Eating Out Of Our Hands

Last year Shawn made a ghillie suit. It took him about 6 months to make the whole thing. He began with a camouflage jacket and hat and an old pair of corduroys. There were buckets of various colors of green and brown dye in the garage all summer and fall. He visited Walmart's fabric department over and over again buying yardage of burlap which he would then cut into lengths and unweave into piles of separate threads which he would dye and then in turn tie to the mesh he had sewn to the various articles of clothing. The last steps were trimming, sewing heavier material on the front to protect the fabric while crawling, and dyeing the gloves and shoes. It was quite a time consuming process! The suit is really amazing.

So, what does one do with a ghillie suit if one is not a sniper? One feeds the birds of course! Shawn and Julia put his suit to the test during Christmas break.

It was hard to snap pics because the birds landed so quickly and sometimes in such a great multitude. Shawn often had several birds on and around him at one time. The chickadees and the titmice were not shy at all and landed with amazing frequency on his hands, legs, shoes, head, and back. Then, they would hop into his outspread hands to nibble a safflower seed or two. To them he was some tree or bush. The cardinals were a bit more skittish as usual and would fly in and almost land, but at the last minute they would veer away.

Julia gave it a go too. The only way to tell it is her now is that bunch of hair sticking out the bottom of the head covering.


Getting up-close and personal with so many little feathered friends at one time makes a guy hungry!


It was really a special day.

Just in case you're itching to make one, here are some instructions to get you started. You'd better have a lot of time to kill!!

Summer's Best

Lazy days spent paddling up an inlet of a lake, these are the times Earle and I look forward to in the summer. We strap on the canoe and head out for the day.

Paddling up an algae-covered inlet. Our clear path left in the wake soon closed up behind us until we were surrounded by a carpet of green.

The yellow water lillies were all in buds, waiting to open.

A flotilla of turtles hovers near the bank of another inlet.

A stray bobber attracts a passenger.

Feathered Friends

This place has been overrun with birds lately! Remember our new neighbor last year, the Oriole? He is back and singing up a storm in the trees and in the bush. He loves to dip his beak into the blossoms of the flowering quince, extracting the nectar like a perched hummingbird. I bought him some orange speckled suet. It's been fun watching his orange bottom half flip skyward as he hangs from the suet cage to feed! I hope he decides to build a nest here again this year.

We've seen other new faces around here lately. Last week I spotted a towhee for the first time. He seems to have become a regular in the yard now. I often see him perched on the bush waiting for a turn at the ground seed under the feeder. He seems to show up when there isn't a lot of action around the feeder. He must be a solitary bird.

I had a very exciting few minutes last Friday as my art student was leaving. We had just opened the studio door when we saw a flurry of bright blue feathers in the bush ahead. We just had time to realise what it was when it took off up the path and then skyward toward the neighbor's yard. I ran for the bird books. Since he was a smallish bird and did not appear to have a rust colored belly, we concluded he must have been an indigo bunting. Boy, was he beautiful! I had seen a bluebird in the early spring last year, during an unexpected snow storm, so I knew this bird was not the same shape, size, or shade of blue.

We have had an abundance of gold finches this year as well. We have seen them other years, but this year they seem to have multiplied. I can't keep the thistle feeder full! They drain it in about a day and a half.

The cats are loving our bird population too. Daisy Mae likes to sit outside on Shawn's lap and make little kitty noises at the birds. Her little 'indoor kitty" paws have never touched the ground. Shawn can lay on the lounge chair on the deck and fall asleep with her on his chest and she won't even move. She makes no attempt to leave the security of her Shawn while she is in "the big room." Truffle spends a good deal of his outdoor time across the street in the field of long grass, prowling like a lion on the savanna, but when he stays closer to home he is laying in wait under the feeders. So far he is too old and slow. I hope it stays that way! The birds don't see Percy as a threat, and well they shouldn't. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. Bless his heart!

I just love this time of year. The birds are so active, building nests and courting. The mourning doves chase their mates around the yard, more interested in frolicking than foraging. The windows and doors are flung open and the birdsong surrounds us and warms our hearts. New life. The eternal renewal of spring wings its song across the valley, echoing from tree to tree. In the glorious sunshine the harshness of winter is forgotten, like the labor pains of a new mom as she gazes into the eyes of her precious miracle. The earth has given birth to newness of life, to spring.

