Inspiration, Ideas, Creativity

       As an artist for most of my life, I've never been at a loss for ideas. They flood my mind and enter my dreams. I have notebooks full of scribbles and sketches and designs for everything from garden structures, storybook characters, rock walls, new studio rooms and book illustrations.

 My life could never be long enough to fulfill all these dreams, all these aspirations. Most creative souls are just like me. Creative people have a knack for turning lemons to lemonade, mud to sculpture and trash to treasure. And they simply MUST do it!

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If you follow this blog, I have a feeling you  are an artist , a writer, a needleworker, a gardener, a creator. What inspires you?? If you are like me, you appreciate and observe all the little details around us, the minutia. An idea can be sparked by the slightest of things, like a melody hummed or a fragrance in the breeze, the texture of paper or cloth, or the feel of moss beneath your feet. Suddenly, you are inspired.

Please come into my studio and my garden and see what inspires me. Perhaps they are the same things that feed your imagination and encourage you to create beauty all around you.

Viewed best on YOU Tube, turn on your volume, the music is lovely!
Please feel free to share with other creative souls, just like you. 

Stone walls, Bee boles and Peacocks in the Periwinkle.

I must be part Irish... 

  because I love to build stone walls... Mine are not as long as I would wish them to be, for it just isn't easy to get all that many stones, when you have to gather them one by one, with an aging back and bad knees.Therefore, I use what I have and stack them as high or as long as my stone stash will allow. 
The newest wall borders the front yard garden bed, where once upon a time, there lay nothing but a boring lawn.

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 But not anymore!

This bed is full of Iris, Daylilly, various perennials, hosta, hydrangea, bee balm, coneflowers and foxgloves. They are just coming up through the earth at this point... how thrilling!

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I know it must look a mess, but a week ago, this was practically barren.

Below, here it is 7 days later... WHOA!!!

We use a lot of salvaged brick, brickbats, found stone, pickets, fencing and timbers around here. I love the aged look of these materials. My garden style is something I made up.... I call it Hopalong Hollowscaping.

Building a dry stack stone wall is something of an art form.

You must fit the pieces together like a puzzle,

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 the stones must support one another in such a way as to prevent the wall from tumbling down.

  

We gather these stones from the hollow, the creek, the meadows and fields. We lucked out last year when a road crew dumped a huge load in our driveway... at our request. THAT was like getting a pot o gold!  

 Someday, I hope to acquire enough stone to build a REALLY tall wall, but for now, I think this one is just dandy. This is the opposite side of it, which faces Wee Minnow Brooke.

You know your stone wall is a big success, when a rooster crows atop it...

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and a kitty takes a stroll all the way across the entire breadth.

There were enough stones left over from this weeks job,to build a bee bole.

The Bar Beehive sits atop. It will be filled with bees as soon as my order comes in!!!

 The bee skeps beneath are just for looks, I doubt any bees will visit them when such a nice condo is sitting above. But don't you adore bee skeps?

 

The bee bole is near a water source, facing southeast and in a protected area. That is what the bee bible tells me to do. This is my first year raising Honeybees, so I am very excited.

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I built the one below, last year, in front of a side garden.

 

You can see how the stones fit nicely together.. My knees were in bad shape after this job, but I didn't mind, this wall will last a life- time.

 

 

I have been painting bees for my book and it really puts one in the mood for gardening!

 

An early Spring in the Hollow would not be complete without Peacocks spreading their new feathers amongst the blooms

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Can you see the tail in the violets and periwinkle?

 The Peabody boys are now 2 years old and are fully feathered

They will show those tails to ANYONE who cares to view...

I have just been ambushed by Hans Peabody.

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But Demelza, the red feathered beauty, is not impressed, she has seen this act before.

She just yawns and continues her sunbath.

 Good grief, this is so amazing... everything is coming up! My gardens are full of Iris blades and all those plants I thought I murdered last year.

 (If I had one dollar for every plant I've killed, I could hire a REAL gardener.)

Last year I signed books at a garden show and came home with 7 Japanese Maples ( it was a trade... don't you just love barter?!) The one above is quite lovely and doing well.

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Here is another garden simply lined in stones and salvaged brick.

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Of course, plenty of weeds have returned. But it just so happens,  there are SOME weeds that I love... that's right, Jeri loves weeds. I will tell you about my very favorite weeds in another post. Perhaps I can change your opinion on "the dreaded weed".

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This small stone wall was created using broken concrete. I was thrilled the day I drove by a little church in our town to see they were demolishing the sidewalk. James and I were happy to carry off the chunks for them, and they were all too happy to allow it. So, don't ever haul off your old broken cement patio... build a wall instead!

 or a bee bole.

 I hope you are enjoying an early Spring too.

 We send you a handful of periwinkle and a peacock feather!

Winter Greetings from the Hollow

We send out our warmest  and most fuzzy hugs to all our friends out there in the wide, wild world, and bid you the best of winter.

"Hopalong Hollow Productions"

presents our very amateurish but heartfelt greetings from all who dwell in the Hollow.

(Be sure your volume is turned up loud.)

From

The Donkeys: Ursula, Jemima, 
The Peabody Boys: Hans and Moses, 
The goats: Opal, Rosebud, Cecily , Naomi
The Sheep: Sophia, Beatrix, Margaret, 
The Geese: Hamish, Ivan, Attila, Fiona,
The Ducks: Jangles, Mia, Jeremiah Fisher, Trudy, Pittypat,Winston, Popeye,
The Chickens: Mavis Mudd, Jimmy, Demelza, Rusty, Euel, Esmeralda, Monet, Prudi, Conan... and a few miscellaneous chicksters
The Cats: Peepers, Aretha, Sasha, Moby and Claudette
 The DOG: EZRA
The People: Jeri and the Lord of the Manor, James

  Filmed in the Hollow (by amateur Movie makin- mogul  Jeri )
All movie making tips will be most appreciated!

