What a pleasure to have you come for a visit. My wish is for you to find enjoyment through the art, music, or poetry you will find here. All contents of this site are under copyright. Please ask permission if you wish to use any materials within. Thank you!
Some of Lois’s artwork:
‘Cardinals ‘n Dogwood’ watercolor
‘Gazebo at Riverside Gardens’ watercolor
‘Hummingbird’ watercolor
‘My Summer Garden’ watercolor
‘Eagles Soar’
‘Hummers ‘n Hibiscus’
‘Cottage and Gazebo Gardens’ acrylic
From here, you may visit the other sites where you can see all of my artwork that is available as prints, or where mugs, t-shirts, totes, and even clothing with my artwork is available to purchase. See menu at right.
Now Lois would like to invite you into her living room to play some of her music for you.
You will find my love of music by visiting YouTube or by finding all my compositions on sheetmusicplus.com where you can view the sheet music, listen to it, and purchase for immediate download. Just go to the menu on the right to go there.
Blogs
Of course, I love to write , sometimes in poetry, about my feelings and about my life and family. You can find all of that in my blog posts which are all here, too. You may choose from the menu the posts you would like to see. Enjoy!
They tell us that this is the day when day will become ‘night’ When the moon will cover the sun and blot out its light;
When animals won’t know just what they should do –
Keep on with their eating, nesting, breeding,
Or retire and go back to sleep, sleep, sleeping????
So, I live in Ohio where the eclipse will be ‘Total’;
Therefore, viewing is unavoidable!
At almost 89 years, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime happening for me;
So my special glasses are ready for the Total Eclipse to see!!
Our trusty weather man promised ‘No rain, but maybe cloudy’;
We’re told birds will sleep then awaken singing loudly!!
But rain or shine, darkness will come, then all will reawaken
As the moon moves aside after some daylight has been taken.
The sun, moon and planets just seem to ‘hang’ there in space;
But, for sure, God had plans when he put each in its place;
Astronomers still don’t have all the knowledge they’d like
To explain the mysteries of celestial delights;
But let us not underestimate the plans God had for all;
Our marvelous universe – TOTALLY PHENOMENAL!!!!
The eclipse of April 8, 2024 is now over.
We had perfect weather, just a few clouds. It got darker but not as dark as we thought it would be, but we never saw totality where we live. We noticed the birds were very quiet as we watched the moon move across the sun. The temperature of the air was quite evident, too, as it got pretty chilly. My sweater felt pretty good! .
My mother and I with the ‘lead’ horse at the auction for Idora Park, Youngstown, OH. We took a long – and very fast ride on this merry-go-round. Thank goodness, for the ride she was seated in one of the seated chariots of the ride. The merry-go-round still exists in Brooklyn, NY and has been completely restored, opening again in 2011 You can read more about what is now called ‘Jane’s Carousel’ here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane%27s_Carousel
There have been many blessed mothers throughout history, but none can compare to my mother who is just with us now in our memories. She was named Dolly by her parents, as she was just a wee, tiny baby, no bigger than a little girl’s doll baby. At birth in her parents home, she was not crying – even breathing. The doctor who delivered her just wrapped her in a newspaper and made no effort to get her breathing started. But her father and grandmother refused to give up on her survival, unwrapping her and gently tossing her back and forth between them. And then, suddenly she caught her breath and began to cry. Wow! Her life began. It’s for sure, if they had given up, my brother, sister and I would never have come into this world.
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Even though they named her Dolly at the time, she came to be known as Dorothy, and didn’t discover her real name until she needed to find her birth records when she married my dad on June 16th, 1933. Her childhood years were not happy ones. When she was in the fourth grade at Fourth Street School in Salem, her mother became very ill and passed away. She continued living with her father who was quite a nature lover. He took her fishing and also on turtle-hunting expeditions where she held burlap bags to hold the snappers when he pulled them from their hiding places along the banks of the creeks. Turtles scrambled every direction, but she got them into her bag. Turtle soup was enjoyed quite often along with fried potatoes from their old coal cooking stove. (I remember how Grandpa Ritchey, even when I was young, still kept turtles in an old wooden barrel filled with mud and water, so that he could enjoy turtle soup whenever he wanted it.)
