Foray into Silversmithing

Yesterday I took my first silversmithing class and I'm hooked! This oak leaf is my very first piece, and I'm not sure yet what it will become. I'll be taking a connections class next, so perhaps will turn it into a pendant after I learn more. I am very interested in translating nature into jewelry.

A couple of years ago I took a metalsmithing class and made this Ruthenian Crown out of copper and tin. It was torch soldered, so I already had some experience with the torch.


I'll be posting more as I learn!

Sunday Stills: Wildflowers

Well, I spoke too soon--I would be a kid in a candy shop on this challenge if we were not in a severe drought. One of the reasons I moved to this lovely place was the wildflowers. However, our area has had the driest and hottest 22 months ever recorded here since record keeping began in the 1800's. I am more like a kid in the dentist's chair.

Our searing 106 degree plus temps for the last couple of weeks are also breaking new records. Here is a Lady Bird Centaury with a few blossoms left beside my nearly dry spring.

Mostly what I have to show now is dead and dying flowers. As a botanist, it is not uncommon for people to send me envelopes of crunchy vegetable matter. What was it? I call this Forensic Botany. Here we have some spider webs on something from the Primrose family taken over by other insects. Notice how well they blend in--bodies like the dried floral tube and legs like the webs. Hard to tell one from another.

The remains of this Hummingbird Sage look like old party streamers. I like the way the spent red blossoms twist.

Our Spring happens in April so many of our wildflowers have already set seed. This is Illinois Bundleflower. Don't ask me what it's doing in Texas, but it is considered native. I like the way the seeds are attached, sort of like and explosion of brown fireworks. In a bundle. In Illinois.

For examples of wildflowers not fried to a crisp by the sun, visit the talented folks at Sunday Stills.

Sun So Hot I Froze to Death

About the only thing blooming now are morning glories in the drip irrigated garden. This image is almost red white and blue! Today we staffed the Healthy Harvest booth at the local 4th of July Jubilee, where Farmer Rick got to play some old time music with other music pickin' farmer types. Oh, Susanna-- maybe this heat is getting to me. For fun I brought my knitting along and nearly finished a winter scarf. That made sitting outside in 106 degrees as pleasant as sitting outside in 106 degrees can be.

Color Carnival: Yarn

Here's some fun yarn I caught on sale this week, just enough to knit a psychedelic shawl! Be sure to check out the colorful world of photography at Color Carnival.

Coop Ramp and Enclosure

Tuesday Farmer Rick finished the ramp and a small chicken wire and t-post enclosure for the new flock's first exposure to the great outdoors. (Notice the chickens-with-disabilities wing rail for Ahab).

The idea is to make sure they don't wander too far and that they learn how to come in at dusk before you let them have total free range.

Creeeeeeak....
Hey, there appears to be a big hole compromising the safety of our coop!

Bruno, the Brabanter rooster cautiously checks it out.

Nothing stops Zena the Appenzeller Spitzhauben. They seem to be a feisty breed. Outta my vay big boy, zee day's a vasting!

After most of the girls are already out scratching, King Avelino the Gold Laced Polish rooster slowly ventures out gallantly brings up the rear with a loud crow. All is well, my fair subjects, enjoy your explorations!

Tuesday evening, we discovered all the chickens had somehow escaped the enclosure, leaving us to chase and catch them to put them back in the coop.

Wednesday morning Farmer Rick raised the height of the enclosure. Wednesday evening Elvis and Ahab had escaped. These are the most unlikely explorers. Elvis can't see (because of his Polish pouf) and Ahab hobbles around (he came with a broken leg) so we found where they had weaseled under the wire and fixed that.

Tonight King Avelino and Bruno made it over the fence, presumably where it sagged. Farmer Rick will be adding t-posts so it doesn't sag.

This flock definitely has a different personality than our others!

Moonwalking

Several years ago my birding colleague Bob B. sent me this funny YouTube video. I've been thinking about it in light of this week's news. It's hard to believe Michael Jackson did not invent the Moonwalk, but he certainly mesmerized us with it. Isn't nature wonderful?

I Say Smut, You Say Truffle

You may be wondering what has become of the crop circle project. I got the corn planted, but never the other sisters: beans and squash (although we have them elsewhere). However, close to 50 tomatoes from incomplete composting (never reaching 140 degrees) came up as the unexpected sister. There you go--more accidental gardening. Next year I suggest we just spread our compost over everything and forget planting.

Farmer Rick just came in telling me some of our Oaxacan Green Dent Corn was exploding open with kernels like long fingers filled with black icky stuff. I had to go check it out.

Sure enough he was not exaggerating. Some of the cobs did indeed look alien with swollen gray kernels...

growing as big as my thumb and as long as fingers...

filled with something looking like chewed up tobacco. Totally gross!!!

We bravely unwrapped a couple of the closed cobs to discover relatively normal looking dent ears in milk stage, but not looking green at all like they should. Maybe dent corn doesn't get it's true color until later?

Anyway, we got ourselves some smut, Corn Smut to be exact! Ustilago maydis, to be exact-er.

It's a pathogenic plant fungus that during times of drought enters the plants ovaries and replaces the normal kernels of the cobs with these large distorted tumors filled with fungal threads and blue-black spores.

Most American farmers destroy the infected plants (um, my thoughts exactly!) but in our neighboring Mexico, it is considered a delicacy! Yup, it's sold in cans called huitlacoche, a Nahuatl (Aztec descendant) word meaning raven's excrement. Mmm, appetizing! ...not! There's been a movement to rename it Mexican Truffle. See how a little marketing can spin something?

As a vegetarian I eat a delicious product called Quorn (suspiciously pronounced Corn) made out of mycoprotein...now I'm beginning to wonder, could there be a connection here?

I don't think I want to find out.