Wordless Wednesday

The Mystery Bush

View of the bush from the back door

It was very windy out today so I snipped a branch to snap a shot inside!

The branch ended up on the kitchen windowsill looking out at its former life on the bush

I love the way my cheap little camera captured the screen (yes, the good camera is in Taiwan with Earle)

Ever since we moved here three years ago we've wondered about the magnificent bush near our deck in the back yard. It sports lovely coral colored flowers in the spring, budding out even before its leaves show up. It is a haven for the myriad of birds that flock to our yard. They hide within its branches, undetected by predators, leaping ever closer to the edge where they can fly to the feeder nearby. The bush is also the hanging place for the suet cage, a handy and necessary winter snack for our feathered friends.

We have always wondered, but never knew what the bush was called, so this year I decided to research it online. My research labeled it a flowering quince . The bush shape is right as are the small thorns and five-petaled reddish pink flowers. The problem is the bush bears no fruit. Where are our quince? We love quince jelly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make our own! I surmise the bush must not receive sufficient sunlight because it grows under the shade of one of our maple trees. It may also just be that it is out of control and too "leggy". If we gave it a trim it might produce. Sadly, since I have seen others like it and have yet to notice any fruit, it could be some ornamental hybrid that no longer produces quince. Well, the flowers are lovely anyway. The bush is one of the features in our yard I like the best. It's a keeper, fruit or not.

Wordless Wednesday

All of this is right behind our house. We found it over the weekend after cutting through about 100 feet of hawthorn bushes. Hidden treasures! We were wordless, or should I say speechless. 75 acres of wooded, gorge-filled beauty. It belongs to a neighbor on the next street over. He is very lucky indeed. All this comes with a modest old farmhouse with two bedrooms and one bath. I think they must have bought the house just for the land!

Updates

The deck is ready for summer

The view from the deck overlooking the valley and hills beyond

Some early flowers near the deck

Spinach, radishes, sunflowers, and lettuce planted

Did you miss me? I've been outside, a lot. After we cleaned the deck furniture we tilled and planted the garden with the veggie seeds that tolerate cool conditions. I still have to plant herbs in my pots, veggies that we grow from seedlings instead of seeds (tomatoes and peppers), and annuals for the deck planters, but it is a little too early to do that still.

Tomorrow we are expecting visitors from out of state again. This time Earle's sister and her husband are stopping to see us as they travel back to Maine from spending time in Pennsylvania with their daughter and her family. We are excited to see them. It will be their first time visiting our new home!

Shawn has been working a lot of hours at Target. Last week, between his scheduled hours and the extra hours they called him in, he worked 30 hours. He's raking in the bucks! Target is a great store to work for. He really enjoys the environment and the other employees are great. They have an incentive program where managers give out cards to you when they see you doing a good job, then you post your cards on a bulletin board in the back and each week they put them in a pot and draw a name for a free cd. He hasn't won anything yet, but he sure is gathering his share of cards!

Next week he takes the placement test at the local community college and then he'll be able to sign up for courses for the fall. Then, next Saturday is the SAT exam. We have a lot of work to do still before the end of the year and seem to be ramping back up after a winter slowdown. We are contemplating continuing to school over the summer. I would like to cover a short course in British Lit so he doesn't have to double up on English credits in the fall. The courses he will most likely take at the Community College are English and math.


I am putting together and order from The Teaching Company. I received a $30 coupon from them in the mail yesterday along with three new catalogs. I am ordering Early and Late Middle Ages as they are on sale now. I will have to order High Middle Ages when it goes on sale another time. Shawn will be using these as a spine for history study next year along with the recommended text(s). Since I needed to spend just a bit more in order to use the coupon, we are also ordering My Favorite Universe, which we will all enjoy very much! Shawn and I are making our way through Art Across the Ages right now and we think it's great! I am also investigating physics courses for next year. Our faulty start with Chem this year will not deter us from plowing ahead next year with physics. One does not need to precede the other.


