WW - Keep Calm Spring is Coming

I'm linking up with

http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-13.html

Morning Thoughts

A Meme

One of my favorite things is rising early, when the world around me is still asleep, then watching and listening to it awake.

Outside my window the sun shines, fooling me into thinking it's warm.

I am thinking of spring, gardens, planting, daffodils and tulips.

From the kitchen comes the aroma of coffee, calling me to pour a cup.

I am wearing blue, denim and a cotton tee, trimmed with picot lace and a tiny bow.

I am reading The Southern Exposure Seed Exchange 2013 Catalog and Garden Guide; vegetables like Royal Black Peppers speak to me, along with  Statice, Love-in-a-Mist, Strawflower and Globe Amaranth, flowers to dry and keep in everlasting bouquets and wreaths through next winter.

I am hearing the kneading of a cat's claws on the dog's bed behind me, as she joins the dogs and other cats, in a sleepy, warm pile of fur, for a morning nap.

I am hoping that my family and friends are well and happy today and everyday.

Around the room the sun filters through the dust particles, creating rays of sparkling magic.

I am going to mix up a sourdough bread starter.

I am creating art, inspired by my thoughts of flowers and spring.

I am thankful for the pleasures found in the magic of ordinary days.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing, created from my daydreams of flowers and spring.

Morning Glory Birdhouse by Tori Beveridge

I found this meme at A Haven for Vee, who found it at Cait's .

This meme was a pleasure to write, and I encourage you to share your thoughts in words and pictures too.  Please let me know if you do, I'd love to read your meme.

My Favorite Things

Are you as busy as I am this time of year?

We deserve a little break.  Please join me for some tea and glimpse of some of my favorite things at this time of year, some I've found on Pinterest and some from my desk.

To get you in the mood you might want to turn on this music sung by a sweet little girl in a white dress with a blue satin sash.

Sing along if you like...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things!

Source: pythons.tumblr.com via Tori on Pinterest

Warm Woolen Mittens, doodle by Tori Beveridge

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via Tori on Pinterest

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

These are a few of my favorite things!

Source: thismodernromance.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: 30.media.tumblr.com via Tori on Pinterest

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eye lashes

Silver white winters that melt into spring

These are a few of my favorite things!

Girl in White Dress ACEO ink and watercolor pencils by Tori Beveridge

Snowflakes that stay on my nose - Otis, photographed by Tori Beveridge

Silver White Winters.. last winter photographed by Tori Beveridge

When the dog bites, when the bee stings

When I'm feeling sad, 

I simply remember 

my favorite things

and then I don't feel so bad!

I'm linking to

Deborah Jean's Dandelion House Farm Girl Friday Blog Hop

and

Liv Lanes' Little Bliss List Link Party

The Rooster Crows

No offense to Muhammed Ali, he was a great boxer, but he didn't know roosters.  As a matter of fact, anyone who believes that roosters only crow in the morning to announce the rising sun, doesn't know roosters.

A rooster will crow night or day, at any time.

Rooster Doodle by Tori Beveridge

The other night our rooster, Ringo, was crowing at 10:30 pm.  Our windows and doors were open letting in the balmy, for us in central Illinois in December, 70 degree temperatures waft in.

"Err er errrrrrrrrr", he crowed from inside his tightly locked coop.  He had never done this before.  "Maybe there's something wrong," my husband said.  "I'd better go check."  There was nothing wrong.  All the hens and Ringo were fine.  Maybe he was simply announcing to the world that he appreciated the mild weather too.

Ringo at three weeks.

I am not sure how the myth of roosters crowing to announce the sun rise started, but I will validate that they do crow then.. and a couple of hours before... and a couple of hours after...

Perhaps this story from Greek Mythology started it.  The ancient Greek word for rooster is aclectryon.

Alectryon was a young man who was ordered by Ares, the god of war, to stand guard outside his door while Ares romanced the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love.  Alectryon fell asleep on the job.  The sun god, Helios, sneaked past Alectryon while he slept, and walked in on Ares and Aphrodite.  Ares was so outraged and angry with Alectyron, that he turned him into a rooster which would never forget to announce the sun's arrival in the morning.

