The Unusual Season - redux

As I was titling this entry, I realized I had written a very similar entry in March, 2006 about the unusually warm and early spring. This time, it's about summer hanging on seemingly forever.

When I was in elementary school, we did a play called, "The Unusual Season". I remember it well because I think it was my only starring role in a school production (I was the unusual season!) In it, the point was made that there is often an unusual season in between the regular, expected ones when odd weather occurs. I remember long ago, when we lived in our first house, mowing the yard on Thanksgiving and thinking how strange it was to still have grass to cut so late in the year. I think this is going to be another one of those years.

So, I'm looking outside and realize it's November.
First, I saw the Pineapple Sage. Now, that's one of the last things to bloom in the fall, so it wasn't too out of place even though it was surrounded by the fallen leaves. Next, I saw Calendula blooming away. I wonder if this one knew it was slated to be the herb of the year in 2008 and was hoping to hold on for some of the accolades. Then, I realized my lavender was STILL blooming. We were making wands with this back in May and usually by the end of summer it has faded away. Not this plant, no sirree!One lovely hydrangea bloom peeked out from the bottom of the plant. Most of the other blooms have faded to a brown and some to a beautiful burgundy/green combo.

But, strangest of all are the tomatoes... still producing high on the tops of the vines. You can see where the frost has withered the vines above them, but these tomatoes are still very good. I lost my enthusiasm for them some time ago after gorging on them for weeks, but Tina tried one of them, right off the vine and was pleasantly surprised that they must have been protected somewhat by the foliage.

And, it isn't just the plants. We've been noticing baby animals that we usually expect to be born in the spring seem to be coming along right now, as we go into winter (I think!)
This is the "Chicken House". The door is closed because my DH decided the Polish Bantam hen who is sitting on a nest of about 20 eggs should be protected until the babies hatch. I said, "Maybe we'll have to bring them inside." But, he assured me that we have heat lights that can be installed in the "Chicken House" to keep everyone comfy and healthy.

Only last Friday, as we traveled between Philadelphia and home on the PA Turnpike, in a spot where, at twilight, deer are always along the highway feeding, we saw a tiny fawn in the group and were discussing how out of season it seemed to be.

Maybe I'm just remembering things wrong, but it certainly seems that things are out of whack. Hmmm... Global warming? Could be.

From the kiln, etc...

I have a bunch of things to show you today.
Once again, I have been working on the beads I need for the pendant swap and am pretty pleased with the ones I got out of the kiln today.

First, we have "Grace". It was hard to name this one because so many names popped into my head - growth, sea fronds, but I think I'll stick with grace..

Sometimes you just get settled at the torch and things happen and last night was one of those times.

Another, similar bead that just "happened" was this one to the right... I call it "the Dance". It reminds me of a joyful, uninhibited dance.

I think that's the state I enter sometimes when I am creating. It's as if I'm in a trance and the glass is telling me what to do with it. If I have no plan, I'll pick up a color or two and let them tell me what to do. Sounds weird, but that's what happens.

This one, I'm calling "Fall Musings" because the colors, especially the variegations of the scrolls make me think of all the changing colors of the leaves.

The leaf change sneaks up on us and all at once, there it is. I've noticed it is already beginning.... sad, but it means another change of season and I enjoy the variety of seasons we have. I could do without the bitterest cold and the beastliest heat, but they come with the territory, so I choose to celebrate the changes rather than mourn them.

This one is a little different for me. I think I'm celebrating dots now that I have switched to my grocery store glasses and can actually see where they are going. I'm calling it "Frozen Flowers" mainly because "Colorful vine seen through a foggy window" just doesn't work!

It's one of the beads I made using enamels and I find the enamels keep the stringers (lines) from spreading too much and a lot more detail is preserved and a design can appear much more precise.

I couldn't resist posting this one. A new friend sent me a large piece of fluorite to wire and I worked on it for the past two nights. I think this is a perfect setting for this gorgeous piece!

