painterandpoet

John Henry's Daughter- my earliest memory!

2016-01-06T20:01:00.001-08:00

My Unbelievable First Memory:
Am truly sorry to have "stood you up" after building up your curiosity about my horrendous first memory - but we had a number of questions to answer online and opted to tend to business and are just now getting back to you, dear followers of our blogs.

To set the scene - we lived on a very productive farm, with no electricity or indoor plumbing.   My Dad had a good herd of cows, mostly holsteins - they are the blavck and white ones which produce quite good volumes of milk - and we had one jersey, who produced richer milk - all of the milk was carefully carried to the milk house, which was cooled by water from a good well up near the farm house.

Since we had no indoor plumbing, we did have a good "outhouse", which had two openings for grown up people to sit on- this was a well equipped facility complete and usually had a Montgomery Ward or Sears Roebuck catalog - from which people could tear pages to use for the obvious. And 3 year old Esther (that's me) had a pet lamb. And 3 year old Esther was not yet completely pottu-trained

So 3 year old E (me) decided to take her pet lamb to the outhouse, and make the lamb sit on one of the "grown-up_ openings. Uh-0h! Little me put the lamb up on the grown-up opening, and "oops", the lamb fell in! Now, 3 year old E loved that lamb, so she climbed in after the lamb, and again oops! She could not get out- so she yelled for help.   And wonderful, her 14 year old sister heard her - and with a huge effort, E was rescued, and taken up toward the house. The only water available came from a nearby well with a gasoline pump - this water was used to cool the milk down by the barn, but under current circumstances, this very cold water was used to clean up Esther - and to this day, I still remember how very COLD that water was!!

Within a few days, my wonderful Daddy had made a small seat in that out house - just for my personal use, and told me how special that new seat was and to always use just it!!! And to never again get up on the big seats!

Now how many of you readers can rival my very dramatic "first memory"?   I've wondered since where my mother was when this happened? Maybe she was on the sofa with a cloth over her eyes.

My Mother died at almost 100 - 28 years ago, and I never thought to ask her about this very traumatic event.    There are other early childhood farm memories that I'll also share with you, but none others are so very vivid in my old head.

Any other comments would be just anti-climactic. Goodnight, all!

"John Henry's Daughter" - That's me, ESTHER!

2015-12-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas has come and gone, things are a bit more relaxed in the Powers/Miller household. We hope that you all have had a fine Christmas - and especially good health! I have reached an age where I am trying to accomplish what to me - seems to be IMPORTANT , and for a long time I've wanted to write down some of my most vivid memories for my own family. So I think I will make those memories the subject of this and some futurr blogs.

And IF I finish more originals, I'll also share them with you (of course, if they have been commissioned, I will need first - to present any to the commissioner or the commissionee (I made that word up - you'll just have to figure out who I meant. GOTCHA!

My father;s name was John Henry Scobie, hence the title of this blog - "John Henry's Daughter". I was "Daddy's Little Girl", and in my earliest years had a mother who probably suffered from depression, often on the couch with a wet cloth over her eyes. And I had to be QUIET. Maybe it was migraines??? So my father "took care of me" which meant that he farmed with me along, either on his lap, or on the back of "Pete", the gentler of our team of horses. And the other horse in the team was "Molly" - don't want to leave her out. This farming was back about 1932 - and my Dad had good equipment for those days, but no tractor.

An especially traumatic event happened when I was barely three years old. My first husband, Dr. Duane Powers, enjoyed that story so much that he told it in detail - to many of his patients, including members of my bridge club. No, that was not hr cause of our divorce. Now this is the end of this first blog. Betcha' you'll want to read the next blog! Sorry I have to stop to work on getting a few belated Christmas greetings in the mailnand to pay a few bills. Ward and I have been very "busy big bees" since we arrived home only one week ago - when we returned from a wonderful trip to New Orleans to visit son Terry and his lovely wife, Dani. Our dear friend, Darline, and my daughter, Jennifer kept Painter and Poet in good hands, and we thank them!

Am planning to write anothr blog a week from today.

Happy New Year and all that stuff! Esther

Dang!

2015-11-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

DANG!

When I published tonight's blog, I had re-read it, and thought all was in order, until it went out! And Thanksgiving was mispelled. My eyes are not what they used to be, nor is most of the rest of me. But I'm sorry when I goof, and will just keep on writing these bloggy blogs..

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. And thank you for your interest in our ventures at Painter and Poet.

E & W

2015-11-21T21:33:00.001-08:00

TJANKSGIVING IN JUST A FEW DAYS!

2015-11-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

WARD AND I HAVE SO VERY MUH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!    We are still living very independently, and Ward's health is excellent. And I surely have nothin much to complain about When I was 70, I knew that my balance would become gradually worse, and here I am - still able to get around our house, walk down to the local stores (using my walker and stopping often to rest - but still able to go alone. Wonderful news. Going to check out the building next to Culver's Chapel - I've heard that's a good possibility for walking inside when it's not a good idea to try to walk outside.