Regardless of his noise, I am glad that we have a rooster.  He's a very protective rooster and watches over his flock closely, which is important because we back onto a forest and have foxes, coyotes, hawks, opossums, skunks etc. as regular visitors. 

Ringo, four and a half months old, taken a week and a half ago.  He's grown since then.

He is a kind rooster and not overly aggressive.  I know some people have problems with roosters and their aggression, so I am thankful for this.  Ringo did try to peck/bite Mr B. a couple of times.  The first time, Mr. B. had been kneeeling down.  All it took was for Mr. B. to stand up, and Ringo took off... vrrrooooom... yes, the largest male rules the roost.

About a week later, Ringo pecked at Mr. B. again.  Mr. B. picked him up and held him securely at his side and gently pushed his head and beak down with a couple of fingers, and held it down for a few seconds, then released it.  Ringo lifted his head.  Mr. B. repeated it, once again pushing his head and beak down.  This time when Mr. B. released Ringo's head, Ringo kept it down, a sign of submission.

My comment, which had Mr. B. laughing out loud. "There is a pecking order and you're the biggest pecker."

Ringo is very photogenic, as I am sure most roosters are, with their vivid colors and long feathers.   I loved the photo above so much, that I had to use it as a reference for this painting.

Barred Plymouth Rock Rooster by Tori Beveridge

  I couldn't wait to see what it would look like matted and framed.

Barred Plymouth Rock Rooster, matted and framed.. I think I will play with different mat colors and frames.

... because it will be going on our wall, possibly in the kitchen where all things roosterly, chickeny, and barnyard seem to end up.

If you would like to see a larger version of the painting, you can see it in my gallery.

Prints and other products are available, so you too can have Ringo in your home.

You may have guessed by now.. the rooster crowing is also heralding the dawning of a new chapter in my blog.  I didn't mean to leave it abandoned and collecting cobwebs for so long.  My apologies.   I needed to work out what direction I wanted to take this blog.  It took some time, but I have the compass pointed in the right direction now.  I hope you'll join me on my journey.

This post has been submitted to

and to  Liv Lane's Little Bliss List
and to   Deborah Jean's Dandelion House's Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop
and to Homestead Revival's Homestead Blog Hop
and to

The Cookbook I Love - They Draw and Cook

This is going to be one of those posts where I've removed the girl from the art blog but I can't remove the art from the girl.  I say this because the new cookbook that I'm so in love with satisfies both my love of food and cooking, and my love of art.  Here it is:

They Draw and Cook, presented by Nate Padavick & Salli Swindell

"They Draw and Cook" has 107 recipes illustrated by artists from around the world.  The recipes were also all written by the artists, not by chefs in fancy hats, or celebrities from television (unless of course they are an artist too).  The result is charming and original and very different.  Don't expect every recipe to have neatly laid out ingredient lists and directions.  Think instead of a little work of art on each page and the recipe is part of it.

A peek inside "They Draw and Cook"

Each page is delightful and the recipes look delicious... well they sound delicious.  You don't see the finished product in this cookbook, but I don't miss seeing it.

If you have young budding cooks at home, they would love this cookbook.  I think it would make children want to cook.

But, wait.. I haven't told you the best part.. you don't have to own the cookbook to see all the recipes inside the book.  There is a website:  They Cook and Draw  where you can find every recipe in the book plus many many more.  I browse through there in heaven.. it's part art gallery, part cooking site.  Click on a recipe to bring up a page devoted to it, where you can print the recipe, download high res versions of the recipe, buy prints of the recipe, and comment on the illustration and the recipe itself after you've tried it.

On the website there is even a Dial a Dinner Page  which you can use like a slot machine to randomly give you an appetizer, a main course and a dessert recipe to make for dinner!  I could play with it for ages.  Oh.. and there is a vegetarian version of it too.

If you're an artist, you can submit your illustrated recipe to them for inclusion on the site.  Guess what I'm going to be doing?  Artists go to the Submit a Recipe page on the They Cook and Draw site to find out all the particulars.

There is a shop of course, where you can buy the cookbook and other items, like prints of the recipes and other products.

In short, this book and the website is nothing but pure fun and fancy.  It's proof that you can have fun cooking.