Weekly Scumble April 3 Thru 9

K Taylor-Green · #1 04-03-2006, 10:06 AM

Not only a new week, but a new month, and April to boot!! Morning everyone!
Welcome to the Scumble, our weekly chat thread, where we talk about the different aspects of our daily lives, like kids, jobs, families, and pets. So come in and visit, share stories and pictures.

In my neck of the woods, April is the month of the morel mushroom. I LOVE getting out in the woods and hunt for these elusive fungi. Once it warms up a bit more, I'm heading out to do just that!

Last week's Scumble brought us a new member. I was typing a response, last night, when a storm took out my internet connection and I felt it wiser to turn off the computer!
So, welcome to Dennis! I hope you stop by this week and let us get to know you.

I think my young colt is going to be easier to train than I thought. He has had a few short leading lessons since I put his first halter on him a couple of weeks ago. To prove this, I found that both of my young horses had flown the coop, so to speak, Saturday. They had shouldered a gate open that Jess had left ajar, and hi-tailed it back to the main horse pasture where the mares and my gelding are.
Naturally, Jess is gone. Naturally the mud level is high from rain. Naturally my mud boots have given out and I haven't replaced them.
So I fill my pocket with apple treats, grab a lead, and the feed bucket (for bribery) and head back to the barn.
They are pacing outside the fence, the others are pacing INSIDE the fence.
I clip the lead on Stega, my two year old, and he balks. Boy has been let go over the winter. Bad mistake. You can't win a tug of war with a two year old, and the apple treats weren't working. Jess had said that Seyn was doing well in his lead lessons, so I unclipped Stega and clipped the lead on Seyne. He was very reluctant, but didn't pull back. After rearing up a couple of times, he let me lead him away. I led him back up to the house area and put him back in the his pasture. Whew! Every time one of the others hollered, he would try to turn and go back, but we made it without incident.
Course, I had to walk back again to retreive the other one. Someone had forgotten to explain to him that follow the leader is a horse's favorite game!!
This time I put grain in that bucket, and that worked where the apple treats failed. He is now back with his little buddy, and had a nice visit with his old buddies. And I got an unexpected workout!
Hope everyone's week is off to a good start!

CM Neidhofer · #2 04-03-2006, 11:09 AM

Hi all. Bruce and I took off last week for a quick, two day trip to South Dakota and Wyoming. We went to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore. I thouhgt I'd never see Mt. Rushmore in my lifetime, and now I have! From SD we headed over to Wyoming to see Devil's Tower. On the way though, we stopped off in Deadwood, SD and picked a casino to check out. We went to Cadillac Jack's, where we promptly won $180 between us, in less than 10 minutes. We cashed out and went on our way!! My art studio is about as ready as it's going to get for now. Hopefully I'll get some painting time in today...yea!!! It's been a loooong time since I've picked up my pastels.

Christine

KA Obee · #3 04-03-2006, 11:53 AM

I did a volunteer thing in my 3rd grader's classroom this morning called "Art Goes to School." It's a wonderful program where the volunteers (moms usually) go in every month to discuss different portfolios of three paintings. (I do it every other month, alternating with some other moms.)

Every month's portfolio has a theme. This month's theme was 'Sports' and we've done "Work & Leisure" and "Portraits of Young Men". It's really been a great experience. I've learned so much about art & about working with the kids! My son says that the kids like when we do it because we don't tell them about the paintings, instead we ask the kids what they see. They usually are right on the mark. It's amazing!

There is always a 'sub-theme' to the portfolio. One time we talked about Realism vs Romantacism, this time we talked about the "line of action" in the paintings. They not only get it, they retain the information and refer back to things we discussed with them when we were there 2 or 4 months ago! It's so great to watch them make the connections. Mind you, these are 8 and 9 year olds I'm talking about!

With the time change and the warm weather we've been having, they were out of their skin today. I was relived that we only had to be there for an hour!

I decided to take the rest of the day off from work to catch up on all the stuff around here I wasn't able to get to, because I was either painting or doing yard work all weekend! (It was a really nice weekend!)

KA

DennisH · #4 04-03-2006, 04:10 PM

Wow Kate you have horses... and here I am complaining because of kids... lol...

Love the warmer weather, but in my neck of the woods... it seems as though April is for rain showers..... hopefully it will stay warm enough and dry enough so that I can get some outside painting done...

I have only been in pastels for the last 8 months, and in art of any sort for the last 14 months. I like the forums and chat areas and still have large areas of wet canvas to explore.

Got into art as a means to therapy to strokes. The neurologist seems to think that "exercising" the right side of my brain will help... sure hope so. Of all the other activities I could use to "exercise" the right side of my brain, art and painting were interesting to me. Pastels in particular seem to be my area of interest... painting landscape scenes.

michellej · #5 04-03-2006, 07:59 PM

Hi guys,
I have not been here for such a long time. It feels like decades. Glad to hear that the snow is finally melting for some of you. Hope you get to go on your mushroom safari soon kate

Hi Dennis, and welcome to WC. If the greeting you received was anything like mine then you will feel right at home.

