the blue muse

And, oh my, this one sure smells sweet.

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Sending you virtual roses, don’t forget to inhale.

and I love a clean slate.

It was a wonderful weekend filled with catching up, on life and cleaning and rest and gardening and laughter and family. And a little reading. I had plans each night to get into bed early and read for hours, but reading quickly turned into sleeping. Ha.

Sometimes, you just have to give your body what it needs.

So, a new dawn, a new day, a new week. Just now the sun is shining, though thunderstorms are on their way for the afternoon. I’m going to sneak out for a cup of tea with the naughty kitten and the poppies before I start another crazy frenzied stint of work.

Because I can.

And those poppies, well, they just keep right on waving at me, inviting me to come out and play. And they won’t be here for much longer.

Perhaps I’ll have two cups this morning.

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Wishing you a week filled with new beginnings.

A perfect morning for tea in the garden, sunshine and birdsong and a beautiful mess of flowers.

The poppies have been nodding their heads at me for days, all the roses are in bloom, and all the windows are open.

I think I probably sound like a broken record, but these are the glory days. There hasn’t been much time for writing lately, or working in the garden, but I make sure to pause for a few minutes every morning to take it all in before I put my nose to the grindstone.

There is no better way to start my day.

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Wishing you a day filled with flowers and sunshine.

With the exception of lunch with my family, I spent the entire day outside yesterday, reading and relaxing. It was a much-needed, beautiful thing. The weather was perfect, sunny and just the right temperature.

I read a book from start to finish (Flora by Gail Godwin), took lots of photos, and spent lots of time petting naughty kitten.

I didn’t need to turn any music on, there were birds serenading me all day long, and in between, the silence was soothing.

I should have been working in the garden. In truth, I should have been working on the million things that need doing in my life, but some days, you just have step back and rejuvenate. Without guilt.

Eventually I packed up my book and my notebook and my camera and my phone and brought everything back inside. And then I walked back out to sit and listen to the birds sing the sun to bed for the night.

A few minutes later, a dragonfly landed on my knee with a little tickle. He stayed there for at least a minute, having a rest or saying hello, or perhaps sending a message. A reminder to stop and slow down a little. It feels like it’s not always possible, but it is always necessary. And so worth it.

Quite literally, yesterday I stopped to smell the flowers. Roses and peonies, the peppery smell of lupine, and the sweet scent of these blooms on the ninebark bushes that the honeybees are mad for.

The perfume of life.

Breathe it in. Take it with you.

Reach for the light.

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Wishing you a week filled with hope.

Whew, what a crazy few weeks it has been! I am as busy as the bees buzzing away in my garden, where the roses have all bloomed, the peonies are dancing in the rain and the alliums are beginning to go to seed.

All of this happened almost without notice… almost.

Sometimes, life is just like that, pulling you in a million directions, testing your endurance, turning your path into an obstacle course.

Somehow, we always seem to find our way through the maze, and then all is well again.

I’m not sure yet when that moment will be, but that’s okay.

Instead of magic, I have chaos. Or perhaps this chaos will turn out to be its very own version of magic.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Wishing you a weekend filled with sunshine.

Because there is sun

and there are flowers

and some days

that is more than

enough.

My garden is filled with flowers named in words of love.

Bleeding Heart

Love in a Mist

Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate

Love in a Puff

Red, Red Rose

The language of flowers is a lovely one
(and it was also a lovely book by Vanessa Diffenbaugh).

There is so much meaning and history behind these blooms.
We don’t really keep up with that sort of thing these days, but
in olden times, if someone gave you a bouquet of bleeding hearts,
it meant they were professing their undying love for you.

There is no other flower that quite so obviously
sends a valentine out to the world.

I have a feeling Mother Nature has a soft spot
in her own heart for these.

I know I do.

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Wishing you a heart-filled week.

Green is innocence, patina, verdant, fresh.

Green is spring and summer, renewal and leaf.

Green is the color of a hummingbird’s soul.

Green is goodness and grass, and bells of Ireland.

Green is lime and pistachio, celery and olive.

Green is parrot and ivy,  earth, forest and fern.

Green is goddess and emerald, mint mocha delight.

Green is envy and verdigris, inexperience and growth.

Green is holly and pine, and June’s favorite song.

Green is sage and willow, a soft bed of moss.

Green is peridot promise, jade jewels and glass.

Green is nurture and nature, the mother of kindness.

Green is pond and polliwog, lizard and frog.

Green is sanctuary, promise, life.

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Today is the last day to save BIG at our Customer Appreciation May Sale:

25% OFF EVERYTHING IN BOTH SHOPS UNTIL MAY 31st!

PLUS, FREE SHIPPING ON ANY ORDER OVER $75.00

Just use the code ILOVESPRING at checkout.

Click here for jewelry and here for photography.

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xoxo

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Because sometimes, you need a new perspective.

Sometimes upside-down provides the best view.

Sometimes it’s good to focus on the tiny, beautiful things.

And sometimes, you just have to be silly.

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Things have been busy, busy around here, graphics work and gardening and trying to get new jewelry and photography loaded into the etsy shops. It’s a full life, this being an artist. That’s why, every so often, you just have to get down on the ground and look at things in a fresh way. These salvia flowers look completely different from a distance, from above. But I have to say, I kind of like the way they look from this angle best.

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Wishing you a week filled with wonderful views.

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Also, just two days left for our Customer Appreciation May Sale:

25% OFF EVERYTHING IN BOTH SHOPS UNTIL MAY 31st!

PLUS, FREE SHIPPING ON ANY ORDER OVER $75.00

Just use the code ILOVESPRING at checkout.

Click here for jewelry and here for photography.

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xoxo