Swimming like a box turtle

     Today I was out by our saltwater pool, checking the temperature under the warming blanket to see if it was warm enough to swim and I saw a dark spot bobbing under the blue bubble wrap cover.  I lifted it and saw a box turtle, treading water for dear life.  When he saw me he couldn't figure out whether he should keep paddling or if he should duck and cover. The effect was quite comical. Now, remember, box turtles live on land and their stubby little feet aren't wide and webbed like their cousins, the snapping turtle, so he was bobbing around like a buoy because box turtles don't sink, especially in salt water.   I'm not sure if I saw panic or annoyance in those rust colored eyes.  I scooped up the little fellow and laid him gently down in the woods out back and he plodded safely away to hide under some brush.


    I'm not sure how or why that box turtle got over the 3 foot brick wall and into our pool without cracking his shell or how he ended up in the shallow end of our pool, but I am glad I was there at that moment to save him from being a permanent floater under the warming blanket on our pool.  I'm sure that box turtle was one of the two camped out at our fence a few days ago waiting out the recent rainstorms. Funny that our hill would bring the thing he was trying to avoid, high water.  You see box turtles, unlike their water loving cousins, snapping turtles or red eared turtles, head for the hills when the barometer drops. That's a surer way to tell than watching the weather channel, if you see box turtles heading for high ground, some rough weather is coming.


      We live on the top of a hill on the outskirts of a nice wooded area so we get lots of little shelled visitors when the weather starts looking bad. And I pay attention to the lessons that they teach me when they do stop by:
 1) If it looks like rain, head for high ground. In other words, if your gut tells you something is up, listen to it.
 2) Even though at first glance we might look like we can handle things ourselves, it never hurts to have a little help when we run into obstacles.
So be prepare for what the future holds, but let others help when things get difficult or offer your own help to them if you see someone trying to keep their head above water.
And if all else fails? Hide in your shell til its all over!

This little guy (maybe the same from the pool?) wandered into our garage before all the horrid thunderstorms that caused massive flooding around our area this spring, we fed him a tomato, which he devoured, then he went on his merry way 

Gonna have an Earth Day

     That was the title of  the play we did in the 4th grade, "Gonna have an Earth Day" and I played Small Voice, the one that finds out that one 'small voice' can make a difference.  It's been quite a few Earth Days since that play and now, I am going back to being one 'small voice' at this years Earth Day Festival in Nashville, TN's Centennial Park.  This saturday, I will be taking my salvaged jewelry and inspiring people to think about reusing everyday objects. 
     My main focus for my jewelry lately has become using objects that have lost their official usefulness.  I will be selling lots of button rings, earrings made from plastic bottles and containers, bracelets made from salvaged electrical wire, and pendants made with expired dog tags.    Now, when I throw things away or recycle them I think first, can I reuse this one more time before I stick it in the pile? Because ultimately, for most things anyway, reusing saves more energy than recycling. 
     I don't stop at the actual jewelry. Instead of putting greeting cards from Christmas and birthdays into the bin, I use the pretty blank parts as cards for my earrings and tags for my necklaces. I have about a dozen old peanut butter jars that I use for beads, wire scraps, and catchalls.  Old tins and sturdy boxes are used for shipping.  Clothes with holes or stains get cut up for jewelry bags and shopping sacks. My displays are made of an old pair of shutters, scrap lumber, an old art case, and a mismatched sheet for a tablecloth. I have driven my conventional husband crazy with all of my salvaging and hopefully it will payoff. 


I hope to sell lots at the festival on saturday, it is my business after all, but I hope that my creations will inspire people to think about what they buy and what they throw away as well.  Earth Day is a day for inspiration afterall, its a day when all us 'small voices' get together and make a difference.


     If you would like to know more about the Earth Day Festival in Nashville go to www.nashvilleearthday.org

The search for displays

I have been searching and brainstorming for good ways to display my jewelry at the festivals and craft shows I am entered in. I have seen some really awesome wooden display stands online and really want to make something myself to save money and make my jewelry stand out from the huge masses available out there (pun intended).  I have lots of logs and wood that is nice and seasoned in my backyard from before we put the gas logs in our fireplace.  (A side note on gas logs: I miss the crackle and smell of the wood fire but the gas does heat better than wood.) But back to the topic at hand, I am fairly handy so my plan is to try to create something that will reinforce the fact that my jewelry is one of a kind.
In the past I have used copper wire and seasoned wood to create lovely display pieces but I want something more substantial than the slim trees of my earlier designs. Therefore, I am entering the world of creating in wood.
After a trip to the wood working capital, Gatlinburg's Arts and Crafts Trail
in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee just a few weeks ago, I am brimming with confidence that I can create something just as spectacular as the amazing pieces there! (They make it look effortless, but I think it will take more than just effort.) I have built some pieces before, taken a few classes in carpentry and worked a little in a shop, so of course I can create something awesome right?!


Wish me luck!!!