My dog Biscuit 2002? - 2012, Aug 6th

I have wanted to write a blog about my dog Biscuit, but it has been very difficult to do.

Back in 2003, we had just bought a new house and we thought that we needed a new dog to go with it.  We were not really looking, but the family happened to be out at the local Petsmart and they were hosting an adoption event.  PAWS http://www.paws.org/ was one of the organization there.  John spotted Biscuit away from the rest of the puppies and dogs, sitting in her crate.  She was very shy and just looked a bit nervous.  John decided that was the one he wanted.  So she became part of the family.

Biscuit was a mix - her papers called her a "Tri-colored Beagle", but she was also something else (probably pit-bull).

Biscuit was a very protective dog.  She had been abused my a man and this made her my protector.  There was a pecking order in our house - First me, then her, John, Clint, then Nancy (she didn't like a second female trying for her spot.)

 Clint took this picture in 2005 and I then turned it into a painting.  

Which was purchased by a vet's office from Raleigh.

To me she was so sweet and lovable, but to others she was not so nice.  She did not like children or other dogs of any kind.  When we would take her for a walk people would want to pet her because she was so cute, but then she would bare her teeth and they would think differently.  We figured she was probably about a year old when we got her.  So, we really don't know what happened as a pup.

In 2006, the family went to Kenya for 6 months.  During that time my sister, Kim, from PA, took Biscuit to live with her and her family.  Biscuit loved it there and actually became friends with their dog Buddy. 

(This picture was just before she went to live in PA)

In 2008, we bought our river house.  Biscuit was most happy, running along the river, staring down deer, and      

just being able to be off the leash and be free.

She also loved the snow!

She was also a bit of a nut case.

You could always tell when she was happy by the smile on her face.

And she always had a way of breaking your heart with her puppy dog eyes when she wanted something.

In 2010, we had a temporary visitor, Mercy.  Mercy was the neighborhood cat that lived with us for the last six months of his life.  Biscuit really did not know what to think of Mercy.  Biscuit would growl and bark at Mercy, and Mercy would just purr and rub up against Biscuit.  Mercy was completely deaf and didn't know Biscuit was growling.  Finally, Biscuit just gave up and accepted this intruder.

In 2011, we started to build our new house on the river property.  Biscuit oversaw all of the workmen and checked on every detail - every day.   Since we were living on the property, we would take a daily walk to the construction site and she could do her inspecting.  

She was happy when her new dog-house was finally finished! 

It was about this time that she started having digestion issues.  She was a pure junk-yard dog and would pretty much eat anything she found in the woods.  The vet said that was typical of Beagles and not to worry.  Plus, she was over weight so we took her off her regular dog food and started more of a special diet.  Over the months she continued to get worse.  By August, 2012, she was losing so much weight. 

On September 2nd John took her to an emergency vet (of course this was over Labor Day weekend, so everything was closed.)  They did an x-ray and found a mass that appeared to be in her small intestines.  They gave her a shot and sent her home, telling us to take her to our family vet on Tuesday.

  Well, by Monday morning so was so week and wasn't even keeping water down.  The emergency vet told us we should take her to the North Carolina Vet School, in Raleigh.  When we got there they looked at the x-rays and decided she needed to have an ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed that the mass needed to be removed right away.   We were able to go in and say goodbye before she went into surgery.  She was so sad.  But, we thought that this would finally give her some relief.  

The doctors called after a 5 hour surgery and told us that they had to remove most of her small intestine because it was all tumorous.  There was more that needed to come out, but they couldn't do it, because that is a major source of blood.  But, they said she was strong and doing fine.

They called back at 1am and then again at 4am to say that she was doing worse.  Her incision had come apart because tumorous cells don't act like regular cells and there is really nothing to attach to.  They heavily sedated her so she wouldn't be in pain.

At that point the doctor said there wasn't any thing else they could do for her.  They could operate again, but  they knew it wouldn't work.  Plus, she probably would not live very long with all the tumors that she had.

This was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made in my life.  But, I couldn't let her suffer anymore, even though I am so selfish and wanted her for myself.

You will always be in our hearts.  I miss you.

More Peppers - Green Bells

I last posted about all of the hot peppers that I have been getting out of my garden.  Now, it is green pepper time.  I end up picking about 15-20 peppers every couple of days.  I did take a bag full to the local watering hole so they could use them in a home-made soup.  But, there are still way more than we can eat.  Luckily, I happened to mention this to one of my artist/gardener friends, Michael Thompson, and he told me to freeze them. 

This is so easy - even I could do it!

First, just wash the peppers very well.

