They're Back!!!!!!

We spotted our first male Ruby-throated last week. Last evening we spotted two males fighting over the feeder. Females should begin arriving in 10-14 days.

We had a GREAT weekend and show in Stillwater, OK. First, we went to Eskimo Joe's to get our own t-shirts because at every single show we've done we've seen at least one person wearing an Eskimo Joe's t-shirt. Obviously, we had to have our own!

Despite unbearably cold, windy, and wet weather on the scheduled set-up day, Jessica Novak did a remarkable job organizing the Stillwater Art Festival. Many of us waited until Saturday morning to set up and the weather was absolutely perfect. Winds on Sunday were terrible, so many of us took down our tents and displayed our work sans cover/shade. Thank you, patrons of the Stillwater Art Festival and the City of Stillwater for a fantastic show.

Various and assorted construction items are arriving, so the studio should move right along now. Saws and hammers are going as I write this.

Hummingbird fact for today: The first male Ruby-throated of 2011 was spotted on our porch on August 12.

Festivals, Hummingbirds, and Chaos

We're home now from our swing through Texas for 3 shows. Mixed results on the shows, but a fun trip none the less.

Came home to find walls, and a roof, and new concrete! As well as piles of lumber, mounds of dirt waiting to be backfilled - the usual construction site chaos. Since we're having them build a new garage as well as a studio, we have no place to park the van except in our front yard. The car is already parked in the neighbor's front yard. Chaos drives both of us crazy. But the weather appears to be finally changing to Spring, so hopefully the construction project will move along nicely now.

We were pleased to learn that we've been accepted once again at both Artsfest on Walnut Street in Springfield, MO, and in Art in the Park in Columbia, MO. These have been great shows in the past and we hope they will be again this year. We've also added a new Art Festival in Lebanon, IL, to our schedule.

We were excited to check out the Ruby-throated migration map and see that hummers have already been spotted in mid-Missouri. So we've put out the feeders and hope the little guys won't be frightened by all the chaos, as well as the trees that are no longer there so we could build. The migration map can be found at http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html.

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbird numbers in the US seem to vary considerably. This may be attributed to environmental catastrophes on the wintering grounds, such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and the use of pesticides.

Wonderful Weather, Wonderful Show

Just did Artscape at the Dallas Arboretum. What a beautiful place! The weather was fantastic and the air was filled with so many fragrances from all the blooming plants. The flowering cherries were in full bloom behind the artists' tents. The crowd was very appreciative of the creativity and effort that artists put into their work. All in all, one great weekend! Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who worked their butts off to make this a truly memorable weekend.

Today we went to the Dallas World Aquarium. That's really a misnomer. It should be called the Dallas World Rain Forest. It is an amazing exhibit of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and marsupials living in a naturalized habitat. We even saw hummingbirds flying through the trees!

Next weekend is the Zilker Garden Festival in Austin. Let's hope that Texas weather remains art-friendly!

Hummingbird fact for today: Hummingbirds can see ultraviolet light which enables them to identify different types of flowers and plants.

Sneak Peek at My New Studio

Finally! Construction has begun. Way back in mid-January, we notified our propane company that they needed to move their tank to the other side of the house. After two weeks of almost daily phone calls, the service manager finally came out to see what needed to be done. Then we got hit with the blizzard, and the ground was snow-covered for 2 weeks. As soon as the snow was gone, we again started calling them almost daily. EVERY time he had the same excuse: the last he heard the boom truck was down in Branson but he'd get to us as soon as he could. In the meantime, the weather was great and the contractor was ready to go to work. After two more weeks of hearing the same lame excuse, we called another propane company, had them place the tank where we wanted it, paid them to run new gas line, and then they picked up the tank that was holding up construction and moved it out of the way after they disconnected it. One week after telling the first company to just come pick up their tank, it's still sitting here, holding propane that we paid for and will now lose. But at least it's out of the way and the contractor has been hard at work.

Living in the construction chaos is nerve-racking to say the least. Thankfully we'll be heading off to Texas soon and by the time we get back, we should have an actual building! I had hoped to meet up with my sister in Austin but now that plan may change. We'll have to wait and see if it works out.

