The quail started hatching on Tuesday, but they weren't supposed to until today. Once a few started hatching they were all popping out like popcorn. I couldn't stop watching them. I didn't even start a painting that day. The rest of them finished hatching yesterday, so I got them all set up in their little brooder box, with a heat lamp, etc. After that, I put a chair next to them and watched them, teaching them how to drink and sprinkling food around so they'd learn how to eat it...on and off all day. There are about 25 of them, I lost count when I was transferring them out of the incubator and they're so tiny and fragile that I didn't want to start over, so I'll do it again in a day or so when I put them in a bigger box. They are so stinkin' cute! They're about the size of a big bumblebee. They run around in their box, very busy eating and drinking. They're amazingly quiet, which is a good sign, because it means that they're content. I worked outside all day today. Cutting the forsythia back from around the old chicken pen. It's time to get the girls out of the garden. Just a gorgeous day here. The painting above was finished last night, but it was after midnight, so I figured I'd post it tonight. When I put the hatched eggs on the table, the egg cup was already there and it kind of reminded me of the eggs, so I included it in the painting. "Sure Sign of Spring--Hatched Quail Eggs", 6"x6", oil on gessobord, $50. framed.

We made it out to Vetri on Saturday night for our belated Valentine's dinner.Now I could sit here for a week and glorify our experience and it would be well- deserved. But I won't. I will say that it was one of the best dinners that I have ever had and I'll never forget it. I hope. We did the chef's grand tasting menu, with the wine pairings. We'll be talking about it for a long time. I took a dozen of our blue and green Ameraucana eggs for the chef, Marc Vetri, so he came out to meet us. Such a down-to-earth guy. We also met the nicest couple, Michelle and John. It was a pleasure to share the experience with them. Boy, would I love to eat there once a week. One of my favorite things about having dinner there is that they send you home with a goodie bag. The menu that Chef Vetri hand paints that day, the wine list of the pairings, some biscotti, a Zagat guide and our desserts that we couldn't finish were all included in a nicely designed bag. An Italian touch for sure. I never went home empty handed from my Grandmother's house. Here's a link, check it out. The photography is beautifulwww.vetriristorante.com

Yesterday we went to NYC. It was a wonderful time. We tried going to the Frick Museum, but everything was blocked off due to the Greek parade, so we went to the St. Regis Hotel, to the King Cole Bar for a snack and a Bloody Mary. It's where the drink was invented. The mural of "Old King Cole" by Maxfield Parrish is there behind the bar. It's always fun to hear Bob, the bartender retell the story about it. We left there and went to Les Halles on Park Avenue. It's the restaurant where Anthony Bordain worked for so many years. We were all really pleased with our food. After that we took a walk through Soho and wound up at Lupa, where we had phenomenal food and wine. We'll be going back there for sure. Then we walked some more and went to Vintage to try some flights of NY wines and their home made ice creams for dessert. Finally, Celeste drove us home. It was a happy and memorable day. Happy Birthday Jay.

I love pansies, so today I painted one that Jay Sr. gave me for Easter. The lesser celandine, which is a very invasive bulb that grows wild everywhere, was a good match for the pansy in the mini arrangement. "Pansy in an Antique Eggcup", 5"x7", oil on gessobord, $50., framed.

By now you may have heard the news on channel 6 last night. Georges Perrier has given back his Mobil 5 Stars and is transforming Le Bec Fin from very formal, white glove service, (which it has been for the past 38 years) to a more casual restaurant where you can wear jeans. He was very emotional about it, which made me feel sad for him. He was 26 when he opened Le Bec Fin. That's Danny's age. Wow! The news said he had to call his 97 year old mother to tell her. The interview showed him having some regrets about being so consumed with work. At 64, he's obviously rethinking the rest of his life. He said he wants to have fun. Good for him. Good luck Chef.

Last night and all of today so far, I've had nothing but aggravation with our computers. We couldn't get online. It's amazing to me how when there is trouble with them, the hours dissolve away. Dissolve seems too nice a word. Like it's happening peacefully. If you've had this experience, you know that peaceful, it's not, when you're ready to rip all of the wires out and smash everything with a sledgehammer, so that it all dissolves that way.For some reason, the clouds in the sky just cleared, it's sunny and we can get online again. No thanks to me and all of my efforts at all. Well, thank you Jesus!

