Off to Florida

Well, not me personally, but a trip to a warm place with lots of sunshine would be nice! No, I’m referring to the piece donated for the silent auction at the Houston Texas event.  It raised $65 for the National Education Program for Homeless Children & Youth. My sister-in-law let me know it received several bids and a nice woman from Sarasota FL will be taking it home. Glad it found a new home with someone who will enjoy it!

Birthday thoughts

41 years ago I was evicted from my first home. It was so warm and comfy, fluid filled, low light and designed just for me. Then my mom kicked me out. Waahhhh! A big huge thanks to her for providing me with such a wonderful place to grow both inside her and out in the real world. I wish she was still here today. My sister tells me that the day was warm and sunny, a surprise for early November in Oregon. I always assumed it was raining since most of my birthdays growing up were grey and gloomy.

This birthday has been different. My body evicted the remains of my 6.5 week pregnancy to the sewage treatment plant. Disgusting and very unromantic sounding, but oh so true. It’s returning to the earth one way or another. My sister works for a sewage treatment plant so I’m fairly aware of the processes. So the body is enduring painful cramping and more cramping… not my favorite way to spend the day. Fortunately Dave is here to help bring me food, hugs and kisses. He has warmed my cold toes, brought me pastries from the french bakery in Corvallis, read Harry Potter aloud, helped calculate some geometry needed to figure out the bird house roof, picked up fixings for home made mac & cheese, and is planning on creating a special birthday cake. Just the two of us. I couldn’t ask for a better guy in my life who loves me so much. I’m pretty certain this day will stand out in years to come as a day of love and loss. Love from all of those in my life sending wonderful positive energy my way. I love you all! And the loss of of possibilities. It just wasn’t ment to happen right now. Hopefully it will come again and bring great joy to all our lives.

Birdhouse project: step 2

“Where Birds Dream…” birdhouse project update

Yesterday was definitely an unproductive day. However Tuesday and today have been quite good. This is where I’m up to:

After finishing the foam core model, I shifted into creating frames from spruce. For the previous lamp/luminaria, the frames were constructed using balsa wood. Easy to cut, very light weight and fairly durable. The spruce was more sturdy and easier to not make large mistakes with. About double the expense per stick.

Rather than butt joints on the corners I created lap joints for better strength. Not terribly pretty, but they will do the job. Slap in some wood glue and voila. It’s likely I’m not utilizing the proper joint terminology. Woodworking is not second nature to me.

Now the basic structure is visible. Again, the blue is painters tape to hold the structure together for the photo. Sand some of the edges and off to the next step.

Paper time! I found some nice mulberry paper in a drawer just needing to become part of this project. The 2 sheets are very large and should cover front, back and the roof with ease.

They are looking more like shoji screens now. On to the back cover…

Birdhouse start

Project: “Where Birds Dream” birdhouse show at The Arts Center

Project Due date: November 10-13

Today’s Date: October 26

Nothing like cutting projects close. But the big question is will it be finished in time?

So yesterday I finally pulled out the foam core and started hacking. I had a general size idea in my noggin but have not even done any sketches. Everything has been residing inside the brain. Figuring out the basic structure and roof line has been my main worry. Since it will be a lamp there needs to be ventilation out the top for heat. Certainly don’t want to create something to catch fire! Yikes! As long as the purchaser uses a 25 watt bulb or LOWER it will be fine.

Basic structure images: Very much along the same lines as the lamps I’m currently creating. Panels are 6″ x 12″. The blue stuff is painters tape. A very handy reusable tape! Plus it’s less expensive than artist tape.

The roof structure has been an interesting dilemma. Do I go fancy or simple? At this stage of the game, simple will be best! I’m just using scrap foam core to give a general look.

More to come later! This is my week to crank it out.

Checking off projects

Seems like it’s been a while since posting any images of current lantern projects. Pregnancy has slowed me down a tad in energy and enthusiasm, but hopefully things are looking more rosy in the coming weeks.

Texas Donation: Only missing the lamp guts. A Monday trip to my local lighting shop should take care of that.

Commissioned piece: Frames are ready for final front cut paper to be attached and edges trimmed. Base needs sanding and 3 layers of paint then lamp parts inserted. Getting so close!

Altered leaf forms: stained glass look. This is a new thought along the same lines but adding additional color behind the cut leaves.

Kind of fun seeing the difference between standard light vs. back light. There might be something to this style but it will have to wait… one more project due in November! “Where Birds Dream” birdhouse project for the Arts Center.  When it gets rolling, I’ll be posting “in progress” images like last year. It will be a lamp in the end, since that’s my thing these days!

And yes, I really am pregnant. Maybe that too was a project I’ve been waiting for to surface.  Life will be changing dramatically in our household.  Starting to think of a studio outside the house!

Aging Birds

Aging, it’s a part of life. Changes from childhood to adolescents to adulthood. Growth and degeneration.  But what happens when a bird ages? Do they develop white feathers in place of their colored ones? Do they exhibit signs of arthritis?  Does their eyesight lessen and require glasses?

