my90acres

August summary

Posted on September 3, 2023 | Comments Off

Afternoon visitors. They’re eating fallen fruit from the orchard.

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, maybe imagining some exotic vacation, nothing could be further from reality. Mostly just hanging around here tackling one thing after another.

Although we had a week or two of pretty hot weather, last week was marvelously cool with temps in the 70s. We also have managed to have pretty even rain – not too much, not too little. All good.

My little raised bed garden has been producing better than I thought. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. Note to self: plant less squash next year and more beans. And I just planted a fall crop of spinach and lettuce.

Unfortunately, all this produce came at an unlucky time when our 35 year old freezer elected to die. This involved a lot of hassle with the local big box store (HD) on delivery dates. But mostly the fact that the huge truck they decided to deliver the freezer – the same one that they delivered the washing machine two months ago – suddenly couldn’t make it down our drive. Lots of unhelpful phone calls until we cancelled the order and went with the local appliance store. Spent a little more but the service was great. I like supporting local businesses, too.

The second half of this misadventure is that the freezer resides in the back of my studio. Which meant, of course. hauling out most of the paintings that have been stored back there. Might as well clean it out while I’m at it. None of this was on my schedule. Anyway, it’s all fixed up now. On to other things.

The Golden Marble (detail), acrylic, real gold and silver leaf, 30 x 24. Kit Miracle

I’ve been experimenting with more applications of gold and silver leaf to my paintings as discussed earlier. I really like this but it is so tricky to work with. This is 23K gold and sterling silver on the thinnest of metallic sheets. Even a breath of air will mess it up while applying it to the canvases. Here is a detail shot of one of the largest paintings that I’ve done using this technique. I’ll post more about it later.

And, the deer seem to be out in abundance. Although we rent our fields out, it’s sure a shame to see how much these visitors eat. The beans are high enough now that we mostly only see their heads. And they don’t seem to be skittish at all with the noises coming from the house and yard. Well, another couple of months it will be a different story when hunting season starts. Meanwhile, I love watching the twins playing in the yard just as any youngsters might do.

I hope to post a bit more regularly in the future. And I also hope that you’ve all been managing the weather – heat, drought, hurricanes. Autumn is coming and the leaves are even beginning to change. Can’t wait!

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Posted in contemporary impressionism, country living, garden

Tagged acrylic, contemporary impressionist, country living, deer, gardening, gold leaf, kit miracle

Generosity

Posted on July 30, 2023 | 3 comments

A couple of weeks ago I jokingly claimed that people around here had to keep their car doors locked in the summer to prevent good-intentioned neighbors from leaving bags of zucchini in them. Zucchini are prolific, in case you don’t know.

But a few days later, I found myself foisting off some fresh-picked tomatoes on a visiting neighbor. He wasn’t unhappy about it as he doesn’t have a garden this year, but it gave me pause. This is what gardeners do. What we love to do, i.e., share our bounty. Although our garden area is much reduced this year, I still love to share.

A few years ago, I did a painting of my grandmother who so generously shared her garden bounty, too. You never left her house empty-handed.

Generosity, 24 x 18, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle artist

The painting depicts her holding an armful of, what? Probably turnips but it could have been tomatoes or peppers or just about anything. The original photo was black and white. The dress was typical summer attire, homemade with no pattern. She just laid out an old dress on the fabric and cut around it. Something I would never be confident enough to try, but grandma worked in an underwear factory during WWII, cutting out fifty layers of long johns at a time. A simple housedress could be whipped up in no time. On her Singer peddle sewing machine. Which I now use as a bedside table. Memories.

Anyway, if someone offers you an armful of fresh garden produce this summer, take it. Even if you don’t like turnips, you’ll be perpetuating the nearly lost act of sharing what we have with fellow human beings. It’s worth reminding ourselves that caring for others reflects well on all of us eventually.

