Autumn is here.
Today it´s cold and windy – no, make that stormy what with wind forces up around 5 and 6 – and the tip of my nose resisted warming up no matter how many cups of hot tea I drank whilst painting this little water color of a tree this morning.
The trees are thinning much faster this year, no doubt due to that awful dry summer we had. So I took the liberty to add a few more leaves to the foliage. 😉
As usual, the squirrels are very busy gathering enough nuts for the cold months to come, and I give my best to help them by lavishly handing out walnuts and hazelnuts in my near-by park.
Such a beautiful painting Sarah. It looks as if you painted the maple tree in front of my house. It is also the refuge of some squirrels. My son has almost tamed one. Sometimes, this gray squirrel with a distinctive tail comes on our balcony to get his treats. It’s so cute.
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Thank you so much, Dominique! How wonderful that your son is good friends with the squirrels in your maple tree! They really can be tamed to some degree, it just takes time, patience and lots of nuts! 😁 But once they are used to their daily treats it’s important to keep it up, otherwise they will simply venture into your home to look for them themselves!! So take care. 😉 xoxoxo
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Haha… So coming to our balcony was the first step, hein? I will be careful. I would not want squirrels to come into my house. I already had a raccoon visit two years ago and he did not want to leave… I had to put food outside and leave the door open for him to come out! 😄
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It certainly is the first step of the invasion to follow. 😉 And no, you don’t want to have squirrels in the house, they would tear it down in search for nuts! 😂
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Oh no, it sounds like Hitchcock’s movie The Birds… Hihi. I better go and buy more nuts for my son’s furry little friend. Take care Sarah. xoxo
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LOL! ‘The Squirrels’ sounds like a movie I would watch!! 😂 Have a wonderful weekend dear friend! Hugs! xoxo
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Same to you Sarah!!!!! Sending a huge hug your way. And lots of love. xoxo
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The colors depict the trees in my neck of the woods. Vibrant! 🍁🍂🌾
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That must look so stunning!! Around here most trees are bare already and I have only pictures to remind me of their beautiful colors! 😀 Happy Autumn! ❤
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Aww that’s so sweet that you give nuts to squirrels! And lovely picture!!
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Thank you so much!! 😀 I really love squirrels and it´s pretty awesome when you hand-feed them and those tiny muzzles tickle your hand. 😀
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Your tree is just beautiful, Sarah, and I love the squirrels, too. I love Autumn, but sadly, it’s been so warm still here. Even the plants and flowers are confused. The morning and evenings are cold, but the days heat up. Ugh! I’m so ready for a temperature change. 🙂 Love and hugs, my friend ❤
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Thanks so much, Lauren! I´ve heard that a lot recently about the weather and plants and flowers being confused all over the world. It´s been unusually warm the first half of October but then it got far too cold. Now it´s settled somewhere in between and I hope it will stay that way as I´m not good with the cold – or the heat! LOL! 😀 Have a lovely rest of the week! Hugs and love! xoxo ❤
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Delightful! You’ve captured autumn and all its charm, Sarah. 🍂🍁 Did you use watercolor pencils?
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Thank you so much, Rose! No, these were normal watercolours but the pencils are great for small details. 😊💗
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Truly lovely! xo
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🙂 xoxo ❤
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😊🙏
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Beautiful painting, I love the colours. Brrr, keep warm. Have a fab weekend 🙂 x
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Thanks so much, Gill! It’s really getting cold really fast around here and I started putting the heat on since yesterday. Have a wonderful weekend too, my friend! 😄 xxx
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Oooh, you are so sweet to think of the animals and to help them with their winter stash! I thought of you particularly this morning as I was writing my post, and included links to some of your posts. You continue to inspire me with the things you do and I am all the better for knowing you, Sarah!
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Aww – thanks so much for your lovely words, Ju-Lyn, it’s wonderful friends like you who inspire to keep creating and sharing! Without you all I might have stopped a long time ago. 😄❤
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I love this! The squirrel is the cutest ever. You have captured the feel and colors of fall beautifully! Its brings so much joy to give the squirrels something extra while they are harvesting for the upcoming winter. We are becoming leaf bare, too. Such a beautiful finale this year. Hugs! 😊💗
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I love this painting Sarah. The little squirrel silhouettes are especially cool.
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Thanks so much, Su! 😄🙏💕
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It is so beautiful! I love the colors! Thank you for sharing!
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Thank you very much, Manuela! So glad you enjoyed this post! 😄
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You are more than welcome! 🙂
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Reblogged this on Antonella Lallo.
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Mille grazie, Antonella!! 😄
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That tree is gorgeous. It reminds me of one I painted using Photoshop for my students–not nearly as good but with the lacy light leaves.
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Thanks so much, Jacqui! I’m glad it reminded you of that tree you painted yourself, maybe next time you’ll pick up a brush and some water colors, it’s a lot of fun. 😉
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I absolutely love the painting, Sarah! The squirrels here are abundant and stashing walnuts everywhere.
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Thank you so much, Jennie! It’s a delight watching them stashing walnuts everywhere – if they’d only remember where the put them! 😁😉
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Indeed! Best to you, Sarah! 🙂
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Ah cute little squirrels! You painted them so lovely, Sarah. It is exactly what they are busy with these days 🙂 xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Thanks so much, Inese! Squirrels will always have a special place in my heart and I always carry a couple of nuts with me just in case I happen to come across one. 😉 xxxxxxxx
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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How delightful. Playful. I really love it.
