LIQUID ART events are going well. This is our latest attempt. I'm as happy with this one as any of the others. This month, on October 25, we're going to do "The Scream" by Edvard Munch. Should be fun.

Begining of Fall

FINALLY, a break in the hot weather and a little rain has fallen. Too little too late for any kind of vegetable garden, but at least the grass is greening up. The temperatures are in the 60's - 80's, so quite pleasant. We are gearing up for Cheese Festival. Andy and Mary Larson from the Chamber have been working long hours to make this year's festival a resounding success. The CF volunteers have a lot to make up this year for the losses sustained last year from mismanagement. We have new Art Show exhibitors,new sponsors, and volunteers that are all working together this year, so we have no doubt the festival will be successful. We are continuing to run with the Phoenix Circle Foundation and promote art projects. Hopefully after Cheese Festival we can begin work on an art gallery on Main Street Watonga, and after that the goal is to open an art studio. These are long term goals and nothing happens quickly in Watonga, but we are determined to make something positive happen in Watonga. We have lots of support from community members and appreciate that so much. We hope to have a bonfire and outdoor chuck-wagon cookout at the Retreat sometime this fall, so stay posted!

The summer has gone by so quickly, I've hardly had time to blink. Actually, I've gotten a lot done. We've had several guests at the B&B over the summer. I've managed to keep the yard and gardens alive through the horrible heat, but just barely. I've hosted two more Liquid Art evenings, gotten through a summer of Farmers Market Saturdays, and had one lawn concert at the Retreat. The rest of the time has been spent getting ready for the Cheese Festival. My daughter had surgery on her shoulder and has been going to physical therapy but is now ready to go back to work. Drew came to visit and we took a trip to Tulsa and went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower. I was inspired by the art exhibit there. Drew did some sketches while there. He also brought some of his recent art pieces for us to see, but took them back to Austin with him. we have 5 guinea hens now. Three killed by a snake and two killed by Skeeter. But they have been helpful in keeping the grasshopper population at bay. Now that the weather has turned slightly cooler -- before 90 degrees -- and we've had a little bit of rain, the gardens are starting to put foliage back on. The Rose of Sharon is even blooming!! I'm looking forward to a pleasant fall. We hope to have a couple more lawn concerts before the weather turns too cold. Then it will be time for a bonfire and a cookout! Stay turned!

Second LIQUID ART event, July 28.

Summer Sunset - 2012

It's been a busy summer for us. Friends came to visit from Dallas and we traveled to Dallas to visit others. We've had several new guests stay with us in the past two months in spite of the hot temperatures. Unfortunately the gardens here have suffered from the extreme heat (105+ temperatures) and the grasshoppers. The more we water and plants try to grow, the more the grasshoppers have to eat. BUT, on the bright side, we bought some guinea hens and they really keep the grasshopper population down. This has been a whole new experience. We purchased ten chicks and have had to keep them in a pen most of the time, letting them out to forage for a few hours every day until they are old enough to fly up into trees and get away from danger. They are just now at that point. But we only have 7 left because a snake got three of them when we first got them home. We had them in a pen on the patio and somehow a snake got into their pen. After that incident we put their pen up on a table, off the ground, and have had no trouble since then. At the end of the day they were easy to herd back to the pen but difficult to get them back into the pen. Then, I came up with an idea: I put a piece of plywood up against the table as a ramp leading into the pen. That worked! I was able to herd them into the pen by myself with little difficulty, and with two people herding them they went right up the ramp and into the pen! They are really funny to watch, catching grasshoppers and fighting over them. Next year we'll get more and start earlier to keep the grasshoppers out of the gardens! The Phoenix Circle Foundation has held two Liquid Art evenings in conjunction with Brad Stinson and the Whirlwind Winery. Both were a success. We have limited space at the winery but it has been full both times and every one leaves having had a good time. We have another evening scheduled for August 25. We proudly display our works of art. Even though they aren't "professional", they are pretty decent works! We had a couple of days where the temperatures were 100 or below but this week the heat has returned and it has been 102 and 103 degrees. that's still better than 105+! There is still plenty to do around here -- a couple of our guests have spent time at the State Park, both at the natural springs and at the big swimming pool they have. The Winery is open on Friday and Saturday. The Liberty Theatre has had some great music groups playing there through the summer. Come for a relaxing visit!

A lost loved one

Summer solstice--first day of summer. Temperatures are hot, in the high 80's and low 90's. Looking at my journal from last year (2011), I see that we had already experienced many 100+ degree temperatures by this time last year. Unfortunately, the grasshoppers are just as bad this year. They are eating everything, well almost everything. It is interesting to see what they eat and what they leave alone. They strip the mint leaves but leave the oregano. They devour monkey grass but leave bermuda uneaten. They live in clusters of vinca but don't munch on the leaves. Killer Kat passed away yesterday, suddenly. On Monday he was out running with Skeeter, came in that night and was fine, and on Tuesday morning he acted like he had been hit by a car (but hadn't)--he was lethargic and acted like he was sore, didn't want to be touched. He didn't eat but did want to go back outside. He laid around outside in the shade and by evening he was gone. Andy buried him in the woods, where he loved to roam and hunt. He was a great pet--unusual for a cat. We loved him and will miss him. Hopefully our next cat will be as friendly and get along with the dogs.