Since I couldn't post last night, Jay and I watched "No Country for Old Men". The acting is just awesome, in the literal sense of the word. That Javier is indescribable. Where did he come from? How bizarre is he? I had listened to the book last fall on my trips back and forth to Maryland. I really liked it. I didn't even know that they made a movie out of it. The book helped my understanding of the movie. So read the book first if you can.My "yesterday's" painting....hmm, I may be onto something here, anyway, it's of Glory of the Snow flowers, which I saw on my way in from getting the mail. I planted them about 25 years ago. They're one of my favorite spring bulbs. They're a little bluer in the image than in the actual painting. I love them in the antique, enamelware, egg cup. "Glory of the Snow", 5"x7", oil over egg tempera, on gessobord, $50., framed.Enjoy your weekend.

Spring is now official for me. Jay and I took our walk at Chanticleer this afternoon. Even though it's still pretty chilly, there are zillions of flowers up to inspire me, so I'm going to paint flowers for awhile. I'll include eggs here and there as well. Speaking of which, the first batch of quail eggs are due to hatch on the 10th. When I candle them (hold a concentrated source of light, like a mini Maglite against them in a dark room) I can see the veins developing and the chicks bouncing around. It is so amazing. I can't remember what else I had to tell you, so I'll close for tonight. Chet Baker is singing to me with his soft, soothing voice and it's making me sleepy. It could also be that I was up until 4:30 this morning reading "Soul of a Chef" and it's to the part about Thomas Keller and The French Laundry. I can't stop reading it.

"Purple Tulips", 5"x7", oil on gessobord, $50., framed.

A week ago yesterday, was my Aunt Jeannie's retirement party. She seems too young to be retired. She looked better than some half her age at the party. The whole scene was impressive, but really different for me to see her in that light and interacting with so many people that weren't related to her. We always have the "fam" experience when we're together. I think the only other time I saw her in a similar situation was when she graduated from college, with the departmental award for economics. She made a speech, kissed the bishop's ring, etc. The difference this time was that she wasn't sharing the gathering with the rest of her class, it was all about, and only for her. She's worked for the government for about 30 years. It must have been a high security job, because I never actually knew what she did, but as she said, she made a lot of money and "it wasn't for making cupcakes". She received tons of serious awards, including having the flag flown over the capital and the St. Martin's. In any case, I was so proud and honored to be there. Now that she's retired she can go to Chanticleer with me. You ready Aunt Jean?

Chanticleer opened today. I was there in my heart, but our electricity went out and I panicked since I have incubators with eggs in them. It came back on in a little while but I decided to stay home just in case. Maybe tomorrow.

My UPS guy Ron, made a delivery yesterday and we were discussing what we ate for Easter. I asked him if he had spidzod for Easter breakfast and he said no, that they have it on other occasions, but not Easter. That's when I shared with him my dilemma about how to spell it and that I couldn't find anyone who knew and how we had the same discussion on Easter. Everyone tried googling it and no one could find it. Well Ron knew...almost. He said it was spezzado. When I typed it into google it asked, "do you mean spezzato"? I thought, wow, yes I do, this really is a word, this could be it. It was! There was a recipe for it and all. You're the man Ron! Thanx.

Today's daily painting was finished last night, but it needed to be photographed in daylight. Another welcome to spring, with the flicker feather turned upside down to see more of the color. "Flicker Feather and Quail Eggs", 7"x5", oil over egg tempera on gessobord, $50., framed.

As you can see, March is really a big month for our family. Many important birthdays to celebrate. The past two weeks, since Isabella's 3rd birthday on the 16th have included--in chronological order--the following birthdays; my daughter Krista, who turned 35 on the 22nd, my husband Jay, who was 57 on the 26th, along with my little cousin Gabriella, who turned 3 on the 26th also, and today my daughter Jeanie is 29. Whew, they're getting old. Happy birthday to all!We'll be celebrating Jay Sr.'s birthday this weekend at Les Halles in NYC. Can't wait for that, or finally, for our belated Valentine's Day dinner on Saturday at Vetri.

I'm so happy to welcome Ann as a collector of my work. After you have two or more of my paintings, you're officially a collector. Thank you so much Ann! Our visit was so nice.

