Sunday, December 27, 2009

Life is sweet.....

....so I wrote everyone's name on a little strip of paper that commented on the last post and then I threw them all down on the ground for Ozzy to pick...before he could grab one, Lita grabbed one and took off running....then Ozzy grabbed one and ran the other direction...Lita grabbed "Joanna" and Ozzy grabbed "Anita". And that's the "surprise give away" ~ you both win a pair of these awesome "Starry Starry Night" earrings!!! Congratulations!!! They'll be shipped out tomorrow! I hope you love them and perhaps, just perhaps, you'll get them in time for New Year's Eve! Hooray!!!!!I think Lita was feeling a little jealous because I'm always taking pictures of Ozzy and posting them on my blog, so here's a picture of her standing in the snow {that's been on the ground for over a week now!}. She is such a sweet little dog. But, she's not very nice to Ozzy and I guess that's why I'm always treating him a little "special".Well, I finally ventured out in the snow yesterday. My Louisiana blood [and driving skills] has kept me confined to my house since Friday before last! I just went to deliver a few Christmas gifts and then down to the farm to bring all my leftovers, after cleaning out the fridge. Boy, were those chickens, geese & rabbits glad to see me! They all came running as soon as I pulled up!And did you know that rabbits like spaghetti! And old "Tom Turkey" was running around with all the others ~ thank goodness for Bill & MaryAnn, he lived to see yet another holiday season pass him by! And it's the little things like that, that keep me smiling :)Life is sweet!!! enjoy it to the fullest!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! We are headed over to some dear friends' house this evening for a traditional Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings and a "White Elephant" gift swap {which I can't wait to participate in ~ I love stuff like that}. I still haven't decided just what I want to bring as my gift. I can't bring jewelry, because that would just be way to obvious coming from me. I'm going to bring something that will be a total surprise and that everyone will want! I'll take pictures, of course, and post them here later this week. I just hope I end up with something cool and useful! I remember the worst thing I ever got for Christmas were these huge red panties that my grandmother gave me! The worst part was, I opened them in front of the whole family, including all of my cousins, and everyone just cracked up laughing. I don't know why she thought I was a size 14 when I was "age 14". They were probably even too big for her! Now that I look back on it, it was rather funny. I could have used those panties as a jumper! Hee hee ~ what's your most awful {but funny now} gift you've ever gotten?? Share here by leaving a comment. And, of course, all that leave comments will automatically be in the drawing for these gorgeous earrings:appropriately named "Starry, Starry Night" ~ they are just gorgeous!!! I know you will love them! I'm giving them as gifts to a few of my dear, dear friends, as well. Ozzy will pick the winner Sunday. Good luck!!

Well, I gotta run for now ~ I have things to prepare, gifts to wrap and snow to shovel! Have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas everyone!! And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for being so awesome and always reading my ramblings...
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" ~ The Grinch

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Winter!

Wow! I can't believe it's the first day of winter! Of course, if you look out my windows, you can believe it! The snow come in Thursday and it's still here! My driveway is a slippery slope. Ozzy & Lita had a ball! It didn't take them long to figure out that the snow was edible and then they were eating & licking it like it was a treat {which, in all actuality, it is}. So, if you want to see all of my "snowy pictures", you can see them all on "flickr". It's supposed to "warm up" today to a balmy 46 so, hopefully, it will melt some of the ice on the road and my mail will be delivered! I haven't had any mail since Thursday and I know I have a big stack of Christmas Cards awaiting! I love getting Christmas cards, seeing all the little kids, parents and pets. Not to mention the newsletters from those I only hear from once a year. To me, that's the best part of Christmas ~ the "catching up" ~ life goes by so fast that sometimes we don't even realize how long it has been when certain things happen in our lives ~ like this:it's a picture of me, on my brother-in-laws boat ~ taken in June of 1987! Twenty-two years ago! TWENTY-TWO years!!! Oh my goodness, I remember this day and how much fun we had. I can't believe it's been that long. I guess the good thing about being "snowed in", is that it's given me a chance to look through a bunch of old pictures and reminisce.

