ShannonAnn

George and Roxy

2012-01-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

A thousand words!

Serendipity

2012-01-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

About three years ago I cut a christmas cookie recipe out of our local newspaper, stuck it in a cookbook and promptly forgot all about it. I found it the other day and discovered an article on the back about Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Most of you know that George was diagnosed with this cancer last August.

In the early part of December, I ran into the library to return an overdue book. I didn't have much time but the librarian told me that I should pick up a few books because the library would be closed for a few weeks while they were being relocated to a new building. I just picked up a couple of books without really knowing what I had, when I got home I found this book:
It is an excellent book, written largely for the layperson, without being condescending. After reading this book George and I have a clear understanding of what cancer is, and we both felt that it was an important read.

Isn't it interesting the way information enters into your awareness?
These are just some of the things I think about while knitting socks. The green pair were made for George and the other pair for my wonderful cousin, Laura. (sorry if I ruined the surprise Laurie)

A Bit of Sun!

2012-01-07T12:53:00.000-08:00

After three days of snow, we got a few hours of sun today. Roxy and I were glad to soak up the rays!

Gifts

2012-01-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

So much happened yesterday.

First off, George had his blood work done and the doctor was able to see him, all in one day.
His tests are in the high-normal range, and his liver is functioning beautifully (the term his doctor used)
and his spleen is tucked back under his rib cage. That means two things, chemo will be finished in February and that boy will be skiing this month!

Then, for no reason I can discern, my computer fixed itself. I have been locked out of yahoo, my yahoo email account and etsy for months. I tried everything I could think of to fix it myself, to no avail, and just when I have been trying to arrange for someone to come out and take a look, like magic it works again. My apologies to some pretty late holiday responses. Well I spoke to soon; while writing this post my computer shut down and now I can't get back in yahoo or etsy, but can still get into the blog and facebook. Very strange, but it was great while it lasted!

To make a good day even better, a wonderful friend gifted me the Liebster Blog award! Mona from today...
has two of the coolest cats around and her readings always make me think! Thank you dear Mona.

The Liebster Blog award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.

The rules:
1. You are to thank the giver, the person who awarded you the gift.
2. Reveal your 5 blogger picks, and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and Paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you sent the award to, will forward it to their 5 favorite bloggers.

My five Liebster picks are:

1. Knix Hand Knit
I love this woman!

2. bateaux de papier...a diary for Elsa
Simply a gorgeous and gentle blog.

3.along the trail
Her connection with nature is inspiring!

4. Rag and Stone
This woman has passion for her art!

5 Fit to be Seen
A wonderful photographer, a beautiful woman!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

I trust 2012 will bring good things your way. Have the happiest of New Years!

Angels we have heard on High,

2011-12-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Sweetly singing o're the the plains. And the mountains in reply, Echoing their joyous stain.

Wishing you a beautiful Christmas, full of light and love!

Forever Hopeful!

2011-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

About a month ago I noticed this crow with a broken wing. I thought for sure he would succumb to his injuries or starve to death, but every few days I would see him again. I started to leave food out for him in hope that he would find it. I have tried to get close enough for a good photo but he is smart and surprisingly quick. It always seems as if the crow is alone but if I get to close several other crows start

appearing, very interesting. It is comforting to know he isn't completely on his own.

After a storm with hurricane winds last weekend, and snow on the ground, I am so glad to see him out and about. And sweet Roxy leaves the crow alone too! Peace and hope on our beach :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank you again for all your emails and comments of encouragement and concern for George and I. He continues to respond well to the chemotherapy and so far he has managed to avoid infections of any kind. We have to avoid groups of people and children especially, which makes it a bit hard, I miss everyone so much, but I know it is only until March or April. And we are getting excited... Christmas is coming!

The Birds?

