October 31st - All Hallows Eve

Happy Halloween!

Here's a little squirrel enjoying a popcorn treat for Halloween.

This is the pumpkin I carved this year.

Hello! I'm Johnny Cash.

And this was the ghastly surprise we had this week.
A sticky slathering of 3 inches of snow, some of which is still on the ground.
Now that's truly scary.

But nevermind that.



I can haz candy?
YES.

On the Fence

Looking out my back door I saw this kitty sitting on top of the fence. I snapped this gauzy shot through the screen door. I tried to get a better image through the window but she saw me move and took off.

I was working away and felt the summer heat rising. It's been a very tropical summer here in decidely non-tropical Ottawa. Pretty much every day we get a rainstorm. Usually thunder and lightning. 60%-70% probability of precipitation everyday. Every night the temperatures go below 20C. I love it. I know there are plenty of locals upset with all the rain. I know there are plenty of locals who'd like a day free of the rain. But for me, I am totally enjoying it. Since I have to work at home and make a ton of stuff all summer, I haven't had a string of days where it was too hot to work. Last year I was ready to buy me an air conditioner after a week of temperatures that didn't go below 28C. I'd rather have this.

So later on I looked up and saw this squirrel flaked out.



It's very weird to see these scurrying critters relaxed like this. Guess they feel right at home. I've seen plenty of them in the neighbourhood eating good stuff from the gardens around here; cucumbers, tomatoes and my hostas and the flowers off of my gardenia! A squirrel was crunching on that the other day so I brought it in. Curses!

I went back to work and the next time I looked up the sky was black, there was an rainbow and bright sun reflecting off the brick, and a minute later it was pouring rain.

Another Big Nut: New Squirrel Painting

I finally finished this 8" x 10" acrylic painting called Desert Island. It went through so many stages I wish I would have taken pictures of that. Some paintings come easy. Others fight you. This one would have bitten me in the manner of a nasty squirrel had I not finally wrestled it down to the ground. Don't ask me why some things are tougher. I don't know.

I am satisfied with the water.

I am troubled by the fact that the squirrel is either gigantic or the palm tree is teeny tiny. And that island is so small! But, never mind. His expression is priceless. His nut could be either a guitar, a ukelele or a violin case. He, maybe, should have had a hula skirt on but that wouldn't be hard to add.

Made Fresh Today. July 25th, 2007.

The Big Nut

I've made this image of the squirrel triumphantly displaying a great big nut before. To me, this is success. Big, shiny success: can't hide it, don't want to, there for all the world to see and it's mine mine mine. I've had some of these moments in my life. Some small victories, some big. A lot of victories that aren't seen out there by others as obviously as if they were a giant golden peanut, but they were important too. Maybe more so.

It's good to feel this way, but like the "overnight success", ten years in the making, you have to find satisfaction all the way along the road. And you have to be okay if you don't get the big nut. There's no guarantee to any of us of anything, but if we don't try we really won't get there. Take your Big Nut moments when you can get them. I do.