Yabba-Dabba-Don't Let Me Drink any More Coffee...

"Papa Luigi Waits" Cara*Acrylic on Canvas Teeny Mini Painting

I had a Wonder-Tastic time last night at the Craft Council fundraiser dinner "Misty Moon". I sat with the darlings, had quite a few laughs and learned all sorts of interesting things from the Shagger on my left. If the stuffed pork could talk, the mashed potatoes would have blushed for days! This morning...coffee,coffee,coffee....nom,nom,nom! I can now drive home to Upper Island Cove without the jeep as I have had at least 17 mugs of VERY strong joe (each one a heavy-weight). I can drive home just like Fred Flinstone (SHE says I have his feet anyways!) When I get home, me and my tuckered feet can take the brontosaurus for a walk...and Rosie, too!

P.S.

The Follower of the month is......LORI WHITE

Please send Fred your home address and he will send you a t-shirt!

Detail "In So Deep" by Cara and Pam

A Picture IS Worth 1000 words....

Blanche D. is always hanging around....
There is a serious love triangle brewing between Blanche D., Stanley and The Wee Italian. It seems that Blanche  can't  keep away from either of the fellows. Jealousy  is rearing it's ugly, green head and The Italian is making plans to catnap Blanche and whisk her back to his homeland. Big Fat BooBoo has volunteered to help all of them pack their bags.

"Crabby Cat#1" Stool by Cara Kansala
Yesterday, She sat down at the computer and saw that  I had  taken some new  photos. She was quite concerned and somewhat curious about the file titled "Stool.Sample.jpeg" . Needless, to say, I have stopped using the word "sample" in my photo descriptions. Mama Mia.

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My New Painting Space is coming along!
SHE is doing a fabu-tastic, amazing, wow-arama job on the new studio space and I can't wait to move in!! It  is quite high up in the clouds and will be even higher once the 2nd storey loft is added...hello sunshine! The railing is extra high (She thought this was a good idea as both Rose and I are balance-challenged).SHE wonders if they make some sort of life vests  for people who are just walking around on the ground. ...something that would inflate when rapid downward motion is detected. Like an airbag sweatsuit or even an airbag safety cardigan. I fall. Often.

Classes on Making Sad Puppy Eyes Will Be Starting Next Week.....

Image: "Waiting For Supper" by Cara & Pam /Hand-Carved/Mixed Media
This is one of the works we donated this year to the SPCA Gala Dinner! The SPCA is one of our favourite charities and a lot of our family members have strong ties to the organization. Blanche is one of their many success stories. If I lived closer to town, I would love to volunteer at the shelter. SHE says She wouldn't let me due to the fact that I can make really sad puppy dog eyes and someone might adopt me and take me home. Then She wouldn't have anyone to make her lemon pasta or baked tomato chicken. I am a valuable asset to her tummy and taste buds.
I am thinking though, I COULD go to the shelter once a week and give a class to the puppies on eye rolling, batting your eyelashes and looking generally pathetic, desperate and sweet! It works for me...that's how I always get Her to drive WAY out of the way for Starbucks Chai!
Help when you can to support the darling SPCA! After all, animals are just little furry people that walk on all fours!

One of My Legs is Definitely Longer Than the Other......

"The Juggler" by Cara *acrylic on wood

There was a lovely lady at the gallery the other day and I hope she was pulling my leg. 
Lovely Lady: Does Blanche belong to Rose?
Me: Yes!
Lovely Lady: Is Rose the mother of Blanche?
Me: Yes!
Lovely Lady: So, Rose HAD Blanche? I didn't know that you could cross breed goats and cats.
Me: .......................................................................
Lovely Lady: They have the same markings too!
Me: Well, Rose is more of an adoptive mother.
Lovely Lady ignores me and points to Vinnie, one of the backyard Raggle Taggle Gypsy-o Cats....is he the father then?
Rose and I both roll our eyes and hope our legs are being pulled......#1, because we both know that goats can't have kittens and #2, because Rose would NEVER go on a date with Vinnie.
Me: Well, I guess he COULD be the father, in a funny sort of world!
Lovely Lady: YES! I guess he could!

When she left, I thought my right leg felt a little bit longer. Either that or Rose and her 'off'-spring may soon be featured in National Geographic.