2011-10-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

There is always something happening on our beach. Last Friday and Saturday there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of dead Atlantic Saury on the beach. The Saury, a silver needle fish, generally migrate south at the first sign of Fall and we think they got caught in the bay when the cold front came in. I was worried that before too long the smell would be horrid but the ever present seagulls had a veritable feast!

Though the day started cold and grey, by the afternoon the sun started to peek through the clouds giving an interesting atmospheric effect.

Happy Halloween!

All In a Dream

2011-10-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Living with cancer, whether you have it or your loved one has it, is a surreal experience. Everything about it feels like a dream, from the emotional aspect that seems to intensify every feeling, to the medical world of hospitals (George was in hospital for five weeks), to the chemotherapy and the aftermath, to the total disruption of normal life and the amazing outpouring of love and support from family and friends. It is just all so strange! Luckily for us, George is responding really well to treatments and he is one of the lucky few who is able to gain some strength between the chemo cycles. So yes, cancer is our main focus for now, but it isn't the only thing going and we are moving forward ever so slowly, back to our projects, back to our art, back to our lives.Understandably I have only taken my camera out a couple of times in the past few months and even then the images felt dreamlike to me.The last day in September I saw a bunch of bees hanging out on the same flower. They were moving in slow motion and I was able to get some interesting macro shots.

These bees really caught my curiosity... what is this guy doing upside down? He stayed like that ever so long.And this moose, she was seen inside the city limits of St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, in the back yard of our good friends, Donna and Kevin. She didn't seem too

concerned that there were people around and it was only my healthy respect for her size that kept me from getting closer to her.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you for your continued love and support. Your prayers, positive energy and healing thoughts have been a tremendous help to George and I.

An explanation of sorts

2011-09-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have grown to really love this blog and those of you who check in from time to time, and so I am reluctant to bring bad news, but the fact of the matter is, my George has been diagnosed with stage three or four Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. He has just completed the first cycle of chemo and now is dealing with the aftermath. I'm finding it difficult to write about just now but I wanted you to know why I have been so quiet of late.
XO's

A River of Irises

2011-07-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

One advantage to having a wet and cool summer is that the wild irises are thriving. I live across the way from a field or, garden, as it is called in Newfoundland, that is full of wild flowers including the wild iris. There are irises all over the land adjacent to the beach but in this particular garden they grow like a river. Usually by the end of June they have finished flowering but this summer they were late and I can still find a few stragglers.

I was excited to find some yellow irises for the first time too!

Who doesn't love dragonflies and flowers and puppy dog eyes?

2011-07-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying my camera more and more these days. Before I had a digital camera I was often disappointed with my shots, now I can shoot to my hearts content and be playful with it too. And I usually get a few good ones!
Lately I have been playing around with close-ups. I especially like the close-up of Roxy's eye.

I promise not to complain that it has been raining for four days straight!

Big, Beautiful Roxy!

2011-06-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to tell you, to tell anyone who will listen, that beautiful Roxy is now officially my very own Newfoundland dog! She has been living on this beach for as long as I have, she grew up playing with my beloved Moses and we have both missed him terribly this past year. Her true owner has grown, moved to Alberta and has started a family of his own and feels that Roxy is better off staying on her beach. I am delighted to have her!

I just love her coat but it is so matted, actually felted, I tried to tease out the dreads but quickly realized it wasn't working out too well, plus Roxy wasn't happy either, so it will need to be sheared off. Roxy is eager to please and is just the sweetest dog!

I wish you a happy summer solstice too!

Dandelions hail in the Summer!

2011-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago the air softened and took on a decided turn towards warmer weather. You can feel it on your skin and smell it in the air, summer is here! And every where you look you see dandelions!
I was watching my little hero in most things, Sage, playing in the dandelions. She was in search of the biggest flowers she could find to make her mother a special bouquet (Niki is recovering from knee surgery). Sage is a fellow artist, so when there is an opportunity I try to encourage her to look at things closely. We talked about the many petals in the dandelion and the subtleties of yellows in the petals. I had to laugh because after that I became suddenly fascinated with this most humble yet beautiful flower... that most of us call weeds.

