Whimsical Pecking Order

I ran across this fun necklace on Etsy in the Strangely Yours shop last week.  It is a movable part, interactive necklace that shop owner Lorraine and her husband make.  (needless to say, I ordered it and it's in the mail!)  I love movement and the unexpected....this one fills the bill.  But what I also thought, (beadmakers and jewelry designers- what do you think?), is to add a little of my glass beads to make it into a little more.  I was thinking some transparent green glass leaves in soft colors and maybe some dark ivory with silver stringer (or not) beads.  I don't want to take away from the unique focal part of it, but a little something else, perhaps  might be fun too.  Visit Strangely Yours and look to see if they still have their sale going.  I got this at 20% off, which was nice extra benefit.

Flew The Nest

Final baby cardinal update: they've flown the nest.

Darn, I'm going to miss watching the two little birds and their very nurturing parents right outside my desk window. 

But the upside is, I won't spend hours each day acting like an over protective nanny when the parents are out gathering food. 

For some reason, I would spend extra time watching over them, when I'd see the parents leave.  Perhaps it was their ever present loud little chirps, or just the "Mom" gene in me.

I had named them Squeaky Wheel and Elroy.  Squeaky was the loudest and more persistent in pushing away the other one to get to the food.

But seeing that I seem to go for the underdog, Elroy was the one I watched the most.  Concerned that he wasn't getting as much food, I'd look to see that the parents were being relatively fair.

Then one day, both hopped up on the side of the nest and out onto nearby branches.  This is Elroy.  He stood there for awhile and made a lot of noise.  Not quite ready to fly, he hopped around until he got down to the ground and just kept awkwardl hopping, into our undergrowth.  I watched as the parents flew overhead protecting  him.  I wish more human parents did as good a job as these cardinals.

So now the two kids are gone and the nest is abandoned.  I miss them.  They were much better than the nature channel on television and observing them up close was a treat. I guess I'd better get back to focusing on making beads.  Tomorrow it will be about glass again, I promise.