SPRING EMMIE

I often find an astronomical amount of new ideas about color coordinating and form of silhouette from nature. In this instance, my inspiration comes from a very graceful, nurturing, and friendly dove named Emmie. She has been migrating to our abode (for the past four years) to lay her eggs with her partner dove on our air conditioner. Without fail, every Spring, Emmie touches down and begins to build a nest in which to lay her new batch of off spring. I feel badly for her constant rebuilding, however, her nests tend to erode away due to mostly natural causes (i.e. wind, rain, gardeners), after her and the hatchlings migrate somewhere other than our building. I've become very attached to Emmie, try with all my might to make sure that her and the nest stay intact while she is nesting, and, in the process, also have developed a bit of a relationship with her. She is quite jumpy around most of the other tenants but allows me and my partner to get quite close to her. I doubt any of the other tenants have been as interested in Emmie as my guy and I have been, but I'm going to chalk our closeness up to sheer chemistry and natural selection. Emmie is awesome to be around--very curious, and quite trusting for a wild bird. It did take a bit of time to get as close to her as we did for these photos, but I think the interest, now, is one of mutual curiosity and familiarity. I whistle and call her name every time I see her and, in return, she usually walks on the gate around our pool in order to monitor her nest. This time usually allows for a moment of complete silent study with her. She is the most beautiful bird. Emmie has a layered "Greige" coloring with the most gorgeous shade of mint green/blue circling her eye. Her feathers--in shades of grey, beige, "greige", black, and a shade of deep chocolate brown outlined by white--are impeccable and cascade down her back in the most interesting arrangement. She even has the slightest fade of a peachy coral color on her undercarriage, otherwise filled with mostly white feathers.

Emmie has become a part of our family and she is definitely an inspiration in terms of not only her appearance, but her demeanor as well. I can only hope that she continues her visits and also continues to generate life in our courtyard. For it is a joy, not only to spend some moments with her, but to see her new batch of hatchlings as well. I've included some photos of a pair of Jeffrey Campbell Spring Wedges that I purchased with Emmie in mind. The shoes, along with Emmie, are a joy to have during the warmer seasons-- mostly because when I see either of the two, I get some much needed "spring in my step."