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Thanks so much, Tracy! It´s fantastic watching the squirrels running those trees up and down, you´d think the laws of gravity are out of order. 😉
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🙂
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I do like that you add the squirrel climbing the tree. The colors of the leaves are lovely.
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Thanks so much! 😀
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I’m always happy to discover another respecter of squirrels. They get a bad rap I think. Busy little guys. Like North American monkeys in my trees. So fun to watch. The painting is delightful.
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Thank you very much, Lisa! And yes, I´m a big respecter of squirrels! The red ones here in Europe don´t have too bad a reputation though but I´ve heard of people complaining of the grey big squirrels in your country. Don´t they get that these guys have a right to live their lives as well as we do?? I like you comparing them to little monkeys – they really know how to climb, don´t they? 😉
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Round and round and up and down they go.
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Exactly! 😄
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You’re probably the patron saint of the park squirrels. 🙂
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I think that title belongs to a friend of mine, Paul, he really goes there every day and keeps them in good fodder whereas I only go every so often. 😀 But I like to think we´re good friends, the squirrels and I. 🙂
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Love the vibrancy and energy.
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Thanks so much, Rosaliene! 😀
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Beautiful water colour of the tree in its autumn dress, Sarah! I like the squirrel running up the tree.
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Thanks so much, Peter! It´s a real joy watching these little squirrels going about their business and I´ve been itching to paint my little furry friends for years now but never found the time – yay to a rainy day! 😀
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What a beautiful tree, Sarah. I love the squirrels hanging out, too. We’ve gone from hot and humid to cold…well, cold for me! I’m afraid our leaves will fall before they turn.
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We are so green here in Charlotte with just a new tinge of red on some red maples. And it’s almost the end of October! Crazy weather. Hydrangeas are blooming along with azaleas and fruit trees. Goodness. We are so confused.
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Our mums have been blooming all summer, Lisa! Crazy!
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Beautiful to look at for sure but crazy weather indeed! Enjoy while it lasts! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Jill! It´s so much fun watching the squirrels using the branches of the trees like highways, running up and down, left and right. 🙂
Are your hummies still with you??
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Sadly, no. Our last visitor was on October 17th. It’s so lonely, but at least I have thousands of photos! 🙂
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Ah, that’s so sad. But at least you’ve got your photos and before you know it they will be back! Do you feed other birds as well? I’ve lots of fun watching Great and Blue tits dining on my peanuts, they’re quite hungry this year and I have to fill up the feeder everyday!😄
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Oh yes, we feed them all, Sarah. 🙂
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Very happy tree. Love seeing the squirrels in it. Our trees here are a bit confused. One minute it’s cold then warm again. They start to turn but have still much green. Maybe soon.
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Thank you, Marlene! 😄 Trees and squirrels always make me happy.
I’ve heard that a lot about nature and trees especially to be confused lately. It seems a common theme worldwide which is troubling to say the least.
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If I could find my German birth certificate, I’d see if I could get a German passport and leave here for good. But there is conflict almost everywhere I turn. ;(
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I honestly think it wouldn’t be worth it, Marlene. Germany has much changed in the past years, and many look to other countries and dream of emigration… 😦
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I do keep telling my daughter that there is no where to run anymore. Every place has it’s problems. I was there last in 2006 for 2 weeks. It wasn’t enough time but it felt like home.
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What a beautiful autumn tree, Sarah. The color explodes from the leaves. I like the squirrels scampering around it. We have very few squirrels in our neighborhood, actually very few in Southern California. But for a few months last winter, a squirrel scrambled in our staghorn fern. I couldn’t figure out why as the plant produces no seeds or nuts. Then the critter disappeared and I found I missed him. Maybe he’ll (she’ll?) return this winter.
BTW, you may not know what a staghorn fern is, as they might not be common in Germany. They are epiphytes, plants that will attach themselves to surfaces like trees or fences, and grow in crazy profusion of giant leaves. They aren’t parasites as they take no nourishment from their host, but only use it as a foundation. We have three in our yard, each about the size of a stove.
Are you also working with your kiln?
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Thanks so much, Shari! Most trees in my neighborhood already lost most of their leaves so it´s nice to have this painting around and pretend. 😉
And I hope your squirrel will return this winter, and if it does, maybe you´ll want to feed it with some peanuts? They really like those and don´t mind if you don´t keep a regular feeding schedule which would be counter productive anyway since I think wild animals should remain so and those nuts I give them are just a little bonus. 😉
And I just had a little look at those stag horn ferns – they look amazing!!
And how do you know that I´m actually busy again filling that kiln of mine? 😉 I´ve been making clay leaves with the kids last week – very easy to do but nevertheless very satisfying: you just roll out some clay and put a tree leave on it, press some more, cut around and bend up the edges – et voila: a little bowl! 🙂
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What a fun project for your kids! I miss teaching art to children, easily the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done – other than being a parent which I adored as I adored my kids – still do.
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It is rewarding work, isn’t it? I can understand that you miss it.
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