Addi

           I have found so many interesting plants and insects this week that I could spend hours searching the internet trying to identify them. In the end, does it really matter if this is a Short-stalked Damselfly, Doubleday’s Bluet, or a Circumpolar Bluet? Even looking at side-by-side pictures in my bug book doesn’t help me decide which one he is. But I do know this. It’s a damselfly. Damselflies rest their wings along their body whereas dragonflies rest them horizontally. 

          Before I bedazzle you with all my flower and bug photos this week, let me tell you about Addi. And if you know me, you know there is no ‘short’ way to tell a story. I have to start at the beginning.

          If you remember, I met Addi when her dad was working on replacing our old single-lane open-grate bridge. Since then, I’ve been taking Addi little gifts. What girl doesn’t like pretties to hang in her bedroom? And Addi sometimes makes me things, too.

          It’s been months since I’ve done any glass work. I’ve been working on spinners and tin can flowers — and thinking about Addi. Would she like to have some flowers? I wondered and had a few spin-off thoughts too. Thoughts like, is it really an appropriate gift for a twelve-year-old? Where would she put them? Maybe they have a fence they could put them on? Addi could look at them and know they’re hers. I doubt she’d hang them in her room, but I guess she could if that’s where they decide to put them.

          I shook off all my questions and doubts and decided to leave it up to her mom. I messaged Elizabeth and sent along a couple of photos. “I've been thinking a lot about Addi lately. I haven't been making anything in glass but I've been making these flowers from tin cans. Do you think Addi might like one or two? I don't know where she can put them but I'll leave that up to you.”

          I know that not everyone has an umbilical cord tying them to their computer like I do mine, so I waited patiently.

          And waited.

          And waited.

          Then I didn’t think about it for a while.

          The next time I thought about it, I let my mind fill with worries. Maybe Liz doesn’t want to hurt my feelings by saying no? Off I went to my computer and in a flurry, before I could change my mind, I typed out another message. “You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings. It's okay to tell me you don't think she'd like to have any of these.”

          This is a half-truth half-lie kinda statement, and I hesitate to even tell you that. I know you love me and I know you’d never hurt my feelings on purpose. Not liking something I poured my time and love into might sting for a minute but I’d get over it. I’m a big girl and can handle rejection much better than I used to, aka, I’m not gonna burst into tears over it. Besides, I’d much rather know the truth. Not everyone’s gonna like everything I make and I would rather it went to someone who’s gonna love it. I can almost always find someone to take my creations off my hands. After all, my beautiful sister, Phyllis, loves EVERYTHING I make! Just ask her!

          It wasn’t long after my second message that Liz got back to me. “Morning! We just got back from our 24-day trip out west. I did a quick look through my messages and you were top on the list. She would love one! They are gorgeous 😍.”

          I had to laugh at myself and I can hear Phyllis in my head calling me, “Silly girl!”  

         “Oh! And I thought you were trying to figure out how to let me down easy!” I told Liz. “I'm making new ones, so I'll make some in her favorite color. Is it blue?”

          “Teal is her favorite,” Liz said. I was close. “But any color would be great. She would probably love making one with you too if you ever wanted company.”

          What a great idea! I would never have thought of this on my own. “I’d love to have her over!” I told Liz, then went on to explain about Mike being fresh out of the hospital and had developed bed sores. It would have to wait a week or so because he wasn’t currently wearing many clothes. She understood.

          A few days later Mike was wearing pants again and I asked if he was well enough for me to invite Addi over. He said he was, but I was worried. Not about Mike but about Addi getting cut or pricked on the sharp points created by cutting tin. Maybe we could try a glass project, I thought and messaged Liz. “I've got a simple owl pattern Addi and I can do together. Maybe one day next week?”

          I waited patiently. I know that not everyone has an umbilical cord tying them to their computer like I do. It’s my connection to the world beyond my front door. It’s my connection to you. If you don’t hear back from me in a day or less, something’s wrong. So, I continued to wait. One day, two, three. Then that little worry niggle started in the back of my mind again. Maybe they’re afraid we’re child molesters. You can’t be too careful with your children these days. Would they really think that?

