Today is Liam's birthday, he's now a whole three years old! I could say it seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing our new baby home from the hospital but it doesn't really. So much has gone on in our lives between then and now that I feel like that was ages ago. Liam started out a sweet well tempered little bug and he hasn't changed much in that way. He's still very sweet, very cuddly and very happy :) Happy birthday Liam you are well loved!
Well, I have sad news. The dove is no longer with us. We decided to bring him to the University vet clinic. We dropped him off on Sunday, the doctor I handed him over to was very nice and he really seemed to care about the bird which made me feel so much better about giving him up. I recently found out that they decided to put the bird down due to his severe injuries and his ill chance of survival. I think this is for the best, it's sad but definitely the best course of action in such a situation. I'm certain he was suffering a good deal. I'm glad we could at least give him a warm place to stay for the night though.
So sorry about the lousy photos! They're cropped smaller than the originals, fuzzy, dark, and slightly warped looking! I had such a time of it trying to get the papers to lie flat and then battling with my 'after strong coffee' shaky hands and bad lighting I didn't do these drawings justice at all! But considering I've already tried getting decent photos of them for three days now I'm giving up and going with these. Both drawings are colored pencil on 100% recycled paper. 
It comes, it goes, it comes, it goes, so when will it end? I like winter weather. The freezing cold temperatures are refreshing (at least to me they are), the snow and ice beautiful, but sometimes.... sometimes winter really sucks! Today while sitting at my desk with Liam on my lap I saw a bird fluttering against the window overlooking the deck. It was attempting to land on the window sill which it of course could not do due to the glass in it's way. It finally turned around and tumbled into the snow covered planter on the deck. The wind was just howling, furiously blowing snow this way and that and the planter, being open with nowhere to shelter a small bird was a downright miserable place to be in such weather. At first I figured that the wind was just a bit too much for the bird and that it was simply looking for a safe place to spend the night. But after watching it for a couple of seconds I became concerned as it seemed to be sitting awkwardly and I decided to try to catch it. I figured if I could catch it I could at least take it inside and provide it with a safe, warm and quiet place for the night away from the cold wind and maybe offer it some food and water, letting it go the next morning. So dawning my wellies and a coat I slipped out onto the deck with a towel to drape over the bird should it be less than willing to be caught. Oddly enough it just sat still watching me approach it till I was able to simply pick it up in my hands, no problem at all. I then brought it inside. It was a Mourning dove, a beautiful soft brown wild game bird. After holding it for about a minute I realized the horrible truth. This lovely gentle little creature was a victim of the elements, frostbite had set in and his poor little feet, well... it wasn't good. His one foot was completely gone, no toes no nothing, just a raw stub. His other foot while still having all but one toe looked bad and I am sure will not survive. Oliver put together a temporary home for him in a cardboard box with a soft towel to rest in and some food and water available should he want it. We phoned the vet for some advice since it's late and there is enough deep snow on our long driveway to keep us shoveling for a number of hours we won't be able to bring our new friend in till tomorrow. The vet was nice and basically told us to do exactly what we had already done so for now we have to just wait and hope. We applied some neosporin to his wounds. The two biggest dangers facing this little guy are shock and infection. So far he seems to be doing quite well as far as shock goes but I am worried about his wounds getting infected so that is what the neosporin is for. I will say that of all the homes to wind up in, I can't think of a better place for him to be. Oliver and I are both well versed in caring for injured animals both wild and domesticated. It's just so heartbreaking, to see this beautiful beautiful little bird missing his foot, I can only imagine what pain and terror he must be going through!
Just yesterday the ice covering the entire bay behind our home had almost melted away. The sky was full of clouds but some light shining through in one spot made everything glow in such a peaceful way. After being stuck indoors for a number of days I decided to take advantage of the incredible lighting that I was sure would make the loveliest of photos and out I went for all of maybe five or so minutes all decked out in pajamas, a long black winter coat and green rubber wellies. Thank goodness our yard is so secluded! I can only imagine what the neighbors would have thought of my wonderful fashion sense! The following photos were taken, on the loveliest of cold winter days in the worst of outfits possible :)
This collage started out as a colored pencil and marking pen drawing of a bird's nest surrounded by flowers. It started well, it ended poorly. When I was about 3/4 of the way done I lost interest and wound up rushing my way through the rest of it which is never good! Anyway, not wanting to just throw it away, especially since the first part I did turned out nicely, I decided to do a little collage work. For the collage process I used bits of antique paper as well as salvaged pieces of a print I made some time ago of one of my older collages that the printer decided to destroy and also a tiny square I cut out of an old painting that I did which I hated (but I liked the little square enough to keep). So there you have it, I not only like to recycle bottles and cans but also artwork :)
And here's a shot of Liam that I took this morning because he asked me too :)
Have you ever noticed that toddlers seem to have their very own language that often times only they and possibly their parents can understand? Yesterday I was thinking about all of Liam's different words, thinking that I should make a list to include in his baby book so we never forget his adorable first language. Here are some that come to mind....
Liam is very fond of drawing! I picked up some Crayola washable marking pens a while back and he's been busily improving his drawing talents on a daily basis. The above picture is one of his latest creations. Now I realize that to most people this just looks like a scribble but I have been noticing that his drawings are really evolving. When he first started he would just cover the entire page with a mess of color and it seemed that very little thought was involved. Now however he is much more specific about where he draws and he stops and thinks quite a bit while he's at work. And of course like a proud mum I keep each and every drawing and display my favorites on the refrigerator :)
This is my latest collage (or at least a close-up of it). It's made up of fabric, doilies, glue and acrylic paint on stretched canvas. See the full collage below.
On Saturday we stopped at Indigo books to look for the latest copy of the British edition of Country Living magazine. While there I came across 'The Perfect English Cottage', a lovely book about English cottages and their decor. I am smitten! What a wonderful book! I couldn't put it down and wound up bringing it home with me. I rarely buy books because of our tight budget and the fact that there are always things we need more. But this book was just far too wonderful to walk away from. The majority of the cottages are decorated with antique, vintage and second hand finds. They are imperfectly perfect. EXACTLY the sort of decorating I love, right down to the chippy paint and cracked plaster walls!
4" x 6" acrylic painting on canvas board
4" x 6" acrylic painting on canvas board
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