Yesterday evening, the boys came over while the rest of their bunch went to a friend’s house to drink coffee.  When they first got here, they played with

these little plastic rabbits.  After a discussion, they decided that one of the rabbits needed to be locked in the little cage because she was going to have babies.  Then I heard Hudson say, “Isn’t nature wonderful?”

They had been here about thirty minutes when we decided to go look at Phil and Kay (the pigeons).  After that, we were headed to check the wild hog snares, but never made it. We got sidetracked by looking for four leaf clovers and taking fresh clover to the rabbit. Then we went on a short hike through the woods while they looked for clues…for what, I didn’t have a clue.  I just did what they told me.  After we came out of the woods, we became secret agents.  Hudson was Agent Green, Denton was Agent Blue, and I, of course, was Agent Pink.  We hid behind trees and layed in the grass so as not to be detected by the bad agents, which I never saw.  But, again, I did what I was told.  We came across one of those Bic lighters that must have fallen off one of the golf carts.  Agent Blue handed it to me and wanted me to see if it still worked.  It did. So, what else could Agent Pink do but set fire to a pile of straw.

Agent Green and Agent Blue added leaves and more straw

and before long we had several little fires going.  Then their mother called to tell me that they were back and to send the boys home.  That didn’t set well with them because playing with fire is just too much fun. But, I told them that we had to do what their mother said.  Then they asked, “How are we going to put these fires out?”  Being the quick thinker that I am, I suggested that they put them out with liquid from their own bodies.  That possibility really excited them, and in less than a minute,

the mission was accomplished.

Yesterday was a beautiful day…not a cloud in the sky…temperatures in the fifties…a great day to take a country drive.  So, I did.  Well, not just me.  My friend Judy had been wanting some pet chickens, and I knew just where she could get a couple…so, we took us a drive down to Joe and Nidette’s farm in Longville.  Nidette had raised a Malaysian Serama rooster and a Silver Duckwing hen from chicks. They were “special needs” chickens.  As chicks, the rooster had had some sort of foot fungus, and the hen had had a parasite in her left eye.  Thanks to the medical skills of Nidette ‘Clampet’ Glass, they have fully recovered, except for the fact that

the little hen no longer has a left eye. You wouldn’t know it as long as she was looking at you. Even though she was attached to them, Nidette knew that she couldn’t keep them, and had been looking for someone who would give them a good home.

Judy was excited about the two new additions to her family.

She was especially excited about the little rooster, who has not yet gotten his crower under control.  I think that she has named them Pearl and Boss.

While we were there, Joe talked me into taking home a pair of pigeons.  In the past, Joel has said, “Susan, whatever you do, just don’t bring home any pigeons”, so I was a little nervous.  Joe and I caught the pigeons, put them in a cage, and set them on the back seat of Judy’s truck

right beside Pearl and Boss.  Since I am quite entertained by the show, Duck Dynasty, I decided to name them Phil and Miss Kay…although I’m not altogether sure which one is which.  Then, we drove off, waving to Nidette as tears streamed down her face. When I got them home, I put them

in the pen with my other feathered friends.

They kind of like the high places.

When Joel called, I thought that I might better mention the pigeons before he read about them somewhere.  I said, “Well, I might as well go ahead and tell you…”  And Joel said, “Susan, what have you done now?”

For a while now, I’ve entertained the idea of turning the front room in the original part of our house into a gallery, and… the fullness of time has now come to pass for me to make that idea a reality.  I’m calling it A Bend in the Road Gallery to keep in sync with Josh’s Bayou Bend Daylilies.

As a result of my woodshedding adventure in Alaska, I have produced a body of watercolors that I am now in the process of matting and framing.

I’ll probably wind up with somewhere between fifteen and twenty pieces.

My plan is to call this exhibit “Hanging Out on the Kenai Peninsula” and have it available to the public from March 3-17, by appointment only.  As things progress, I will post the “for sure” details. So, I’m looking forward to seeing you at A Bend in the Road Gallery.

This morning Kerry and I motored over to Inglewood to do some shopping at their fresh market.  I purchased some vegetables, and she bought some jelly.  Then we headed downtown.  Our destination was a coffee house on Fourth Street called Tamp and Grind.  When we turned onto Main, I asked Kerry if she had ever been to River Oaks. I told her that I had had a studio in the Bolton house (one of two buildings where artists can lease studio space) when the boys were in grammar school.  She didn’t know that the place even existed, so we pulled into the parking lot and entered the Bolton house.

We walked through the studios,

and enjoyed checking stuff out in the gallery spaces.  Then we left for Tamp and Grind.  Or, at least we thought we had.  Unbeknownst to me, but knownst Kerry (who had forgotten), this was the morning for the children’s Mardi Gras parade in downtown Alexandria.  Had I known, we would have left our car at River Oaks and walked to Fourth Street.  But noooooooooooooooo. When we got to Jackson Street, where we were going to turn, they were just putting up the last barricade. Kerry said, “Oh, the parade is today”.  We had to detour and find us a parking place, which was next to impossible, so that we could walk to Tamp and Grind.

People were everywhere, barricades were everywhere, and the Tamp and Grind was just right there.

We walked a little farther hoping to find a hole to slip through, but found policemen on motorcycles doing figure eights. The children seemed to like it, but I didn’t find it amusing. We could have thrown a rock and hit the Tamp and Grind, but I looked at Kerry and said, “We can’t get there from here”.  Lord knows, we tried, but I guess that’s what happens when you don’t stay on task.