          I didn’t really believe they would but — shrug — you never know. (And I actually did shrug as I wrote that. LOL.)

By Sunday my mind had worked out a solution. Back to the computer I go and message Liz. “I wouldn’t mind if Nell came along.” She’s Addi’s big sister.

Later I get a message from Duane, Addi’s dad, saying Liz wasn’t feeling well and would get back to me. I was sorry to hear that.

For months now I’ve been watching short videos that pop up on my Facebook newsfeed, of people working with bottles, cardboard, and air-dry clay. The projects range from fairy houses to treasure boxes. I’d love to try that! While Mike was in the hospital, I bought air-dry clay. It’s been sitting on my butcher block, aka catchall, for more than a week. Then, in the night between Sunday and Monday, the idea wakes me up. In my morning love note I told my peeps, “I've got a new project rattling around in my head. It woke me last night so I guess it's trying to get out.” But that was just a tease. They’d have to wait to find out what it was.

Monday, I set to work. I’ve got two beautiful green bottles my beautiful friend Joanie gave me. If my project works out, the first one will be hers — if she wants it. The weather was nice so I decided to work on the patio and enjoy the fresh air and bird song. I collected tissue paper, glue, water, a bowl to mix in, a brush, and I painted the bottle with glue and applied the paper.

Now I had to wait for the paper to dry. It seems like I’ve had a lot of practice waiting lately. My mind raced ahead to the things I’d need to finish this project. I had everything I’d need except for one thing. The demonstrator, a woman I think, had a tool made especially for clay. I’ve seen it in other videos as well.

I didn’t have one but the spoon shape reminded me of a tool in Mike’s manicure kit. Would it work? I didn’t know but I was going to try. I looked everywhere for his kit, a kit I don’t think he uses. I searched through boxes in the wayback, I looked to see if it got left in the little apartment when we moved out of there, I looked in dresser drawers, I looked in the bathroom cabinets, and I couldn’t find it anywhere!

“Mike, do you know where that little manicure kit is? The one in the brown case with all the tools? I need that little cuticle pusher thingy or whatever it’s called.”

“It’s on the back of my sink.” He knew right where it was! Why didn’t I ask him first‽

I found it right where he said it would be. I took the tool out and looked it over. I think it’ll work!

One project started and another that’s had been rattlin’ around in my head for a while now, too. It seemed like a good time to give it a try. I have metal lids taken off cans. I’ve made bells with them but I was wondering, could I make them into a cup for the center of my flowers?

I got a lid and my dapping block and beat this baby into submission. I made two, one fringed and one not. It’ll give my flowers more depth. What do you think? A good idea or a dud?

“What’s a dapping block?” you ask.

Dapping means to dome metal. A dapping block is used to round stuff, like, say, washers, coins, bottle caps, tokens. Set it in a hole, pick the proper size dapper, and hammer away.

I don’t remember why I bought my set and I’ve only used it a few times over the years. Still, it’s nice to have when you need it.

The next day was another beautiful day and I settle into the patio chair with my coffee and a bottle of water. I open the clay and work it to make it soft. It was only at this point that I thought about taking a picture for you.

Mike’s manicure tool worked great for making flowers. You know what they say. Necessity is the mother of invention. If you don’t have what you need, improvise. Think outside the box.

I was actually quite pleased with my results.

Now I had more waiting to do. Once the clay dried, I could paint it. Casting about for something to occupy my time, my gaze falls upon my butterfly house. I need to have it finished before the baby Monarchs started arriving.

I gathered tools. Scissors to cut the screen, a stapler, and wood strips. It didn’t take me too long to put the screen in and now it’s ready.

I guess it was a couple of hours later when I checked my bottle and the clay was dry. I was anxious to see this done so I got my paints and started painting. Black undercoat, some shade of green that I made by mixing two colors, and fairy lights.

I couldn’t believe how cute it turned out! I was so excited to show it off that I jumped on the golf cart and ran right down to show it to my Miss Rosie.

“How did you make it?” she wanted to know.

I told her. It’s hard to believe you can make a bit of toilet paper and clay look so cute, isn’t it?

“Did she like it?” you wanna know.

