Resourcefulness

This artifact - a copper tea kettle - is at Gammelgarden Museum of Scandia. The director of the museum told me that the kettle was so valued by the family that they hired a tinker (a person who traveled from place to place to mend metal utensils as a way of making a living) to put a new base on it when it was no longer good. 

So, rather than throwing away an item, the family repaired the kettle to extend its life. How different the environment would be now if we all valued our possessions and repaired them instead of throwing them away.  

Unique Children's Book

Our World - A First Book of Geography is such a clever board book. The cover is magnetized so that it can attach to the back cover and stand upright as a globe. Written for 2-5 year olds, there is a story on the base and beautiful illustrations on the globe portion of the book.

Wood Carvings

I saw these cute little wood carvings of a gnome and tree. They are hand-carved and colored. I like that they are both in shades of blue...not a typical color you see with gnomes or trees.

Dala Horse Rotating Candle

I'm doing some photography work for Gammelgarden Museum of Scandia and one of the products in the gift shop is a Dala horse rotating candle. It reminds me of the Christmas one that my parents had that had angels on it. This one, though, is a smaller version with a single tea light.

Straw Goat

It is hard to believe it is November already. Later this month, the Christmas season will begin. This is a Yule goat which is a northern European and Scandinavian tradition and symbol. The Yule goat is typically made of straw. This one was at Gammelgarden Museum in Scandia.

Spider Web

It amazes me how quickly a spider can create a web...and how beautifully simple it can be. This was taken many years ago in the early morning in Grand Marais after an evening rain. It seemed fitting for Halloween today.

SAORI Woven Scarf

I tried some new techniques with SAORI weaving which I enjoyed including partial-row patterning. This is a departure from my more "textural" pieces that have bits or rows of wool roving from sheep in them. 

Quinceañera

My sister and I visited Incarnation Catholic Church today to see where our parents were married in 1964 and where our grandma was a parishioner for over four decades. As children, we had attended mass, but only remember the church as being dark. All of the photographs from our parents' wedding are in black and white. 

So, we were delighted to see the church with all its colorful stained glass windows plus a quinceanera that was in progress.    

Migratory and Local Birds

The Dark-Eyed Juncos have arrived from Canada! They are here to spend the winter and will stay until about April. The American Goldfinches are losing their bright summer color and will become a grayish-tan during the winter. The oddball bird on the feeder comes up on the Seek app as a Brown-Headed Cowbird. However, I thought these were larger birds. A very common bird we are seeing is the Black-Capped Chickadees. 

All the feeders - seed and suet - are full now. There are 15 feeders in the front- and backyards. It is hard to keep up with the seed feeders with so many birds visiting us each day.

Halloween Window Stars

The Halloween origami stars that I made are up on the windows now. These are in the family room. As the sun rises and there is more light, the window stars will become brighter. I like how nature and art coincide.

Waterlogue - Chickadee with Outstretched Wing

This is another image I created in the Waterlogue app. My original photo is of a black-capped chickadee with an outstretched wing. It was balancing on the wire part of a birdfeeder. 

Heart-Shaped Flower

It wasn't until I looked closely at this image that I saw that the center of the flower is in the shape of a heart. Just what I needed to see today. 

More Birds

The migratory birds now have flown south and we are seeing those that will stay with us during the winter. New this year to us is the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. We have seen the White-Breasted Nuthatch often, so this is a pleasant surprise to see another type of nuthatch. There are Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and plenty of True Sparrows. The sparrows love playing in the birdbath, especially on warmer days.