the blue muse

::

answers that refuse to show their face

a heart that wants to forge its own path

questions that lead me in circles

a mirror that reveals nothing but time

platitudes that sound good but deliver little

a life that refuses to be easy

::

still, there is tea

there is a sun on the horizon

there is a day filled with hours

possibility

ideas

::

and beauty

waiting

to be found

can be a blizzard on a weekend when just exactly what you need
is to sit by the fire, reading.

or a tiny paper bird created by a sweet soul that makes you smile
every time you walk past it.

it can also be working together as a family to install a new hot water heater
on the day your old one springs a leak.

and being grateful that it was something you know how to fix, because
it is one of the many things in life your father taught you how to do.

and a mom who is always there when you need her.

a husband who cleans up after dinner just because he knows
you are dying to finish your book.

a son who builds you the fire you will sit before.

a bunch of kittens sprawled in the warmth of that fire
as the wind howls outside your door.

and having the good sense to realize
just how truly blessed you are.

happiness.

::

bird made by red or gray art

::

just outside your window,

waiting for you to notice.

::

::

because

sometimes,

that’s just exactly

what a soul

needs.

::

It was beautiful this past weekend, beautiful for February, that is.
Nice enough for a long walk on Saturday with my dog, feeling a bit of
sunshine on my face, snapping a few photos.

It has been a quiet winter. A mild one. One that seems to hold
less waiting and more doing, less answering and more asking,
less making and more thinking.

It feels like this will be a year of change.
Of growing this way rather than that.

Reaching higher.

Stretching.

It doesn’t always feel comfortable, this stretching, but it feels necessary.

And sometimes new growth comes from prickly places.

It comes from standing tall and weathering out
the tough winds and cold weather.

It comes from deep within.

I’ve been reevaluating a lot of things lately, this space, my jewelry business, the direction of my life, trying to determine the best way to foster new growth.

I haven’t decided anything yet, but that’s okay, it’s still winter.

A quiet winter with time to think, plan, and envision the colors
of this year’s garden.

::

Wishing you a week filled with beauty and blossoms.

::

20% OFF everything in both etsy shops until February 29th!
jewelry • prints

Just use code LOVE20 at checkout…

::

::

at times,

you get startled

into flight.

even so,

you soar.

::

There’s a lot going on in my mind lately, lots of questioning, lots of ideas,
lots of wondering, wandering, drifting, pondering.

I think this is a good thing, I have this weird sort of energy,
and as something shifts to one side, I see something else.

Problems become possibilities, what-ifs become why-nots,
could-have-beens become nevermind.

And just when I get to the point where I think
I might be driving myself crazy, my heart steps in and says,
“be mine, be true, move forward.”

At some point, my heart and my mind will have to join hands
and walk off into the sunset together, don’t you think?

Not that I’m expecting a happily-ever-after kind of arrangement,
but if they were both on the same path for awhile,
that would be nice.

::

Happy February!

::

20% OFF everything in both etsy shops until February 29th!
jewelry • prints

Just use code LOVE20 at checkout…

Because my heart said so.

::

xoxo

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.