3 Comments

Posted in country living, garden, portrait, Uncategorized

Tagged contemporary impressionist, gardening, kit miracle, produce, sharing

The Smallest Library

Posted on July 23, 2023 | 4 comments

Libraries have been a big part of my life since our family made weekly visits when I was little. A local library has always been a criteria for every place I’ve ever moved. I even worked in my college library. Today’s libraries provide services far beyond just lending printed materials and have become hubs of their communities.

In the past few years when we were dealing with COVID, and while the main library was being rebuilt, the little Birdseye Library played an even more important role in its community. The town population is only about 445, but the library provides services to patrons from two adjoining counties (Perry and Crawford) due to its location on the border.

Although I’m not sure if it qualifies as the smallest library in the state, at only about 500 sq ft, it has to be close. As a branch library, it probably doesn’t meet the criteria for smallest, but physically it’s pretty little.

Opening in 2012, the Birdseye Public Library is in the former town hall building, adjacent to the railroad tracks on 145. The vibrant flowers planted by the library staff add to the beauty of the town.

The library is only open for two and a half days per week but it has a dedicated staff. AmyJo is the Branch Manager, Pat, Mary, and Craig are part-timers. Craig is very helpful, especially with technical issues. Most of the staff split their time at the other branch libraries, too.

A multitude of services and programs are provided for patrons. Large print books and videos are two of the most popular items borrowed. There is a good selection of children’s books, magazines, electronic launch pads, and current best sellers. Books from other branch libraries are available and can be delivered to the Birdseye branch within a couple of days. Computers, printers, games, puzzles are also available.

Dinosaur Mountain meets the electric train in this photo. The librarians frequently change out special displays and activities for all ages.

Sitting only a few yards from the tracks, trains pass by frequently throughout the day. AmyJo, daughter of a train man, says she doesn’t even notice the sound but it can be unnerving for newcomers.

A Blessing Box sits behind the library. This is another free service to the local community. Food and goods donated by local businesses are made available to all. Free Wi-Fi is also available so the parking lot is often filled, especially during the school year when families bring their kids to do homework in their cars. Most households in this area do not have internet services.

The Summer Reading Program with crafts and activities for all ages began on May 30^th and runs through July. From a ventriloquist to a juggler, Professor Steve (science programs) to a balloon creator, and animal handlers of all kinds, entertainment is provided at the shelter house at Birdseye Town Park. These free programs count towards the reading program’s log of activities. Patrons submit the list of activities that they’ve participated in at the end of the season, where they are eligible to win prizes of all types from an inflatable kayak to camping equipment, bicycles to games, train rides and tickets to amusement parks, and so much more. Prizes are made possible by donations from local businesses.

Meet a real desert fox brought by Silly Safaris

Volunteer Fireman Clint Cummings explains all the workings of the firetruck.

And who doesn’t want to operate a fire hose, with the help of Volunteer Firewoman Kelly Zehr?

The smallest library in Indiana has a pretty big impact on its community. What is happening at your local library?

4 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged books, children's programs, indiana, library programs, small library, summer program

Chocolate zucchini brownies

Posted on July 9, 2023 | Comments Off

Chocolate zucchini brownie and butter pecan ice cream. Yumm!

The joke here in Indiana is that you lock your car doors in the summer so that you don’t return to find it filled with bags of zucchini from your friendly neighbors. Ha ha.

That is only partially a joke because the vegetable is so prolific and easy to grow. When it starts coming in, you will be searching for ways to use it. Well, I have several delicious ways to use zucchini and I’m going to share with you one of my favorites.

This recipe is from one of those hometown cookbooks which and was compiled by the Parishioners and Friends of Saint Sebastian Church in Belle Vernon, PA. My mother-in-law gave me this book years ago. I cherish it for all the homecooked recipies featuring recipies from the area. It joins a couple of other favorite regional cookbooks on my shelf.

I promise you that this is one of the most delicious brownie recipes (of any kind) but suggest that you don’t tell anyone that it has zucchini in it until after they’ve eaten it. The brownies are very moist and this is a sneaky way to get your kids to eat their vegetables. The zucchini has no flavor actually but adds some body, similar to coconut.