Our youngest daughter, Jennifer Powers, is now living in her own apartment in Plymouth, where she works at Smith's Ace Hardware - near Kroger's. We love being able to see her often, and she is a wonderful example of how to live well! When I start to gripe about some stupid small annoyance and she is in ear or eye shot, her index finger reminds me not to sweat the small stuff!

And as to being grateful, Ward is cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year - getting the turkey first thing Monday morning. I baked a cherry pie several days ago - and it is in the freezer.
We will have our nuclear family here - Ward's 2 older kids will join us - Scott from southern Indiana, and Susy (Susanne) from South Bend, and our Jennifer. Scott is making scalloped corn, and I will have fun helping with it all. And Jennifer is like a streak of lightning in the kitchen - dirty dishes are whisked out of sight, and she is a terrific cook!!

For the first time in many years, we no longer have regular gallery hours, but we are always happy to see friends and customers - just ring our door bell, and if we're here, we'll let you in. And if I've been lazy, and am not presentable, I'll grab something to put on and get decent very fast! And when we are better organized, I will put out the open sign as much as possible.

I'm working on two originals that ar almost finished - both commissions, and have 8 more that I hope to get down in the next several weeks. If the weather doesn't get too bad quickly, we hope to soon drive down to New Orleans, to visit son Terry. He and Dani have a lovely home, which we have not yet seen. And I feel very ready to go - all prepared, including a new perm, with a wash and go style - if your're a man, this sounds silly, but if you are a female, like me, you will understand.

The current major project is finishing matted prints of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Plymouth. They are printed, and the certificates are signed. So it will take a week or two to complete this. Our dear friend, Judi Dodge, is the force behind these prints. And our friend, Randy Burkholder, has helped me remember   some photo shop steps that had simply flown out of my head. We are so blessed with wonderful people who help us.

And as ever, if you want something from our gallery, and can't get in touch with us, call our fabulous friend and heper, Darlene Best. Her Plymouth phone number is 574-936-4431 and she really knows more about our gallery than I do!

Dear friends, and friend customers, we wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, and happy shopping as you enter into this holiday season!

from Ward and Esther

2015-11-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today, we arrended a Memorial Service at Ancilla, a lovely place with "Indepenent Living" and all the stages including a very well run nursing home. Tony Zurbrugg's mother, lived there for m or 4 years and passed away reently, and she was remembered in this service.

It's just past midnight and I'm going to make this the shortest blog ever! I'm prepared for the changes coming tomorrow. I am thinking about having a sale from now till Christmas. After I talk this over with Ward, we'l l let you know.

From Esther, OLP ("Old Lady Painter")

2015-10-27T23:33:00.003-07:00

SLIPPING BACK TO MOVE AHEAD!                                          Blog- dated October 27, 2015

Ward and I are entering a new chapter in our lives and from now forward, we will not have any set open hours, but please remember that you visitors and customers are always welcome. We treasure your interest, whether or not you purchase anything! Soon our sign will make that clear. So ring our front doorbell if you want to stop and visit us and our gallery.

I'll be working on some projects and Ward is likely to be either reading or watching TV or cooking. His food is awesome!! And if nobody answers, we are likely not home!

"Slipping Back" means that I'm gladly getting rid of the cell phone, which I've never been at ease with. For many years we have had a land phone line for our residence phone - 574-842-4350. This number is in the Culver phone book - in Ward's name, as he is a retiree of the phone company. This number will still be in that phone book, under his name, but there will be another phone number there also - Painter and Poet - and it will list our long standing gallery phone number - 574-842-8888 when the new directory comes out.   Each of these phones will be attached to an old fashioned answering machine, where - you may leave a message if we are not able to answer the phone. This method is almost pre-historic - the old fashioned way, and we promise to answer or call you back as soon as we can. .These changes will show up when a new phone book is published.

We will continue to sell over our Painter and Poet website, www.painterandpoet.com. We will accept personal or business checks, but not take charges. And of course, we welcome plain old CASH! We will not accept charges, but will allow you to take home prints and mail us a check (if you don't have one with you).    For purchase of originals, we will work out a time payment plan with you, if needed.

We have operated our business now for 26 years.   And we will continue now as long as we are able. We've only lost money one time by trusting a customer, and that was at Plymouth's Blueberry Festival. They even gave us a fake address.   Sneaky devils, weren't they?

Many people in our age bracket avoid computers - But not me!. I design and print the note cards and many of the prints we sell in our gallery. I will still use email, keep a mail list, and an email address book, and do our book-keeping on line. Our email address is Info@painterandpoet.com. Thank you all again for being our customers. We do so appreciate you! Changes go into effect on Nov. 3, 2015

Our goal is to spend more time enjoying ourselves, and also creating more art and poetry. And I want the business side to go back to being as simple as possible. We thank you for helping us continue to enjoy painting and sharing our painting and poetry with you!

From Esther and Ward Miller "The Painter and the Poet"

"Boot the BOOT!!!"

2014-10-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Early fall is full of vibrant colors. We all enjoy Jack Frost's antics and t's enough to almost overwhelm this artist! It's my favorite time of year!!

Several days ago, I had welcome news - after a month of wearing a boot to protect my right ankle
after surgery to remove some old hardware. - I was finally allowed stop wearing the boot and I am sharing a a picture that I took looking down at the contraption!

