I love to take whimsical pictures and share the wonders of these delicate creatures. These small animals can be overlooked, and I want us to zero in and appreciate them and protect them. This is their world, too.

I am a watcher. My home with its big windows is a wildlife blind, and from this cushy chair, I see a yard teeming with life. I have learned my purpose is to make people laugh. I do this through my writing and photography. Also, I enjoy sculptural felting. I make animals with wool, then pose them for scenes that also become calendars.

I found the little tea set at a thrift store. I didn’t know what I’d use it for yet, but I like to set up miniature pictures. One day a toad hopped by and was just the right size for me to offer tea and a visit. I waited for the next toad, and by then I was ready with a background, and a better idea of what I wanted from the photo. Other magical creatures wandered by, and I invited them for tea, as well.

The most difficult part of taking these photos is the backgrounds! To find a beautiful scene that has no distractions and is interesting and pretty is not easy. Luckily, I live in paradise.

The rabbit lives with me in the house. All the other creatures are wild. All but the two sea creatures visited my yard. I would not have hauled them home from afar and disturbed them too much. Each one I handled gently, then returned them to exactly where I found them as soon as possible.

It's easy to get them to sit still because these are mostly slow animals. I put them in the location with the tea, and they’d be curious. It took a lot of patience to get a good pose, but with such charming guests, it was a wonderful way to spend time with nature.

In my opinion, what makes a good photo is something different that grabs my attention. I like to feel a communication with the subject.

I don’t consider myself a photographer. I take some good photos, but I am not a professional. I am a shutterbug and an artist, with much still to learn.

Several years ago I started the series and made a calendar for my little off-grid community. We all live in the woods and have an appreciation for nature. I was lucky to have spent some quality time with them.

Creativity is hard to contain. There are always ideas perking. I share my quirky world by making calendars to share with my community. People tell me what joy my work brings them, and that’s why I do it. There is no money in it, but if my efforts bring a moment's pleasure it is worth it.

Years ago I turned away from the news. It made me sad and terrified and angry and hopeless. There was little I could do about the troubles in the world of humans. I can be creative, or I can stare at the news, but I can’t do both. This other world, the world of nature, I can nurture and watch and share with those who live different lives. Someone once called me uninformed because I am not absorbed in media. I consider myself well-informed, but not about the world of humans. Sometimes I help orphaned and injured wildlife. Recently I raised Chipikins the swallow, whose nest was inaccessible to return him, and his nest-mates died in the heat. He fledged successfully and rejoined his parents. It is an honor to be allowed to share the lives of the non-humans all around me. They are my teachers. It’s their world, too.