The Clancy FAmily cottage in Ireland

I guess I am missing having a home living in Sedona in a condo. This is the longest I have lived in a condo, although a pretty nice spacious one, ever.
I have always had a house but being a person who hates moving I decided that one more year here will not kill me and in fact its safe and comfortable. But.. it makes me think of a home and here we have a home built before the turn of the century in county Clare Ireland and where my dad's father Patrick, better known as Paddy was born along with 7 (or 8), other children.
The cottage or house has been painted since then, but it is, I believe, a bed and breakfast that sits over the sea only a short distance from a cliff's edge there. It was a dairy back when and I think the family was never too poor. I blew this photo up years ago(the original is in sorry shape) and hand painted the photo, its somewhere, just don't know exactly. I think I like this version because it seems nicer to scan the original, which I did, rather than to take a copy w a camera.. that is what I did in the 70s. The clarity is much nicer.. gee somethings are certainly better for photographers now, like the scanner. I don't know where I would be without it.

Many of my family have been back to Ireland and seen the house and met with relatives which we still have there. I will get my turn some day if lucky enough. The funny thing, I named my youngest daughter Rita because its a short name and I felt it was always a little harder to have a long name so as always trying to make life simpler, gave her the name Rita Clare. The first name being short for Marguerite which was my mom's mother's name and Clare of course, the county my grandfather was from. Little did I know that although she died at a young age, a girl was born into that Irish cottage named Rita Clancy. This I didn't know until recently and so I actually had a great aunt for a short time named Rita. This made her name a little more special.

Most kids are not much into history or tradition anymore. They want the latest ipod and the newest gadget. I hope someday Rita will find a reason to go to Ireland and see the cottage as well. Maybe we will go together, that might be nice.

Well, its Monday again, the start of a new week and an almost new month. Spring is here for most of the country and world. Enjoy it. This season can never be long enough for me as it is the precursor to the hot summer of the desert which generally I cannot wait to be over as my only time to be outdoors is before sunrise!

The FArmhouse in Michigan Where I grew up for 11 years~it now looks neglected

My Aunt PAtty still lives in Detroit near Ferndale and she was inspired by my story of how idyllic life was growing up on the farm she went to find it with no directions and did indeed find it. My mother says that the people who bought it from us were a couple that the man lost his arm in an accident so he couldn't do alot of chores. He did have 2 sons however and they let the place fall apart. This is not the same as the home with a wonderful bright red barn and white washed home. It actually looks spooky now, but it is winter and as we all know winter can look pretty bad on anyone or most old buildings. None of the trees were pruned and the chicken coop replaced by a garage with a bright turquiose door. The area around the farm is the same. My mom also said that the 5 acres of raspberries belonged to us so I told that part of my story below incorrectly. There is a cat on the porch and other than that nothing looks alive but again it appears to be winter in Michigan and they did have a snow yesterday! So this doesn't destroy my memory at all because I know how beautiful my father and mother kept this place, animals and children, fruits and vegetables. Lots of visitors. Lots of wonderful memories!
Thanks Aunt Patty!

Mabel moves to Rural America & my Life growing up on a Farm in Michigan

I admit it.. after living only 11 years on a farm in rural Michigan and having the best time of my life, I am forever facinated by rural life. I know its hard. I know it can be tiring but when I look at how many Americans ventured out on their own from town to country and sometimes back to town after they got older, I remember my time on the farm and know that something good happened to me when I was young.

