MSED: Bird # 159 Symbiosis Dancer

Quick little Sharpie pen and water color loosely based on one of my sister's awesome photos,

 found here. Look hard Minnie!

Looong Over Due Amaryllis Update

Francine this one is for you, and for anyone else who was curious  but didn't ask. I took the first photo on January 25th and the last one on the 28th.

Just opening

view from the top

a day later

BaBam! look at the size!

The color of this thing was so beautiful! It really brightened up my January. After the bloom died I cut back the stalk and it grew some leaves. It now sits in the back yard being neglected for the summer once again. Oh, and it never did tip over.

MSED: Bird # 158 Longing For Spring

Oh I bet you thought I forgot about my bird puzzle!
Here in Michigan spring won't arrive for awhile. The calendar will say it will soon but don't believe it. I know it is finally here when I see my first robin.

In Other News 2/Amaryllis Update

30.5 inches! That's how tall this thing has gotten! The bud is starting to crack open and I bet that I will see a bloom within the next couple of days.

I think it wants to tip over

In Other News

Not my photo or amaryllis :)

 Two winters ago I bought an amaryllis bulb from the local grocery store. I love the big showy blooms that appear right when you need them - the dead of winter.
All I got out of that bulb was some impressively long leaves but not even a hint of a bud.
When summer arrived in Michigan I moved the bulb in it's little plastic container with peat moss dirt out into my backyard where it was totally forgotten and neglected. When Fall came I found the little amaryllis bulb tipped out from its pot laying on its side. I picked it up and to my surprise it still felt solid and alive though it had no leaves and really no sign of green. I brought it into my home and decided to give it another chance to do its thing.
I was really excited a couple of weeks later when I saw the bright green appear on the top of the bulb. I waited and watched, watched and waited. And once again all that appeared were really long leaves and no bud. By this time I had forgotten what color the bloom was supposed to be.
Summer came once again, and once again I put it out in the backyard and neglected it all season, a season that was unusually hot and dry. And once again, this past Fall, I found the bulb tipped out of its pot with no sign of life. But the bulb still felt solid and full of potential sooo, once again I brought the little pot back inside to see what would happen. This is what happened.

All bud and no leaves! With the sun shining through it the bud it looks half empty. And of course my husband is making fun of its slightly phallic nature, and of me for finding it blog worthy.
I love that man.

What do you think will happen? Will it bloom? Will it be deformed? What color will it be? And most importantly, do I need to get a life?

What I've Been Up to Lately

I have been knitting and using up all my scrap yarn! Well Okay, not all of it but now I will feel better about buying new yarn. It's a log cabin blanket! I got the free pattern for it here. Not only is the patten free but there are wonderful video tutorials for every step of the way. What's really cool about knitting this blanket is that I can remember all the projects I made with each yarn. The red is a sweater jacket, the blue on the right is a lace panel sweater and that little bit of pink is from a bag I made and felted for my daughter. I'll post more photos later.

Also I have been out walking with my dog and found these growing from one of our pines

Here they are with a quarter to show scale. They are pretty tiny as pinecones go and considering the size of the tree.

My question for you is what should I do with them? I was so excited when I found them. I grabbed them off the tree as fast as I could and stuffed them in my pocket. There are about 30 of them and there are about 10 more on the tree that I couldn't reach. But I would find a way if I had a reason to!

MSED: Bird #157 Kitchen Chalkboard Bird

If I am going to continue to post birds I must in all good conscience take the words "a day" off the title. it may take me 5 years to get my 365 birds done, but I am determined! One of my new year's resolutions - MAKE MORE BIRDS and be more creative in 2013!

This is my new (to me) kitchen chalkboard. It's one of those really large ones that you see in coffee houses with the menu on it. I believe it will always be a work in progress so maybe I'll post updates.
Happy New Year Everyone!