Easter was a treat with a full house for dinner. The Easter bread and spidzod were good and we now have plenty of limon/blood orangecello to last for a long time. Nicky brought his blood orangecello that was beautiful to look at and taste. Very smooth and flowery.Jay and Celeste really worked hard to put out a fabulous dinner of roasted lamb, pork and potatoes, along with ratatouille, polenta and gravies. Jeanie brought the desserts, Krista brought the appetizer, Nicky brought the homemade wine, Danny Kane brought the champagne, my brother brought the Remy, I am adding this later than this post because I didn't mention that Joe Frost and Ashley brought the bread, (I was distracted by the beautiful heather plant) so you know it was something else and almost everyone brought beautiful plants and flowers. Everything was just outstanding. We ate, drank, talked, laughed, had an Easter egg hunt, played cards and generally just had a great time.Finally, my daily painting is a welcome to spring. It was raining and chilly today, but my quail finally started laying eggs again on Saturday. Here, in this painting is the first one of the season, along with a quail feather and a crocus. I was able to adjust the color of the image. Now it's more accurate.

"Welcome Spring 2008", oil on gessobord, 6"x6", $50. framed

Happy birthday to Super Bella!

Isabella turned three years old yesterday, so we drove to Maryland for her birthday party. It was wonderful. Jeanie made a terrific meal and desserts, as usual. Isabella knew it was her special day and was ready for it. Just precious.We drove back and met Danny, Jay Jr., Celeste and Jeanne and Dan Welch at Georges'. The Welches are awesome people. It always does my heart good to see them.I don't see how I can get painting time in this week. But I'm so happy to say that I can't because my brother Pat is coming to town to stay for Easter and I'm going to have an extremely full house, especially for Easter Sunday dinner. In addition, I'll need to clean, shop and then make the Easter bread and spidzod...I have no idea how to really spell that and I can't find anyone who does. I tried to google it, but that didn't work either. It's like so many other Italian words, the spelling isn't even close to the way the word sounds, e.g.: pasta y fagioli, soppresata, aceto, etc. It's probably our dialect. If you know, please clue me in. Anyway, it's a dish of veal cubes stewed in a tomato sauce. I poach eggs in it and we eat it with Easter bread for breakfast on Easter morning. My father didn't do the poached eggs with his. He ate it with the traditional hard-boiled egg. I will also make little men (bigger than gingerbread men) out of the bread dough with a hard-boiled egg on their belly. The grandchildren will have one baked for each of them. My shortcut will be, that with the Ameraucana eggs, I won't have to dye them, since they're already green or blue.

Then there's the homemade limoncello and blood orangecello to finish and bottle. I'm going to try to get out of making the holiday soup, unless my brother really wants it. So that's my story.Happy Easter.

Danny's knees are healing and Jay's mouth is still tender, but they're on the mend.

Getting ready for the art show coming up at Church of the Saviour. That and having the whole gang here for Easter is already crunching my time, but today was beautiful, warm and sunny, so I worked outside in addition to everything else. My remaining Penedesenca hen has been getting picked on by the Ameraucanas, so I started playing a switching game with her and them to get them to stop. I put her in the garden, which is a big space, with just one of the Ameracaunas. That worked, since they're so social, so today I put all of them together. It was OK, but she (the Penedesenca hen) is so nervetic that she jumps at every little movement they make, which breaks my heart. I decided to try her with the chicks, supervised, and put her with the little Welsummer and Marans six weeks old chicks. They're pretty much feathered out. She was so happy when I put her in with them, she started clucking like a mother hen. So now we're all happy.Jay bought three flats of pansies for me, which he usually does for Easter. I got all of them in the window boxes and a few planters. They're beautiful.

My daily painting is of an heirloom pear, Meyer lemon and my old flicker feather. When I was arranging this composition, I knew I had to include the pear before it went bad like the other two Jay bought with it. I played around with an egg and the lemon, back and forth. The lemon enhanced the pear, but I felt it needed something else. The feather did it for me.

"Meyer Lemon, Heirloom Pear and Flicker Feather", 6"x4", watercolor, $25., framed.sold

Have a great weekend.

The grandchildren sadly....for all of us...left Sunday night. It was really quiet around here except for Monday morning when Danny fell running on the stairs and sprained both knees and tore some ligaments. So we spent Monday in the emergency room. At the same time Jay Sr. was having a tooth extracted. They're both OK, but whew! Danny's still supposed to be bedridden, but he's incorrigible. Jay Sr. is a much better patient.

In any case, I'm back to painting. The daily painting is of an Ameraucana egg that I broke immediately upon completing the painting.

I got the antique enamelware egg cup on eBay. I love it with these eggs. More tomorrow, gotta go...Danny's calling me.