So {without being to philosophical} ~ wherever you are and whatever you're doing when you read this post, stop for one minute and be thankful for the winter and the people you love in your life. And then see if you can think of something from long ago that made you happy and then, you'll smile :)

Happy Winter everybody!!! Don't forget to check back on Christmas Eve for a super surprise give-away! Enjoy your day!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else." ~ Emily Dickinson

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Life is a great big bundle of little things....

Thanks so much everybody!!! All of the packages are in the mail! And remember, you still have until midnight Thursday [December 17th] to purchase something and have it in time for Christmas {U.S.A}. And I have to share this awesome little print I just ordered from my dear friend Sandy ~ she's so talented!After Friday [December 18th], I'll be on vacation from all of my internet shops {shipping stuff, that is}. Of course, you can still purchase things, but they won't be shipped out until after December 26th. I'm looking forward to a little R&R and enjoying the holidays. I did get my tree up and it's gorgeous:I love getting out all of the boxes of decorations and looking at everything. I have all of the ornaments from when I was a little girl ~ my Mom stopped putting up a tree several years ago, so she gave the ornaments to me. My favorite ones are these:
Raggedy Ann & Andy! I love them. How can you not smile looking at those little faces. So, I think I may just have the perfect tree! Now it just needs some presents underneath it.....speaking of presents, Tamara won the awesome little personalized necklace from last week's post! Congratulations Tamara!!!!! Ozzy picked your name up and took off running with it. He sends his kisses your way!!!! I'll have this made up and on it's way to you in two shakes of a lamb's tail!

So Christmas Eve I'm going to have a surprise give away! Just comment on this post and I'll announce the winner and the surprise on Christmas Eve! I promise you'll love it!!!

Welp, I gotta run for now peeps ~ we are going over to some friends to watch the season finale of "Dexter"! I love it!!!
Have a wonderful evening!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Consider the postage stamp, my son. It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there." ~ Josh Billings

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

...so why not stay in and shop on the internet! I've already bought a few little goodies this morning myself! Today I was supposed to have my jewelry for sale at the "Whimsical Art Sale" here in Brevard. But, I'm still not feeling 100% and it was 20 degrees this morning when I woke up. So, I decided I should just stay home and make some things for the shop and have a weekend sale!! How about that!! Everything in my Etsy shop is 20% off until midnight Monday, December 14th! I'll refund the discount through PayPal, after your purchase and payment is made. Plus, I have "free shipping" and 15% off in my ArtFire Shop. So stay in your PJ's, drink lots of hot cocoa and shop from the warmth of your own home! Sounds good to me!!
Click on the warm, cozy fire and start shopping now!I just got in a whole bunch of new faceted crystals! They are gorgeous! These are some earrings I made with the "Tourmaline Purple" ones. I named them "Purple Harem". They are stunning! And I just had so share this picture of Ozzy ~ looking up from his bowl of Egg Nog! Yes, Egg Nog! He loves that stuff! He only gets about a tablespoon, so he's getting just enough. And he remembers it from year to year. As soon as I see it in the store, I bring it home and he can always smell it through the bag! It's so nice to have things to look forward to! And I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll be having a small dinner party with friends who are coming to help me decorate the Christmas Tree! Have a great weekend everybody!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"It is no use to wait for your ship to come in, unless you have sent one out." ~ Belgian Proverb

P.S. don't forget ~ you still have time to leave a comment and enter the drawing for this awesome little personalized necklace that I'll be giving away Monday!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Oh Happy Day.....

....good morning! It's a perfect day for decorating! I just wanted to pop in and say hello and thank everybody for their comments on my last post. Don't forget, the drawing is Monday for the personalized necklace, so if you haven't yet, please do leave a comment here for a chance to win! And, there is still "free shipping" in my ArtFire Shop and you can shop up until midnight, December 17th and still get your package in time for Christmas gift giving. And I can ship things wherever you want, with a precious little handmade box and gift tag, like these:these were all shipped off yesterday to their happy new homes!

