Today I Made a Book!

Today I made a book! 

I signed up for an Art Journaling class at the Lifelong Learning Center. I thought it was going to be something along the lines of nature journaling, but to my surprise (and joy), we actually made out own journals! 

The teacher’s version of art was cutting and pasting pictures from a magazine, or painting the pages, etc. My version will be much different. I will probably cut and past a few things, do some sketches I may even try to add some color to them with watercolor paints!), add facts about the animal or bird I’m sketching, and will definitely include some of my poems! 

The first thing I will do however is to unstitch everything and complete the covers, and then stitch it back together with sinew instead of embroidery thread. The sinew will last so much longer. My theme will be “Wild and Free”.

In the way home I made a jaunt over to Joanne Fabric to purchase some scrapbook paper, which was on sale for .20 a sheet!  I picked ones that would have an outdoor or animal/insect theme. Not sure yet how I will use it but I’ll think of something. I did find one paper design in particular that I loved and wanted to use for my cover, but it was in a huge book of papers that cost $23.00 No way will I pay that much for one sheet of paper. Maybe But when I went to the checkout, it was also on sale and only cost $12.99 - now that’s more like it!

I also ran into one of the lady’s in the class, and I commented that I would love to see her book when it’s done. She said that we should all get together for coffee somewhere, and share what we’ve done. I think it’s a grand idea! 

 

It's for the Birds

I’ve been fascinated by birds for my entire life. 

I remember at a very young age - possible even as young as two or three years old, walking across the back yard and hearing a bird singing. I looked up and saw a bird that was the same color as the sky; pale blue. Knowing now what I could have never even begun to comprehend at that young age, was that the only bird that could have possibly been was a Mountain Bluebird.

The only other solid blue bird is the Indigo Bunting, which are found in the eastern US, and are a much darker, more vivid color. We lived on the east side of San Francisco Bay, where there are no mountains to speak of, but where Mountain Bluebirds are actually quite common.

I think my earliest memory of bird-watching per se, was probably at that same age, sitting in front of a floor to ceiling picture window in the living room and watching Brewer’s and Red-winged blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Grackles, feeding on bugs and flower seeds in the front yard. No, at that time I did not know what they were, but I can still vividly remember what they looked like and the calls they made. The Red-wings especially were, and still are, very distinctive.

I have become passionate about bird watching, and even more passionate about bird photography, although the latter takes so much more patience and stealth. But having a few “go to” locations for finding and photographing them most certainly helps feed that passion.

 

Lucky Number 13

Friday the 13^th. BUT… it’s going to be a great day - I saw a white buffalo!!  It was Faith; the white calf that was born in Lolo a couple of years ago. She is currently residing with the small herd of heifers just down the road from my house. I had to stop to get a couple of photos but she was walking away from me, so I got a nice shot of a white buffalo butt…  However, now that I know where she is, I can wander down there to get some better shots. I’m pretty sure she’ll be there at least until late summer (??), and it seems like maybe early mornings would be best - at least that’s when I’ve often see the herd closer to the road, so I'll have to keep checking!  

First stock dog trial of the year, and I was talking to someone near the holding pens. I started to turn around and almost stepped on a little tiny lamb! It walked right up to me, sniffing at me and I petted him. Then he walked over to a bottle that was lying on the ground and was trying to chew on it. It was half full of milk, so I picked it up and the lamb was trying desperately trying to get it. I held it up and he drank it all down - he was hungry!  A little later Jim put it into the pen with the other lambs, and there was one ewe with twins; one black and one white. The little brown lamb attached itself to that black ewe, so now he has siblings and a mama.