Winter Hiking In The Snow

We had a little snow storm here in North West Indiana last week. Since the dogs had been house bound for too many days in a row it was the perfect time to take a late afternoon trip to one of our favorite hiking locations.














The snow coming down and sunset coming soon made me feel with certainty that the dogs could run free. I did not think anyone else would be out trying to enjoy a blast of cold winter calling.













I was right and we were able to hike with our dogs running free.












I had to take my camera. It was cold and my fingers got real cold but I could not pass up an opportunity to photograph the snow.











It got dark fast but it did not seem to matter. The dogs sure did not mind. I kept trying to take their picture but they would not stop to pose.












We walked all the way around the trail that goes around the lake. It takes about an hour in the kind of weather we were experiencing. It was peaceful.









Foster and Jack did their best to hunt down something to chase without much luck, so they chased each other. I really wanted to get their photos taken in the snowy night so Cheryl snatched them up, one by one and made them pose.















Holding still was not a part of their agenda. There was busy hunting.







By the time we made the river I was ready to start tracking back to the van. Dinner time was calling and my stomach felt like answering. It was nice to go for a hike in the snow, in the dark. The white ground made it easy to find our way back through the woods and across the boardwalk to the parking lot.











The snow was coming down and we were heading home.

2009 Closing, Happy New Year

Just a couple more days and we will close the page on the year 2009. It is sad to watch another one end but it is also a time for hope and faith.
Take a look at what the year 2009 had to offer and learn from it. Like any other year there are always good times and bad times. It is part of the cycle. Life would be a bore if everything was perfect all of the time.
I injured my knee last spring and it put a halt on much of my physical activity. That was bad. The good thing is I sold some of my jewelry creations, made lots of friends on FaceBook, gained some weight and learned to slow down.



Oh yeah! And we got a new roof on the house.



I really do not recall a lot of bad things. I like to let them go. Holding on to negative things in my life never really did me much good. My Mother always taught us to remember the good things and let the bad things go. That was one of her best lessons. I want to share that with everyone.



Try to learn something from things you deem as bad in your life. Turn it in to something useful. I always enjoy making something out of nothing so... When it is bad and you turn it around...WOW. That is one of the best somethings out of nothing you can do.



I lost most of the material things in my life to a major flood in 2008. It was a bad, sad thing. My Adrift Art Studio was wiped out. All of my tools and materials from as far back as 1970 were wasted in the water. It could have been the devastation of my life. Could have been but....NO. I decided to let it go. Turn it around.



Adrift Art Studio survived. You see it is in my heart and in my dreams. I can not let my dreams go. All I could do was start over. Last January my sister Sepi suggested that I start making jewelry to help rebuild my studio. She shined a little light on my creative needs and from there we started a jewelry line and opened a store, Handcrafted Jewelry USA.



2010 holds a lot of promise. The jewelry created at Adrift Art Studio is taking on more attitude and growth is in the making. We have a lot of positive energy and feel good about the upcoming year. Life is good. There is always room to make it better and we intend to do that.



Thanks to everyone who helped and supported my dreams. I am looking forward to bringing in a new year and celebrating the passing of the old one. Happy New Year to everyone, be blessed and be positive, it is an energy that grows in the share.

New Writing Agenda

I recently decided to expand my writing to include eHow.com as a place to publish. I like the idea of publishing for eHow because it fills a gap in my desire to share some tips and knowledge I have gained over the years.



I would like to invite you to read one or two of my 2 first articles published on eHow.com. They are each written about subjects that should come in handy during this Holiday Season. Post comments and rate me if you want. All help from my friends and fans will be highly regarded.
Thanks so much, Seasoned Greetings!

Winter Setting In With The Christmas Holidays Coming

Christmas is just around the week's corner. The weather is doing it's turn to make the holidays look and feel like Winter though there is a day or so left of a calender call for Autumn. It is mostly past, as is this year. Time is pushing forward with the usual pace. Tick tock, tick tock.





