Happiness

My husband and I own a farm. On our 16 acres are three houses. One we live in, and the other two were kept rented, to cover our mortgage and taxes. A couple of months ago we decided to see if we can survive without renting the little house. It's a two room "bungalow", or cabin, or efficiency. On September 1, 2010, it officially became known as the "Oongalow". And as such, I moved in to my very own studio!

I now have a place to go and create and get lost in my work, not have to hear the phone ring and spend hours that fly like minutes, only to regret that it's time to go back to the house.

What a magical place I've been given! Down the rutted road, under the ancient, leaning trees, to the little cabin with the aged siding that blends so perfectly into it's natural surroundings, and truly looks as if it's always been there or that it had been planted and simply grew there.

Out onto the deck, you can lose your breath, it's so beautiful! There, right there, Right There is the creek that flows and eddys right at your feet. There's the sand bar with the phantom wild flowers that just pop up, brought down the stream by some storm or happy, pooping, little bird. I listen to the woodpeckers, the blue jays, the house wrens and watch the flocks of wood ducks that fly up into the trees and then fly up and off to the far bank when I open the sliding door to get a better look. The other day hubby and I watched a pair of great blue herons fly over, on their way south.

I am sometimes greeted by the kayakers and canoers who paddle past on their way to the estuary and out to the sea.

This, this gift, this is what happiness means to me.

Would you like a little snapping turtle with that?

Earlier this summer my husband brought a friend to visit. This happens quite often at our house. This time our guest was a little snapping turtle.

Sometimes it's a toad. Sometimes it's a little garter snake. We just love our neighbors! Last spring hubby brought in a lovely red salamander.

We bring them into the house, ouh and ah over them and then wave goodbye as they hurry away.

This is a pic of him making his getaway. That was his signal that he was done visiting and really wanted to go home now. So we took him outside and sent him on his way.

We live on 16 wooded acres just on the edge of the Jersey Pine Barrens.

The state has a program that we are quite proud to be a part of. It's called "Forestry Stewardship, and means that we are given the task to keep our little bit of forest healthy, to promote healthy habitat. So we cut trees for firewood, but only those that are damaged, downed, dead, diseased or dangerous. The healthy trees are left standing and the forest floor is kept tidy, thereby cutting down on the danger of forest fire.

So, even if our guests don't get invited in for a cuppa, they often hang out in the yard. Why, right this very minute there is a momma dear and her tiny twin fawns are right outside my livingroom window!

It's really, really cool! We are so blessed!

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

www.finishthis.etsy.com

www.JudyAGoddardArtisan.blogspot.com

www.JudyGoddard.Homestead.com

The Forest for the Trees

If each new task is a tree in the forest, and each time a tree proves fruitless a new one is planted, how can I tell the forest for the trees?

I've set up my shop.

I've taken good, clear and sharp photos.

I've engaged in the chat rooms

I've posted in the forums

1. to ask for critiques

2. to ask business topic questions

3. to promote my shop

I've 3 joined teams

I've set up a blog and post almost every day.

I've set up a flickr.com account.

I'm working on a face book site.

I've let my family and friends know I'm open for business.

How do I keep from despairing?

Making art for arts sake is very good and sounds like a noble endeavor. But what you end up with is piles of art and no place to store it.

And I admit, that as an artist, I seek validation! I want to know that my ideas are valid and that others think they're worth purchasing and giving as gifts. So not making sales is not only hard on the pocket book, it hurts my soul.

Every time I kvetch people tell me to hang in. My products are good, great, cute, wonderful. The prices are fair. The pictures are clear and good.

But as the Christmas season comes on, and I spend more time looking at other Etsy shops and see how many sales they've had since the time that I signed up, it just makes me ache.

This is the gift God gave me. And for my entire life I've tried to find the niche that will enable me to justify the time and money I spend on my art.

Can you relate?

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

www.Flickr.com/judyagoddard/