Hard at work at Silver Dollar City

I am awed and humbled to be in the company of such amazing Best of Missouri Hands Juried Artists! Our new location inside the Frisco Freight Barn seems to be beneficial, especially when it is raining outside and we don't have to worry about getting wet! We're in our third weekend and we're having a blast. We have jewelers, photographers, painters, woodworkers, potters, and mixed media artists. Some have been here and gone only to be replaced by other high caliber creative people. A few more will change out this week. In addition to being able to see how talented my fellow artists are, I am also learning a few things from them that I plan to use in my work in the future. This is undoubtedly THE best time of the year to visit Silver Dollar City!

When we went home last week we noticed that our hummer population is down. It seems that all the males have headed back to the tropics, with females and juveniles soon to follow. Thank goodness our neighbor Steve is taking care of our hummers because we will spend the winter looking forward to their April return.

Hummmingbird fact for today: Hummers migrate individually, with this year's juveniles the last to head south. They instinctively know when to leave and where they are going.

New Item - A Hummingbird ONEsie

This is without a doubt the handiest little hummingbird feeder I've created. The copper coil holds one nectar tube and attaches to any window. I always test my ideas for functionality and these pictures are proof positive that hummers have no trouble finding the feeders and are delighted with them. I put a couple of these on the doors of the studio and hummers found them within just a few minutes. The hummers don't even seem to be bothered as we move around inside. These little feeders provide an opportunity for great close-up photos, too. Feeder activity is especially busy as they are trying to double their body weight before heading south. We sure will miss them!

We've been trying to get new carpet in for over two years - ever since the trees fell into the house and we had the roof and ceiling re-done. Now that we finally have all of Ozarklake's "stuff" moved to the studio, this project is moving along. What a hassle! Especially since we're having all the floors repaired as we go so they won't squeak anymore (the sub-flooring was originally installed wrong). After the great job they did on the studio, we're having Powell Construction do this project for us, too. We've been with these guys so much for so long that they feel like part of the family!

Heading off to Branson soon to set up shop at Silver Dollar City. We've lined up some holiday season shows for November and December. Then we'll spend some time just recuperating from a very busy summer.

Hummingbird fact for today: The drought in Texas may affect the hummingbird migration.