February Newspaper Column

No new art to post yet. Had a couple of things in the works that didn't work out.... but they were good practice! Starting a couple of new pieces and hopefully will have something to post before too much longer.

In the meantime, here's this month's newspaper column.

A Tale from the Family Tree: Ed, Jim and the Still in the Woods

I can tell this tale because those involved live only in the memories of the people who knew them, or knew of them. I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, having never met the participants, nor was I witness to the events I am about to relate, but the basic facts are as I tell them to you today. The names have been changed to protect the innocent... and the otherwise.

Those of you who are acquainted with my husband know that he is a great story teller and loves nothing more than an entertaining tale that captivates an audience. This follows a custom thousands of years old. In days of old, when the average person could neither read nor write, family traditions and legends were passed on to younger generations through the art of storytelling. At some point, as literacy became the norm, a family member usually committed the stories to paper to preserve them and to make them more widely available. Which brings us back to the hubby and his stories. After several years of hearing all kinds of colorful tales, I thought I should follow custom and ink the tales before they disappeared like a wisp of smoke on the breeze. 'Course, some stories remain better unpublished, and those we allow to settle into quiet obscurity. But others, like today’s story, is one that could never happen in our day and time because things have changed so much, and if for no other reason than that, this tale merits preservation.

The "gentleman" in our story today is a few generations back in the family tree. I enclosed the word gentleman in quotes because, since it’s my hubby’s family I’m making an effort to be polite. Truth is, "rascal", "scoundrel" or "scalawag" would be much more suitable, both for the family member and the employee he hires. But on to the story.

As you know, country folk are generally a hardy, independent and resourceful lot. In days gone by, folks purchased far less "store bought" goods than they do today, especially during the Great Depression, which is when our story begins. Money and goods were scarce. Most families either made it themselves, grew it themselves, or did without. This self-sufficiency not only saw them through tough times, but was also a point of pride. Folks were satisfied, even smug, in their knowledge that homemade was tastier, more tender, or stronger, than store bought. This held true for everything from sausage and hams from the smokehouse to mustard greens and corn from the garden to. . . stump hole liquor from the still in the woods. Yessir, buddy. Nothing like that old timey shine. Store bought stuff wouldn’t touch it... folks with good sense wouldn’t either. Like a lot of homemade products it was versatile- you could drink it, or you could run your car or tractor off it.

Making moonshine ("shine") was at one time an activity engaged in by a surprising number of people. Bootleg liquor has been the basis for more than one family fortune. The profits from such a venture were substantial enough to tempt a lot of folks, both city dwellers and rural.

Which brings us back to the family member in our story (who we'll call "Ed"). Ed and some kinfolk decided to get in on the liquor business. Make a little money and manufacture a supply of liquid encouragement for Saturday night get togethers. Ed, his brothers, and a couple of cousins, soon became quite proficient at the distilling process, enough so that a delivery person was needed so they could concentrate on production. They already had a man picked out... one Jim Riverton of Jaspersonville who had a reputation as fast thinker and nobody’s fool. Times were lean and dollars were scarce so Jim was enthusiastic about his new job. ‘Course no one could know of his employment, being illegal and all, but Jim wasn’t worried, he’d easily outwit the local law.

Jim arrived to pick up his first batch of shine in his new investment: a used ambulance he’d acquired just for the job. It was in decent shape, and since at that time there were not nearly as many rules and regulations for folks to abide by as there are today, the previous owners had kindly left all the goodies on the ambulance including the paint job denoting it as a medical vehicle, the lights, and the siren.

Well, this was no doubt one of the most perfect setups there has ever been. Once a week or so, Jim would gently ferry his patients (‘bout 100 gallons of them in recycled glass pickle jars, canning jars, and the like) right through the main street of Jaspersonville. Whenever he chanced to see the local lawman, Jim would offer a polite wave. When the patients were safely delivered to their destination, Jim collected his pay and everybody was happy.

We really don’t know how long this little setup went on, but it was long enough that Jim began to get more comfortable and less cautious. Not only was he transporting shine, he was sipping it. Just a little at first, but you know how that down hill slide goes. One night Jim slid quite a way, until, with a too generous helping of stump hole under his belt he left for a run and decided to try out some of the goodies on the ambulance. Heck, with a siren and lights a man could ignore the speed limit, couldn’t he? After all... this was an ambulance.

He scooted through Jaspersonville on his way to Bayson, well above the speed limit with lights flashing and siren loudly wailing. He didn’t even make it out of the city limits before he was joined by another set of lights and a siren. Yep, it was the law.

Jim rolled down the window as the lawman walked up.

"Jim, you sure been hauling a lot of sick folk lately." "Mind if I take a look back there?

Well, with all those "patients" tightly packed in the back of the ambulance, the lawman’s find spelled the end of Jim’s delivery days. It was also the end of Ed’s production days; and, it is the end of our tale. But, no doubt we'll climb the family tree again and see if there's another story there waiting to be told in another column.

Art Blog Award!

I was very kindly given an Art Blog Award by James Parker (thank you, James!) who requests that I write seven things that I love and pass it on to seven other bloggers.

Hmmmm... sounds like fun.

Preface: It goes without saying that most of all I love God, family and friends, but as for life's other joys......

Seven Things I Love:

1. The feeling I get when I finish a piece of art, I learned something new... and hopefully the art came out halfway decently.

2. Cold blustery/snowy/rainy days when I can stay home and snuggle in a blanket with my furry soulmate (Bailey, my cat) and watch Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, or read a good book.

3. Cooking for my family and friends

4. Walking and seeing the beauty of nature, hearing the birds singing and feeling the breeze on my face.

5. Memories. I cherish the memories of people I love, places I love, funny things, touching things, beautiful things.

6. Creativity. Whether through art or writing, I feel more alive, aware and complete when I'm creating.

7. Chocolate. Coffee. Chocolate. Coffee. Hmmm..... a tie?

It's hard to choose seven folks to pass this award on to, but here goes:

1. Jeanne

2. Laure

3. Rosie

4. Lynne

5. Felicity

6. Jan

7. Grahame

Note to the "seven"... if time doesn't permit you to participate in passing on this award... just post the award on your blog and enjoy!

Mini Mural - Complete!

Unless I do some last minute tweaking, the mural is finished. Sorry the photo isn't very good... it has a pinkish cast to it... probably because I took the photo this evening as the sun was going down. It's actually not pink. I do have to put a protective coat of sealant on it, but I'll let it sit overnight to make sure it's completely dry.

