Lovely pic's...Love your helpers...I bet neither one is spoiled either...lol What are you useing to paint with first? The white stuff?? What a neat planter ideal...

What a great project!!!! Your painting ability is lovely. What are you going to plant in there?

Finally a horse that I could hide in my yard without the Home Owner Association seeing it. Tell us about your precious horse who thought he was a puppy. lol

Beautiful setting. Now that is a bottle tree. How nice to have companions while you work...I love the flue liner.

Thanks for the pics, especially the 3rd one so we get to see your whole bottle tree, cute birdhouse-did you make it? & setting for your new tile planter. Did you fill it with dirt? Or will you put large plant in a container in it to rest in the top? Horse is so cute, love the little ones,dog is beautiful too!! How lucky they are to have all that space! But I hope you have something to keep them from knocking that lovely painted tile over. I don't remember if they are really heavy or not. Great job!! Jan

Your planter looks great! And your "helpers" are the greatest! VT weather sounds like VA weather...I'm just now putting out annuals...we've had tons of rain!

Love your doggies:) Teasing of course. Both of your animals seem very lovable. That is one precious little horse isn't he/she?

Neat idea and very impressive painting job. Some of us can barely do stick people. That will be even more wonderful once you get it planted.

Kate

You are quite an artist. I ditto what everyone said. We have had 4 Shelties. Is yours Sheltie or Collie. Couldn't tell how large it is. Beautiful property. Lucky you. Love the pony to. Is it a mini? thanks for sharing your beautiful art work. Can't wait to see it planted.

Looks as if your two helpers are "guarding" you! Your painting is very nice, the bottle tree is unique and the setting is gorgeous.

Do you put electric fence around that area? I think I see some posts that look like it. Otherwise whatever you put in that planter might be a tasty treat for the cute mini horse.

Cute helpers. Good job on the planter. Aren't you afraid one of your helpers is gonna eat what you plant in the planter? LOL....

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

Thank you for the kind comments everyone!

msmitoagain I love your blog! LOL esp Katie's wrecking service! Also love your gymkhana pictures and other horse photos and writeups.

Sunnyca and msmitoagain, Ruby might not be able to knock over the flu tile planter (it's quite heavy and undoubtedly more so filled with dirt) but she would surely tip over the flower pots that will soon (hopefully go out.) The thin white posts in the pictures are fiberglass posts holding a strand of electric wire, so she doesn't venture in there.

Susie, how funny! Yes she might escape the notice of the home owners' assoc! Or be mistaken for a large dog.

Ruby is the last living relic of our former herd of 2 horses and two ponies. At 33 yrs she sleeps and and rests a lot, as do my two old dogs (10 and 12) (the little one was just out of camera range) so Ruby has become sort of like another old dog.

sorie6, FOUR shelties! You must be used to all the barking! ha ha I am! Prince (in the photo) is my collie, but I also have a sheltie (Tippi) who didn't wish to be photographed I guess. Ruby is a Shetland pony, a bit larger than a mini horse but still small.

leveta, I just used craft paint (acrylic) and painted an undercoat of white so the colors would show up against the dark terracotta.

katefisher you're so kind, but really flowers are one of the few things I can paint that usually turn out ok. I wish I could paint people, but even animals are hit or miss for me.

Let's see, the bottle tree is a work in progress. Hubby takes some natural supplement that comes in the blue bottles and uses up about a bottle every two monthes.

The birdhouse was a present from my dad many years ago. It was really nice once, but has suffered wear and tear. It was originally stained wood with a shiny copper roof. Last year I painted it and it has had some carpentry repairs too. It is mounted atop what is left of an old utility pole after the utility co went out of business and gave up their right-of-ways and sawed off the poles on private lands (I guess probably for liability purposes.) Anyways it ended up the perfect height for a birdhouse.

The flu liner is filled with dirt and I'm going to plant sunflowers in it, but not sure how it will look. I may decide on geraniums of something shorter instead. The nice thing about it is that it is weather proof and can stay where it is year round.

Thanks again for all the nice comments!

Love your bottle tree and your talent in making this beautiful planter. Your helpers or observers are very special indeed. I feel for your cold weather. I am from Watertown NY. Been in TN for 10 years. My best friend sent me a pic taken May 31 with snow on the ground. BBBBRRRRRR. I do not miss it.

Thanks for the wonderful pictures!!! Lovely!!

This is great! I even like it with just the white undercoat.

Cool idea! Like laurastheme said, it looked great with the white undercoat too. Love your helpers too. Your pony reminds me of one I had as a child, her name was Penny. She was probably the same size as your Ruby. Like the bottle tree and birdhouse too. You will definitely have to show us a picture of your new planter once it is planted!

We have been having unseasonably cold weather here in Wisconsin too. I keep looking at the calendar and trying to convince myself that this is really June even though it is only in the 50s.

Not much I can add that hasn't been said. Your flower art is wonderful....I loved them just white! Animals sure age well at your place, that is great. Ruby is precious. And I love dogs (have 7 of them, I better)! All that GREEN and space and trees, WOW. I am sighing deeply.

What's this about cold, rain, snow?? Was 106 here today.
Tho going to "cool down" this weekend to the mid 90s. Oh goody. LOL.

hugs, Karen

Lovely pics of a GJer enjoying the day! A nice area for your pots & this new flue project (good painting!)...will make a great heavy-duty planter out in the pasture! TFS your helpers. Jeanne S.

spedigrees - LOL, lordy I thought I was going more senile than I already am. Cause I thought what in the world did I post. So I had to google gymkhana and now I know you meant what we refer to as a Fun Show.

Thanks for your comments and teaching me a new word definition.

Ruby also reminds me of the pony I had growing up. His name was Timmy.

Here is a link that might be useful: MY BLOG

Thanks all.

Kati I envy your TN weather! Western NY state certainly has had some huge snowstorms during my lifetime. Worse than our New England weather.

Karen, I've been to Phoenix twice and loved it there. The hot weather is wonderful because the air is so dry. The painted deserts and ruins and petrified forests are like nothing I've ever seen before. If we ever move someplace warmer, Phoenix would be high on our list!

Funny you and luna and Laura all liked the white undercoat. When I saw the pictures I thought maybe I should have left it like that. It sort of had the look of indigenous art. But I suppose when the paint wears off (and it is sure to eventually) and I have to repaint I can always go back to that.

luna, Penny is a cute name for a pony. Coincidentally my vet treats another pony, named Penelope (probably Penny for short) who is similar in size and age and health issues to Ruby, and she said she often mixes up the two names. So although I've never seen her, I often think of this pony named Penny as a sort of twin/soul sister to Ruby.

I love the pot. What a good hint to paint white underneath first. Your helpers are adorable. I am next door in z4 New Hampshire. It has been a very wet spring, but you must be further south where all the rains been hitting if you still can't plant. I finally planted last week. (Then we had 2 frosts in the last few days of May :()
Also love the bottle pillar topped with a bird house. Did you use 9 inch nails?
kathy

I think we had the same two frosts here across the river, Kathy. I'm just being super cautious. I figure if they predict a low anywhere in the 30s, with my luck it will drop to 32. Tonight seems to be the last night in the 30s, so hopefully tomorrow I can plant... finally!

I used 8 or 9 inch (can't recall which) spikes with screw threads on one end and a hex head on the other. Not sure what for what purpose they are actually intended. There are also a few long (probably 10 inch) nails that have been in the post for many years.

Beautiful! I love the painted flowers and the pony and the doggie too!!!!
CiNdEeS' GaRdEn

Very nice, and the dog and horse are both precious. Have to admit to loving those "lassie" dogs, lol.