The Farmer in the Dell

Despite the drought, my tomato plants look the best that they have for several years. I have "harvested"only three ripe tomatoes so far this summer but I see many green ones maturing. Maybe I'll get some in September.

Trails West!

Another Trails West! Patron Party. This one celebrated the 20th anniversary of Trails West!. I wore 11 buttons from the past and my original tee shirt from 1993. I have posters for every year of the festival dating back to 1994. Those from 1996 on are signed by the artists who created them.

Sister Dot and I went Saturday afternoon to check out the crafts and artist booths and eat festival food. I had Greek chicken and salad, Dot had bbq pork. We finished by sharing a funnel cake, Dot's first....but probably not her last.

Visit to the Prison

I attended the anniversary of the Puppies for Parole program at the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, the prison located here in St. Joseph. Going into the prison was scary. The outside (up close) is imposing and surounded by barbed-wire topped fences....just like on tv.

After the ceremony, we were able to talk with the offender-handlers about their puppies and their participation in the program. All the young men I talked with said they felt fortunatate to have been accepted as trainers as only 24 out of approximately 1800 prisoners are selected.

Each puppy has two handlers and shares a cell with them 24 - 7. The puppies are trained over a three to ten week period, depending on the problems the dog has when it enters the program. The St. Joseph Animal Shelter selects animals that have severe behavior or physical problems but that show potential to be a good pet.

One of the puppies at the ceremony was a huge, pure-bred Golden Retriever had been brought to the shelter by a family who couldn't care for him. He had been chained outside and had little interaction with humans. Now he is ready for a loving home. During the speeches, he stretched out on the floor real comfy, unfazed by the applause that set several of the other dogs to barking.

Women of Excellence Lunch

My table at The Women of Excelence lunch today.
Joyce Edwards, Maggie Johnson (Joyce's grand daughter), my niece Julie Kirschner, my sister Dorothy Tietz, my friend (former student and retired teacher) Nancy Lamar Pease, and me.

First Blossom

Two years ago, I purchased three hybrid roses at a bargain price and plopped them in the back 40. The deer or rabbits nibbled one young bush to nothing within a few weeks, but the other two held on throughout the summer and the mild 2011 winter. Now the surviving two bushes are both about three feet tall.

 

Mothers' Day

Barney, Dorothy and I had bruch at the Country Club. Afterwards, Dot and I looked at videos that she had made. Barney watched golf.

Sold!

When I went to pick up the two pieces I entered in the Albrecht-Kemper Membership Exhibit, I learned that both had been purchased.

While I am happy that others enjoy my art, I kind of feel like I have given up two of my children.

The butterfly is a watercolor. The crocus is a digitally altered photo of flowers in my front yard.

Sister Dot won a Third Place award for one of her entries.