Amber landscapes. I have about 12 termites in the piece, or impressions of where a termite was but decayed away as the amber hardened, like the last image.

I love ammonites. Opalization, interesting patterns and textures, full of surprises as you rotate them in the light. Also fun to knit toys of.

And, of course, a tooth from everyone's favorite giant extinct shark I can't fully remember without looking up.

See that tiny swirl by the mechanical pencil lead? I think of it as my spiral goddess. A similar shot is in my Redbubble shop, we have a poster sized print over the bed. Always amazes me to see the poster and know how tiny it is. The crystals are often full of wee rainbows, fun to explore with the jewler's loupe. Like the sphere, it makes me happy in my hippie places. I put jelly bellies in it to nibble on them one at a time when I do the savor and enjoy kind of thing.

Fossil time. I only took pics of a few of these, but that still means a ton of pics for me to sort through. After this post, I better do dishes and dinner. I know very little about these pieces, I just shop for pretty things at the Gem Faire :).

Today I had a ton of chores to do, so I dug my rocks out and took pictures of some of them. Now I guess I will do the chores, but when I sit down I will play with the photos and post the results in this thread. Will probably add to it every now and again for a while.

This piece makes the hippie part of my soul happy, what with looking like yin and yang on one side. About an inch and a half in diameter, smoky quartz.

Did another coloring page, and also have been playing with scans of the last coloring page. Turns out I liked the more minimalistic approach.

I miss when I could get him to sit still for pictures.

#dogsOfCoSo

Open faced manwich with caramelized onions and cheddar, on whole wheat toast, garnished with sesame seeds, horseradish mustard and wild onions I brought in to grow on my windowsill. :) I'm fancy.

#food

The birds get to watch their own flatscreen until the kiddo comes home from Grandma's. They seem to be enjoying the routine of birds playing in the morning (which they also get when the kid is here), nature scenes in the afternoon, then a lullaby for a while until I cover half the cage and put on some crickets with a moon. They cling to the side of the cage by the tv to sleep, I turn it off when they move into the covered area.
#petsofcoso

Laughing at the fly that just landed on a sundew. I saw it touch the nectar. Don't know where it will end up, but the hunt is on. They hunt in packs, carnivorous plants. The sundews coat their spiracles, making them short of breath as they fly around. The pitcher plants make them intoxicated, and slowly paralyze them. The flytraps grab the spiders, who are too strong for the sundews, and seem unbothered by the pitcher plants, hiding in them and stealing their prey.

#spider #carnivorousPlants

Pixie. Took this one for reference for the next coloring book page.

The kiddo wanted a coloring page for Sunny and Sky, I said okay but insisted on a pirate theme. I keep trying to get her to use the Ed Emberley books that I loved as a kid, so the island and ship are straight out of his Big Green Drawing Book. Thus, this project has been a blast. Now I will color the original, then go through her books for garden themes for a colorable portrait of Pixie with some flowers and bugs :). Sized large so you can print it for kiddos in your life.

#parenting #children

Pixie (rightfully) doesn't like being in her tiny cage, and she came with clipped wings, so I made her a ladder to go from her cage to the floor. Now when she flies down she can go back inside when she wants, making it easier for her to explore while I sketch. She gets a larger cage Fri, when the boys get their larger cage delivered. Then she will get the one they are in all to herself, while I build an aviary. Also attached is a pic of her starting to realize I will spoil her as best I can.

Some ants thought Tyche looked like a lovely pot to move into for a prosperous home. So, last night I put her out in the storm, hoping the rain would chase the colony away. Luckily, that worked for most of them, and the soil was loose enough to gently shake from the roots. I was fortunate enough to not get bitten.

I had a bit of serendipity and she already had multiple root systems, so I now have a couple of babies in water :).

#gardening #containerGardening

Pixie's rooftop playground. I can hang treats on the twigs as well. She has already voluntarily come out of the cage and explored close to me (but not too close). She is far less afraid, she came up and tapped the glass when we touched it at the store. As I type, she has come out of the cage and is exploring the top. She'll teach the others to be brave :).

Looks like they're going to be Wisp, as in will-o'-the-wisp. I think the color is violet dilute? Not seeing a lot of blue on that nose, so possibly a hen, but it's still too early to tell for sure. They're so beautiful :). Poor Joe looked annoyed when I asked for a bird within 30 seconds of entering the store, but he had already promised me a larger cage for the probably boys, leaving a whole cage open for might be hens. That leaves a few months before a larger aviary needs to be built!

I was planning a pic of kiddo's two birds Sunny and Sky, when we swung by a pet store and suddenly I need to replan my sketches.

They may end up Cloud, Bloom, or Bubbles.If male, my flock is complete. If female, I breed. I promised Joe no more bird purchases and it's up to fate now.

I have drawings and samples of color palettes and wheels pinned to my wall, I have a drawing of mine printed on my purse (fly on a flytrap), I've had entire conversations with the kid about how I've been drawing since I was her age, and my desk is full of art supplies, but it was THIS page in my sketchbook that prompted my daughter to say, "Oh. I didn't realize you were an artist."

Pinterest is being funny.

Previous buddies include temporary warm season visitors, and visitors in the fall who became temporary pets as they were sheltered through the winter before release.