Saturday, February 5, 2011

Diapered Ducks and Italian Greyhounds

I love ducks. I'm imagining of what life would be like if we added a pet duck to our pack of four italian greyhounds. Probably not a smart move. I doubt all my dogs would be as good with one as the little dog in these photos. (Click on the photos to get a better look.)
Keep your friends close! Sitting on the couch... Holy Crap!  I am a bad dad today! I can keep up with the best of 'em.
As I child, I longed to have a duck as a pet. My grandmother's cousin had a pet duck named Sammy. I had met Sammy a few times and wished my parents would allow a duck inside. My family had a tiny pond on their property, so there were tame ducks that my sister and I snuck inside to watch the TV with us, but full time pet ducks were not really welcomed in our parents home.

Recently, I was in touch with a friend of our family, who shared photos of his duck. It is a Call duck named D-For and has been a part of his family for 5 years. The photos above show D-For with Millie the dog, whom he shadows and thinks is his Mom. In two of the photos, D-For is wearing diapers inside the home. I'm still puzzled over how one diapers a duck. How would you get a diaper to stay on a duck?

Click here to see a video of D-for playing tether ball.

Raising a duckling as a pet would be a fun thing, but a huge commitment. I was surprised to learn, duck's can live from 10-30 years depending on the species. D-For has an expected lifespan of 20 years. One needs to spend time with a bird, everyday, as interaction is vital to a bird's health.

As long as I'm 'ducking' you, I thought I'd share this picture of a bread box I am slowly working on. It is painted with acrylics and is not my own original design. I need to finish the highlighting of the ducks, plus highlights and shadowing of the leaves.
Ducks in Basket

Thursday, February 3, 2011

GraceBeading for Greyhounds













I thought I would post this long overdue public thank you to Grace of GraceBeading for her donation to Italian Greyhound Rescue Fund. I donated some of my greyhound cabochons to be used in a project she was making for a friends greyhound rescue organization. She in turn, worked her beading magic, returning one of them to be donated to my favorite dog rescue group.

The above brooch was her gift to IGRF and is available in my Etsy shop, until the next Biggie Iggie Auction. Below are the 2 items Grace created and donated to a greyhound organization. Check out her blog links, as the photography on Grace's blog really show off the detailed bead work. Entering the GraceBeading Blog is like visiting another world. The detailed work you'll find there is so amazing. If you appreciate handcrafted items, you'll be mesmerized.





















Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Happy Ground Hogs Day!


More Ground Hog Romance
Originally uploaded by Kevin Aron

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning. If we are to believe Phil, spring should come early this year. I sure hope his prediction is correct. It would be nice to have the continuous dumping of snow here in southern New England stop, or at least, come with less frequency.

Did you know Phil is not the only shadow watching predictor of spring? Apparently, there are quite a few busy ground hogs on February 2nd:

Buckeye Chuck of Marion, Ohio
General Beauregard Lee resides outside of Alanta, Georgia
Charles G. Hogg (Staten Island Chuck) of Staten Island, New York
Wiarton Willie from Wiarton, Bruce County, Ontario
Shubenacadie Sam of Nova Scotia


If you click on the cute photo of the two ground hogs, you'll be linked to the photostream of the photographer on Flickr. He has a few more Ground Hog romance photos.

Here are some photos from the day after the January 27th storm; officially 18.5 inches. From left to right: 1. The view from our kitchen window, which is 4.5 feet from the ground. 2. Our deck 3. Our sidewalk and driveway.
DSC_0064 DSC_0066

DSC_0070 DSC_0077

DSC_0079 DSC_0081

5. Cat with pinecone tail. 6. Door decoration made prettier with a touch of snow. 7. Shoveling sidewalk and driveway. Can you see hubby in the distance?

Shadow or not, It will be a long while before the snow melts, the wetness dries, and I am out in my garden. At this time, I welcome the thought of Punxutawny Phil's cousin's, bunnies, and deer invading my summer garden.