the blue muse

as winter fades to spring

hangers-on will be forced to let go,

making room for new growth

fresh color,

life.

::

i’ve been spending time in my studio

doing much the same,

tossing papers, sorting, filing, rearranging.

making space for new thoughts, ideas,

designs, words.

::

january was a month of rest

rejuvenation

contemplation.

where to go from here?

::

so many things

float through my mind,

not gently as a leaf that finally

drops to earth of its own accord,

but more as a whirlwind

of activity on a blustery day.

::

but for today

i hang on

enjoy the view,

breathe in the scent of snow

and simple

as all that growing

happens just

below the surface.

::

What if there was a place you could go anytime you needed a giggle, or some beauty, or a bit of artistic inspiration?

  (By Camil Tulcan on Flickr)

A quiet place that you can fill with things that you love,

things that make you smile,

things that make you think…

On Pinterest, you can find a new recipe to try, or a peek at your favorite movie star if you’re into that sort of thing, or a billion new hairdos, or the cutest baby pictures ever. That’s the fun part, you collect images that speak to you, and it becomes a picture of who you are, in the most fundamental a-picture-says-a-thousand-words kind of way. It’s social media that shows who you are on a completely different level than facebook or twitter.

And then you start finding images that you know your friends will like. My good friend Debi (of emmatree) and I have been laughing at all the kittens (and cupcakes, but I won’t torture you with those), how much they are killing us, how much they make us laugh, how much we can’t stop looking at them…

And I know that she loves this color…

I know that my friend Graciel of Evenstar Art loves owls…

And well, this could go on for days, but you get the idea. It’s interesting to see what you find yourself drawn to, the images you choose to pin on your own board make up a small vignette of who you are.

Debi and I decided we would both write about pinterest today, you will love her, she is the best writer. Her story is here.

And it’s also nice when you find some of your own images that other people have pinned…

That kind of made my day, a little… (thanks, Janet!)

You can find me on pinterest here. If you are there, leave your link in the comments so I can follow you!

::

Wishing you a weekend filled with beauty, inspiration, and lots of smiles….

On Saturday, it was fairly nice out, so my husband and I decided to take our dog for a walk. It ended up being a five-mile walk on a snowy trail, a good workout, and it was wonderful to be outside, breathing in some fresh air. We saw quite a few birds, chickadees and sparrows, cardinals and crows, titmice and a hawk.

And then there was little guy, all cute and happy and making me smile. He was kind enough to sit still as I snapped several photos, he didn’t really seem to mind my presence. Perhaps he was concentrating on looking for food.

Yesterday I sat at my kitchen table watching the birds at the feeder again, and realized that I have been looking at birds out that same window for 27 years. That’s a long time. And then I thought about all the things in this house that I always thought I would change, the tiny windows being one of them, and I can’t believe that much time has gone by without it happening.

I was so young when I moved here, my son still a baby. And I never thought I would still be in this same house, all these years later.

Life is funny, it just keeps on keeping on, no matter where you stand or land or fly on off to.

But somehow, it feeds you, too. And in many ways, this place has kept me grounded.

My garden is here, a place that has become a part of who I am.

We have a history together, this tiny house on this plot of land with birds and flowers and wide open sky.

And a small life that’s been lived in the largest possible of ways.

With love and hope and laughter as nourishment.

Well-fed.

::

Forming new seeds. Learning to soar.

::

(six word memoirs at SmithMag
prompted by Kim Klassen at Beyond Layers)

::

And, of course,
I invite him in
to sit for a while,
offering tea and cookies
and the chance to warm
cold toes by the fire.

He is grateful
for the company,
a bit tired of
the cold shoulder,
always feeling
misunderstood.

I pass the plate
and smile politely,
failing to mention
how often
I dream
of spring.

::

Last night I thought my house might blow away. Well, okay, that is a slight exaggeration, but there were gusts clocked at 73 mph, and that’s pretty windy.

