Theresa · Mather

I've entered the time of year where I paint all day long, with breaks to collect 101 eggs on Facebook (yes, I backed off of my no-more-social-networks stance, and like I suspected, Facebook is a time sinkhole.)breaks to fix and eat meals and a little time for some casual games. I keep up on the news via NPR on the radio as I work, so I'm not totally in a bubble.

I finished a new piece for prints yesterday, and hope to finish another today. I'll post them when I have several done.
The reception for the Braithwaite Gallery invitational show of regional artists is tomorrow, and I'll probably go.
We've been busy decorating my new canopy tent in anticipation of setting up at the local Ren Faire in early July. It's a very small Faire, but it's right here in town and we'll be home for it this year so I figured "why not?".

My backyard robin population has recovered after the temporary residence of a hawk, who ate a number of them. This year's crop of babies has fledged, and they are hopping all over the yard doing stupid things like pecking at various items to see if they are edible. I saw one peck a grasshopper and then jump back in total surprise when it leaped up into its face. No veteran robin would be shocked by a grasshopper hopping. Another naive new robin looked in to the kitchen from a cottonwood branch and then freaked out and fluttered to another branch when it saw me.It peeked cautiously from behind some leaves and watched me with apparent fascination and made alarm calls. Jaded veteran robins just boldly stare and sit there. I like robins, and I'm glad they're back. The antics of the babies are pretty funny.
I startled a deer again in the yard when I opened the curtains this morning. It had bedded down, and got up and panicked when it saw a person. I'm not sure why such totally skittish deer decide to live in town, but I think it's the succulent lawns that they're after. Still, they're terrified of even being seen.

I've noticed bats on my evening walks lately. They've been out earlier than I've seen before, so it's been light enough to watch their aeroBATics (snark). They really are amazing flyers, turning so quickly and catching bugs at such a furious rate.

It is such a luxury to have such quiet and uneventful days. It won't be long till I have to plunge back into travel and chaos.

Attack of teh cute!

Right now, I'm being mercilessly ridiculed by the other people in my house.

We didn't have American Robins where I lived in Orange County- at least I never remember seeing any. I have a yard full now. Just like the stereotype they pull worms from the ground. They're rather comical, kind of loud sometimes. I like them.

Today, the robins gave me a scare. As I went back toward the house from the studio, a little baby robin not yet able to fly stood on the walkway chirping plaintively. I used to raise exotic birds which are not independent until fully fledged so my first response was "oh no, poor baby has fallen out of the nest!". Then I noticed another under the second story deck. And then another. And another. Adult robins started mock-attacking and making loud versions of the annoying robin beeping sounds. To top it off there was a traumatized tiny baby squirrel with anime sized eyes cornered against the lower block wall, looking on in terror. It was baby animal trauma time...I had visions of round-the-clock robin care or else finding parts of the cute babies after preditors got them if I did nothing. To the derisive mocking of those who infest my house right now, I called my veterinarian and got the bird rescue numbers for the area. One was the Department of Wildlife. I waited for them to call back as we chased hopping robins around and placed them in a bucket. More babies that were slightly older started appearing from the hedges and were watching from the block wall. Finally, the Department of Wildlife called back and told me that the biologist they consulted said to just leave the babies- for whatever reason baby robins all over left the nest early this year and the parents will finish raising them on the ground. We put down the bucket and the babies all hopped back to the portions of the yard they had been in before. The parents have quieted down and I think the robin universe is back in order now. Hopefully the horrified squirrel will come to terms with what he witnessed.

Okay, so I'm weak. I admit it...I'm soft. So STFU already!!! :P :) :)