Taking Earth Day to Heart

A beautiful tree blossoms this Spring in one of our local parks.

This past weekend "Earth Day" was celebrated in our community. While the weather wasn't very cooperative for an outdoor celebration, just the act of celebrating the Earth causes one to pause and reflect how each of us as individuals can do our part in being good stewards of the land. I am reminded by events like these how important it is that we each do what we can to conserve and take care of our planet. And since moving out to the country a few years ago... I have seen in our own lives, the gratification that comes from working the soil. Also planting trees, flowers, gardens, and recycling has given us a sense of purpose and responsibility for our own patch of land, minuscule as it may seem for our planet's overall health. 

A double rainbow delights us after a thunderstorm.

Spring has a way of  reminding us everything old and washed out can become new again. Mother Nature displays awe-inspiring rainbows after a sporadic thunderstorm. We are busy planting new seeds in the greenhouse and taking care of our young "ugly" chickens so they can give us fresh organic eggs later in the year.

New chickens in their awkward, "teenage" phase. 

Just beginning to see plants coming up in our greenhouse.

We use the blue barrels below to water the greenhouse and chicken trough. When a fresh rain falls, it is collected in our rain gutter and stored in the containers for future use. 

Our water barrels help us recycle rainwater.

We also try to reuse as much as possible in our Studio to prevent waste. Below are two pictures that show how we take old scrap glass laying around, and cut it and rearrange it in various patterns. Next, it is slowly heated in the kiln. The end result has taken the scrap glass and turned it into a functional glass vase.

Kiln heating up scrap glass

The end result is a pretty decorative vase.

 Probably the best way our Studio helps recycle unwanted waste, is to "upcycle" used bottles. Below are a few samples of the many 100's of wine bottles we have flattened or slumped in our kilns. I hand engrave a design on them, and accessorize with bead work and copper wire to dress them up. Now they have gone from trash to treasure, as they are functional kitchen art that can hang on the wall or be used as trivets. 

Wine bottle art 

We have many designs and sayings to choose from.

Dragonflies are popular.

An affordable gift to give.

A great accessory to the kitchen.

These two are slumped together, and make a great trivet.

We have plenty of options of the bottle art to choose from in our Studio, as an affordable gift to give. We also have many other uses for the bottles, such as drinking glasses, tiki torches, wind chimes, or hummingbird feeders like the one pictured below.

Many functional uses for old bottles are available, including hummingbird feeders.

Finally, to go with a recycled theme, the vase and platter pictured below were created from old float glass, or window glass, that would have been discarded and taken up more space in some land fill. This process gives it a whole new life. We really enjoy taking the time and effort it takes to turn trash into treasure. Hopefully we will continue to think of new ways to be good stewards of the Earth and recycle. 

Turning scrap window glass into functional art work.

Spring Sprouting

Spring Tulips, blown, sculpted and sandblasted glass

Deer frequenting the garden area in typical Spring weather

Last year's chickens free- range by the greenhouse

 You know how we can tell it's Spring up in High Country? No, it's not the burst of colorful tulips popping out of the ground like you would most likely enjoy at lower elevations. Quite contrary... it is the howling winds of March that screech through the Snake River plains all the way through April, May, and sometimes even June. Spring up here is such a tease. You have a beautiful sunny morning reaching into the 50's and 60's, and then Boom! Mother Nature drops a bomb and the winds sweep in a Spring storm all over the valley floor. 

Well, we have news for you Mother Nature, we've caught on to your conniving ways, and are one-upping you with our weather proofed greenhouse/chicken coop!

Our latest hobby really "sprouted" out of necessity when it came to growing a successful garden plot in these harsh Spring conditions.  

Greenhouse lit at dusk

 Russ wanted to build something sturdy and strong enough to stand up to all kinds of Idaho weather, and would also serve to shelter our egg laying hens from the elements. So he drew up his own plans for the most amazing greenhouse/chicken coop that I have ever seen, complete with a root cellar. First, a space was dug out and electrical wiring was run out to the building area. An extra deep hole was dug out under the chicken coop area that would store our potatoes and onions in the colder months.

Railroad ties are the foundation of the greenhouse and are an excellent support system. The poly-carbonate panels are framed with construction grade wood, and we even sided and roofed portions of the outer shell. It's just another step in self sufficiency that we feel is critical in this changing world we live in. There is no better feeling than knowing we can truly live off the land with hard work and dedication to clean living.

Veggies growing in gutters

 Now we can start planting crops in February in our rain gutter designed planting beds, and have a fresh salad by late March-early April. It's only the first week of April, and already we have Swiss chard, kale, spinach and a variety of lettuce coming on strong. This could never be possible without the clever design of our rock-solid greenhouse.

My favorite part is the hen house. Russ put a lot of thought into the laying area, where all we have to do is pull a latch and grab the eggs of the day. He even installed a pull-out floor box to where we can easily clean out their pine shavings off the floor, even in the dead of winter.

Egg Laying box door

Inside greenhouse area

The sun's light is reflected through the poly-carbonate panels. This creates enough warmth, even on cloudy days, to allow everything to flourish.

Inside view of the greenhouse/chicken coop

 Everything is coming up nicely. Even on a blustery Spring day, things are nice and toasty in the Greenhouse/chicken coop.

 It's funny how life keeps changing even for a couple of old timers. Interesting to note that what started out as a hobby 25 years ago, glassblowing, has now turned into a full-fledged business. So a new hobby has "hatched" in what little down-time we have. The greenhouse/chicken coop is a great addition to ensure  we get the most out of our new hobby, gardening. In spite of the harsh Idaho environment, we enjoy watching everything "Spring" to life!

New Spring Chick with blown glass eggs