We shipped some feeders to Applehurst in Winterset, Iowa, this week. If you're in the area, stop in and say hi to Susan.

Hummingbird fact for today: The 17 species of hummingbirds that have bred in the United States and Canada represent approximately 5 percent of the world's hummingbird species.

Blizzard of 2011

On February 1, much of the mid-West was smacked by a blizzard. A few days later, it hit the eastern part of the country. Record-breaking snowfall and low temperatures paralyzed us. We shoveled more than 8 inches of snow off the back deck twice within 5 hours that day, and left the final 4 or so inches. On the bright side, we didn't seem to get any ice AND we didn't lose electricity until just a couple of days ago for a couple of hours. Naturally this all occurred AFTER the carport was removed in anticipation of the new garage and studio. Today the temperature went above 60 degrees, so finally a lot of this stuff is melting. The downspouts sound like there is water running through a fire hose at full capacity! Perhaps construction can begin in the near future because we are COMPLETELY ready to get all of the various components of Ozarklake in one spot and under one roof.

This week I will be attending Citizens Day at the Legislature, sponsored by Missouri Citizens for the Arts. Best of Missouri Hands receives a grant from the Missouri Arts Council, and MAC receives funding from the Missouri Legislature -- at least when the Legislature approves a budget with funding for the arts. And that is my purpose in attending -- to ask my legislators to approve a budget that will include some money for the arts in Missouri.

Being snowed in has not been a total waste of time. We have kept busy happily creating art for Kala Gallery in Lenoir, NC; A Wish Called Wanda in St. Michaels, MD; Oak Creek in Scottsdale, AZ; and Artsy Elements in Williamsville, NY.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds should be here in about 60 days!

Hummingbird fact for today: Popular tropical destinations such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador are rich in hummingbird species, most of which are never seen in the US.

Best of Missouri Hands Board of Directors

I attended my first meeting yesterday as a director on the governing board of the Missouri Artisans Association d.b.a. The Best of Missouri Hands (BOMH). That's me in the center at the top of the picture. The Missouri Artisans Association d.b.a. The Best of Missouri Hands was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit corporation "dedicated to the development and recognition of Missouri's arts and artisans through education, interaction, and encouragement." A primary goal of MAA d.b.a. Best of Missouri Hands is to advance the arts in Missouri by:

· Educating the public about Missouri's arts and crafts
· Educating its members and the community at large through an annual conference, a newsletter, a web site, and other interactive communications
· Providing technical assistance and mentoring for artistic development
· Offering networking opportunities regionally and nationally
· Rewarding excellence through its jury process
· Preserving cultural heritage through public education, display and other projects

The BOMH membership consists of nearly 500 Missouri artists of all levels and mediums. I am humbled and honored to be a part of this terrific organization. We have a new Executive Director and I expect to see great things happen within BOMH this year.

We've got a contractor for the studio! Unfortunately, we also have about 4" of snow and more coming, so groundbreaking may take a while. We can't wait to get everything together under one roof. We have to take out one tree, though, and we sure hope that doesn't upset our summer oriole and hummingbird populations.

Hummingbird fact for today: North American hummingbirds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Prior to that, hummingbirds were killed to decorate parlors and fashions and captured for exportation to collectors in Europe.

Dereliction

Wow! It's been a while since I posted anything. Unfortunately, there's just not much to talk about in the winter. The last few shows of the season were nothing to write about!

On the home front, we've been busy with holidays, family, and the death of Terrie's stepgrandfather. The picture of my feeder in Birds and Blooms magazine resulted in a tremendous response and we were kept hopping with orders from our Etsy store.

We plan to finally get a real, organized, studio this spring. At this point we're not sure how we're going to do that so we are getting ideas and cost estimates. The time has come, though, to get everything together in one place and NOT have bits and pieces taking up space in every room in the house.

We'll be going back to Texas in March. We'll be at the Dallas Arboretum Artscape the third weekend in March, and then on to the Zilker Gardens Festival in Austin the following weekend. Surely it won't snow in Dallas late in March two years in a row!

Hummingbird fact for today: Winter hummers are now a regular phenomena in the Southeastern United States. Check out this article from the Knoxville News Sentinel.