I just hung up my Easter Garland that I've been working on all week. Some of you at Creative Spirits will recall I was cutting out the eggs last Weds. night. In fact, you'll probably recognize the pear napkin!!

Each egg has 1 piece of text (most of it French), one tissue/napkin type of image, an animal focal point, and perhaps a sticker or two. I made them in assembly-line fashion. Fun to do, and it adds a whimsical touch to the house.

I have some hanging from the front window, some over the kitchen area, some near a hallway. You can see by how many BIRDS there are, that I am still into birds.

Now on to my next project--a fold-out birthday card for my brother's 60th birthday.

Nesting Box

I bought a nesting box this week from one of my favorite stores, Wild Birds Unlimited. It's difficult to tell the size from this photo, but it's actually rather small. It's designed for a chickadee or a wren. Phil installed it yesterday. It will be interesting to see if a little birdie friend takes an interest in it.

I so enjoy watching the birds, feeding them, listening to their songs. And their antics can be quite entertaining.

In the last few years, birds seem to have a running theme in my life. For awhile (especially when I was working) I used the song of a bird as a reminder to myself to STOP whatever I was thinking/doing, and just enjoy the moment. It became a signal for me to be in the Now. Even in my art, I frequently am drawn to feathers, nests, eggs, and birds. For a while I thought it was the whole "empty nest" thing that I was experiencing, but it has stayed with me, so I now think it is more than that. It certainly has to do with mothering and maintaining a home, but it also has to do with the freedom (flying) I have now in my retirement.

NEW LIFE

Here are some of the bulbs I planted last Fall. Don't know if these are hyacinths, iris, daffodils, or tulips! I planted 'em all!

Today is just gorgeous: warm, sunny, birds singing, and the frogs in the forest preserve are beginning their chorus. Ah, the promise of Spring.

Today I bought a "nesting box" hopefully for a chickadee or wren family. It will be interesting to see what happens. I also got my hands in the dirt and pulled up some wayward grass that was already beginning to grow in my gardens. I'll have to remind myself how good that felt, in August when I'm tired of weeding!

So here's to New Life: I thank God that She keeps her promises.