Some observations along the mural way:

1. I love acrylic paint because it dries so fast.

2. I hate acrylic paint because it dries so fast.

3. It's nice that it dries fast because you can move on quickly without extended periods of drying time. It's a pain that it dries so fast because if you've painted something and then later on decide you want to go back and softly blend an area .... well..... good luck!

4. I'm looking forward to using my new set of Chroma Acrylics (a surprise gift I received) - which perform like oils but don't have the yucky scent. They can dry as fast as acrylics... or as slow as oils - the artist's choice. Plus, if days later - after your painting is thoroughly dry - you decide to want to blend an area, or even change a color - you can. Included with the set is a type of "rewetting" medium that allows you to go back and make changes to previously dry paint.

5. I sorely missed my colored pencils and my regular "art space". I've used mostly colored pencil for months now and didn't realize how much I'd adapted to using this clean, convenient, dry media. Oh, the fine detail you can achieve with pencils! And, no brushes to wash, no paint that dries up in the tube. Plus, it's as dry as it will ever be the moment you apply it.... yet at the same time it's as blendable two days later as it was when first applied.

Woo Hoo for colored pencils! :-)

Mini Mural WIP #3

Here's the third WIP. I can see the home stretch now!

Update on mini mural

Acrylic on wood. 19.75" x 35.75"

A quick update on the mini mural. I've been languishing in the "sick bay" for most of this past week, hence the lack of activity on my blog (if you've left a comment - thanks! - and I'm catching up with replies as fast as a dial up connection will permit!). Thank goodness I'm back up to speed and happy to be working (which feels more like playing when making art).

I did manage to get a little more work done on the mural at the end of the week, so I'm posting WIP #2. This is a commission piece. The pattern comes from a wallpaper border and I'm matching fairly closely the design, colors and style of painting (which is what I'd call decorative painting).

A New Project

Started on a new project today. This is one that I've been putting off for sometime. I was enchanted with colored pencils and loathe to leave my new love? Or, perhaps I was just procrastinating? :-)

Anyway, as usually happens when I finally jump into a project that I've been postponing, once I got into it I immediately started having fun. Didn't get nearly as much done today as I wanted to, but at least I made a good start. The project is a mini mural, acrylic on wood. It's a custom built cover for an electrical box and my daughter, Hollie, (actually, she's my step-daughter but I prefer to leave off the "step" and claim her fully) requested a design on it that matched the wallpaper border that she'd chosen. It will hang in her laundry room, and the wallpaper border pattern is country style art with old fashioned things like a washboard, cakes of soap, bunches of lavendar, pitchers and the like. Since the border pattern is only about 10 inches high and the cover is 19.75" x 35.75" and vertically oriented, I selected some of the objects and drew them in what I hope is a pleasing design. I sealed the bare wood with a couple of coats of Kilz and drew the image using a beige watercolor pencil. This worked great because the water based pencil erased easily if I needed to make any changes. So that's where I am at the moment. Today was "think day" in which I worked out design and got the drawing done. Next session will be painting. Yum.... my favorite part..... color!

I'm posting a WIP of today's work. It's not a good image, but the beige pencil on the white background did not show up well at all. To make it easier to see I converted the image to black and white in Photoshop, and tweaked it using Levels and Unsharp Mask. Because it's too large and heavy for my drawing desk I'm working on the kitchen table... which means no blueberry pancakes for breakfast in the morning. Sigh.... the sacrifices one makes for art!

On another note, not too long ago I met Laure Ferlita through her blog and found some really beautiful artwork..... and a fun, generous art friend. She's been quick to offer encouragement and share her expertise. Because her blog (built into her web site) offered very little in the way of bells and whistles she has just made the transition to Blogger. If you'd like to pop over and see what she's up to I'm sure she'd welcome the company. Her new blog is here.

Oh, one last thing......... the snowy pic above is the road I live on. 4-8" of snow was forecast for this past Tuesday, but I was SO disappointed that we didn't even get enough to cover the ground :-( If you look down the road you can see two buildings. The second one - the one farther back in the woods - is an old fashioned two story tobacco barn...... the kind that's becoming a rarity as more of them decay and collapse. Lots of stories and history in those old wooden tobacco barns. But that's another post for another day.

A Mini Adventure in Colorfix

Cattails in the Moonlight

A mini painting on white Colorfix. This is the first time I've used a sanded support. This painting (2 1/4" x 3 1/2") is really only big enough to just get my feet wet with Colorfix. It was interesting. I used a limited palette (which I am liking more every time I use it) and a mix of Prismacolor, Polychromos and Lyra pencils. I made the palette selection based only on color.

To begin with it sure was weird to feel the pencil scraping over that gritty surface. I did a few tests to see if I could get smooth even coverage just using the pencil and I couldn't. Guess if I'd persisted and put lots of heavy layers on I would eventually have filled in the ridges and achieved a smooth look, but I don't want to have to work that way so I tried a few other methods. I first used a short stubby stencil brush and that helped push the color down into the grooves, but I lost my fine lines. Next I tried a Kleenex (okay, it wasn't a Kleenex... I ran out and used bathroom tissue.... Mr. Whipple would be proud) and that smoothed some of the pigment ....... and ground the tissue to a pulp! Next up was The Q-Tip, which performed decently but again, I lost the fine lines (and the Q-tip looked like it had had a really bad hair day by the time I finished with it). Last resort was solvent. Ann at Blue Bird Hill blog had mentioned some time ago that she liked Eco House Citrus Solvent for dissolving cp (thanks for the tip, Ann!) so I ordered some and thought now was a good time to try it out. I liked the scent and it did a good job of give the cp a painterly look. I found out that it doesn't take much - I almost used a dry brush technique - and it does work the pigment down into the crevices. In this project I limited its use to the dark brown grasses in the foreground. Using solvent holds some promise but it's something I need more practice with.

So how do I like the Colorfix? Not sure. It's a very tough surface, erases quite easily (at least for light marks) and seems to strengthen the colors. But unless I use solvent, it still looks grainy. I was looking for something smoother- I'm after a painterly look that I can achieve using just a few layers of cp. Anyone have any ideas?

