Last evening

Orion spinning overhead
chasing the moon.

Bright but in the 30's

Feels a bit like winter, but with the sun out it, it is not so bad.
Hard to believe this year is drawing to a close!
I can already feel the days growing longer, hooray!

Yesterday

An odd stripe of yellowish green
peeked under the lid of clouds
on the northern horizon at dawn.

Another lovely day

The sky was painted with splashes of crimson and gold at dawn and now the bright sun is beginning to melt the frost.  Looks like another good day for a walk at the lake to visit the gulls, marvel at the seed cases of the summer plants, and stretch our legs a bit.

Blessed with 47 and bright sunshine

Gorgeous day after Christmas, slowly putting gifts away, planning meals with leftovers, french dip tonight, pumpkin pie for breakfast with leftover quiche.  Restocking the larder for the new year.
So delightful to be warm and have the house so bright, we shall enjoy it for the couple of days we have it.

Christmas Day

And it has arrived with warmth and sunshine, thank you!
We had a lovely eve of fishes and Christmas lights tours, music and movies, snacks and laughs, thank you.
Today the gifts await, the food is ready for preparation, all are here, thank you.
Happy holidays to all, may they be filled with peace, love, acceptance, and fun.

Fingers crossed

Hoping for some sunshine and warmth for Christmas, today is a bit of the warmth, hopefully we will have the sun for a few days as well.
Friends stopping by with gifts, get-togethers, cards and gifts arriving in the mail, salmon, shrimp, oysters, and beef laid in.  Seems like it is almost time for the holiday.

Cold, rainy morning

Well at least we aren't shoveling,
That is about all the good you can say
with the weather we have been having.
Gloomy, gray, cold and wet,
about sums things up.
Lots of hunkering down
and getting through.

Monday

Icy rain in the forecast and colds that keep lingering, after a month or more of dreary weather, ick.
Hoping the New Year will bring some good changes to us.
For now we will drink our tea and try to patiently wait to feel better.

And Now

Light, my light, the world-filling light, 
the eye-kissing light,
heart-sweetening light!

Ah, the light dances, my darling, at the center of my life;
the light strikes, my darling, the chords of my love;
the sky opens, the wind runs wild, laughter passes over the earth.

The butterflies spread their sails on the sea of light.
Lilies and jasmines surge up on the crest of the waves of light.

The light is shattered into gold on every cloud, my darling,
and it scatters gems in profusion.

Mirth spreads from leaf to leaf, my darling,
and gladness without measure.
The heaven's river has drowned its banks
and the flood of joy is abroad.

Rabindranath Tagore

For the dark times

Shadows by D H Lawrence
And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
And if, as weeks go round, in the dark of the moon
my spirit darkens and goes out, and soft strange gloom
pervades my movements and my thoughts and words
then I shall know that I am walking still
with God, we are close together now the moon’s in shadow.
And if, as autumn deepens and darkens
I feel the pain of falling leaves, and stems that break in storms
and trouble and dissolution and distress
and then the softness of deep shadows folding,
folding around my soul and spirit, around my lips
so sweet, like a swoon, or more like the drowse of a low, sad song
singing darker than the nightingale, on, on to the solstice
and the silence of short days, the silence of the year, the shadow,
then I shall know that my life is moving still
with the dark earth, and drenched
with the deep oblivion of earth’s lapse and renewal.
And if, in the changing phases of man’s life
I fall in sickness and in misery
my wrists seem broken and my heart seems dead
and strength is gone, and my life
is only the leavings of a life:
and still, among it all, snatches of lovely oblivion, and snatches of renewal
odd, wintry flowers upon the withered stem, yet new, strange flowers
such as my life has not brought forth before, new blossoms of me
then I must know that still
I am in the hands of the unknown God,
he is breaking me down to his own oblivion
to send me forth on a new morning, a new man.

Baking day

Banana, coconut, walnut, date, chia, flax, quinoa muffins, with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, in the oven, to help ward off another chill, gray morning. The house is dressed in holiday quilts and the lights are on.  Glimmers of hope and warmth.