How very pleasant it is to have my still tender footsie where I can wiggle my toes with ease. This is cause for celebration! Still have to keep my foot elevated, and am sternly instructed to "Take it easy!" Difficult for me - who always like to move from one project to another.

I've almost finished a small watercolor of a barn, and checked it now in the "light of day". It needs a zing of bright color somewhere vaguely near its center. Hot pink or orange would do the trick.Maybe even a suggestion of some old dried berries on stalks woodwork.. Kind of like "trimming" a hat or getting dressed up and deciding what, if amy, jewelry to wear. Always a bit less that you first think!

I like to try out little accents on small pieces of watercolor paper - and test by placing them on the almost finished painting to see how they work, Artistic license! I'll decide, finish the painting and try to photograph it and show it to you on the next blog!

LIFE IS ONE CHALLENGE AFTER ANOTHER !

2014-09-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

Just over 2 weeks ago, I had surgery on my ankle - removal of some hardware put in over 30 years ago to hold my ankle together. To my dismay, some of the hardware decided to push through the skin - a health "no-no"! My protective husband bandaged it almost each day for months while we waited for an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon - now it is fixed, and I am lumbering around with a "Boot" a contraption invented to protect the foot beneath. It protects the healing wound after the surgery, and the welcome news is that with very good medical care, I am gradually emerging from one more challenge, and am plugging away on paintings "in process", and have recently finished putting together more popular prints to beef up our inventory. I remind you that our winter gallery hours are 11 till 5 on Saturdays, and by chance (when you see our open sign out), or appointment when you call us. I'm still not adept at getting messages off the I Phone, so safer to call us at our home phone 574-842-4350, where we have a very reliable answering service.

Fall is truly my favorite season. After our evening meal - whether at home, or in one of our favorite eateries, Ward drives and I ride along enjoying the scenery, and casing the area for interesting subject matter. We have our good camera with interchangeable lenses, etc. and then we also have an I-Phone, also with photo capability - I'm going to try this - as we try to keep up some with new technology.

We do not have "spell check" on this blog setup, so please excuse me if I goof on spelling. Ward takes me to the library every few weeks, where I check out books on CD's - and I listen when I am doing repetitive things , so this listening does not reinforce spelling as well as "reading" from the printed word. Today, I finished hearing "The Daring Ladies of Lowell" by Kate Alcott. an exciting mystery about life for residents and cotton mill workers in a New England town - setting is around 1830. A good "listen" my substitute for a good "read".

34th Wedding Anniversary

2014-09-05T19:06:00.002-07:00

It's the 5th of September, and Ward and I celebrated with an exceptionally good dinner at the Cerulian Restaurant located on a canal off Winona Lake. We had a waitress snap a photo of us, and I had hoped to transfer that photo to this blog. Alas - can't seem to get that done.

Yesterday, I had surgery on my right ankle - to remove a protruding rod that was put in almost 25 years ago. A serious health risk. Glad that is over, and will be happy when recuperation is complete.

Am looking forward to getting back into a good routine. You can count our being open on Saturdays from 11 till 5, but otherwise we'll be here by chance or appointment. And since I am still not really adept on our I Phone, please email us at info@painterandpoet.com or call us on our home phone - 574-842-4350.

I have finished sketching in outlines a number of paintings - and as I finish them, I plan to post them on our blog. Two complicted originals are almost done - will also post photos of them after they have been delivered to the purchasers.

Now I'm going to post this (before I heat a wrong key) and will write again soon!

Esther

First Blog of 2012

2012-01-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

When we first arrived here - just before Thanksgiving, I was always talking about going back home - which meant Culver. Now when we are at the Culver house, I find myself saying - "maybe it's time to head back home."

About a week ago, Darlene came to visit, and she took several pictures of Ward and me, so I am posting one of them. It was very cold and we are in front of our Winona Lake home, and soon I will post some more inside shots, so you can get a better idea of where we now live.

Randy is working on web site changes, and those will soon be finished. In the meantime, our phone numbers are land line residence phone: 574-372-6339 and our answering service is working there. Our Painter and Poet Gallery cell phone number is 574-842-8888. If I don't return a message you left there, please call me back on our land line. I confess - I'm having trouble learning how to get my voice mail messages. I know, I know - you say it's easy. Well, let me remind you - I grew up on a farm where my Dad plowed with a team of horses - and we had no electricity and no running water (and an out-house). How can anybody expect me to be a fast whiz on a cell phone? C'mon, Give me a break!

Second Blog of the Day - Our mailing address

2011-12-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

Dear "All of You",

Just opened our mail, and there was a nice Christmas card addressed to our Culver address with a message inside that they "hoped we would receive this at our new address", so thought some of you might like to have our new mailing address. Here it is:

Ward and Esther Miller
1415 Avalon Court
Winona Lake, Indiana
46590

Back to unpacking just one more box. Fortunately, we have an attached garage with room along one side for open metal shelving and several roomy metal enclosed cabinets. Those areas are fast filling up and many of the boxes are simply labeled "memorabilia". I feel as if it will take us 5 years to sort all of this out, but it is comforting to know that we can take our time, to pitch, save, give away or sell.