At 18 years of age Kibu the cockatiel has become quite old. The little guy, youngest and petite of our group, was very ill last week. I managed to get him in on Thursday for an exam that almost killed him. Humm, maybe that would have saved some money….  His symptoms were difficulty breathing, lethargy, and problems defecating. What was discovered was an underweight bird with possibly an enlarged heart and liver, air sacks not properly inflated, cataracts, possible arterial sclerosis and horrible arthritis. Solution: lasix and an antibiotic through the weekend. Amazingly enough he is improving. Reports came back from the lab that his heart didn’t look terribly large and uncertain about the liver. His air sacks were certainly having problems, possibly due to pneumonia scaring from 3 yrs ago. On Monday I started him on liquid Tramadol to ease arthritis and he is seeming more chipper. The lasix was completed Sunday night. Waiting to see if he becomes less stable off the medication.  At night I’m still keeping him in his pet carrier to make sure he doesn’t injure himself.  Plus it makes it easier to medicate him in the morning. Now I need to retrofit his cage to accommodate his geriatric needs. Platforms covered in removable cloth to replace perches. Glad I have a large stash of plexiglass cut in narrow strips perfect for a bird!

To answer the aging questions from above: No, birds don’t go grey or change appearance as they become geriatric. Yes, they can loose eye sight and cataracts do happen. Arthritis and joint degeneration can certainly occur in leg, feet and wing joints. In the wild, a predator would remove them from the mix, no questions asked. Easy dinner. In a home, well, guess I’ll have the honor of choosing when his life ends. I hate that part!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary MeMe

Have you ever had a cat choose you as their owner?  Two years ago, this happened to our household. She started hanging around and sleeping next to our garage. Super friendly and well fed, we knew her home couldn’t be too far away, but she wouldn’t leave. It took about 2 weeks before she conquered the dog door and figured out where the cat food was stashed. Our peaceful household ended. Me Me is still referred to as “the evil one”  but that pet phrase switches between the two cats, depending on which one is depositing more furry friends in the house. Why the name Me Me? Well, because according to her, everything is all about ME and she certainly lets us know vocally.

Here are a couple of recent shots of the crazy girl.

And the lovely slumpie pose. She seems to really enjoy sitting this way. Makes my back hurt thinking about it!

Yes, we did find her original owners. They are just two houses away and have accepted her moving in with us. I’m guessing their place was a tad too loud for her taste. Plus she wasn’t “Queen of the Roost” !

What the cats bring in

Living with two cats can be quite lovely but devastating to the local environment. Yes, I know we should keep them as indoor only cats, but our current household situation doesn’t quite allow it. I have great guilt over the issue of allowing cats outdoors. Growing up with an avid birdwatcher and nature conservationist makes an impression. Years of reading Audubon magazine also increases the guilt.  Once George passes, then things will change.

Nigel is the most active hunter, bringing in and consuming a select variety of 4 legged critters. He is forced to wear numerous bells to deter his bird interest (which it does!), but it doesn’t seem to change his lust for voles. Me Me is more cantankerous and slips every single collar or crunches up the bells. For the moment, I’ve given up tagging her.  Their daytime and evening/night forays into the wild and woolly backyard allows ample opportunity to capture mice and voles. Rather than just keeping their “special treats” to themselves, they bring these new friends home to populate our abode.   Not good. The extra friends can create enormous destruction and head-aches. Setting snap traps has not proven terribly effective. Poison is not an option in our home (plus being exceedingly cruel and I won’t even recognize the sticky traps…. eugh!), but the Tin Cat has greatly helped. Below are two photos of a recent “mouse friend” anticipating it’s release.

Yes, that is it’s little nose sticking out of the jail.

Placement is everything for capturing these guys. Mice have the habit of running along next to solid objects. I place the trap in a possible pathway, the mouse runs up a ramp into the tin box and voila, it can’t get back out.  Some of my friends wonder what happens to these little guys after capture.  No, I don’t kill them. They are released on the outer perimeter of the property. The trap is easy to clean and non complicated to use. We had to order ours on the internet since no one in the area carried this option. Warning, make sure you check traps on a daily basis. The mice can starve or die from dehydration.  Yes, we found out the hard & smelly way. Nothing like coming home to a putrid decaying mouse after vacation! Yummy!

As to the household damage, well, I’ll be posting images of our recent demolition due to the furry friends not captured.  One thing is for certain, we will continue capturing more mice the cats bring in until the dog/cat door is closed for good.

Small steps…

It’s hard to believe that almost seven months have passes since my father was out driving in his truck. An awful lot has occurred in that short time. All the vertebrae breaks, surgeries, cancer diagnosis and everything else.  Today was a small milestone towards his return to a “normal” life. He ventured out on a solo drive to the post office. It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm with excellent visibility. Monday marked the completion of  his third round of oral chemo. His strength and stamina are increasing  along with his weight gain! Who would have thought a doctor would prescribe consuming a pint of ice cream a day to increase weight! We’re just happy it’s helping.

It’s been three weeks since seeing him. Festival is over but I caught a virus and have been in bed since Sunday night. Things are finally looking better tonight and maybe by this weekend I’ll head down for a visit. His next big appointment is October 4th.