Lawnmower Lady

With a hat like this, mowing the lawn is a fashion statement, not a task. I might complain a lot about winter, but I also keep telling myself, At least I don't have to mow the lawn!

Patio Princess

I can't wait until I can be a Patio Princess. First I'll need warm weather. (what is that?) Next I'll need a patio. (no money for that) I'll need to be a bit taller and a lot thinner. (impossible) On second thought, perhaps I could just be a regular Princess.

Mulch Mama

I know we are not into raking leaves right now, but I feel like I need some bright colors, and this chartreuse background is really perking me up. Winter can get so...monochromatic. This illustration is a continuation of the "Garden Girls" series that I began posting a while back.

Happy Trails To You

Time for the annual winter photo! Here's my backyard. Here's my confused little dog. Here's to never having to shovel again this winter. Not only do I shovel my driveway (double wide of course), a winding sidewalk up to my front door and a very long path for the postman across my lawn which is an entire vacant lot..I also shovel paths for miss Suzi-Q because she is so short she can barely get her head above the snow! You can imagine the difficulties she faces in doing her "chores". I still maintain spring is coming, although it does seem very far away!

Garden Goddess

In spite of certain doubting relatives living in Fargo, ND, I will hold fast to my promise that spring will come by posting yet another of my t-shirt illustrations from yesteryear. This one entitled Garden Goddess was one of my favorites.

Compost Queen

Years ago I designed a series of t-shirts with silly illustrations on the front. They were very popular - apparently silly is good! We need more silly! I called them my Garden Girls. In the middle of this winter, as I look out my window at the falling snow, I'm thinking...spring. Spring will come. We can wear our t-shirts and garden once again.

Bedtime Reading

Kids love storytelling and a good bedtime story. Kindles and Nooks are popular now, so it was only a matter of time before kids got their equivalent - this preliminary drawing done three years ago was for a Christmas catalog advertising a reading/interactive toy.

Beehives and accordions

Remember beehives? Of course you don't. Remember Lawrence Welk and the popularity of the accordion? Of course you don't.

Well, unfortunately I do remember these icons. My grandparents were glued to their black and white TV every Saturday night watching the Lawrence Welk program. Lawrence had his band behind him in their chartreuse green dinner jackets, surrounded by the glow of the pink curtains in the background and then of course you had those lemon yellow matching outfits of the Lemon Sisters, I mean the Lennon Sisters. That program must be one of the oldest running programs around. Every Saturday night my dad, who is almost 101, turns on his TV to watch a little polka dancing, a little tap dancing, all to the tunes of Lawrence's band.

And beehive hairdos,....well, that's when you would "rat" your hair. Enuf said about that.

This is an illustration for the sixties project I mentioned in a previous post.

God's Frozen People

Here in Minnesota, we are, as Garrison Keillor stated, "God's Frozen People". Our native celebrities the Coen Brothers famously concluded that Minnesota was just "like Siberia, with more family style restaurants". Today, factoring the windchill, it is minus 45 degrees. Since water freezes at 32 degrees, it feels like we are 77 degrees below freezing, which is colder than Mars. I am not bragging here, I am wailing ..... BOO HOO I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE!!! But then I listen to the news and everywhere else has it's own set of problems and most are worse than mine! I'll just hunker down and work inside because I am lucky and have heat and food and the great great benefit of being able to work at home. The most important thing about today though, is my little short haired dog, who cannot stand the cold, is pee-pad trained! YES!

P.S. I did not create this hilarious illustration, and I wish I could give the illustrator credit but I can't read the signature on the side! If anyone knows, I would be happy to publish the name!

Flower Power

It's the first part of the year, and I'm making an attempt to organize my files. I came across some sketches I did last year for a project that never did materialize, but I enjoyed creating the Sixties characters!