My parents lived in Detroit and ROmeo, Michigan, met at a dance in downtown Detroit. I think my dad rescued my mom at a dance hall from a bad date and the rest is history. They married and moved to New Hudson with myself and brother Mike, one year younger than I, and dad continued to drive 40 miles into Berkeley to be a tool and die maker before being "found" by Chryslers to go work for them. While dad did this commute, mom stayed on the farm and 7 children were born there. At that time after commuting and weekend farming, mom and dad felt a good Catholic upbringing in the suburbs would benefit us and we moved leaving my old dog Cindy behind with the new owners. I can still see every detail of that house, the large wrap around porch and big front lawn. There were lily of the valley surrounding the porch and a swing from the large tree in front. The back of the house had lilac trees and in the side yard looking out the kitchen window were the fruit trees, cherry and apple. Mom canned everything, corn, green beans, tomatoes. We had chickens, pigs, cows and 5 acres of raspberries, which we didn't own but had free rein to eat until we would burst.
Right past the raspberry field was the woods and it was filled with mystery.
I remember a tornado once coming through the farm and also a field fire where the firemen came and put out the fire. Once a big bear came to the window of our home and left his muddy prints on the side of the house. We never washed them off. It was scary, my mom called the neighbor for help but I think the bear went away and never came back.
There was a quarry which was filled with water about a mile down the dirt road and my brothers went there but I couldn't swim so I don't remember going in. We had a few neighbors which had their own wild lives but we kept in our little world in the summer selling vegetables to the mail lady who often left candy in our box with the mail.
My favorite memory of all was getting a little sack lunch from mom and heading out with my brothers on an"adventure", where we would look for rocks or found objects in a dry creek near our home. This could take all day and there were no fears and nothing to worry about. Life was simple and quiet except for the sound of the barn animals and an occasional hawk.
We eventually got a horse named Jerry but he was so wild that although my friend and neighbor Maria had 2 palaminos she couldn't saddle him. He was an Indian horse and she put me on him one time and he rubbed me up against the chicken coop and scraped my leg. Although he was unrideable I still begged for weekend horseback riding and with no lessons would be dropped off at age 10 and ride easy going horses on a trail for $5 an hour. I loved horseback riding and would go on to try and take riding english in high school but it never worked. I only liked Western and would never change. I continued to ride until age 14 or 15 and then until my youngest took lessons in California did I ever ride again. I still love the idea of horse riding and farms and whenever I see an image like this one of Mabel Weir and her daughter Helen, I think of those days on the farm and how quickly time goes by.
I believe all the kids in my family who had a chance to live on the farm and that would be 7 of 11, all love the quiet outdoors as opposed to the city. I know I keep a special spot in my memory of that farm, long ago in Michigan. Believe it or not , its still stands.

Spring Blossom Trees~A walk Down Memory Lane Stanford California Style

click HERE or title to see image in store where you can blow it up larger if you like.

This was an original black and white photograph that I printed many years ago and painted over it with photo oils. The location was a park near Stanford. I would take Rita there when she was small as there was a wonderful trail to walk on and a park with animals that was actually a working farm right in the park. It was spring, and as much inspiration comes this time of year, I wanted to show the brilliance of the sun that day on the trees.
I am now in the groove of looking at different college sites as Rita will start her final year of high school this fall and she will be looking towards college soon. I think her options might be limited to California (due to in-state tuition),because the only other school would be University of Oregon and she felt the standards were too low there. This is from other people's input that work there. Her grades are pretty high as were her SAT scores so she really deserves to attend a school that will challenge her. She never has homework at her current school and that is strange to me.

I think every parent dreams of their child attending a great school and to me Stanford is probably at the top of the heap here on the Western side of the world. The campus is so wonderful and built in the style of the California missions and I absolutely love the museum that is just off campus. It has been renovated since I last lived in the area and I hope to go back someday to take a look at it again.
My sister lived in Menlo Park for 20 years and at that time I was in Santa Cruz. Both worlds only about an hour apart but day and night. I loved going to visit her and walking the tree lined streets in her neighborhood, drinking Peet's coffee and walking along looking at the beautiful landscaped homes, where most people had a constant gardener for their property. Old homes built in the 1920s that were preserved including the landscape.

10 minutes from her home through the neighborhoods walking and across a little footbridge over a shallow creek was the Stanford shopping center. This area was the high end shopping for all the Stanford and wealthy Atherton and Menlo housewives. Bloomingdales, I. Magnin, Macy's and a myriad of wonderful little high end shops. There was a full time gardener there tending tulips in spring and always keeping the place as beautiful as a shopping center could possibly be. There was a wonderful science toy store for all the children of the intellectual professors and students, to keep the kids interested in the world via toys. I loved looking in that store. A wonderful group of restaurants where the stars ate with the locals. I remember having a sandwich and sitting next to a football star that lived in the area. I took a photo of a building in that shopping plaza that was covered in marbeled glass, and hand colored it and entered it into a Northwest Visions photography contest years later in Oregon and the museum there purchased it for their permanent collection. What a thrill to have a photo of mine in a museum's permanent collection.

I wonder what the area looks like now.. I am guessing very little has changed around Stanford. That is the way it is with old money... it pretty much preserves what it has..I wonder if the downturn in the economy has hurt the Menlo Atherton area.. my guess is that some folks might have had to let the gardener go, or at least cut back on his hours.

