Origami Lizard, Salmon Burgers, And Time to Finally Blog!

It has been a while since my last post, and there is a really good reason for that. You see, Cheryl and I have been working, once again, at ACT. The Gig will last through out the summer, and there will be times when we will have gaps in employment. This is not a bad thing, as we still have to work on stockings for Christmas and are seriously behind in our production! We now have the next week off so we should be able to catch up a little. Summer has come to Iowa, and things are beginning to get warmer here. At least today is nice and cool, but last week it could not make up it's mind on where it wanted to go. As a result, with the weather being fickle, and the hours of employment being random, we have been faced with irregular eating habits. We were planning on cooking at home, and as a result, Bought groceries. Fillet of salmon on whole grain wheat with stir fry vegetables! However, we have found it easier to just order take out at Panda Garden on our way home after work. But now! Now we will not be in Iowa City every day, so back to the stove for me. In the mean time, as this post is required to be crammed in with all the things that have happened, I have made several origami Lizards that I have been very proud of. I could have taken better pictures, but they were a quick snap as we were out the door. Hope everyone is enjoying spring! The weather ( today anyway) is nice and cool, great time to get outside for a walk to smell those lilacs.

My New Favorite Origami Frog.

I'm not sure why, but I got on a frog kick lately. I'm not sure what caused the diversion, but I was just fooling around with a frog design I had in my head with a scrap piece of paper and boom! I have created a frog that I can't stop admiring! The pictures don't really do it justice, but somehow I managed to create a tongue that curls up. It is not quite long enough to reach over his eye, but I am so pleased with the final design that I simply can't stop looking at it. I'm sure I could fold another one and it would look slightly different. What gets me is that it was a scrap piece of paper I was going to throw away. Now I don't want to part with it ( as I do most of my other sculptures.) Well that motivated me to work on another frog ( toad) that turned out pretty cool as well. I have been taking existing patterns and messing with then a little to give a standing crane feet, or a frog design toes or eyes where the pattern does not call for them. The technique is called "grafting". I have been reading up on it from Robert Lang's book. It's fun! Because all those other patterns now take on a new life. Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Cheryl and I have been running out of felt and now await another resupply. Summer feels like it has arrived suddenly! Time to get out those summer shirts!

Some Origami Jewels.....

It is finally at a stage where I can take a few pics and it looks almost done. There is still much to mess around with, but I really wanted to post something on this blog about my current origami project. Anyway, What could be more colorful than humming birds and flowers. It may be true that many of the flowers ( and humming birds) are simply made up with their color combinations. However, I do have a few that are true to life. I discovered a way to add a third color to the birds where it will look good with the folding. I have been exploring it with other hummers as well. There are just so many very colorful hummingbirds out there. Being on the other side of the Mississippi you only have the ruby throated. But out west there are many many more. I also added a couple pics of the frogs while I was at it. My goal is to color the ceiling with flowers, leaves and birds. IT will take some time...but I have all summer to make it happen.

Wellman Water Worries, Curious cats, & Springy Iowa Weather

Can you believe that it actually snowed just two days ago? And today ( and yesterday) it is well over 60! It's nice, though a little dramatic. We have had the windows open for a couple of days now and the warm breeze blowing in is refreshing. Even the cats are enjoying it as they have begun to sit in the window once again. That may not sound strange, however, they actually avoided the window and instead, hung out on the new leather sofa. Speaking of cats: Cheryl decided to purchase a few more cats toys for the poor home bound cats. So we bought a could of small scratching cardboard for Hiro ( and Rash, even though she has no claws, she still used them) Hiro was fascinated with me hooking one up next to the door frame. Hopefully he will find this more attractive than the wooden molding of the frame. Other than that, and the constant stocking production, Cheryl and I have been dealing with the Wellman Water Problem. It may be difficult to imagine here in IOWA ( Not surrounded by water, as is the case in Michigan, Alaska, & Florida!) But I have never had such a problem with water as I have here in this state. It floods, The water is Poisoned! Or it doesn't run at all! It is highly mineralized! ( i.e. Brackish, Hard, filled with calcium and lime!) Surprisingly, when it does run and is safe to drink, it doesn't taste too bad. But it is not as sweet as water from Michigan or Alaska. Enough about my rant, but the latest drama happened today as there is no water at all in the small town. It made for a unique morning experience. No shower ( I'm ever so thankful that I take showers/baths in the evening to help me unwind) No washing dishes, no flushing the toilet. With all that, We decided to come to Iowa city where at the very least, we can use the bathroom and find beverages to drink. Anyway, I hope they fix the water system soon and that the weather holds out. Cheryl says that the forecast says it should for the next couple of weeks anyway. We shall see!