Early morning canine goings on

I just love these early morning shadows on the dogs as they all keep tabs on the local squirrels.

All of them except Andy, that is.

He only wants to make sure I get his good side. What a goofball!

Art vs. Real Life

You Blinked, I Win © 2010 by Karen Mathison Schmidt
11 x 14 • oil on 3/4" cradled Gessobord
sides painted dark umber
gloss varnish for UV protection & easy cleaning

Click here to bid

auction ends May 10, 2011


Yes, that’s our Ray. Look at him, lounging in front of the window, all dignified and proper-like.

Of course, that’s only a painting.

Here’s what he’s doing in Real Life right this minute:


Real Life is usually much more interesting than Public Image, isn’t it?

Sunday Afternoon Nap

Need I say more?

A Cheerful Heart

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

Yesterday on her blog, Dreama Tolle Perry asked about silly things that make us grin. Here’s one of mine. Just some little ol’ flowers from the potted plants on my front porch, cheering up my kitchen windsill in teeny vases. They make me smile every time I walk in there. :)

Cat painting work in progress ...and spider lilies!

Here’s the painting so far

... and some of the spider lilies gracing our yard and pasture right now.

Sweet dreams!

Edgewood Old House Restoration continues:that little room at the end of the hallplus: Taking the carpet off the stairs

Here’s how the little room at the end of the hall that used to be nothing more than our recycling staging area became cheery, usable space.

Once upon a time there was a little room at the end of a long hall that was more than a bit drab and full of trash. Nobody ever went in there except to toss something out.

Although it did have some pretty cool old

built-in cupboards and drawers.

I pulled up the old, old, old linoleum and found wood flooring. Sweet! Except now I had to try to clean up that old adhesive. Bummer.

Sophie came to help

.

Hmmm ...

wonder what’s under those water-stained acoustic ceiling tiles ...

Hey, more wood!

Plus disintegrating cheesecloth and old paper ceiling cover. There’s that early-twentieth-century green again!

Almost done. It took a while because some of the tiles were stapled down on one end and the cheesecloth had been nailed in place, so I had to pull out staples and itty bitty nails as I went.

Mid-project messiness.

Walls and ceiling primed with Kilz stainproofing primer.

And now, the fun part ... color!

This color is “Inchworm” from Valspar. Normally I wouldn’t choose this color for walls, but I wanted a little pop of brightness amidst all the blue of the hall when looking down the hall from the front door.

Beauty, eh?

I added even more brightness with a little rug I got in New Mexico a long, long time ago. I haven’t painted the trim yet, and I’m still working getting all that old adhesive off the floor, but I have faith that it will get done eventually!

I moved this little high-boy in from a bedroom, and I’m using it to store various things like light bulbs and pet supplies.

See? Dog bowls, heartworm prevention and an unopened box of Milkbones. Once the treats get opened they go into the ant and puppy-proof container that you can see just on the very left edge of the photo. Behind the mirrored door is a LARGE ant and puppy-proof container of dog food.

I have other plans for the built-in cupboards opposite. Like winter wear and mud boots and umbrellas. Keep in mind that there are practically NO closets in this old house. And the ones we do have are tiny. Teency weency. Like hobbit closets.

Here’s how the room looks from right inside the front door. And Andy lying in his favorite spot right in the middle of the hall. Oh, I forgot to mention that I painted just the wall at the end a slightly darker blue, “Dusty Spruce,” to make the green fresher looking, and to give a little more definition and depth to the area under the landing.

One thing led to another and NOW I decide it’s time to remove that musty old carpet from the stairs. Notice how the carpet pad underneath is just disintegrating to dust. Yuck.

It took me two days to do the whole thing.

The landing was tough. LOTS of staples and little nails.

So here’s the hallway right after we had the roof replaced. The reason I know it’s after the new roof was put on is that there are no pots and pans sitting on the stairway to catch leaks.

And ... ta DA!

Once we get a fresh coat of paint on the front of the risers the stairs will look beautiful, but here’s how the hall looks today. Well, yesterday. Today wasn’t this bright because it’s been thunderstorming all day. In fact, the sky has been so dark this afternoon that it was too dim to paint by natural light, which is why you’re reading about old house renovation and not art making right now.

It’s supposed to clear up during the night, leaving us with a long stretch of cool, sunny days, so I’ll be back with the cat painting tomorrow.

At least, that’s the plan.

what I really meant

... and of course when I said “tomorrow” in that last post, I really meant Monday.

Which, today, IS tomorrow.

So ...

Hasta mañana (again)!