Tuscan Villa - refined

Heeding the advice of Laure (maybe a few "well placed" darks) and Jeanne ("don't over think it") I did a little more work on the Tuscan villa. After I read Laure's comment on the first posting I let it sit for a few hours and then looked at it. She was right. It did need some "pop". But before I put color to card I thought of Jeanne's advice and knew that she was telling me not to go hog wild with the darks. I tried to keep both goals in mind.

I do like the revised version much better.... thank you both for your advice... so appreciated!

Tuscan Villa ATC

I approached this ATC in much the same way as the Crocus ATC (limited palette, keep it light, etc.) except that I departed even more from the original photo (I know, I'm getting to be a regular rebel). I like leaving the photo! Too long have I been a slave to The Original Reference (declaring my independence here!).

One thing I did differently. As suggested to me by Laure, I did this ATC on Arches Hot Press watercolor paper. It does have more tooth than the slick-as-glass Smooth Bristol. Color went on fairly smoothly, and overall I liked this surface. But I'm still experimenting. Next surface up for trial is the Colourfix sanded paper. I've never worked on a sanded support so I'm really looking forward to this and expecting good things. Hope I'm not disappointed.

Hubby's band is playing again this weekend so it will be busy. Stay warm and have a good weekend in your neck of the woods!

Crocus ATC - with goals!

Posting a series of WIP's for an ATC (Artist Trading Card). Sorry the lighting isn't too good. With the flash turned off it was a little dark; with the flash turned on it washed all of the color out, so I opted for no flash (the glare you see is from my desk lamp. Oh..... in the photo just above you can partly see Bailey- Studio Supervisor, Resident Muse and Faithful Studio Companion!

I did this ATC with several definite goals in mind:

1. Keep it light! In other words, don't saturate or darken too quickly.
2. Try out a new surface

3. Don't be a slave to the ref photo

4. Use a limited palette

5. Have fun!

How did I do? Not too bad.

- I applied color very consciously, instead of rushing in and having to remove color later. I kept a light hand and enjoyed not having to lift any color from the image. I also liked getting it to a certain point before I started adding deeper values... made it easier to see where to put those values.

- I did this ATC (2.5 x 3.5) on 300 Series Bristol - Smooth Finish. And they're not kidding about the Smooth Finish either! I usually work on Stonehenge, which is great but has tiny surface irregularities that are sometimes undesirable. I'm looking for something smoother than Stonehenge. I like the way the CP goes on with this paper, but it won't take nearly as many layers as I'm used to. This is probably too smooth, but I'm glad I tried it. Since I bought a little packet of these (and I have 19 left) there no doubt be a few more!

- Though I stuck pretty much to the photo while sketching and getting started, when I got the basics in I covered up the photo, analyzed the value patterns and placed deeper values where I wanted them. It felt good to toss the photo and work as I liked.

- Limited palette. This was much more helpful than I realized it would be. I'm in the habit of pulling whatever color I want, when I want. Sometimes that may be too many colors and too busy. I stuck with just nine colors for this project (a minimalist record for me!). I used Imperial Violet, Violet, Mulberry, Blue Slate, Canary Yellow, Spanish Orange, Pumpkin Orange, Sap Green and Limepeel (all Prismas except for the Lyra Sap Green). I selected the pencils based only on color. I enjoyed having a limited palette - somehow felt freer than pulling untold numbers of colors at random. With color selection out of the way, I could concentrate on other things.

- Have fun? Oh, Yes!

January Newspaper Column

A Lesson from the TV

At twelve years old his face was the essence of youth’s beauty. He slept, dark lashes fanned out in a delicate half circle against the lightly tanned perfection of his smooth skin. Only the blood, a jolting stain of cruel red on the white sheet gave any indication that he would not awaken. His brother, shoulders bowed, bent to scoop up the youth. To the older brother fell the task of returning the child to their mother.

The news segment caught my attention, and I had stood, not wanting to see but unable to turn away, as I watched two doctors in a poorly equipped hospital work frantically to save the boy. There was no reponse.

"He’s dead." said one doctor. The resignation in his voice revealed a soul-weariness from making that pronunciation too many times. The other doctor wordlessly pulled up the sheet.

The brother cradled the boy against his chest and carried him to his mother. She was waiting. Tears fell as her child was placed into her arms. The same arms that held him as a baby; arms that had loved him, fed him, clothed him and cuddled him. A mother's arms the boy no longer felt, nor would again.

I gazed, heartsick, at the screen. One of the world’s many war casualties had a face. A sweet innocent face. The face of a child loved by his mother, and one that was the the same age my own children once had been, and not that long ago it seemed. I tried to imagine myself in her position. It was an uncomfortable feeling and I quickly retreated from my imaginings.

Today is Monday. I had had an off weekend. An incident took place that had left me wrestling with feelings of anger and irritation. Someone I didn’t even know had made a couple of comments to me... comments that I considered rude and out of line, and my temper had immediately flared. I told myself I should be sensible and handle the matter rationally and with a good dose of common sense- even graciousness. But it’s difficult to be gracious when you’re angry.

I thought back to the images I had seen. They would not leave me. I thought of the young child’s death, of his mother’s wrenching grief... and of my petty grievance. Ashamed, I suddenly realized that’s exactly what it was: petty. Not even worth five minutes of my time.

Sometimes life has a way of snapping you to reality, rearranging your priorities and giving you new eyes to see with. Deep inside me a prayer formed for the mother who had lost so much. My heart went out to her.

Television had made one family’s private moment of grief very public. And it was by sheer chance that I had been witness to it. A chance viewing, lasting maybe two or three minutes, and yet its effect was powerful. I was no longer angry. I realized I had much to be thankful for, and little to complain about.

Copyright 2009, Teresa Houston. No part of this may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent of the author.

Back to the drawing board with Levi.... literally!

Top image: WIP #5, Bottom image: WIP #4

I finished up some fine tuning on the shading of Levi's face and hair, and was happy with that but just couldn't live with the background - in particular the dark areas between the steps. Too bold, too overpowering and too greeny-brown. I've had the portrait lying on my drawing desk for a couple of days and kept going back and looking at it. I had to decide whether reworking part of the background was justifiable or if it was just nitpicking and overworking. I tried to be objective. Could I live with it like it is? If I attempted to rework it and made an awful mess, thereby ruining the rest of the portrait could I live with that? I finally decided that although I was pleased with how Levi came out I just wasn't happy with the background and never would be. I decided to go for it and if it was irrevocably ruined, so be it.

