Runway Delayed, So Let's Talk About Owls

Once again Runway pictures are running late, so my Runway Recap will be tomorrow morning and I'm diving into today's blog as unknown territory. That's OK, that's the majority of my mornings anyway. The whole idea of my daily blog is to write a little bit, wake up my brain at a horrific time of the day (or an equally horrific time of the night) and exercise those little brain cells a bit before returning to numbing mediocrity. 

I adore owls and their wide-eyed tufted appearance
has fascinated people through the Ages. 

I'm cold, my brain is cold, and I'm still sitting in front of a computer desk that is hidden by paperwork, memos and miscellaneous crap. Damn. It's like I look out over my tiny little empire and realize that in the years I've been working, I've generated a lot of nothing. It's upsetting, and I'm quite sure it's really the cold talking. 

Owls fly almost silently. Their feathers are made differently
than any other bird, and they barely disturb the air as
they pass through it. Here's an article that explains how
they fly so silently. 

But there's a project that came my way yesterday that really excited me, so I'm possibly setting off on a creative tangent. I love challenge projects - probably one more reason why I love reality TV challenges like Project Runway. But, back to my own reality. The Upper Midwest Bead Society and the International Owl Center (just follow the link if you're interested in more info on the Center) are teaming together for a competition challenge featuring owls. Chosen projects will be on exhibit at the Center's headquarters in August and most will be available for sale. I'm very tempted. 

The Great Horned Owl is one of the largest of
the group and lives in my state. We actually
have a nice variety of owls here in the
Frozen Northlands. 

I've always had a thing for owls since I was a small child. Looking around my study I have an owl wind-chime on my left and an enameled Chinese-made owl on my right. That's just in one small room. I actually think I have at least one owl item in every room of the house. Like I said, I've always loved the bird. When I read the publicity flyer I remembered a hand-carved bone barn owl in flight element I purchased several years ago. It's quite stunning, and I've had it pinned to the front of my shelving in my studio so that it wouldn't break or chip. I carefully packed in into a small container last night, and I'm bringing it to the shop with me today. Time to choose some beads. I want to make this into a finished project for the challenge. 

I'm not sure about the breed of this tiny owl, it wasn't identified
on the photo or accompanying article. It's about the right
size to be a burrow owl, but the Burrow Owls I'm familiar
with live in the desert of the Southwest. That branch isn't
from any desert environment. 

So I'm excited, creatively, once again. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to make, I'm just unsure about whether I have the materials already on hand. I'm really trying to use my own stock at this point in time. The LAST thing I need is to bring additional beads into my studio. I'm not sure if the project will work the way I see it in my head, but I want to try. For the owls. 

Burrowing Owls that I'm familiar with look more like this
little guy. They used to live in small irregular patches
of the desert alongside the rattlesnakes and prairie dogs. 

On that note, I'm plugging in pictures of owls and heading out to the gym. I meet with one of their personal trainers today for instruction on some of their gym equipment, and I'm looking forward to a better understanding of their machines. After five-plus years of looking at the equipment, maybe it's time to dip my toes into the metal waters. Have a great Friday and I'll have Runway photos for you to look at tomorrow morning instead of today.