Second, take all the seeds, stems, and ribs out.

 Third, cut them into pieces.  I use my peppers mostly for stir fry, so I left them kinda big.  If you use it for sauces, you might want to cut them up pretty small.  Or do two batches, one big and one small, then you always have what you need.  Just place them on a baking pan and pop them in the freezer.  Since peppers are mostly water, you end up with little ice peppers.

After they have frozen (desn't take very long at all), just put them into a freezer ziplock bag and put them back into the freezer. This bag has at least 20 peppers in it and the bag is not full.

 Whenever you need some you can just dump out what you need right into the pot.

I told you this was easy!

Now back to the garden to pick another batch.

Special Artist - Janet Searfoss

I have been wanting to write a blog for a long time about a wonderful artist, Janet Searfoss.  Janet and her husband, Harold, have Searfoss Designs.  Janet's roll is the artist and creator behind these incredible pieces of art.  Harold's roll is the matting, framing, bagging and all the behind the scenes work. They make a great team.  

Autumn Sentinels - The original is at Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts for sale.

Janet's artform is Batik.  

"Batik is an art form dating back 2,000 years ago.  Batiks were found in 

the tombs of Pharaohs and are now associated with Indonesian culture.  
The Indonesian word "Batik" means "wax writing".  The wax resist 
process is also referred to as "Rozome" in Japan.  The Japanese 
version of batik consists of direct application of dyes and wax on silk.  
The Indonesian technique usually uses cotton cloth and does 
immersing into dyes and also direct application.  The wax resist process 
consists of applications of hot wax onto fabric using brushes and  
tjanting tools.  Tjanting tools are made of a wooden shaft with a metal 
reservoir with a tiny metal tube that allows wax to flow onto the fabric 
leaving  lines or dots..  The fabric is then immersed into dyes and only 
the unwaxed areas accept the dye.  The process is repeated to attain 
each new color working from the lightest color to the darkest.  The 
waxed areas get bent and the cracks or fractures allow the dye to 
penetrate leaving fine lines of color referred to as "crackle" or "ice". 
Janet refers to the crackle as the thumbprint of batik.  The wax is 
removed through ironing the fabric between newsprint which absorbs 
the wax.  The finished batik is drymounted onto foamcore, matted and 
framed." (taken from Janet's website)

Carmel Snowflake - a new piece by Janet

What impresses me more than the beauty of Janet's pieces is the fact that she is so prolific.  Some of these pieces take Jane more than 100 hours of work, yet she produces so many in such a sort period of time.  She must just eat, sleep, and batik.  

Silent Hunter - another new one

Wing Swept - the latest

Janet creates prints from her originals.  She produces 100 of each size.  After they are sold out - that is it.  There are a few of the prints that are no longer available.  Please check out her website for all of the amazing pieces that she has done.  http://www.janetsearfossbatiks.com/index.html

If you purchase from Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts, at 80 Hillsboro, Pittsboro, you will not pay the shipping and handling.  Also, Liquidambar has some of the prints that are no longer available on-line, such as:

Wind Break

Liquid Light

Clint leaving for the Army

As a mother I am having very mixed emotions today.  My youngest child, only boy, Clinton, left to join the U.S. Army.  This is not something new or sudden, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.  I guess I would feel the same if he was heading off to college like so many others are doing this week.  He is moving on to the next step of his life.

Clint taking the Army Oath.

Last Wednesday:

We celebrated by taking Clint, his girl friend, Chyanne, Nancy (my girl), her boyfriend, Andy, and John and I, out to Clint's favorite restaurant, Red Lobster. 



Me and Clint

Clint and Chyanne

Nancy and Andy

John and Me

Nancy put together a scrap book of old photos for Clint.  She then wrote different experiences they had together, some funny, some serious, some just remembering the good times spent together.  I thought this was the sweetest thing that anyone could do for him.  I know that he will treasure it forever.

Last night (Sunday):

 Nancy and I took Clinton to Raleigh for check-in at MEPS.  After check-in, they told him he had until 10:30pm to report back.  We decided to go out to dinner to spend a little bit of time together.

Nancy and Clint

Being silly

 

Looking good.

Then we still had time before he had to report, so we decided to head to down town Raleigh and go bowling.

Clint and his style

Andy keeping score - Yes, this bowling alley is old time.  You have to score your own!

Clint making up his score.

Me looking tired and Nancy looking beautiful.

Like Mother, like Son.

After a number of games, we had to head back to the hotel, so Clint could report in.  It ended up being a really good night.  We then hugged and said our good-byes.  

