Happy April! It is April, right? We have a forecast with snow here, in the PNW, and there’s lots of snow worldwide waiting for spring. It even snowed in Paris, which looked lovely with the blossoming trees. I digress…
It was around this time of year I saw my first Belted Kingfisher perched by our creek, which inspired a painting and this month’s offering: The Belted Kingfisher. This Belted Kingfisher is a female, as only females are adorned with those beautiful rust colored feathers.
Kingfishers are fascinating birds, and the one I saw (a female!) was larger than I had expected…about 13 inches long with a huge head and a beak like a pair of needle-nosed pliers. They mate for life, which is romantic, and their nests are burrows in the mud banks of rivers. The tunnels, which widen into a nesting chamber, can be up to 2 ½ feet long. How do they do that? Do they use their beaks? Their feet? I geeked out a little bit with my friend, Google, and have a video for you if you want to check it out… https://youtu.be/VJuDxGE9V-8
I have a question for you, my Peeps, and I truly appreciate those of you who have actually taken the time to answer me in the past. You guys are lovely.
Here’s the question: In this blog, would you like to hear what is going on with the Brynn Design Boutique which we told you about in our March 21st announcement, OR are you only interested in what’s happening in the wonderful world of woodworking (Mr. Al) and wildlife painting (Yours Truly?)
TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION, I WOULD LOVE TO GIFT YOU WITH A 5X7 PRINT OF A PAINTING OF YOUR CHOICE. (Sample print on the right.)
So, please, when you do reply, tell me which print you would like. (Click on the SHOP button up on the menu bar and have some fun. Lots of choices!)
That’s all I’ve got. Here’s Mr. Al—
Spring, really struggling this year to make itself known, has given me time to get back to carving in the shop!
I know once it does warm up, Huldufólk Haven will once again be calling for its much-needed spring cleaning.
What has involved all of my time recently is finishing my book:
(Brynn, here, and I can attest to how hard Mr. Al has worked on this book and it is quite beautiful.
To come to an understanding of the 2020-2021 experience, Mr. Al/Lewpert Piedmont, began a daily practice of journaling what was on his mind in the form of poetry and some prose.
What this book is, is a collection of some of those writings, written over the past two years and placed in chronological order.
Each writing is accompanied by an illustration which Al selected to complement the "scribbling,"creating an even deeper experience.
Mr. Al calls his writings "scribblings," but they are more than that. They are very wise and filled with hope as we follow Mr. Piedmont's journey from a place of confusion and concern to one of acceptance and understanding at a deeper, more spiritual level. )
The scribblings of a heretic is now available on Amazon as a paperback book:
We are looking forward to discovering what flowers all these April showers will bring us. Until then, have an excellent April.
I like hearing about everything!