Bead for Life

A quick post since I'm tired and have a headache, but wanted to share something cool. I just got another package in the mail (I love ordering stuff on the Internet!). I totally forgot I ordered these, so it was a nice surprise. I came upon this website as a link from a link from a friend's site. I thought it was a great cause -- it's called Bead for Life. Ugandan women use recycled paper to create beads of every color of the rainbow. You can buy a bag of beads or you can buy jewelry made with these beads. I ordered a three-strand bracelet and two single bracelets, all in green. Because of the variation in the paper used, each one is a slightly different color. The women also separate the larger, handmade beads with seed beads. They look great in a bunch and I'm sure they look beautiful as single bracelets as well. Check out the website and their online store. It is truly a great cause. The sales of these beads helps the women support their families financially and start their own individual businesses. I'm so glad I found this website. I will definitely order from them in the future, as the prices are more than reasonable and they make fabulous, one-of-a-kind gifts!

Picture from Bead for Life store website.

another early set

This set is actually the result of my sister's wish to have a bachelorette party that wasn't cliché (as in nasty male strippers). So, as matron of honor (even though I was in the middle of a divorce), it was my duty to come up with something suitable for my baby sister's "last single night." We have both always loved doing crafty things -- she is an amazing seamstress, something I never got into. I thought about doing paint-your-own pottery, but then heard about a new beading place nearby. I called up the ladies at Bazaar Star Beadery, in Ridgewood, NJ to find out about having a bachelorette party there. I was so psyched when they said we could have the back room all to ourselves and bring wine and food. It was perfect! I had a really hard time deciding on a color scheme (as always). I was trying to stay away from blues because that is what I'm always attracted to, whether it be clothing, jewelry, anything. It is no coincidence that my favorite color is the robin's egg blue of Tiffany & Company. After circling the store for what seemed like eons (and it also seemed like everyone else in our party was close to being done with their pieces!) I settled on the main beads -- Peruvian opal, I believe it is, which is also appropriate for me since my birthstone is opal. It is my favorite shade of light turquoise that reminds me of the calming ocean. I had enough beads on my main strand that I made a necklace, bracelet, and earrings! The bracelet is my favorite because of the extra touch I added on the extension chain -- a tiny silver star charm...just a little something unexpected. All of the pieces are pretty simple, but I still love them. Everyone else had a fabulous time beading, and it was amazing to see the different color combinations and beads that everyone used. Now I need to get myself in gear again so I can open my Etsy shop. Tomorrow will be spent beading as much as possible after all the house cleaning is done!

purple punch

After a day of fighting off a wicked migraine, I don't have the energy to totally do this piece justice but I really felt like sharing this, so here it is. This is one of the first pieces of jewelry I made last year. It took a lot of thought to get this color combination how I wanted it, how I pictured it in my head. I am very happy with how it turned out. As you can see, it has matching earrings. When my sister saw this, she was pretty jealous that it wasn't hers! She LOVES purple. I tried to use the focal bead/stone as the basis for the rest of the colors. It seemed to me that purple was "pulling out" of the stone, for lack of a better term, for the color that should be used in the majority of the smaller beads of the necklace, and the largest beads on the earrings. My sister has borrowed this many times, even though I love wearing it myself...so this one's not for sale!

the mother of all *bling*

This is my newest and loveliest piece of bling ever...even better than my engagement ring. That’s because it IS my engagement ring—revamped. When I took off my ring for the last time before my divorce, I knew I couldn’t part with it. My divorce was not hateful and spite-filled. I didn’t hate my ex-husband (and still don't). It just fell apart and we couldn’t put it back together. It was the saddest time of my life. About a year later, I felt ready to do something to show my remembrance of what I once had with my husband joined with my hope of my future and being able to make it on my own. I married him when I was in my early twenties and started dating him even earlier, so I really hadn’t been “on my own” so to speak. Now, in a townhouse that I bought for myself and my feline five, I’m forging the way into the future and feeling like I have no clue what I’m doing. Some days I know exactly what I want for my present and future. Other days I just long for what I used to have. That’s what this ring represents. I had it made at Devon Fine Jewelers, in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Nancy Schuring, the owner, is the absolute sweetest person, and is an long-time friend of my family. I took my engagement ring and wedding band, which I had soldered together, and brought them to her to see what I could do with them. The result was selling the platinum setting, putting the small diamonds in my safe deposit box, and using the center engagement stone to build around for a new setting. I chose a Christopher Designs setting, which had just arrived at the store. With some help from Nancy and her team, I turned my tear-stained past into a blooming future. I am so happy with this ring. I think it was the right thing to do. I am still in contact with my ex-husband and consider him a good friend. Especially because the center stone that I used in this ring belonged to his grandmother, I didn’t feel that pawning the diamond was the right thing to do. He is and will always be a part of me, and so will the stone. Now it is set in a new and more brilliant setting. To me, it says, look at me. Look at who I was, who I am, who I will be, and who I have always wanted to be. It’s absolutely gorgeous and draws my eye to it with every movement and glint in the sun. It’s perfect.