I'll tell all of you a secret (and I guess then, it will not longer be a secret): Some of the memorabilia boxes were packed when my mother died in 1988 (24 years ago). Wow! Our Painter and Poet journey began in 1989, and I've been more fascinated by enjoying our wonderful art "trip" with all of the hard but enjoyable facets of envisioning, then making the painting and poetry come to life, then marketing, traveling, etc. etc., than I was by delving into the contents of those boxes - they moved along with us -
to our first condo, then to our peaceful log cabin, then to our recent beloved Culver home with attached gallery, and now on to our retirement condo - a peaceful and secure haven. I'm sure this new spot, without the gallery, the matting and framing, and with other people responsible for many of the tasks we tried to do for ourselves, will give us an easier life with more time to create and to relax. So the journey goes on..........

Ward hung a Christmas wreath near our front door, and our 45 year old nativity scene (from Marshall Field's catalog) is in its year round place, an antique commode right next to our front door. Later this next week, we will put up a few old favorite Christmas decorations.

from Esther

Still in the Midst of our overwhelming move!

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

Hi friends -

Had hoped to be posting by now, but realty has set in, and we continue to pack, tote, and unpack - with an occasional half day off to recuperate. Shortly before Thanksgiving, I tore a tendon in my left wrist (the good news, -it was not my right hand), so am being careful and doing lots of sorting but very little lifting. Am in a fiberglass cast (waterproof) and very light weight. Relatively comfortable.

We had planned to be moved before snowy weather - the furniture and heavy boxes in our final major load was put in place about 20 minutes before Warsaw's first snow of the season - no snow in Culver. Excellent accidental timing.

Most people here seem to be kind and friendly. Our next door neighbors dropped in several days after we began sleeping here - they brought some good cookies, and a warm welcome. Tomorrow we are going to a Christmas dinner at the community building for Robin Hood Condos - dinner is being catered by Grace College.

My drawing table is still buried in boxes, but our limited edition prints are safely in order on shelves along the back wall of my studio - thanks to expert and careful handling by Chris Chambers. As soon as that area is in order, I'm determined to get a brush in my RIGHT hand- I can feel it twitching now. We'll soon take some photos of our condo to share with you. Trying to port our 842-8888 land line to our "waiting to be programmed" cell phone. As of now, the safest way to call us is on our home land line - 574-372-6339 - or email a message to us at info@painterandpoet.com

After we have our new cell phone set up, we will disconnect the Painter and Poet land line in Culver, and will have the cell phone programmed to receive messages. We'll then immediately post our correct and active phone number for Painter and Poet. Thank you all for your patience during this transition.

Hope you all are on schedule to welcome Santa. Peace. from Esther

Saturday evening - BIG SALE is progressing!

2011-10-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

We are still having the BIG 50% OFF SALE on all prints! New extended hours: 1 PM till 6 PM, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, & Sun. Our sale will continue until Nov. 12. The walls are getting more and more empty, but many nice bargains remain. Christmas is coming!

After we move, Gail's Shop here in Culver will be selling our prints. And we also will be selling un-matted prints on line. www.painterandpoet.com

Ward and I are sad to close our little Painter and Poet Gallery and will miss our wonderful friends and neighbors in Culver, an amazing small town. But we do look forward to our new home at Robin Hood Condos., where we will have a more stress free life and the help we are likely need as we age. If curious, check out their web site: www.gracevillage.org

After we are settled in our new digs, I will be setting up my membership in Daily Paintworks, a very active site where many artists sell their originals. And I am looking forward to working on many of the commissions some of you have requested - I will have the space and the time to paint, paint, paint! For the next few weeks, our email address and phone number will remain the same, and we will be posting on this blog www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com to let you know of changes.

Once we are settled there, we will be sending a card to each of you on our active mailing list, giving you our new address and phone number and details on how to contact us.

Now I must get back to packing. Looks like many of our "memorabilia" boxes will be unopened and transferred to shelves in our new garage. To you who have moved in the last few years, does this sound familiar?

From Esther and Ward

Working toward our Big Move!

2011-10-18T18:50:00.001-07:00

HUGE SALE! Exciting news from Painter and Poet

2011-10-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

Change is in the wind! Ward and I want to let you in on our plans. We are 98% sure that we will soon be moving to a condo in Robin Hood Condominiums, associated with Grace Village Retirement Community at Winona Lake, Indiana- right next to Warsaw. While we are both "young at heart", Father Time has a nasty habit of sneaking up on us, and this move will make it easier for us to continue to pursue our creative life and our personal life. All exterior maintenance will be done by someone else, and our lives will be easier and simpler. Grace Village is lovely, and a very friendly and helpful place, and we are looking forward to happy, productive and safe years there. It is very hard for me to leave Culver - I have had a home or property here for 58 years and I appreciate all of the amazing generosity and kindness that people in this town have given first to me and my children, and then to Ward and me. Grace Village is only 45 minutes from Culver and we plan to return often!!