Julia is all signed up for her fall courses. On her agenda: Organic Chem I, Creative Writing: Fiction and Drama, Western Civilization, and Ecology. she will be carrying 15 credits, tutoring for bio and chem again, and working as a chem lab assistant. She could be done and ready to move on to a transfer school after next semester if they were offering the programming course she needs for her major, but her professors aren't upset that she's staying the year. They are glad to have her help in the labs!


It looks like Julia will be going back to Kohl's to work over the summer and she may even fit in some riding lessons. That is all after her trip to Germany with Earle in May. She is so excited to finally get to go! They are even planning to catch an air show in Berlin while they are there. She will be the only one of us to go in the warm weather as opposed to Christmas time.


Earle is off to Taiwan and Germany soon. His pics from his last trip to Germany are up at his blog. He got some great shots, as always and ate some very interesting food! Have you ever had veal cheek? Our photo themes are taking longer than expected due to the yucky weather and the fact that the camera travels with Earle. It will be leaving the country for two weeks this time. Flying objects is just about wrapped up though!


A warm welcome to Meridith, another of my nieces, to the blogisphere! It's always good to see another family member join in the fun. I am looking forward to reading about her adventures. I think it's your turn now, Bev. Meridith's sister Vanessa is off on an adventure soon, check out her blog to see where! It is very exciting and I am very jealous!!


Wow, I think I've covered most things. I haven't had time to do much reading or painting, but hope to get back to that soon as things settle down. We took a lovely walk in the woods in back of our property today and discovered a nice slate filled stream and mini gorge. I will post pics of that another day.

Spring at Last!

Hey! Come look what I found!

Spring has finally arrived in New York!

You probably won't see me around much this weekend. I'll be:

• rototilling the garden
• planting seeds
• weeding
• washing deck furniture
• and all those outdoor activities I've been waiting to do!

Or, you might find me here with Earle, enjoying our new glider out front!

Happy Spring everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

April showers, hopefully bring May flowers!

Rocks in My Head

I feel like I have rocks in my head this morning. What I really have is a nasty cold complete with low-grade fever. So, painting and outdoor activities are out today.

I was inspired, in my feverish state, by the post at Socks and Books about their excursion to a rock museum as well as the awe-inspiring rocky landscapes at Short on Words. I've always admired and collected rock. They are infinitely unique in color, size, texture, and pattern. Rocks have made their way into my house and into my art quite often.

You may recall the vignette I set up before Christmas using rocks we had collected in Canada. Over time the little set-up had become rather dusty and the pine needles had lost their rust coloring. So, I re-purposed the rocks and moss to create a new vignette in our pass-through area between the kitchen and great room. Shawn likes to use this area to draw his maps (which I will share with you in another post) and I thought he might like a tiny picturesque landscape in his drawing nook.

Some of the rocks were used in the nook, others now enhance the lovely table-top fountain Julia gave me for Christmas. When rocks are wet, they are at their best. The colors sing and the surface glows.

Our greatroom is full of rocks! Here are some small compositions I shot within the larger framework of some of my paintings that hang in that room.

Humans have been painting rocks and painting on rocks since the earliest know art. Rocks have been both painted on and painted with in the form of crushed minerals mixed with animal fat. From the Lascaux Cave paintings in France, to the open air rock engravings in Norway, people have chosen rocks as a source for artwork because of their permanence, availability, and of course their beauty.

If you've been inspired by rocks as I have and would like to try your hand at drawing some of the rocks around you, here is a rock drawing tutorial I found at eHow.

Sunday Morning Blessing

I awoke this morning in time to send off the kids as they headed out to visit Seth at college. They left at 7:45 am to make the 5 hour round trip and be back by early evening. Soon after they left some movement caught my eye outside our front window. I wasn't the only one up early enjoying the warming temps and abundant sunshine. An entire flock of Cedar Waxwings covered our front silver maples and swooped down in crowds of six or so to feast on the red berries of our Holly bush. They were magnificent! Though we have an abundance of birds here, I have never seen a Waxwing before. I stood at the window snapping pics for half an hour, berating my inept camera (the new camera is in Germany with Earle). They filled their bellies and sunned themselves on the leafless branches. Then, they were gone. What a treat. Had I slept a few minutes more or been distracted by some task I would have missed the show. Timing is everything.

