The Summer So Far.....in Photos:

Man! It's busy around here!

Ramona and Warren Bradshaw presenting the colors at the NBHA Barrel show, Pepin Arena.

Jess Sterry riding at the MNSCHA show. The Pepin Trailblazers had two sorting events this year. The arena is only a half mile from home so I have no excuse for not making it there to work!

Over grown perennial garden is attracting grass eaters.

Only took two months to redo it! Many loads of mulch hauled.  Check out my abs of steel!

Just got the new chicks---four varieties this year. Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Production Red and Black Sex Link. The little green dot signifies the Barred Rock rooster.

Sampling the new potatoes from the garden. Mother Nature has blessed us with rain in the nick of time.

Lots of baby birds. I think this one is a young purple finch. Its sibling left the nest yesterday when we surprised each other. He flew right up into the branches of a pine tree. Yay!!!

"Huey" the goose who was raised by chickens, continues to stay with his flock of hens. He's hot and cooling off with his bill open. Cerra wants her picture taken!

Horse lessons with Fran Latane and Farrah Green. (The old lady with Cheyenne.)

And then there is the art work being completed.......for another post!

The Store

I had not seen or heard from friend, Sandra Gilbert, for months! What was going on? I finally caught up with her at the Refuge Farms breakfast and learned she has opened THE STORE! Refuge Farms held an annual yard sale for several years and with all the donations came the problem of what to do with items that didn't sell. Solution....open a store!

Main Street Menomonie, WI, now has a great new shop for high quality used and new items. The former department store next to the existing antique shop was available for rent and Sandy took advantage of the opportunity to have a place to sell the wonderful goods she has had donated, and also to rent out 10x10 booths to other sellers.

This is where it got even more interesting for me. Would there be room for me to rent a little spot to sell my wares? I have been making stained glass and art all winter and it would be great to have a place to put it. It turns out it's the perfect solution for the basically lazy me who would have NO interest in having a store again. Yes! I could have a spot. But not just any spot. She thought I should have 25' of the FRONT WINDOW! Yay! The glass shall sparkle and a silly idea of having a retail store just presented itself.

Things moved quickly as I gathered up what display pieces I had saved from my Studio Works days. Within two weeks I was set up and having fun with my new little enterprise.

Sandy's motto for the Farm is "Horses Helping" in this case it helps me, as well as another seven sellers, to have a slice of a retail presence. In turn the helping also goes to the horses as all donations to Refuge Farms are sold to benefit the horses in her care. 

The Store, as it is called, is an extension of THE FARM, so the name just stuck as the logical choice. Where else can you find quality used furniture, antiques, vintage linens, collectibles from primitives to fine china and everything in between? At The Store!

SherriStudio jewelry display at The Store

Loving Spring!!

So many things happening and Catfish Corner is really buzzing. All the spring chores and lots of clean up after the May 2nd snowstorm brought down many branches.

Sorry to harken back to the dreaded snow but it does serve to make us really appreciate our lovely days now.

The eagles have been busy with their nest and feeding their brood. Here is one taking a glob of dry grass up to the nest. Our banks were flooded for a long time this spring and the water is still very high.

I got to join the two Sandy's....Sandy Murphy and Sandy Gilbert at the Refuge farm breakfast up in Menomonie. The equine star, Dude, was featured and everyone was so pleased to know he is adjusting so well to having his eye removal operation. No more pain for him!

New Wings Exhibit Opens

Our art committee met on Weds. to set up the new exhibit titled "Working For A Living".  The exhibit will be up until July and it pays homage to those hard working people and animals in our lives.

The Farrier - pastel

The Drover - pastel

The reception is going on this evening from 5-7 pm at Wings Over Alma 

More Fall Images

Meadow Ablaze - Pastel 12 x 16

Our winter is just continuing to hang....which has been good for putting in studio time. I'm continuing to add to the fall theme by making use of the many reference photos I took.

Colors by The Tracks - pastel 12 x 16

The Minnesota bluffs in the background and the foreground is the Wisconsin side as viewed from our alfalfa field. I love the early fall colors when there is still some green to offset the gold and reds as they emerge.

As much as I love fall, I have also been working on some winter landscapes which will be coming up later! Someday it really will be spring and then the real outdoor work will begin around here.

Arts West 34

The L.E. Phillips Public Library has provided the list of participants in the annual juried show. I didn't win a prize with my "Portrait of Helga" but I do feel honored for having made it through the jurying process. The variety of art included paintings, pottery, sculpture and multi-media works. Something for everyone.

I haven't entered an art show since high school so it was a good experience to go through the process and learn the ropes. I'll try again next year!

Our Deer Stanley

We had these two characters we named Ollie and Stanley appear in 2008. Toward spring they started coming up in the evening to raid the bird feeder. It's really fun to watch them so close and I took lots of pictures through the windows as they made their way through the yard.

They even had their boyish tussles! Which is probably why Stanley ended up with a gouged right eye. The next year only one came back.....our one-eyed Stanley.

He passed by the trail cam a few times. Always distinctive because only one eye reflects. It was amazing to see he could fight off the infection and that it healed as well as it did.

This photo was taken last month. We are figuring he is about 6 years old now. His antlers are getting bigger every year, but now he has a bad left front leg! He's hobbling around on it, but he's none too quick and the hoof appears to be very overgrown since he isn't wearing it down.

His right antler is ragged and broken off, too. He's been fighting. Notice the bulging ankle. Poor Stanley.

As of last week he has reappeared sans antlers. He has also been letting the wife and kids come up and eat after he gets his fill. Sweetie that he is. Keep well, Stanley! Hope you can recuperate and be with us for another year. You are always safe from hunting as long as you stay at Catfish Corner.

And, yes. I am going looking for those antlers!