the middle/north of the country!

Hugs and holy kisses to everyone!

Shalom and love.