Flotsam and Jetsam

This place was a debris field this morning, inside and out. Over the last couple of days we've had snow, sleet, freezing rain, more snow, wind, cold temperatures....until there was a nice build-up of ice on everything, including the snow. Last night, when the wind began to pick up, the heavily laden tree branches whipped the side of the house sending shards of ice crashing into the windows and trickling down the slope of the roof, sounding like some percussion section gone awry. Several times throughout the evening and overnight I was certain a window would break and I'd be picking up scattered branches from the floor while desperately searching for a tarp to cover a gaping hole in the side of the house! This morning when I looked outside, the beaming sun was making diamonds out of the shards of glass that had fallen during the night. Sharp points of broken ice protruded from every near horizontal surface, looking like a virtual ice mine field. Branches were down all over the yard. In some neighborhoods entire trees were down, as well as the power lines that were under them. Although the commotion from the storm kept me awake a good deal of the night, at least we didn't lose power. Many others in our area weren't as fortunate.

Some of the downed branches and ice shards in our front yard.

Although the ice was a nuisance, it sure made lovely patterns on the garage door window for Shawn to photograph!

It also made amazing photo opportunities for Julia. Hopefully those beginning buds won't be impacted by their time in the deep freeze.

The studio is also littered with debris today, not of the icy kind though. Yesterday I held a Pysanky workshop in my studio. I taught nine students, kids through adults, the Ukrainian art form then we created lovely egg masterpieces. One of the participants, a friend of Julia's, took some pics of the event. When he has a chance to put them on disk for me I'll show you what we did. For now, the messy studio pics will have to suffice!

All those raw eggs and not one was broken even by the youngest students!

Tonight I am crashing like those ice shards! Shawn has continued making Pysanky, but I am properly positioned on the comfy couch with my feet propped and my lap top in front of me. It's been quite a weekend! Perhaps I'll be able to catch up on that lost sleep tonight.

Art of Nature

One of my art students, an eight year old girl, finished a wonderful painting of a blue jay yesterday. I've been working with her once a week for about six months now. I use Artistic Pursuits as a spine and add many of my own ideas. Each week we work together for about 30-45 minutes, learning new techniques, art terms, and artists. We complete a small project to reinforce the new ideas and then she is given a weekly assignment to fulfill on her own. She worked on the painting exclusively in lesson time for about five weeks. I know she is very proud of her painting and I'm sure proud of her accomplishment at only seven years old (she turned eight just this week so much of the work was done while she was seven).

If you are also interested in birds and in drawing and painting birds I highly recommend learning more about the artist and naturalist John James Audubon.

Start by exploring the National Audubon Society website where you can read about his namesake organization dedicated to wildlife preservation and about Audubon himself in a brief biography. You can also view Audubon's most famous book of bird illustrations there, Birds of America. After you have viewed the book on the web, be sure to also check it or another of Audubon's books out of the library. You can get a much better feel for the artwork looking at it printed on actual paper than you can viewing a web pic.

While you're at the library, search out this book if you are working with children or appreciate children's books yourself: The Boy Who Drew Birds. There is a teacher's guide for the book online at the Houghton Mifflin site.

Another book I would recommend if you are a naturalist/artist at heart is Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie. It is an inspirational and beautiful piece of art in its own right as well as an invaluable resource.

Yet another resource you won't want to miss is a blog by a fellow artist-homeschooler, Handbook of Nature Study. Barb has spent a great deal of time and energy inspiring beginning artists, young and old.

So, grab your camera, your sketchbook, and your library card. Head out in search of birds and other wildlife in you neighborhood. Then try your hand at drawing, painting, and photographing what you've observed and studied.

Be inspired by nature.

Going to the Birds

Lately it feels like this place is literally going to the birds. In the back yard we have two feeders, one with thistle seed for the finches and other small birds and one filled with sunflower chips for the cardinals, titmice, and nuthatches. Then, we sprinkle safflower seed on the ground for the platform feeders like the mourning doves and jays. The suet cage hanging in the bush attracts all types of woodpeckers, chickadees, and jays as well as the occasional starling sporting its white tipped winter garb. Often we scatter seed on the deck right outside the sitting area at the end of the kitchen so we can watch our feathered friends up close. The cats, of course, enjoy that benefit as well.

