Filed under: Arizona, Art, Blogging, Phoenix | Tags: Arizona, Art, Blogging, Phoenix
I’m a little oven squirrel
to help you with hot racks.
Use my ear to pull them out,
under my chin to push them back.
Yes, it’s time for my Second Blogiversary Giveaway! And this handmade (not by me) oven squirrel is part of the prize package for one lucky (?) winner. My last couple of posts have been about spring and, in spring, the woodland creatures happily scamper about after a long, cold winter. In honor of spring, the rest of the prize package is this lovely handmade (also not by me) woodland creatures potholder:
With this prize package, you will be equipped to deal with all your spring baking safely. My actual blogiversary was February 13th but I was busy posting heart and valentine-related posts and I also didn’t know what to combine with the oven squirrel but now this potholder is winging its way to me in the next couple of days to complete the woodland creatures theme. I will also include one or two small photo prints that will be made by me, just so I have a hand in this giveaway…and they probably won’t be of woodland creatures.
For last year’s blogiversary giveaway, my cat Google chose the winners (there were 2 prize packages last year). Once again, either he or one of my other cats will choose the one winner this year. Everyone may enter…it doesn’t matter if you’re a regular reader, or if you have a blog, or if you’re a previous winner, or if I know you in real life, or if you don’t bake things: almost everyone uses their oven sometimes. But I must restrict the winner to the continental US (sorry, international bakers and squirrel lovers). Winners will be chosen on Saturday, March 5th…UNLESS I have less than 10 entries, in which case, the contest will not end until there are at least 10 entries.
The oven squirrel has been my favorite gift-giving item since Thanksgiving. Several of my relatives and friends have received one since. We use ours all the time. I got the squirrels at one of my favorite local Phoenix stores, Practical Art, where everything is functional and handmade in Arizona. The squirrels were made by Tom Hewitt of Payson, AZ. I’m not sure who made the potholder but it is new and coming from New York.
So join in the fun! Get ready to bake some spring goodies. If you want to leave a comment but definitely don’t want a squirrel in your life, please indicate that.
I want you to know
how carefully
I watered the tender shoots
you planted
in my little garden.
Flowers now adorn the ground
the fruits are ripe
Come
bring a strongly woven basket
and bring with you also
the finest palm wine
that your expert tapping
can brew
we must feast and wine
till the small hours
of our short days together.
Joy and love
shall be our daily
harvest songs.
~Micere Githae Mugo (Kenya)
Filed under: Arizona, Home, Phoenix | Tags: Arizona, Flora, Home, Phoenix
A bud and its buddy (above). Spring comes early to the low desert in Arizona. Signs of spring in my yard…
I think this may be a “volunteer” California Pepper Tree. Our neighbor across the street has one that he planted and this one appeared a year or so ago in our yard. They grow fast and large. I’m not sure it’s in a good location to grow very big, though.
We have tons of aloe in our yard.
The bud above is on the pomegranate bush.
We have a huge crop of dandelions right now. I thought the couple of freezes we had this year might wipe them out but there are more than ever. Today it’s raining so they’ll be even more plentiful. I don’t mind a few but they’re out of hand. I don’t like to use toxins, though, because of all the cats. Does anyone know a natural method of getting rid of them…other than actually yanking them out one by one?
Spring is coming. Do you have any signs yet?
Filed under: Valentines | Tags: Flora, Global Community, Greater Good, Photoshop, Valentines
Be my blogosphere valentine…all of you. This free texture is from Kim Klassen. Do you enjoy using textures? I think they’re really pretty when other people do them (seems to be a female thing) but I always have a hard time choosing how much of the texture to show through, it looks good every way to me but then I’m never happy with my final product.
My glass heart valentine series is almost complete. Yay!
I found a great article on another blog entitled 16 Charitable Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day. Of course, you can do these anytime and the author reminded me that February 14th also starts Random Act of Kindness Week. Check out the RAK website where they suggest an Act of Kindness each day that you can participate in if you feel like it.
Happy Valentine’s Day!…however/whether or not you celebrate it.
