Sugarwings – Page 2 – Karla's Cottage

Treasures

By Karla Nathan / August 21, 2022

Before school started, we tried to make up for missing out on some of our regular summer time activities and made trips to the Topeka zoo and spent some time on the lake. Along the way we met some friends.

The larakeets loved Sugarwings’ hair we decided it was because it looked a lot like one of their toys.

The zoo was pretty quiet, I think the heat kept others away. But it’s a small park with lots of shade and many indoor exhibits, so the heat didn’t bother us.

The gemstone sluice wasn’t running, but we had a treasure hunt anyway. Over the years we have discovered that you find just as many pretty rocks and fossils in the mulch under the structure. Here is our precious haul.

On the way home stopped at our neighbor’s farmer’s market for fresh sweet corn and tried to guess what animals would be on the porch to greet us. Because you just never know there. We got lucky and it was this very nice goat, who we nick named Oreo.

A sweet ending to a lovely day out. Ki Ki, Avahni, and Dewdrop are all going to be living far away, Sugarwings is 16 now.

A true treasure for me is any day with a grand fairy. I am holding each one close to my heart because I know that as they grow up and fly away, there won’t be many of these days left.

Grandfairy Time

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 7, 2022

It’s after the 4th and we just got our boat out on the water for the first time this season.

Partially because Rich has been traveling. He has been vacationing as well as shuttling kids across country for family visits. And look what we got in return! Yep, he brought Dewdrop to be here with us for a bit.

Between her time split up with other family in the area, I’m making the most of her being with us and getting out to go to our favorite places.

I always wonder if it is my last year to do our traditional activities, if they have out grown them or are heading towards that stage where they might be too cool for silly outings.

But then I think, hey, I enjoy this stuff and I’m 50 years older than they are! There is no reason to ever outgrow it.

We’ve filled carts with craft supplies at Hobby Lobby, and our stomach with popcorn at a 3D movie. We’ve shopped for clothes and for fireworks, and headed toward the zoo.

Before going into the Topeka Zoo, we stop at the 100 plus year old carousel, and I had a moment of thinking that the time I’d been dreading had come.

Had Sugarwings turned into a moody teen and was not enjoying our day? There was a very unhappy look on her face halfway through their ride and when they got off the ponies, I was asked to take them home and not go to the zoo!

Oh no!

Was it wrong of me to be relieved that the poor kid simply was feeling a bit ill, not bored? (Sugarwings feels better now, nothing major).

We followed our typical 4th of July habits of watching the neighborhood spend thousands of dollars on fireworks while we had a few snakes and sparklers. Then, Fin, who worked at a firework stand this year came by with rockets and set a few off.

Surprisingly, the dogs were fine with the never ending booms coming from surrounding homes for days. Poor little Twinkle used to be terrified, but without her this year, there was no need to comfort any dogs.

The kiddos and I have limited time to make plans and do our regular excursions, so I hope to make it back to finish our zoo day. Soon, we will have even more fun coming, though. We are hosting a family reunion starting next week and will have a houseful staying here with us.

Before they all arrive, I am trying to take advantage of having my little ones here together. Because I know how fast things can change. I have been blessed with so much fun with them and am enjoying seeing how they grow and change. Whenever I try to choose a “favorite age” I always go back to right now, because they just get better and better as they get older.

I am lucky they still like to go on adventures with their Grams, but am also enjoying watching them grow up and change their perspectives. Like after all those years of going to this merry go round, they just now noticed this extremely odd thing on the back of this wooden horse.

WTF?

And I appreciate them still enjoying an outing, but in a more grown up way like discussing the movie together after leaving it, looking at make up together while shopping, not just toys. Laughing about things that would’ve been over their heads when they were younger.

With Adam and Dewdrop both moving to North Carolina, we have limited time together. Kia has moved to Oregon. And now Fin, who I have been so happy to have back in our lives and living nearby, is moving away too and his adorable sister, Clover, is heading to college. There are rumors of Avahni leaving.

It isn’t easy to be grown up about other people growing up. And to be happy for them to move on and find their own happiness. The trick is to appreciate the time I do have with them. After losing Ryan, I understand how fleeting it could be. And watching them all grow and change becomes a delight when viewed properly.

But please, please, little grandfairies- always remember to look for the fun, don’t outgrow the ability to enjoy silly outings!

St Augustine Seashell Fairies and Gnomes

Dew Drop, dogs, fairies, family, Food and Drink, sea shell fairies, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / March 27, 2022

You have to love the beaches of St Augustine, and well, just everything about that city.

Technically, I guess it was Butler Beach, a tad south of town. The dogs needed to be on leashes, which wasn’t quite as much fun for them, but the place is soooo pretty, we adore being there.