While living in Grace Village, we will not have a retail outlet, but you may purchase our unmatted prints, cook books and Ward's books online through our web site www.painterandpoet.com . We are delighted to report that Painter and Poet prints will be available here in Culver at Gail's Shop. And Culver Academies' Bookstore will continue to carry our Culver Academy Series of prints.

Ward and I have worked hard and lived our dream for the last 14 years operating our own small gallery housed in several locations along Main Street in Culver. It has been such a pleasure to share our artistic work. We will miss the many customers and friends we've met through our painting and poeting, but all good things (and fortunately also - all bad ones) end, and we look forward to the next chapter. Our move to Winona Lake will allow me to concentrate on painting originals, and plugging away on long delayed commissions. My studio there will be larger than the one in our Culver home. And after we are settled in our condo, I will be joining Daily Paintworks site online and posting small originals on that site. Fear not - the art gene is still strong and urgent in my innards! Ward continues with his poetic musings and years back he wrote a wonderful poem called "My Indiana Home" - I am looking forward to finishing the small watercolors needed to illustrate this poem which will then morph into a poster. That will be my first project after we settle in our new home..

We want to reduce our inventory before we move, and so are having a whopping 50% off sale only on all the framed and matted prints now in our gallery.   This sale does not include unmatted prints or any of our other gallery inventory. While we plan to stay open as much as possible, our "for sure" hours will be Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5. To come at other times, check our open sign or call ahead. 574-842-8888.

We will accept phone orders with credit card payment, and will be glad to mark your purchases and set them aside for pick up. If you want to pay by cash or personal check, we will mark your artwork, set it aside and hold it for up to 5 days so you can arrange to pay for it when you get it. We will accept credit cards and personal checks. All sales will be final. Sorry, because of the confusion of this move we cannot arrange shipping. More details on how to purchase items from Painter and Poet will be posted later. We hope to be settled in our new Grace Village home before Thanksgiving.
As soon as our condo lease in Robin Hood Condos is finalized, our Culver home will be for sale. I'll blog again and give you more information on our Mission style brick bungalow, a house that struck my fancy for many years before we purchased it about 13 years ago.   We have loved living in this house and hope the new owners will enjoy it as much as we have.

from Ward and Esther

Painter and Poet's Family Cookbook-fresh from the printer!

2011-07-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

A few months back, I wrote about a small edition of this cookbook, which I printed. Since I am a painter and not a printer, it was a struggle - and also way too time consuming. About a month ago, we found an outstanding printer - Brinkman Press in Indianapolis. They are knowledgeable, careful, and precise in their work - and willing to produce smaller editions. They were patient with me and helped me through the process of providing them files much better than I could ever have done without their expertise. The front and back is laminated card stock and the spiral binding allows the book to lie flat - making it easier to read as you search for ingredients. Also, we have a very good friend in Plymouth, who offered to proof read - and boy oh boy, what a good job she did ! - finding an embarrassing number of goofs made by yours truly. The bottom line is, we were able to provide a more professional cook book and/or coffee table book, at a low price of $39.00.

"Uncle John's Barn" The inspiration for this barn rumbled through my mind, for quite a few years before I finally painted it. In the meantime, the barn deteriorated to the nth degree -one section after another, until it finally collapsed! Located on 9th Road, west of Plymouth - the barn always drew my attention and I photographed it in different seasons, on sunny days and on shady days. I grew up on a dairy farm in northeastern Ohio, and the small herd of a hodge podge of heifers reminded me of my early home. So - I finally painted it, and named it in honor of my father, John Henry Scobie. And this watercolor is on the cover of our cookbook with over 100 of our favorite family recipes, almost 90 small full color illustrations from a wide variety of my watercolors, and the "icing on the cake" (pun intended) is some nifty poems by Ward.

Title Page with Ward's verse

Beginning to recover more from an annoying recurrence of shingles, I feel able to get back to active blogging. And the plan is to include info on some of the individual pages of this book. It'll be fun for me to go back into Memory Lane and share some of the details with you..

Now - let's get on with the show! After the detailed dedication, copyright, index, etc. etc. etc., here is the beginning page of the first chapter - Appetizers:

Note: Colors will vary with different monitors. They appear very saturated on my monitor, but while bright, the actual colors are not garish. These balloons are from photos taken at Plymouth's Blueberry Festival at least 15 years ago. Most of them belonged to balloon enthusiasts living within 60 or 70 miles of Plymouth. Ward and I used to get up early on the Saturday morning of "Blueberry weekend" and rush to Plymouth's municipal airport, to get there for a fund raising pancake breakfast and to watch the breath-taking sight and listen to the exciting roar of the fires igniting the gases to get those balloons up and away. Weather conditions had to cooperate and there had to be enough wind to allow them to drift away, but not too much to be dangerous. What a thrill to watch and listen to all of this. I still get goose bumps remembering.