Out came the acrylics. Wonderful paints acrylics. Very opaque for great coverage, and fast drying. Just what I needed. I started by applying a very light wash of cadmium yellow over the steps to bring a unifying layer of golden warmth to the wood. Then I put an almost full strength layer of Titanium White over the dark spaces in between the steps. This is how it looks at present. I'm going to let it sit for the rest of today... I want to make sure the acrylic paint is thoroughly dry before I go back with CP. My intention is to redo the previously dark areas as light areas of greenery - sort of a scumbled effect. Keep your fingers crossed!

Meantime, I have a newspaper article to complete (due in Friday), and a mini mural to start on. Mural is acrylic on wood... been a few years since I've worked on wood so this will be a nice change of pace.

Portrait of Levi - Almost Finished

Here's WIP #4 on Levi's portrait. I was hoping to finish up today, but when I scanned it I noticed a few areas that need tweaking. Something about scanning.... seems to emphasize any problem areas. I've really enjoyed doing this portrait and have learned a lot. As usual, comments and any suggestions you'd like to offer are welcome!

What I learned on this painting:

- I bought a dozen or so Polychromos pencils and a half dozen more Lyra's to add to my cp stash. I've got a large collection of Prismas and love the color range, but I think the Polychromos and Lyra's may become my favorites because they're so smooth. I used all three three brands on this portrait.

- I've been working really hard on developing a lighter touch, particularly in areas where there's a color or value transition. It's easier to add color than it is to remove it, so I tried to stay aware of how much color I was laying down and not go too dark or too saturated too fast. I think I've made some progress.

- Still working on keeping the big picture in mind as I go... that is, not getting caught up in one little section and working it to death before I realize I've emphasized that area more than I wanted.

Things to try on future paintings:

- An underpainting in either acrylic or watercolor. I want a smoother finished look, but for children's skin I don't want to burnish or use solvents. When painting skin I prefer a few fairly light layers to many layers that build up thickness.

- Using a hotpress wc paper.... I'm curious to see what effects I'll get using cp on a very smooth paper. Since it's wc it will take the underpainting without a problem. I know the look I'm after, so I'm going to experiment and see what works best.

AND..... for 2009:

I was reading Laure's blog (Painted Thoughts) and found an idea that made perfect sense to me. Laure mentioned that instead of making New Year's resolutions she had chosen a word for 2009. Her word is "Intent". She referenced another blog (Christine Kane) who explains the concept. Check it out. I thought it was a great idea, much more doable for me than a "to do" list. There is even a list of possible words on Kane's blog if you're not sure. As soon as I read Laure's post I knew what my guiding word for 2009 would be: ACTION!! I've read a lot of art books, browsed a lot of blogs, weighed and considered color theory, done all kinds of arty experiments with various media.... and now it's time to get down to business and be productive! Even if I make a mess, it's okay.... as long as I'm doing something! This year is going to be my year to do, not just to think about doing. I have a quote taped to my computer. It's a reminder/warning to myself. It reads, "I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung." (Tagore). I don't want to die with my song unsung. So this year I will do more than think about it.... I will do it.

Visiting some wonderful new blogs...

In responding to comments left on my blog I've recently found some wonderful new art blogs that, if you haven't visited yet, I think you'll find very interesting and helpful.

1. http://sketchesbyfiz.blogspot.com/ is a blog by Felicity Grace. I found it recently and immediately fell in love with her colored pencil technique. She is an awesome artist, and when I asked a couple of questions about her portraiture technique she was kind enough to do a mini tutorial and posted a series of WIPs with lots of great information. The two portrait images above (posted here courtesy of Felicity) are the first and the last WIPs. To see the complete series, here's the post:

http://sketchesbyfiz.blogspot.com/2008/12/forbidden-city-faces-work-in-progress.html

2. Teresa Mallen left a comment on my blog and I'm so glad I followed the link to her blog and website! Not only does she have some gorgeous art on display (the beautiful crocuses above is one example from the gallery on her website - posted courtesy of Teresa), she also has lots of information for colored pencil artists such as tips, tricks, resources...... AND...... a free e-zine you can sign up for to share tips and techniques, and receive critiques on your work! Thank you, Teresa for graciously sharing your knowledge! Here's the link for Teresa's blog: http://www.teresamallenstudio.blogspot.com/ and here's the link for her website: http://www.teresamallenstudio.com/

3. The United Kingdom Colored Pencil Society (UKCPS) has a great site, some informative step by step demos, and other tips and hints. I particularly like Graham Brace's colored pencil landscapes so I was thrilled to find a demo by him. Don't miss 'em! UKCPS website: http://www.ukcps.co.uk/Welcome.htm, and the step by step demos: http://www.ukcps.co.uk/steps.htm

Have fun browsing........... and Happy New Year!

Guess what I got for Christmas?!?!

A daughter!

Just before Christmas, my son, Philip, and his girlfriend, Rhonda, became engaged! I'm thrilled! Rhonda is a lovely girl, both inside and out. She's kind, sweet, loving, generous, and even has a great sense of humor. Philip... you made a great choice! Rhonda... we've loved you almost since the first time we met you. We hope you enjoy being part of our family as much as we enjoy having you in it. Congratulations to both of you!

You know, it occurs to me that this engagement has other benefits too... as the mother of two sons and wife to the hubby, I've been the lone female in my family for almost three decades. Finally, I have some serious backup during holidays in this male dominated home! Yes! LOL!

Today is recovery day from the holidays. I'm pleasantly tired - even a bit lethargic - but it's okay. The holidays were wonderful, and as usual, I cooked too much, stayed up too late and just generally wore myself out. But I don't regret a minute of it. There are few blessings greater than a loving family all together for the holidays.

Posting a couple of pics. The top pic is Philip and Rhonda. The bottom pic is two of our five nephews who love to come over and snuggle up on the sofa with blankets to watch a movie. Little Eric (Eric on the left, Ellis on the right), has difficulty pronouncing some letters and calls it "watching a woobie"! Sometimes I wish my boys were little again - instead we just borrow the nephews for a while.

Wishing You and Yours A Very Merry Christmas!

Tomato Soup Christmas

Until I can make it back to the art table (Christmas preparations and band activities have been keeping me busy) to complete the portrait of Levi, here's my newspaper column for December.

Susan studied the cans of soup. Shoppers skirted around her, their carts bulging with holiday fare. Christmas carols played steadily and colorful decorations gave the store a festive air. Chicken Noodle? Split Pea and Ham? Tomato? Not exactly a Christmas feast, but it was cheap. She chose Tomato and placed it in the shopping basket. She browsed, her steps slow, unhurried, while other shoppers hastened to finish.