A Tonic For the Blues

2011-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jan Morrison from labanan.blogspot.com issued a challenge to think of some small things that color your world a little bit brighter on a cold, rainy, summer will never get here, spring day. My very first thoughts were of my sweet friends, Sage and Malach. Admittedly they are of utmost importance, but still a visit with them can bring me out of the worst moods the moment I walk through the door. Over the winter we sang 'Kungfu Fighting' almost everyday, today Malach was singing it word for word on his own, well he is only four ya know.

My buddy, Hobbes, has been with me for twelve years. He is a lover really, he likes to cuddle and ride on my shoulder. He would sleep on my head if I let him, but I don't let him.

Our Annie is a princess, delicate and beautiful. She follows me all over the house and wants to be on my lap whenever I am at the computer. She especially enjoys yoga and music.

Pepper you have met a few times, she is just too cute for words and we are so happy she came to love us.

Sometimes to my delight, Roxie, our neighborhood Newfoundland dog, will be on my back doorstep for a visit. Often she will stay for the day. She rocks!

And then of course there is the wildness of my beach. Each day there is something to delight me and lift my mood.

Now I understand why Jan specified a 'small thing', as I sit here thinking of all the things that help brighten my days, a new follower on my blog, a message from an old friend always brings a smile, making a new friend, joining FB and all of a sudden realizing how very connected I am to the outside world, George having a surprise day off, my orchids sending up new shoots, seeing a whale in our bay... well you start to get the picture. And so do I, how blessed am I.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

To my mother and to

all of the loving and nurturing women out there, Happy Mother's Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALACH!!!!!

2011-04-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Today Malach turned four! We have had a great winter together. My days with him are numbered as his mom's work is seasonal, but we had some wonderful times! As you can see he is into dragons, just one of many interests. Actually Sage, Malach and I had a hand in making these awesome dragon puppets.

Like a silent prayer

2011-03-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a difficult winter emotionally. There has been unspeakable sadness within my family, my closest cousin and best friend lost her youngest daughter. In my circle of friends, teenage daughters lose their mother, in my little town a mother loses her nine year old daughter, and then there is Japan and all that sorrow too. My emotions have been close to the surface and I have been quietly waiting for my equilibrium to return. I have found solace in the beauty and love that surround me. And though it is officially spring, here in Newfoundland there is still snow on the ground. Before I say good-bye to winter I want to share some of my favorite winter images with you.

Unexpected Surprises!

2011-02-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love waking up to a Snow Day? All the schools and government offices in the area were closed, as was Marble Mountain, so that meant I too had an unexpected day off! Luckily for me because just look at what floated in on the ice this morning. This little beauty has been napping in our little bay all day while the snowstorm just seemed to vanish.
What a beautiful day this has been!

Paper is the preferred medium

2011-02-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

I spend the best part of most days with Sage and Malach. They are the beautiful children of the even more beautiful Niki of Knix Hand Knit (I should be able to set up a link but I can't seem to get it to work), and her husband, Bill. I was honored with the request to take care of the children while Niki works at Marble Mountain as the Director of the Ski Patrol. It is a short gig really, and one that I am pleased to do for this little family. Sage and Malach love making crafts. Here are some photos of their best efforts so far.

Be careful what you wish for!

2011-02-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

Before January 15th we did not have any snow. The grass was green and it looked like we were going to miss winter completely. It wasn't even cold enough for Marble Mountain Ski Resort to make snow; so they staged a snow dance to the gods and it started snowing that very afternoon. We have had snow 22 out of 23 days! It is enough to make one superstitious. It is all good though, we love SNOW!

A Gift For You

2010-12-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

This seems the perfect time to share with you my latest commissioned portrait and to wish you all a very Beautiful and Joyous Christmas!