"Scratchin in the Dirt" a new gossip column by Mavis Mud

"Well, the job seems to have fallen to me (since the unfortunate demise of our dear Fiona Goosefeathers, may she rest in peace), to take over the job of Gossip Columnist for the Gazette. But, I always knew I could dish dirt with the best of em!

   Allow me to introduce myself- Mavis Mudd- mother of 3 sets of triplets, a dozen sets of twins and 21 little runts. I have, of late, taken on the role of foster mother as well. Also, I am the widow of the late and dearly beloved, "Mister Red Rooster" ( beloved by at least 7 others, besides myself, and those are just the ones I know about!) 

 What I DO know is this: at his funeral- at which he was conspicuous by his absence, seeing as how he was carried off by a devious fox,put into a pot and turned into Chicken Fricassee!

Oh, the very thought of Fricassee sends prickles up and down my back feathers! All that was left to bury was a downy red feather. Upon his gravestone were the words:

"Here lie the remains of Mister Red Rooster,

Otherwise known as 'Lover Boy'

He was

The best of the best, 

A Cockadoodledoo above all the rest!" ),

But as I was saying, at his funeral there was nary a dry eye in the barn. Fat little hens came from far and wide to blow into their hankies and share anecdotes about MY husband! Including that little tart, Miss Mulberry, who struts around here like a Peacock! She is such a hussy. Which brings me to today's bit of mud.... the Peabody Boys.

As soon as the Mistress brought them home, I knew there would be trouble. There they stood in those flashy clothes...Did no one ever tell them that stripes and polka dots clash?

They pretended to be shy and bashful, but I knew that beneath those fancy clothes and finery there lurked hearts of ill-will. And it didn't take long to see it.

    First there was the mysterious case of the fuchia blossoms....WELL, not so mysterious to moi! I saw those sneaky buzzards  picking off the mistress's blooms one by one. I felt it my duty to tell her everything, but she just giggled and scolded them not to ever, ever do that again. Hah! If she was serious , she wouldn't let them lounge on the porch...

whenever they please...

and stare at their reflections in the window for hours and hours.

 Oh... they think they are soooo handsome. I will tell you what handsome is...

 

This is Handsome.

 Now, if we chicken folk set so much as one sharp toenail upon that porch, it is the broom-stick for us!

 And then there is the ridiculous little dance they do..

First. they spread their tail feathers,

                 Then, they shake and wiggle their bottoms with a flutter and a fluff,

they do the hokey, pokey and they turn themselves around,

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three steps forward, two steps back.

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I mean REALLY, how about a good old fashioned square dance? That is what we chickens like. And just who are they trying to impress anyway?

 These girls???

Well, I can tell you that my dearest friends and I have no interest, whatsoever in such self absorbed, vain, dandies.

So they can just sit in the trees,

In that self-important manner, and think about THAT!

That is, if they are not smack dab in the middle of the Mistress gardens, squashing her delicate forget me nots and snapping off the zinnia heads.... Hmmph!

And all the mistress says is. 'Oh, aren't they just lovely?'

Hmmmph!

It just goes to show, 

you can get away with anything...if you are beautiful."

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Blond Bombshells and handsome young dandys....

    I have been waiting for these lovely ladies for a few months, blond bombshells every one of em! 

Or maybe they are redheads.... well, no matter.

  These lovely little buffs are the ones you always see running through the farmyard or the village in any Masterpiece Theater Period Movie.
And no wonder! They are divine actresses, loaded with personality, and oh so lovely with  their little rosy faces and pretty pink legs.

    Mine are only 3 months old but when they are full grown, they will be ever so fluffy and fat and feminine. Except of course the rooster. He will be  grandiose and manly. They will lay lots of huge eggs! I can't tell them apart yet, but they have names anyway: Demelza, Prudi, Verity, Elizabeth and Connie. OH , and of course, the rooster is POLDARK .In case you don't recognize any of those names, they are characters from a  series of historical novels by Winston Graham called "Poldark" and a1975 BBC television series based on the books. I just loved those stories.

  And these are our new dandys.... Only 1 year old and not sprouting tail feathers as yet. If they turn out half as wonderful as their daddy, they will be beautiful grownups.

This is the DADDY

    They certainly haven't exhibited much personality yet. They just sort of sit up on their big log perch and look down upon we mere mortals. 

 But Look at the GREAT OUTFITs these youngsters are wearing:

Little white pantaloons, stripy black and white stockings, a green irridescent turtleneck, a multi-colored coat and tails and a splotchy, polka dotty sorta- like vest. And a sporty little headpiece! Such Dandys!

   I am guessing they just aren't used to their new home. They have been living in a pen only 5'x10' for a year. Now, they have acres to roam and a huge barn to enjoy. I am so happy to give them a good home. We named them Gus and Woodrow ( Lonesome Dove). I know these aren't elegant names like Shakespeare or Alexander or Lord Byron , names  worthy of a Peacock. But they are named in remembrance of a pair of TURKEYS I once had.

   Those turkeys ran away.... into the woods.... lookin for love..... with the wild turkey ladies!  I am pretty sure they lived happily ever after, since I saw about 11 young turkeys in our meadow a few month later.... they looked quite domestic.  But I do miss their gobbley little voices.

 But.... this guy is pretty special too.