Shouldn't complain

33, windchill 26,
brrr and gray,
again.
Colds and tummy upsets.
But, the house is fairly snug,
there is good food to share,
and though spirits aren't too high
we still can smile here and there

Wednesday

Bright, bright sun
shimmering on the windows
filling up the rooms
bouncing all over the place
wowzers

Rain

42 and rain
plinking outside the window
wetting and shining the roofs

Monday morning

Chase away
your demon tigers
with abdominal breathing - ahhhh.

Saturday

Hint of sun
slight warming
a chance of a break
a tiny lift
a moment 
to be grateful

We could always use a miracle

A time of reflection,
a time of assessment,
the holidays come upon us and we are inundated with false cheer
cold comfort against torture reports, bad economies, abuse statistics,  corruption, and more.
But the times are much the same as the season we celebrate, filled with hardship and woes
inconveniences and worse, but we bring new life into the world in hope and fear, and go on.

Ash gray

The light, the buildings, the roads, the sky,
all an ashy gray.
The snow falls like soot,
more darkening then brightening,
the air burns against the skin.
Hopefully this bleak season
will soon give way...

Clear morning

A pane of blue white light
painted the porch this morning
a mystery answered by the bright moon above.

glassined branches

Glassined branches,
the scritch of ice scraped off windshields,
splatters of fat, icy, raindrops,
portents of  the end of autumn.

Monday

Slashes of vivid coral,
pools of molten gold,
filled the sky at dawn,
while the full moon mistily set
into the gray of the rest of the day

Sunny Sunday

Bright sun bounces off of neighbors' houses,
reflecting into our home dressed in its holiday finery
filled with the sounds of classical guitar
playing quietly on Pandora,
warm apple pie with cheese serves for our breakfast,
as the solstice draws nearer and nearer.

Holiday quilt

We are beginning to dress the house for the holidays.

Back to gray

Back to gray
another day,
but a lighter gray,
silvery, whitened,
thinner, drier,
a tad more hopeful
that the sun still shines,
that the earth still turns,
that there is the divine

Sunshine

Thank heavens,
some sun,
to raise our spirits
to lighten our day
to give us the chance
to see colors again

Time for outings

Bright lights and colors
of the holiday stocked stores
to distract us from the foul weather
and gray, icy, dreary streets
selling us the hope
that we will endure
this cold season,
that the warm times
will be returning
if only we don't focus too hard
on this dark, bleak time

Now 61

61 years here
a minute jostle in time
sending out my feeble light
to be reflected into the infinite
a warm vibration
the quietest of sounds
a shared breath
called into being
by the divine

May make it to 61 degrees today

..but tomorrow is forecast for snow and ice, quite the rollercoaster these days.

Almost 61

My goodness, had a celebration today, piles of presents, orange cake and song, maybe games later, altogether lovely.  Thanks to all.

Saturday

Awoke to a dark morning,
and then,
more snow.

Blessed sunshine

Bright warm sun
on a snowy, blowy day,
makes it cozy inside,
even if not out.

May we all...

Inspired by Gandhi

May we all be truthful
May we all suffer no injustice
May we all be free from fear
May we all use peace
May we all show good will

May we be free from harm
May we all be loved and give love
May we all be safe
May we all be happy and well
May we all be healthy

Lots of snow

The world is whitening today,
lots of snow, raining down.

What?

Everything blown about this morning
a leap to 67 after the arctic freeze
4-8 inches of snow possible day after next
it must be the changing of the seasons.

November Thanksgiving

so many changes...  from sharp, glittery sunlight and teens,
to the cloudy forties.
Stews and chowders simmer, and meats roast,
Fresh crisp apples are sliced and
cranberry-orange scones quickly disappear.
Music comes from behind closed doors.
Family meetings end in prayer.
May the God of fortune smile on everyone.
May despair be banished and all be uplifted.

Thank you for this, Gerard Manley Hopkins

Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

Cold, bright, windy Tuesday

Wind chills in the single digits, wow, that is cold for this time of year.  Hunting for scarves, gloves and hats.  Piling on sweaters and lying under lap blankets as the sun goes down.

Rainy Monday

Quiet and peaceful and cozy, books and painting and cooking.