This morning the new recruits left on a bus for Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he will be in Basic Training for about 9 1/2 weeks.  Then onto Ft. Lee, Virginia for another 13 weeks and then to Ft. Benning, GA, for his final training.  I know that time will pass quickly and he will come back a man instead of the boy he is now.  But, I will miss him more than he will ever know while he is away.

Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce

I had a bummer crop of Jalapeno peppers come in yesterday.  This is about 2/3 of what I used. (Sorry the picture is sideways.)

Hot Peppers form my garden

JALAPEÑO PEPPER

The jalapeño is one of the most common types of peppers in the United States. Many people like this type of pepper because of its spicy yet not overwhelming taste. Jalapeño are usually either red or green and are about two to three inches long. Their Scoville Heat Index is typically around 5,000, however jalapeños can range anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000. These peppers, when used sparingly, add just the right amount of spicy flavor to most Mexican dishes. Many people also deep fry jalapeño which are stuffed with cheese for a tasty yet spicy appetizer.  http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/805359/types-of-hot-peppers

I decided that there was no way I would be able to use these before they went bad.  A good way is just to freeze them, but I always seem to forget whatever is hiding in my freezer.  I looked up a number of recipes, but didn't find anything that I really wanted to try.  Plus, I didn't have any Mangoes or Pawpaws in my fruit bowl to make a salsa.

I first cut them into small slices. (The picture shows about 1/3 of the total peppers that I used.)

And then I added a cup of sugar and a cup of vinegar and three large cloves of finely cut garlic.  I just let that simmer for about an hour.  I strained most of the liquid out, only because I wanted it to be more meaty.  Then I put it into a glass jar.

This must be refrigerated, but it will keep pretty much forever.  The hottness and flavor will get better with time.  This is a great sauce to use with Bourbon stir-fry chicken.  Be careful, it is very HOT!  I know that it is just Jalapenos, but look at all the seeds just waiting.

July Featured Artists at Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts

It has been so busy in the shop that I haven't had time to write a blog lately.  But, I did want to invite everyone to the opening reception for Warner Hyde and John Mecham.  It is on July 3rd, from 2-4pm, at Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts, 80 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC. 

Warner was my very first featured artist back in October when we first opened the shop.  This time will be a new body of work.  He will be showing his traditional wood-fired ceramic pieces that he created at a workshop a few weeks ago.  I don't have any pictures yet, but will post some as soon as I get some.

(And for you that do not know, John is my husband)  John has been working hard at creating 13 different hand-tinted photographs. This one is called, "McLeod's Dream".  He starts will a black and white photograph that he process the "old-fashioned" way and then he takes oils and hand tints the color.  None of it is computerized.  It is a very tedious process.

At the reception John Kincheloe will be playing the Native American Flute.  He has a variety of flutes that he plays.  He will also have CDs for sale.

Come listen to some great music, see some wonderful art, have a glass of wine and visit with the great people!

In addition to the opening it is First Sunday in Pittsboro.  That means there will be art vendors set up along the street, a band, and food vendors.  It starts at Noon and lasts till 4pm.

Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts

MARCH Featured Artists at Liquidambar Gallery

I wanted to let everyone know that we will be having an artist’s reception at Liquidambar Gallery and Gifts on March 6th, 2-4pm. Everyone is welcome to come and meet this month’s artists.

The two-dimensional artist is Erik Dahlager. His photographs are printed using the gum-oil transfer method. These are incredibly beautiful and a little haunting. www.erikd.com

An excerpt from his website on the Gumoil Process, "In the early 1990's the gumoil printing process was developed by Karl P Koenig and is not to be comfused with similar pre-modern processes such as gum bichromate, gum color, oil and bromoil printing.  The gumoil process consists of several steps: first a positive transparency is contact printed onto gum-coated watercolor paper.  Black oil paint is then worked into the paper. followed by etching the print in a bleach bath.  Colored oils can now be worked into the paper followed by a final etching to remove any gum and reveal the white highlights.  The process is crude and far removed from modern technology, and although the same image may be printed many times again, the results are different with each print."

I am unable to post one of his photos here, but please visit his website to see them - www.erikd.com



The three-dimensional featured artist is Douglas Trimble. "It's all in the curves." He creates lovely pieces of fine furniture.

His Artist Statement:

"Wood is alive and has a spirit and I strive to bring that spirit into a form that is meaningful.

In my early years the wood forms took shape into functional pieces. As I evolved as a creator with wood then came the evolution into curves and artistic depth. Experimenting with woods from around the world, I bring together the functional, the playful and the sensual into unique pieces."