Category: Uncategorized

Of course not!
Jenny H. posted this meme on her blog, and I couldn’t resist doing it too…give it a shot!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Puty Grand Caravan

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
L-Dub

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Green Rabbit

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Ellen Providence

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Dub-Li

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Yellow Dr. Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Frank Wilfred

9. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),
Lemon Squirrel Nut Caramel

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Ann Wilfred

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Echeverria El Paso

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Spring Lavender

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Strawberry Sweatshirty

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Cracklin’ Oat Bran Maple

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Beading Wind Tour

Clearly, I’d make a good hippy, and a BAD stripper.
Bah-ha-ha!

Check out this thing:

This lovely beast has taken up residence in my rock garden, just by our front door.
It’s close to 3 inches long, which just makes me cuss with wonder every time I see it, especially if it’s “working,” which it does a lot.
@#%$!!!
I think I’ll put off the weeding for a couple of weeks.

Well, at least the spring catalog is! A few weeks ago, just before we left on vacation, this showed up in my mailbox.

It’s the Simon and Schuster Spring 2008 catalog! See- there’s Jon Scieszka beaming at you from the cover. Now, open it up to lucky page 156 and there’s the page for my upcoming book What Kind of Rabbit Are You? WooHoo!

According to this, there’s a “feature” on my own website.
Whoops- my website’s a bit out of date- the book even has it’s old title there. Guess I’d better get on that- updates coming soon!

A few times a week on the way to my design office, I am enraptured by weird but beautiful towers of stones, perilously balanced on top of one another, and taking up a whole suburban front yard. It’s a tough location to stop at, so I have contented myself to view these creations in 5-second intervals while whizzing by on the highway.

This picture doesn’t do the work justice; picture stacks like this a hundred times over, filling up the front yard.

Clearly this person is either crazy or a genius, and I had decided a while ago that it was truly genius art.

Now I know who it is! Her name is Maria Alfieri, and the local paper ran a story about her and why she does this. Check it out.

As another person enamored of rocks, I tip my hat to you, Maria!

This is an older piece done in pastel and colored pencil.
Despite the age, the obsessive use of patterns and bunnies is still clearly evident!

Barb at Cats and Jammers has given me a “Thinking Blogger” award.

Thanks, Barb- it makes me want to whip out my Rubik’s Cube and give it another go!
I will endeavor to live up to my legend. Now, I am charged with passing along 5 more awards to brainy bloggers that I know:
(Drum roll, please!)

Kim Norman– a very smart girl, new to blogging, but clearly the type to get addicted to the experience. Kim has a very rollicking, off-the-cuff style of writing, always peppered with smarticisms. You know what THOSE are, right?

Linda Wingerter– undeniably smart, because she’s open to a world of influences and possibilities.

Amy Schimler– a new-found (to me) smart blogger…another girl who’s creativity flows from her keen observance of the things around her, past and present.

Paige Keiser– Paige seems to know no bounds in terms of creativity- she’s always thinking!

John Nez– John is practically too smart for his own good!

Those are my choices, and I stand by every one of ’em.
Now you guys are supposed to pass along 5 more awards.
Use your power wisely.

Sometimes I have to supply…supplies.
Or at least reasonable facsimilies of supplies.
Hey look! Here’s some now!
This is from the August 2007 issue of Highlights High Five.

My lovely critique group pal Kim tagged me for the 8 Things meme recently- and I am finally doing it! I am suposed to list 8 habits/facts about me, then tag 8 others to do the same at the end of the post. Here goes:

1. Almost everything in my house is handmade, reused, reconfigured from parts, or just plain old.

It’s more interesting that way. The studio does have a lot IKEA in it though (for practical puposes).

2. I love bagpipes. The louder the better!

Bombardes and binious rock, too.

3. On a similar note, I love pennywhistles.

I have at least 10 of them; I can play a few tunes on them, too.

4. I usually read at least 3 books at once. Which one I read on any given day depends on my mood du jour.

5. Even though I write for children, almost everything I read “for fun” is nonfiction. Here is a current selection of books pulled from my nightstand:

Yeah, Tasha Tudor and Adam Ant are two of my favorite artists- there are even some interesting similarities between them! Related to #4 above, I am currently reading The Tipping Point, Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Don’t Eat This Book. I haven’t started the WalMart one yet.

6. I don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t take drugs, and never have.

They don’t interest me. It’s not easy finding other adults with this philosophy!

7. I am not particularly girly, and the only jewelry I wear is made out of seed, wooden, stone, or shell beads. Maybe a little silver thown in. I have at least 100 seed bead necklace variations that I have made myself. One for every possible occasion!

I’ve been making them since I was a pre-teen.

8. I luv compost!

That’s a THREE-BINNER, baby! Handmade by the talented Eric.
Alas, the bins are currently empty- the compost is doing it’s job in the garden now. But we’re starting a new batch.

OK, so now I am suposed to harrass 8 more people into participating- and I am going to gang-tag the PBI group.
I challenge you all!
Post on the PBI blog!

Good pal Barbara Johansen Newman had her
book release/birthday/multiple anniversary party last night- what a blowout!
I took some photos as best I could, but there were lots of people and lots to look at!

Here’s Hopalong Barb, with her book Tex and Sugar, A Big City Kitty Ditty.

The dolls were appropriately decked out.
So were the Elvises (Elvi??)

The tacos were flowing!

And so were the beverages. Here’s Shennen moseying up to the bar.

Barb did manage to sign books during the hoedown!

4 members of our illustration crit group:
Laura, Carlyn, Mary Beth, and Me.

This is why adults shouldn’t be allowed to play with toy guns!

Impromptu art was happening at all times: Here’s Eric working on a cowboy picture, and Carol (aka Mom) working on her dream boots drawing.

Here’s Janet, the Fastest Pen in the West (and one o’ the best!)

Some of the cool decorations, and one of the food tables before it got wrecked!

Speaking of cute girls, here’s Nancy and her Mini Me!

More cute girls, and a good-lookin’ guy to boot: Shennen and ALL of her kids in one place!

Great eats, great atmosphere.

Here’s Monica and her Boy Band. Monica didn’t dress up special for the party, she always looks like this!

Mary, Julia and Linda in the Big Tent.

Monica, Sharon and Me blabbing in the back yard!

Thanks for such a great time, Barb and Phil!

A new Gryffindor student at Hogwarts.
Flo doesn’t seem too excited about the prospect…