Catching Up

2010-10-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

Finally I finished a couple of birthday gifts that are woefully past due. I will get them in the post on Monday. My beautiful young friends just turned twelve and nine. Their birthdays aren't over until their packages arrive from Newfoundland.
I made this shoulder bag for a dancer. The inside pocket is extra large to hold her dancing shoes. I started making these shoulder bags last summer and have started making them to sell. More on that at a later date. Note the felt button.

This is what I call a sweater skirt because it has been up-cycled from a sweater and turned into a skirt, scarf and wrist warmers. The card goes with this gift, I drew it from a planter I have in my window.

A huge on-going project is our house.

George and I have been doing a lot of work on our house the last few months. I have been fixing plaster walls and doing a lot of painting. When I realized that I would have to wait until next year for a wood floor I decided to have fun painting the floor. Here is what I came up with. I plan to paint the entire first floor this way.
My goal is to try and get the main living space as comfortable as I can so I can host knit night soon :-)

Another highlight for us is Pepper, a kitten we adopted last week. She is fearless, this one. I have two adult cats that were not pleased with her arrival but she is holding her own.

More of Conrad and the Red Ball

2010-08-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to put this video on the blog for a week, finally I uploaded onto Youtube so that you could view it. Conrad lives at the Portland Zoo along with his sister Tasul. The Portland Zoo has a nice web-site where you can see more of these delightful polar bears. I tried to set-up the link for you but wasn't able to get it to work properly.

The Red Ball

2010-07-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Oregon Coast

2010-07-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Just north of Florence, Oregon you'll find some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in the world. I was there on a gorgeous day in May.

Thank-you for being so patient!

2010-07-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who checked in from time to time and please accept my apology for the long silence. I was away from home for a spell, most of my time spent in Oregon, on a much needed visit with family. I divided my time between Portland,(I love that city), and Florence, which is on the coast and also where my mother lives. I had a lovely time and I have lots of pictures to share and a couple of fun videos to show as well.
Sadly, my sweet old Moses seemed to wait for me to come home so he could leave this world. I am grateful that we had a beautiful last week together and he left us in peace. I loved my Moses and he will be greatly missed. I share with you the last few photos of him.

A Light Moment

2010-03-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

One of my life's pleasures is making gifts for children. In fact that is the root of my craft movement. I have five children who I always make gifts for and then there are some children I just feel need an apron and so they get one too. I love being able to spread a bit of joy around. These children are wearing custom-made chef hats and aprons that I created. I am pretty sure they are making banana bread, Colby's fav.

Where is the ice?

2010-02-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

Usually by now the bay is full of thick ice, but this winter has been quite mild for us. The skiers are a bit disappointed and I would be too except that I have been ice-skating at the arena quite frequently. I absolutely love living on the beach in the winter because it is so quiet and breathtakingly beautiful. I never tire of the views from my windows.

And my dog, Moses, loves living on the beach too!

While I was taking pictures of the bay I also thought I should take a few photos of my sweet Moses. Doesn't he look dashing?

A Visitor On the Beach

2010-01-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

We caught sight of this harp seal as he was fishing in the bay one morning just before Christmas. We could hardly believe our luck when he came to shore right in front of our house. At first we were really quiet and careful not to startle him and then much to our surprise he came out of the water and rolled around in the sand. He attracted the attention of the neighbors and as people got closer to him and he didn't seem afraid we thought maybe there was something wrong with him, that maybe he came out of the water to die. But except for a bum eye he looked healthy enough and he fished in the bay and rested on our beach for three days, leaving Christmas morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a little treat for you. I hope 2010 brings you much joy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a wondrous holiday.
Peace

New Product

2009-11-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

I had an idea last month on how to up-cycle beloved sweaters that were either too small or too itchy to wear, but so beautiful they were hard to part with. I was so excited by the idea that I made five ensembles for the craft fair last weekend. Natasha is the beautiful model in these pictures. I do believe I have found my knitting niche!