Cold and cloudy, cozy Sunday

Novels, and candles, hubs and cat, snacks and music, ahhhh.

Blessed relief

My back released last night and I can move again today, hooray!  Lovely, sunny cool fall day, the leaves are falling fast and furious, the squirrels are busy, busy.  Much business at home as well, car inspections, health insurance shopping, budget planning, quilt tying and binding, meals and deals....

First snow

Lots of sleety snow yesterday, too warm to stick on the ground, but sure made a chilly day of it.  Today is below freezing but nice and sunny, the apple tree has dropped all its leaves, but the oaks and maples are brilliant.

Cool and damp

We may possibly see a bit of snow today, imagine the weather is aggravating the back issues.  Iced it again today, which alleviates the worst of things, but not too comfortable unless the heat in the house is on high.  Lessons in mindfulness abounding.

Ouch

Out of commission for a couple of days with back muscle spasms, the hubs got me settled in for the day and I got to enjoy the fall colors out my kitchen window, the peak of the show. Hoping the disabling pain will quickly pass.

The Y book sale

Spent an enjoyable few hours browsing at the Y book sale this weekend.  Came home with lots of treasures to entertain us through the long winter nights.  Today however dawned sunny and frosty, just right for a morning of cleaning and straightening and errand running, off we go.

Fall foliage at its peak

The Japanese maples are russet, burgundy, gold, orange, laying in luxurious sprawls before they lose their leaves.  A last glorious show before 4 months of dormancy. 

Thursday art group

Fallen leaves found in the trash inspired this week's study.  A croton that missed a watering dropped its leaves and created inspiration.

Cool rain showers

The rains brought down lots of leaves throughout the night.  Time to turn on the heat, bring out the sweaters, and mud shoes.  The days are gray most of the time with night closing in earlier and earlier.

Everyday prayer

Pigeons landing on the wire,
brilliant fall trees standing against
gray clouds striping the sky, 
yellow leaves drifting downward,
a sparrow passing overhead in flight...

Voting and visiting a baby

Out early to vote and visit my best friend and her new grandson.  Tiny little soul yearning to grow and explore, loving granny-nanny taking care of him.  Gorgeous warm fall day for the outing.

All Soul's Day

Moving into a new sunny warmer week, after a blustery weekend.  Two delicious nights in the new bed, first night was restless , second night sound.  Baby visiting this afternoon.

All Saints Day

We lost St. Ginger 7 years ago today, she lies in the garden with St Francis, her spirit lives on.

Halloween

Scariest thing for us is trying to figure out health insurance for our adult children who will soon lose their affordable plans and us as we go into retirement.  What a mess!!!!!

Lifebook 2015

Preparing for a full-year online mixed media art class hosted in England.  Today I worked on my introduction and started to browse the materials.  I am still deep within the Spectrum class, working on a medicine wheel prompt the past couple of weeks.  The richness of the offerings has provided abundant nurturing for creative expression.

Trick or Treat

Crescent moon
shining thru veils of cloud -
children and leaves
skittering along the streets

Strange weather

80 degrees
the leaves are raining down
the goblins and ghouls
will be about tonite

Oops

Where is the Monday post, that day slipped by in a flurry of running about.  Phew.  This morning we were greeted by bright coral stripes across a cerulean sky, wow, quite the show.  To be unseasonably warm today to drop to unseasonably chilly this weekend. For now we enjoy the perfume of fallen leaves this morning all appley and sweet.

Glorious fall walk

Tromping thru the fallen leaves and over and under fallen trees to try to rediscover Pigeon Hill Park, now all overgrown, but lovely.

Another busy day!

More painting, more last things to deal with in the bathroom, another attempted delivery of the new bed that was a no go, another due Monday, maybe the 3rd time will be the charm.  Lots of shopping for odds and ends of hardware and bathroom accessories, clothing and a few food stuffs, phew.  Another gorgeous fall day with the foliage starting to burnish the hills.  A big thank you for the family birthday calls!

Happy Birthday to T

Banners and candles, songs and gifts, games and oak rambles, crab soup and spinach salad for lunch, gyoza, sushi, tempura and tom yum for dinner.  Beautiful day altogether.

