Last Spring, I saved a baby tree swallow after his birdhouse was attacked. I took "Pipsqueak" to a rehab center in Vermont. Pipsqueak adopted a baby Blue Jay (Gupper) as his mother. Who could resist drawing this adorable couple ??

Cardinal

Here is my latest interest; colored pencil drawings of backyard birds. I have completed four and plan to continue. Boxed cards of my birds are for sale at the Birds of Vermont Museum. It is a picturesque museum featuring hundreds of carved birds by the curator Bob Spear (now 90 years old and still carving). The original of this cardinal drawing sold during Open Studio over Memorial Day Weekend to another bird lover and artist.

Dscovery

A pencil drawing of my black lab discovering blueberries and that my 3-year old daughter would feed them to him.

IF: Citrus

I just sketched this from a photo I took at the NY Museum of Natural History Butterfly show over 8 years ago. I still remember the fabulous contrast of colors as the butterflies landed on slices of oranges everywhere.

IF: Remember

I love to use my art to remember my children when they were younger. This is my 9-year old spending her first birthday at the beach. I painted this on the plane last week using watercolor pencils.

IF: Polar

When my 9 year old daughter saw the "Polar" prompt, she asked me to submit her painting of a baby Emperor penguin.

She sold personalized penguin cards at a Christmas craft fair and made over $120 ($1 each). She donated part of it a local veterinarian's rescue fund.

I hope she keeps painting.

IF:Fortune --- True Story of a Baby Hippo & Tortoise Friendship

This week's prompt, Fortune, inspired me to draw the Orphaned Baby Hippo (Owen) who adopted a 130 year old Tortoise (Mzee) after the 2004 Tsunami. At first, Mzee did not want to be Owen's "mother," but Owen persisted and by the end of their first night, the two were found snuggled up together. It is good fortune that Owen met Mzee and they were to become unlikely friends.

You can find out more by typing their names on the WEB. They are at Haller Park Sanctuary in Africa. It is a heartwarming story that my daughters' introduced me to.

IF: GREEN