I'm back sooner than I thought. The painting of the day is on Ampersand's Claybord. It's the first watercolor I've done on this surface. I do and don't like it. It looks dull to me and it's difficult to get good highlights, even when they're reserved. I think acrylic would be better suited for it. I'll varnish this one. I believe that will enhance the colors and clarity."Antique Enamelware Egg Cup and Ameraucana Egg", 5"x7", watercolor on Claybord, $35., framed.

I tried posting earlier but couldn't get through. This painting of a Meyer lemon and grape happened because I took the grandchildren to Costco yesterday and bought grapes. When I washed them there was a grape with a tendril of a vine still attached. Now I have some unusual dark pears that I had planned on painting today with a lemon, but if you've seen the first "Shrek" movie on DVD where the characters are jumping up and down saying "pick me, pick me", that's what this grape seemed to be saying, so I did. This week in watercolors has taught me a lot. I'm pleased that I didn't have to cheat once and use any white paint. I feel as though I effectively reserved the whites. In all of my still lifes and almost all of my paintings, except for portraits, or work that needs to be exact, I never do preliminary sketches, on the canvas, or paper. I like that exercise and challenge, therefore, as usual, I didn't do any drawing with these watercolors. Having never painting a grape, lemon or plum in transparent watercolor, I'm fairly satisfied with today's and this week's work. "Grape and Meyer Lemon", 6"x4", watercolor, $25., framed.

Enjoy your weekend.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. Jeanie, Derek and the kids arrived right in the middle of my painting and I had to stop. The kids are here for the rest of the week/end, which is a joy. Jeanie and Derek are in the Bahamas.

Happy Birthday to David Bird...yesterday andcongratulations to my Aunt Jeannie, in celebration of Women's History Month, for being nominatedWoman of the Year for the DSCP Federal Women's Program.Her category, is Supervisor/ Manager. Wow, what a huge deal this is! Aditi Roy from NBC 10 News Team will be the keynote speaker at the awards luncheon. Best of luck with this Aunt Jean, the nomination is great, but you deserve the award. It would certainly be the apropos way to cap off your retirement party the next day.The last plum appears above. It was interesting to watch the color of their ripeness develop and intensify over the past few days. The green totally disappeared by today.

"Red and Yellow Plum", 6"x4", watercolor, $25., framed.

I am really having fun with these watercolors. They're really a stretch for me, but I know that's always a good thing. To be truthful, I wouldn't be doing them if I hadn't run out of the little canvases and gessobord. I promised myself that I wouldn't buy anymore canvases of any size (unless commissioned) because I have so many, in so many sizes and I have to use them up. Anyway, I ate one of the plums last night when I was finished. They're really good. Here are two of them that were in a setup of three, but the two of them seemed like they were having a very serious private discussion and wanted to be alone in the composition so we have "Very Serious Red and Yellow Plums", 6"x4", watercolor, $25., framed. sold

Before I go tonight, I wanted to send my gratitude to David in Glasgow, UK, for his purchase of two "Yellow Dahlia" prints. Also to Penny Bird, my very dear, old friend and collector--wait, I should clarify that, the friendship is old, not Penny-- who bought "White Rose, It Is What It Is". And finally to a new collector, Chris from New Mexico, who already feels like a friend of many years, for her purchase of two paintings, "For the Love of Lemons" which I just finished last week and "Art Glass and Quail Eggs with Milk Glass Stone". Karen I sent her three lemons since she's never had a Meyer Lemon. I am very grateful to all of you and truly appreciate your support. THANK YOU!

Jay Sr. got these plums for me today. So different. I've got to dash, but will be back tomorrow."RED AND YELLOW PLUMS", 6"x4", watercolor, $25. framed.

On my screen, the painting at right is way too light and bright and there's no reflection of the yellow in the shadows around the lemons. This is the pair of Meyer lemons that I started yesterday. Now finished, it's titled "For the Love of Lemons", 6"x6", oil on linen, $50., framed. Sold

Karen, the orchardess from www.lemonladies.com would like everyone to know that she's got loads of beautiful, organic, big, ripe, juicy lemons. Treat yourself. You'll love them as I do.

Valerie Knight from WOGL FM, Oldies 98, dubbed Danny, "Champagne Danny" this morning on the "Breakfast Club"radio show. The tickets for the Georges' "Restaurant Deal" set a sales record on the show. I believe all 160+ tickets were sold within minutes. If you heard the show, you can tell that Joe Frost, Danny and the Breakfast Club hosts had a really good time. My favorite part was Danny's remark about not getting "a hat and t-shirt for finishing the 32 ounce cote de boeuf at Georges' ". It was fun to listen to for the few minutes that it was on.