Don't Fence Me In........

New painting studio foundation overlooking Rose Cottage!

Rose Nylund's First Steps

I haven't written all week because I have been very busy teaching Rose Nylund to walk upright. I have also  been helping HER mix 46 bags of cement for my new painting studio/fairy house! SHE is calling it "Cara's Barn" as it overlooks Rose Cottage. She has also threatened to make me a pen similar to Rose's with a gate and a lock, just like Rose's. I have taken great offense to this as I considered myself to be a terrific help with the mixification of all that cement. She said that there was more cement on my shoes and pant legs than in the foundation holes. I told HER that it is impossible to mix so much cement without getting mucky. She pointed at her own shoes and pants (clean at the time). Five minutes later I left my shovel in a "not very clever spot", She stepped on the end, tripped, caught Herself on the mixer and ended up with cement all over Her clothes and shoes. "See," I said, as I ran towards the house laughing, "impossible NOT to get covered in cement!"

* Note: I say I "ran" towards the house, but it was more of a slow hobble. I WAS covered in dry, hard cement, after all.

Home Again, Home AGAIN, Jiggedy Jig!

Could you ask for a more beautiful place to work?
Grenfell Cottage, Battle Harbour 

Battle Harbour sunset from  the cottage we were staying in.

Wow! Home again after the most amazing adventure since time began! We traveled over 2500km and explored some of the most beautiful parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. We had a magical time in Battle Harbour and I can't wait to write all about it and share our photographs. We were even dropped off on an abandoned island for an afternoon and fed a family of arctic foxes! Rose wanted to bring one of the babies home in her bag but I explained that they might not get along very well once the fox got older.....
Thank you so very much to the wonderful people on Battle Island who made our stay so amazing and to the friends who came with us and others we met along the way. Truly fantastic! 
(SHE did all of the driving and I was the DJ. She did not inspect my play lists before we departed and almost strangled me as I tortured Her with Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow (I am a fan-ilow), Cool and the Gang, Abba and Wham. WHAT? "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a classic. Isn't it?

Caribou Island...This family of arctic foxes lives in an abandoned school house.

SHE just inspected my blog before I published and informed me that there is NO such thing as a "cloven of foxen".  HHmph. I thought it was 1 fox, 2 foxes, 3 foxen, then cloven of foxen. I am shocked. Also, I apologize to all of my ESL students in the Czech Republic who may or may not be walking around talking about clovens of foxen. SHE says I am mixed up because a woman fox is called a "vixen". I COULD claim this to be the cause of my confusion but I did not know that. I thought a vixen was a kind of snake. I should probably stick to painting and stay away from English teaching. To quote Manuel from Fawlty Towers "I CAN Speak English, I learned it from a boook!"

A Toe-Tally Amazing Trip is Underway!

On Wednesday night I was packing for our artist-in-residence trip to Battle Harbour, Labrador.

HER: Why do you have a barbell on the floor.

Me: I am using it to keep the door open.

HER: I think you should move it, you are going to trip over it.

Me: UUUGGH, I am not 5 years old....you are always telling me what to do.

5 minutes later I am rolling on the floor in agonizing pain.

HER: Watcha doin'?

Me: mmmyyy foooot....

HER: Hmmm....looks like you've broken a toe..or two. Maybe three. One of them is pointing at the ceiling and the others are pointing at the floor. Do you want me to wait to say I told you so or say it now and get it over with?

Me: Nooowww.

HER: I told you so.

SO...off we went on Friday morning. Me and my broken toes tucked cozily into the yellow peril, Rosie and her purse full of Purina Goat Chow in the back. Our ferry was cancelled today due to rollicking rough seas so we all went up to L'Anse Aux Meadows. ICEBERGS! VIKINGS! HOORAY! To make matters even better, we were joined up here by Scout and Howdoyoudo Darling and we dined and wined like kings and queens at The Norseman. Yummaroo!

Tomorrow we all  ferry to Labrador and I can only imagine what adventures we'll have! I won't be able to blog for 6 days, so stay tuned for more from Rose and The Grumpy Goat Gallery!

"L'Anse aux Meadows" by Cara Kansala

Rose sees her first iceberg!