Shelling for fairies wasn’t as easy as our previous stop, but I managed to wrangle a few sprites into shape to place on the beach our last day.

Tide was coming in soon after these were made. My husband asked to see the fairies, and as we walked over to them, they slipped out into the waves.

He said he’d always been confused by why I spend so much time hunting for the shells to make something that has no permanence, but now got it. That it was the joy of creation, not the creation itself. I don’t think those were his exact words, but it was a sweet conversation, however he phrased it.

It has been pointed out to me, that this gal has three boobs.

hmmm

Not what I was going for, but I sure see it now. I just thought it was a pretty gown with a ruffled bodice. Her striped socks are my favorite part, they look like pieces of the same shell but were found at opposite ends of the shoreline.

One thing I appreciate about this area is the long, flat stretches of sand. Ideal for walking. And there is a “road” along the back where you can drive, so we bring our truck with all of our paraphernalia for the day. We can easily haul a tent, chairs, and coolers to settle in and spend an afternoon.

And I have never seen it too busy. The weather wasn’t perfect, but even when it is, it hasn’t been crowded when we have visited.

After living in a 19’ RV with four dogs for a few weeks, we decided to find an Airbnb while our boy, Dewdrop, and her mother came to see us. It was sorta last minute, so we took what we could get. And we got pretty lucky with this spacious, new house.

I was sold when I saw photos of the fence. What a luxury to just open a door to let dogs out, after being in an RV park and needing leashes!

Oh, and the pool was a bonus.

I already mentioned that our weather was less than perfect, but the grand fairies still spent time out there. Then they’d run to the hot shower and I’d have warm towels waiting for them in the dryer. So the pool wasn’t wasted, even if we couldn’t enjoy it as much as we’d like.

Renting the house was a good move, I cannot imagine what our trip would’ve been like in hotels or another, smaller rental we’d looked at. This one had spacious areas and a covered porch. We sat on the patio while it rained to drink our coffee in the mornings, and it felt very vacationy.

The house was around the corner from some cool, but swampy walking trails. I doubt if I’d take dogs over there on warmer days when gators are active.

We were right down the street from the beach access too. Now, would I have preferred a home with the surf as a backyard?

Well, dur.

But- this one was close. We could zip down quickly between rain spurts if we wanted. And that fence for the dogs? Such a pleasant thing to have when you are crazy enough to travel for five weeks with four mutts.

Most of the trip, we avoided big crowds. Except that rainy Saturday when we, like the rest of the spring breakers thought they’d put on raincoats and go visit the historic downtown. But even then, we avoided the biggest rush of them by looking for a place to eat on side alleys, not the main road, George St. We also took a drive north to Vilano Beach to go to a place that didn’t have a two hour wait like most places in town. I guess I’ve spent enough time in the area to know the ins and outs and avoid the most touristy spots.

You never know when you plan a trip what weather you’ll get. All you can do is hope for the best and be flexible, look for fun where you can. We had planned a big day kayaking out on a crystal spring, but had to cancel. We even scoured the weather map looking for a break in the clouds within a couple hours of driving time.

Nope, no weather break for us. We hunkered down and made the most of our time.

Enjoyed the beach when we could, went to the seafood market and cooked, played games, and just enjoyed each other.

Fresh, local food to cook together, lots of long walks and giggles. It was a great visit, even if I was wearing a raincoat.

Stretching out the cheeriness and overcoming teen apathy, ending our Christmas on a sweet note

celebrations, dogs, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 5, 2022

About halfway between Christmas and New Years I am itching to take down the holiday decorations. The gifts are unwrapped, chaos has occurred with all of the celebrating, cooking, sleepovers, and piles of stuff here and there. I am ready for clean lines and tidiness.

Instead of flipping the switch from over the top, non stop Christmas that started in November to the simpleness of January right away like I want to, I make myself wait until the grand fairies either go back to Mom’s house or to school, because I want them to enjoy their winter break to the max, and atmosphere matters.

But just a couple days after our big celebration, I saw that Sugarwings was curled up in the couch nest (that was claimed as their permanent spot when Covid hit and school was online) being a non involved teen just looking at tic toks, and I saw no reason to keep it festive around here.

So I started hauling out boxes and setting up a ladder, preparing for the big, annual packing up.

Then it occurred to me that the fun didn’t have to end if I didn’t want it to.

So, in the messy midst of all of the boxes and bins, with some things half pulled down, I declared it was time for a cocoa party by the last lingering lights of the trees.

We turned on a Christmas movie marathon, plopped ourselves down to a tray full of our favorite cocoa party goodies and the two of us had one of my favorite days of the holiday break.

Funny thing, I barely like hot chocolate. I just looooove the festive-ness, tradition, and ceremony of serving it. And I love Sugarwings.