It probably didn’t help that I was watching the movie, 2012, only because it was on the channel my husband had been watching, and I was knitting, so I never bothered getting up to switch the station. Despite that fact that it’s an absurd movie as far as the way it all works out in the end.

But there were times when the wind was howling so loud that I couldn’t hear the television. Which actually made the disasters happening in the movie seem more real and more scary.

It was another reminder of how much we depend on Mother Nature, and how we take so much for granted with our electricity and internet and convenience stores and sometimes I wonder if we have forgotten how to survive. Mostly I try not to think about such things, there are no answers and you can drive yourself crazy. But it was hard not to think about it last night.

No matter how civilized and technologically advanced we think we have become, we are still ruled by Nature.

At our house, we were lucky and never lost power, but thousands of people in the area did. Trees were down, damage was done.

This morning it is fairly calm again, with a light dusting of snow. Another mild day in what has been a very mild winter. A day that makes me grateful for the house I have, the life I live, the warmth and the food and the shelter and the soft place to sleep.

I simply have nothing to complain about.

Thanks for the reminder, Mother.

Outside, the world is whisper quiet,
a blanket of snow pulled up to its chin,
growth happening only in dreams.

Birds flutter and scurry, cling to hope and hunger,
spend their days in search of food.

Mother Nature believes in tough love.

This flower, though forced, had life easy,
needing only to absorb and reach for the sun.

For days it filled my house with the scent of spring,
and if I closed my eyes, for just a second, it was.

Pretty and pampered,
this blossom knew nothing of the travails of life,
nothing of the burn of frost or the scorch of wind,
nothing of the cardinal stealing her seed,
nothing of competing for the warmth of the sun.

And yet, she withers, spent.

Still, beautiful.

For most of last year, I felt slightly off-center.  I could never put my finger on just exactly why, but the feeling was always there, taunting me, just out of reach.

But lately, here I am, right smack dab in the middle of myself.

It’s such a good feeling. A coming home kind of feeling. Coming home to a pot full of soup waiting on the stove and a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace. That kind of coming home.

And so, I’m settling in. Warming my toes and filling my belly and reveling in this feeling. Enjoying it while it lasts.

Because you never know when the wind that is life will start to blow again, leaving you no choice but to step outside and cling to those branches. Sometimes, holding on for dear life.

But just now, for today, I am here. There is a blizzard raging outside my windows, literally.

And I am snuggled in, sick with a cold, but all the same, centered.

It’s a good place to be.

::

Wishing you a weekend filled with warmth and comfort.

::

Isn’t it nice to see flowers? Not that I’m seeing these out my window, this is a photo I took last fall. But sometimes you just have to remind yourself that the world won’t be grey forever.

In truth, I cannot complain about the weather, it has been an extremely mild winter so far.

But enough about me. I wanted to tell you about something wonderful today. A friend of mine, Graciel of Evenstar Art fame, recently asked me to participate as an instructor in the fabulous e-course that she is offering!

It’s called

The Soul in Bloom

Home Edition

and it’s going to be wonderful!

It began as a question:

Where do you feel most at home?

and evolved into a quest to find the answer.

Below is some info from the sign-up page, or click here for full details.

“So, I took that question and walked among the trees. The trees told me it was time to honor all aspects of home; my body as first home, my dwelling as second, the earth as third. In honoring that trinity I would finally and irrevocably come home to myself. And being at home with myself would transform my life.

I ask it of you ~ where do you feel most at home? Let’s find out together. Come home along with me. Let’s bloom.  xo, Graciel”

I think it will be a wonderful journey!

::

Last year I had the best time working with Graciel in designing her magazine series: The Soul in Bloom (available here). It was such a joy to work with so much beautiful content. Graciel has an incredible way of looking at the world, at nature, at life.

::

Would love to have you join us!

::

a day that begins with softly falling snow ends with a slowly rising moon.

i walk down the driveway in the dark, and she sings to me.

inside, there is warmth and comfort food,

celebration and light.

i stand for a moment, dressed in moonlight and pearls

gazing up at that mona lisa smile.

she knows, as do i,

that the sun will rise all too soon.