I took Isabella to Maryland this morning and my day hasn't been quite as bright as when it started out this morning. That's when she told me that she didn't go poop in her night night. Which was a surprising statement because she's been using the potty for a really long time. Her night night is her bed. So that remark totally caught me off-guard before my eyes were fully opened. Then it struck me funny, so I couldn't stop laughing. I'm really missing her. 

Before I go, here's the SNOW CREAM recipe that I promised Karen.

Put a clean, large, bowl outside before it snows or as soon as you can after it starts. Place it out in the open away from trees, power lines, etc.

When the bowl is piled high, full of snow, bring it back into the kitchen and pour in two, 15.25 oz. cans of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup and one, 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk. I use Santini's organic, that I order from amazon.com. Stir gently just to barely combine the ingredients and serve immediately. Now this is Ernestine's recipe, you can be creative with the fruit, but I don't think you can skip the sweetened condensed milk. Of course you can double and triple the recipe if you've got a big crowd. It's always good to experiment. Let me know if you come up with something good or have another version. Karen, what's your recipe for snow pudding?Well, have a terrific weekend.

Danny and Joe Frost will be on OLDIES 98, WOGL FM RADIO'S BREAKFAST CLUB, tomorrow morning. The show runs from 5:30 am to 9 am. They do a half-price promo on tickets for dinners at featured restaurants and you guessed it, "Georges" is the featured place tomorrow. They start the ticket sales online at 8:45 am. I will be on it. I'll save a bundle, that's for sure. This is the link for the breakfast club and you can click on the restaurant deals to buy tickets.http://www.wogl.com/pages/76470.phpThe painting above is not finished, but I posted it anyway. It was just taking too long for the layers to dry. The colors start to look muddy if they're over mixed. When it comes to painting lemons, I really like the colors to be clean. I got my new box of them today. They're really big, like oranges and a warm, golden orange color as well. I'll finish the painting when I get back from Maryland. Isabella goes home tomorrow.

Well the fever, chills, aches, pains congestion and cough definitely got the better of me yesterday.I was a mess. Isabella would come over to the sofa, kiss me and say "I love you Mom Mom, you're my best friend". If that's not a good reason to get better fast, I don't know what is. When I got up this morning and was fixing breakfast for her, I was wondering how I would get through the day. I was barely able to hold a conversation with Jay when he came home around noon. He got a loose tea called "Flu Fighter", and brewed some for me. About half an hour later I started feeling better. Not drowsy and drugged, like a cold and flu medication, but more clear-headed (that alone is a miracle) and functional. My wonderful daughter-in-law Celeste, came by later this afternoon with flowers for me and candy for 'Bella. I still have a bad cold, but I made a strong homemade broth with ditalini for dinner. I used some beef bones that Jay Jr. had roasted to make marrow on crostini. I froze the bones, for just this kind of soup. It was perfect for tonight. Since I couldn't even focus enough to paint today, the photo above is of Gabriel, Isabella and Jonah on the 18th, when we went to Valley forge Park for President's Day. It was really windy, but unseasonably warm and sunny. I'm looking forward to painting tomorrow. I'm going up to the kitchen now for some flu fighter tea.

Goodnight.

Chef Joe Frost was on 10!, which is an NBC tv magazine on channel 10 in Philadelphia, this morning. He prepared a shrimp ceviche that looked really good. Easy and quick. Jay Jr. was there with him, but he was backstage. Jay said that the football player that was on, John, is it Runyon? I forget his name, is the biggest human being he's ever seen, but also a really great guy. Here's the link to the show. Once you click on it, click on "behind the scenes" and you'll see different scenes from the show. http://www.nbc10.com/10/index.htmlToday's painting is one that I had started from the last box of lemons. "Zested and Juiced Meyer Lemons", 7"x5", oil over egg tempera, on gessobord, $50. framed. sold

I'm going to bed, I have the chills and my head hurts so much from coughing, I've had it.