(As with all the pictures, if you click on it, another window will open with a larger version, just hit your back button to come back to this page.)

Metaphysically, Fluorite is said to help connect mind to spirit. It does so by helping to neutralize persistent and unwanted thought patterns so that the mind, instead of keeping itself distracted by constant activity, much of which is resistance to these undesired thoughts, can be at peace.

Hmmm... I have a very similar piece that I wear occasionally. Sound like something I should carry with me at all times!

It seems I can't get a blog post up without mentioning the chickens and we've been pretty hard on them lately.

I have to admit that they aren't all mean and scary. This is our house chicken! We aren't sure if it's a he or a she. Until the day it crowed, we were sure it was a hen....

We call her/him "Socks", "Boots" or "Spats" because of the feathers on her/his feet. Whenever I walk from the shop to the house, he/she is hot on my heels because we have a little can of corn that we use to lure him/her to eat from our hands.

This one separated from the pack early and likes to hang around with us. Rudy has even taken a liking to it.

There's a welcome mat that says "Close the door quick before the chickens come in". I thought it was hilarious the first time I saw it, but now.... I may have to get it because I don't think it will be long before that becomes a problem!

Speaking of Chickens and Fairies

When I woke up this morning, it was already snowing. Originally, it wasn't supposed to start until around noon, but here's the scene from the studio door at 9AM. You can't really see the snow flying, but it is going to town with those menacing tiny flakes that usually mean this one will last for quite a while and amount to something.

The chickens are now "imprisoned" in the little shed to the left. They should be grateful, but probably not.

Bob's truck is warming up in the driveway, getting ready to take our neice off to apply for her passport. We're hoping to journey to sunnier climes before long and, because passports are so much more necessary than they used to be and take longer than they used to, the passport appointment must be kept - come rain, snow, sleet or dark of night! I have the feeling that when we're basking on a warm beach, this will all be a tale to tell.

I should update the scene here as the storm develops.

Meanwhile, when I got out to the studio and opened the kiln, this little gal was waiting for me.

She's the Amethyst Fairy and I'm so pleased. A few months ago, I was sad when a similar fairy came from the kiln and her skirt shattered because of compatibility problems with the various glasses I used.

This time, I used an opalescent white glass as the base and overlaid it with a transparent purple. I find that when I use a transparent over an opal, they seem to blend together pretty smoothly and I like the effect a lot.

She has a dainty little sash around her middle and garlands of white and purple flowers in her hair and hanging from her hands. Click on the picture for a closer look.

Well, time to get serious. Yesterday, I got all the errands done that I could, so I've saved a lot of projects for these couple of days when I figured I'd be staying home because of the weather.

Chickens gone wild

No pictures, but you can probably imagine this one.

A few days ago, my dh put a couple of heat lamps in the shed our chickens call home. It was kinda fun watching the little shadow play through the window as they walked back and forth! As the days went by, they seemed more and more reluctant to enter the coop at night after their day brousing around the neighborhood.

Last night, they didn't come home at all. Poor DH! He was outside a number of times in the freezing cold trying to find them and lead them back home, but no luck. He finally gave up and just hoped they would make it through the night so we could "round them up" in the morning.

We suspected they have been communicating with the wild Guinea fowl who also roam the area and might have decided to "join up".

First thing this morning, he tracked them down and when Tina got here, the 3 of us, armed with brooms, shushed them into the shed. (He had captured the rooster, Sven, a bit earlier and had him in a cage in the shed, thinking that might attract the "girls".)

The "girls" were just hanging around the outside and we strategically placed ourselves so that the path of least resistance was to just go in. It wasn't one of our more physical round ups!

He closed the door and said, "That's it! They're grounded." I think the lights will no longer be burning in the shed either. So, the chicken gang is grounded. I think they'll thank us for it when the snow and freezing rain hits tomorrow.

Life is never dull around here. A little weird sometimes, but never dull.