John quietly observed her. He guessed her to be in her late twenties. He’d seen her a time or two around the small town in which he’d operated a grocery store for almost thirty years. Over the years he’d learned to pick out a shoplifter. Something in their eyes, their attitude, their movements. Yet this girl didn’t set off alarm bells in his head. Her regular visits to the store for the past few days had caught his attention. He knew most customers by name, knew their families and where they lived. He also knew that most customers don’t come in several days in a row for long periods of time. How long had she been in here today? An hour? Two hours?

Susan moved slowly with her basket. It contained a can of soup, an apple and a couple of marked down items. She bought just a few things at a time. Gave her a good excuse to return. After working her morning shift at the grill, she’d read late into the afternoon at the local library before heading to the grocery store. Put off the inevitable as long as possible.

John was thoughtful. As he greeted customers and checked the shelves, he watched the girl. He saw no signs of furtive movement, no quick glances around - those telltale signs that meant trouble. Instead she bore a solemn, stoic look. Vulnerable, but determined. A few fact finding phone calls might be in order he decided.

Herb hung up the phone, sipped his coffee and considered the phone call. John was a good man, though he could be a bit abrupt at times. Some shoppers who frequented his small grocery store didn’t seem to know quite how to take him. But John put in long hours at the store and always gave the local churches and civic groups a generous discount when they bought groceries for fund raising events. Herb reached for his heavy coat - evening was coming and the temperature was dropping fast. It was only two days before Christmas. There was even talk of a white Christmas. Wouldn’t that be nice, he mused as he cranked up the gas delivery truck.

"Excuse me, young lady."

Susan, startled, looked up at what she assumed to be the store owner. She’d noticed him coming and going from the little office toward the front of the store. She’d also noticed him watching her. Her chin went up. She hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no law against taking your time buying groceries was there? Yet she felt a tremor of nerves as she faced him. This Christmas was difficult enough as it was, she didn’t need any more problems.

"How about coming into the office for a minute?" he asked.

Susan assessed his intent. He sounded reasonable. He was an older man, easily old enough to be her father, possibly even her grandfather. Something in her was tired of fighting, yet she was ready to defend herself if need be.

The office was small, cluttered, with piles of paper everywhere and notices hurriedly tacked on a bulletin board. An adding machine sat on the desk, alongside a well worn phone. He motioned her to sit and closed the office door.

Seated behind the desk, he steepled his fingers as he chose his words.

"Susan" right?

"Yes," she replied, immediately on guard. How did he know her name? Tension tightened in her. She said nothing, just waited.

"I hope you don’t mind but I made a few phone calls.... about you. I’ve noticed you in the store a lot this week, and, well, especially at this time of the year, you can’t be too careful."

She flushed. "I haven’t done anything wrong" she blurted.

"I know," he replied, "I’m not accusing you of anything."

"Susan," he paused, "We all go through tough times in our lives. I’ve been there myself. I’d like to help. Is that your Civic outside?"

She nodded, thinking of the old car with the peeling paint job.

"I thought so. I know most of my customer’s cars. I know you’re new here so I’d like to welcome you to our little town and wish you a Merry Christmas."

Susan stared at him. A Merry Christmas? People in her circumstance didn’t have a Merry Christmas - they just survived.

"It’s alright to go home now, Susan."

He stood up, opened the door.

That was it? She rose, wondering if he was crazy or if she was.

Lights were being turned out, the store was closing. Another night to face she thought, walking dispiritedly toward her old car. As she drew closer she saw odd shapes in the back seat. Both alarmed and curious, her steps quickened. The back seat was loaded down with groceries. A ham stuck out of one bag; fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, cookies, bread and various packages peeped out of others. She gazed in disbelief. A horn tooted. It was the man from the store. He waved and smiled as he drove off.

Overwhelmed by the gift, she bit her lip. The unexpected kindness brought her closer to tears than her recent hardships had. At least she had good food, she thought.

A few minutes later she pulled into the driveway of the tiny house she’d rented. Few jobs were available, and it took most of what she made in her part time job just to pay the rent and electricity. She dreaded the cold worst of all. Her little electric heater barely made a dent in the cold, but the expense of filling up the gas drum and turning on the heat was more than she could handle right now. So, when not working she’d resorted to spending as much time as possible in the grocery store, library, convenience store... anywhere it was warm.

She turned the key, braced for the unrelenting cold... and felt ....a gentle rush of warm air. Surprised, confused, she looked around. On the floor lay a notice. It must have been wedged in the door. It was a bill from the gas company for a full tank of propane. It was stamped "Paid in Full" and under that was written "Merry Christmas."

Herb parked the truck in the company parking lot. He’d rather enjoyed playing Secret Santa again. It wasn’t the first time. Quietly, over the years, John had made quite a few folks’ Christmas a little more merry. That, he thought, was indeed the True Spirit of Christmas.

** This story is a fictionalized account; however, it is based on true events. It is written in memory and honor of Remus Teachey, who, unknown to most folks, brightened the lives of many people in the Pink Hill community- not just at Christmas, but throughout the entire year. I was told of these events years ago by a close friend of his, and Remus never knew that I learned of his quiet good deeds. (Permission to relate these events granted by Gaynelle Teachey).

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:39-41

Copyright 2008 by Teresa Houston. All rights reserved.

Poster Day

The portrait of Levi is on hold for the moment. On Thursday I spent the day with a good friend who moved to Texas a few years ago but was in NC to visit her family for the holidays. We had a great day, including lunch, and - our favorite - bookstore time! How nice to catch up with each others lives over a stack of books while sipping Pumpkin Spice Latte! Yum! Wish you didn't live so far away D!

Yesterday ended up being Poster Day. One of the guys in the hubby's band asked me to make two posters to go on the side of a car. His daughter is riding in a Christmas Parade, and every vehicle is to have a sign on each side listing the business sponsor and the rider's name. Each poster measures 22" x 28". Requirements were that the lettering be of a certain size and the poster is to have a Christmas theme, yet be fairly simple so that it's easily read. After mulling over a few ways to make this poster, I ended up with my old standby for large art (I used to paint wall murals)... good old acrylics.

