Flurries

Now, it looks like Christmas! Two days ago, we received several inches of snow. Yesterday, it was 38 degrees and beautiful. My mom checked the forecast for today and they said the forecast called for flurries most of the day. We woke up to a winter wonderland of an additional 8 inches of fluffy picture perfect powder, here in Whitefield. Not sure what they got in other parts of the state. It doesn't matter because I don't have to shovel "elsewhere". Now, I can get out and get those postcard shots of deep drifts of fresh clean snow piled up against the edge of a log cabin or a post and rail fence nearly buried with the just a hint of the Christmas light glowing beneath. Sounds beautiful, doesn't it? We'll see once I find those things...

Press Coverage

Wow! It isn't often that I find myself being mentioned in the local newspapers so you can imagine my surprise when I found my name twice in the same issue. I was browsing through the Great Northwoods Journal issue of December 5th and there I was on page seven in an article about Birds Of A Feather in Lancaster, NH. The article talks about all the crafters in general. In fact, it was only my name listed among the others. That was enough. I continued to read and when I reached the final page, there I was again. This time, it was an article about how a group of crafter who had previously displayed at the Rocks Christmas Tree Farm are holding their own event at the Eagles' Club in Bethlehem. It was a nice article which included a photo of Jerry Landry, aka Stumpy, with his snowmen made from recycled wood. In this article, I had a whole sentence. It was great!!!!

Update on FaceBook

WOW, I was just rereading a post from March or April and realized I'd better give an update on my FaceBook page. I quickly realized the social networking that is at the heart of a site like this had gotten out of had by adding just one game to the site. It's called "Mafia Wars" and over 4 million people play every day. It's a fun game and I got hooked by that same friend who turned me on to FaceBook in the first place. So, since I now have more than 2,000 "friends" and my real family and friends can't get a word in edgewise, I decided to set up a new FaceBook page for my business, family and friends, NO MAFIA WARS ALLOWED. LOL! The new site can be accessed by searching for me under my maiden name Valerie Mooers Hill or by typing in a separate e-mail account I set up, photolady1@hotmail.com This is a dummy e-mail address just for FaceBook so don't try to e-mail to me anything there. I can still be reached for photography related stuff at info@photo-sensitivity.com For some reason FaceBook didn't recognize that as an actual e-mail destination. I would love to have my loyal readers join me there. When requesting me as a friend just put photo-sensitivity in the message section. I'll get the hint.

"NOT THE ROCKS" Craft fair in full swing

The title deserves some explanation. For the past seven years, I've been at the SPNHF Rocks Estate Christmas Tree Farm for three weekends following Thanksgiving. I was among a select group of 14 unique artisans with NH products and gift ideas. The event had been going on for about 15 years and out of the blue last January we all received a letter informing us the "board" had decided to go another way with the space and were not inviting us back. SO, my friend Zelda Gonyer, who makes the best jams, jellies, pickles and preserves in the North Country, decided we would have our own event. We rented the Eagles' Hall in Bethlehem which just happens to be at the entrance to the Rocks driveway. We're very fortunate because we have more space, better lighting, indoor plumbing and heat. The barns at the Rocks were cold and drafty on the best of days. We have a bunch of signage and an "angel" up at the Rocks is telling people who come in and ask about us where we are. Today there were over 100 people, repeat customers, who came because they visit us every year. And we didn't disappoint!!!! We'll be there on Dec 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th. Come by and say HI!!!!

I Have Been SOOOOO Bad

I was just signing up for this new service called ArtSpider which will go on line later this fall and the application asked for a blog site. It was at that moment that I realized I haven't done any blogging since April. I've thought about it a couple of times but when I gave it a bit more thought, I didn't really have anything positive to say. Maybe that's the point! My photography is a part of me and with the economy the way it's been, in a downward spiral, I've also found myself in a downward spiral. My husband, Carl would call it depression. Since he's not medically certified, I'll disagree with him.