Those were happy days, but he would also take her on the trolley which ran along Route 62 into Salem, where he drank and she would have to find her way back home alone on the trolley. When he did return home he would be uncontrollable, and broke her mother’s dishes. She was able to save her mother’s most valued carnival glass bowl which had come to her from the Chicago World’s Fair. This bowl meant so much to mother, and was displayed in our china cabinet. Not knowing the value of the bowl, we once took fruit to her when she was in the hospital. She was so alarmed when we walked into her room carrying this prize possession of hers filled with fruit. She cherished even more the above photo of her with her mother. If a terrible thunder storm warning was given, she took her little dog, Benji, and her picture of her and her mother to the basement with her – never fail. We have no other photos of her mother.
Due to such episodes when her father drank, she went to live with her older sister, Essie, her husband, Ross, and her rather large family in Georgetown, OH. Those years brought unhappy memories for she lived in harsh, unclean conditions and was treated badly by the children of the family.
She was then taken in by the Harry and Lottie Haberland family in Beloit, Oh., who loved and cared for her like their own daughters. Their three girls, Edna, Anabelle, and Mary became like sisters to her. They had a lifetime friendship. She lived with them until she was married in their garden. They had a greenhouse and had horses. She had one harrowing ride in a cart behind one of the ponies on their farm, but loved riding their big work horses. That’s where she developed such a love for horses and flowers.
She never went beyond junior high since there was never enough money for books she would have to buy, but she was a good reader and one would never guess she was not highly educated. She did have some knowledge of hair care which she learned from another kind lady in her life. Francis McBride taught her a lot in her beauty shop, especially how to do finger waving of the hair.
After their marriage, mother and dad had a short honeymoon in Niagra Falls. Life for them was not easy, as they were married and had my brother and I during the recession years. But she really knew how to make all kinds of soups – from ham bones, chicken, beef, even hamburger. Her corn soup was my favorite. She baked all our bread, rolls, and buns, and made the most delicious pies, (luscious lemon merinque, sky-high apple pie, graham cracker pie,) cream puffs, cookies and cakes, jams from berries we gathered, and through the years canned (and later froze) innumerable fruits and vegetables – even meat. She didn’t have a clothes dryer for many years, so hung things out to dry in our back yard. On a mangle, she ironed sheet tops and pillowcases. They always smelled so fresh and good, but how tired she must have been when Monday night got there.
She loved music, and had learned to play the piano (by ear). She used to tell us how much she wanted to take piano lessons when she lived at her sister’s house. The girls there had a teacher who came to their house to teach them piano, but all she could do was listen to what they did, so she never learned to read music, but was able to play ‘by ear’. One of her favorite songs to play was ‘When the Clouds Roll By’. She was determined that her children would somehow get music lessons and, somehow, found the money to give me piano lessons which lasted from my first grade year through highschool. She loved to hear me practice, and insisted that she should do the dishes after dinner so that I could practice my piano. My sister, Bonnie, took some piano lessons, but excelled in voice, so she started her on voice lessons. My brother had drums, but gave that up – also played the ‘jews harp’, and loved to dance to the hip hop music of the 50’s. So, her love of music came into our lives and remained with us.
Yes, she also did embroidery and crochet, and was a seamstress. Most of our clothes she made. Suits and dresses always for Easter, and maybe a Spring coat. I can’t remember an Easter Sunday when she hadn’t stayed up all night to put finishing touches on our Easter outfits. There was always something new at Christmas that she had found time to make for us. I only had one doll in my early years, but it got a new outfit every Christmas – even the Christmas when she was confined to bed with rheumatic fever, so she stitched it all by hand. I still have that doll and that dress. Art work? Yes, that, too. She often pulled a big roll of drawings out of the hall closet. There were sheets of drawings she had done of Snow White characters. None of them ever got into a frame, and somehow they were lost over the years. But her art ability lives on in my brother and I. She always found something for us to draw on, even if it was an old book of wallpaper samples. We drew on the back of those. She made glue out of flour and water, and kept a drawer with crayons and pencils for us to use.