Since this is a quickie... done on discount store poster paper and needed only for a few hours, I didn't bother sketching anything. I drew a horizon line separating snow from sky and just painted everything else in. Was lots of fun. I'm much more relaxed when I'm painting large... I don't sweat the details and just go with the flow.

Sure hope they have good weather for the parade!

Levi - WIP #3

Here's the latest on little Levi. I've spent a lot of time on the background - too much, actually, since it seems like the focus of the picture should get the most time and attention. I've read/heard quite a few artists who advocate getting the background in first. Well, that doesn't seem to be working too well for me! After trying both working methods, for me it's easier to get the main subject in then decide on how the background will best enhance the subject. What happened with this painting... I did mostly the steps first and they seem too powerful. Choice: either lighten them up or darken the spaces in between the steps to make them recede into the background. I decided to do both. Not sure if the background is still too dominant? Or do the darks serve to set Levi off?

Constructive criticism welcome (Feel free!! LOL!)

After Thanksgiving

It's sunny today, but not the kind of day to be outside. The wind is more of a strong March wind than a November wind. It blows in forceful gusts, rattling the outside of the house and pushing its way into cracks and crevices around doors and windows. Still, inside the house it's warm and cozy. And I still feel warm and cozy from the holiday. Thanksgiving was a feast, not just of food, but of family, friends and fun. How my heart swelled when my two grown sons walked in through the front door. It's such a joy to see them- their eyes sparkling health and love, tall and strong with youth's good looks. A few days before the holiday, I couldn't help but think of the parents who lost a son or daughter in the war. Their child will never again walk through the door at Thanksgiving. My heart goes out to them. I wish them solace and comfort. And I renewed once again my vow to live each day as fully as possible. To not let the little irritations and disappointments of life crowd out the full and beautiful blessings that still abound.

We celebrated Thanksgiving joyfully. In our small home we really didn't have enough space for all of the company we had. But it was okay. We made do. We had food, laughter and fun in plentiful supply. So thankful were we to be surrounded by those we love that we paid no attention to the little inconveniences - and it turned out to be one of the best Thanksgivings ever. I guess it's taken me this long to learn how to live, how to deeply appreciate and savor the things that really matter, how to be thankful.

Yes, it was a good Thanksgiving.

Levi - WIP #2

More work done on Levi (first WIP posted underneath second WIP).

Apparently I'm leaving the fun stuff (you know, the face and the fingers) for last.... gotta get those pencils warmed up before I tackle those! Constructive criticism welcome.

Oh........... Happy Thanksgiving!

English street scene

An art card that went to Darlene in Canada. 4 x 6 - watercolor and colored pencil on Arches Hot Press.

Photos are here!

Okay, got everything set up with this substitute camera. Here are the shots I took on Monday (post titled "Magical Minute) whilst out wandering around in the garden in early morning sub freezing weather! All pics are of our blueberry bushes (I love the first photo where you can actually see the frost on the leaves... which I decided to use for my heading), except for the last pic which is a Bradford Pear and was taken at sunset one evening. Isn't nature simply beautiful?

Levi - A Beginning

This WIP is a portrait (colored pencil on Stonehenge) of a friend's grandson. This friend advertised in a little local magazine I used to publish, and this photo was used in one of her ads for her shoe store (see his adorable little blue Crocs?). As soon as I saw the photo I wanted to paint it. I loved the natural pose, the light and shadow patterns on both Levi and the steps..... and who could resist those baby blues? He even has a scrape on his little knee... just like my boys used to many years ago.

I'm posting what I've done so far. I usually do the preliminary drawing in graphite but decided this time I'd try doing the drawing using a light umber CP. Not sure that I really have much preference either way. I've never had a problem getting CP to cover the graphite. I've gone over the drawing in most places using some variation of the final color. I've done a little work on his face and on the wooden steps behind him. The scan makes the steps look much darker and heavier than they actually are, but even so, I may have to tone them down. We'll see.

I've already changed the angle of his left cheek several times. The last time I did a portrait of a young child he seemed to look older in the portrait than in the photo. Wondering why, I pulled out my copy of "Drawing People" by Barbara Bradley (excellent book!!) and re-read the section on drawing children. The problem immediately jumped out at me: I hadn't given enough curve to his cheeks. Youngsters are chubby - and chubby is represented by rounded curves. I hadn't given enough curve to his cheek, and the slimmer cheekline made him look a couple of years older. So this time I'm trying to watch out for that and keep that cute chubby toddler look.

Magical minute

This morning, quite early, I purposed to capture the rich fall colors of the blueberry bushes in the glow of the early morning sun. The bushes are now bare of berries, but to me they're more beautiful in fall than any other time. The foliage has turned to deep, saturated reds, browns and burgundies, with just a few hints of green on the sheltered side of the bushes.

After coffee I opened the blinds and saw....... frost! Thick, glorious sparkling frost that lay like a shimmering veil across fields, trees and fading garden plants. It sparkled in the morning sun, making the blueberry bushes radiant. Not about to miss this moment, I grabbed a hoodie and my camera and headed outside. The air was cold, brisk, exhilarating. Everything sparkled. Almost as good as snow, I thought. I walked around the bushes to shoot from various angles, my shoes crunching in the frozen grass; then stood still to get some close up shots. That's when I heard it. In the quiet of the morning, I heard a soft drip. Then another. Then another. It was the sound of frost melting in the pale sunshine. By sheer chance I happened to be there at this time. I stood, unmoving, looking and listening. I was awake, I was aware. It was a fleeting moment - like so many of life's moments. Ordinary, yet special. A few more photos around the garden, and when I returned to the blueberry bushes the shimmering veil was gone. But I had seen it; I had heard it. One of those magical minutes in life.

** Will post photos later. Lost my digital camera few weeks ago, and a family member was kind enough to donate one to me, but am not set up to upload photos yet.

An Autumn Award!

How nice to receive this adorable "Autumn Friends Award" from Rosie at Corners of my Mind blog... thank you so much Rosie!

It's a sweet, easy little award... no lists to write or anything, so in the spirit of friendship, and as requested, I'll pass the award on to three fellow bloggers....

Jeanne at Jeanne Grant

Lin at View from the Oak

Rose at Rose's Art Lines

Enjoy!

A lovely rainy Friday!

I love a chilly rainy day! When I actually give voice to thoughts like that I usually get strange looks from folks who appear to be wondering if I've lost my marbles. Chalk it up to growing up in England.... rain doesn't bother me in the least. On a rainy day the house feels so cozy, and indoor activities like cooking, knitting, reading and movie watching are even more pleasurable.... especially when accompanied by hot chocolate or hot tea with honey.

