They're Not Hummers But They're Cute

It's been nearly a year since Izzy came into our home and it's nice to see that she and Ozzie are now best buds. Izzy is the first female cat we've had and she's definitely more lap-kitty than 7-year old Ozzie. It's great to go away to do a show and come home several days later and have the cats look like, "Well, gee, why are you here?"

Big show in Columbia, MO, this coming weekend. If you're out and about, stop by the Missouri Theatre in downtown Columbia and see all the fantastic art at the Beaux Arts Bizarre.

Hummingbird fact for today: Though their intelligence makes hummingbirds more challenging to trap than most other birds, it also seems to minimize the stress they feel during capture and data collection.

Identical but Unique - The Great Challenge

A few months ago a new customer requested 8 feeders, all made utilizing the same inverted globe that used to be a citronella candle in a previous life. We have several of these candles in two color schemes and he wanted 4 in one color and 4 in another color. I thought I had reached my creativity level when I managed to make 8 of these feeders, idential but unique.
I was wrong. My creativity was to be challenged yet again. Last week we were contacted by a customer who wanted 14 identical but unique feeders. Because each is to be a gift for a family member, he wanted me to use the same bottle. My art is one-of-a-kind; I use no jigs or preconceived concepts of how a feeder will look. I think I met this challenge. Making identical unique feeders is challenging and fun for a while. But I much prefer just picking up a piece of glass and letting my creativity take me where it will.

Hummingbird fact for today: Feeding stations in warm areas, including the Gulf and Pacific Coasts and desert Southwest, may have a year-round hummingbird clientele, but in most parts of North America, hummingbird season is all too short.

Where Did The Summer Go?

I "moved in" to Silver Dollar City in September. It was still summer. The wife was in shorts. The hummers were still hitting the feeders. Then autumn swept in! We came home once and the hummers were gone. So sad to take down our feeders. We'll miss those little guys and all the entertainment they provided.

Six weeks as craftsman-in-residence at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO, were a blast. Sort of. When it didn't rain. And some days it rained buckets! One day there was 10 inches of rain recorded in the area. Meeting the visitors, talking to them, showing them how a bottle becomes a decorator feeder was fun. There's just no other word for it. I love what I'm doing!

The weather has cooled off and everyone we talked to said their hummers had moved south. Actually they depend on the length of the day and not temperature. But they are now at home in the tropics and we'll see them again in the spring. It gives us something to look forward to.

We still have pre-Christmas shows we're doing, so be sure to come by and see us if you're in Columbia or Hermann.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummers in fresh plumage often show pale, fringelike feather edges. These edges are broader and more comspicuous in young birds and wear away over time.