A Blue Spooky Home 1917

Someone was living in this house when the photo was taken. I reversed the image because I liked the spooky look it gave it. There are long underwear on the line. The two trees give enough shade to the yard but to me this screams.. a man lives here alone. A woman would probably have flowers or a garden.. its just plain spooky and I couldn't help but share....

Puppy Dog Kim Helps Peggy Freeman w Paper Drive/My 1998 Earthquake Story with no photos!

Many of you know that I sell photos on eBay for a living. Albeit not a financially rich living, but an income nonetheless. It took me almost a lifetime to figure out what I "wanted to do" with myself as far as a job goes. I worked managing a newspaper out of my masters degree program and then went to Santa Cruz, CA where I worked at a newspaper in the graphics dept for years and then at 5:o3 pm October 17, 1989, the largest earthquake to ever hit that city rocked the 100 year old building I was in and the paper was being put to press. I worked on the 3rd floor and the ceiling above me was at least 15 feet. The building was all wood so it swayed with the 7.0 rumblings and felt like a bad ride at the boardwalk...which was only 8 blocks from the downtown. There were 3 women on one giant wooden beam.. a woman in the bathroom and several others on another floor. The building didn't fall but it was split by 4 feet at the fire escape and we had to leave the building one at a time, jumping to the fire escape and down while aftershocks continued.. actually for about8 months after the quake. I slipped a disc in my neck and just like all newspapers the presses must go on. No one died in our building but several did across the street in the old Gottchalks dept store and down the street a brick building collapsed and killed several young people working at a bookstore/coffee house. When we got outside it looked like the end of the world. There were fires, alarms going off everywhere, fire department sirens coming from every direction and heat, unbearable heat as it was as hot as hell outside. We all went to a black top parking lot nearby and sat in shock together as other people in other stores continued to emerge from the smoke and broken buildings one by one. The ground continued to roll with aftershocks and I decided to go find my daughter as she was working at a restaurant on the other side of town. I got in my car after walking alone fearful to it.. drove out on to the freeway and saw that the freeway was split on an overpass but even in mortal fear the drive to get to my daughter was great so I talked to another person out the window who helped me overcome my fear to drive over a broken cement road and onward south down the freeway. People were driving so slow that although there were aftershocks you could still feel the car move up and down and that was almost as bad as the "big one". I found my daughter by 7 pm that night, no phones worked, there was no electricity and I had a slipped disc in my neck and didn't realize it until a couple days later. Immediately we were told to go back to work by the next day there was phone service. We worked out of my bosses home and it had turned cold and her window was broken out and we were working in a freezing cold home... and my neck got worse. I ended up in a my bed on codeine for months and by march had to have a bone replacement. I continued to work for the paper for another year and then quit, never to go back to newspaper again. The building was destroyed and I had all my hand colored original black and white photos in the lower level on display in their gallery. They were carried out all but 3 and although frames were destroyed the photos were saved. The building was torn down and replaced as many were in that city with earthquake proof structures.

I had big fears about earthquakes as the aftershocks were going on sometimes 20 a day for a very long time. Many people didn't stop talking about it for a long time... it was therapeutic.
My degree was in Art but I minored in journalism and loved the concept of words with pictures. Its just something I truly love.. a story with a photo. If there is information I want to let my customers know.. part of the puzzle or beauty of the image.
This photo of Peggy with Kim doesn't really need any words but the fact that her mother wrote them makes it special. I have over 300 pages and photos of this family in an album that was one of 4 that the mother painstakingly put together as a masterpiece of journalistic art. I will never part with it even though its worth a small fortune. This family had 5 children and the father was a preacher in Los Angeles and they raised their children in the Montessori school system as it is one that fosters independence and self awareness. I hope to share some of these images through the blog now and again and believe I had already listed one of her brothers with rats some time back. A photo with a story but really speaks for itself!

bright red ranuncula

Ok so today is the 3rd day of spring. I am getting into that fact really easy. I got up at 5:30 am as usual now that school is back in session and had my coffee, checked my emails, even went to facebook and posted a few photos and read some lines from friends. I spent some time this weekend cleaning up some old photos of my families and will try to post them this afternoon...relatives long passed on and even an amazing sunset I took the other day with a story to go with it.
For now enjoy this beautiful flower from my back yard pot... I give it to you as a monday morning eye popping wake up. HAve a wonderful day and may it be filled with light and love... that is all for now, send me a line if you like as a post at the bottom of this photo by clicking on the post. The birdies are singing.. they are happy I feed them and give water to them.. it keeps them coming back. Their song reminds me nature is hard to stop even in the face of pollution and global warming.
I reccommend seeing "Doubt" excellent film with top notch acting by Meryl STreep... she is the queen at present and I "doubt" anyone could top that performance.. even twice in the movie I said to Rita"her acting is so incredible.. I love it! that is weird I know but I was so moved as I am often in a good film.. to comment.. heh at least I whispered and the lady behind me was not so subtle with her sweet stinky perfume that made me so ill I had to move up a seat and leave my daughter behind me.. please if you wear perfume... don't wear it to the movies.. I will take loud crunching over perfume any day! GO see the film and let me know what you think.. it is excellent!
happy monday~~

