more treasures by mail

As the new year approaches and I reflect on the past year there is so much to be grateful for. Including the generosity and thoughtfulness of blog friends. Before this year ends I want to thank lynne hoppe for another nature package she sent me back in the fall. We share a love of dead and decaying things! Time to unveil these delicate treasures!

unmistakably lynne!

owl pellet 1...bones, fur, evidence

owl pellet 2...tufted testament

outside part of a fawn's hoof...I'll take your word for it lynne!

bird skull...be still my beating heart

miniature wasp nests (more views in a future post)

portion of a larger wasp nest...with pine needles as extra support!

unidentified seed pods...ideas anyone? (more views in a future post)

thank you lynne
and happy new year

new windows

For the past several days, we have had workmen in our home replacing all our old windows. It's very exciting and will hopefully ease our heating bill during our cold Canadian winters. I will miss our old windows, though. Rotting and drafty as they were, they had character. And, as I have a hard time letting go of things (and see art materials everywhere!), I salvaged some of the hardware.

Each window had these little toggle-thingies that kept the window up when you opened it. To me, they are very vertebrae-like. I will certainly hang onto these and find somewhere to use them!

Hardware from our kitchen window. I will miss them.

These decayed wads of paper were found stuffed in beside one of the windows. They are lovely objects on their own, but I may use them later for collage. They are very fragile and tear easily, but I managed to ascertain that the biggest wad is from The Montreal Daily Star, Monday, May 9, 1949. Our house was probably built around that time. A post-war house: small and simple.

...and more seeds

I am very much attracted to these wild cucumber seed pods which I find growing on vines in my backyard and around the area where I live. When they first come out, they are a fresh green and seem to burst with juiciness. But I like them best when they have withered and are shedding their skins. The outer skin is a bit fragile as it decays (although it has protective pricklies) but the inner pod is quite sturdy and you get a glimpse of the dark seed nestled inside through a transluscent web of skin. Delicate, mysterious, protectors. They look fascinating from all angles. I obsessively collect them even though I have no real plans for them yet. I've used a few of the inner pods in my reliquaries. One was just a skeleton, having lost its membrane. A wisp. A few years ago, I compressed a bunch of them in a shadow box with a glass lid. They look quite interesting like this. Beautiful but disturbing. They seem to be crying out with open mouths.