Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Contest Jitters

  The weather in Redbush's world is a gorgeous, sunny, spring day.  She hopes everything else today will follow suit with that!   Redbush is heading into a gala tonight, the contest in which her artwork was entered.  She was given a phone call that she was one of the finalists again this year, and was asked if she would attend.  In the past few years she has won second place, so this year she has her fingers crossed, and she's going for the win, of course!  A little greedy, she knows, but, she can't help but wish  for it!  She has posted the painting again that she posted on one of her other blogs.   Oops!  She has found that the painting disappeared into blogland somewhere and is no longer in her picture file, but she will take another one at the gala!  She wishes she was a computer geek!  Redbush hopes the rest of her day doesn't go like this!  She hopes all of you are enjoying a beautiful spring day!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Transplanting Tulips

The weather in Redbush's world continues to be in the miserable department.  I'ts been snowing now for the past three days, and is becoming a depressing scenario.  She promises not to bring this up a lot in the future because she's sure you are all sick of hearing the same rant over and over!  
Redbush wonders if you have any tips for her in transplanting a tulip pot that has quit blooming.  She wants to put it out in her perennial bed, and wonders if there is anything special that she should do with it before she transplants it.  She knows that the best time to plant the bulbs is in the fall, but, this happens to be spring, and she wanted to save them.  She had shown you a picture a week, or two ago that showed them blooming. Right now the ground is frozen, so, she knows she won't be able to put them in the ground for probably weeks yet.  She is afraid to clean the perennial beds  from all the dead growth because she is afraid that the bulbs that are peaking through will freeze back and die.   She hopes she hasn't bored you too much with this.  Thanks in advance for your expert opinions.   She has posted pictures of what some of her trees looked like in the past few days, and a photo of her tulip pot. 

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Global Warming- Not Today!

The birds in Redbush's world must wonder why they migrated back so soon!  It's gone from +21 degrees in the last few days to -1 yesterday, and +3 today.  The sun is shining, though, so maybe the birds have some hope.  Redbush really wanted to do some cleaning up of her many flower beds, and pots, but, will have to wait until it warms up a bit.  She will have to resort to doing her dreaded house cleaning instead.  Jeeeesh!  She has noticed a lot of juncos on her feeders this a.m., so, they must enjoy the weather, or are just hardy birds.  She will share a few pictures of what it looked like yesterday evening in her yard.  She hopes you have an enjoyable sunny, warm, toasty day with flowers blooming your area!   

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Hardships Endured

Redbush  wishes to share a part of her heritage with you.  She is the youngest of a large family.  Her father helped his father who was a gardener for a baron's palace in Russia.  At a young age of 17, he escaped from Russia before the revolution in 1917.   Redbush knows that it sounds like she's a dinosaur, but, she really isn't thaaaaat old.  Her father was nearly 17 years older than her mother who was married at the age of 15.  Her father had heard about the golden opportunities in Canada, so, leaving his family of 10 behind never to see most of his family again.  He and a few friends left to make their fortune in the land of milk and honey.  
Crossing over overseas on a ship, he contacted smallpox.  Overcoming this serious disease, he landed in Eastern Canada where a gang of industrialists forced him and other immigrants to work in a forest up  north.  Here, his designated job was to set up dynamite under rocks.  They had to grease their faces with motor grease to keep  thick  hordes of black flies from attacking their faces.  Exhausted they would then try to sleep in quarters infested with lice and cockroaches.  Redbush's father would have to take his clothes regularly to the river, build a fire, and boil them to try to kill the nasty insects.  One night after realizing that these conditions were much worse than where he came from, the boys ran away one night, catching a train to central Canada.  Her father soon found work on the railroad.   After this, he hauled groceries to camps in western Canada with his sleigh piled high with flour, salt pork, and other camp needs crossing major rivers with his hard-working mules.  He continued this job until on one of his last trips, his load broke through the ice losing everything except the mules, sleigh and himself.  Having no more nerve for this job, he then walked 500 miles, stopping at trappers cabins and camps along the way for food and rest.  He headed for the big city where he bought some machinery, horses, and two sleighs.  He worked   He and companions that he knew then filed homesteads quite close together.  They made several grueling 300 mile trips one-way back to the big city that winter hauling machinery, groceries, and even a case of whiskey.  The three of them lived in a companions small shack until he started selling their groceries to the Indians.  
Redbush's father and a friend filed homesteads close together.  He then walked back to the big city with his friend to buy a Percheron mare and a draywagon to haul all their needs back.  They forded creeks until they came to a large river where an Indian helped them cross.  The horse was too afraid to cross, so they coaxed her into the canoe with some oats.  (Remember, a Percheron is a huge work horse.)  She stood so quietly that it surprised them at how well she behaved  while the old Indian paddled them across.  They encountered muskeg where they had to lead the horse, and push the wagon wheels by hand to get it across.  
After this, when they arrived, Redbush's father built his house on the homestead out of jackpine logs, and a roof covered with sod.  He cleared some land by hand with an axe, and seeded a field of oats.  He and his friends threshed the crop with flailing sticks.   He then built a barn with double walls filled with straw along with a roof of rails and straw.  Her father had to get his mail six miles away from his homestead.  One Sunday he ventured out on his trek to get the mail only to discover that there was no mail given out on Sundays.  
When Redbush reflects on all the hardships her father endured, she wishes she would have listened to more of his stories as a child.  She knows that a lot of us would have a hard time not giving up in a lot of the situations that they were in, but realizes that they had no choice.  Redbush knows that today, there are a lot of difficulties  that challenge us, and many times we tend to  give up too easily instead of trying to solve them, or endure them.   She hopes she didn't bore you too badly and that you all have a wonderful day!           

