You may have noticed that I haven’t taken many pictures of Darby lately. He has been on an extended vacation, visiting long lost school chums in the upper reaches of Oh Valley. He’s due back tomorrow and I’m sure he will have many stories to tell.

He found his friends while resting on my shoulder, watching as I found my old buddies – where everyone finds everyone – on Facebook. You didn’t know Facebook has a category for Fancifulls? Why should people have all the fun?

Darby’s Selfie sent to Delta, Dixie and me.

Delta and Dixie have been quietly enjoying their stacation, coming and going as their moods chose. They will be happy to have Darby back. They missed his teasing and funny antics. I’m not allowed to repeat that to Darby. Delta has also been trying all week to get Dixie to promise to stay through the winter. She will miss Dixie terribly if she goes south to Aunt Myrtle’s. Dixie is considering staying although she doesn’t like the cold climate. She arrived in Oh Valley this summer when it was still very cold outside. She was not happy about our weather – NOT one little bit. She does, however, like all the friends she’s made at The Insect Inn and is developing a crush on Baxter. Dixie is also thinking she’d like to see snow for the first time, from inside the inn where she can stay toasty warm.

Who’s Baxter, you ask? Baxter is a Bumble Bee and he’s pretty smitten with Dixie too. He’s very busy with his pollinating and can’t spend as much time with her as he’d like to. He lives by the family motto, “To be busy, is to BEE BUSY.” Baxter zooms to and fro pollinating all the flowers he can reach in Oh Valley. He works as hard as he possibly can. He loves his work but wishes he didn’t have allergies. Baxter, you see, is allergic to pollen. Imagine that – a bee that is allergic to pollen! Oh my!

Delta lost and found on the Greenbelt.

One day this week, Delta, Dixie and I were out on the Green Belt taking pictures and Dixie whispers that Delta is missing. They were sharing the same pocket and Delta flew out to see things for herself. Thankfully, we back-tracked and found a very exhausted Delta on the path leading up to the Green Belt. She could have been seriously hurt. So glad she is safe with us again.

Before you meet Baxter, I’ll first introduce you to Bianca, Flutter, Fanny and Buttercup. Flutter wishes she had a more masculine name. How the heck is she ever going to make it to the tryouts for spring training. All she ever dreams about is becoming a short stop for the New York Yankees. She coerces her best friend Fanny to camp every spring. Friends are always there for you and Fanny is no exception even if she does wonder why Flutter has such an obsession with baseball. She roots for Flutter every year. This year, in fact, Flutter convinced her to put her name down for tryouts too. All Fanny can think is that Flutter has a far greater chance at getting a spot on the roster as a Short Stop than she, Fanny, does a as a designated hitter.

Fanny wants to be a Quality Assurance Inspector for a local Drone company. She could do it. Drones are very similar to her friend, Darby. She likes watching the way he can hover and shift up, down, side-to-side, forwards and backwards whenever he feels like it. He doesn’t even think about it. She sometimes wonders if Darby’s actually showing off but she can’t figure out why he would do that. Do you know why he might?

Buttercup relaxing after a long conversation with Bianca.

Buttercup is a bookworm – or rather was a bookcaterpillar when he lived in his cocoon. All his shelves were lined with all kinds of books and he read every one of them while he was waiting for his time to spread his wings. Metamorphosis. He’s glad he had the chance to read so much because all his friends think he knows the answer to everything. He still doesn’t know why the sky is blue. Every time he flies up tosee what makes it blue, it’s always clear, not blue. No matter how high he flies everything is clear. Shouldn’t he be surrounded in blue? He’s still working that puzzle out.

Buttercup’s most recent question was posed by Bianca. She doesn’t know why she has to be a butterfly. She’d far rather whiz around with a compact form like her friend, Lily. Lily is a Ladybug. So Buttercup suggested that maybe Bianca could dress up like a Ladybug and see if she is happier. Bianca is on her way to find a Ladybug costume as we speak.

So much happening in Oh Valley. Here’s to the end of a beautiful Canada Day, and to top it off, I found my video of Delta by the beaver dam on the Green Belt. Unfortunately, I can’t post it here because my WordPress package does not allow for video input. I’m crunching the numbers now to get the eCommerce upgrade. Should be up and running later this month. And then I can post videos too!