Have a most wonderful day everybody! I'm off to do some dusting before I drag out the decorations. I can't have baby Jesus sitting on a dirt pile, now can I!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

P.S. So I bought this book @ the Library Book Sale and it's titled "The Quotable Woman" [An Encyclopedia of Useful Quotations] ~ and some of them are just hilarious, like this:

"If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens" ~ Grandma Moses

Monday, December 7, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like....

...winter! It's just so strange this year! I'm usually in the full "Christmas" mode by now, but I feel like I'm still stuck in "Thanksgiving"! I can't believe Christmas is just under three weeks away! We don't even have our tree yet.....and I'm not sure when [or if] we are going to get one. It sure seems as though I've been a busy little bee lately, but nothing is getting accomplished. I did have an awesome day with Anne yesterday, though! We went to "The Big Crafty" in Asheville and I was going to get a jump start on my Christmas shopping. I got a few little things, but still wasn't in the Christmas shopping mode quite yet. But, we did freeze our butts off and had an awesome lunch @ Salsas! The fish tacos were superb and the "Ginger Hibiscus Tea" is to die for! So all in all, it was a perfect day!And, I've been busy in the studio, making lots of new things ~ including these awesome little personalized necklaces! They are so cute! Seems as though the "personalization" things are really "in" right now, so I decided to have something to offer. Let me know what you think!! Actually, one of these will be the next "freebie" ~ all you have to do to win one is comment on this blog post. Ozzy will be picking the winner next Monday (December 14th). And please excuse the extra steps you have to take to leave a comment. Some "viagra" site hacked into my comments section and left pages of comments on the last post, so now I had to add "spam security" to it. As usual, the good suffer for the bad. So good luck in the drawing!!!!

Welp, I gotta run for now ~ I have lots of things to make and get off in the mail, plus I've got lots of things to make for the 'Whimsical Art Sale" Saturday! If you live close, please come out and see me. Like last year, I'll have a nice big heater and a big pot of "Chicken & Sausage Gumbo" to share! Have a great week everybody!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve." ~ Joseph Joubert

Friday, December 4, 2009

Giant Beers, Mariachi & Cheese Dip....

...dinner last night, but it don't get much better than this....
..we went on a drive yesterday up to a place called "Garden of the Gods" ~ it was gorgeous! Look how tiny Wayne looks compared to these massive rocks. And today it's cloudy and hazy, so I'm glad I'm staying in. Orders are rolling in for Christmas ~ don't forget, today is the last day for "free shipping". Have a wonderful weekend!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"I can live for two months on a good compliment." ~ Mark Twain

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Happy December!!

Hey everybody!!! Happy December! First off, I want to congratulate Jen!!! She won the awesome earrings from my last post ~yay!!! And then, I want to congratulate Kay! She won the $50 Gift Certificate just by shopping with her "Thanksgiving" discount! Yay!! Congratulations to both of you and "thank you" to all that left comments on my blog, and shopped with your "Thanksgiving" discount. Ya'll are the best!! And this week you can still get "free shipping" until midnight Friday, in both my Etsy shop and ArtFire shop. You still have until December 18th to have gifts shipped out for Christmas.Even though it's not looking a lot like "Christmas" yet, it certainly is starting to look a lot like "Winter" ~ I took this picture from my front porch....makes me want a cup of hot chocolate! And I have been fighting a nasty cold, but I think I'm on the upside of it now.

I'm off to make some new things!!! Stay warm & toasty!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The things which our friends do with and for us, form a portion of our lives; for they strengthen and advance our personality." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I'm Thankful.....

..for all of you ~ my awesome cyber friends! Ya'll are probably about to give up on me posting on a regular/consistent basis ~ I don't blame you! I really try to be good, I promise! And "thank you" to all of you that check every day to see if I posted something new! And so.....Chris, you need to send Lita some treats, because she ran off with #4! Congratulations....you won the awesome "Blobbets" earrings from the last post!!! Yay!!!!