Horseshow Entrance to Ranch Bakersfield CA @1900

Its Saturday and it looks like I have been pretty busy to not have anything written for so many days. that is a good thing! That means I am spending less time on the computer and more time outdoors watching the birds and bees and all the blossoms on the trees.
I also have been doing things with Rita, shopping for things we need here and in Flagstaff and today even went out for Thai food at my fave spot in Sedona, Thai place in Village of Oak Creek, if you like Thai and are in this area that restaurant is not to be missed.
SO here I go again gravitating back to the Western theme, I told you I cannot get away from it, it calls to me, haunts me.. I know I was a cowgirl in a past life.
This is from the Bakersfield area and I wish I knew where, could find nothing online after searching quite a bit but then I don't think it would still be there, but you never know.
I love the creative and folk art look to this image and just know it should be reprinted and toned or something as the detail is so nice you can see all the way down the long Calif driveway to the dog who is going to say good by to the rancher as he leaves the ranch.
I think because I grew up on Rawhide and other western films that it has always held a fascination for me and here I am , in the west.. the big puffy clouds and the dry dusty roads.
Today was a perfect spring day, I did some light flower planting and the birds sang to keep me company. I washed and dried outside, all my wonderful rag crocheted rugs my mom made me, she will never know how much I love those and care for them, they do not last forever though and one is falling apart but I keep mending it.
So here comes spring and she is lovely to witness. I hope the rest of the weekend is just this nice for everyone as it is here, 70 degrees and balmy.

Red Ranuncula Photo collage with Vintage Lace

click the title to see it in my etsy store

Again.. I had an idea and had to follow through with it. I had tea dyed this piece of peach colored cloth and really had kept meaning to do something with it but couldn't bring myself to cut it. Then while going through my photos of the ranunculas I took in the garden yesterday I decided to do a collage with the flower and the fabric with the lace doily in between it. Thus is born a collage of all 3 items that are near and dear to me. I love the color of the flower, of course it has been seriously altered and sandwiched with the doily and tea dyed cloth. That is the beauty of art that you can take all these elements which by themselves are lovely but to combine them into something so nice is such a joy! After working all morning on other things like shipping and listing on ebay this is my reward.. a little R and R to end the afternoon!
I want to recommend a radio station that I discovered, its online and free and also on Itunes. Its called cinemax. Its not for everyone but once in awhile they play some interesting film scores and you can request a song and it shows up immediately. I love Hitchock film scores and 007 film scores and Phillip Glass film scores so I am content to tune into this channel when I need some nice background music. I guess its a sign of getting old when loud music just isn't good to work to but for me it definitely has to be in the background to tolerate it. Here is the webpage. You can open it by clicking on any of the little icons at the top, I use realplayer.. works perfect, then if you have the site open you can see what is being played and to do a request click on the jukebox and there is a button by the items to request.
here is the cinemax.

Wild Irish Roses- Encaustic Beeswax Painting Collage

this is the close up to see details-orig size below

If you click on either of these image it will bring you to a closer view to see the details of the painting which I think is worth it as I just tried it out....

Ok Here it is as promised. I know there are a few more details I am missing on this but I bare my soul by putting this up as its the first encaustic I have done in probably 6 years. I actually had the idea exactly what I wanted to do but how to go about it was the challenge. I wanted to use my own photos to make a collage and I did. This is a pieced piece using a photo that was printed out originally on watercolor paper, painted with watercolors and then scanned in and printed out again on fabric and then adhered to the layered wax and then painted over again with wax. I think if I could sum up my goal in life it is to take photographs to their highest remodeling. I really do not like to copy anyone and am always striving to create something completely unique. So there you have it, nothing green but something Irish only in that these are actually not Irish roses but rather English ones but don't tell any of my Irish relatives as it might set off a argument of some type. Of course I am kidding.
I will make corned beef today but no photos I promise, and cabbage and potatoes. I only cook it once a year for fun and eat very little as its so rich. I already have another project started, something completely different from this. By the way this is 14"X11" and has many layers of beeswax. I will be posting this tomorrow on Etsy so you all get first peek at it. Have a wonderful day today. I have green eyes so always got away with not wearing green but might do so today.
It is shaping up to about 70 degrees here and I will be back with more vintaage photos tomorrow. Top o the morning to ya and the rest o the day t meself!