shoddy shoes

Well, I was all excited to write this post about my new bling, and then the unthinkable happened. I was minding my own business, walking across the office, when I felt something funny around my ankle. Much to my surprise, the strap on my favorite Jimmy Choo slingbacks SNAPPED. The elastic was just shot. Upon closer inspection, I found that my left shoe was in similar condition but still intact. Who would guess such inferior quality crafstmanship in shoes that cost...well, I won’t say how much they cost or a lot of people will be yelling at me for buying them. So you get the picture. I am very disheartened by this. I think it will be less hassle for me to go to a highly-recommended shoe repair man nearby my office than to call up Saks and Jimmy Choo headquarters and demand replacement shoes. I am under too much stress right now. I just want to be able to wear them again! They are so comfortable and have been since the first day I wore them. I never got a blister, not once. That proved to me that these were, in fact, high-quality shoes, but now after this fiasco, I think I’ll have to get Louboutins or Manolos next time! I'll write about my bling later. I need to blow off some steam!

getting raw

I've been procrastinating on taking pictures of the jewelry pieces I want to talk about, so that will have to wait until next time, although I am VERY excited to blog about them. I don't want to go into it too much now because that would just ruin it. So I've done something else this week that I'm super excited about. Long back-story short, I've had many health problems in my life, especially over the past ten years. I have felt especially horrible the past year. Sleep problems galore, bordering on narcolepsy...like falling asleep at the wheel several times during my seven-minute commute! It has been really frustrating. Some people said, maybe you're depressed and that's why you're so sleepy. I say I'm so sleepy and it's making me depressed. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of it, no pun(s) intended. I've been having trouble with my hip and regularly seeing a massage therapist who is amazing. If you live in the Hartford area, go to Simsbury Therapeutic Massage and ask for Marie. Tell them I sent you! She is truly the best massage therapist I've ever had, and I've been getting regular massages for awhile now. Last week I was telling her basically my lifelong medical history, some of which she already knew, and we got on the subject of raw and vegan diets. I am willing to try anything at this point in order to boost my health and get enough energy to start working out again. Also last week, another friend was telling me about some farms in the area who participate in Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, people who live in the area can buy "shares" of the crops each season. Every week, you go pick up a basket of whatever crops they have that week. There are "full shares" that are good for families, and "half shares" for people who are single or couples, or just don't eat as many vegetables, and both options run for 20 weeks. Both my friend and I decided to sign up for half shares at the same farm, Holcomb Farm CSA. There is also the option to pick up your weekly share at another location (closer to where my friend lives), otherwise we could just split a share. Based on my conversation with my massage therapist, and the fact that there are SO many good things about these CSA farms, I am going to try to wean myself into a raw (or mostly raw) diet. I need to detox my body, big time. I'm just realizing how many poisons we put into our bodies on a daily basis. I'm hoping this will kick-start my motivation for life in general. I'll post updates on my (hopeful) progress in upcoming blogs. 

(photo from Holcomb Farm CSA website)

my Lu

I am too spent from a long day to write too much and my head feels like it might burst at any moment. However, I had a little thought that I wanted to share. As I type this post, Lucy (a.k.a. "my Lu"), one of my five cats (yes, you read that correctly, FIVE!) is reclining next to me and producing a very lovely purr. Aside from the sound of the ocean surf crashing on the shore and receding into infinity, cats' purrs are the most soothing sound on earth. I love it when one of my kitties curls up against me when it's bedtime and lulls me to sleep with a soft, (or loud if it's my Moses) soothing purr. The kitties are relaxed, I'm relaxed, and we're all a big, happy mush of tails (except for me!), arms, and legs sprawled and curled over my (our?) bed. On that note, it's time to go to lala-land with Lucy and the gang. I have a LOT more post ideas up my sleeve, but I need to scan some pictures first to get the full effect for those posts. All I can say is, lots of JEWELRY talk on the way!

