How Murphy Became Famous

If you have ever tried to take a good photograph of a black cat - you know it can be tricky. If the cat lives in a house with dark burgundy carpet - it’s even trickier. And if the cat you are trying to photograph is Murphy - it’s just almost impossible.

Over the years I have taken lots of photos of him. Most of them were horrible. He won’t sit still, the flash bounces off his eyes (looks like a devil cat), he blends into the carpet - etc. A few photos were good enough for a family photo album, but most were just horrible.

One day I caught him sitting at our storm door, staring through the glass, watching the birds. He was really into it - making that little clicking sound cats make when they are trying to convince birds that they are just another bird. “Come here little birdy. It’s safe. I’m just another bird although I know I must look like a big, fat, black cat.”

Anyway - he sat there long enough for me to get the camera and really get things set right for a good photo. This was the result.

"Birdwatching"

Not only has this become one of my best selling prints but it convinced me that I could actually take a half way decent photo of a difficult subject. Of course the photo is manipulated - that’s just what I do to create my style of art. And this art piece has really gone to Murphy’s head. He knows he famous now. You would think he had posed for the Mona Lisa!!! Such an attitude!!! Every now and then he will honor me with another decent pose

"Black Cat - Golden Eyes"

Sometimes I have to remind myself that - after all - he is just a cat.

Cat Days of Summer

No - he’s not dead. But our eastern facing screened in porch has become his favorite spot as of late. And even though the temperature might be hitting 100 today - this is where he wants to be.

If I don’t let him out - this is where he spends most of his time. Staring out the glass door at his favorite spot. Just wishing I would open the door.

Just so he can go back to laying in his favorite spot.

Doesn’t he look like a cranky old man whose nap has been interrupted?

September Wall Calendars

September!!!  Wonderful, glorious, beautiful September!  September is one of my favorite months because:

• August is over and August is always the hottest, driest, most miserable month around here.
• Some of my favorite people were born this month.
• It's the beginning of fall and cooler weather - but not winter.
• There's just something about September that makes me frisky!

So - I have these wall calendars I do every month for your desk top.  They are local scenes from around my neighborhood.  Not sure how well they will work from this blog.  The whole idea is that you right click on the image you want to use, then you go down to "save as" and click, then save it where ever you store photos for your desktop.  If it comes out blurry or bitmap from this blog go to my fan page on Facebook at Artist Lee Owenby and click on the image to get the big version, then right click, etc.

This little boy who is playing with a rabbit in a pot full of petunias lives in my Mom's front yard.  He is there year round with his rabbit.  We've become very attached to him.  My sister, Anne is the goddess of petunias.  She only has to plant them once and they come back every year.  When I plant them they die.

I know it's a little late in the year for wild roses but I just had to squeeze this in before winter.  In May, every year the wild roses bloom in Henry County.  This particular batch grows in the right of way next to our driveway.  It always amazes me that despite the fact that the county sprays them with Round Up every year and mows them down several times during the summer - they always come back.  And they are gorgeous!  Wild roses seem to have the most fragrant blooms of all roses.  Just had to share.  I love these roses!

Sunrise On Antioch Road

This is how my backyard looked this morning at sunrise. The landscape takes a dip behind those trees and on some mornings it gets this foggy look with the sun shining through it.

To buy a print please visit my online art gallery shown in the top right corner of this page. 

I actually took the photo for this image several years ago and did very little to enhance it. I almost titled it “Rejoice” because that was the way this sunrise made me feel. There was nothing really special about that morning until I opened the curtains and saw this scene in my backyard.

I grabbed the camera and ran out the door. I know folks driving down Antioch Road that morning probably got a kick out of that crazy woman running around in her backyard in nothing but her nightgown while she snapped photos.

It doesn’t look this way every morning. I wish it did.

Traffic! Who Needs It???

Eric and I recently made a trip to the Atlanta, Georgia area and I was reminded of one of the major reasons I like living out here in the boonies - TRAFFIC - or rather, the lack of traffic.

I lived in Memphis, Houston, and Dallas where I had to fight the traffic everyday to get to and from work. Houston was probably the worst. It took about 45 minutes for my daily 5 mile commute. Here it takes me about 20 minutes to go 15 miles.

This is the Lake Highway at about 7:20 am on a Tuesday morning. It’s the only road running from the lake to Paris.

School Zone!

Here it is just a few blocks from downtown.

Out here at the lake we love to tell stories about how two passing cars can stop in the middle of the road. The drivers can have a full conversation, just sitting in the middle of the road, before another car comes along. It’s true, except around July 4th or Memorial Day or just about sun up in the spring when the crappie spawn. Then you just might get run over by a boat.

My Dirty Little Life

I am married to a man who operates heavy dirt moving equipment for a living - equipment like bulldozers and backhoes. In other words - he moves dirt. Here’s the proof.

These boots have been the cause of one cat tale, a piece of art and many trips and stumbles. They are BIG and they are parked on our back porch when they are this dirty.

As a matter of fact there have been times he was so dirty he has left all his clothes out there. (Is that more than you wanted to know?) When you move as much dirt as he does, you can’t help but get a little on you - or a lot. I have been known to take his jeans outside and beat them on the fence to knock off all the dirt clods. I have also laid them on the grass and turned the garden hose on them.

The nice thing about clothes that are dirty with just dirt is that it is - just dirt. It’s not greasy or oily, it’s not stained with stuff like grass. And just dirt washes out pretty easy - after the beating and hosing. The dirt around here is usually either a pale brown or reddish brown.

It helps to know I am not alone. There must be millions of men who move dirt for a living. And you know behind everyone of those men there is probably a woman like me - cleaning up the mess. Yes - it is a dirty job and someone has to do it. (I’m sorry. I just had to say that.)

Moving dirt is actually a very important part of the world we live in. Just about anything you are going to build outside requires the moving of dirt. Ex: roads, buildings, dams, bridges, houses, - I could go on and on. And there are a lot industries that revolve around dirt. Ex: heavy equipment; garden equipment like shovels and hoes; bath soaps, dish soaps and laundry detergents; vacuum cleaners and dusting equipment; etc.

I have come to accept the dirt.
And when it comes time to replace our kitchen floor and carpet I need to pick something that is pale brown or reddish brown.

The Boot Story - A Cat Tale

Hi!  My name is Murphy!

 

Eric works in the construction field and wears big heavy boots that lace up past the ankles. In the evenings he usually leaves them under our kitchen table and sometimes Murphy likes to play with the laces. So it’s not unusual to find the boots knocked over or in disarray as they were one morning several years ago.

That fateful morning Eric put on the boots lacing them all the way up as usual, then stood up. Something felt a little odd about one boot. He sat down, untied the boot, took it off and straightened his sock - thinking that would fix the problem. He put the boot back on, laced it up and stood up. Darn! Something still felt a little odd.

This whole time - Murphy is just sitting there watching as though he was really interested in this strange human behavior.

Eric sat down again, took the boot off. This time he stood up and turned so the ceiling light was aimed down the boot. Then - YES - he did exactly what you know you shouldn’t do!!!! He stuck his hand in that big black hole while trying to see into the boot.

Here it is! Are you ready???? A mole, yes a mole (you know - one of those furry small rodents that tunnel through your yard) raced up his arm and took a flying leap off his shoulder onto the kitchen floor The race was on. This was exactly what Murphy had been waiting on.

It happened so fast - it took Eric a few minutes to figure out what had happened. And then he had to join the race. Eric won, disposed of the mole, took another shower and left for work.

It was just another day with Murphy.