The weather down here is hot and dusty and stuffy, with rain teasing us cruelly every once in a while. Well I have not painted nor so much as glance in the direction of my pastels in a long while.I feel alittle like a traitor to my profession, but i have a good excuse. I am right now smack dab in the middle of planning MY WEDDING!!!!!

I'm so excited and scared and all sorts of things in one. So if any of you has some ideas or anything to share, i'm all ears. My daughter is very excited and happy and that I think is the most important thing for me right now. i would hate to think that I was excited and she wasn't.
So for right now my focus is July and all the promise that it brings.

K Taylor-Green · #6 04-03-2006, 10:12 PM

Michelle, that is wonderful news!! Congratulations!! Keep us posted as to all the wedding news.

Dennis, I did my share of complaining about kids, believe you me. But they are grown and have fullfilled all my hopes for them, so now, I complain about grandkids!! And horses, and dogs. Complain the most about what I love the most, I guess. Kind of back handed pride.

Christy, sounds such fun. Right now, I'd like to go somewhere. Winter blahs are still hanging on a bit.

khourianya · #7 04-03-2006, 11:01 PM

ohhh - a wedding! Congratulations, Michelle! I'd wondered where you had gotten to lately! Do keep us posted!

DennisH · #8 04-04-2006, 12:16 AM

Kate,

Did I mention that we have raised 3 grown kids and now are raising 3 grandkids that we adopted.... definitely a challenge. But like you say, we complain the most about the things we love the most.

**Pat Isaac** · #9 04-04-2006, 09:24 AM

Welcome, Dennis and that is an awesome task you are taking on.
Congratulations, Michelle!!
Christine, we have just booked an Elderhostel trip to Mt. Rushmore and surrounding area for June. This will be our second Elderhostel and we like them as they are very educational, everything is supplied, and you meet such great people. Did you get lots of pictures to paint?

Pat

CM Neidhofer · #10 04-04-2006, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangoghpat

Did you get lots of pictures to paint?

Pat

I got a few of Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. Most are too far away to do much with. I have some pretty good pics of Devil's Tower though and started on a painting yesterday. Have the sky and clouds in at this point. I'll work more on it this morning.

Christine

K Taylor-Green · #11 04-04-2006, 09:44 AM

Hey Dennis! What part of Ohio are you in?

DennisH · #12 04-04-2006, 05:02 PM

Kate,

I am just outside of Cleveland now. Was born in Warren, Ohio, after high school I have been all around the world mainly with the Navy.

I have family in the southern part of West Virginia and in the Northwestern part of Virginia. Beautiful country there, wish I could do some pastel painting there.

Dennis

michellej · #13 04-04-2006, 07:43 PM

Hi guys, Thanks! As you can well imagine things are hectic with all the planning. booking the hall and the caterer

and the clothes. Right now i'm organizing my gown. Found the cutest veil and tiara yesterday. Grabbed it right up since it was the exact shade of off-white that I wanted.

The honeymoon was the easiest to sort out. I found (on-line) this cute little b&b in Tobago. On investigation found that it was everything it claimed to be so we made sure and booked immediately.
But it's still fun because Arnold is very involved in the planning and we discuss everything so...

Dennis the only time i've seen Virginia is in pics It's one of the must see places on my planning to go on a tour of the US tour.

I only visited L.A. I want to make sure that my daughter sees as much of the world as possible and also develops a healthy love for travel. So we've done some parts of the Caribbean and most important a lot of internal knocking about.

Vegas Art Guy · #14 04-04-2006, 11:52 PM

Wow, I have not been here in forever and three days. Let's see, my daughter got straight A's last semester and has a drawing hanging in a student show where she takes her art lessons. She has taken to art like a duck to water. I'm still working and going to school part time, but I did graduate from the two year college and have moved on to the 4 year one. It's been a challenge but worth it. We adopted a little boy last year who is equal parts angel and devil. I think that's it.

bjcpaints · #15 04-05-2006, 08:59 AM

You miss a lot in a few days here!
Welcome Dennis and hello to all!
Kate, I am glad you were able to get the horses under control! All of my horsey experience has been through instinct. No fear. People are amazed when I turn the horse around and get it to go where I want it to! LOL Rode backback more than in a saddle when I was younger. Flying freely through the woods on a back road. Those are great memories for me.
Christine, Congrats on your win and your fun trip!
KA, Good for you promoting art to the younger generation!
Dennis, Art is wonderful therapy!!! I started painting as a result of quitting smoking about 4 years ago. I really did not have much of any art experience before so it is a new wonderful world to me!
Michelle, Big congratulations on your wedding! Best wishes for much happiness!
I have some exciting news that I just could not wait to tell someone! After whining for 4 years that our local art council never has any programs of interest during the evening or weekends hours (when I could actually attend);
I was stunned to see a pastel workshop listed on a Saturday in June with Robert Carsten!!!! I immediately signed up and am so looking forward to it!
This will be the first time I have ever even seen anyone else use pastels! I am sure to learn a lot and it will give me the boost I need! OK Thanks for listening to me.
TTYL
Barbara

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