Chimes and Things

Someone gave us gorgeous windchimes last Christmas and now that I'm out of the house more I can listen to the wind blowing the chimes - really beautiful sounds. This one is a traditional wind chime which is hand tuned and made of weather proof materials.

They don't only have windchimes there, but lots of other cool stuff as well.

Burt's Bees personal care items are sold here (such as beeswax lipbalm and hand repair moisturizing kits). There's a handblown glass heart as well as stained glass suncatchers which rays of sunshine will bring out the best of.

Purses, accessories, and a "Zen" section contain items a little more exotic, with a mystic Oriental touch (such as the World Peace Bracelet by Sergio Lub). You could find something you like for yourself or for a special someone.

Fern's Garden is run by a brother and sister team in the USA. It was started 25 years ago and was set up as a rebuttal to "globalization", which caused many American artisans to fold up their businesses. Fern's Garden is dedicated to ethical trade and fair treatment of artisans the world over. Pay them a visit if you're in Southern California.

Ornithology - The Study of Birds

A bird in my garden

Apologies for not having been very helpful with the gift ideas for a while. I've been busy with studies and learning how to parallel park. Urgh. When I was a young kid, one of my favorite activities was birdwatching. There's nothing quite like observing the bright azure of a kingfisher as it swoops over the water's surface, retrieving a silver fish in its beak.

I've been enjoying the somewhat warm weather (as warm as it gets in Maine, so far) and I've been noticing the different birds in our yard. Finches, orioles, blue jays, and crows. Not to mention the laughing gulls - those are situated more so in town though. I guess it has something to do with the McDonald's being situated there.

Anyway, I thought to myself, what would be nice is a bird feeder and/or birdbath.

I found these on http://www.birdandyard.com/index.html and thought they'd make perfect gifts for house-warming, or just a neat summer gift for a special someone or family.

I love this gazebo style bird-feeder. The hi-tech bird-bath shown below has an automatic refill feature.

Of course, no seasoned birdwatcher would be content without a pair of sturdy, reliable binoculars. More on that in a later post, after some scouting around.