Out with the Old, in with the New?

So I had to make a tough decision this year. I will not be renewing my domain name (no point sharing it here if it isn't going to exist anymore, lol). It will expire on January 19 (2024 in case you're reading this years from now).

I think I will be posting the artwork that was previously on that page onto here, as time suits me. Then everyone can still enjoy seeing my artwork and those who want to have it hanging on their walls can make a purchase as well. It will take time as I'll have to find the Paypal buttons/links to add in there.

What else have I been up to? Not a lot. I pretty much took 2023 off as an artist, and focused on continuing to create videos on YouTube (Donna's Adventures if you are curious). There's a lot of nature and hiking themed videos. With the whole pandemic I've really enjoyed getting closer to nature and re-discovering/taking a closer look at my "backyard" so to speak.

Speaking of backyard, we are fighting a battle right now with a coyote that has discovered our deck has a gaping hole in the latticework, and realized it would be a great home. There's been prints all over the backyard and copious amounts of poop. Big poop. Not sure what it's been eating but it's been eating well. Not the thin pointed poop full of fur that I usually see the creek valley or natural areas. I tried taking my cat out there to make a presence but it was too cold for him. He stood in the tracks yowling while I quickly distributed some loose fur around along the trees then whisked him back indoors. Poor little guy.

I told him he was helpful even though he got cold. I think my cat likes being helpful, although he's usually more of a help in the kitchen with cleaning up food scraps, especially meat.

I went back outside and scooped up all the fresh poop the coyote had somehow produced overnight (how can one animal poop so much?) and even the urine that was frozen solid in the snow.

My cat was also very excited as my husband and I headed out there with a staple gun and coils of chicken wire to try to close up the hole. It should work, for now. He sniffed my gloves thoughtfully when I got back in, nudging the fingers.

If nothing else I will try to get out there to make a human presence known and hopefully the coyote will get the idea that he should find somewhere else to live.

That's all for now. Hope to be on here again soon.

December - Zoominescence & Cat Tricks

Hello again everyone. Hope you're doing well, wherever you might be.

Things are continuing to chug along. We're almost halfway into December, and the holiday season is nearly upon us. I am looking forward to having a few extra days off, and the chance to do some winter activities.

A few years ago my husband and I went to Zoominescence. I finally made a video with the footage, which you can watch here: 

I love that carousel. I might request to go see Zoominescence for this holiday season just to see it again. 😊

I'm also working on another video, finally, one of my cat, Maho, and focusing on the tricks I taught him to do. It was several years ago that I actually trained him, but either because he was quite young or just persistence, he picked up the tricks quite quickly and has never forgotten them. When I have it done I'll post it in a page on my blog too. Hopefully sometime over the holidays.

Well, I'm going to work now! Have a nice day.

Paintings as Magnets

So I recently took a couple of small paintings I had just made and attached magnets on the back. I think they look pretty neat. Both are listed on Etsy.

I wasn't too happy with the photos, as the weather lately hasn't been cooperative for taking good photos using natural light, so I made do with some fluorescent light in the kitchen.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/49707143/sunset-memories-magnet-15x2-inch

http://www.etsy.com/listing/49706268/eagle-magnet-15x3inch-native-canadian

Lately I've been enjoying the roses in the backyard. They're starting to bloom, as are the irises in the front yard. The pea plants are starting to grow well, too.

Update 2021: Both magnets have sold, but I still make small paintings as magnets. You can always send me a note and ask me to paint something for you, or I might have something in my collection.