She nursed us with the best of care, became a gray lady at the Salem Community Hospital when we got older, and eventually cared for my father until he passed away. At 71, she decided to join her church choir (Salem First United Methodist Church), still not able to read music very well, but it was such a joy for her. She also taught one of the adult Sunday School classes as long as she was able to do so.
We never had a lot of money, but somehow, as we got older, mother always had a little bit saved for buying that prom or special occasion dress and a new pair of shoes to match. I’m sure she was reliving the years when she had nothing, and was doing all in her power to give us the things she had to do without. She was amazing. The memories go on and on, and I will probably add to this post as time goes on for my children and grandchildren so they will not forget her. I will also add the poem I wrote for her memorial service when she had gone to live in heaven.
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The one and only painting I have of Mothers..She did this watercolor in her later years and I had to talk her into doing it. It, of course, hangs in my living room where I can enjoy it every day.
My mother with her mother who passed away when mother was just 9 years old. This picture was her most prized possession. When a bad storm sent her hiding in fear, she took her little dog, Benji, and this picture to her ‘safe’ place. It hangs in my living room where I enjoy it every day.
When Mother was 80, she needed special care. She was in a special care ‘home’ for a while, then my sister, Bonnie, and her husband, Richard, (Dr. Pasko) cared for her in their home until she passed in 2000.
This painting of Mother and Dad was painted by the talented mother of Jose who was an AFS student from Brazil who lived with us for a year (1978-79)
Our Mother, A Gift from God
Our mother was a gift from God, His Love, he made part of her, And she in turn passed it on to our family;
Born of parents with humble means, She lost her mother long before her teens. Growing up was so hard for her, But a man named Donals made her lonely no longer.
As a young wife in those depression years Surely she knew both happiness and tears. Soon she bore three children- Don, Jr., Lois Jane, and Bonnie Lou; And always to motherhood devoted herself willingly. So much happiness she wove into our lives, So many joys we were able to realize.
. . . . Her staying up all night to decorate the tree made an extra-special Christmas for our family; . . . . Baking homemade bread (and rolls just for Dad), and high-topped apple pies, the best we've ever had. . . . . Lemon meringue pies colled on the window sill, and homemade pickles cured in the ccrock with dill. . . . . Tomatoes and peaches were packed into jars to use next winter when food might be sparce. . . . . Long lines of laundry drank up sunshine from the sky, and we smelled the hot mangle after the sheets were dry. . . . . The love of animals, learned from her father, brought us chicks, kittens, puppies, - even turtles, parakeets, chipmunks and rabbits were no bother. . . . . In the garden her flowers bloomed, How did she ever keep them weeded and pruned? . . . . She taught us to feed and care for the wrens, the cardinals, the chickadees and even the hens. . . . . She drew for us pictures of Snow White and friends, Of Goofy and Doc and the other five little men. . . . . She gave us homemade paste made of flour, Crayons and pencils we used by the hour. . . . . For paper she gave us old wallpaper books. We drew and created while she cleanedand cooked. . . . . She loved music but when young could only stand by - As others had lessons, she could only cry But to play by ear, she learned to do; 'As Clouds Roll By' was a favorite she knew. . . . . With dad working hard both night and day, she took us to lessons, to church, to our friends house to play. . . . .Dancing lessons, piano lessons, church choir and such, even visited our school just to keep in touch. . . . . She loved to go swimming, could hit a baseball far, She went bowling with the family, and could golf a a par. . . . . She knew how to save for that 'rainy day', for prom dresses and tux's she could somehow find a way. . . . . As a volunteer at the hospital and hours spent for her church, she even joined the choir - at 71 'young'! Thank you, God, for sharing this wonderful lady with us all these years; We know she is with you in heaven for eternity!
‘A Garden Medley’, arranged and recorded by L Mountz
Did you ever take a walk right into a painting? Each time I create a new painting, I hope that I can create a place where those who view it can enter it and ‘take a walk’. Who knows whom you might meet there as you wander through. .
‘A Garden Diptych’ (right side) by Lois Mountz (copyright)
Walk with Me
The gardens I paint are my sanctuaries of peace;
Where I form each blossom, each walkway, each tree,
They are gardens where I love to take friends;
Where I hope you will wonder “What’s just around the bend?”
