RUN!!!

"Running in Heaven"

watercolor and prismacolor pencil

Ariel loved to run for the sheer joy of it.  This little painting is about 11" x 14" and is painted in a very high register to show him enjoying a sunlit pasture. He was a sweet and gentle gelding....pure Arabian.  His coat glistened with coppery highlights.


...MMMMmmmm, I can still remember how he smells :)

Elephant tales...

Nancy Filippi, Managing Director of the Oakland Zoo identified my elephant. His name is Osh ;) How COOOOOOL is that??

Many thanks Nancy!

August paintings....

This is a portrait of an African elephant who lives at the Oakland Zoo.  I loved the interesting skin textures, and the way the light plays off the trunk and ears. I added the contrasting color of the bright green foliage~ it really help to make the greys of the elephant's skin more interesting.

I recently learned of the PAWS organization, a performing animal sanctuary that is very near us. They rescue neglected or abused animals. I have asked if I could photograph their mountain lion. I would love to paint her! I hope they will consider it, it may turn out to be a mutually beneficial relationship.

My next painting is a beautiful finch on a butterfly bush, so far it is going well!  Tomorrow, I will be at Sutter Creek Gallery for the day.

Here is Whimsy waiting to be milked. (I see that she needs her hooves trimmed again :)  We are doing well with our daily milking ritual. I am getting plenty of delicious creamy milk, and I am making fresh cheese weekly in my kitchen. I am still learning, but I am enjoying the process AND eating the results!

...fresh chevre at FiddleSong Farm....

Happy Birthday Madison Riley!

Happy Birthday Madi!  We love you!

YES!  Best of Division~
Amador County Fair






What a fun time we had at the fair!  I was so excited to see the art show, I had entered five paintings and they all earned a ribbon. I won a first place for "Fiddletown~Chinese General Store"(also Best of Div), a second for "Morning Meadow" a third and two honorable mentions. I don't know who was more excited~ me or Rick!

All the Sutter Creek Gallery artists who entered the show did extremely well :) It was a good feeling to be able to recognize the artists by their style, and see that there were several local artists hanging there that I still haven't met.

Of course we walked around and looked at all the exhibits, ate a $6.50 corndog, visited the livestock, saw happy piggies, and generally enjoyed the evening.

I took lots of photos with my new Nikon Coolpix camera (which performed admirably). 

I even visited the ponies at the pony ride, which has always been my all-time favorite attraction.

...Amador County has the best fair ever....

Say CHEESE!!!

FiddleSong Kate

I am delighted to say that I have found a DELICIOUS simple recipe to make goat's milk cheese!  It is fresh and creamy, has just the right texture and a wonderful flavor! I am so excited, I just have to share :) Taste test in HR on Monday! I'm calling it "Whimsy Cheese".

....YUM, yum YUM YUM!! Fresh cheese at FiddleSong Farm....

Goodbye kiddos, have a good life...

"FiddleSong Farm Stuck in Reverse"

This weekend one of my friends from work bought all three kids. MAN is it quiet around here. I miss them, but it was easier than I thought it would be. I realized that the hardest thing for me about selling kids is breaking up the families. I'm not worried that they won't be cared for, goats are tough! I worry about their poor little broken hearts.

We may have an unauthorized pregnancy in the barn. Rick was working on the barn one day and Fiddler (our buck) opened a gate and got in with two yearling does. Last week I noticed that one of those does, FiddleSong Kate, looks a little more......substantial. No udder yet, but this is Zip's daughter. She could be sneaky like her mother.  Wouldn't it be nice if  Kate gave us a doeling that looks like Zip?

GOAT milk?  Oh, YES please!! I believe I have solved our milking problem.  Both my does hate being milked by hand, but they LOVE my super duper hand-powered goat milking machine! I can milk Whimsy in three minutes flat. Both her and Honey are giving a generous pint per milking. That is a half gallon per day!! What do I do with all that fresh creamy milk? I make cheese :)

If you haven't had icy cold fresh goat's milk, I encourage you to try some.  There is a creamy delicious difference!

Fresh Honey milk at FiddleSong Farm....