Shortly after the snow started last night it stopped and I was disappointed. Jay and Danny said they didn't think it would amount to much. It did start up again during the night. I don't know how much we got, but it was at least three inches, and that's good enough for me, simply because I wanted to make Snow Cream for Isabella. If you've never had it and would like the recipe, just ask. It's really good and my mother-in-law, Ernestine, taught me how to make it. So since we had a snow day, I made pumpkin pancakes for Isabella. She loved them. The chickens weren't thrilled about the snow, but they ventured out. I have a small-pet, heating pad in their house to keep their water from freezing, but the Penedesencas, pushed the bowl out of the way and sat on it. The Ameraucanas didn't mind the snow at all. Today was the chicken introduction day. I've kept the Penedesencas isolated just in case there were any health or parasite issues. Last night after they fell asleep, I put them all together in a new house so that they would all wake up on new turf. They got along without any problems. Yesterday, one of the Penedesencas laid an egg. I was going to do a painting of  it and then put it in the incubator, but we needed it to make the pancakes this morning. The color is lighter than the Welsummers and Marans eggs, but still darker and without the warm, orangey color of regular brown eggs. Today's pear painting is the last of the series, "Red Unpaired Pear", 5"x7", oil over egg tempera on gessobord, $50. framed.Isabella and I are going to spend the weekend trying to get rid of these "coughs in our mouths"...and especially in our chests. Enjoy your weekend.

Isabella and I took the roosters out to the Komorowski's today. They just can't be quiet. I love the sound of a rooster, but the incessant crowing was just too much. It's not fair to subject neighbors to that. So, I'm pretty bummed, but they will definitely be happier having the freedom there. It's a beautiful old farm and I can see them anytime I want.

The pears needed to be painted again, so today I painted two. "Red Paired Pears", oil over egg tempera, 5"x7", $50., framed. sold

We're expecting three to six inches of snow overnight.I can't wait.

It snowed tonight, just a coating, but when I went out to lock up the chickens, it looked like a scene from "Edward Scissors Hands". The snow was sparkling like zillions of little diamonds. So lovely.

I asked Jay to get some fruit that I could do a painting of. He chose these three pears. I think they're perfect, even with the few blemishes."Three Red Pears" 7"x5", oil over egg tempera on Gessobord, $50. framed. sold

Jeanie and the kids came up on Sunday. She and Danny went out to celebrate Jeanie's birthday, so Jay and I stayed home with the kids. They're so cute and funny. Before they left on Monday we went to Valley Forge Park for President's Day. They had a wonderful program. The kids loved it. After they left, we settled in with Isabella. The day was so incredibly beautiful and warm that I got another pen set up for the new chickens. It was such a pleasure to be able to work outside.

Isabella and I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening playing.

We were supposed to have dinner with Penny and Cine tonight, but Isabella has a fever, headache and "cough in her mouth", so we're home.

Danny gave me a small box of champagne truffles from Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland. They're made with Dom Perignon Champagne and Zagat rated them "the best truffle on the planet". I painted them along with a glass of champagne and ate one as soon as I was sure the painting was finished, I'm saving the other one for Jay. That's true love, they are so hard to resist. Wow! If you've never had one, go to www.teuscher.comand get some online, or locally at their shop at the Bellevue in downtown Philadelphia. You'll want to savor each one. They're really special."Champagne and Champagne Truffles", oil over egg tempera, on gessobord, 5"x7", $50. framed.The background in the painting is a deep, indigo blue that looks almost black, not brown and the truffles are darker too.

How was your Valentine's Day?Jay didn't get home 'til late, but we had a nice romantic dinner and good champagne. A 1988 vintage, that was different. Mellow, smooth with a honey finish...nice. The best Valentine's Day cards ever and beautiful flowers.I'm really looking forward to the long weekend. Jeanie and the kids will be visiting. I miss them so much. Isabella will stay for the week. We'll be very busy I'm sure.I finally finished the sheep painting. I worked with the background and foreground and then, as I will often do, I just de-emphasized them. Then I focused on the fence and the sheep and the way the light touched them, without overworking them.  It's a pretty dark painting, but that's the way the light is sometimes when the sun is so low at the end of the day. Unfortunately, you can't see how nice the painting really looks, which honestly is much better than this image. It's darker and the warm color and contrast is off. Maybe it's my screen.

"Chester County Sheep at Day's End". 14"x11", oil on gallery-wrapped linen, $350. framed. sold

Have a relaxing, long weekend. I'll won't be back until Tuesday since the kids will be here until then.

Here it is, Thursday already and I'm still talking about Sunday, but it was good.