She did. “But what if Joanie doesn’t like it?” I asked her.

“If she doesn’t like it, you can give it to me! I love it. I love all the things you make!”

I used to think she only said that because she loves me but I’m starting to believe her.

          Then I fessed up and showed her the one flaw in the whole thing. “When it’s dark, the light shines through the paper in some places. I should’ve used heavier paper.”

          “Oh, I don’t think it’s a flaw. I actually like it,” she said.

          “I do, too,” Lamar added.

          Later, I posted it to a creative group I belong to on Facebook. The likes, loves, and comments started pouring in. People really seemed to like it. I called Miss Rosie and told her. “We’re not the only two that like it! I posted it online and got 200 likes and loves and 43 comments.”

          “Did you get any negative comments?” she asked.

          “Nope. Not one.”

          If you think I was excited about getting 200 likes, you’d be right, but imagine how I felt when bedtime rolled around and the likes topped 1,000! Since then, I’ve garnered 2,714 likes and loves and 243 comments. All positive.

          I still hadn’t heard back from Liz about having Addi come over to do some crafting with me. Sometimes messages get buried. Adding a new message will bring it up again. “I hope you are doing well. I just finished making this today and wanted to show it to you.”

          “Hi! Yes, much better. Lots of rest and fluids. That is amazing!!! Addi is amazed too!!!”

          “We can make one,” I offered. I wouldn’t have to worry about Addi getting cut or pricked by tin cans if we made this, although I decided that when and if we make tin can flowers together, I’ll give her a pair of gloves to wear. That should give her good protection.

          Liz and I talked back and forth and set a day and time for Addi to come over and craft with me. On the appointed day and hour, Addi got out of the car carrying two bottles!

          “Will you stay with us?” I asked Liz.

          “No. I’m gonna go work out at the gym.” Skinny girls are always working out. But I guess that’s how they stay that way. “Do you want me to stop and pick her up on my way back through?”

          I had to think for a minute. I didn’t think that would give us enough time to finish what I had planned. “Can we just call you when we’re done?”

          “Sure!”

          I don’t know about Addi, but I sure was nervous! I haven’t had little girls in the house since Kat brought her family to visit back in 2008 and I let each of her girls make dragonfly suncatchers during their visit. So, I knew Addi could make something, too.

          “First, we’ll get our bottles started and while they’re drying, we’ll work on a suncatcher. How’s that sound?”

          Addi smiled and nodded her head. She was happy to let me be the boss.

          We tore paper, mixed glue with water and got the paper on our bottles.

    “Those won’t be dry for a long time. We’ll finish them the next time you come over. Let’s go make an owl.”

Addi was careful picking through my glass and didn’t seem afraid of it at all. “I remember the first time I saw my brother-in-law making something with glass. I freaked out and kept telling him to be careful! I was afraid he was going to get cut!” I told Addi and laughed. She found a sheet she liked and we went to make owls.

Cutting glass takes a little practice and Addi had a bigger challenge because she chose a piece that was uneven and had ridges. The breaks will follow those instead of your score lines if you’re not careful. Addi’s first break was a fail and we lost our owl. She had to find a new section in the glass to draw her pattern on and I apologized. “I should’ve let you do a few practice cuts first until you got the feel for the pliers and glass.” We practiced and she didn’t lose another owl. I tried not to help her too much. I wanted it to be hers.

The next step was to grind the edges and wash it. “It’s not fun,” I told her, “But it is necessary.”

          “Now we have to foil it,” I told her the next step. Then I realized I didn’t know where the foil was! I’d cleaned my craft counter off a couple of months ago and moved it. “I knew you were coming,” I told Addi. “You’d think I’d be better prepared.” It only took me a few moments to find it, then I sent Addi to fetch a couple of things from the patio table that we’d need.   

She did all of her own foiling, burnishing, and soldering. She didn’t get cut on the glass and only got a slight burn when I shook some solder off a piece of wire and a hot little droplet bounced and landed on her finger. I felt really bad but Addi was quick to shake it off and assured me she was fine. I don’t think it even left a mark.

          “Should we get a ribbon to hang him from and some beads?” My suggestion was met with the biggest grin.