I hope you will walk down each pathway with me;
Enjoying all God’s wonders you see;
I love painting flowers of yellows, of blues;
Some purple, some white, of so many hues.
‘A Garden Diptych’ (left panel) by Lois Mountz (copyright)
A path of stone sometimes leads to a lake,
Where sailboats glide as waves break;
Or it may lead to a cottage quite old;
How one yearns to enter it’s fold.
As my brush brings this garden into view,
I think of a garden that Jesus once knew;
He went to Gethsemane one day to pray,
The day that soldiers took him away;
May Jesus stay close in the gardens I grow;
As my thoughts and fancies begin to flow;
May his blessings always be sown by my hand;
So those who view, with Him may stand.
This painting is actually a diptych which is separated in the middle with each of the two paintings having the possibility of being hung separately. Each piece is 4′ x 5′, overall size being 4′ x 10′ – See, FineArtAmerica for information on purchasing prints or the originals.
Leviticus 26:12 “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
‘Rose Gardens at Fellows Riverside Gardens’ watercolor by L Mountz 11 x 14, available for purchase at Mountz Home Gallery
Tryptich Garden, in private collection – 3 panels, 3′ x 4′, (9 ft. width) Oils on stretched Canvas
‘My Garden’ watercolor, L Mountz, 14 x 20″, available for purchase
Isaiah 58:11
And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
‘Love Endures Forever’ by Lois Mountz and dedicated to the loving memory of Ken
What Is Love?
Ken, my husband of 54 years, gave me many cards throughout the years – for Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and especially Valentine’s day. This was the last Valentine he gave me before his passing. It has a clear covering over the front of it and beautiful poetry inside, but here I adapt it to all those who know or have known great love as we did.
Love is
Spirit-lifting
Joy-giving
Problem-solving
Heart-mending,
Soul-searching,
Laughter-sharing,
Forever-loving friend.
On our Golden Wedding Anniversary, 2007
Our 25th Anniversary 1982
Valentine flowers on this Valentine’s Day from Steve and Angie, my loving son and daughter-in-love!
Last Spring, we wondered if Winter would ever end,
For endless cold and snow we couldn’t comprehend;
But, finally, many blossoms we would see
And birds returning assured us ‘It’s SPRING’ – finally!!!
‘Cardinals ‘n Dogwood’ by L Mountz
All summer long I tended my garden;
Planted, watered, trimmed, dead-headed, and loved them;
So much joy I got from my flowers,
They inspired me to paint them for hours and hours!
‘My Garden’ watercolor by L Mountz
All my family, the ‘Merlin App’ down-loaded
And birds of all kinds we had soon recorded!
Nests were built in houses, bushes and trees,
And very soon lots of fledglings were seen.
‘House for Wrent’ watercolor by L Mountz
Now the long summer days are over
And crispy autumn leaves are covering the clover,
Floating and drifting down to the ground
Silently floating without a sound!
I know the beauty of Autumn is coming soon,
But in the meantime Wintertime looms;
I know, of course, a ‘resting time’ has to be the reason
For everything in this world of ours has to have its season!
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
‘Of Beauty We See’ composed and recorded by Lois Mountz, 2021
Inspiration by a beautiful bouquet
Sent by my daughter on Mother’s Day;
When there is such beauty to see,
I turn to my brushes – for a painting it will be!
My d’arches watercolor paper is 10 x 14, and painting will be just half of it so that it can be folded in half as a greeting card. Pencil sketching is done with a med-soft pencil.
Background is begun with watercolor washes.
Lily is worked on now with Alizarin Crimson touched with a little blue.
Ultramarine Blue is used on daisies, and berries and flower bud are being painted in with yellows and green. (Cadmium Yellow toned with Ultramarine Blue)
Here the blues of the daisies have been toned down and Yellow Ochre used to ‘antique’ the edges of the painting. (For purchase information, go to ‘Watercolor Greetings’ on menu above.)
I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
Hosea 15:4-5
Mentioned many times in the Bible, the white lily symbolizes purity, rebirth, new beginnings and hope and is most often associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as observed on Easter. In Pagan traditions, the Easter lily is associated with motherhood and is often gifted to mothers as a symbol of gratitude.
A Little Art, Music and Poetry by Lois Mountz 