Working on it

Bless the hubs who is lining shelves and drawers, some more painting and some floor tiling to finish up.  Almost got a new mattress and box spring this morning, but needed to send the box spring back for a split to get it up the stairs, more to follow.

Ta-dah

Counter and sink today

OMG almost done, still some painting and the floor but wow, what a difference.  Waiting for caulk and silicone to dry before using photos to follow.

Turkey buzzards

A whole flock of turkey vultures soared above the Golden Mile this morning, a bit off putting to start the day. Probably getting ready to head to the Carolinas for the winter. 

Spectacular early fall Sunday

Old-fashioned oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg to start the day.  A perusal of the Sunday paper, a visit with our youngest.  A satisfying lunch of roast chicken, baked acorn squash and apples.  A brief outing to enjoy the breezy, sunny day filled with the tints of autumn.  A friendly call from overseas.  A break in the bathroom remodeling with the end in sight. 

Painting the bathroom

The hubs did most of the work painting the new surfaces in the bathroom, before the vanity top install.  Looking pretty good in there, hooray.  Looking forward to another shower when everything dries! 

Autumn's beauty

Hurricane weather

The temperatures rose higher and higher in the night almost 70 this morning, to get close to 80 today.
The moisture is hanging in the air, on the walks and trees.  Possibly not the best day for grout drying.

The tile is rising

The tile is up on 2 walls, the bathroom is coming back.  New door hung, fan in , medicine cabinet up, drylock up and now tile rising.  Hopefully we will have showers soon.

Gorgeous day

The leaves are coloring nicely against a bright blue sky.  Slowly things are returning to "normal".  Still lots of activity, but some sense normalcy is not so far away. 

October rains

Cool and rainy, with rain in the forecast most of week.  Brush ready for pick up, most of outdoor work put to bed for this year.  Odds and ends to purchase at the hardware store to finish up.  Should be able to begin readying for the holidays in a month. 

First bath

Our first born took the first bath in the new tub.  So far no leaks.  Tiling to start Monday.  A few days of peace hopefully. 

Day 2

Bathing in a plastic washtub is not too bad as long as you have hot running water, and we have that in our kitchen sink, thank heavens and tomorrow we may actually have plumbing to our new enamel over stainless steel tub, heaven.

Here we go....

Up early, neighbors 2 doors down put there dog out in the pen where it barks its good-bye;
next door, one leaves I love you's are exchanged; bathroom rotations starts here, last showers in the old tub.  Hope all goes smoothly today.

Calm

Before the demolition tomorrow when our old cast iron tub will be sledged into bits and replaced, a moment of peace.

Seeing our breath

A chilly start, seeing our breath puff into the air, blue jays squawking from the spruce, geese calling as they pass overhead, fall is here.

Fun opening!

Lovely reception last evening, moon, stars, music, good food, lovely art, lots of folks...

Almost finished

Reveals soon to come

Looks like a painting and a quilt may be finished by the end of the week to share, fingers crossed.

Pruning almost done

By came by and finished the last big mulberry, just a few smaller trees left to neaten.  Touches of color are appearing on the oaks, the sunchokes are spilling gold along the fences, and oxalis starring the yard.  The neighbor's dogwood is richly reddening and the fall clematis has changed from its snowy flowers to frowzy seed pods festooning the hedges.

Sunday

Possibly a day of rest.  Busy day yesterday, hopefully we head to the lake today.

Saturday

Lots more fall clean-up, bathroom remodeling estimate, taking up all the rugs, redoing floors underneath, laying down new rugs, swapping out computer modems, lots more to go.

Gorgeous day

Porch painted, lawn mowed, moss washed off the garage, fall cleaning is coming along.

Rain

Wet and cool out today, first rain in awhile.  Warm, sunny weather on tap, last big push for outdoor painting, so today a breather.

Day 2 of Autumn 2014

The hubs is out pruning the apple trees, the holiday quilt is almost ready to bind, front porch painting on tap for maybe the last warm weekend.

First day of fall

45 degrees this morning, clear.  The quilts are changed, the gourd wreath on the door, time to polish all the floors today. 

