i had an idea this afternoon of an arrangement of feathers from the most striking birds in my collection, including yellow shafted flickers, blue jays, and woodpeckers. i played with three or four possibilities, eventually calling my husband in for moral support. he got very quiet and thoughtful, as he does when he’s waiting for the right idea, or the right sentence, to come along. i left him there and made a cup of tea, then answered some emails, then put a load of laundry in. i never saw him leave the kitchen. i just saw this sitting in the middle of a white sheet of paper the next time i walked by. i got very quiet and thoughtful. then i went to get my tripod.

blue jay and yellow flicker feathers

saint paul, minnesota