And, here's a link to Ozzy & Lita's Peoplepets.com ~ celebrity debut!! I think their picture is the cutest, by far! And I'm just in love with these earrings! They turned out sooooo cute! I named them "Tequila Lime" and they are the freebies for next week! Ozzy will be picking the winner on Monday {November 30th}. Of course, all you have to do to win is comment on this blog post! It's as easy as pumpkin pie! And speaking of pumpkin pie, tomorrow I'll be cooking up a double batch of my famous "Broccoli Cornbread" ~ for our Thanksgiving gathering. So what are you cooking up that's always the most requested?? Post in the comments ~ it'll be fun! And of course, you'll be entering the drawing for earrings at the same time! How awesome is that!

Welp, I gotta run for now ~ I have several errands I need to get done today, since this town shuts down for holidays. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Where we love is home, Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thanksgiving & Holiday Shopping....

I'm so excited!! I was contacted today by the editor of "PeoplePets.com", which is an affiliate of "People" magazine. They want to use Ozzy & Lita's "Thanksgiving" picture on their website next week to celebrate "Pilgrim Pets" ~ she found the picture on "Flickr"! Is that crazy!!! Of course, I told her she certainly had my permission! She's going to send me a link when it's up, so I'll post it here {of course}. Ozzy & Lita are *stars*!!

Well, I've been thinking about the holidays and decided that I'm going to give a 20% discount from right now until midnight, November 27th December 1st! And between now and then, I'll be listing lots of new things, so the discount will certainly be one you want to take advantage of. All you have to do is type in "Thanksgiving" in the "comments to seller" section at your time of purchase from my Etsy Shop and then I'll send you an updated PayPal invoice for the total, less the 20% discount. No worries if you accidentally pay the full amount, I'll promptly refund the difference through PayPal. You can also type in "Thanksgiving" in the "Coupon Code" section @ checkout from my Artfire Shop ~ you will automatically get the discount there. Plus, you don't have to have an Artfire account to purchase things {which is awesome}.

***Holiday Shopping*** ~ the very last shipping day for holiday shopping will be December 18th for items shipped within the United States and December 10th for International Shipping. And, I'm offering "Free Gift Wrapping" and a "Free Gift Card" ~ just let me know that your purchase is a gift, where you want it sent and what you want your card to say and I'll take care of the rest. So these awesome little earrings ~ called "Blobbets" are the freebies for Monday's drawing!! Lita will be picking the winner, so good luck! And, of course, all you have to do to win them is comment on this blog post!

Has anyone seen "This is It"?? I'm wanting to go and heard it was fantastic! Let me know if you saw it and what you thought!!! I may go tomorrow. Ahhhh.. it's time to go relax now, though! I hope you are having a wonderful week!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world." ~ Anonymous

Monday, November 16, 2009

Censored Art & Mountain Tops....

Ahhhh....the weather has just been gorgeous here!!! So yesterday, we hiked up to the top of "Black Balsam Knob" with Ozzy & Lita {mistake}. I don't know why Ozzy thinks everything {dogs, people, lizards, cats, etc.} need "herding". We got all the way to the top of Black Balsam Knob and I got someone up there to take our picture for our Christmas Cards this year {which I think turned out really good}:And then Ozzy decided that this little fat Jack Russell Terrier up there somehow needed herding. Well, the Jack Russell wanted no part of Ozzy, or his herding, so he started running and Ozzy started chasing....they went half way back down the trail and then half way up another mountain, with Wayne and the Jack Russell's owner on their tails yelling "stop, sit, stay, wait, etc." to no avail! They finally stopped, on their own, and just stood there, looking at each other. Well, the Jack Russell's owner was very upset {understandably, since Ozzy was about three times his size}. He started yelling at Wayne about keeping the dogs on leashes, if we can't control them, blah de blah. But, his dog wasn't on a leash either and obviously, he couldn't control his dog, so I think he was mad @ Ozzy, Wayne and his own dog. I just kinda giggled to myself, since nobody was hurt and both Ozzy and the Jack Russell certainly could use the exercise {hee hee}. It was a beautiful day, though and Ozzy & Lita had a great time:I think I'm going to get this one printed & framed.