Memories of summer

The Grove

Equinox approaching

Crickets chorus in the garden, the v's of geese are calling overhead, leaves release and drift down as the morning sun touches them.

Painting - the other variety

Yesterday was painting the back porch, the hubs also scraped all the wood windows for the house and garage and got them, phew.  And the rain held off so we might have a couple of days for it to cure if we are lucky.
Gentle weather so far today, mild and slightly overcast.  Tree trimming continues today.

Innervate

40's in the mornings

Bright stripes of colors at dawn, chill in the air, time to bring in the tenderer plants.  Sunchokes are blooming, the squirrels are busy all day long.

"Normal"

The hubs is back at work, the juice is cooling on the stove, the laundry is almost ready for the dryer, the sky is clear, the air cool. 

The last of the grapes

The last of this year's grapes were gathered today by the hubs, tomorrow will be another juice making day.  Today there was time for a walk at the lake to see the vetch, mallows, asters, milkweeds, knapweeds, dogwoods and willows, lots of bees and wasps and butterflies, bluebirds, goldfinches, gulls and ducks, turtles and bluegills. 

The drama of Mexico

Rainy and cool

From yesterday's blue skies and breezes to 50's and wet today.  Working in, instead of all the pruning and painting outside, yesterday.  Making homemade granola, chile relleno omelet, and browsing the library for good reads.

From Yesterday's photo walk

"Nuts, Bolts and Nature"

Puebla is on display at the Hanover Area Arts Guild this month as part of the above mentioned show.  You can see it online at www.hanoverareaarts.com.

Cooler week

Much more comfortable weather, lovely day to go for a walk and see all the flowers blooming, asters, marigolds, penstemons, morning glories, roses, tansy, petunias, fall clematis, bright orange Chinese lantern husks, to name but a few on seen on our stroll.  September gives us a second spring.

Yesterday

Besides heading to the lake and playing bocce ball, we made several gallons of grape juice from a particularly bountiful harvest this year.  This was the second batch of the year and one more to go possibly.  The first batch was swiftly dispatched and the second will probably last no longer. Catch-up day today...

Stunning

Clear skies, bright sunshine, and cool breezes, a perfect day for the lake and off we go...

This morning

Cherry, almond, corn, oat, teff, ginger muffins to start the day.  Preparing to start tying the holiday quilt, pin basting done and almost finished the grove watercolor painting. Photos to follow.

More food creations

Breakfast was a softly fried egg with avocado and salsa, blueberries and organic yogurt and a glass of freshly made grape juice.  Lunch a chicken soup with onions, leeks, celery, green pepper, kale, sweet potato, squash, garlic, thyme and parsley, seasoned with turmeric, ginger, chili, paprika, salt and pepper.  Luscious harvest time delights.

Lovely lunch

Lunch was a treat of leftover steak, organic cheddar, kale and red cabbage, green peppers and beans, topped with chocolate mint garnish.  More creating with food, lovely to behold and consume.

The height of summer

Creating with food.  Peach, pecan, oat

, chia, ginger, cinnamon, waffles, topped with fresh peaches and blueberries over organic yogurt.

Amazingly creative

I am constantly inspired by the many, many creative people that share their work.  Here is a sampling I savored recently. http://www.pinterest.com/gmasister/quilts-inspiration-3/

Holiday

We have been casually enjoying the holiday, Mexican dinners out, visiting with our children, a picnic at the lake watching the boaters and fellow picnickers.  The weather has been spotty with lots of clouds and storms, so we plan around them.  All in all a lovely, restful, delicious time.

Seed of hope

The fragrance of the grapes

The aroma is beginning to permeate the yard, the birds flock in the nearby trees and twitter and call.  The wasps are starting to drunkenly circle and buzz.  Late summer.

End of summer

Things are warming back up!  The butterfly bush is thriving, the grapes are almost ready, the repotted plants settling in.  The herbs are profuse, and some blooming, the bees and butterflies busy.

A gorgeous day at the lake

Picnic, of chicken, broccoli salad, sweet and sour beets, potato salad, and blueberry pie, looking up into the trees and clouds, watching the birds, playing cards, taking a nap, reading a book, playing a round of bocce ball, ahhhhh......