Earle snapped some wonderful shots of a male cardinal last week on the deck. Isn't he lovely in his scarlet robe! The feeders are rather bare today though. The current temp outside at 2:38 in the afternoon is 64.5 degrees! Obviously, the snow in the pic is long since gone and the birds are enjoying some protein meals as they track down insects who were fooled out of hibernation by the unseasonal weather.

Julia and I are going for a walk. It is too nice a January day to spend it all inside and the weather will soon return to its winter temperatures as we move into the snowiest months of the year. I am looking forward to a few good blizzards, but today's warmth is a welcome winter surprise!

Winter is for Memories

The snow-covered yard and feeders brimming with hungry birds are a pleasant change after the holidays. The white snow washes the world creating a fresh new start for a fresh new year. It's time for reflection, warmth, quietude, and joy. It's time for closeness by the fire, laughter around a lively board game, serenity on a walk in a hibernated landscape, and sweet slumber beneath fluffy blankets as heavy flakes fall lightly just outside the window, creating their own blanket for the wintry world.

“Winter must be cold for those with no warm
memories”

Make some winter memories to last you through the dark months ahead. Reflect on the joy that 2007 brought to your life in large or small doses. Say good bye to the worst of 2007, reassured that whatever trials came your way, you are stronger because of them and more ready to be blessed in 2008.

Nature's Simple Beauty

I love rocks. Especially beach rocks, rounded by the ebb and flow of the sea. Polished, smooth. I collect rocks. I paint pictures of rocks. I have decorative rocks in my garden. I have a bag full of rocks we collected several years ago on a beach in Cape Breton, Canada, a most magical place.

The beach in Cape Breton. It just cries out to rock hounds doesn't it?

So, this bag of rocks finally became a part of my world. They are no longer relegated to the shelf in the basement.

I sorted out several sizes and then gave them a light coat of clear nail polish. Now they look like they do when you are at the beach and the rocks are damp and their colors are heightened.

Then, I took a tray, and a bag of preserved moss, and some pine needles collected from the neighbor's trees across the street, and three candles I bought on clearance at the craft store, and I arranged them into a miniature wonderland.

The candle light makes the rocks sing.
Oh, that I was small enough to walk around this little rock garden and leap from stone to stone.

Nature's simple beauty

So quick and so easy. Bring some nature inside this holiday season. It will bring joy to your heart and peace to your soul.

First Snow

It has been a dreary week and a half. A virus had invaded my life, robbing me of a healthy birthday, attendance at a baby shower, and shopping at a craft fair with Gretchen. All my creative energies had vanished as I hibernated day after dreary day waiting for the coughing and sneezing and aching to loose its grip on me. Bah. Then it started snowing last evening. And I ventured out in it with Julia and Dog. And Julia, Derek, and Shawn ventured out for appetizers and ice cream at Friendly's. And I read in the stillness of the greatroom in the midst of the falling snow. And I began to feel human again.

The coughing woke me early again today. My usual ritual. Today I didn't mind. Today I had intended to wake early, to not miss the magic of early morning snow. First snow. Awake before dawn, I peered out the bedroom window hopefully. Yes, the wind had remained calm. The blanket of snow rested sleepily on the trees, undisturbed. I donned my thick, insulating, L.L. Bean bathrobe and slipped my feet into winter boots waiting hopefully by the door since last evening's venture outside. Camera in hand I met the sunrise, thankful for a private back yard in my odd attire.

The sun is now bright in the sky and chunks of snow like white apples fall from every tree. The jays are hurrying to and from the suet cage, recharging their spent energy. The beauty may be melted away by this afternoon, but the magic of the morning has recharged my energy. I suspect today will be the turning point. I already feel a wellspring of creativity flooding my virus taxed brain. I am on the mend. Finally. And the world is bright and new and waiting.

From the snug greatroom the wonderland of snow beckons

Sunrise begins over the shrouded back yard

A brightening wintry sky

A snowbound bird haven

All snug in their beds