Hurry Up and Wait

This is probably the toughest part of the year in an artist's life. The spring and summer shows set their deadlines for applications between Nov. and Mar. So we hurry up and complete applications, take pictures, resize pictures for each application's requirements, write checks for jury and booth fees, and put them in the mail. Then we sit and wait. And wait. And wait. Some of the shows provide a "notification by" date, but then they don't adhere to that date. It is totally exasperating not being able to plan our time and (hopefully) income.

We did learn that we will once again be at Silver Dollar City, this year in October, with the Best of Missouri Hands. That was really a fun gig. I had to create every day, out in the open in front of people. At first it was a bit intimidating. But people are so open and asked wonderful questions and we had a great time with the interaction. We're looking forward to October!

Little Izzy misrepresented herself. At first she was all snuggly and cuddly. Now that she's familiar with her new home, she's acting more like a cat - independent and rather haughty. She and Ozzie are becoming friends and playmates, so I guess she just doesn't need her humans as much as she did when she first arrived.

We're just about ready to head west. We've got tons of garden art packed and I'm still working on creating new pieces. Looking forward to seeing my son's home in Ventura and visiting Terrie's mom. I think Terrie's son might be a bit upset. Grandson #3 will be born (via c-section) while we are gone. It can't be helped though. As I stated before, we have to submit applications to shows and then sit and wait to see if we get in or not. We happened to get accepted to three shows on three consecutive weekends that happen to be in March. Terrie is a "hands off" mom/in-law/and grandparent though. She doesn't believe she should intrude in their lives and if they need something, they will let her know. I think her son is secretly glad that his mom is busy with this new art life - because if she was bored, she could be a real pain. She's disappointed she has to wait to meet grandson #3, but she's also excited about this trip we're taking.

We're "teaching" a community education class on hummingbirds next week at the local high school. That should be a fun evening!

Hummingbird fact for today: The hummingbird has the largest brain, relative to size, of all birds, at 4.2 percent of total body weight.

Winter Doldrums

It had to happen. A major winter ice/snow storm is forecast for this week. Temperature won't be above freezing for several days. It's bad enough feeling "trapped" because the roads are bad, but we also live in constant dread of the electricity going off. Since most everyone at the Lake has a well, this means no water in addition to no heat or light. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the forecasters are way off the mark.

Terrie got rid of that pesky tooth last week. She's still hurting some and her jaw is still swollen a little. She doesn't handle annoyances well, and this annoyance is getting very tiresome for her.

On the bright side, things fell into place this week for a trip to California in March to see my son and Terrie's mom. We were accepted into three shows along the route. We're really looking forward to this extended road trip. And we think we'll do pretty well at the shows. A new wholesale account opened up this week. Oak Creek Canyon in Scottsdale, AZ, will soon have Ozarklake hummingbird feeders in their two stores. So although the weather is depressing, we have something to look forward to and have a reason to be busy creating.

Hummingbird fact for today: Though the smallest of all North American hummingbirds, the Calliope hummingbird migrates over the immense distance between Mexico and western Canada each year.

New Addition and Major Pain

Terrie really mourned George's loss. I must admit, I was rather attached to the little guy, too. So on New Year's Eve Day we went out to the local rescue shelter and this little 8-month old female cat adopted us. So far she's a perfect cat - she likes to snuggle and sit in our laps, she follows her people around, she likes to torment Ozzie. The shelter had named her Izzy, so it seemed to be fate that we found her to join our 6-year old Ozzie. So that has been the bright spot.


The Jeff Dunham performance was everything I hoped it would be. We had a great time. Unbeknownst to me, Terrie was hurting. She developed a toothache and was popping Alleve. She hoped to "ward it off" as she said. And it did go away for a couple of days - until it came back with a vengence.


After a week of hurting she finally sucked it up and called for a dental appointment. I have to add here that Terrie is the world's biggest dentist-phobe. When she was a kid, some jerk who should have had his license pulled, totally ruined dental visits for her. She breaks out into a cold sweat just dialing the phone. And the news wasn't good. Her back bottom molar is abcessed. She apparently ran into another jerk who put this huge filling in that tooth, rather than just crowning it, and now the decay is down into the root pulp. So her choices are a root canal followed by a crown, or an extraction. With her phobia, there is no way she could physically sit through a root canal on a back molar. She takes medication for high blood pressure as it is. And she's never had a tooth pulled. So in order to get the "happy" drugs for the extraction, she has to see an oral surgeon. That's not for another two weeks. Finally today it seems that the antibiotic may be knocking down the infection because she's not in as much pain. She's like me in that she absolutely hates having to admit there's anything wrong with her. And I know the pain of toothaches - it wears you down. So I hope this gets better, the "happy" pills help her get through the extraction, and she gets back to normal.


Despite the pain she's been in, she's been busy on the internet locating garden shops and botanical gardens with gift shops. As a result of her efforts, we have a new wholesale account. Ozarklake feeders will soon be in the gift shop at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Claremont, CA.


She's also been busy completing applications for 2009 shows. Each application is different. Each application requires different pictures, in different formats, with different information. It's time-consuming. And it's very discouraging when you don't get accepted for a show. She deserves all the credit in the world for plugging away like she does.


Hummingbird fact for today: The adult male Ruby-throat has an emerald green back with an iridescent red gorget. The gorget feathers are not actually red and may appear to be black in some lighting situations. The male may sometimes display by raising the feathers around the gorget and shaking his head to show it off to the best advantage.

