Shadow Shot Sunday...Shhhhh...

We are Sisters...
we are woman...
do you see us in shadow,
do you feel hidden power, shhhhh.
Eyes cast low to sorrow witnessed,
subservient...
strong bonds relate us,
our cache of harmony
unites us,
Mother love....
the fortification
that harbors the history
and relics of our tribe.
Servitude is our bloodline
submission is our strength
silence is our council.
A Goddess,
a domestic ruler,
though hidden in shadow
this Pacifist
will guide you from anger
into the halls of devotion, love and peace
with the gentle song of the siren...

DINNER IS SERVED...

S.Wilson


Shadow Shot Sunday...in Australia anyway...we can't help that we are all the way 'round the globe, we'll play anyway...won't you play too, go HERE.

I love these two Mexican statues I dragged all the way back to Iowa from Florida. Hidden 'neath a silver birch tree, they collect shadows all day long, but you must be quick to catch, these days are ever so fleeting...and like, where did the sun go!!!

Have a great Sunday, my Aussie friends!

Sky Birds...ahhhh Spring...

I couldn't resist these wonderful clouds, don't they look like birds. They were sailing over my house yesterday, so I took a moment to reflect in the beauty of the blue sky and Spring...'cause severe storms are predicted again today...

Scratchy loves these lazy days at home when the sun is shining, she plays in the yard all day...there's plenty of action going on in the tall grass...I better be on guard all the time. I love watching my little wolf pounce on rodents...she cracks me up...life is good!

Spring Storms...let the games begin...

Tis the season when we all in' tornado alley' start to heighten our senses. The sky starts to darken, the middle of the day seems like night, you start to collect the things you will need when you head for the basement...flashlight, water, cellphone, dog leash...DOG...

Really, it's a serious scenario, when they say 'tornado watch'...you watch and listen. Weather radio poised to go off in an instant, which is about all you have when one sneaks up on you. It would seem that our weather patterns are changing...I don't remember the straight-line winds when I was a kid. Hurricane force winds battering home and yard, ripping trees out, flipping cars and boats, whatever is out in your yard at the time is fair game.

This is the view of a wonderful old Victorian that was in the tornado's' path two years ago...this is just up the road from my house. I was working an hour from home when I got the frantic phone call from my daughter, stating that a tornado just went right by her house, my Grandson was home and witnessed. Totally freaked, I drove home through the storm, knowing that if it went by her house, that mine was in it's path...and the 'heathen' was home alone. It's funny though, that day I debated in my mind to take Scratch to work with me, as I knew storms were predicted, but she was acting frantic and really wanted me to take her with...but I said stay...

I had just driven the hour commute to the shop and barely arrived when I got the call from my daughter...now tell me dogs don't sense weather patterns. I never leave Scratch now when storms are predicted...

This is the home today, as construction continues, but it will never be the same. The beautiful gardens and shaded yard devoid of all it's finery, yet ready to start anew in this season of storms, always changing, always rebuilding.

Toby...Puppy mills...

Who can resist...right...Toby is a Bichon-poodle mix and the cutest bag of bones you ever did see. Every once in a while you groom a puppy that is so good, they just sit perfectly for you on the table...well, trust me, Toby ain't one of them. After sleeping in his cage while I finished my other dogs, he got plenty of rest, soooo....let the games begin...

I wear a mask to protect my lungs from further abuse, but when I have a cute lil' heathen like this to work on, I am laughing constantly at the expression of his antics...not to mention continually fogging my glasses. What a hoot it is to do puppies and yes who can resist!!!

Which is my point on 'puppy mills'. They prey on the adorable looks of their puppies to lure you in to buying a mixed breed. Many, well over a thousand dollars. They are successful because they know you can't resist...and never take your children, unless you are willing to pay the outrageous prices.

A puppy mill is a person that raises puppies for profit. They don't have to necessarily have hundreds of dogs to be a puppy mill, it's just mass exploitation of a bitch dog into litter after litter for their profit.

I also groomed another pup the other day that was said to be a Bichon...no way...it was a mix of Yorkie and something, another was supposed to be a Papillion, it looks like a chihuahua...no kidding. The only way to truly stop puppy mills from ripping you off, is to research your breed, know what you are getting. Many times you could have a pure breed for the same cost as a mix.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they are registered with a club of 'mix-breeds anonymous' or some other retarded group of wanabees. This is truly what is destroying the quality of the purebred dog today, causing health problems, deformities and behavioral difficulties. Most people don't know that you can research your particular breed through an organization that rescues particular breeds. I looked up Cairns awhile back and they had so many needing adoptions, puppies and seniors, I was amazed. Every breed is out there, just look up rescued dogs for the breed you want. They have pictures and your family can choose the dog perfect for you right on line. All of the Humane Societies have same programs, you can see your dog online.

Do your part to stop puppy mills and unscrupulous pet exploitation.

Back in the day...