It has been a different sort of year for many. Jobs were lost, businesses closed, people moaned, some celebrated a black US president, some moaned for that too. Life goes on, time does not stand still. People died, people go on living, some complain, some don't.





I took a walk with a friend and my dogs yesterday just to get out of the house. I love the outdoors. It was cold and gray. We went to Oxbow in Hammond, Indiana. The river bends and twists there and they have turned it in to a nice park. I like to go there. The dogs do too.
The dogs were happy to get outside too. They have been too cooped up with our lives so busy this time of year. They needed a break from the cushion. I did too. The office gets old after hours on the computer. I do not care if it is work or playing Farmville. It still gets old. It is good for the spirit to take a long walk.





It is especially good if you can include a bit of rugged ground, some tall trees and a river bank. I did not mind that the river was frozen still. The surface frozen over does not mean it was not moving. Under the ice the water pushes on. It has a place to go. Adrift.





Cold days like this one make my heart feel a certain warmth. The grayest sky holds hope. The contrast of a dark tree line against the cloudy horizon is a sign. Winter is fast upon us. It makes me mark my faith. Change is in the air. We can always count on change.





Nothing stays the same even though it might appear to be. Change is constant. Tick tock, tick tock. It is as constant as Mother Nature. I do so love the outdoors. The cold made my nose run. The icy wind made my eyes tear. The walk made me feel warm with life. Frozen water on the ground but only at the surface. There was much mud to contend with. The Earth was not frozen beneath my feet, but soon to be. Winter is fast approaching.

Read About Free Christmas Gift Ideas

Being a creative type of spirit I just could not help but write this article to make suggestions for others. I know that this year has been hard on a lot of people with a slow economy. That is why I decided to show everyone how they could manage finding ways to get free Christmas gifts. Read the article and you too can find the perfect free Christmas gift for anyone on your Christmas Gifting List.

Lust An Original Artwork By C.S. Alexis

Wood burning, also known as Pyrographics, is a favorite medium for C.S. Alexis. She has sold many of her finished pieces across the country. Her favorite subject matter is working on driftwood.
The driftwood is always unusual in and of itself. That makes it quite a challenge to preserve the beauty of the original piece of wood and use the natural spirit in the piece to create a special work of art. Working on driftwood is magical and mysterious and C.S. loves it.



This piece is especially nice with a dark and fiery freedom that one might only know in the privacy of the bedroom. It pushes and pulls you to look at the detail in the work. Nothing said, nothing spoken but all understanding.



It is raw but not. The elegance and passion is all there and then some. This one should go to someone who truly appreciates fine art. It is offered in our eBay shop, Handcrafted Jewelry USA, and ready to adorn some unsuspecting place in the heart of a certain home.

Love Slave Chain Bracelet

Some of the artwork I create touches me in ways I find hard to explain. Then there is love. I believe that joy in living comes from the deepest emotions that love for anything and everything has to offer. "It is all about the love".... That is something I feel with strength. Love is the force that makes good things happen.

I have been working hard in my Adrift Art Studio trying to produce unique pieces of jewelry that will somehow touch people in a way that makes them feel good, feel special and feel proud to wear. That is what wearing jewelry is all about. It is suppose to decorate the person, adorn them in a special way.

So I have been making what is known as "slave bracelets" and it seems there are quite a few people out there shopping on eBay, who are interested in these pieces. I have actually been selling a few in our shop, Handcrafted Jewelry USA. That makes me feel good. So my creativity is working overtime and I come up with one particular slave bracelet that touches me more than the rest. This one speaks for those who are a Love Slave.

I think it is special because of the single bead that adorns it. It is a blue glass, tear drop shaped bead that represents the beauty that all "Love" holds within it's heart. Love is beautiful and it is so beautiful that the goodness of love can bring a tear drop to your eye. Yes, Love can make you cry and it is the kind of crying that warms your heart and all the hearts that come in to contact with just, such emotion.



This one is special to me. Not sure if I explained it right, but those of you who know love will understand what I am trying to say.