This is the card I sent my partner for the Lots of Dots ATC swap on swap bot. I also sent her the orange background, circles design ATC below as an extra. These were inspired by the ATC I received for the swap, a very aboriginal image of hands. I thought it would be fun to try making some dotted cards using some of the remnants of puff paint I have on hand. I am not sure what sort of paint the creator of the aboriginal hands ATC used, except that they weren't puff paints. I usually get my swaps out early, if I can, but this time I received the one from the person sending to me before I even got started on mine and it turned out to be fun for me and something the person I sent to also benefited from. At least they said they liked it.
Here is what they looked like Saturday. Look at all those feathers. This was taken with the flash and as soon as I took the picture the one on the far left lunged up with his mouth open. It made me think of a shark coming up out of the water. Turns out their eyes are open now so I guess the flash of light disturbed him and why should he be disturbed by anything, but a tasty bug from his mama's beak? I will try to take pictures only with good enough light now. Before I could get out mama bird flew in and startled me, almost as much as I startled her I am sure. She has caught all of us, but Nick in there at one time or another. She sure keeps busy with all of them. Heather says there is a daddy bird helping too, but I don't think I have seen him.
Here they are today. I am relieved every time I can still count five of them. They all seem to be doing well, though they go completely still whenever one of us goes in to take a look or just to get something out of the tool shed. As if we ever just go in to get something without taking a look at them.
This is Monday's picture. I didn't want to put it up because I wasn't sure what bird parts I was even looking at here. In fact, I went back out after I opened this to see if they were all right and they were all breathing like they had just run a mile. So, hurray! Still alive.
This is from yesterday, Wednesday. I wasn't able to take a look at this one then, but look at how well they seem to be doing. Fortunately, they seem to be asleep when I go in, since it is so gloomy with the rain that with my limited photography skills, I have to use a flash and I don't want to disturb them.
Here they are today, snug as bugs. Today was the first day I have been able to count five beaks. I was afraid one of them hadn't made it.
You can see they are getting even fuzzier and cuter. I don't take time to get a good look at them live, since I don't want to bother them or the mama, so I don't really see them until I look at the picture.
I just peek inside to see if mama is there and if she isn't I go in, take a quick picture and leave.
Here is today's update on the baby birds. They are getting fuzzy. So cute. It is amazing to see everything the mother bird has done to build this nest. First she filled the crate this is all in with leaves and twigs, the stuff we stored in there clearly not being a suitable base for her babies' first home. Then she lines the hole in the center with soft fluff and stuff including that tissue in the top left. Then she built the nest itself. I think she is a winter wren.
Also, today, I am making a batch of Pecan Sandies. This recipe is wonderful.
This is a picture taken in the last hour. All five are hatched now. This was taken yesterday late afternoon or evening. It is a bit blurry, but you can see there are still two eggs unhatched. There are three little hatchlings in the pile.
One of my favorite Easter songs is "Was It a Morning Like This?"which has the line "Did the Earth rejoice to feel you again?" and while I certainly didn't plan it, we got to feel the Earth "rejoicing" today just as we were moving on to the dessert portion of our Easter dinner. Or at least that is what I am calling the leaping and carrying-on that the Earth was indulging in this afternoon.
On the news people were saying the quake did not last very long, but we moved into an older home last year and some of the windows are pretty loose and we started hearing it a good 30 seconds before we felt it. It was long enough for us to realize that it wasn't the wind or a big truck going by and for everyone to get out of the house. Everyone but me. I stood in a doorway because I have lived in California since I was a baby and that is what I was told to do the whole time I was growing up, and so that is what I always do. Well, it is what I do when I feel an earthquake which truthfully isn't very often.
Most people don't know that we actually have dozens of earthquakes everyday, but they are so small that you don't feel them, but even the stronger ones that other people feel go by me unnoticed. Of course, there are the stronger ones that usually make the national news or are at least big news on the local stations for a day or two that I do feel. It can be a little bit scary, but nothing bad has ever happened in the areas I have lived. In fact this is the first earthquake I remember having pictures on the wall knocked askew or having things fall over. The water in our pool was also still sloshing quite a bit by the time everything was over and we thought to look and see.
About half an hour later it occurred to me that it would have been cool to have looked at the little Easter tree and see if the ornaments were moving, so I looked at it and the ornaments were swinging a bit. Then I looked at the beautiful orchids my sweet little cousin Ethan brought over for us and they were shaking too! Because we were having an aftershock and I didn't even feel it and wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't looked at the ornaments and the orchid.
I hope the folks in Mexico, where the quake was centered are fine physically and emotionally.
Anyway, before the quake the plan was to tell you about this wonderful recipe I tried for the first time today and that we all thought was delicious: Green Bean and Mushroom Medley. The only thing I did differently than the recipe was that I didn't quite double the butter when I doubled everything else and I substituted Emeril's Essence for the seasoned salt because I didn't have the seasoned salt. Oh, I didn't double that because I wasn't sure how well it would work so I wanted to err on the side of caution. It was so good.
This is the card I sent my partner for the Lots of Dots ATC swap on swap bot. I also sent her the orange background, circles design ATC below as an extra.
These were inspired by the ATC I received for the swap, a very aboriginal image of hands. I thought it would be fun to try making some dotted cards using some of the remnants of puff paint I have on hand. I am not sure what sort of paint the creator of the aboriginal hands ATC used, except that they weren't puff paints.
