Candy Corn

Happy Halloween!  I can't believe how fast September and October went.  I've been feeling a bit bummed recently that I wasn't able to make new hamster Halloween costumes this year.  I really love the whole process of coming up with ideas, making the costumes, creating the sets, and photographing the hamsters.  So on a whim this morning, I decided I would grab a couple of costumes from previous years and take pictures.  The truth is, I really have way more important things to do that I'm not wanting to do, so that's why I was suddenly so eager to do these pictures instead.  😁😅  And you can see how unprepared I was for this as I don't have any actual candy corn or other candy to add to the bowl.  Oh well.  The hams did great, so even though these are fairly lackluster compared to previous years, I still wanted to share them.

I thought Glorfindel did a lovely job of showing off the costume.  He's a great little model for me.  💗

I probably have mentioned this before, but in case I haven't, y'all should know that I'm obsessed with Olórin's giant ears.  I mean, just look at them!  He could probably pass as the easter bunny.  😂

New Yarn on Little Bed

I rarely go to Hobby Lobby because it doesn't open until 9 AM, but I am already home from running my errands by then and I don't like going back out.  A few weeks ago Joe and I were having a lazy Saturday morning and after getting breakfast out, we decided to stop by Hobby Lobby because I wanted more sawtooth hangers for some projects.  Obviously I bought so much more than just the sawtooth hangers.  The yarn was 30% off so I grabbed this gorgeous green to make a little blanket for an upcoming photo session.  Since it had been so long since I last bought yarn, I underestimated how much I'd need for the project in mind.  So, the following week I went back for more yarn and bought some Christmas stuff that was on sale.  And then I went back a couple days later because I was regretting not getting more of the Christmas stuff while it was on sale.  So I ended up making 3 trips to Hobby Lobby in the span of less than a week, all the while being simultaneously frustrated that I had to interrupt my work day to get there since they open so late, and grateful that they don't open sooner or I'd probably be there weekly and spend SO much money.  😅

I love how silky Glorfindel's fur is.  He is such a gorgeous boy.  Although I realized that as soon as I see him, I always pick him up and smother his forehead in kisses, which makes his head look wet in pictures.  😂

 

This big boy has gotten a little less timid, but in general, he seems to prefer to be left alone.  I don't see Olórin or Glorfindel very often.  I go to bed well before they get up, but I have caught them awake still when I get up at 5:30.  I still kinda want to get a camera to see what they get up to at night, but I haven't done that yet.

3D Printed Vase

Life has been very busy and incredibly draining at times, so I've been reevaluating my schedule and changing it a bit to help me have more balance which is helping me a lot.  I cleaned the hammy tanks today and made sure to allow time for pictures since it had been quite a while.  First up are pictures with this neat vase which looks and even almost feels like rope, but this is actually a 3D print.  This is probably my favorite thing that Joe has printed.  I forget how long this one took, but I know it was done very slowly to get the texture right.  It's pretty cool!

Glorfindel is such a precious little guy.  He poses so well for me and looks fabulous in pictures.  I sure do love him!  💗

Olórin is pretty timid, but he did pretty well today at posing for me.  I'm still figuring out which treats he likes well enough to stop and eat.  I'm pretty obsessed with his giant ears.  He's a sweet, chunky dude.  😅

Gold Chair

It's been a while since I've posted.  I've had quite a few projects for my other job that I was juggling.  Most everything is wrapped up now and I think I'm down to just one extra project now, but it's pretty massive with lots and lots of parts so it's kinda been taking over my life.  But after having a headache for the last two days, I decided that today I would do photography work instead since I've been neglecting my business the last few weeks.  So this morning I treated myself to a trip to the zoo and let me tell you, it was amazing and exactly what I needed to recharge.  This time of year is my favorite time to go, but it's been weeks since I last went because of how crazy things have been.  This morning was a good reminder that I need to get back to following my schedule because it provides the balance I need to really thrive.  

I've barely seen Glorfindel the last couple of weeks.  I'm strongly considering getting a camera that I can point at the two aquariums so I can see what these guys do during the night.  I do love that every week when I clean of their enclosures, Glorfindel is happy to come out of his nest.  I make sure to give him lots of treats, and he puts up with lots of kisses.  He's so soft and sweet.  💗

I got these pictures of Olorin a couple of weeks ago when I was cleaning his aquarium.  I normally do that every week, but the first week after I got him, he quite literally yelled at me for disturbing him.  I've never heard a hamster make the noises he made.  It made me sad, but I knew he was alive so I let him be.  A week later when I tried, he was fine with me waking him up to clean, and that's when I got him out for a bit.  I made sure to give him lots of treats when I took these pictures.  I hope he'll be a good model for me, but I've admittedly not taken any pictures of him since that day, so we'll see.  I have to say, from what I can tell, Olórin is a master at making tunnels and absolutely puts Glorfindel's tunnels to shame.  😂

Meet Olórin

 I've had this big boy for about a week now, so it's time for introductions!  Meet Olórin!  This is the mystery ham I picked up last Saturday from a lady in Indy who works with The Pipsqueakery which is located in Bloomington.  She went the Thursday before and picked this guy up.  On Friday she sent me a video of him.  I debated whether or not I wanted to open it because I had become quite enthralled with the idea of picking up a mystery hamster, but I realized that I would want time to thing of a name.  I was at my sister's house when I opened the video and we watched it together.  I was completely in love with this guy right away.  I've always wanted a hamster that looks like this and I can't believe some stranger picked out the perfect ham for me!  