taking teddy for a walk

Whenever I take Teddy for a walk, I get strange looks, and sometimes, even stranger comments. Is that a dog? What do you think? Does he look like any dog you've ever seen? Is he barking? No, he's on a harness and leash, but don't let that fool you. He still does whatever the hell he wants, just like every other cat in creation. He's actually pretty good about not tugging on the leash too much, except once in awhile when a particular patch of grass intrigues him, or a bird darts for cover into a bush. I cannot do this with my other cats. I want to try to train Lucy to walk on a leash because trust me, my little chub-muffin needs the exercise. That will have to wait a few weeks until it is truly spring AND my life calms down a little. (Will that ever happen)? Teddy used to be an indoor/outdoor cat. However, his other half, my beloved Polka Dot, got snatched by a coyote, and hence, Teddy became an indoor cat. I'm not taking any chances again! Teddy, on the other paw, wanted to take many more chances. He yowled at the door every chance he got.  "I want to go OUUUUUUUT," he screamed. I couldn't take it any longer. He had been allowed to go outside for the first few years of his life, and now was cooped up inside. I didn't want to chance losing him to some hungry, wild animal, but I wanted him to have the opportunity to get some fresh air. So, I came up with the harness idea. I don't even remember there being a real "training" process, although I do know how to go about doing that with a variety of animals. He just seemed to put up with it from the beginning, as if he knew that having his mom accompany him on his expeditions and being slightly tied up was the closest he would come to true freedom. He has been okay with the compromise ever since, but no matter how long we're outside, he never wants to come in and always puts up a fight. While we're outside though, he walks, sometimes runs, right alongside me, like he's not even on a leash. He's my best buddy, and I just want him to be happy. So what's next? Training him to "go" on the toilet. Enough of cleaning five litter boxes!

p.s...another picture of jax

Here's another picture of Jax, who I talk about in one of my posts below. This one is a better representation of his spirit and spunk! Just want to hug and kiss him!

cool jewelry, just my style

Tiaras to Talons got a mention on Cluny Grey's "The Jewelry Blog." She has a similar background to me and is now designing absolutely gorgeous jewelry. So thanks to her for the mention and check out her blog!

dolphin fingerprints

How can you tell one dolphin apart from another?Their fingerprints? Think again CSI! Dolphins have pectoral fins where we would expect their hands to be. In fact, the bone structure in a dolphin’s pectoral fin is quite similar to that of a human hand. Since they don’t have fingerprints though, how can we tell them apart? One of the most distinguishing characteristics about dolphins is their tail fluke. Dolphins’ tail flukes are all unique, like a fingerprint. Each one has different notches, overlaps, and scars that belong to that dolphin and that dolphin alone. Researchers do this in the wild to keep track of different members of dolphin pods. The family at Dolphin Research Center, who I mentioned in the last post, can also identify this dolphins this way (or by looking at the differences in their smiling gray faces—trust me, it takes practice). If you thought all of this talk about dolphin “fingerprints” was cool, wait until you hear the next part. There is a jewelry artist in the Florida Keys by the name of Roger Drouin (of Quickfish Creations) who makes replicas of the DRC dolphins (and dolphins from other area facilities). Over my years of visiting DRC, I have had special experiences with many dolphins, but recently I have been able to bring home a memento of those dream-like visits in the form of a sterling silver tail fluke. I have a necklace with the miniature tail flukes of Aleta, who was only about 2 when I first met her, (complete with the tiny hole in one side of her tail), A.J., my little buddy who I trained during my second DolphinLab, and Molly, whose story and spirit have always inspired me. These tail-fluke pendants are truly replicas of each dolphin’s tail and are available in two sizes, and in silver and gold. The resemblance is exact and perfect—and reminds me of all of the dolphins, especially of the ones whose “fingerprints” I carry with me—long after I leave DRC each year. What a unique way to keep such a special memory! They are available through Quickfish Creations (above) or Dolphin Research Center's online gift shop (in the Tursi's Treasures section).