Ava and Miranda Cabo Pulmo

Here are 2 of my 4 grandkids on the beach in Cabo Pulmo Mexico, ahhhh don't you wish you were there, it looks so warm and inviting.. I stayed at this beach once before when the oldest of these two was a small 8 mnth old baby and we had so much fun. Rita found a coin from a Spanish shipwreck it was from the 1600's it took us a whole day to do a rubbing w pencil on paper to figure out what year it was. We ate fish tacos at a little stand behind where the girls are and at night we played games and watched videos. It was such a nice little beach and small but great community of people. Very isolated but yet all you need. I miss them so much but got my tickets to go see them so it won't be long before I get to give them both a hug. Tristan and Ellen are not in the photo but they are down there too! have fun and big hug from grandma!!

Flapper Gal Goes Cowgirl w Pistol holds up Farmer John

Somehow I cannot get away from the cowgirl and western theme. This is an image from one of 2 albums I recently acquired and am thrilled to find so many wonderful images in them both. I will try to share some now and again and if interested in them they are for sale in my ebay store.. just write and ask or click for clancy's classics on ebay. I will probably write less and less on the blog as the weather gets better as I am so motivated to do art now.. I worked on the encaustic last night for hours and then watched SEan Penn in Milk. I had some squimishness with the men kissing scenes but once past that the story, acting, directing, some of the best I have ever seen and I even cried at one point simply from the expression on Sean Penn's face. Now that is an actor that can really put you into his space.. the guy is amazing and I always thought so but now... no one deserved that award more in my book and as I was in SF in the 70s for a few times I loved the scenes that brought you back to that moment.
So the encaustic is coming along, I performed surgery on it this morning but won't go to into that so as not to cloud your opinion when I finally finish the piece and post it here first.. before I do on Etsy so as to give my viewers on the blog first view...
Rita came back from her track meet in Phoenix with 4 gold medals which made her feel good after last weeks slip and drop of the baton in the 4by 1 and other issues with her injured legs.
Spring has sprung today and I must must get outside!! The weather was so delightful yesterday and I just soaked it in as much as I could!! So for those suffering in cold.. it soon will pass and for those in the heat.. enjoy it before its broiling!

Cirque-Encaustic Beeswax Painting

This is an encaustic beeswax painting. I have had it on my bedroom wall for almost 5 years here in Sedona. I think it is my favorite or one of my favorites of my encaustic series I did about 6 years ago. I decided to get the tools and taught myself over a period of 8 months working every single day on the different subjects. I did research and found that many artists were doing encaustic in a abstract theme and decided that was not for me being a realistic leaning artist.
The first time I saw an encaustic painting was when I went on one of many trips to San Jose del Cabo. There is a wonderful gallery on a side street there and a great woman who runs it.. the work comes primarily from LA where she collects art and brings it back for her gallery. there was an artist there who was doing encaustic paintings of little girl's dresses and it had such a fabulous texture and look to it.
It is not the easiest medium to work with but as I love a challenge in art I attacked it head on and continued to work with it relentlessly until I was satisfied. I will post these encaustics here now and again if anyone is interested in seeing them. I put up a few on Etsy but there wasn't much of an interest as they are expensive due to the product and time involved. I have had all of mine in air tight containers in my boiling hot garage for years and not once have they melted at all. They are considered the medium with the best longevity rate as the Egyptians used this method to paint on the gauze faces of their mummies.
There are many artists who work in this medium but very few who do realism so I think I enjoy that aspect of my beeswax journey. I am currently working on a new one but have not had the time to really devote to it.
Please let me know if you would like to see more wax paintings and I will post them, otherwise I am back to photo info and work... I can never get enough of that!
HAve a wonderful Thursday! Enjoy that spring is around almost every corner!!