Friday, April 17, 2009

More Spring Art References

Yesterday was a very beautiful spring day in Redbush's world, so, she decided to go out to the lease and get more camera shots for potential use in her artworks.  The weather was calm, and the temperatures were such that she hardly needed a coat.  She also saw a whole group of trumpeter swans, 15 in fact, fly over her house, but couldn't capture the picture in time.    Bonzi and Bonzerelli enjoyed the outing on the lease as they always do.  Here are a few shots of the spring thaw on the lease.  Today is a much cooler day, with no sun, so she's glad she got the pictures yesterday.  She hopes you enjoy them.  She wishes you an enjoyable spring weekend!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tulips And Bunnies!

Redbush had a busy Easter weekend even though she was chasing a cold.  She  entered Bonzi in a Caro obedience competition.  At first she thought the competition was only on Sat. , but realized that it was on Easter Sunday as well.  Bonzi showed his best side, winning a first, and a second, and a High In Trial.  Redbush and Bonzi were doing the WAHOOOO together with Bonzi doing his usual, "I'll jump up and you catch me,"-( all 86 pounds of him) routine, wagging his tail wildly.  When he hears that word, he knows the exercise is done, and he's been a good boy and he can act foolish.   Now he has a few more ribbons to sport.  Redbush decided to support the local Parkinson's Association and thought the tulips were pretty, so, bought a pot.  After all, she can plant them in her perennial garden when they are done blooming.  In their appreciation for all the attention she gives them, Bonzi and Bonzerelli shopped for a card for Redbush, but must have been mostly attracted to the front cover,although she knows they do have a sense of humor!  After all, what dogs wouldn't be attracted to two cute bunnies?!  They must not have read the inside of the card, but, Redbush is still hooting about that.  She knows that it was the thought that counted.  The card reads:
Cute-
Cuddly,
And H--n-y
You're my kinda love-bunny!
Lots Of Love,
Bonzerelli and Bonzi.
She hopes everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

My Perspective

Creating artworks is a little like viewing people and their personalities.  Redbush has been around many different people of whom are not necessarily alike, just as her artworks have different mediums, and perspectives.  She chooses to draw on certain aspects of a photograph to create what details she feels are pleasing to her and leave out those that are not, just as she can choose to welcome people who make her feel good about herself. and ignore those who don't.  If a photograph is almost without color, she can choose to decide on what colors she feels would bring out the details  in her artwork, to show a different perspective of the photo. Just as with certain people who may want to fade into the background, she finds certain attributes in them that are  special.  She is constantly  searching her photos to find a new perspective of how she can portray the colors, light, ruggedness, calmness, and reflections to give her artworks personality.  Redbush is still fighting the flu and chest cold, but, is sure that it will be gone soon. The following is a photograph and a painting of a special place on the lease that she  and her family visits often.  She hopes this finds you healthy and happy, and that you have a Happy Easter!   Do you have a perspective on life?  What is your perspective?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Feeling Yukky!

Along with the great signs of spring, Redbush knows that the flu bugs are in the air.  The last few days, she has felt the brunt of them.  Although she has always taken her vitamins morning and night, she hasn't been able to fend off the common cold, and feeling achy all over.  She always takes extra vitamin c when she feels a cold coming on, but, this time she caught it anyway.  She hasn't been feeling this way for too long to remember.  She is hoping that it will only last a few days so she has enough energy to do something productive.  She enjoyed watching the geese coming back to her area, the warm sun beating down and hopes that these are  some of the spring  signs that are here to stay.  She hopes everyone is having great weather where they are at with no flu bugs latching on to them.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Proud Moments

Yeaaaaah!  We're back and it's like spring out there with Bonzi soaking up the sun lying  on his straw pillow on the deck.  Redbush and Bonzi have been at an obedience competition, so have been gone part of last week and this.  She is very proud of her shepherd and how he did.  He scored quite highly on two of the days, so he almost finished all of his legs in rally novice.  On the third day, he scored high, but his mistress got him non-qualified because through her nervousness, she did a couple of the stations incorrectly, embarrassing herself and of course Mr. Redbush, who wanted to hide under the chair by ringside.  Redbush is sure that Bonzi was probably embarrassed, and disappointed because he knew his stuff.  So, on to the competition at the end of June to get him his last leg, and to hopefully go on to advanced as long as Redbush can keep herself calm and collected!  
Before Redbush left for the competition, she worked up to t
he last minute to get her painting done for the contest, so, she will share the photo again, and some steps in starting her painting, along with the finished product that she entered.  She will also share a picture of Bonzi and Bonzerelli being spoiled in the hotel room that she stayed at.  She wasn't going to let Bonzi up on the bed, as he isn't allowed any further than the mat at the back door when he comes in to relax at her house.  She decided that seeing as they were clean and bathed that she would spoil them, and especially Bonzi seeing as he did so well.  Redbush hopes you enjoy the pictures!
s!