an amazing trip...my magic kingdom

Over twenty years ago, my parents were planning a vacation for our family. For some reason, they decided to give my sister and me some input as to where we would go. My dad asked “Disney World or dolphins”? For anyone who knows me even a little, my answer would be no surprise. Dolphins? My whole life was about dolphins. Reading, sleeping, and absorbing every bit of dolphin-ness that was out there. My sister didn’t disagree, so we were off to the Florida Keys. When we drove up to the Dolphin Research Center and I nearly passed out at the sight of the gargantuan statue of a dolphin and her calf. I knew I was in for a treat. I may elaborate on this specific experience in later posts, but right now I want to jump to my latest trip. So, to make a long story a little shorter, my swim with the dolphins when I was ten was the beginning of an even more obsessive love for dolphins. Twenty-plus years later, it has pretty much become my hobby. I have been back to the same facility at least once a year ever since that first time. I have taken week-long classes at the facility where I literally spent ever waking moment interacting with dolphins or learning about them and every night dreaming about them. This past trip, my “sister vacation,” I was sad about the absence of one of the dolphins who I had known since I was ten. Delphi, the father of many of the dolphins at the facility, had passed away. At the same time, new life was brought into the Center in the past year. There were three baby dolphins I had seen only a month or two after they were born, and were now two years old. Most remarkable was Jax (see pic at top), a dolphin of approximately one year who had been found in Jacksonville parent-less and the unfortunate victim of either a shark attack or a boat propeller. This little guy was pretty shy when he got to the center, his new “forever home.” However, he had turned into one of the biggest hams I’ve seen yet – and lots of these lovable grey faces are known to be hams, so that’s saying a lot. I was taking a picture of another dolphin and Jax jumped right in front to get in the shot! Part of his dorsal fin, pectoral fin, and tail fluke are missing from his attack, but that does not stop him by any means. He still dives, flips, and zooms around the pool (which is actually the Florida Bay/Gulf of Mexico) without abandon. He is still learning different hand signals from his trainers and sometimes gets a little confused, but this little guy is a firecracker—loveable and animated. I can’t wait to see how his “dolphinality” develops as he grows older. I will keep going back every year to check on all of these beautiful creatures. I’ve still never been to Disney World!

an amazing trip...rescued turtles

I feel truly grateful that I was able to see and do so many things on this trip that others couldn’t ever dream of. My sister and I took a trip to The Turtle Hospital, in Marathon, Florida (the heart of the Florida Keys). We had been there before, but this trip was different. As with other trips, we listened to an educational presentation about sea turtles. Did you know that all six species of sea turtles are endangered? Can you believe that? The life of a sea turtle is usually tragic and lonely. I might be wrong on this statistic—but I think not—that only one in every 1,000 turtle hatchlings survives to its first birthday. Again, completely astonishing. We got the chance to see several of these species of sea turtles, including Loggerheads, Green, and Kemps-Ridley. Many turtles had been hit by boats and had damaged shells. A lot of these can be healed and released, but many have to live the remainder in their life in captivity. Some of the turtles we saw would eventually be released, but in the covered saltwater pool lived the turtles who would make The Turtle Hospital their home for the rest of their days. We saw a juvenile loggerhead turtle who had some type of neurological damage and seemed to keep swimming in circles. The most unfortunate patients can be those who develop fibropapilloma. These are pinkish, fleshy growths that often grow over so much of the turtle, especially its eyes, that it impairs their ability to survive. We actually got to see a surgery on Rosie the Loggerhead turtle. This was her second surgery to have the fibropapilloma tumors removed. The veterinarian uses a type of laser to remove the growths. These are benign growths, but they cause so many problems for these creatures that they need to be removed to ensure survival. Rosie would still have to have a third surgery to remove the last of the tumors. Only 10-20% of the tumors that are removed will grow back. Most remarkable about these surgeries is that the veterinarians who do these procedures are giving their time as volunteers. Here is a picture of Rosie the morning before the surgery and another picture of her during the surgery. The turtles are under anesthesia during the procedure, but they can only stay sedated for about 2 hours, which is in part what necessitates the multiple surgeries on some of these patients. I felt very lucky to be able to watch this procedure and know that I’m not the only one who feels so drawn to these modern dinosaurs. Thanks to The Turtle Hospital for their amazing work and to Rosie for letting us watch her surgery!

