THIS IS "TESS" ....

"Tess" was a challenge. Profile face features were a new technique I had to learn. For example, I painted that one eye over and over and over, trying to make it the way I saw it in my head. I'm not sure I totally succeeded but I am happy with the end result. Hopefully the next one will show improvement. My goal is to learn and improve, and I am taking you on the journey with me!

Postscript: We discovered our first rose of the season. There appear to be rose bushes all over the grounds around our home. It will be fun watching them bloom and discovering the types and colors!

MY NEWEST BUSINESS PARTNER....

"Mrs. Sophary Phat is 34 years old and her husband, Mr. Bo Rous, is 35 years old. They have been married since 1994 and have two children: one son and one daughter, both of them still young. The family lives in a small village along National Road Number One about fifteen kilometers from Phnom Penh City. Her husband has full-time employment.Sophary has been running a grocery store in her village for ten years. She is requesting her first loan of $600 to remodel her grocery store."

This information is copied from the KIVA site where I selected Sophary as a loan recipient. If you are not familiar with KIVA, I encourage you to read about this program. As a lender you can, with a very small amount of money, make it possible for impoverished but hard working people to improve their standard of living by helping them in their businesses. As my partners repay their loans I am able to make additional loans to new entrepreneurs. See www.kiva.com and consider becoming a lender. It feels good!

WOMEN WHO DANCE......the triptych

OUR FIRST OFFICIAL PORCH PARTY.....

....was to celebrate my Mother's ninety-second birthday! There really is nothing better than a really large covered porch. The weather was beautiful but even if it had rained it would have been fine. Erin and Chris decorated the driveway and the porch with balloons.....

Chef Roy was in total control of the grill....

...and served up a fabulous collection of hot dogs, brats, and skewers of chicken tenders and fresh vegetables. The menu was rounded out by baked beans, beef BBQ, a tray of deviled eggs, an assortment of chips, and a fresh salad with a variety of tender lettuces from my sister's garden. Dessert was a home made lemon birthday cake.

We had two tables set up to accommodate 8 people each and there was plenty of room!

Here you can see the guest of honor enjoying her meal along with family members. One of the younger children learned the fine art of removing food from a skewer. Of course, a long wooden stick can be a lot of fun as a weapon too! (and then promptly removed from the table)

Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday! We did well, really we did. You can see that the youngest family member was much more interested in painting than singing.

It was a wonderful event and I look forward to hosting many more of them! I do admit that I slept quite well last night....

THIS IS MARGOT.....

She is shy........

TODAY'S DISCOVERY.....

Our very own Robin nest right here on the garage light. Apparently Robins prefer to build on or very near buildings as a safety measure against crows and other larger birds. The things I am learning.....This will be fun to watch!

A BEAR.....OH MY!

" So this bear walked into a bar......" Actually, THIS bear walked right up our driveway yesterday evening! Isn't he (she?) fabulous? He ambled up the long driveway, stopped momentarily at the edge of the parking pad, looked around and saw us standing in front of the french doors, and then slowly ambled back down the driveway. It was amazing. So now, we can add "a bear" to the ever lengthening list of animals and birds who visit us.

HER NAME IS "MADDIE"....

ANOTHER "FACE" HAS APPEARED......

Dear readers; tell me what you see? Male? Female? Androgynous? I can't decide....

THE EVOLUTION OF MY "FACE" DRAWING

I was fortunate enough to have two hours of instruction on this face painting technique with my Aunt from Albuquerque. I have admired her work for so long, and I am totally happy with this first effort. She is a fabulous teacher! The next piece is on the easel and in process.

AND DOWN CAME THE TREE.....

Today was the day to remove this once lovely very tall blue spruce tree from my Mother's yard. This tree was originally purchased in the 1970's as a live Christmas tree which was subsequently planted. Sadly, the past few years this once beautiful tree has deteriorated. You can see how thin the branches have become. And it was a dangerous tree situated so close to the house. Here you can see Mother discussing how to best handle the stump. She decided to have it cut off very close to the ground. The extensive root system remains in place to stabilize the driveway.

Removal begins.....

Mother and Tammy watch progress from the outside deck.

The split trunk was a surprise! The tree crew estimated that the tree is probably about 70 feet tall. It seems taller to me.

The top is about to come down!

And then the rest of the trunk comes down, piece by piece.

Finally, the very bottom is cut, leaving just a short bit of trunk.

This tree has been an important part of the landscape since before the house was built. Even in its thinning state, the many birds who frequent the feeders used it as a home and landing place all year long. We will all miss this tree.........

MORE DISCOVERY...

As it turns out, we have a strawberry patch! And, it is covered with blossoms. I am hoping for lots of fresh strawberries for on my cereal.

There is a pergola off the back side of the porch, outside the kitchen door. Lat fall we aggressively pruned the wisteria vine that was choking everything in sight. It has begun to bloom now and I am so glad! It will be beautiful!