So, the winner of the "Bird Girl Journey" necklace is Jen!!!! Yay!! Ozzy loves you!!! He actually "licked" #1 and then grabbed #2 and tried to eat it! Thanks for posting comments, everybody!! Check back Wednesday for holiday shopping updates/discount codes & shipping information. Plus, another awesome "freebie"!! Ya'll are the best!!!!

Well, I decided NOT to do the after Thanksgiving show in Cashiers @ the cute little cottages. Although, it's cute and a great idea, my art ended up being ridiculously censored. I was told that this venue is geared more towards "upscale" art, rather than "funky" and that they did not want any "New Age" or "Fundamentalist" items there, namely "Skulls, Shrunken Ex-Boyfriends", Peace Signs, Goddesses or Fairies". Well, all of you that know me, know that most of my items would fall in the "funky" category! Actually my banner, my business cards and the sign on my car say "funky jewelry for your inner flower child" ~ so "humph" ~ they can keep their "upscale" clientele and I'll keep my funky peeps, like ya'll!! And this was a "juried" show! So, I don't know why they waited until after they accepted me and then told me what I could and could not sell! Oh well, their loss ~ my gut feeling told me I wouldn't make much money there anyway and end up wasting two whole days right after Thanksgiving, which tends to be the time I get really busy.

So thanks for listening, and loving my funky stuff!!! I love ya'll!!!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression" ~ First Amendment of the US Constitution

Sunday, November 15, 2009

These boots....

...had been in a box in the back of my closest for almost two years! I bought them for $15 @ the Mall in Baton Rouge. One of the stores there was going out of business and these had been reduced from $198 to $15!!! At the time, I wasn't that *sure* about them, but they were funky, my size, fit good and were only $15 ~ so what the heck! I don't know why I had never worn them, but I pulled them out to wear to a Halloween Party a couple of weekends ago {I was a punk rocker} ~ I love them!!! So, I wore them on a hike the other day. I decided they are just NOT made for hiking, but CERTAINLY "Made for Walking!!!"So we walked/hiked up the Davidson River Trail a short way and the water was gorgeous! After six inches of rain, the water was flowing loud and fast ~ so peaceful...I laid flat on my stomach on the rocks and took this picture ~ I think it's my all time favorite. So tranquil...And I was soooo excited yesterday!!! My neighbor, Ron, cut me some boards for a few of my photography prints ~ I painted the edges black, then glued the print on the front and then painted a thickish gloss finish on them. The gloss is awesome! Not only does it give it a "painterly" effect, it makes it almost look 3-D. And, I sold the one of "Triple Falls"!!! Yay!! My first photograph sale!!! Whoo hoo ~ at least I don't feel like I'm totally "wasting my time" with my photography. But, my poor little jewelry is getting so neglected that I've decided to dedicate all of next week to making stuff for the holidays ~ so I'll be on a roll starting Tuesday! I bought several really cute ceramic pendants yesterday and I can't wait to use them!

I hope everybody is having a wonderful weekend! We're on our way to the top of "Black Balsam Knob" ` it's a gorgeous day!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Adventure is not outside a man; it is within." ~ David Grayson

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Girls day out....

