And Now For Something Completely Different

Yep, I've been slacking.  I will fully admit that I haven't painted a feather since April of 2012.  I've done some dreamcatchers and I've learned some traditional beading.  I've learned brick stitch and how to do rosettes from a fantastic Mohawk woman.  I've taught myself peyote, square, spiral and how to do free-form flowers.  The pouches I've been doing have everything stitched together so delicately you can't see the sinew on either side.  I'm still learning though, so no photos of leather work till I decide whether I'm going to keep it up or not.

Anole

 I have to say, that even with that I haven't been very busy lately.  I've been out enjoying life.  I've started helping out the museum I work at with a new Facebook Fan Page and a Page On G+.  That means taking loads of photos, doing some editing, and lots of research!  It's taken me in a different focal direction that I think I needed to appreciate my own work a bit more.

Cicada

Though I can tell it's time to get back into getting dirty again.  My hands have been itching to go.  I have a few pieces that I need to get finished up and a few more that I need to get working on.

On a good note, I may not have been painting, but I've been able to catch some wildlife that has been coming around me lately.  So I've shared a few of the photos so you can see what I see.

Pandora Sphinx

There are little green anoles everywhere, and I do mean everywhere.  On windows, on the porch, in the museum, in the bathroom, on the car...everywhere.  I can't complain as they eat a ton of mosquitoes every chance they get.  They are kinda cute too.

There are cicada's flying into my porch just about every night.

Tersa Sphinx

Most amazing story, I had a Pandora Sphinx moth attach itself to my shoulder for about two days.  He sat there as I worked, did laundry, cooked and cleaned.  It was a very odd experience, but I know it had a deep significance. 

The Pandora Sphinx, sitting with me

Shortly after my Pandora friend passed away, a Tersa Sphinx moth came to stay with me for a while after returning home from work.  They are both Sphinx Moths, also considered hummingbird moths.  Fantastic creatures!

A visiting Tersa Sphinx

And lastly we have had American Green Tree Frogs just as many places as the Anoles!  Every window in the evening has had a frog.  My porch has at least two at any given time.  Though the photo I have was a tiny little one that I almost passed right by.  It was so tiny it could have fit on my thumb nail!    Don't be fooled by the size though, we can hear these little guys calling out from several yards away as if they're in your ear! 

American Green Tree Frog, look how tiny!

While I haven't been painting much as of late, I certainly have had a lot of animal visitors.  There have also been snakes, egrets, hawks, owls, and praying mantis' that I've not gotten a good shot at.  Maybe they're going "Here...here's some good inspiration...GET BACK TO WORK! =)

One Of The Signs That Spring Is Coming

For the past few nights, I have gone out for a moonlit walk, to find a tiny green tree frog sitting on the porch chair.  Being the porch is screened in, I don't want the little thing to somehow get trapped without food, so I pick him up and put him right outside the door.  It's an ordeal that takes a few minutes usually.  The little frog is about the size of a quarter, and likes to cuddle down in my palm to warm himself a little before hopping to the plants.

It's one of the many signs that spring is finally breaking through the cold.  The turtles and the frogs have come out after burying themselves for the winter.  I'd normally say that you can see the plants going into bloom, but around here, our flowers bloom throughout the year and a good portion stay green leaved if they're not flowering.