More from Spectrum

In the soup

Humidity is hanging in here, at least we are not as hot as the Midwest!  Relief is in sight for the weekend.  The butterfly bush is loving the weather and has popped out a half dozen or more blooms.  The herbs continue to thrive, the rosemary chicken last night was so fragrant.

Grumpy

Feeling grumpy, crabby and grouchy, ouch!  Not very creative, just curmudgeonly.
Oh well, hopefully this will pass, along with the warmer more humid weather. The Canadian air is livelier and fresher, by far!

Monday morning

Another beautiful day here in the Keystone state.  The butterfly bush, seems happy so far in its spot in the garden.  The goldenrod is starting to show, the grapes are growing purple.
The sunchokes grow taller and taller!

Planted a new butterfly bush

Bless his heart, lawn mowed and bush planted on his first morning back, so the yard is once again tamed somewhat.  Beautiful this year, stayed a gorgeous emerald, never browning out, a bit more work, but a lot more lovely.  The hibiscus, the black-eyed susan's and early asters are all putting on their show and now the replacement buddleia for the one that froze out this harsh winter.

Puebla to Dallas

The hubs is back in the states, haven't heard from him as yet but flight tracker shows him there.  Another gorgeous day, this has been the loveliest summer!  Grass needs mowed...

What to do

I needed inspiration for art group yesterday, looked far and wide, asked people close by, finally the answer was provided from a call to Mexico and a photo from Puebla arrived...

Odd synchronicity

Noting the temps here and in Puebla Mexico almost the same. Really does go to show for every foot in elevation gain, is like a foot further north.  Black-eyed susan's are in their prime now here.  A bit of fall crispness in the air this morning.

Sunshine

Sunshine and blue skies return.  We ate the last ripe peach from the orchard today.  Began a little embroidery project.  Waiting for next Spectrum installment, art group tomorrow.

Rainy day rhythms

The spatter and splatter of rainfall today, everything washed shiny green, the house is like an inside out greenhouse.

Monday breakfast

Fresh peach pancakes, with pecans and ginger, yogurt and chia seeds and more fresh sliced peaches, the height of summer

Super moon

The super moon set full and orange in the west this morning as Venus rose in the east.

Winging to Puebla

The hubs is off to an adventure in Mexico, halfway between Baltimore and Dallas for now. Flying between storms this leg.  Calm here, warm. 

Friday

Veggie noodle soup, open face organic cheese bread and pears await for lunch.  The weather continues to delight here, the birds are raucous all thru the morning.

quilting

Working on borders, slow, long work, not much to show for now, but when they are attached the whole thing will be together, soon...

Icon

Monday morning

Started off all foggy and cool, warming up quickly with bright sun burning it off. Began my day with readings, meditation, qigong, herbal coffee and a pear, walnut, corn, oat bran waffle with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon over lowfat plain yogurt, yum.
Also straightened a bit and packed the hubs lunch, visited with the cat and E watched a dewdrop give me rainbow blinks from the mulberry while pondering the earth artists of the 80's and 90's, Smithson, Heizer, Turrell, wowsers! 

meditation

Quilt progress made

Worked on holiday quilt borders yesterday, need to do some work on the machine to put them together and then attach them to the center, coming along.  The mimosa is still blooming, and the crickets are beginning to sing.

Works in progress

Was on break to deal with family issues and car problems, hopefully all will be well eventually.  A bit soupy today, a tropical disturbance encroaching, after lovely fall like weather for almost a week.
Hope to have some work to show in the near future.

Muffins

In honor of the unseasonably cool mornings, baking pumpkin, cranberry, pepito, ginger muffins this morning, yum!  Art group on hiatus today, working on icon for Spectrum, bordering holiday quilt, picking up farm share, lunch with a friend, ahhh. 

From the back yard

Notations

...from the drumming circle

Quiet Sunday

Paper read, family abed, cat sleeping, street quiet, ahhhh.

Fresh peaches

The trees are bending under their fruit and it is delicious, delightful with strawberries and yogurt on waffles for breakfast, yum!