Here is a link to our website: http://www.painterandpoet.com/
Gallery Hours: 10 till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays, and by chance or appointment. At other times, when we're available, we put our open sign out. Our gallery phone number is 574-842-8888
Our gallery email is: Info@painterandpoet.com
Here is a link to our blog address: http://www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com/

For cookbook orders, Shipping is $4.00 for the first book, and $2.00 more for each additional book. Please call or email us to place your orders. Please don't leave any credit card info on the phone or in your email. We accept all major credit cards and personal checks. With varying shipping costs, we can't set up our web site to accept book orders. If we aren't here, I'll call or email you back.

Chairs for Charity - 2011

2011-06-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Painter and Poet's Front Yard with two "Chairs for Charity - 2011"

"Chairs for Charity" is a local project

Close up of two Chairs for Charity - 2011

where any interested Culver resident can volunteer to paint (decorate) a chair of his or her choosing, and submit it to be auctioned to raise money for a variety of good causes. The auction is this coming Sunday evening, at Culver Academies Dining Hall, and this promises to be a lively enjoyable occasion. Since we are very visible on North Main Street, with a prominent front yard, we were asked to host two chairs. This was our pleasure, and Ward was glad to carry them in and out (depending on whether or not we were open and more importantly, whether or not it was raining.) I'm attaching a second "close up" photo.   Note the bar stool on the right which features memorabilia about the Indianapolis COLTS football team, and the back of the stool is symbolic of a horse shoe. Very clever, Rhonda Anderson is the "chair artist" who thought of and created this stool. The other chair is a very attractive rocker, called ANCHORS AWAY, and decorated by Colleen Denham, who also happens to be president of Tri Kappa, the organization that sponsors this popular fundraiser. I thought each of these chairs terrific, and am sure the winning bidder of each will indeed be delighted.

It's been a long time since I've posted a blog. Had a relapse of the dread shingles, but am now on a medication that is making it possible for me to get back into creating and doing. Very grateful for that. We are almost through with our final cookbook revision and will soon be posting details.

In our last blog I wrote about our inclusion in Northern Indiana Art Earth Trail, with listings of over 150 studios, galleries, farmers markets, quaint lodging, & specialty shops across Northern Indiana. Go online ArtAndEarthTrail.com for easy details on inventory, open hours , locations, etc. There are seven loops in this routing map - each for a different county. Using this guide will help you map out your own trip in your own car - whenever you wish, and you can check out info on different possible stops. We are in the Marshall County tour, which is called "Time to Unwind". And our definite open hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5, and also by chance, or appointment. Call us at 574-842-8888 if you want to come at another time, and we will try to be here for you. Let us know if you are on the tour, and we will be glad to invite you into part of our home to see some my watercolors in our private collection, and I will be happy to show you current "in the process" paintings - I usually work on several at a time. Remember, we have some originals and other items in our gallery, not available on our web site.

Our web address is - www.painterandpoet.com We accept orders by phone or email (painterandpoet@sbcglobal.net) and you may pay by paypal, credit card, money order or personal check.

Lots of rain here, and some severe storms, but the worst ones have skipped over or around us. Looking forward to writing more later.

Note: I'm checking on details on chair submission to be sure my info is accurate - will revise if necessary, so check the final details

Art and Earth Trail

2011-03-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

A view of the front of our gallery as it will appear in late spring!

We are thrilled to have been invited to be part of the Northern Indiana Art and Earth Trails. This is a planned "drive yourself" tour with suggestions for destinations - easy, free, and fun to follow. The photo on the left is included both in the current brochure printed by that group and on their wonderful website. There are seven Northern Indiana loops in this trail, and we are in the Marshall County segment, known as Time to Unwind loop. The web address is

Inside view of Gallery - spring, 2011

http://artandearthtrail.com/trails/index.htm Go there to find out more about these trails, and when you visit our gallery, be sure to tell us that you are following this trail. When you get on the web site, click on "stories" - we are honored to be featured on our loop - (TIME TO UNWIND).

Milestones in our lives like special reunions, weddings, graduations, etc. inspire us to undertake major and minor changes - in our bodies and in our homes. Well! Being included on this tour is a similar catalyst for us. The prospect of opening our gallery, our studio and a section of our home to visitors from this tour - has encouraged us to freshen up our gallery - we've bought some spacious baskets to hold most of our prints, rearranged some of our space, and hung more of our personal collection of my originals in our home for easy viewing. And we've gone high tech, with a wifi radio, and will have wonderful music in the gallery when I can figure out how to program the sucker.

Our kitchen has just been repainted- cabinets inside and out - utter chaos. In about a week, I hope to finish pitching and sorting - in preparation for a few minor furniture moves in the studio (the final step in readying our home/studio/gallery) Then, I myself will be planted - painting in the studio. Which reminds me - in front of a south window are twelve little glass jars containing healthy starts from our beloved old Christmas cactus. Earlier this week, we bought clay pots and saucers. And as soon as we get the right potting soil mix, I'll plant them.

Have finished proof reading our family cookbooks, and will print a short new edition. Will keep you posted on that.

Remember we have definite gallery hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5, and other times whenever the sign is out, by chance or appointment. Call us at 574-842-8888 for an appointment and we'll do our best to be open when it is convenient for you.

Remember to check us out at our web site; www.painterandpoet.com

"Winter Wonderland" -almost spring....