Cowgirl Autochrome & Living in the Sedona desert

This is an autochrome which is housed at the George Eastman Museum. Click here to go to the link which will keep you busy for a long time viewing many autochromes.
Color was so exciting to those first photographers that were able to have the equiptment and money to make autochromes before the advent of color film. there is a wonderful explanation of the process to be found here.
I do live in the West as many of you know, Arizona and although this is not my native state and I am originally from motor city, Detroit, I have lived here for the past 5 years. There are still cowboys here although not many. There are no ranches that I have seen but rather those who love the desert, wide open terrain and landscape that the west offers. There are mining towns and Indian ruins and all sorts of wonderful museums around that state that you would be hard pressed to name a favorite.
But those who come to Sedona for a vacation may end up with a man dressed in a cowboy outfit and driving not a horse but a pink jeep. These are the tour jeeps and there are yellow ones as well. People sit in these open air jeeps in the coldest of weather and are toured around bumpy back roads without any warmth or protection and by the time they are returned to their hotels they are ready for a hot tub and a good meal.
I see the hot air balloons going up in the early dawn hours when weather is cool enough to keep them afloat, and even had a niece who with my brother in law went up in one and he said it was "freezing" cold the entire time despite the warmth on the ground. I have lived here for almost 5 years and my enjoyment of the town has not been any of the tourists spots but rather getting a new found appreciation for the little things like a tarantula the first summer I was here, about 6 inches across, just meandering around a path near the local park, or better yet the often time lone coyote who walks down the middle of the road in mid day with no fear of cars or people, as if out for a jaunt. One of the scarier times was walking in early morning in summer as that is the only time in summer you can walk, and coming upon a family of javalinas, wild boar and their little ones, about 15 as they travel in large large packs often.. they are really ugly in the face, worse than a wild pig and make unearthly sounds. So I also appreciate the little bud flowers on my trees in front because with the very very little color besides the rocks that are here you tend to appreciate every living and flowering thing... and then there are the clouds.. oh the clouds.. when weather is clear and the planes are not criss-crossing their trails in the sky polluting our earth you have a spectacular cloud display, and sunsets to make you melt... then comes summer, but for now, it is spring and I intend to enjoy it before I am writing about the 112 degree heat.

tulips for spring

I cannot get enough tulips.. tell me to stop showing them, posting them on Etsy and talking about them... next to roses I love them so much. These are curled tulips probably the most elegant and beautiful of all the types. The only thing that bothers me is the rapid pace they open and close but unlike other flowers each stage of the tulip has its own style and form and to me equally beautiful and elegant. I hope I can do justice to them in the weeks to come as you have not seen the end of these wonderful bulbs.
Its Monday and for that I am happy. A new week and for me a step closer to spring and the weather we so long for.. I say to all of you that are still in snow and cold.. it is coming, around the next corner!

happy Birthday dear SARA!!!

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. She is probably one of the best mothers on the entire planet! She was a truely delightful child always independent, even when she was 4 years old she pulled a chair to the counter and insisted on cooking all kinds of foods from scratch. She dressed herself in all manner of comfortable clothing and cared not if her room was organized, she was too busy being creative and playing and making plans.
Sara was born on international women's day. March 8th. She is celebrating it in Mexico where she has a 2nd home and her 4 beautiful children are going to be with her. Her husband is from Mexico and he and Sara have been blessed with the most beautiful and wonderful children and I am so lucky to be the grandma.
The photo below I took of her with her first daughter "little Ellen" who is now about 5ft10" and a movie star beauty just as she appears at this age of 2. She was named after my younger sister Ellen who though not a "big " person at all has maintained the name"big Ellen". Ellen is probably the most petite in our family of 7 girls but to distinguish between the two Ellen's at birthdays and family gatherings the two names just happened.
Sara has always taken the time to make sure that her children are not only the most beautiful but mostly the happiest. They have always had several dogs and now have an additional golden lab with their chihuahua mix"Pepito" who loves the baby Miranda as much as she loves him.
Sara is the most generous of any of my family members and even catered a family wedding for over 100 people and did a perfect job not allowing this person to pay her a nickel for what she did.
She is a chef supreme having owned and operated now4 restaurants and several catering businesses including being Barbara Streisand and Donna Karin's personal chef for a week in Cabo she is currently down there for some catering jobs coming up in the busy spring season in Cabo.
She is also the supreme multi tasker being able to crunch numbers, meet with executives and most recently with her partner KAtie is starting an incredible new business for the high end hotel chains, her first client being The Wynn hotel chain in Vegas. Did I say driven...? YEs that too but more than any other character trait like loving, giving and never complaining... Sara is always "cooking something up" on the back burner of her over the top creative mind... hats of souffle pans affire.. something is cooking in Sara's kitchen.
I am wishing her the happiest birthday ever!
love Mom!!