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened

½ cup oil

1 ¾ cup sugar

2 whole eggs

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup chocolate chips, chopped (or use mini chips), and I’m pretty generous with these

2 cups grated zucchini, plus ½ cup more chocolate chips

½ cup sour milk (add 1 tablespoon vinegar to ½ cup milk)

2 ½ cup sifted flour

4 Tbsp cocoa

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

½ cups chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Cream the butter, oil and sugar until it’s about the consistency of butter-cream frosting.

Add the eggs, vanilla, and sour milk. Beat until mixed well.

Mix the dry ingredients together, then gradually add to the mixture as you are beating it.

Stir in the grated zucchini, mini chocolate chips, and nuts until well mixed.

Spoon the batter into a 9 x 13 greased pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes.

Baking dish of chocolate zucchini brownies with mini chocolate chip topping.

These are so delicious, moist and light. You can use a box grater or food processor to grate the zucchini. I peel the vegetable but it isn’t necessary. The variety of zucchini is Grey Zucchini by Ferry-Morse which only grows about seven inches.

Smallish zucchini, about six to eight inches long. Peel and cut into strips, taking out any seeds before grating.

While I’m grating zucchini, I grate a lot more to freeze in two-cup portions, just right for these brownies.

They also make tasty fritters, zucchini pineapple bread, muffins, layered in vegetable lasagna, soups and stews. Don’t worry, you’ll find plenty of uses for this easy-to-grow veggie.

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Posted in garden, recipe

Tagged brownie, chocolate brownie, gardening, kit miracle, zucchini

Garden update, June 2023

Posted on June 24, 2023 | Comments Off

It’s been about a month since my last garden post with the raised beds. Most of the garden was planted on May 6^th.

As you can see from the photos, the growth of the plants has exploded. We’ve been eating spinach and lettuce for a few weeks now. The netting has kept the plants very clean and bug free. I think it also supplies a bit of shade, too. When I planted the seeds back in mid-April, I thought that I didn’t have a very large spot for the leafy greens, but the small space has been more than enough to supply our needs. I also discovered that it’s better to cut the greens early in the morning so they’ll stay crisp. If I cut them later in the day, they tend to get wilty.

Also, in the same raised bed I have sixteen pepper plants (hot and sweet), a large basil plant and cilantro, and some sugar pea pods. The peppers are just coming in this week and I’ve been eating the pea pods every time I pass by so I couldn’t exactly tell you how those are producing.

The second raised bed has ten tomato plants and two eggplants. The first set of tomato plants that I planted in mid April were hit heavily by a very hard frost at the end of April. I just cut off the cherry tomatoes and, surprise surprise, the plants grew back. The others I pulled out and planted some new plants. We have Sweet 100 (cherry), Fat Mama (roma-type), Park Whopper, Pink Brandywine (a German tomato which was our favorite a couple of years ago.) They all are heavy with tomatoes so I’m sure we’ll be eating them in a few weeks.

The eggplants were only hit a little by flea beetles. We don’t use any pesticides and, as before, the plants pulled out of the attack.

Beans to the left. Squash and zucchini on the right.

The green beans are blossoming heavily so I expect we’ll have some beans pretty soon. And the two squash mounds are producing. We have yellow squash and grey zucchini which we’ve been eating for a week or so.

I’ve been watering about every other day depending upon the soil moisture. The ground cloth and the cardboard have been doing a great job of keeping the weeds down and the moisture up. No pesticides and a light feeding about once a week.

Today’s harvest. Went into stir-fry tonight.

So far, I’m pretty pleased with the new raised beds. So much less work after initial set up. But I’m going to miss fresh sweet corn and my cut flowers.

Stay tuned for future reports. Meanwhile, I’ll have to check out my zucchini brownies recipe.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged country living, gardening, kit miracle, pea pods, raised beds, southern indiana

More glam cats

Posted on June 18, 2023 | 1 comment

June has been a hectic month so far. Gardening and property maintenance has taken a huge bite of my time. With spring rains and warm weather, all the vegetation has had explosive growth. Everything needs to be weeded, watered (if no rain), planted, trimmed, etc. The drive alone is a third of a mile long and requires whacking back all the brush and briars. When I do it, it usually takes three days; even then it still takes two people to do the overhead branches as I’m certainly not getting any taller.