Fun

Shadow dancing

Who knew, that could be so fun, Spectrum continues to pull and stretch and inspire me daily.

Boldly go

So many ideas

Ecstatic postures, anthropological explanations of ritual, laser inertial fusion energy, the doves calling in the morning, so many ideas, so many ways of seeing and expressing the all.

Better

Hopefully everyone is on the mend.  Warming up again, but still a fairly mild summer for us.  A nice drive through the countryside today, seeing the vineyards, corn and soy fields doing very well.  My youngest is in his new place.

Healing

A virus sickened family members yesterday, but they seem to be on the mend, time will tell.  A lone sunflower unveiled its blossom, all golden and round, the black-eyed Susan's  are close to revealing their colors.  The weather still holds fairly mild for July, a real treat!

Delightful

How delicious to awaken to 55 degree weather in mid-July, oh we are getting spoiled!

Another delightful day

Rare treats for July!  The mimosa is blooming so sweetly, the sunset last night held the same colors, gorgeous.

Such a treat

The weather is in the 70's with low humidity today, amazing for mid-July and so welcome, turn off the air conditioners and open the windows and bask in it!

Fog

Woke up to fog and bird song, a rare treat in mid-July.  A bit cooler and cozier all tucked under a thin gray blanket. A polar plunge due for a day or two, a lovely break.

Stormy weather

We survived another gusty storm, with a few things blowing about again, but retrieved.  More due in later today, it is the season.  Hubs off to NY City tomorrow and more weather up there. 

Laid back Sunday

The hubs is recovering from a pretty good sunburn from yesterday's hard work.  Reading the Sunday paper, studying the camera handbook, planning the organic chili recipe for later today.  Last night was salmon, roasted kohlrabi, braised kale and peppers.  Fresh peaches and french vanilla ice cream for dessert.  The farm shares are a wonderful summer treat!

The heat is back

The super moon was obscured by clouds this morning, but there is a bright glare to the afternoon with the heat in the high 80's.  Hubs has been working outside, while I have been making meals and quilting in.  The yard is more broad leaf plantain than grass, the grapes, keep getting bigger, the rose of sharon shrubs are blooming, the black-eyed susan's are in bud and the sunchokes grow taller and taller.

Fresh new morning

Cool and a bit more refreshing, a lovely morning to be out. 

Big blow

A strong storm blew through last night and knocked a lot of branches down.  A bit of a clean up this morning.  So far nothing major here, but other friends and acquaintances were not quite as lucky, trees downed, vehicles and homes damaged.

Christmas in July

Working on a Christmas quilt that has been in process for a couple of years at least, maybe this year it will be finished!  Working on the 12 log cabin blocks that are part of it, finished the cactus flower blocks. 

7/7/14

It was a hot one today!  Watered the plants first thing and ran errands early, quilted, painted and wrote during the hot part of the day.  Chicken cacciatore, with lots of fresh organic veggies and herbs from the backyard pots, and watermelon for dinner, raspberry ice cream for dessert, yum!

Picnic and boating

A lovely early dinner at the lake, watching all the families and boats, sitting at a table in the shade with a cool breeze and bright sun all around, perfect.

Fireflies and fireworks

Lots of bangs and booms and lights in the sky last evening.  To awaken to a blissfully peaceful, clear, bright, fresh day.  Hooray!

Refreshment

Brunch at the lake with the herons and red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks and vultures.  A bit of bocce competing and then back home for a break before returning again later in the day.

Small break

Four days off to explore, storms and heat to overshadow today. Egg salad sandies and fruit salad for light lunch before picking up this week's organic produce and running some errands amidst the weather.  Painting group on hiatus, but Spectrum, quilting and t'ai chi on tap.

July 2

July 1

                                                       Things are heating up!

End of June

Beginning of the week, lots of catch up and to-do's, calls and clean-up.  Lemon bars cooling, chicken curry to make, quilting and qigong practiced.   

Pillars of Rome

From T & J trip to Oregon last month...