Look Out from Atop the Hill

I came across this image of Cousin Esther atop a hill in Pennsylvania with her binoculers looking out over a valley below her. I thought how often we forget all about the adventures that lie outside of our home and how all we have to do is "look out" and see what there is to see. I love the connection that vintage photos give us to the past and often to the present. This woman's hair pulled back in a simple ribbon hangs so far down her back. She was an adventurer but also had good sense. I love this one.. simple but great!
SAturday... oh I am thrilled I am going to have a steam and massage at our local spa here in town. A very dear friend of mine so generously gave me a gift certificate to the spa for my birthday and I will use it today. The weather has turned almost bitterly cold. Of course I put up my flower pots filled with pansies and ranunculas but its not cold enough for snow..I hope!
The steam bath is sounding so nice right now.. I got up at 4 am to drive Rita to the school for the bus to Phoenix and her first outdoor meet of the year. The bus was ahalf hour late and I sat there waiting in the cold with the kids and the coach. Finally it showed up. Gee it had to be 35 degrees. Now that may seem warm to those of you in midwest but for us this time of year should be in the 70s. I am still glad to be indoors and warm. Enjoy the day! its SATURDAY!!

Birds Bees & Trees-Welcome to Spring!

Dogs and Hens in a Garden by Ande Cook

Just as yesterday was devoted to bees, today I am posting a beautiful image by a wonderful artist from Etsy. I was motivated by my birds singing outside and went on a journey off all things with bird in the title and was thrilled to find an artist I had favorited many moons ago.
Her art is colorful and inspiring and filled with life. This is one of my favorite images on her site but I encourage you to visit and see for yourself (click the title to go to her store!)all her wonderful bright paintings.
I am inspired to keep at my project I started last night which is an encaustic painting. Yes..I actually put wax down on the artboard and the thrill of the smell and applying it cannot be described! I am going to work a little each evening on it after all my other chores are done.
I hope this day is filled with birdsong for everyone.. every morning my birds sing before dawn and that really is inspiring as they are ready to greet the day, even before the day has begun.
I remember the mockingbirds at my home in California, they were my favorite as I believe they could not make up their mind which tune they liked best because they sang so many different ones to prove it. They weren't the prettiest feather on the block but made up for it in the variety of their song. Go out today and sing whatever song you like but for heaven's sake.... sing.. greet the day, the sun, life.. and be thrilled to wake to another day of it. For we never know how long this journey will be do we?

The Bumble Bee in Art and Photo History

Wow these are both such wonderful pieces of the bumble bee in history and the second one will bee mine soon I hope!
The poster is about 3 ftX4ft and is hanging in the attic of a friend of mine in France who owns it. He has quite a collection of wonderful and unusual items and this is one of my favorite.
Many of you may or may not know that I also have a store on Ebay where I sell vintage and antique photos every day besides being on etsy. My symbol for my store is the bee and here is a link to that store if interested.
Clancy's Classics on Ebay
I have always loved the bee for many reasons.. first of course is that without the queen we would be lost. Second is the incredible industriousness that the bee has. In my own life I try always to do things that will produce a result. I love being industrious, and like both my parents, am on the go all the time whether in a chair or on foot.
I also have a mind that is continually thinking of things to do and make.. you may be like that also, if so, you could identify with the wonderful bumble bee.
And last but not least is the production of honey and wax. Both items we could never do without.
I am so inspired by the bee that today I am going to begin a project that I have a deep love for that has been on the back-burner for 5 years and that is to work on an encaustic painting. The wonderful colored beeswax has been calling my name for a long time and yesterday I went into the garage and dragged out all the supplies and art board needed to begin. I hope to list the image and maybe the original on etsy in the weeks to come.

I am sure all of you know that the bee is endangered almost everywhere. Here in Arizona I talked with a beekeeper in a town called, "Strawberry", up in the mountains about 2 hours from Sedona. She told me that the bees are down about 40% and declining. My guess is glabal warming and also pesticides. Try not to support those people who grow food and flowers with pesticides. They are bad for the bee and pretty bad for all living things.
I feel with spring approaching we need to be keenly aware of our surroundings and how we interact with mother nature so that she and the bee will be here for all eternity!