My First Fine Arts Craft Fair

2009-11-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was one of firsts. The very first (hopefully annually) Best Coast Fine Arts Craft Fair was held at the beautiful Marble Mountain ski lodge, a first for Marble too. The lodge was decorated with garland and glittering lights. There was a huge Christmas Tree and a crackling fire in the central fireplace. There were beautiful works by fine artisans from all over Newfoundland and Labrador and we had first class musicians helping to make it a magical event.
Thank-you to all who helped to make this Best Coast Fine Arts Craft Fair happen and a big thank-you to Humber Valley and Bay of Islands for making this a huge success for all!!!
More pictures to come.
Oh yes, A Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends in the USA!

Human Rain

2009-10-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what our hands can do. Listen!

and I want to show you some hand-work of a different nature...

These two portraits were shipped off to Flowerbrook Pottery located in Dorset, Vermont. Thank-you, Janno, for your continued encouragement and support! Check out Janno's web-site www.flowerbrookpottery.com

Peaches in Newfoundland?

2009-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, there is a peach tree growing and producing fruit in Steady Brook, Newfoundland. My dear friend, Janet Manuel planted the tree about fifteen years ago. She tells me that it just started to produce fruit three years ago, with this year being a bumper crop. I actually picked a peach right off the tree and when I bit into the fruit it was sweet and juicy, just as you would expect a peach to be. Janet has been busy making peach chutney, peach marmalade and peach preserves. Luckily for me she is generous. Thanks Janet!

Time After Time

2009-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

I just discovered the beautiful voice of Eva Cassidy. I was heartbroken to learn that she died in 1996 at the age of 33. This is a live recording. Amazing.

A Wonderful Summer thus Far!

2009-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

The last month has been glorious with perfect summer moments! Like doing yoga outside under a large canopy of maple leaves on the Majestic Lawn Park in Corner Brook,in front of God and everyone, without feeling self-conscious even with my butt in the air more than half the time, and no bugs to be seen or felt, just blue skies and warm air and the feeling that all was right for the moment.
Like being grateful that yoga has come into my life at just the right time. Thanks Robyn!
Like being a part of the first Farmer's Market in Corner Brook. It has been really satisfying to see people come together and celebrate hand-made products and locally grown plants and produce. I can hardly believe how sweet it is that people appreciate what I make and are as enchanted with my aprons and felted soaps as I am. Some of my friends are at the market selling their work for the very first time. Joy Burt makes awesome driftwood wreaths and Heather Smith is making beautiful beaded necklaces. The West Coast Collective, of which I am a part, is well represented and will be throughout the season.
Perfect summer moments,
Seeing tan lines on my feet while I'm in the shower.
Drinking a very cold beer in the heat of the day.
Jumping in the ice cold water of the Gillam's river.
Eating the very first peas from plants I grew from seed.
Frozen strawberry yogurt.
George.
Progress on my unfinished house and grounds.
Spending time with my cats, Annie and Hobbes, and my dog, Moses.
Hugs and Kisses from two very special people, Sage and Malach.
Getting two portrait commissions from a repeat customer.
Beautiful sunsets, good friends, new friends, knit night and so much more.
And just think, we have a whole month more of Summer! Sun kisses to you all!

The Osprey are here!

2009-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to capture the osprey on the camera for a few weeks now. This morning we had three osprey hunting in our bay of islands. I think I got a few good pictures finally, but I am not completely satisfied. They fly so fast out of the camera frame it is hard to stay with them and to complicate matters even further I had black flies trying to get into my eyes. But my, aren't they beautiful!

We also have a family of starlings living in the eaves of our house. I can't see the babies but I sure can hear them. I took some pictures of mama bird through the bedroom window. She could sense that she was being watched and several times she swallowed the worm and flew away.

Drawing in black and white

2009-05-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

I get a great deal of satisfaction drawing my orchids. They truly do float high above their roots and leaves. Although each blossom only has five petals, they are quite intricate to draw. I like to challenge the pencil, find out what it can do, what I can do. I don't have photo shop so what you see is pretty well it.

