Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Stained Glass Suncatcher - Entomologist Gift - Aphis nerii - Aphid Suncatcher -Insect Gift

Spectrum Waterglass® to animate an Aphis nerii (select one per listing), with copper legs, antennae...cornicles and mandible entertain with Antique glass. Approximately 5" x 5" including the appendages...and it's off to the races...or is that a Marx Bros. movie?
Stepping back: "Hi there,
Can you make custom stained glass insects? I would be interested in a few individuals of Aphis nerii."

And after sketches rendered, glass selected and nibbled into submission...a couple aphid designs sold to the professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Department of Entomology at Cornell University...and you don't have to be a professor to order your own custom made insects, or, birds, fish, monsters, dancing hotdogs...whatever is lurking in your subconscious...for your consideration...this listing is for one...but go ahead and grab both, if that makes you happy!


 Stepping way back: Hold on to your grinning insanity was what I had written on my 11th Grade Creative Writing notebook...as I finish soldering Aphis nerii No. 2...I'm wandering the halls of Rosemount High School circa 1972...following a girl that would later become my sister in law, twin sister to my wife...I didn't know there were two of 'em...and Aphis nerii No. 1 and No. 2 begin a strange hypnotic tango...perhaps you have something strange rattling around your cranium?


And even further back: Flashback late 60s, early 70s...Killmer's Northern Nursery...I'm 14 years old. Killmer's is known far and wide as the place for dahlia bulbs...trees, balled and burlaped! Fred and Lydia are the 70 year old brother sister hirelings that know everything! My buddy, Wade Shepard, and I are sent to move some trees into a pick up truck. When we arrive on the scene...Ewwww...the tree trunks are crawling with aphids...hundreds of 'em! Fred strolls over with a giant pair of leather gloves and proceeds to exterminate 'em with his bare...ahem, gloved hands! We stand back in awe!
RECAP: Choose one, or buy both for yourself, your favorite entomologist...a great gift for your SciFi pal...mother in law...insect gift for a giant ladybug? you bet! Stained Glass Suncatcher - Entomologist Gift - Aphis nerii - Aphid Suncatcher -Insect Gift
To make your selection? the cartoon drawing indicates No. 2 and No. 1 (why is No. 2 first and No. 1 second? good question!)...and of course, buy as many as your heart desires!
Somersault, tiptoe, highwire act to WAG's Etsy shop...

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Next Door Neighbor's Coniferous Daydream

Once upon a time a silver haired osprey dreamt of slippery elm...well, more like the squirrels that were trimming Brian's elm tree, and scattering elm leaf branches on the backyard lawn. 


The croquet hoops had been squirreled away in a remote corner of the deteriorating urban garage spider webbed rafters.  Urbane keyed padlock by Medeco.  And that's when a bluebird arrived on the T in the middle of the yard.  The T had memories of clothes dancing in the nostalgic wind.


And the T made up a haiku in honor of the goings on...

Squirrel Nutkin...why?
why are you so mischief-bound?
please sashay next door

...which tickled Osprey and Bluebird's funny bones.  When a passing stag beetle said, "Funny bone," I was reminded of hitting mine while navigating the stairs in my ramshackle adobe hacienda this morning...half awake.