Have fun and play safe,

Sue and the Fancifulls of Oh Valley

Dixie Clip ~ Keeping her wings dry

As promised, Dixie arrived right on schedule. She’s back in Oh Valley, though only for summer vacation. When fall arrives, she  will fly back to live with her Aunt Myrtle in South Carolina Beach. Dixie’s constitution is quite delicate, unlike Darby and Delta who live in Oh Valley year-round. They have a cozy and warm home, The Insect Inn. Personally, I’m not a fan. It’s a tad cramped for my taste and no dogs allowed. I’ll introduce Accident, my real Cairn Terrier eventually. 🙂

In pictures, I’ve finally captured Dixie, whom I affectionately refer to as my little “Dixie Clip.” She’s a stunner, especially on my new Google Pixel 3A Camera.. er.. phone. It’s purported that my error in thought just now, was exactly what Google was going for, a phone that is an exceptional camera. I think of it as my new camera, that I can also make and receive calls on. (UPDATE  June 19th, 2019; I’ve had my phone 6 days and am glad to have it although, if you are trying to reach me, I’ve no idea how to answer it and I stumble over all the messages. No idea which way to swipe things either and seem to see the same msgs,over and over  again, though I try valiantly to clear everything up. Hmmm.)

Getting back to Dixie-Clip… She explained I’d have to take a single picture  when I could because she wasn’t coming outside again for a very long time.

Beautiful flowers and vines in Judy’s Garden

In Dixie’s words, “It’s too freaking cold and wet!”

If she’d known how cold it was here this spring with winter hanging on well into MAY, I’m certain she would have stayed in South Carolina Beach with her Aunt Myrtle’s for a while longer. On our Photo Op, I had to convince her to let go of my umbrella. She perched on its underside, not wanting to get wet. (I was sure she had told me she doesn’t mind a bit of rain. Had I dreamt it?)

Well at least I could keep an eye on her. We walked over to Judy’s Garden, a lovely spot with river pebbles and beautiful blooms. Once Dixie saw all the vast array of colours, she forgot about the rain.

My “Dixie Clip“

In her excitement, she flew off a vine suspended over a shrub where she was reasonably canopied, and I was concerned for her well-being as I raced to catch up. I found her behind the fence resting on the back side of the same shrub, by Judy’s potting bench. Dixie has always been partial to blue and found her watering can quite captivating. That, as well as a new plant pot awaiting its owner. Well, she just couldn’t help herself.

Realizing we were both a tad soaked, it was decided that we would head back to The Insect Inn and dry off.  When the sun reappears, I told Dixie I’d collect 50 more mosquitoes, 25 for each additional picture I posted. The 100 mosquitoes were for a single picture, not 3. She drives a hard bargain but I couldn’t help myself. She’s quite photogenic.

Stay dry everyone. The sun will be back to watch over us in Oh Valley. Til next time….

Dripping Water

A final note to those who like being well informed. Delta is much more than she appears in her packaging. When you suspend her from her hook, you will find that she is perfectly balanced and sways so sweetly in the slightest breeze. I’m constantly hearing comments of, “Oh, She’s so cute.” I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Sue and The Fancifulls of Oh Valley

Hi!  I’m Sue Gibb and Hazy Dayz Dragonflies is my business. I write children’s stories and create copper likenesses of my Fancifull characters,  blending the two mediums together in the land of Oh Valley – aka the Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada.

To begin, my posts will be few though not meagre.  I will be concentrating my time on building up  inventory, cold-calling, and conducting sales.  I don’t know enough, yet, about e-commerce and selling online –  please stay tuned. UPDATE August 15th, 2019 – All systems GO for selling online via major credit card, PayPal and its myriad of options.

