Spring officially arrived this week and brought some warmer weather with it, so I’ve enjoyed spending a lot of time outdoors working on my garden. After I took the first spring photo (above), I went on to clean both the front yard and the back yard to get it ready for mulch. I’m thinking Tom and I may lay all the mulch ourselves this year instead of hiring a landscaper. The front yard won’t be so bad, but the back yard is four times the size. So no promises… let’s see how we do! We’re looking forward to the blooming…

I hope you are all well. With the coming of Daylight Savings Time, Tom and I have been enjoying the extra sunlight, and we love seeing new life emerging in our garden with the change in weather. But in addition to the seasonal joys of the arrival of Spring, this last week has also brought us a bit of excitement. (I’m sure you’re asking “Excitement? What’s that?”) I was honored to be part of a special surprise for someone… an anniversary surprise to be exact! It all started in January when I received an email from Michelle, wondering if my…

I pray you all have been well this week. As for me, I’ve had more excitement and adventure in the last week than I have in the past year! As you may have read in my most recent newsletters, I’ve been working on my upcoming painting of The Grand View Ship Hotel that was once located in Schellsburg, PA.  This week we took our first road trip in what seems like AGES to collect the some of the resources I needed to develop the painting. I’ve always loved this part of a project. It’s a little like being a detective,…

Isn’t it nice to finally see some sunshine? I know I’m enjoying it. The sun inspires me. Tom and I actually got out last night and took a walk. I also was finally able to spend some time in my garden. Gosh, I wish I were a better gardener! I think I may have cut back some of my bushes a bit too far. I hope not. I guess time, sunshine, and Mother Nature will let me know! Meanwhile, the process of creating my new painting of the Ship Hotel has begun. After last week’s newsletter, many of you wrote…

It’s been nice to have a little break in the cold weather this week. However, there was just one upside to the freezing weather we had last week – it was the perfect time to perform a job that no one likes doing… working on income taxes. Yes, taxes are one of those awful things that artists really, really hate – papers (not the good kind of paper!) and numbers and more numbers! Give me a brush and an empty museum pastel board any time, and I’ll sing all day long. But when I have to deal with papers and…

Happy Valentine’s Day! You can tell Valentine’s Day is near because of the huge increase in Facebook posts where our friends are celebrating their spouses. This week, Tom and I have definitely taken a few strolls down Memory Lane, remembering some of our most epic dates and the restaurants we used to enjoy. So many of them aren’t around anymore, including some of our favorites like Steak and Ale, the Brown Derby and the Red Bull Inn, but especially the Joshua Tree. Oh, how I miss those lovely days of prime rib and sangria… and the prime rib cost only…

Well, the decision has been made. For the first time in 27 years, I’m going to miss the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. It’s still up in the air whether the show will happen at all, and after speaking with John DeSantis (owner of the Home and Garden Show), I decided it would be wiser to sit this year out so as not to endanger family members with medical issues.  Being the kind man that he is, John promised to reserve my same space for next year… at least there’s something to get excited about! It’s hard to believe that it…

Tonight, I’m focused on taking in the beauty that is all around us – if we just want to see it. As I write these words, I’m listening to the Inauguration celebration, enjoying the music of very talented artists from all over our great country. Wouldn’t you agree that music has a way of touching our hearts and bringing people together? I have a good feeling, a sense of hope for this new year.  I think if we all come together and follow the science, we will get COVID under control.  Then we’ll all be able to go out and…

This weekend we will be saying goodbye to our beautiful Christmas tree, though I wish we could keep it forever!  This tree was our first Douglas fir, and it looks just as peppy as it did when we put it up… actually, maybe even better. Every morning I turn the lights on, and every night at some point I sit for a while in our living room and just gaze at its beauty. We decorated our tree with Tom’s boyhood ornaments, giving it a very traditional, old-fashioned look and reminding us of happy holidays long ago. The fir tree’s evergreen…

The weather forecast is for seasonal temperatures and sunny skies this weekend, so I hope you have plans to get outdoors! Tom and I are excited – we’re leaving today for our anniversary weekend trip to Geneva-on-the-Lake – but I’m still sad about missing out on Fort Ligonier Days this year (canceled due to the pandemic).  So while we’ll have fun celebrating our 40th anniversary, I’m still a bit disappointed, as this would have been our 10th year at Fort Ligonier Days. Ligonier has always been one of my very favorite places in Western Pennsylvania, and I had always dreamed of painting…