After a busy week, today will be spent finishing my monthly newspaper article. I do have a new art card to post... this one went to Shelley in France. This 4x6 card depicts New England in the fall and is done in watercolor and colored pencil. It was lots of fun to do.... I LOVE New England and using those juicy fall colors was a great pleasure!

Have a great weekend!

"Knit Your Bit" ... A World War II Knitting Project

I've just started a World War II knitting project. Yes, you read that right!

Actually, it's for veterans of World War II (and you thought I was losing my marbles didn't you? Actually, sometimes I wonder myself....). I came across it last week and knew immediately I would participate.

It's a project sponsored by The National World War II Museum (http://www.nationalww2museum.org/calendar/knit-your-bit.html) and asks willing volunteers to knit scarves for WWII vets. We're rapidly losing our aging WWII vets, (some estimates place the loss at a 1,000 per day nationally) and many of the remaining vets are fighting serious health problems. The scarves are a gesture to remind the vets that someone out there still cares, still honors the huge sacrifice they made. If you'd like to knit along, visit the website (link above) for the scarf patterns. There are three you can choose from. The site is really interesting and features vintage pictures of young schoolkids knitting for victory along with slogans such as "The Navy needs men, but it also needs knitters!".

**P.S. Crochet patterns are also available for the scarves

In Honor of Fall....

I've redone my blog! This color scheme seems very "fallish" and cozy - sometimes a change is good!

It's been a busy couple of weeks. We've had sickness in the family and since I was blessed with good health I sort of ended up as caregiver. So, there's not been much productivity in the art department lately - or much blogging. But that's the way it is sometimes. Thankfully, everyone is either back in good health or looks to be well on the mend. You know there's nothing like a bout of severe illness to drastically rearrange schedules. Good health... what a blessing it is, and how guilty I am of often taking it for granted. I remember reading a prayer sometime back that went something like this: "Lord, thank you for all the blessings you've bestowed upon me. I ask you for one more thing: a grateful heart." A grateful heart... appropriate since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Speaking of Thanksgiving ... both of my boys are coming home for the holidays - yay!! - (they're 26 and 29, and both live about two hours away from me) and the youngest son is bringing his steady girlfriend. What a joy she is . . . beautiful, smart, funny and has a loving, generous heart. There's been talk of her "joining the family" and we'd be very happy to claim her!

'Course, lots of company means lots of cooking! Oh boy! An excuse to pull out my favorite recipes, don my antique apron I bought in an antique store (don't laugh..... you'd be surprised how fun and practical it is) and cook up a storm. Youngest son has requested sweet potato pie, his girlfriend has requested pecan pie and oldest son usually goes for sweet potato bread. I'll eat about anything sweet and the hubby loves fresh greens. A few years ago we started brining our turkey and it is so juicy and delicous that we haven't cooked a turkey since without having brined it. It's a little more trouble than just popping it into the oven . . . but well worth the effort. If you'd like to try it, here's the recipe. You'll need to plan ahead. The turkey must be thawed out before brining, it needs to brine for about 6-8 hours (I usually let it sit overnight) then it needs to sit in a refrigerator for at least 8 hours to "equalize".

How to brine a turkey:

• For a 12-14 lb turkey, make a brine by dissolving 2 cups table salt in 2 gallons of water.
• Rinse thawed turkey thoroughly - remove giblets, neck, etc and reserve for gravy. If the legs are tied or wired, remove the tie.
• Place turkey in brine and refrigerate; or if using a cooler, set cooler in cool place for 6-8 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine; discard brine; rinse turkey well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting pan that has the slotted, removable top (using the slotted top allows the excess water to drip down and away from the turkey).
• Refrigerate, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours (this allows residual moisture left in the skin to evaporate). Read the "Helpful Hints" below before you begin!


Helpful Hints:

• We use a cooler to brine the turkey - it stays cold this way and saves room in the
refrigerator. Wash cooler and rinse turkey. Place turkey in cooler.
• It’s easier to dissolve the salt if you boil it first. How I do it: place turkey in the cooler. Measure one cup salt into a small boiler with enough water to cover it well. Bring the salt to a boil. When the salt boils it won’t dissolve but will become very coarse and gritty. Once the salt feels gritty when stirred, pour the salt water mix into a gallon pitcher and fill the pitcher the rest of the way with cool water and some ice cubes. Stir well until the salt has dissolved. Makes 1 gallon of brine. Pour this over the turkey and then make another gallon of brine (or as many as needed to cover the turkey - how much brine you need depends on how big your turkey is and the size of the cooler you use - try to use a cooler that’s not too much bigger than the turkey).
• Cook the turkey using a turkey roasting bag - (rub butter all over the turkey skin before
placing in the bag) - keeps the meat moist and since all the juice is captured in the bag you can use the juice for gravy, soup, etc.

Makes the most delicious turkey you've ever tasted!

Newspaper column for October 2008

The Life of a Band Wife: Two Tales from the Road

When you’re married to a band member and spend most weekends traveling you gain new experiences and meet a lot of people. Some gigs we play regularly and become well acquainted with the folks who attend, creating many fond memories. Of course, the band members get to know each other pretty well too; in fact, after several years of being on the road together the band has become more like an extended family than a business entity. We’ve celebrated the joyous occasions in each other lives, mourned the sad events, and shared many laughs over humorous incidents.

Of all the memories built up over the years, it is the sad ones and the humorous ones that seem to remain the clearest in our minds. The humorous memories are recounted often, accompanied by gales of laughter during the many hours spent on the road. Two of those memories I’d like to share with you.

