ducks and studio stuff

 first this is a terrible picture of the roughly finished brush holder, with plastic tool clips and paper clip hangie thingies.... i covered it with wrinkled brown paper and i'll wax it with a sienna wax but i've already got it hanging on my light and popped a brush in....yup it works
brushes need to have the hairs down when they dry, (and actually they should be stored hanging like that too, dust is another killer of brushes) yet there aren't too many options..... there is that coil thing but it isn't really secure so i made this for mine
i have a LOT of money in kolinsky brushes.... i'm going to try and keep them as long as i can in the best shape i can

next......is the handicapped baby duckling, she is so young she doesn't even have her caruncling in yet! (the red warty stuff around her eyes) anyway, she's doing very well...she can walk, and run..... she can climb in and out of the small black pond thingie.....although it's not as easy for her......she's eating well and pooping well and seems to be starting to catch on.
the others of course are giving her a bit of a hard time so she's sort of with them but protected. the photo you see is her in the bath in the A frame pen -- which i just was able to get open as enough ice melted.
the other pen is still iced in...i hope sometime next week i can get that one opened up-

and third is amelia and prudence in the chicken pen (falstaff is there too but you can't see him)
everyone has a touch of bumble foot from this past nightmare winter, however as much as i can get them out side i will and they will heal up..... we just couldn't keep up with them in the inside pens during this horrible nightmare winter... at one point it was so cold, that everyone was in the main basement and taken out of their crates three times a day to stretch, eat and drink because we had to try and keep everyone from freezing..... we're all enjoying being able to go out again- and once we get the temporary pen defrosted, and the far back pen de-iced.........everyone will go out....including the quail.

i was supposed to get a blue male parakeet to join the flock, however something came up and i can do it. i am very disappointed as i think we need another male in with the budgies... but it's not a good time right now

which brings me to health..... i am starting to get my medical appointments made, and is is none too soon as i am having issues swallowing now. i am also having edema in my arms and hands.....not in my legs (rarely do i have issues with my legs and edema- usually just a tiny bit in the humidity of summer if i've had to sit, like in a car for a long ride) so the edema in my arms is worrisome.
my right arm and shoulder is really bad again.....so that's going to be put on the list as well.

meanwhile i am working on the next layout and also planning a second series that i will work on during down time from my main work...the second will be botanicals.... which will do two things,...... 1) teach myself botanical art, and 2) enable me to hopefully double my output of work

so that's pretty much it for now......still waiting on this new storm but it looks like it's going to be south of us and we won't get much out of it .......YEAH!!! cause i really really am sick of the cold this winter, and being up all night with the woodstove