          Addi is a careful and thoughtful young woman. She did a great job making this owl her own.

          “I made us some Jell-O. Should we have a bowl?” I asked.

          “I like Jell-O,” was her answer.

 

          We had time enough that I showed Addi some other things that I’ve made. “This’ll give you time to think it over and decide what you want to make next.”

          There wasn’t any thinking time needed. Addi knew what she wanted to make.

          “I like working with the wire.” She made the wings for her owl. “I want to make one of those.” She pointed to the window where this hung. (I took it outside to get a picture for you.)

          “You know, every time I look at that I think I should give it to your mom and I just never did. Do you think she’d like it?” I don’t know why I’d think of Liz when I’d look at this hanging in the window, and worse yet, I don’t know why I’ve never given it to her.

          “Yeah. She loves butterflies.”

          Then Liz arrived to pick Addi up. I captured the look of surprise and joy on her face when she saw Addi’s owl. You can’t fake this.

          “Addi! It’s beautiful!” she said. “You made this‽”

          Addi grinned from ear to ear, basking in her mother’s praise. “Yeah.” 

       Like the bottle project, doing the wire and bead butterfly will require more than one visit. But spending time with this cutie patootie isn’t a hardship at all.

           I took Joanie’s bottle to church with me to give it to her. You don’t know how nervous I was that I’d drop it and break it. I had a chance to show it off before Joanie arrived and had offers of, “If she doesn’t like it, I’ll take it!” I knew this guy wasn’t coming home with me.

          Joanie loves her bottle. Didn’t I tell you she was beautiful! Like everyone else, she can’t believe it’s made from tissue. “It looks like leather!”

          I’m really hoping my other beautiful friend Jody likes it because I owe her a special gift. And since I’m teaching Addi how to make one by making one, I’ll have one to give away. If she doesn’t, I know two or three other places that would give it a home and I’ll make something else for her.

          Let’s do the picture portion of my week.

          I have a doe that likes to hang out by the six-by-six wall. When this was an operating sawmill, the chips would fly out the chute and land on the concrete where they’d scrape it up or do whatever they were going to do with them. As long as I don’t stop, she’ll just watch me walk past.

          This is the time of year where we have three gift giving occasions in the span of six weeks. Mike’s birthday, my birthday, and our wedding anniversary. We don’t normally do much by way of gift exchanges in this house because if we want something, we buy it. But this expensive and frivolous piece of yard art was our gift to ourselves this year. I love this giant wind spinner!

          I have snapdragons coming up in my flower bed! I planted them last year and didn’t know they’d come up again. I was surprised when I saw them. Then I looked at the leaves. I think I pulled some of those this spring thinking they were weeds. It’s a good thing I didn’t keep up with the weeding!

          Butter-and-eggs is blooming too. This is also called Toadflax. I love them!

            Several times this week I had critters zip past me to catch my attention, then alight and wait for me to take their pictures. This was one of them. I can’t tell what he is by the underside of his wings and he wouldn’t let me look at the top.

A Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly. He was feeding on minerals in the soil.

And so were these guys! I could only count about nine of them but there might’ve been more. It’s hard to tell the difference between the Pearl Crescent and the Checkerspot, but according to my bug group, these are Pearl Crescents.

Yarrow is blooming. I love to pick a leaf and crush it between my fingers and breath its distinctive aroma. You can make tea from Yarrow leaves. But have you ever looked at the tiny little flowers that make up these tiny little flowers? It’s amazing.

           A Hoverfly.

          And this guy on the Yarrow is a Flower Longhorn Beetle, according to my bug group. There are over 35,000 species of Longhorns so I don’t know his specific name but Flower Longhorn Beetle is close enough for me and the guys I go with.

          Bug love on the Milkweed. These are Milkweed Beetles.

          I spent a few glorious hours at the pond's edge capturing dragonflies and damselflies. This one is easy to ID. He’s a White Tail Dragonfly. I bet I got fifty pictures of this co-operative guy.

          I have at least four different kinds of dragonflies at my pond. My bug group gave me the names and saved me tons of searching for an ID. This is a male Unicorn Clubtail.