We missed our little Dewdrop, and it was a different sort of holiday with no little kids around. But I know that a celebration is what you make it, it can be special and exciting if you make the effort. And even teenagers can be invested and joyous when that effort is put out there.

Into the Sunflower Fields

family, photography, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 16, 2021

Sugarwings’ mama has graduated from her midwifery school! After about 16 years of of working full time and continuing her education, (while getting excellent grades throughout), she has her degrees.

She needed some photos in her cap and gown, and the sunflower fields were just hitting their peak.

Perfect timing!

Not only do sunflowers make a beautiful backdrop for pictures, the huge expanse of yellow blooms that rolls off into the distance is magical.

When you first arrive and see the other cars parked, The number of people already there is deceptive.

I usually feel like I’ll have to go way out into the blooms to find a private area for photos.

But no. Once you step inside, you are surrounded and it can feel like you are in your own private, yellow world.

All of the other families who are visiting just disappear. Unless they brought a flying, super baby with them, who can skim across the top of the flowers.

Some years, the weather doesn’t comply and the farmer isn’t as successful. Others, like now, the flowers are massive and the fields are full.

It’s free to visit, but tips are appreciated, and if you pick flowers, you should leave a dollar for each.

I have only taken Sugarwings twice, and what a big difference seven years makes!

Why have I only been a handful of times, when I get so much joy out of going? Well, weather, timing, many things get in the way, durn it.

This time, the weather was beyond perfect. We headed out at about 6pm, on the Thursday before Labor Day. The lighting was ideal, the mystical “golden hour” was adding a soft glow to the air, and best of all, there were no bugs or mud.

Our timing was ideal.

And what a lovely place for a graduate from Kansas to have a photo shoot. We are the “Sunflower State.”

Plus, it just plain, old makes me happy to be there.

Farewell, Summer

dogs, family, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 31, 2021

It has been hot around here, more than usual for a KS summer, but also, green and vibrant. It has been a wet summer too, without the typical blowing dust that the heat usually brings. Our garden and flowers are still thriving.

More so than I have, even though I try to not let the extra hot days get to me, because I know I will miss summer and wish for some extreme heat when the seasons change and the cold creeps back.

The dogs and I have spent as much time outside as we can. Molly has spent the summer learning to perfect the art of digging.

She has some impressive skills.

We have been attending adolescent puppy classes and she did well there too. I enjoyed the classes so much that I hope to sign up for the next step in classes.

I’d love to master some dog training skills myself and am considering keeping litters an extra month for further training. I’ve also contacted the local shelter to offer myself as a foster home for litters (no answer so far).

This probably makes me sound like a crotch edgy, old lady, but why the heck does school start so early? “Dagnabbit, back in my day” schools began after Labor Day. Sugarwings’ school starts up mid August, and I’m never quite ready to lose her company so soon.

But there they go, off to high school! (With a grown up, hairstyle!)

My hair got a makeover too.

Although, between the humidity and my lack of hot iron skills, it only looks good the day I get it done at the beauty shop. Maybe with Autumn arriving, it will cooperate more, most of the summer, I’ve sported a frizzy mass of messy, limp curls.

Or just lake hair. Which might not look great, but feels pretty good.

To Twinkle, with love

dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / June 16, 2021

Twinkle was born on Valentine’s Day and was my sweetheart of a dog. Sugarwings was just big enough to grab her and giggle when the pup came to live with us, and from the very beginning, that little dog never complained about how rough she might be treated. She kept running back for more, more, more.

Tinks was the perfect pet for a rough housing kid. She might have seemed fragile, since she was a Yorkie, but that dog was one tough chick. She was always there just waiting to be included in any game her girl wanted to play with her.

They could spend hours together splashing in the water hose or digging in the mud together.

As babies, they shared toys, beds, and as Sugarwings would insist, no matter how hard I tried to keep the milk away from the dog, the little girl shared her bottle with the little dog.

Twinkle was devoted to us all, and one of her favorite words was ‘work’ which she knew meant we were going to to studio together, where she’d climb into this bowl of lace I kept on the floor. Since she decided it was hers, not mine, I changed out the art supplies for a pillow and let her keep it.

She raised her children to love napping in the bowl too.

And she had a lot of children!

She was a great doggie mom. She was meticulous in caring for her babies, still holding 8 year old Dorothy down to give her a good cleaning every evening, up until poor Twinks wasn’t healthy enough to be the caretaker.

She was a dog who lived to love, and was devoted to us all. She was curious and excited about life, up for any adventure even if it was just a trip to the laundry room to check on the load of clothes in the dryer.

