MelangeByLisette

   It's a very hot day here in the Pacific Northwest, all time heat records are being broken, even on the coastal areas. Just a little while ago, a little black bear was loping through the back yard, I think he needed a drink of water so much, he took a chance of being spotted by us humans! He was too quick for me to get a photo of him, but I'll keep my eyes open to spot him again. We have very few above ground sources of water around here, there is a small pond a few hundred yards from here, but we have a huge irrigated hay field across the road, and he may have been getting a drink from the sprinklers. It is so hot today, even the bees are scarce, and preoccupied with getting water. I float greenery in my animals water buckets so the bees can drink without drowning, and it lessens the chance of my animals getting stung. We have had a lot of cannibal bees show up this last week, but I came up (by accident) with a way to lure them away from the animals, without hurting the bees. I set out some left over cooked chicken for my puppies, but the bees went straight for it, so I moved the dish away from the dogs, and those bees devoured that chicken! It really kept them busy and away from my animals. I am a little surprised because I haven't seen many snakes during this heat wave, maybe it is too hot for them too!    Well, I got a phone call from my dad today, and he got his birthday present I mailed to him last week. He was so happy, it really made me happy! He is a big bird lover, (I got it from him) so I gave him a piece of art I made called "bluebird in summer", it is a mixed media wall hanging with a lot of freemotion sewing involved. It came out well, and I used a lot of different techniques to make it, such as the discharge dying technique I used on the mountains. I used silk, bleach, and vinegar,( the vinegar neutralizes the bleach at the end of the process). My white silk ribbons arrived yesterday! I'm already starting another wedding bouquet, and I have a few ideas in mind... So I better go get busy! Goodbye from up the Chilwist, Lisette