Artful Dodger Ceramics and Painting Studio

05/28/2026

05/14/2026

Another stellar meal @ Bettys Donuts! I asked for extra onions and peppers and did Amanda deliver! Now I can't wait for the dessert, apple cinnamon cake, yum.

05/14/2026

Wow! Another stellar meal @ Betty's Donuts! I asked for extra onions and peppers, and did she deliver!!!

05/14/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/12/2026

New artwork on display at Betty's Donuts, courtesy of artist Adam Staples.

04/29/2026

As Southern New England's severe weather awareness week concludes, here's a look at where to take shelter when a tornado threatens. The best place is a basement, if no basement is available, seek shelter on the lowest floor in the most interior room.

If in a vehicle, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If no building is available, you can stay in the car with your seatbelt on and duck below the windows to protect your head. Or if a ditch is available, that may be a possibility too. But with advancements in vehicle safety, recent guidance suggests staying inside your vehicle may be safer.

03/14/2026

One of our beautiful girls, Misty

09/20/2025

A small lantern hangs on a stem and hides a bright red heart.

The Chinese lantern plant glows in autumn, then holds on through snow and frost. The papery pod protects the berry inside.

When winter wears the lantern thin, weather and time do the rest. By spring the outer husk breaks down. What’s left looks like lace. Through that fine net, the fruit shows itself.

It feels like hope. Life kept safe inside what looks like loss.

Here’s the real story behind the magic. The white flowers come in summer. After pollination, the calyx swells into a lantern that lasts into winter and often beyond. In time, the veins remain and the rest fades away, revealing the berry.

People noticed this long ago. In Tokyo, summer markets at Sensō-ji sell the lantern plants during the Hozuki-Ichi fair. They are tied to Obon traditions that honor ancestors and guide spirits with light.

Botanists have traced how the lantern forms. In Physalis, a gene program grows those sepals into the shelter we see. It isn’t just pretty. It’s a cradle for the fruit.

Simple plant. Strong symbol. Life carried forward, even in the cold.

References
Physalis alkekengi | Chinese lantern - RHS Gardening
Physalis alkekengi - Plant Finder - Missouri Botanical Garden
Physalis alkekengi L. - Plants of the World Online - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Heterotopic expression of MPF2 is the key to the evolution of the Chinese lantern of Physalis, a morphological novelty in Solanaceae - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Japanese Lantern Plant Fair (Hozuki-Ichi) - Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (Go Tokyo)

Disclaimer: Images are generated using AI for illustration purposes only.

09/18/2025

They look like a floating island of fur.

A group of sea otters resting together is called a raft. They drift side by side, bellies up, eyes half closed, trusting the water and each other.

Sometimes a raft is just a few otters. Other times it can swell past a hundred. When the ocean feels big, they choose to rest close.

They often wrap themselves in kelp to stop the drift. Many rafts are single s*x - moms with pups here, bachelor groups there. It’s a quiet system that keeps everyone safe.

Rafting saves energy and offers watchful eyes on the surface. One otter startles, and the whole group knows. Rest comes easier when you’re not alone.

If you ever see a raft, give them space. A calm nap can mean the difference between thriving and struggling in cold water.

It’s a simple picture, but it sticks. Dozens of small hearts, beating together, on a wide blue sea.

References
12 Facts About Otters for Sea Otter Awareness Week - U.S. Department of the Interior
Sea Otters - Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Sea otter raft - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A raft of sea otters, Alaska - U.S. Geological Survey

Disclaimer: Images are generated using AI for illustration purposes only.