And she loved to pose. When she’d see my camera in my hand, she didn’t consider that I might be wanting a photo of a project or something to list in my shop. She KNEW that the picture had to be of her. I sometimes had to pretend to take one of her, so she would relax.

The only thing she didn’t like was Honey. You can tell by the way she refuses to look at the camera, that she wasn’t too happy about us getting a new puppy. Twinkle thought that she was one of our kids, since she was raised with the grand fairy, and didn’t think we needed to get a dog.

There were some battles for a couple of years between the two. But by the time Honey had her own puppies, they’d reached a truce. Twinkle was allowed to wash those puppies and nanny them.

Honey must’ve appreciated the vast experience that Tinks had to offer.

But it wasn’t until the last couple of years that they actually became friends. Twinkle had gone blind and discovered that Honey’s thick tail made an ideal bed.

The first time she waddled over to it and laid down Honey seemed shocked.

Then snuggled up to her.

Since then, the truce was done and they became family.

Over the years, one of her favorite things was going boating.

The words ‘boat’ or ‘“lake’ would send her running to the car, ready for a day on the water.

Twinkle was more than just a dog to me, she was my friend.
And a very good friend, not just to me.

A Christmas Surprise

cottage, Dew Drop, family, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas!

We had a surprise visitors! Dewdrop and her Daddy hid under our tree on Christmas Eve, Sugarwings and I did not know they’d be here.

It just isn’t Christmas unless Sugarwings’ Daddy falls asleep on the sofa with her on his lap.

She was so happy to have him here.

And this goofball brings joy with her wherever she is.

Everyone was enjoying the surprise.

There was pie baking, cookie decorating, fairy wing creating, and candle pouring throughout the day.

On the day before the night before Christmas, Sugarwings and I were missing our littlest, goofiest fairy. She made some purple wings for her baby sister on craft day, and was sad she wasn’t here to give them to her.

We hadn’t set up the tree in Dewdrop’s bedroom, and I hadn’t gotten our big tree out either. We decided it would cheer us up get the large tree out of the closet after all (at bedtime) and she decorated it with all of Dewdrop’s ornaments so we’d feel close to her.

Then, there was Dewdrop and her daddy, sitting under the that tree the next day!

Typically, I spend hours making sure the tree is perfectly decorated. This is the year, that I discovered that it isn’t the way the tree looks that matters. I have enjoyed my mostly naked trees with just twinkle lights and no ornaments beyond some pine cones for Ryan. And I love this quickly set up tree decorated by one grand fairy with my other grand fairy’s things.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

A much needed excursion

Corona virus, family, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / October 11, 2020

Fall is here and for now, the weather is about as perfect as Kansas can be.
I’ve been pretty busy with the 101 Doodles under our feet, and decided we needed a break to enjoy autumn.

With remote learning, Sugarwings isn’t getting much social time, so we picked up a pal and headed to the pumpkin patch. (Car windows down and masks on)

Not knowing what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised to find it opened, although modified for Covid safety. No hay rack rides or mazes, but plenty of pumpkins and slushy cider.

Getting out and doing something “normal” for the first time in months felt wonderful. We had taken the grand fairies on family camper trips, but those were very confined and careful.

It had been MONTHS since we had just done a casual, day out. We have missed going to craft days, movies, plays, zoos, restaurants, etc.

A sunny day with a slight breeze and a continuation of a 14 year tradition of visiting the pumpkin patch was exactly what we needed.

There are two pumpkin patches nearby, and we wanted to give some business to both, so headed down the road to a second one also. It was more low key, just set up like a market, no holiday attractions this year.

But they did say we could go for a walk in the fields and pick our own if we’d like. That made it feel more festive.
We were the only customers, so I was glad we stopped by.

It was a soul soothing kind of day for me.

My Autumn Mantel,(and the mess that surrounds it)

Corona virus, cottage, dogs, Goldendoodle Puppies, puppies!, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / September 28, 2020

Before the Guncles came to visit, I switched up my mantel for a fall look.

I am glad I did, because I certainly would not have had time to do it now.

Because of this.

And this.

The mantel is about all that looks good in my house right now. We have gone to the dogs.

There is some remote learning going on too. Which takes up most of the downstairs.

And I’ve got my watercolors spread out to work on in here instead of out in the studio so I can be near the babies.

Which is where we all want to be.

During lockdown, it was important to me to keep my house serene and organized. That helped me cope with some of the stress of the situation.

But I think 16 puppies, a homeschooler and a messy house is a pretty lively, fun way to handle a pandemic too. There is some stress for sure (checking on crying newborns throughout the night to make sure they are not cold or smothered, mama dogs needing go out to potty every couple of hours= no sleep, and that homeschooler likes to try to watch TikTok during class), but I can’t complain.

Lively and Fun are two things I need right now.