After being entertained by Nestor Torres, with Latin music at the Kimmel Center,and since we were already in town, we decided we were in the mood for Latin food for dinner, so we went to Alma de Cuba at 1623 Walnut Street.www.almadecubarestaurant.comWe weren't disappointed. The food was great. The atmosphere was actually a little too cool and refreshing after coming in out of the 45 mph winds and plummeting temperatures. It looks like the kind of place where you'd see Ricardo Montalban smoothly walking around. It is the perfect place to be on a hot, July night.In any case, the service was outstanding, just the right degree of attentiveness.For starters, of course no matter how cold it was, I had to have their signature Cuban drink, a Caipirinha, which was worth the chill. Jay had the Chupe de Mariscos, a Peruvian seafood chowder with a poached egg. It was incredible, really. I had the Oysters Rodriguez,crispy fried over fufu (mashed sweet plantains with bacon) sauteed with spinach and a horseradish sauce.They were very good, but I wouldn't get them again. I'm not a horseradish sauce fan and I'd want to try something else. For our mains Jay had the Vaca Frita, "Fried Cow", crispy skirt steak, which again was exceptional, but I dislike that strong beef taste. Jay liked it, but he liked my Lechon Asado more and so did I. Crispy skinned pork with garlic/oregano mojo, black bean broth and marinated cabbage with a creamy yucca. I don't have the words to describe how delicious this dish was. It reminded me of the pork belly Jay Jr. made for new Year's Day. So incredibly good. The portions are big, so we sampled our food and had the rest packed for Jay Jr. and Danny to taste. We shared a couple of bites of the chocolate cigar for dessert. Very clever with their Alma de Cuba cigar band on it and the sugar matches next to it, that they light when they present it. It was beautiful eye candy, as well as rich and tasty.Today's daily painting is the last of the truffle series. It's dark chocolate. Maybe we'll have the truffles for dessert tonight. Since Jay has to teach, we're saving our Valentine's dinner for April 5th. We've got a dinner reservation at Vetri, for the tasting menu. I can't wait.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Appreciate the love you've been blessed with, it's a gift that needs to be nourished and cherished.

"Dark Chocolate Truffle", 6"x6", oil on linen, $50. framed. Sorry the image is blurry. I think it's my lens.

Today's truffle is milk chocolate with a dark chocolate swirl. It must have been all of the egg paintings that made this series easier than most. I've really been enjoying them,without having eaten one of the truffles...yet.

So back to Sunday--our very kind and dear friend, Mike Selverian got box seat tickets for us to see Nestor Torres perform with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. Torres was born in Puerto Rico. He's a flautist beyond compare. He mixes, Latino, jazz, pop and classical music and he does all of this with great style and humor. His rendition of "Beseme' Mucho" was beautiful and soulful, it won out over "Sketches of Spain" as my favorite, but all of it was outstanding. His talent is so over the top. He is very humble, emotional and dramatic. He's also got that kind of "The Sexy" from Saturday Night Live thing going on. It was a phenomenal performance with the "Pops" at their best as well. We really enjoyed it. Thank you very much Mike.

Tomorrow, I'll take you through part 2. I've got to get working on some of the bigger paintings.

"Milk Chocolate Truffle", 6"x6", oil on linen, $50. framed.

We had a nice weekend. Saturday, I drove the three hours up and three hours back to New York to get my new chickens and hatching eggs. It snowed the entire way up and back. I don't think I would have gone if I knew I was going to be driving that far in the snow. It was good for me though. The scenery was breathtaking in the true sense of the word. The mountains looked like God came along and dusted them with powdered sugar. The effect was even more spectacular with the heavy fog and intense contrast against the black rock formations.

I got a trio of a Spanish chicken called Pendesenca. They're black and the rooster is enormous, he must be three times the size of my Ameraucana rooster, Diego. He sounds like a moose when he crows. Not that he's so loud, it's just that his crow is so deep and almost bellowing. He's a sweetheart though and allows me to put him to bed every night so he doesn't wake the neighbors. I don't think we'll be able to keep him since Diego wouldn't stand a chance near him and the two of them try to outcrow each other, all...day...long!The hens are a little skittish compared to Frida, Flavia and Leenda. Hopefully we'll become friends and they'll calm down.I finally got some Marans...which are the French chickens. These are black copper and have feathered legs. The males are gorgeous and the hens are black. Since mine are only chicks and chicks in progress (eggs in the incubator) I don't know if they will be hens or roosters. Roosters will have to go to new homes. Lastly, there are the Welsummers, which are Dutch...chicks and eggs as well. They'll be brown and a partridge pattern, which is very pleasing.

The chicks and eggs are here with me in the studio.I enjoy the peeping of the chicks. 