Links are fixed

2009-05-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

After literally spending hours trying to fix the link to my web-site and losing most of my hair, I finally stumbled onto the solution and I do believe it is working now. http://www.shannonann.com/home Let me know if you have any trouble with it.

This and That

2009-05-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days filled with little projects. One of those projects was making paper pots. There are several ways to make them but I like the origami method the best. It does take a bit of time but the end result is too cool!

This video is the best one that I found on youtube. Enjoy!

Can't you just feel the spark?

2009-05-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

I love the look and feel of fabric. It doesn't matter if it is a crisp new fabric or soft and cuddly like a well loved t-shirt. It always makes me wonder, "What can I make with this? How will it feel against my skin?" This fabric is 100 percent cotton and the colours are bright and fun.

I feel some aprons a brewing!

Beautiful Colours

2009-05-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

While we are waiting for warmer weather here in the deep-freeze I thought I would share some more colourful pictures of felted soaps and boxes.

For some colour of a different note, here are some delightful glass works by Urve Manuel http://astonesthrowglass.blogspot.com She is doing some wonderful things in her new studio. Check it out. Here are some of her birds for the garden. They are called Jigglies. I can't wait for the weather to be warm enough to put them in the garden.

On a technical note: I am having trouble with the link to my web-site. Hopefully I'll have that sorted out today or tomorrow for those of you who have been wondering what's up with that.

Little Treasures and Bigger Ones Too!

2009-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

It has been cold and rainy here in Newfoundland the last few days. A good time to stay indoors and do some felting. I used the wet-felt technique and I'm starting to get consistent results. There seems to be something very comforting when working with fiber, a grounding of sorts.

I love these treasure boxes with the matching soaps. The accent yarn on this box and soap set were hand-spun on the drop spindle. It was my very first successful attempt using a drop spindle. Thanks go to Shawn and Krista and Niki.

There is an element of surprise while wet felting these boxes because the wool moves around a bit and nothing is exactly the way it was put down. I find that to be delightful. You never know what might come through.

Felted soaps are truly little treasures. You take it in the shower with you and use it like a washcloth. The wool is a gentle exfoliator and leaves your skin feeling smooth and clean. Once the soap is finished you can either cut the remaining felt open and make a little change purse, or you can fill it with small slivers of soap, or just use it as a scrubby. I have given lots of these soaps away. They make great gifts.

All in all I had a really fun day and to top it off I received some pictures of my friend Colby wearing his special birthday apron. Colby's favorite thing to bake is banana bread. Yum!

Birthdays, Aprons and Felted Things

2009-05-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

It all started with an apron I made for my wonderfully wild, one of a kind, little friend, Sage. Her mother, Niki, (awesome in her own right) liked the apron so much I thought mmm, maybe I should make some more of these and so I did. Just about everyone I know with Birthdays in March and April received one-of-a-kind aprons. This particular beauty is for Hopie. It is completely reversible with pockets on both sides. The fabric is 100 percent cotton and it has a nice feel and weight to it without being bulky.

But that's not all.

I had already started making small felted treasure boxes during the winter months and I thought if I made a box big enough for an apron how cool would that be! I then felted two matching gentle goatsmilk soaps for her. She'll never guess there is so much in that box!

Snowy Blossoms

2009-04-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we woke-up to a full on snowy day. But just when my stomach was about to drop I spotted the first blossom on my phalaeonopsis. Isn't it beautiful? This is the third time this particular orchid has sent out new buds, I still have nine more to watch for.

Hello and Welcome

2009-04-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be joining the blogging community today. I have spent the better part of the evening trying to figure out how to manage this domain but I'm sure it will get easier with practice. It is getting late here and all the in-house creatures are sleeping and the frogs in the pond are just starting to sing. Sweet Dreams.