Then there are all the other things to do around here. Library programs. Grandkids. Driving people for appointments. Welcome house guests. Not much free time for R & R.

But…I have still been pursuing my newest painting direction which includes more cat paintings with touches of real gold and silver. My “Glam Cats.” Why? Because it amuses me. That is what keeps artists and creative types going.

This is a painting of Pria, the pretty white cat from the animal shelter. First I painted her with just a blue background. I’m putting the cats on oriental carpets for an added bit of class. Then I add the gold and /or silver. This is not paint. It is real sheets of 23K gold and real sterling silver. The sheets are so thin that I can’t have any air flow in the studio otherwise it’s impossible to control and it flies everywhere. I’ve also discovered that timing is everything. Putting on the adhesive where I want the metal to stick, then judging when it is the right amount of tackiness, then transferring the gold. After this step has dried for a few days, I then spray the whole painting with a coat of acrylic. This prevents damage to the thin layer of precious metal, and prevents the silver from tarnishing over time.

Ki before the gold and silver was added.

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll pursue this direction of painting but I’m having fun now. I’ve often wondered how some artists just keep doing the same type of subject and style their entire lives (thinking of Renoir or Wyeth) while others have long and successful careers by seeking new avenues (Picasso or Calder). I guess it’s just temperament in the end. No right way or wrong.

P.S. Pria was adopted from the shelter shortly after I painted this picture.

1 Comment

Posted in animals, art

Tagged cats, gilt, glam cat, glamorous cats, gold leaf, new ideas, trying new things

Stars and stripes

Posted on May 28, 2023 | 1 comment

Waving Glory, original painting, acrylic, sterling silver gilt, canvas board, K Miracle

I always get a little thrill when I hear a band playing and see the marchers, whether musicians or military. Something about the big booms of the drums. But particularly the waving of the stars and stripes.

Stars and Stripes, original painting, acrylic, silver gilt, stretched canvas. K Miracle

With several patriotic holidays coming up – Memorial Day, Flag Day and July 4th – I felt impelled to create a few small flag paintings. Just some stars and stripes, waving, as you might see anywhere this time of year. The unique thing with these paintings is that I’ve added some real sterling silver gilt to them. Yes, really! Let me tell you another time how challenging it is to work with the sheets of gold and silver.

Flay Day, 5 x 7, acrylic, silver gilt, K Miracle

Anyway, all the paintings have been coated with clear acrylic so the silver won’t tarnish over time.

I couldn’t add the neat videos for these paintings to my blog but you can check out my shop to see the videos of the flags on a turntable which really shows off the shine of the silver. Just because I wanted to, you might say.

KitMiracleArt.com

1 Comment

Posted in holiday

Tagged acrylic, flag paintings, holidays, july 4th, memorial day, silver gilt

May garden update

Posted on May 22, 2023 | 1 comment

We had quite a bit of rain last week but temps are creeping up and I think the rain is over for awhile.

Five varieties of tomatoes and two eggplants.

The raised bed frames that I posted last month in April are doing well for the most part. As I expected, we had a late freeze and lost some tomatoes that we planted too early. I knew that we were taking a chance but, oh, well, it’s fun to experiment.

The first set of tomatoes that we had planted were two cherry tomatoes and four Park Whoppers. They had time to get established so when the freeze hit, they were still viable below the ground cloth. I cut off the dead tops of the cherry tomatoes and pulled out the Park Whoppers although they probably could have made it, too. The cherry tomatoes came back and have made up for lost growth. We’ve added some more tomato varieties – Pink Brandywine, Celebrity, Fat Mama (a roma variety) and a couple more Park Whoppers. And two eggplants in that raised bed.

The second raised bed with peppers, peas, and a variety of vegetables.