Cyano Tango Current about to expire treasury

Ok so I am getting this up a little late in the day... heh what do you want I finished my taxes..did you?
I had some interesting comments and if you want to see them, click the title to see them. I think Rita's Axilotl threw people off because it is so scary. Its an actual creature that lives in the water.
I just finished walking blue and ran home to my new BlueAir purifier. Gosh I am in the wrong business. The air business and water business were a boom waiting to happen now that the government has made both almost naturally intolerable.. Dont get me started.. I wish I didn't know as much as I do about the air and even the water.
I am still very hopeful that things will turn around. I heard last night we are out of Iraq in 2011 which seems like a lifetime from now but at least its a start. But then there is Afghanistan.. its always something. Why do we have to be at war with someone all the time. Why can't we be like New Zealand and Iceland and spend our money wisely instead of wasting it on wars. Ok don't get me started on that. I am actually in a good mood today and by the look of most of the beautiful new treasuries on Etsy.. most everyone else is as well.!

Spring BLossoms in my Neighborhood

grant it Arizona is nice.. it was 78 degrees today and I walked without a sweater and wore shorts! Yep true. However to try and locate any spring blossoms is not an easy task, they are not everywhere. These were around the corner from where I live. I worked a trick on them.. not au naturalle but that is fine.
Here is apoem to go with them written by another fab writer in the family, Joan Clancy.. my mom. Take it away mom:

Spring?

Today I think I felt a bit of Spring!

I went walking, dressed in hat,scarf and gloves.

Before very long my heart began to sing.

I saw crocus, azalea buds and more!

I took off my gloves and then my scarf.

The air was so warm, my pulse began to soar.

I was almost home when I took off my hat.

I think Spring is here. Imagine that!

Girl Reading Book Lying Down 1906- Poem day!

I have left this image untouched although it is flawed. I am interested in the subject of reading and writing as we must always encourage our children and ourselves to never let the computer take the time we would spend on a good book or letter or newspaper. I am thinking that we should try to write at least one thing a week and read a good book 2-5 times a week. I probably fall into the 2 times a week catagory, reading only when I have to wait in an office or somewhere that is quiet. I wish I could stop working long enough to read but alas today is Monday and that is a catch up day for me.

I was at a wonderful basketball garden party last night where one of the fathers bbq'd for 3 straight hours and 5 different coaches talked about the fun and of the sport with the high school kids they had this past season. My daughter recieved the 1st annual"Ace" award for all around excellence in every aspect of the sport. She is pretty amazing and this morning her grades came through on the email as 4 A+s. This would make any mom happy. Today is also her first track meet away and her spikes are due to arrive in the mail today so she can rush home to get them before the bus leaves. Ah.. on to track..good bye basketball.
I think since I moved to Sedona I had many worries about fitting into a crowd that had mostly all known each other since they were born... I am not kidding on this one. Well the children anyway. But as it turns out, there are some pretty amazing folks in this town who really care about their kids and their community. The people who had the dinner had a lit court and after a wonderful meal the kids and coaches went out to play a game.. one last one for the year.. Bittersweet for the seniors who won't return next year but on to bigger and better things.

Have a wonderful Monday and please send in more poems.. here is one my Aunt Patty sent in... I can just picture her heading to her car on a cold Michigan evening after work.. ..what an amazing writer and poet she is!

Slush and salt,Icy foot falls
Block the path thus far.
Night has fallen, dangers lurk.
I didn't know it was so far.
Two more yards, one more step,
At last I've reached the car.
I raise my eyes to thank the fates
For guiding me thus far.
A brilliant moon, a blinding star
Reveal to me it's not MY car!


Patty

the photographer reloads his Film & send me your POEM!

This is such a great image. A very young gentleman maybe 17 who is reloading his film into his 4X5 camera in the middle of a street while 2 little boys driving a makeshift cart and horse driving past almost in a blur. This is such a great image and one that reminds me how much of a wonderful thing those early cameras were. I know if I was alive then I would have had one. This is an image that I found last night in one of the albums I am selling out of.

Sunday is here again and oh how I wish it was Monday. Tonite is the annual basketball dinner and we must go and sit while both coaches of the boys and girls go through each players skills and accomplishments.. its parent duty. I am sure it will be fun.

Sun is shining in Sedona.. nothing new but I know that there is snow in Port Angeles... that is still cold. It should be about 65 today.. hope that doesn't make anyone jealous because in a month we will have our air conditioners on to keep cool while you are enjoying spring breezes!

Don't forget to send me your original poems so that I can post them tomorrow. Short is fine but must be original! I have one so far!!