Starlings Are Too Big

A trio of Starlings came to the feeders this morning and once again they proved that they're just too big to eat from the round feeder. This one is perched on a peg and trying to contort itself around to peck in the hole that's opposite its chest. These are not the smartest birds.

Now this Downy Woodpecker is just the right size to eat from the suet cakes and he landed on the side so I could see his whole back. Naturally the camera focused on the lawn behind the bird so he's a little fuzzy but you can see him okay, I think.

Today's Mark Making is a decorated pot. I think this is overdecorated and I left off a couple of her additions (believe it or not) but it turned out okay. I'm pleased that I managed to make both sides of the jar about the same. Usually I have one nice curve and one wonky one. I'm improving.

But first I pulled out Draw 500 Fabulous Flowers and drew these two that look like they have blueberries dangling from them. The artist of this book is the same one that's teaching Mark Making. I like her drawings, I'm not so crazy about her marks.

LC and I went on her much-delayed birthday lunch today. We went to Olive's which is her favorite place. She had a turkey and cheddar sandwich on delicious toasted homemade what looked like French bread and I had a pesto, chicken, bacon, and onion flatbread pizza. We were both happy with our choices. After lunch we went to Barnes & Noble because I had a book for OJ but not one for LC so I said that she needed a book. Evidently I needed one too because I found this Sketchbook Challenge book that looks very interesting.

I had a lot to be thankful for today. Sunshine, lunch with LC, and laundry among other things. I filled the page for sure.

Out the front door I noticed that the hyacinth and daffodils that are tucked into the corner where the stoop meets the front of the house have sprouted. They're usually the first to pop up but the crocuses, tulips, and daffodils at the outer edge of the bed beat them to it. The rabbits are making sure that the crocuses and tulips are disappeared but the daffodils and hyacinths must not taste good because they leave them alone.

I spent time while the laundry was sloshing around and rolling around in the dryer listening to my new writing book while reading along in the paperback copy. I think that the info is sinking in a little better than just listening. I hope that it helps me learn how to jazz up my novel manuscript. I see the reasoning behind what she's saying and maybe I can figure out how to do some of this stuff to my book. Fingers crossed.

--Barbara