2011-03-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

It's good to be back blogging and I'm pleased to present this new painting. It's my watercolor of the wonderful view from our front door looking east across the street, and I was enthralled by this winter scene. Worked on it cautiously - putting it aside frequently to "think hard" about the next brush stroke. Watercolors are not as forgiving as most other mediums - so, enough said- I hope you enjoy it. Kay, the owner, is purchasing this original and we will be making some prints for her family, and I will enjoy mailing cards with this image.

Have been feeling below par (lingering shingles symptoms) but better now and "rarin" to go. We've had our kitchen cabinets painted inside and out and only some of the contents are in place. Soon we won't have any good excuse for eating out.

Most of our snow is melted, but a few packed piles linger in shaded areas. And our Lake Maxinkuckee is still covered with thin ice.

Here's the image from one of my most successful spring flower paintings. - "Crocus, the Butterfly Flower" thus named because my quirky artist brain saw the petals of these flowers resembling the wings of tiny butterflies, and it's fun to think about both of them together.

This small watercolor is in our dining room, and prints are available on our web site: httm/www.painterandpoet.com/

All for now - I'm alternating between studio time and organizing cabinets time, and always happy to pause to answer the buzzer when any of you enter our gallery door. I'll be back soon to share paintings and news of our artistic journey.

Yesterday's Blog-What happened to the turtles?

2011-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

Maxinkuckee cottage watercolor - the turtles must have jumped in the water. Seriously, they are still in the painting, but my attempt to add close up views of the turtles failed. A good friend of mine emailed to say she didn't know where to click to look at the turtles. The culprit is my limited computer skill. I don't dare even think about pulling off something like that! Sorry I goofed - here's my alibi - "my little close up photos of turtle 1 and turtle 2 decided they didn't want to be in the blog."

Now it's almost 4 on Sunday afternoon, and I'm going to peel potatoes to go with our pork loin roast which is on the menu (that means thawed out) for tonight's meal. And when it's in the oven, I'll wander back to my little studio and work on the winter scene of "the house with candles in the windows." How's that for a plan?

We have serious winter weather here. South Bend - about 40 miles north of us - has had 30 inches of snow within the last day or so - that's a record! We're fortunate to have much less snow here, but one must still be very careful walking and driving. Stay warm!

Remember, comments are welcomed. I hope to have a new blog ready for you by next weekend. from Esther

Web site: http://www.painterandpoet.com/

Family Fun on Lake Maxinkuckee

2011-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Am posting my most recent finally completed "house portrait." This family has many wonderful memories of time spent in this Lake Maxinkuckee cottage. The elevation from the water is ideal. Such an appealing spot with extensive porches, a yard with a large fire pit and plenty of seating for all. Welcome!

The patriarch of this family is a thoughtful man who follows his dreams with action. Admirable respect for the environment is evidenced by this fieldstone sea wall that provides easy turtle access back and forth between land and lake. It was fun for me to plant two of these critters on the sea wall. I've cropped two turtles from this watercolor, and enlarged them so you can view each of them " up close."

From our studio - After the huge Thanksgiving crash of the "Grandmother Christmas Cactus", the baby cacti are looking healthier each day. About a dozen of them are in glass jars, with their roots in the water and on a table in the south window of my studio where natural lighting is ideal.

Today, we put away Christmas ornaments, and I worked for several hours on a snow scene of another inviting home with candles glowing in its windows - which I hope to be able to finish and photograph for the next blog. We plan to use this watercolor for our belated 2010 "holiday" card. Am sorry it is emerging late, but grateful that I'm still able to share my art with you. Ward and I thank you for your many thoughtful holiday messages, and we wish you continuing peace and joy in 2011!

Winter hours: Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5, and whenever the open sign is out, or by appointment.
Esther Powers Miller and K. Ward Miller
Painter and Poet Gallery, 307 N.. Main St., Culver, IN 46511
Phone: 574-842-8888
email: info@painterandpoet.net

Web site: http//:www.painterandpoet.com/
Most of our prints are available on this web site. Paypal and free shipping within US.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Sixteen years ago, I painted this watercolor of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, of Wilmette, Illinois. This was a gift for the New Year's Eve marriage of a young couple - John Anella, (son of our good friends - the Steve Anellas of South Bend) and his fiance, Margie Pelton (her family is very active in this Wilmette church). John and Margie and their five children now live in South Bend.

Each New Year's Eve, I think about that wedding, and remember the trip several weeks before the wedding, when Ward and I drove over 100 miles from our home - then in Plymouth - to Wilmette, to search out this church, and photograph so I could use the pictures for reference while working on this painting.    It was early December and we were fortunate to find that an early snow had recently fallen blanketing the ground white and leaving a fluffy snow trim on nearby trees and roofs - a simple classic scene.

On New Year's day in 1994, carrying the completed watercolor with us, we again drove to this church in Wilmette and found the wintry scene almost identical to our photos. We attended the wedding and Ward and I had fun presenting this painting to the happy couple.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays is subsiding, and now we are shifting gears and thinking about the year to come. I'm still working on the yearly holiday note card, and when we are ready to mail it, I'll post it here for all to see.