Late June

The yard is filling up with rose of sharon, sunchokes, grapes, mulberries, and blackberries, oh my.  Profusion! The male tree of heaven has saturated everything with tiny blossoms and the flies are drawn to the fallen blooms. Abundance and fecundity everywhere!

Hooray it's Friday

For me that means cleaning and laundry to get ready for the weekend.  Just finished a new painting to share as well, tomorrow maybe.

More mandala play

88 degrees today

It is warming up, may have seen the first lightning bugs last evening.  The thunderheads are piling up high and white above, dark below.  Summertime in PA.

Midsummer

The roses...

Midsummer or Midsummer's eve

Most places the latter, Croatia the former.
Here is my

Midsummer's Eve quilt to celebrate this special time of year.

Delight

A cool summer morning holding promise of a warm midday.

Solistice dawn

Raucous bird song rose up as the gold, orange, raspberry waves of colors streamed from the eastern horizon, squeezed under the lid of clouds; long, lingering and intense until all was overcast, left with the lush verdure against the neutral sky.

Refreshing break

The storms rolled through, the heat rolled out, hooray!
Lovely end to a beautiful spring.
The roses, lilies and spirea are laden with blooms, weighed down by their bounty of beauty.
We have celebrated with fresh organic green salads, fruit salads of melons and berries, veggie pastas rich with Croatian olive oil and fresh herbs from their pots, all the richness and ripeness of the season bursting with savory flavors.
Enjoyed with the background music of the birds, the passing drenching downpours and the light murmur of drowsy conversations.

And one in cloth

Mandala play

Heat's coming

Close the doors and shutter the windows -
heat's coming.
The onslaught may go on for days...
Chill the teas
lay out the percale
the hot days are here!

Father's Day

The rising sun
chased the waning full moon
off to the west this morning

Friday the 13th

Full moon passing,
downpours,
hot to cool to hot again

the lawn

Stars of clover
whiten the lawn
the tree of heaven is in bloom again

June

Thunderstorms boom in the night awaking us
foliage hangs heavily after the rains
the roses can barely keep their petals on
and the mulberries speckle the walks

Late spring

the net of honeysuckle scent
catches us unawares
on a damp, gray morning

Where it begins

the mark maker the miraculous hand

Meditating on Desire

Set in motion

Change in the weather

Thunderstorms and temperature swings, grass growing, birds singing, sweet late spring.

Holiday

Hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon and ice cream on the lawn; birds and squirrels scolding and calling jumping and chasing all about; clear, glittery morning leaves, welcome afternoon shadows.

T's return

Slowly unpacking
rocks and sage
the desert has made its way back East

For fun

Sherlock knitting.

the gift

Compassion and understanding,
expression and release
hope renewed

the Avowal by Denise Levertov

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them, so I would learn to attain
freefall and float
into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all surrounding grace.

Work in process

Shamanic journeying

Inspired Women Summit continues today, so many offerings by beautifully spiritual women. 

Travel and visioning

As T goes on his vision quest to the west I am on my visioning quest with both Spectrum and now the Inspiring Women Summit, these amazing circles of support organized by healing women all over the world.

Wild geranium

Jack-in -the-pulpit

May apple

Wildflower hunt continues

miraculous respiration

The uptake of oxygen and the release of toxins and CO2

Where have I been

inspired by Lisa Wilson's Flow meditation

Inspiring

A quote from 365 Tao

Let us go out and enjoy the day, revel in the coming of spring, rejoice in the warming of the earth. As we wander the endless mountains and streams, filling our lungs with the breath of the forests, let us take comfort in being part of nature. For life has enough misery and misfortune. Philosophy reminds us enough of the transience of life. Give us the charm of the ephemeral....

May tussie-mussie

Message from the muse

Luminous, warming, generous
Beautiful, hopeful and joyful
Renewing.
Her feet in the night, her head in the clouds,
Praised by the birds in full-throated song.
Radiant, resplendent, full-bodied.

May Day meditation

Goddess of Dawn

Another meditation from Spectrum

Lovely surprises

We found the bloodroot blooming not too many but some, hooray!
And while we were looking at it we had a pileated woodpecker call and fly and then 2 wild turkeys came down the bank and crossed the road, quite the day for us.