The second raised bed has more variety. I planted spinach and two kinds of lettuce. I put some netting over it to keep the cat out of there and that is actually helping keep bugs out and provides some shade. Those greens taste as tender as butter. Then several varieties of peppers, cilantro, basil, and some climbing pea pod vines.

Row of beans and two hills of squash. The cardboard is to keep down weeds and to keep in moisture. And the wood is to keep the cardboard from blowing away until it gets really moist.

Then I had some space between the second raised bed and the asparagus patch. So it’s bush beans and two kinds of squash. I’ve added cardboard between the rows to keep down the weeds.

I’ve filled flowerpots and weeded. But there is always more to be done. Trimming bushes. Trimming back the lane. Trimming trees. It’s a never ending project but it sure racks up the mileage on my FitBit. I guess that’s a good thing.

1 Comment

Posted in country living, garden

Tagged country living, gardening, kit miracle, raised beds

Golden cats

Posted on May 14, 2023 | Comments Off

Leo napping, original painting, acrylic on canvas 16 x 16 with gold leaf on sides.

As an artist, I’ve often been asked over the years, where do you get your ideas? This is a tough question because you can’t just go to the store and pick some ideas up. Well, maybe depending upon which direction you feel like moving.

For me, ideas can come from a variety of sources. Something I see, read about, even from dreams. Sometimes I think I want to explore a certain idea but end up going in an entirely new direction. That is what happened to me recently.

I was contemplating a series of local scenes. Landscapes, cityscapes. Just a variety of ideas have been strolling through my brain. Then I found myself noodling around with some sketches of my cat, in fact, various cats that I’ve owned throughout the years. (Not forgetting all the dogs, birds, lizards, and a variety of other pets we’ve had over the years.) No, I am not a crazy cat lady. I like cats and it seems as if I’ve had one around nearly all my life.

Tom. Original painting on canvas with gold leaf on front and sides. 8 x 8 x 2.5

So I started with some sketches of my little buddy Leo the cat. He seems to manage to find so many different ways to sleep that he’s almost acrobatic. One particular pose leads to another. Then I removed his ratty old blanket and put him on an Oriental carpet. And this lead me to think, Why not really jazz it up with some gold?!

Anyway, Leo was the first victim, er uh, volunteer. Then came Tom, my dad’s cat. Then Princess who is just too too glam. Adding backgrounds of oriental carpets and some real 23K gold or silver leaf. I have never done anything with gold leaf before but, hey, it’s always good to try new things.

Ki, original painting on canvas, 8 x 8 x 2.5. Unfinished.

Then I realized that I was running out of cat subjects. Even photos of my old cats.

So with the help of a friend who volunteers, I went to the local humane society. BINGO! Back in business. They have lots of cats. Every time the volunteer was telling me that this cat was shy or standoffish, it would come and climb all over me, waiting for its ears to be scratched or belly rubbed. Such a beautiful variety. These people do such good work, especially with the help of many volunteers.

But what really broke my heart was seeing the older cats who appeared in good shape but had been turned into the humane society because their owners died or who were no longer able to take care of them. How confused they must be. They looked so sweet and loving.

Anyway, I’ll be making more trips back there in the coming months. If you have a humane society near you, check it out next time you need a new pet, or just another pet. They definitely get high marks on my list.

Meanwhile, check out my Etsy shop KitMiracleArt to keep track of the new golden cats.

Dubois County Humane Society if you need to adopt a pet.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged cats, contemporary impressionist, gold leaf, humane society, indiana, kit miracle, painting, painting instruction, pet adoption

Sense of smell in photography

Posted on April 30, 2023 | Comments Off

In the photography class that I’m taking, we were asked this week to convey a sense of smell that means something to us. Some people composed photos of favorite lotions or perfumes, others of special cleaning products. (Lemon Pledge still brings back memories of my mother.) It was actually a more difficult assignment than you would guess.

I chose a rather eclectic group of images. Sun-ripened tomatoes on the windowsill. The scent of old books will take me back to every library I’ve ever been in. Irises to every house I’ve ever lived in. Homemade bread and pizza. Dusty old barns and outbuildings.