Greetings to all! May you have a joyful, peaceful and healthy new year!   from Esther and Ward

Remember, many of our Painter and Poet prints (including Wilmette Church) are available on our web site: http://www.painterandpoet.com/

Winter gallery hours: Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 till 5, by appointment, or whenever the open sign is out.
Phone: 574-842-8888. Address: 307 N. Main St., Culver, IN 46511
Email: info@painterandpoet.com

Remember - it's easy to subscribe to this blog, and also easy to unsubscribe. Follow the directions here. And if you have comments, I'd enjoy hearing them. - Esther

A Christmas Cactus "Child" survives!

2010-12-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Hooray! My son Terry just sent me a photo of a thriving cactus "child" in the same bucket I put it in after the cactus crash! He and Dani transported it in their car when they drove back to New Orleans. I predict it will root in its water and be safely growing in dirt sometime around Easter. There are some healthy buds on many of its branches, and it is likely that it will bloom again next year. I am delighted at its recovery and congratulate Terry and Dani on their care of the "old lady cactus" survivor.

Photo emailed by Terry

We have about a dozen small starts on a table in my studio, and I am also hopeful that they will thrive. A good friend of mine gave me (for Christmas) the perfect ceramic planter for a much smaller version of this now famous cactus, and I hope to have a newer and sleeker model growing in it before summer.

This image of a Raggedy Ann Family
is available in numbered, signed prints
and as note cards. Check this out on
our web site in the "Christmas series" and the "Children's series"of prints.

I'm quite sentimental about this little
grouping. About ten years ago, we moved from a log cabin located on a
small fishing lake near Plymouth. We
loved the serenity and beauty of the
location and the cabin suited us perfectly
until......Father Time began to catch up with us, and the multiple steps became worrisome and potentially dangerous, so we moved, and are content now in our snug brick bungalow - all on one floor, with our little gallery attached.

A delightful couple, David and Janet Burke, bought our log cabin and we have the joy of visiting them in this home. David is a man of many talents, among them - making stick furniture and growing bonsai trees. The Raggedy dolls in my watercolor were made by his mother, Evelyn Chandler, and David made the chair. If interested, you can look at this print on our web site, http://www.painterandpoet.com/

Thank you for your encouragement and support. We enjoy our small gallery, and are pleased to be able to share our painting and poetry with you.

Am still working on my 2010 Christmas painting, which will be considered a New Year's card, and will be sent out soon. In the meantime, peace and joy to all of you in 2011.

A warm and friendly Christmas from Culver, Indiana!

2010-12-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

This wonderful small park is located in Culver's downtown historic district - our town's post office is just behind this park and a variety of small to medium sized shops, a CVS pharmacy, offices, condos, a B & B,and other rentals, two small museums, a bustling library, a bank - across the street. A hardware store, a florist, several good restaurants and real estate sales and rental offices are all in close proximity. Our Painter and Poet Gallery is two and a half blocks north on this same Main Street of Culver, Indiana - a small town with a huge warm heart!! Welcome visitors!

Memorial bricks comprise the walkways inside this park - and benches and flowering bushes create a welcoming atmosphere in the summer and this park is a fairyland in the Christmas season. My watercolor of this scene is an attempt to capture some of the winter magic. Small matted 8" x 10" prints are available in our gallery and on our web site http://www.painterandpoet.com

Ward and I have been slow in getting our Christmas organized - it seems like Thanksgiving was yesterday and Christmas is almost tomorrow. An almost spooky and freaky incident occurred on Thanksgiving day in my studio - Our huge Christmas cactus, pictured and discussed in an earlier blog on our website - flew off its perch on a sturdy table, landed in a heap upside down on the floor, with its shattered branches underneath and its unbroken large ceramic pot bottom-up atop the fractured plant. I had admired the emerging Christmas buds several days earlier! (Maybe there's a moral here - "enjoy today"?)

This plant - almost a century old was almost three feet across - thus trapped in our home and too large to go through any of our exterior doors !! My first reaction was shock and sadness. Then I started to giggle. "Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that cactus anymore!"

My older son and his family were here visiting when this unusual event happened, and after everybody else was in bed, I sat there mulling over what to do with the "remains". Decided the damage too drastic for repotting, I settled on hauling out three large empty plastic ice cream "buckets", and cut the intact branches apart, and placed them root side first and down into water. Ward put some bricks on top of the cactus table to stabilize the weight, and I'm keeping them watered and in a south window, and attempting to get some new starts going. If any of you would like to have a cutting off this plant, just stop in with your small water container, and we'll give you a piece of that wonderful old plant! But in this frigid season, you'll have to keep the fragile branch warm so we'll need to bundle it up for you!

Here's a copy of my painting of Mother's Christmas Cactus. Prints and cards of this also available in our little shop and on our web site.

Our pleasant memories of this plant live on, and we wish you a merry, merry Christmas with happiness that will extend throughout the coming new year!

We welcome your emails and comments. Winter hours: 10 till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays, and whenever the open sign is out. Or call for an appointment 574-842-8888.
email: info@painterandpoet.com
web site: http://www.painterandpoet.com