From this window - 7/8/2012

I write to you from the midst of the drought.  The corn around our county is just about dead.  It's tall enough to produce ears but there are none.  Instead of a solid field of green (which I always took for granted), such a lot of it is yellow brown.  I suspect our corn flakes will be much more pricey this fall than it is now.  Farmers that use corn to fatten their cattle will also have to raise prices.  My heart goes out to the farmers who work so hard to get their crops planted only to find a dust bowl in their fields.

On a brighter note, the bluebirds are outside the craft room window checking out the empty box.  The bad news is I saw the wren checking it out this morning, too.  Hopefully, if the bluebirds do decide to build a nest and have another brood, the wren's five eggs will be hatched and he'll be too busy feeding them to bother the bluebirds.  From my lips to God's ears. 

The wrens in the back flower bed had seven eggs.  I checked the box yesterday and saw the babies in distress.  The male literally filled the box to the roof with twigs.  Mom created a 50 cent size spot in the back right corner and lined it with grass.  Seven one week old chicks very quickly outgrew the lined nest.  This morning three had gotten wedged between the side of the box and the twigs and the rest were stacked in the tiny soft part of the nest.  So, I took a screwdriver, opened up the side of the box, gently moved the three back up on top of the others, pulled half the twigs out from the bottom, closed the side, opened the top and flattened the remaining twigs.  Now there's a flat area the size of the box and no chance the babies can get trapped again.  The parents weren't happy with me but it didn't take long for them to come back with food. 

Hubs took a stab at fixing the leak in the pond.  He was pretty sure he knew where it was so he got out the mortar and caulking and rebuilt one portion of the top pond.  We had been adding water to the pond every other day to keep the pump from seizing up.  That water could be used elsewhere.  Note for water conservation:  if you have hanging plants and plants in pots, move the pots under the hanging plants, you can water two for the price of one.  When the excess water drips from the bottom of the hanging pots, it will water the plants below.

After I purchased my Cameo, I found a site on the web filled with files created by Monica Bjork.  She has the most amazingly intricate files for free on her site.  And my Cameo cuts them beautifully.  This is Laced Frame 17, 18.  Does it take your breath away or what?  I struggled with embellishments.  I tried flowers and crystals and rhinestones.  They all took away from the beauty of the die cut.  Even the colored image pales in comparison.  Monica, you are a true artist.  I printed two of the Saturated Canary images and cut out a portion of the skirt on the second image.  After coloring, I popped it up on the original image.

Recipe:  Paper:  DCWV The Black Currant Stack, Saturated Canary Marry Me, Monica Bjork Frame 17, Sizzix Eiffel Tower Die, Star Dust Stickles, Stampendous Dots, Copics:  [Skin E000, E00, E11, B0000, E93, BG34][Dress Y0000, Y000, Y00][Flowers YR12, YR02]