Happiness is a Twirly Thing

I dug an old laminated map out of my teaching archives, spent $20 on beads, and perfected the fine art of pinwheel construction! The key is light-weight laminated paper, no bigger than 9 x 9, slippery (glass) beads with big holes, three inch nails, and a post that is sturdy enough to not sway in the wind. Oh, and taller the better to reach above my fence.

It was a challenge finding beads with holes large enough to accommodate a nail. I went to a bead warehouse that must have had a million different beads to select from, and maybe ten varieties were suitable.

So I've gone crazy. At this point I don't even care if they drive the moles/voles crazy, although that would be nice. When they start twirling it makes me so happy!

It took some adjustment to get used to the noise. I kept thinking an animal was in the yard running through the garden, or a bird flying nearby.

I especially like the double ones. This one can be seen from my kitchen window:

I made a double one for the front yard.

This one seems to twirl non-stop:

I now have five in the backyard, two on the east side, one double on the west side, and five in the front yard. Next I think I'll paint some designs on paper, laminate it, and see how that works. I'm thinking I should hang them all over my house and fence, too, like a crazy person.

I've also ordered some red fox urine...I figure it'll keep everything out of my yard.