Return of the Cicadas - Samuel Orr

A 7+minute clip by Samuel Orr - Return of the Cicadas

The other day, I did a "show and tell" blog post with my new Pinterest Board about all things Insects.  I specifically mentioned using this collection as a kind of therapy to sort of toughen myself so I could take more time to look at bugs, and try to tamp down the "eww" reactions.  I particularly mentioned how the Cicada emergence this summer was on my calendar, specifically the 17 year cycle creatures, which I hope we will find a few of here on our farm in the Midwest.....

So maybe I can just watch films and videos about cicadas instead of bracing myself to actually go nose to nose with them?  I was wandering around the Huffington Post today, and I found the totally amazing clip embedded above, which is a fusion of stills and video all about the life cycle of this fascinating insect!  You can also watch it here on Vimeo.

In fact, I was so smitten by the beauty of this piece, and by the topic, that when I read that Samuel Orr, the author/artist of the piece has a Kickstarter campaign going to more fully develop and produce his Return of the Cicadas, I promptly signed up for Kickstarter here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/motionkicker/return-of-the-cicadas  and added my little contribution to help him more fully develop this beautiful "nature tale" about a truly facinating creature AND, more to the point, a fascinating life cycle.

No, really, they are very beautiful creatures--don't say "ewwww" until you watch the little movie! (And the sound track is fantastic, too!)

Thanks for dropping by!

Bugs Project

WillOaks Studio "Insects, Bugs, Butterflies & Moths" Pinterest Page

I've found a wonderful purpose for my new Pinterest collecting--it's becoming a kind of therapy to help me get better with my insect aversion.  Alright, aversion might be a bit tame:  a better description would be my tendency to totally freak out when spooked by bugs.

So on Pinterest, I'm carefully collecting them, looking at them, actually enjoying the amazing shapes, colors, diversity.  And not just the really pretty ones, either, although there are plenty of these. 

Look at this spider photo I found yesterday....it reminds me of the time I came nose to nose with a "Wolf Spider" in Fresno, where I could have sworn the creature was larger than my hand, and had a row of eyes that wrapped all around his head.  I became hysterical because he was in my place and I had no idea what to do.  Lucky for me, my friend took care of the problem....but I ask myself now, why couldn't I just relax and LOOK at the amazing creature?  Calm down, take a breath, and study him?

So maybe bug photo collecting will help prepare me to handle insect encounters better?  You see, I'd love to go nose to nose with some really big cicadas this summer, if I'm lucky to see some, AND if I can remain calm, cool and collected enough to really get up close and look at them.  So if any of my readers know of any good bug photos, please leave me links here, and I'll add them to my collection!  And if any of you happen to have any ideas to add to my proposed course of insect therapy here, add those too!  Thanks!

Yes, I can....

Yes I can come back to life, I mean.  Yes, the campground is open for business for one final season and we're off to a running start!  Yes, the drought has broken with a cold Spring just full of rain (and so we're running way behind on the growing calendar.) Yes, the 3 cats plus Dakota are with me here on combat duty (lol!) living in our camper again to run the show.

Yes, the bird life is still astonishing here, including Sandhill Cranes living even closer than before (their habitat next door was clear-cut last summer and they are searching for and finding new nesting places.)  Yes, the fish survived the combination of the 3' drop in pond level with the 1+foot of ice on top, at least most of them did as there was no big carcass mess to greet us when the ice finally melted.

Yes, we already have campers staying here--truly wonderful, intrepid campers--willing to tough it out in freezing weather (which sounds kind of strange as it's mid May.)  Yes, I'm still making lots of things, both new things and revisiting older things to fill orders, which I'll bring back to my lovely neglected blog to give readers the inside scoop.

Yes, I've been trying a few new things including a brand new Pinterest account which is pretty darn fun, but I still feel kind of all thumbs with...(connect with me there if you share this obsession!  http://pinterest.com/willoaksstudio/), including my new "about" page on Etsy (which I plan to change and edit on a regular basis) https://www.etsy.com/shop/WillOaksStudio/about/ and the iPhone app "Tunein Radio" which I love when I'm out and about.

Yes, I adore my new place in town, and was totally shocked by how quickly the winter flew by as somehow, it did end up I spent much more time in the new studio than in getting my "whole place" together....oh well, next winter!

Yes, I did get my trusty old camera fixed (finally!) so I can use it as a portable device again, instead of only plugged into an outlet, as I limped through the past year...(apparently, rechargeable batteries do die over time but I cannot recall ever killing any before?  Thank goodness for Amazon shopping!)

And finally, yes, I am just beginning to write again and to find my voice again....it's a tad scary, but mostly, it feels good.  Hope to reconnect with old pals and find new ones here again in due time!  Thanks for dropping by!

Karen