...so today, Theresa, Philippa and I went to "Cashiers" to check out the cottages that we'll be setting up in for the after Thanksgiving weekend. Each little cottage houses one artist, but some of the artists have gone back to Florida for the winter. So, of the few cottages that were vacated, we'll get to sell our wares in them for the Thanksgiving weekend. I hope we get a good turn out ~ the cottages are adorable! If you look straight up those steps, that's the cottage I'll be in! So, if you are around after Thanksgiving, come by and see me ~ I'll be there Friday and Saturday!Since it was a rainy, dreary day, we decided to make the most of it ~ we had lunch at a cute little cafe' and then headed over to check out what's known as one of the "biggest consignment shops" in western North Carolina! We couldn't wait to see what kind of goodies we could find!! And boy, did we find some treats.......like this vintage yellow bathrobe that was super soft & matched that cute little pink purse perfectly!And these hideous green shoes that we $76!! SEVENTY-SIX DOLLARS!!! Why, why??
But ~ we found some great deals, too! Like Philippa's hat!this gorgeous suede coat that fit Theresa like a glove!but the best find were these awesome sweaters! There were three of them in all ~ so we each got one ~ mine is brown. They are just so snugglie!!And now it's almost time for the CMA awards {which I love to watch, even though I don't care that much for country music} ~ but the show is always awesome! Before I run off though ~ my little "Bird Girl Journey" necklace will be the "freebie" for Monday's giveaway!! All you have to do is comment on this post and share with us your favorite "thrift store" find!!! Mine are my eel skin cowboy boots that I paid $2.99 for @ Goodwill a few years ago ~ I still haven't topped that bargain! I love bargain shopping ~ and you can never call me:Good luck in the drawing on Monday! Ozzy will be picking the winner!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

And so a quote and a tribute to all the veterans out there that died for our freedom:

"Only those Americans who are willing to die for their country are fit to live." ~ Douglas MacArthur

Monday, November 9, 2009

The days are getting shorter....

....I can't believe it's almost the middle of November! I'm having my first "Holiday Show" {so to speak} this Saturday @ Poppies ~ in Brevard, NC ~ so if you live close, please come by and see me! I need to get busy, busy, busy.....

So the winner of the awesome "The Giving Tree" earrings from last week's post was lucky #5, which is Beth Anderson!! Congraulations, Beth!!! And thanks to everybody for your comments. I'm working out my strategies now and you'll be the first to know what I come up with to make your holiday shopping with me fun & special!!!! These are some new earrings that I made yesterday! I love them!! I named them "Organic Chocolate Cocoa" ~ and, if you enter coupon code "Thank You" in my ArtFire shop, you'll automatically get 20% off! How bout that! I'm trying to get more and more of my customers over to my ArtFire Shop, since it's cheaper for me to sell there, so that savings can always be passed along to you ~ a "win/win" situation!!! Plus, you don't have to have an account to buy things on ArtFire and you can pay with your PayPal account, or your Amazon account! And ArtFire seems to be more on the cutting edge of technology, which is awesome!

Sorry this post is being cut short, but I have to zip over to Hendersonville to the Art Supply Store. My awesome neighbor, Mark Carter, is going to help me mount some of my photography and get it ready to sell this weekend @ Poppies, so I need to go get some materials I'll be needing. I hope you have a wonderful Monday!! I'll be back tomorrow or Wednesday, with another "freebie", so check back!!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"No one is useless in the world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else." ~ Charles Dickens

Friday, November 6, 2009

Hunters, Bears & Forest Rangers....

For those of you that don't follow me on "Facebook", I'll give you a quick story of how this post came about. My friend Van and I headed out to Daniel Ridge Loop to go on a hike and use different settings on my new camera. Well, about 1/2 mile into the woods, we encountered three hunters that were dragging a dead bear cub behind them. Of course, I was totally freaked out by the whole thing and one of the guys said "that's damn good eatin" ~ to which I replied, "I wouldn't know and don't care to find out". So the rest of our hike was just a little sad and I couldn't stop thinking about that little baby bear. Then, when we were headed back to the parking lot, we came across a little hunting dog that had no collar, was skinny as could be and clearly had recently given birth to puppies. Nobody was around, so I assumed she had been abandoned by some hunters that didn't want her anymore. I told Van that if she followed us to the car, she was coming with us. But she stayed right on the bridge, like she was waiting for somebody. So all night long I struggled with the decision I made to leave the dog and with the harrowing images stuck in my head from the baby bear and it's killers. So I started writing about my whole experience on facebook and, honestly, was quite surprised by the outpouring of responses I received. Thanks to Debra {whom is awesomely awesome, by the way}. the Transylvania County Forest Ranger caught wind of my story and paid me a visit last night.

