Inspiration

Rain is splashing in puddles on the concrete, there is a chill in the air. A new season is beginning. A leaf or two begins the subtle change from green to orange, yellow and red. It's a glorious season one I love for reflection, meditation and making improvements. Preparing to hunker down for the winter to come. Or for us in the South the promise of Winter. It is a quiet Friday and I am prone to daydreaming...the dripping rain beckons me back to the window! Browsing thru some shots of things... I derive inspiration for future projects...
This humble cottage would make a lovely vacation home in the mountains. It's definitely a fixer. It is in fact in the Smokey Mountains. Can you just hear the rain tapping on the tin roof? A couple rockers on the porch. Pure Ecstasy.

The clouds rolling over the Great Smokey Mountains...all around one is engulfed in this smokey haze...it has an ethereal feel to it.

The lines of this bench and the way it felt against my back...I could nap here. Oh yeah...Me and Moe, our feline son.

On a walk in the country at the family ponderosa...I have no idea what these are...reminded me of some alien pods........

What's not to love about this wiggly, little guy. Can you look at him and not smile for all his being so very "twee" (as my friend Dorothy would have called it) This was on the dash of my friend Kelly's car. He was rescued from a thrift shop in Florida.

Nature's beauty discarded from the sea for us to look upon and enjoy. I could sit there for hours and sift my hands through the fragments. Some shells were selected to be added to jewelry projects...nature graciously provided holes for them to be re-used as jewelry or in other art.

Kinda what today looks like, shades of gray...behave... we are not talking about my hair! This day has a reflective, meditative, silent deliciousness about it...hope you enjoy your weekend!

"The Knitting Girl" Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825 - 1905)

Any woman who sews or knits, or weaves, blends colors in a tapestry or creates a patchwork quilt, knows by the feel that a single thread is weak but the weaving, the blending, the interwining with many others makes it strong.

Any woman alone without friends to sustain her, to nurture and support, to hold with loving arms, like a single thread, is weak. But the weaving, the loving, the nurturing of others, the networks of friendship makes her strong.

Barbara, 1994 The Kinship of Women (Maryjane's ideabook*cookbook*lifebook - MaryJane Butters)

We are all connected by virtue of our humanity. When surrounded by joy we can feel joy, when surrounded by despair we can feel despair. Let us be our "brothers keeper", spread our own measure of joy to those around us!

P.S. "Confetti Scarf" is on the way to Dishy! I will be making more scarves soon as it is a form of meditation for me...I already have one for every day of the week...email me if you would like one and we'll see what we can do!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

Why did the Chicken cross the road? Ah, the age old question. Recently someone sent me a hilarious list of possible reasons "the chicken crossed the road". One indicated that the chicken needed a change. We all know that the other side of the road always looks better than the side on which we are currently standing. We cross over only to find that what we were looking for is not there, the view is just different! I remind myself over and over with a little help from my friends that I have everything I need right in this present moment and within myself. So many people are "unhappy". The key to happiness for me is really very simple. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and I wish to live by the example shown by his Son, Jesus Christ. I adore my family and enjoy spending time with them. Most of the time, I like who I am!!! If I am having one of those "I don't like myself, pity party kind of days, I do something kind for someone. This immediately removes the focus off of what I am not liking at the time. My friend, Jayne introduced me to a book called "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz and I have found myself repeating those agreements over and over to myself and it really helps me stay focused on what is important! One of these days, I will be "blog" proficient and be able to put links in here correctly! I highly recommend reading "The Four Agreements". I do not tolerate boredom well, so I have little things I do to avoid it:

• I take exotic mini vacations in my mind. Anywhere in the tropics. Meditating on a mountain. Anywhere that gives my mind a momentary rest and change of pace.
• I take alternate routes when going places. I know I am driving the same route too often when I automatically go somewhere and it is not where I intended going!
• I listen to a huge variety of music
• Turn off the television. Too much television creates boredom, dissatisfaction and ennui!
• Learn something new!
• I love to read a wild selection of books. I am not hooked on one genre.
• Play!!! Bubbles are great. Fingerpaints and Playdoh are very therapeutic. Borrow a child if you feel silly doing it by yourself!
• Laugh. Laugh. And Laugh some more! There is humor in just about everything. Don't take yourself so seriously all the time.
• Be a tourist in your own town. I have been amazed seeing something with "fresh eyes"
• Try on clothes that you would not ordinarily wear.
• Clean and Organize. I love the satisfaction of organized closets and shelves.
• Cuddle with someone you Love!

If you are feeling the need to "cross to the other side" I suggest looking around and making a few changes on your side of the road. Sometimes a change of perspective is all that is needed to enhance your day to day existence! If you do cross the road with the chicken, remember we are over here cheering you on when you choose to come back!!! Just don't get stuck in the middle of the road.

A Cabin in the Woods

In 2008, Asheville NC turned out to be one of the biggest centers, if not THE Actual Epicenter, for the emergence of the 17-Year Cicada (Magicicada septendecim), Brood XIV.

Parts of Western North Carolina have been under siege from the cicadas, and their weird mating call, which some say is akin to a never-ending car alarm, or maybe a “Star Trek” phaser that’s stuck on “kill.”

Every seventeen years the "nymphs" which have been living underground and eating tree roots come out of the ground, shed their shell and begin their mating. The sound reminds me of the mother ship landing.