Today I purchased mat board for my Alaska paintings. For display purposes, I got neutral colors.

I cut the mats and mounted the paintings, so here they are:

Daniel’s Lake, and

some run-down buildings

in Old Town Kenai.

This is not far from those buildings and next to Cook Inlet.

This is the male Pine Grosbeak in Mom’s back yard

and the ‘Dead End’ shack, also in Old Town Kenai.

The only thing I did not mat was this painting

that I left in Alaska for Mom.

Yesterday after the hen party, Joel, Donna and I drove over to Inglewood

to shop at the fresh market.  We bought some satsuma jelly – our new favorite.

We also purchased some kohlrabi, rutabagas and some green garlic, all of which we roasted for dinner.  I got a quart of goat milk, and

Donna picked out some handmade soaps for her girls.

When we left the fresh market, we paid a visit to Joel Smith

at the Saxon Guild, also located on Inglewood Plantation.

Joel and his brother Bob restore art and antiques.  The two of them, along with a few other family members, are very fine musicians and hold concerts there in the shop.

The Smith brothers are interesting to talk to and their shop is a fun place to wander around in.

Later in the afternoon, the three of us walked down to meet Nikki and the kids and watch the Woodworth Mardi Gras parade.

The boys had a fun time picking up the candy and beads that were thrown to them. They actually collected a good bit.

Josie didn’t do too bad either.

It was a beautiful day to be out and about.

One evening while in Alaska, we were sitting around the table and Trish was talking about how she gets together with her friends and they call it a hen party.  Well, little sister, I hope you are reading this, because I’m going to show you how we have a hen party in the South.

While I was out of town, not only did Rose and Jasmine get out and prune Joel’s citrus  trees, but Clem the Blue Slate turkey got loose. This morning, when I went out to feed the chickens, I found Clem

pacing back and forth in front of the chicken pen.  He has lived with the chickens since he was little…well that is until about a month ago.  I truly believe he thinks that he’s one of them. I tried to herd him into the new chicken pen, but he wouldn’t go in.  Then, I decided to catch him…and I did…only I left the gate open, and when I turned back around, the chickens had made a run for it and were headed toward Joel’s flower beds. It was a Maalox moment.  So, I went up the hill and into the house to find Donna…with Clem clutched tightly to my breast.  I was hoping beyond all hope that Joel was still in the back on the phone.  When I found Donna, a big grin appeared on her face.  We put Clem in the chicken pen, and then, the hen party got started.

We herded hens in every direction except the right one.

Joel’s mama even joined the party, but we decided

to make her the gate keeper, which ended up being a smart move.

We herded chickens with shovels and brooms

and two by four’s.  It was quite a workout. When the gate was closed behind the last chicken, the hen party was officially over. The total length of the event was only about fifteen minutes, but we found that to be plenty of time. Yep, things are back to normal.

By Wednesday, things seemed to be coming back to me where my watercolor skills were concerned. I realized that I was about to cross over into……. the zone. But, I was scheduled to leave Thursday night. I decided to see what the difference in cost would be if I moved my departure date to Saturday.  So, I enlisted the help of

my driver, tour guide, travel agent and sledding instructor – Trish McFarlin.  After about forty-five minutes, she was able to inform me that staying until Saturday would set me back one thousand five hundred dollars. I immediately came down with a case of anal glaucoma – I just could not see my rear end paying that kind of money.  Joel was happy that I had contracted the disease.  So, zone or no zone I would be sailing through the ozone come Thursday night.  And I did…not only Thursday night, but all day Friday.  My winter wonderland is now four thousand miles behind me, and I am walking on the green, green grass of home. But…it is good.

Last night it snowed again, so this morning Mom

went out on the deck to clean out the bird feeders.  She replaced the sunflower seeds

which seemed to make the birds very happy.  Al came over to clear the driveway

and came in for a cup of coffee.  It was nice to finally meet Al.

Lee went out and shoveled snow again.  I have to admit that

the landscape was beautiful with the fresh snow.

My art supplies were already in a box ready to be shipped, so painting was out.  So, what’s left to do, right?  Well, I’ll tell ya.

Trish, Lee and I got all dressed up,

pulled out the sleds,

walked to the top of the hill,

and had ourselves a fabulous time.

Well, at least I didn’t fall in the lake.

Then one last time,

we loaded up and went into town to get a bite to eat and run errands…

counting moose along the way.

Tonight, I leave for home, and I’m going to miss my Alaska family.  Thank you to all the characters who made my woodshedding trip a real joy.

Trish McFarlin,

Lee Edgerton,

Sharon “Mom” Brower,

Blanche “I sure hope somebody has a purse” Kuhlman and

Minx “Baby Girl”Brower.  I love you all, and… bless your hearts!

Today, Trish and I drove into Kenai for me to take some pictures. Since I accidentally let Minx out of the house, and she would not let us catch her,

she rode with us.  I wanted to photograph some things in Old Town Kenai, so Trish parked behind

Veronica’s Coffee House and let me out to do my thing.  When I was done, I found Trish

inside Veronica’s where she had ordered us both something hot to drink.  Not only was it good, but it felt good on my hands.

Denton’s favorite color is blue, and Hudson’s favorite color is green, so I asked Trish to take my picture

by a blue plane

and a green plane. Then, I sent them the pictures.

After returning home, I completed a smaller version

of the lake painting that I finished last night.  Then I did a small painting

of some little shacks behind Veronica’s.  And, morning and evening were the seventh day.