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The theme item for Round 1 presented quite a challenge for me. Not only had I never worked with lead castings (or anything quite so small), I also didn't know much about hummingbirds. While I was pondering what on earth I might do with the little monsters, I began searching the Web for information about these birds.

The only variety found east of the Mississippi, I learned, is the ruby throated hummer, so that is what I chose to depict. I also found that it is the male that has the red throat, along with other coloring that the female lacks; they grow to be from 3 to 4 inches long, the female a little smaller than the male, and females and young hummers are drab looking, compared to the adult male. I tried to incorporate all of these things into my design.

Their feathers are iridescent, so I ordered a bunch of iridized opal glass-ruby red for the daddy's throat, limey green to accent his neck and tail, white for their breasts, brown for their crowns and wings, and gold for under their wings. The rest of the glass I already had in my Wissmach "scrap" collection. I ordered the heavy oval frame, which is solid oak.

I also found that hummingbirds are extremely territorial, and the male comes around only to mate, afterward having nothing to do with his "family." So, rather than show them mating (!?!), I chose to separate the male and female as much as is possible within a 12"x16" oval. And hummers are attracted to bright colors, particularly red, so I gave the adults red flowers to poke their needle-noses into.

But what to do with the babies? Since the little darlings are 3-D, I opted to leave an open oval in the center of the panel, running the branch or stem (from which the posies sprout) across it horizontally, allowing a spot for the three babes to perch. I gave them glass wings, and you'll note that the dude on the right is using his to try to keep his balance. More about him in a minute.

The daddy's name is Lucifer (notice how he gives you the "evil eye" when you say his name), and his mistress, at the bottom of the panel, is Melody. Their babies-twin girls-are Bethany and Stephany (that's how she spells it).

The most perplexing thing I learned from my research is that female hummers always lay two eggs. Not wanting Melody to violate the laws of nature, I was able to determine that the third young hummer-the one listing to his left as he hangs onto his perch-is their cousin Chad who just flew in from Florida. He's no longer amused by the jokes, but his cousins refer to him as "Hanging Chad."

Roberta Glover's project was not received by the deadline.