an amazing trip...tiny owls

Shame on me for not posting sooner. I had a much-needed vacation to the Florida Keys and the time before that and since then has been total chaos. I have so many things I want to write about from my trip, but where to start? I don't have enough time to give each one enough attention at the moment, so I will have to choose... my owl sighting! I have been going to the Florida Keys every year for over 20 years and have been fortunate enough to see a vast array of different animals. However, not until this trip did I even think about, or know about, the presence of owls in the Keys. While shopping for some jewelry, which I will get to in another post, I was talking to one of the saleswomen about my work with owls here in CT. Then she gave me a little nugget of information that made my day, maybe my week. Apparently there are burrowing owl nests in several areas in a place called Key Colony Beach, where I used to stay with my family when I was younger. So I informed my sister that we were going "owl hunting" later that day, and every day for the rest of the vacation until I spotted some of these little guys! She loves animals, too, but I could tell she hoped we found them sooner than later! After trying for two afternoons at the place where the saleslady told us they nested, we realized there was another nest down the street (I didn't have to try too hard, as there was a sign stating "Owls' nest, Please do not disturb"). So on the third afternoon, we walked slowly down the street, and in the vacant lot, close to the sign, my sister stopped abruptly. "Shh, there's one!" she whispered loudly. I got out my camera, hoping that the digital zoom would do the job. It was so tiny, even smaller than my saw-whet owl, Lefty at the nature center. I couldn't believe it. I was like a child inside, wanting to squeal and jump up and down. Then we saw a smaller one come out of the burrow behind the first owl. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but they were coming out of a nest that apparently was made of a PVC pipe at the opening. I think this is done for the owls so their burrows won't collapse. We stayed for several minutes, whispering to the owls about how beautiful and special they were, and silently snapping pictures. The owls were pretty still, just moving their heads back and forth like little toys. They were absolutely beautiful, amazing, and I can't believe I had the luck to see them in their own habitat. If you haven't already, see the movie HOOT, which is all about these little guys! It's based on the book by the same name by Carl Hiassen. Worth a watch and a read. Thanks to those little owls for making my day.

a little drawing

Here's a little 3-minute sketch I did a few weeks ago when I was bored. Nothing fantastic, but it's a Great Horned Owl. :-) Like my Baby and my Harriet. More about them later!

a strange bird

Note: I'm having major problems uploading pics to the blog right now, but they'll be up here as soon as it's working!

I'm not sure how much energy I have to write this at the moment, but I am so entranced by the obsidian eyes of the little girl in these pictures, that I couldn't help but share her. This is my barred owl, Claire, another bird of prey that I care for at the local nature center. She is one thing I can always count on when I go there. She is constant, in a strange way, but Claire is strange. She's the "stoner owl," "weird owl," and "sleepy owl." Whenever I go to the Center, Claire is either sleeping or doing something strange that scares the living daylights out of me. I remember about two years ago, on a moist summer afternoon, I went over to Claire's enclosure to say hi to her, but I couldn't find her. Immediately panicking, I went inside her enclosure and searched every possible crevice (and there aren't that many). I went inside the building and asked if anyone knew where Claire was, which received some strange sideways looks, as if to say "she can't really fly, her cage is locked, how could she possibly go anywhere?" With no help gained there, I went back outside. I walked inside her enclosure, determined to find the wayward owl, and gasped in horror. My owl was DEAD?!?! Hanging from one of the perches made of tree branches was Claire. Oh my God, what was I going to do? She was limp, just hanging over the perch on her stomach, like a little slice of bacon on one of those bacon-microwaver trees! "Oh my Claire-Claire (what's what I call her) not you too! Why?" We had just had another owl die of old age and I was distraught. Then, I heard a "POP" (one of Claire's strange noises) and all of a sudden, Claire flipped up, like a break dancer kicking his feet up into the air and arching his back, but she did it kind of the opposite. No matter how you slice it, it was a strange sight. As it turns out, she was very hot and wanted to nap, but didn't feel like standing up while she slept as owls normally do. She has done this several times since then, but usually she will give me a one-eyed message, turning her head to face me, as if to say "I'm alive, now let me go back to sleep." And then, she does just that. This girl has got personality. That's my Claire!