First of all, he told me what Debra had already researched and found out {and also mentioned that she knows the law better than him} ~ bear hunting is legal in this county, it's legal in most of Pisgah National Forest, including all the hiking areas, and baby bears can be killed, as long as they weigh over 50 lbs.! BUT, the hunters are only allowed to kill 1 bear each per season and they are supposed to report every kill, so it can be recorded. He said that these bear killers are just a different breed of people and most of them are really rude and obnoxious ~ he said that he was surprised they even spoke to me at all. He said that these guys work in "packs" and carry radios to let each other know when the "rangers" were coming. I printed out the pictures I had taken and he said he could probably identify them, even though the picture was from the back. At a minimum, they would be fined for not wearing "hunter orange" when carrying a gun, which is the law in this county. Also, he was anxious to find out if they had even reported the bear, since they are only allowed 1 each year/per hunter, most hunters save their kill for an adult bear. But, he said that they get everybody and their brother a "hunting license" and then use that person's "punch card" for the bear kill. He thanked both Debra and I and said it takes people like us to put a stop to illegal killings by these guys. And then I asked him about the little dog.....

....He said that as long as he's been a ranger here, which has been many years, he's never seen or heard of these bear hunters abandoning their dogs in the forest. He said all of these guys know each other and know each others dogs, so if that little dog was waiting by the bridge {which is a pick up/drop off point}, her owner, or another hunter would pick her up. He said they wouldn't bother hauling her all the way to the forest, just to leave her there. He also said she was probably younger than she looked, since these dogs have a pretty rough life as bear hunters. He said they get in fights with the bears all the time, trying to tree them. I asked him about her collar being missing and he said that some people don't believe in the way these dogs are being treated and will take their collars off and throw them in the woods. What they don't realize though, is that this usually causes the dog more harm than good, since they are then lost from the hunters and their radios. That's how they get left in the woods. They usually find their way back to the drop off point, or to the campsite, but it can take days sometimes. So, by trying to do these dogs a favor, they are causing them more harm. He also said that these dogs could never make good "pets" because of how they are raised. He said he's picked up some of the dogs before and held them for the hunters. He'll let them know he has them and they'll come pick them up. So, he said I did good by leaving the dog where she was, which made me feel tons better. So, that's that ~ thanks for all the comments everybody! I'm off the Zumba class!!

♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Lives, A Poll & A "Freebie"!!!

hmmm ~ I'm starting to wonder just how many "lives" one can have in a lifetime? I still can't decide "exactly" what I want to be! I guess "Artist" is just a broad spectrum for a creative person ~ right!?! As of lately, I've jumped in with both feet to my photography. Wayne didn't help, by buying me a new camera {which I love, by the way}, but now I have so much to learn! I've always been a "point & shoot" type of girl anyway, but now I have to read & learn stuff! Blah ~ I just want to wake up and know it! You know what I mean! So I'm currently reading Bryan Peterson's book "Understanding Shutter Speed" ~ I'm only on page 16 and none of it, NONE OF IT, has sunk into my brain. I'm hoping to head out for the afternoon tomorrow with my friend, Van ~ he knows all about that stuff ~ so maybe he can teach me some things. Wish me luck!We had a wonderful visit with Broc!!! He absolutely loved it here!! I wish he would move up here, and he just may! I'll keep my fingers crossed. He's such a great kid! I'm one lucky mom, for sure!
I've started working on my "holiday campaigning" and I need your advice! As a shopper, would you rather get a discount, free shipping, or a free gift? One of my friends suggested a "free gift" for the buyer than dropped shipped 3 items or more. What do you think??? Just post your comments to this blog post. And, by doing that, you'll automatically be entered in a drawing for these gorgeous earrings ~ perfectly named "The Giving Tree" ~ the poll will close Monday and Lita will be picking the winner! Good luck and "thanks" in advance for your comments.

Welp peeps ~ I need to get some work done, but I'll be posting regularly to my blog, so please check back often. I'm getting ready to hunker down for the holidays and make a bunch of new stuff, including some photography blocks, so look for those soon!! I'm learning!!!

Have a terrific Tuesday!! ♥ & peace always ~ Kathy

"Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come." ~ Amy Lowell