Well, would just love to show you more inventory, but where would the surprise be..right...while driving back from Sisters' the other day, I just couldn't resist taking shots of the Iowa farm scene.
It's plantin' time all over the place, farmers are in the fields and every house has a clothesline full of work clothes drying, readying for the next days work.
Can you imagine doing the fields with horses...it has a certain charm though...you certainly don't see any over-weight farmers out in those fields. Hard work, yet a sense of community, as these people work their land and praise their God for the chance given.

Went shoppin' yesterday, a truck load of smalls...to be revealed soon.

Before...After...remember me...

Remember me...this lil' shop will soon be filled to the brim...when you pare two 'Queens of Cram' together in one tiny building, that's what you get...

This is the carnage floods do to property, although this is the building next door, this is exactly what our building looked like during renovation.

But this is now, new drywall up, old vinyl off floor, new trim, paint and a lot of sweat-equity and you have vision as to what and where...right!

Tiny but mighty...some old original wood floor was found by Bill when he was diggin' around, so he left it as a surprise for us girls...eeeeeeeee....doesn't take much for us, we'll take all the original we can get these days. Little does he know that we will be painting the walls back to the post flood days of mildew and neglect...but with a better smell.

It'll be a feast for the eyes as the magic is whirled 'round these old walls.

Yup, the place is small, but the price is right and for a weekend shop that will only be open on Fridays and Saturdays and maybe an occasional Sunday, this is all we need...for now anyway.

Just getting started, getting the word out and meeting new friends is what it's all about and Lorie and I have been through so much moving and relocating, who knows, maybe this is the 'it-place'.

We aren't looking to get rich, but to make a decent living doing what we love, who knows what dreams may come...right!

"White"

Shadow Shot Sunday...The Soprano of May

A walk with Monet
can you feel the passion,
the blank, lifeless canvas of Winter
born again...
Can you smell the air,
can you...
is it not the maelstrom of
ancient ritual performed
year after year...'white magic'
or the longing,
the promise...
of Spring...
when cloaks of purple velvet
cuddle sopranos of season
singing prose to the Earth...
be reborn and rule Queen Mother,
widow of a dying king,
consort to a realm of ancient beauties...
you prevail
lustrous and regally charged...anew
mistress of your craft...
'tis a fine representation,
frescoes of rainbow hues
alight human passion,
of Pagan ritual perhaps,
but no less picturesque
then a Raphael...
you stir my soul with serene beauty,
be born again,
Queen Spring...
'tis May.

S. Wilson


There is nothing quite as beautiful as a perfect lilac bush in full bloom, regal indeed, not to mention the glorious bouquet that wafts through your senses, should you catch the drift of perfume floating on the breeze...lucky girl to witness!

Well, it's Sunday again in Australia and we're all back for the shadow shooting...check out
Hey Harriet for the rest...talk about fun.

Let's take a walk...

Little splashes of Spring are everywhere now and we want to take it all in one blossom at a time. Winter is a hard season for us Northerners to get through, it goes on FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dreams of redoing our nest is in our mind all the time, out with the old and in with the new...

Bringing the outside inside, is typical of the season...we want to smell the fresh airs and hear the songs of the robins...yes, fill my world with the sensations...of Spring anew!


Old mirrored doors reflect a season's delight with the beauty of a simple 'pussy willow'...how down home is that...

Cupboards and food-safes float into Spring...

...as Sisters' prepares us for the ride of our lives...Sisters' Garden...IOWA...

Inventory Peek-a-boo...

This is our lil' mascot 'Buddy Lee'...Jethro was our last shop mascot. We must have a mascot in every shop Lorie and I do, to remind her that we don't really need a bobble-head to do what we do best. A shop for women, without the baggage...right Lorie...ha...

Oh, this cupboard...Lorie you really know how to make me drool, soooo me...check out the vintage wallpaper and linoleum...'nuff said...

Odds-n-ends cool stuff, gotta have the smalls right...

This Victorian chest with hankie drawers is sooooo my style, it will be left as is because of the unique patina, cool huh!

This old chicken feeder will be perfect for holding votives...

OK now Lorie knows all about my strange...well I guess you do to, but I found this old lobster trap and I just couldn't live without it. It'll go on 'MY' porch, my Florida get-away room, the room that will soon be filled with ocean scenes and exotic birds...but I couldn't pass it up because of all the wierd stuff attached to it, dried turtles, and stingrays, shells and beach flotsam...what a perfect addition...right! Not to worry girl...it stays home...remove that look from that pretty lil' face...ha!

Newest necklace can be viewed up close on 'The Wild Thing' blog...we're compiling our stock, so stay tuned for the opening...we can't wait, how 'bout you...

The Wild Thing...

This is my brand new blog, I'm still in the process of putting it all together, but at least you can check it out.
This is my jewelry blog...since closing down my web site, I thought my energies would be better spent on another blog. Click on 'The Wild Thing' photo on sidebar to get to new blog.
All pieces will now be displayed there for easier availability and better viewing.
Each piece will also have a little haiku to explaining my feeling toward each.
It's a fantasy world for me...no news there...but my love of Nature is very apparent in each piece, plus vintage parts added when available.
So check 'er out...can we have too much fun...
thought so!