I'll finish telling about the weekend throughout the week. There's just too much for now.

The snow today is a nice change from rain, especially since I don't have to drive in it.

I didn't post yesterday because my old computer had finally had it. My son Jay took me out and I got an iMac and set it up last night. Then I broke my left forefinger loading the woodstove. I did finish a truffle painting despite that. Being left-handed, it's actually harder to type, pecking with my middle finger, than it is to paint.Finally, Tim sent me a link for the dead bear, but none of his photos.http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readcollierarticle.asp?articleid=17318&z=13

If the link doesn't work just copy and paste it into your browser.

Today's daily painting is in keeping with the Valentine's Day theme, titled "Vanilla Truffle", oil on linen, 6"x6", $50. framed.

I think Jay and Tim are living a little too close to the edge down there in Florida. Yesterday Jay told me about all of the snakes that they were seeing. I asked him if he could identify them, but he said no. They did try to rattle their tail, except there was no rattle. He said he would get online and look them up when they got back to my brother's house. Well Pat has a book on Florida snakes and most of them they identified as juvenile cottonmouths! Very venomous and aggrevsive. Some were adults and others were black racers or black rat snakes. They saw even more today. They're having a bad drought there, which maybe why they're seeing so many turtles and snakes.

Nothing new with the bear story. Tim leaves tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some photos soon.

Tomorrow I go to get my chickens and hatching eggs. I'm real excited about that. I will take pix of them for you to see.

My painting of the day is of a raspberry truffle. It's hard to resist not eating them when I'm finished their portraits.

"Raspberry Truffle", 6"x6", oil on linen. $50. framed.

Have a great weekend.

I'm sick and tired of being sick...and tired. This cold is getting worse. Now I have a fever. My brother Pat told me to get some resistant microbes. I don't know what they are, but I'll get some. I hate having to breathe out of my mouth. It could be worse, Jay has to have a tooth extracted tomorrow. Yuck. I'll consider myself lucky. The story of the bear was on the Florida news last night, but Jay and Tim got no credit at all. They said that a park ranger found the bear. That's not true. Tim called the newspaper and asked them if they would be interested in buying his photos of the dead bear. They said no, that they don't pay for photos. Do you think if they were photos of Elvis they'd pay for them? You're right, Elvis is much more important. Just the same, I don't believe them. Celeste's brother, Tim, graduates from the Marines' boot camp tomorrow. Congratulations Tim! We're very proud of him. Celeste left yesterday to drive to Parris Island, SC to attend his graduation....and doing that after taking a nursing test, on which she scored a 90. That's my girl, way to go Celeste. My daily painting is of a beautiful, milk chocolate truffle, dusted with ground hazelnuts. Yes, it's part of the Valentine series. I would have eaten it as a reward, but I wouldn't be able to taste it. Maybe I'll use it in another painting. Better yet, I'll give it to Celeste when she gets back. "Nutty Truffle", oil on linen, 6"x6", $50. framed.

I think the warm weather set a record today. What a joy, even without the sun. The cool, humid air made it easier to breathe. I spent the afternoon putting netting over my garden. I'll be getting some new chickens on Saturday, so I'll put all of them to bed in a coop in the garden on Saturday night and they can all wake up together on new turf on Sunday morning. They'll be able to run around, eat the weeds, bugs and fertilize, all while being safe from the hawks. Still on my Valentine's Day theme, here is my daily painting. "White Rose--It Is What It Is", 6"x6", oil on linen, $50. framed.SOLD.

To continue with Jay and Tim in Florida, they'll be on the news down there tonight because of the black bear that they found dead. Apparently it had been shot, which is a huge offense in a preserve. They had to go in and sign a sworn statement which interfered with their day of photography in the cypress swamps. Actually, that didn't bother them as much as being kicked out of the park by a ranger and given a warning for being commercial photographers...which of course they're not. The ranger was new and didn't know the difference. He did however call them later to apologize! Now tell me, where do you ever find a situation like that? Good man, I'm really impressed. I'm still trying to get photos of the bear, but they only have them in raw files which are enormous and they don't have a program on my brother's computer to convert them to JPEG. So we'll just have to wait.

My painting of the day is another in the Valentine theme. It's of a heart-shaped topiary at Ladew Gardens in Maryland. We went a few months ago on a 90 degree, indian summer day. The strange looking thing in it is the topiary arrow.

"Heart Topiary at Ladew Gardens", 4"x6", watercolor, on Moulin de Larrouque Aquarelle paper.