As soon as I saw what my mystery hamster looked like, I emailed her back and asked if she knew gender and age so I could figure out a name.  She said a male that was about a year old.  I immediately thought of the name Olórin because it was almost the name I chose for Glorfindel, but I decided that it didn't fit with the way Glorfindel looks so I chose to save it in case I ever got a hamster that it was a better fit for.  And I knew this was the perfect hamster for this name.  You see, Olórin is Gandalf's original name as a Maiar.  So an older hamster that is white with grey and brown just works so well.  

In JRR Tolkien's writings, Olórin is sent to Middle Earth as a grey wizard who sought to teach, counsel, and learn from the peoples of Middle Earth.  Glorfindel was one of the first to welcome Olórin.  Over time, Olórin became most commonly known as Gandalf.  And if you've read The Lord of the Rings, you know that Gandalf's body passed away after fighting a Balrog.  But since he was the only one of the 5 Maiar that were sent to Middle Earth who stayed true to his errand, he was sent back to Middle Earth as Gandalf the White.  

The pictures from when I first brought Olórin home are at the bottom.  I was very surprised at how heavy he was when I first picked him up.  He doesn't seem that fat though, and I can tell that he was neutered at The Pipsqueakery.  He's a curious, shy guy who doesn't seem to like being held but isn't really scared of me either.  I can't wait to get to know him better!  Welcome to your new home, Olórin!  I know he's already middle aged for a hamster, but I hope I get a long time with him.

New Neighbor Coming

I've been struggling with a lot recently.  Some is just little annoying stuff like my eye twitching for like a month (I've seriously lost track how many weeks it's been happening) and some is bigger things like work related stress, missing my friends, and definitely not getting enough sleep (which might have something to do with why my eye won't stop twitching...).  I'm going on day 3 now of a headache that I've given up trying to treat because I'm tired of trying to remember what medicine I've taken when and at least for now it hasn't turned into a migraine so I can just deal with it.  I also miss Joe and am worried about him now that he's back at work and dealing with so much.  I knew I would feel like this when school started again and have been really wanting another hamster to help take my mind off of missing Joe.  So naturally I reached out to The Pipsqueakery since there haven't been any hamsters at the Fort Wayne ACC.  

In the midst of a hectic day yesterday, I learned that a lady I'd been emailing from The Pipsqueakery would be able to get a hamster for me from Bloomington to her house in Indy late the next day (which is now today).  Unfortunately I can't fit in a trip to Indy tomorrow to go get the hamster from her, but Saturday morning Joe and I will be going together, which is even better!  I have no idea what hamster I'm getting and that actually has made this whole thing even more exciting for me.  I told them I'd prefer one that doesn't look like Glorfindel, but that I'm not picky and will take whatever they wanna give me.  I suspect there is still a chance that the mystery hamster I get will be related to Glorfindel and maybe even be identical to him.  You see, Glorfindel found his way to The Pipsqueakery along with 97 other hamsters in a large intake suitable named the Panic at the Pet Store hamsters.  When I went in October 2022 to pick out my then little baby Glorfindel, he was in a bin of like 10 other babies that all looked exactly the same.  😅  Also their recent posts are pictures of hamsters that look just like Glorfindel, so I suspect they have a remanent of hamsters from that intake that haven't been adopted yet.  But I truly don't care what my mystery ham looks like.  I'm just so excited for another ham!  😊

I told Glorfindel today that he's gonna have a new neighbor moving in to the aquarium next to his on Saturday.  I don't think he cared what I was saying because he was just happy to get a nice treat to stick in his pouch for later.  Haha! 

Lithophane

The last few weeks have been a bit stressful trying to balance so many projects while also trying to enjoy the last bit of summer break with Joe.  We did have a wonderful little getaway last week to celebrate our 11 anniversary.  I am so glad we were able to fit that into our crazy schedule.  It was so nice!!

I've been getting up earlier to prepare for the new earlier start time for school, and therefore I've had the privilege of  seeing my fluffy boy more often recently.  He is so sweet and kissable even if he is a bit shy.  He was a bit naughty during these pictures and tried to take a bit out of this lithophane.  What a silly boy!