say hello to my little friend

One of the things I look forward to on the weekend is visiting and taking care of my owl, eagle, hawk, and vulture friends, along with a few others (most notably the squirrels and the possum, which I'm sure I'll get into more detail about later). The little guy in this picture is Lefty. He's a saw-whet owl...TINY. One of the smallest species of owl, and probably the smallest found anywhere around here. You can see how small he is based on my hand, which he's sitting on! You can also see some of the reasons why he lives at the nature center -- permanently. His two eyes are different colors. The one that's darker has had problems ever since he was hit by a car -- probably cataracts. He doesn't see very well out of that eye. Also, his left wing was broken and didn't heal right, so it sticks out a little funny, and he can't fly. Finally, he has a cross bill, which makes it difficult for him to tear apart his food. I have to try to reshape it and trim it back every so often -- with a Dremel -- which, in case you aren't familiar with these, is basically like a power drill with a sandpapery end. I use it to file his beak so he can use it more efficiently. I'll probably have to do that again very soon even though I feel like I just did it! He's a very good boy and doesn't wiggle around too much. It's hard to shape such a small beak but he's patient and I want to make him just as handsome as possible. Isn't he just the cutest?!

pucker up for plant love!

I don't remember when I first saw this lipstick, but it was around the time it was introduced on the cosmetics scene: Cargo's Plant Love. This eco-friendly lipstick (which now has expanded to a whole line of "green" cosmetics) even comes packaged in a compostable box with flower seeds embedded in the cardboard. You can plant your box instead of throwing it out and voila--wildflowers! The lipstick itself is made of natural and organic ingredients and feels oh-so-nice on your lips! Many of the colors were created (and named for) celebrities, including my absolute favorite, Mariska Hargitay (from Law & Order: SVU). This formulation doesn't dry out your lips--in fact, it's quite emollient, and the color is rich and lasting. Try green glamour! Your planet will love (and thank) you!

another ongoing obsession

Somehow I didn't end up waiting on line or having to order my iPhone 3G. I got it only shortly after it came out, and ever since then, I have been somehow umbilically attached to it. It is addictive. I am obsessed. I can't go anywhere without it! It's like a child to me! There are more than a few fun and free apps you can download from iTunes, but I have been saved on more than a few occasions by the amazing GPS. And it's nice to have my email, texting, phone, contacts, iPod and calendar all in one spot--which also happens to be aesthetically pleasing (I'm definitely a Mac person, always have been, always will be). I love the interface. I don't mind the touch screen typing at all. In fact, I think the pitch that Blackberry or whoever has going on right now about "listen to the keys click when you type!!!" is a bunch of crap. I don't really care if my keys click if they work! I also love that this just syncs right up with the Mac laptop I already own. Again, the ease and aesthetics that are purely Mac. I think I have fallen in love with Steve Jobs. Seriously! It's true love!

one of my favorite christmas gifts

I was telling my dad how my feet/toes are always numb and I need some really warm boots to wear on a daily basis. Good thing the company I work for is fairly casual. Anyway, I picked out some Emu Australia boots (he wouldn't know what to buy!) since they were on sale. I didn't feel that it was worth it to wait for Uggs when these were half the price and would probably do just as well of a job of keeping my tootsies toasty! And boy do they ever. I wear these around the house, and have even fallen asleep for a nap with them on. I wear them to take out the trash, and to go to work. They are comfy and boy are they hella warm! I can wear them with or without socks and they're still like little furnaces for my feet. LOVE THEM!

i can't handle all of the sadness...so time for fun!

Enough of my sad posts for the moment, I need to talk about something fun. A few months ago, I made a couple of pricey--but quality--purchases on one of my frequent trips to NYC. I found myself at the house of Louis. Yes, the main Louis Vuitton store. And what a store it is! I had originally planned on buying the medium sized Neverfull bag (MM), but the large (GM) size was only $50 more and a lot larger, so why the heck not? I'll have something like this for the rest of my life, right? I have fallen in love with it. It's the perfect work tote bag, and I also plan on using it as a carry on tote on my upcoming trip to the Florida Keys, where I can also use it as a pool/beach/day trip bag. How versatile!

saying goodbye to mr. peanut

Well I am obviously really bad at updating this blog, and unfortunately some of my biggest news is the loss of yet another of my feathered friends. I don't remember the exact date at the moment, but my beloved Barn Owl (well, he actually belonged to the nature center, but I took care of him), Barnaby, passed away in October. This was pretty depressing, no, devastating, news. Plus, I had a lot of other pretty crappy things happening in my life at the time, and this was just the straw that broke this camel's back. We had a very special relationship. He let me hold him and massage his "frozen" shoulder, and would take little naps on my lap. He was probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It was a privilege to have been a part of his life. I will write more about him later, but this is all I can handle right now. I miss you and love you Barnaby!!!