Here's what I'd call it: When I'm "UP", I'll grab my camera, hop into the truck and drive around, stopping when I see something interesting. I'll travel back roads where I have no idea where they'll come out or how I'll even find them another time. This has always served me well in the past. Some days I get great results while others not so much. Now, in the "DOWN" times with higher gas prices, I don't feel I should spend the money to drive nowhere for no purpose to accomplish nothing. During "UP" times, my work would be selling well, shows would have hordes of people stopping by to chat and business cards would be flying off the table. Last week, a "DOWN" time, I handed out just 4 cards, sold half of what I'd sold the previous year and had just 2 conversations with passersby about my work. Most walkers shoved their hands deeper into their pockets and continued their aimless stroll past my tent. I won't continue on. I only meant to point out why I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I think it will get better. I think during the next few months, the "Christmas" season, people will be more likely to buy and then their will be nothing.

One last thing and then I'll get off my soap box. We've had a lot of construction in Whitefield and that has shaken up the wildlife. I managed to capture the image of a beautiful bear in Twin Mountain who was becoming a regular visitor until they mowed the field he was grazing in. That was a bummer. My bull moose is still in hiding. I'm getting the feeling he'll be growing that rack for another year and I didn't get my kayak so there are still no Loon photos in my inventory. Don't even get me started about the hummingbirds. I'll just have to wait until next year for that one, too......

A Wildlife Parade

I'd forgotten how much wonder nature holds for those who either have become distant to it's charms or hardened by the rigors of living away from "civilization". Case In Point. As some of you may know, we put an addition on the side of our house last year for my mom to live in. For the past 25 years or so, she's been living in an urban setting. Now she lives in the middle of 15 acres of woodland at the end of a 1/4 mile private dirt road, virtually in the pucker brush. Over the past week or so, she has been treated morning and night to a never ending and truly fascinating parade of wildlife. It started one evening with a pair of yearling does. Our variety is white tailed deer. The very next evening it was the fattest porcupine I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. The following day it was a partridge strutting his stuff to attract a mate. The next day we were visited in the middle of the day by a young buck who decided to nibble on my husband's day lilies shoots that are above the ground by a good 4 inches. Yesterday, early in the morning, we had the pleasure of watching a 2-3 year old doe grazing on the lawn for a while and she returned that evening as well. During the winter, we had a beautiful red fox visit to feed on some cracked corn we'd put out for just that purpose. Now, she's wondering what's next. I've pointed out that there is a real possibility for both moose and bear to wander out of the woods. She says she doesn't mind anything but she doesn't want to turn the corner of our house when she's out walking and run into a skunk. She's game for anything else.

The Final Straw

To say that it's been a rough winter would be an understatement. With unemployment running rampant, food and fuel prices climbing higher and higher and more troubles on the horizon, it's time for a change, don't you think? Well, I thought so. I spent the entire month of February sick and most of March trying to shake the winter blahs. Here it is April and I've seen my first beautiful crocuses on the front lawn. YEAH!!!!!! The grass tips are fighting their way up through the dead duff of last year, the birds are starting to get frisky, moose are on the move and the snowbanks are almost a thing of the past, on the edge of the road that is. Deep inside the forest, the snow is still just exactly that- deep. And, out of the blue, I fought a toothache all weekend. The tooth had been repaired several times and the last time, the dentist said it might be the last. he must be some kind of prophet. Monday, I'm in his chair and he's pulling it out. I hate dentists and hate loosing teeth even more. Today, I feel lousy. My jaw hurts just a little less than it did with the tooth in it, I have to be careful of everything I eat and drink, no soda and very little brushing. My mouth tastes like a war zone and I lost. I'll be so glad when the weekend gets here. We're going to work in the studio and get the camper out of the mud, ready for the season which starts on the last weekend of the month, the three day Maple Sugar Festival in St Albans, VT. I'll be there. Hope to see you there as well.