End of Show Season Musings

It was nice to end the show season of 2008 on a high note. We had a great time at Kristkindl Markt in Hermann. The weather held off and the show reported record attendance. The organizer is one of the nicest people we've ever met, the artists work together and care about each other, and sales were good for nearly everyone we spoke with. We also have a new wholesale account in Washington, MO. Ozarklake feeders are now at Ozark Pool and Spa there. Then we had some custom orders before Christmas and sold a few things from our Etsy store.

We'd like to get into some March shows that would help us travel to California to see my son and Terrie's mother. So far we're not having much luck. Arizona and California have hummingbirds year round, so we think we'd do pretty well. But we keep getting rejected by the juries for the shows we've applied to. It sure gets discouraging.

We've spent the past couple of weeks mostly goofing off. I've got to get serious about building up our inventory for the 2009 shows, but not just yet. Tonight we're going to see Jeff Dunham perform. He is absolutely one of my favorites. We had tickets to see him in Springfield last March but then I ended up needing surgery and we had to sell the tickets. Terrie found out he would be in St. Charles today and surprised me with tickets for my birthday. So finally we get to see him and all of his little buddies. Weather should be clear and the drive shouldn't be a problem. We plan to have a good time!

Hummingbird fact for today: Because there are no hummingbirds in Europe, the first explorers in the New World were awestruck with the beauty and diversity of the species and at first thought they were a cross between an insect and a bird.

Winter Art Shows and Festivals in Missouri

The end of warm weather does not mean the end of art shows and festivals. After taking a hiatus last year while the historic building underwent renovation, the Beaux Arts Bizarre was again held at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts in Columbia, MO. A unique arts and crafts fair, the Beaux Arts Bizarre is a celebration of the diversity and creativity of more than 50 local and regional artists and crafters. The setting is beautiful and the art presented was diverse and fantastic.

The Fourteenth Annual WinterFest Visual and Performing Arts Festival will be December 5–7 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall, on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. WinterFest combines the performing arts, central to the mission of the Hall, with the talents of the region’s best visual artists – in a three-day festival that provides a unique opportunity for all of the arts to “take center stage”. Artists are selected by jurors to participate in this top-quality show, held in the spectacular multi-level lobby of Hammons Hall. For more information, visit www.hammonshall.com/56859.htm.

Hermannhof Winery and the Hermann Arts Council sponsor the Dec. 13 and 14 Kristkindl Markt. Held at the historic Festhalle in Hermann, MO, the weekend features costumed artisans selling one-of-a-kind gifts, chestnuts roasting in the old stone fireplace, costumed storytellers, Grimm's Fairy Tales characters, and musical performances throughout the weekend. Kristkindl Market is a unique experience as all the artisans are in costume and the entire experience is like an old-fashioned German shopping experience. For more information, visit http://www.hermannfarm.org/attractions/events/.

Hummingbird fact for today: In the eastern US and in the area just west of the Mississippi River, the late season hummer is most likely not a Ruby-throated hummingbird but a wayward species which breeds in the West. The Rufous hummingbird which breeds in the far northwest and several varieties which normally occur in Mexico in winter have been seen in the US in fall and winter. Rufous hummingbirds seem to be able to adapt to cold as they can go into torpor and lower their body temperatures as much as 30 degrees.

Online Shopping and Holiday Gifts

I saw a report on the news this week that more and more people are shopping online. For someone like me, this is a good thing. Think about the doors the internet has opened. If you're not close to one of the shows I'm doing, or if you are but can't get there, now you can view and/or purchase my functional garden art. Through the magic of the internet, I can learn of your order, package it, arrange online for it to be shipped, and you receive it - and we never meet. Wow. It truly is amazing. And speaking of that, I hope you will stop by my Etsy store. We have several nice pieces that would make terrific gifts for the people on your list :-)

The Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo in Des Moines was a fun show to do. There were fewer people attending than I had anticipated, but those who came out in the cold and spitting snow liked my items. The organizers were very good to the artists, too, and that always adds to the experience. We hope to do more shows in that area.

It's been a sad week here. Our yellow tabby cat, George, suddenly got sick. He failed to respond to any of the medications and just kept getting worse. We lost him on Thursday. George was more like a little dog - he'd follow us from room to room, sleep on the bed, jump up on the chair and talk to us. We rescued him from the animal shelter and we are very appreciative of the time we had with him. We miss the little guy. Our black cat, Ozzie, also feels the loss.

Hummingbird fact for today: It is not necessary for a hummingbird feeder to be red. A new feeder or a feeder in a new location can be accented with a red bow or red ribbons to attract the birds. Once they have located the feeder, the red can be removed as it is no longer necessary.

The Holiday Show Season is Getting Started

We head off this week to a new area for us. We were juried into the Metro Arts Two Rivers Expo in Des Moines, IA. This will be our first Iowa show and we're excited! This will kick off the holiday shows. Handmade gifts are always welcome because of the quality of the items. Handcrafted quality lives on long after the price is forgotten! So take your holiday shopping list to arts and crafts shows in your area. You can be certain that your gift recipient will NOT have anything else exactly like what you find for them.

I had a birthday this week. I'm not sure how I feel about it either. On the bright side, it's better than the alternative. I just never thought I'd ever be this old...................... Birthdays are a chance to pause and take stock of our lives, decide if we should be doing anything differently. And after doing that, I've got to say that I'm absolutely delighted with my art and the fun we are having.

Hummingbird fact for today: If you should find a baby hummer, the best advice is to leave it alone. The mother will either get it back to the nest or Nature will take its course. Hand-raising a baby hummingbird is very, very difficult even for professionals and is best left to those who know what they are doing AND keeping the bird is probably illegal.