          A female Meadowhawk. She let me get lots of pictures.

          A male Slaty Skimmer.

          My camera wanted to focus on his wing detail so why waste a shot. Someone might appreciate it.

The Pickerel Weed is blooming. It’s a pond flower in the water hyacinth family.

I found this larva on the Spatterdock when I looked at the picture on my computer. It looks like a baby ladybug to me but it’s the wrong color. According my bug group, it is a ladybug larva. Different species ladybugs have different color larva. They’re not all orange. LOL. Silly me!

Speaking of Spatterdock, I like this spent bloom floating on the surface.

Smartweed.

Wild Basil. You can use it just like the cultivated stuff.

Loosestrife.

 

          Daylilies are blooming. You can eat the unopened flower heads and they taste like asparagus.

Our golf cart was repaired and brought back to us. Mike and I went on a ride. I kept making him stop and back up because I kept spotting new flowers.

          Queen Ann’s Lace. The first one I’ve seen this year.

          Dogbane.

          Morning Glories.

          White Sweet Clover.

          St. John’s Wort.

          A tiny little Mayfly landed on the back of my hand.

          Blue Vervain.

          This is another of those guys that made a point of catching my attention than sat for me. I don’t know what kind of damselfly he is.

          I went out after a rain and caught some nice drips off red berries. I have both honeysuckle and Autumn Olive. I know the flowers of each and I know the berries of the Autumn Olive in the fall. At this stage I’m not sure which one it is. I have too many bushes of each to keep track of which ones are which.  

          A Great Black Wasp walking across a flower. What would it be like to walk across flowers? I wondered. This guy is a nectar and pollen eater, and not interested in people at all. They may sting if mishandled though. Like all members of the Digger Wasp family, he was raised in an underground nest and his first meal was a katydid, grasshopper, or cricket his mom entombed in there with him.

          Oh my gosh! I told you we got our golf cart back, but what I didn’t tell you was that the rear wheel was making a funny clunking noise. “Let’s pull it in the barn, jack it up, and check it out,” Mike says.

          I go in to open the overhead door and the barn swallows start freaking out and dive bombing me! “I’m not gonna hurt your babies!” I tell them but they don’t let up. I get the door pushed up. “I think the babies must’ve fledged,” I told Mike. He backed the cart in and it was then that I see a baby bird on the concrete. How Mike didn’t run him over, I don’t know. The baby had some spider webs across his face. I bent down and pulled them off. He let me. Then I thought I’d take him out to the brush, knowing mom and dad would continue to care for him until he could really fly, and the brush would give him cover from a hungry Tiger or Smudge. Just as I went to cup him in my hands, he flew out the door. Mike was waiting for me to help so I let the bird go.

          We jacked up the golf cart and didn’t see anything loose. But there were a couple of lug nuts missing and that was the source of the mysterious clunking noise we heard.

          “Be careful!” I told Mike as he pulled the golf cart from the barn. I didn’t know where the baby had gone.

          When I had a chance, I went back to see where the other babies were. They were still in the nest and still are. I really thought that once one went, the others were soon to follow. But it’s been three days. We’ve been leaving the big door open so they can get easily out to the brush.

          “How is Mike?” you wanna know.

          Mike had his staples removed. I wanted to take pictures but know they won’t allow it. I don’t really understand why. It’s Mike’s HIPPA and if he gives me permission and I don’t get any hospital equipment in the photo, what’s the problem?

          They have a special tool they use to remove the staples with. The doctor slides it between the jaws, the top comes down and as he closes it, it bends the sides up and out comes the staple. If I can’t show you the staples coming out, maybe I can show you the tool. “You throw those away?” I asked but already suspected they did.

          “Yep,” Dr. Barrett answered.

          “Can I have it?”

          “Nope.”

          I didn’t question him but doggonit! I’m paying for them!

          Mike has no dietary restrictions now but his weight lifting restriction is still in place.

          The whole time Dr. Barrett was talking with us, he stood between me and where he’d laid the staple puller down. Almost like he was afraid I’d swipe them. 

          Let’s end this week with a sunset photo I took from the next field over.

Done!