The first one concerns Howard. Howard was a regular at one of our monthly dances and he was..... well..... a little different. I never asked any questions about Howard’s condition, I just knew that although he wasn’t like the rest of us, he had a beautiful soul and a joyful, childlike heart. There was no eloquence in his speech, nor grace in his movements, but he loved to dance and was genuinely delighted to receive a hug and an invitation to the dance floor. He liked all the dances, fast and slow, and it was during one of the fast dances that his now famous little mishap occurred. It was delightful mishap, as mishaps go, one of those amusing incidents that makes you smile every time you think of it. You see, Howard wore dentures (I’d guess he was in his middle sixties) and he had a habit, when dancing, of pushing his upper teeth out a little, wiggling them back and forth a few times, and then popping them back in place again. He’d do this several times during a dance - when you saw Howard dancing, you knew his teeth were dancing too. One night during a lively tune, Howard pushed his teeth out a little too far. To the surprise, consternation and amusement of his fellow dancers, all of a sudden one set of upper teeth became airborne, and upon landing, skittered across the floor in between several dancers. Howard took off in hot pursuit of his teeth, and upon reaching the errant chompers, scooped them up, gave them a quick wipe on his sleeve and, grinning, popped them back into their rightful gummy place. He shuffled back to his group of dancers, who, wide eyed and mouths agape with various expressions of surprise, delight and disbelief at the incident, moved aside to welcome him back to the group. Howard has now passed on, but I think of him often: his love of life, his childlike joy... and his wandering dentures.



Our second tale involves Danny Baker. Danny is our bass player and one of four vocalists in the band. He’s solid and dependable, not loud and showy. A big strapping guy, Danny does his share when it comes to unloading and setting up the heavy equipment required for the band. After the hard and tedious work of setting up is done, Danny and the other band members change into their "good clothes" just before the show starts.

One night, the band had not been playing long - it was still early in the first set - and everything was going as planned when I suddenly heard a loud, quick "WOO!" come from one of the mikes. Definitely not part of the song. Curious, I looked up just in time to see Danny jump a little and yell "OWW!". It was actually more of a pained yelp. What in the world was going on? Without warning, Danny suddenly leapt off the stage and made rapid tracks to the men’s room. The other band members watched in surprise and wonder as Danny disappeared into the crowd. They obviously had no more clue than I did as to what was going on. A few minutes later, Danny emerged and took his place on stage again. I looked at him closely. He appeared all right, if slightly uncomfortable. For the remainder of the set things went normally and there were no more outbursts from Danny. Trying to imagine possible causes for Danny’s unusual behavior, I could hardly wait to hear the explanation. On the first break I got the scoop: Danny’s wife, Brenda, had done the laundry that day and since it was nice weather she hung the clothes on the outside line to dry. When Danny picked up his folded pants to pack them for the trip, little did he know that he would not be alone inside his pants. There was a wasp inside them. When it came time to start the show, he’d put the pants on, blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable turn of events that was about to happen. The wasp couldn’t find his way out, and trapped, you know what happened next. When the first sting occurred, it elicited the first surprised "WOO!". The second sting was accompanied by an even louder "OWW!", then followed by Danny’s rapid exit to find out what the devil was going on. Reminded me of the song "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" where Harv thought he had a weed eater loose in his Fruit of the Looms.

In the band room we found out the cause of the commotion and alternated between helpless laughter and offering giggling consolation to poor Danny who found it considerably less funny than we did. To add insult to injury, we discovered that the cantankerous little wasp had zinged Danny one more time before he made it to the bathroom to shuck those troublesome britches. These days, Danny is back to his normal low key self; however, I think he does check his clothes before putting them on if they’ve been dried on the outside line.

* Danny Baker, good sport that he is, has read this article and given permission to divulge the painful details. Thank you, Danny!

** The story of Howard is true, however, the name has been changed.

A couple more art cards

Here's two more of my art cards (both done in colored pencil). The bottom card is of a castle in France - a country I'd really like to visit. I was actually scheduled to go to France as part of a student exchange when I lived in England but missed that trip. My French teacher, Monsieur Carre, had written to his former students in France and paired them up as pen pals with his students in England. The idea was that we would write to our pen pal in France using only French to improve our grasp of the language and they in turn would write to us in English. One summer, arrangements were made for us to spend six weeks with our pen pal's family in France. That was the summer my family moved to the US. Alas, we moved a couple of months before the scheduled trip to France. So, for the moment I'm being patient with promises to myself that "one day" I'll make that long awaited trip.

The top card (mushroom) doesn't really look like a Vacation Dream Card, but it is. It's a reminder of my childhood rambles around the English countryside where I grew up. I was always fascinated by the variety of mushrooms I saw. The fact that some of them were poisonous and forbidden to touch only made them more mysterious, mythical. Sometimes I half expected a tiny sprite-like figure to emerge from underneath their colorful little canopies. Too many childhood stories? Perhaps. But it was a pleasant indulgence nonetheless. Of all of the mushrooms, the puff balls and the red and white capped were my favorite fungi. I have no idea what the proper name is for the puff ball mushrooms, but we called them puff balls because if you stepped on one, it puffed out a thick cloud of brown smoke. We always avoided letting the brown smoke drift onto us... who knew whether it might have magical properties and what the consequences might be? The red and white capped mushrooms seemed far more innocent. They were so pretty that one could only imagine pleasant stories around such a colorful little forest dweller. Ah, the innocence of childhood. Though I wouldn't wish those days back again (I quite enjoy my life as it is for the most part) I would dearly love to walk the English countryside again, exploring the forest and enjoying the quiet beauty of nature.

Fall Apple Cake

Crunchy leaves and Fall's delicious chilly mornings got you in a baking fever? Me too! Here's a family favorite you might like to try. This cake is better if you plan ahead so that it can sit for a day or two before cutting. The sitting time allows the flavors to blend and deepen to produce quite a memorable flavor. If you don't have a particularly sweet tooth you might want to omit the finishing glaze (I gleefully drizzle it over the cake all the while wondering how long the cake will sit before I dive into it). Enjoy!

Fall Apple Cake

2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk (I use whole buttermilk)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
1-1/2 cups apples, peeled and finely cubed (I use 2 Granny Smith apples)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Cream sugar and oil.

- Slowly add eggs, blending after each addition.

- Combine flour and next 7 ingredients.

- Add flour mixture to egg and oil mixture. Add apples and pecans and stir well.

- Bake in greased and floured 10-inch tube pan for approximately 40 minutes (depending on your oven and your pan) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost - but not completely - clean. I like to take the cake out when just a tiny bit of cake sticks to the toothpick... keeps it from overbaking and becoming dry.

- While cake is still warm and in the pan, punch holes in the top of the cake (if you have them, use one of those little wooden grill skewers so the holes go all the way down to the bottom) and pour some of the warm glaze over it. Then turn cake out onto a plate and pour the rest of the glaze over the cake. Cover and let sit for a day or two - if you can!

Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 stick margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring sugar, milk and margarine to a medium to high boil - boil for three minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool a little and spoon onto cake when the glaze is just nice and warm.