But you’re here for the stories – The Fancifull Stories. (Story characters listed below)

I will be posting the exploits of my “Flights of Fancy”, namely, DRAGONFLIES Darby, his cousin, Delta, and her friend, Dixie who flies up every summer to spend time with Delta in Oh Valley.  Under development are more friends. (As of August 15th, 2019, Dragonfly Collection has expanded to include Dexter – Dex; resident troublemaker, Daphne, Dirk, and you’ll not be able to miss Dinah, a newly ensconced film star.  In development are BUTTERFLIES – Bianca (who dreams of becoming a Ladybug like her friend, Lily, so she can zip around quickly and get into tight spots), Flutter – also a dreamer. Flutter is determined to become the starting short-stop for the New York Yankees, Fanny –  Best friend to Flutter, and dragged to spring training to try out as designated hitter, Buttercup – was resident bookworm – err “caterpillar” and kept all his reference materials through his metamorphosis. Then there are Bella, Brianna, Bonnie, and Bradley.

(Update Dec 5, 2019 – Development complete and Butterfly Collection available in physical format.)

Bumble Bees are next up – Bizzy – Queen Bee, Baxter – allergic to pollen, Belvedere – senior bee and weather prognosticator, Brighton, Honey, Billy, and Bernie. (As of June 6, 2020  working hard to have Bumblebee Collection available for Christmas Signatures Originals Show, EY Centre, Ottawa.) 

Grasshoppers – “Grampa”, Gracey, Gryffin, Grommet, Gwendolyn, Gabriella, and Grady. 

Ladybugs –  Lily (Bianca’s BFF), Alexandra (Lexie), Larry, Louie, Luna, Lucie, and Leah. Finally there will be

Miller Moths – Triplets: Milly; Molly; and Mazie, as well as Marcus, Michelin, Monday, and Milton. 

(Update – July 19, 2021. Hazy DayZ Dragonflies took a slightly different fork in the road, developing 4 new finishes for the bright copper dragonflies and butterflies, as well as creating upcycled beverage can dragonflies’ and On-of-a-kind pieces. Bumble Bee creations are on an indefinite hold. This business of one person, me, has limited time and space for developing and storing new products.

As the world begins to re-open, my mind will be in a place to continue writing Fancifull Stories again.  I have missed my dear critters. I require a certain head-space to imagine happy times with only slight disturbances. 🙂

Why did I just list them off?  Good question! 

All of the characters listed above are currently inhabiting Oh Valley, most of them at the Magical Insect Inn. They have already found their places in my stories. Once I have time to take my fingers away from my keyboard and back to my copper, all the other collections will be available too. Do you have a favourite flying insect? I’m contemplating creating the Ladybug before the Grasshopper and could be swayed. It takes me a full year from idea to market, with conception, drawings, technique, and many, many, many weeks of production before you are able to purchase them. If you’d like to see the collection following Bumble Bees  to be a different flying insect, Please let me know. I do love the little green Grasshoppers though. Not locusts!) I used to “play” with grasshoppers as a young child. I was so interested in them in fact, my grandmother noticed and she gifted  me a beautiful blue enamel and gold (plate) grasshopper pin for my birthday.  I believe I was 7 at the time. I loved that pin. I felt so grown up. I wore my grasshopper brooch proudly as my very first real piece of jewellery.

Darby likes to brag to his cousin, Delta – a hanging ornament, via a copper plated steel jump ring and green steel ornament hook – that he has so much more freedom. All she is able to do is sway back and forth in the breeze. He just doesn’t understand with her limitations, how she could always be so darn cheerful. He needs his space. Delta is very calm and amiable, dancing around the leaves in the grapevine-strewn pergola. She needs to be amiable, hanging around a cousin like Darby. She loves him but he can be such a Drama Queen!

I’d also like to introduce you to Dixie. She’s a bit shy and hasn’t allowed me to take her picture yet. She likes to rest on her shade sail, watching over her friends Darby and Delta. She is also a copper dragonfly that clips onto fabric and other thin items via her toothed alligator clip. Darby really doesn’t understand what Dixie has to be happy about either. She can’t even sway in a breeze like Delta can. She’s totally clipped on. Dixie, however, likes her shady location. She finds that just watching Darby dart about in the sunshine is exhausting. He should learn to relax.

Give me a day or two and I’ll get a picture of Dixie for you.

Until next time,

Sue and The Fancifulls