I have an extremely overactive imagination and I am afraid of the dark and a host of other fears. In an effort to quell some of those fears I stayed in a cabin by myself during my recent retreat. The path to the parking area is lighted, however the descent to the cabin is not...this is huge for me! I walked the path and imagined all sorts of creatures natural and supernatural lying in wait that first night! The trek became easier each time except for the night the owner mentioned that there were a few coyotes and wild pigs on the land. I really did not need that information! Of course, I did encounter some four legged creature, it took off running as soon as it saw me! It was probably just a cat possibly a raccoon, it moved too fast to be an opossum.

The cabins were equipped with electricity but no plumbing. I won't even go into the have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night stories...let's just say I wasn't walking up to the portable john!!! The area was unseasonably hot for the mountains and I like air conditioning!
The cabin was quaint and comfortable.

The view during the daylight hours was breathtaking. The view at night with few curtains breathtaking in a different way. So dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Add to that the crazy cicada noises and everything else...I slept with a light on in the cabin the first night. After that night, I graduated to the porch light and flashlight. It was an amazing experience. Standing on the porch in the mornings with the fresh mountain air, birdsong and a cup of herbal tea was absolutely delicious! I learned a lot about myself that weekend. We live in such a beautiful world and I feel as close to God as possible when surrounded by His creations in such a natural setting. I feel an overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude for such beauty. We must be responsible and do our part to ensure that this beauty continues for our posterity.

Back to the cicadas, all in all it was a fascinating study of insects but I sure wish they wouldn't fly into my hair!!!

Corners and Wabi Sabi

Anna found her much needed corner because she was not tired and did not want to go to bed!

Do you ever wonder why corners are so appealing? Corners offer a little haven of protection. To a child a corner can be the no fun corner when misbehaving or it can be a place they go to "not be seen" Small children often think if they can't see you, you can't see them! Corners can be comfortable little nooks where one might sit in a chair or on pillows to read, knit, watch television, meditate or daydream. Corners can be decorated attractively to enhance the ambiance of the entire room OR sadly, corners can be the catch all place for all the STUFF that hasn't made its way back to where it really belongs or doesn't have a place, yet. My friend Jayne embraces feng shui and decorates accordingly...me, feng shui is a little on the confusing side so I am embracing the Japanese practice of Wabi Sabi! "Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. For the Japanese, it's the difference between kirei-merely "pretty"-and omoshiroi, the interestingness that kicks something into the realm of beautiful. It's a richly mellow beauty that's striking but not obvious, that you can imagine having around you for a long, long time-Katherine Hepburn versus Marilyn Monroe." (I have completely lost the architect"s name to give credit to for this information) Make no mistake, Wabi Sabi is not an excuse for sloppiness or laziness however it acknowledges the imperfection in all things and is used frequently in art. I am in love with the theory of imperfection. Imperfection is what gives each person, place and thing its character! I really do not want my home to be a cookie cutter copy of the one in a magazine. I may get ideas from a book, magazine or home show only to put my personal stamp on the look. I love my home, it is always a work in progress, that would be the joy of home ownership. We remodeled about six years ago, I love the changes but am now thinking what I would have done differently, however I do promise there will not be another remodel. I believe I am too faint hearted for that these days!!! We have a screened porch that will be the next really big project. Oh, I have plans for that space!!! We already have the windows and the floor tiles. The floor tiles were a donation from an electrical job we did and I love them. Bright Red, 12x12 I believe. I was thinking Asian influence...I waffle back and forth...I would really love an in fared sauna and small bath...give it a spa feel...or an artist's studio for when I have time to be an artist again...I have created and recreated this space so many times, that is the real fun, the fantasy of it...I hope the reality will be as great!

For your viewing entertainment...dum, dum, dum...pictures of a few corners in my home...some are works in progress and I call them the corners of shame...the garage, who's corner is worse, mine or Carl's, you decide!!! The "home office space" is my nemesis at the moment, there is much sorting and discarding to be done...I can find an excuse to avoid this every weekend...it is getting to the neat freak in me...hmmm, I am babysitting Anna tonight and most of the day tomorrow....

You would be very amazed at what you see in the "corners" of your home when you capture them on film!!! What's in your corner? Or see you in the corner! Looks like I'll be spending some of my weekend in the corner, bad girl that I am.

Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year, when the obsessive begin obsessing about the big Spring Clean!

I recently saw something that piqued my interest, it was about a new holiday(yea right who needs another one of those) called "Discardia" invented by Ms. Dinah Sanders. I gathered it takes place during solstices, equinoxes and new moons or pretty much whenever you want it to. "Discardia is celebrated by getting rid of stuff and ideas you no longer need. It's about letting go, abdicating from obligation and guilt, being true to the self you are now. Discardia is the time to get rid of things that no longer add value to your life, shed bad habits, let go of emotional baggage and generally lighten your load." The website I visited has some excellent tips for every area of your home and life at http://www.metagrrrl.com/discardia/

I asked my husband why we had so much stuff in the garage and to sum it up he says this, well YOU buy stuff, arrange it in the house for awhile, you get tired of it, move it to another room and then you put it in the garage. Sorry I asked! Of course none of the two or three gas powered remote airplanes and all the paraphernalia that goes with it is his JUNK! The last couple of years I believe I have purchased less and purged the house of more. Not quite minimalist. I just have to love something to keep it. So...how many of your Granny's doilies and tchotkes do you keep out of obligation? How about the gifts that you receive that are not really you or you have a gazillion of them already? I abhor clutter, so I rotate things, give stuff away or toss it. If you haven't used it in six months you probably won't use it six months from now. I LOVE a clean house. The rewards for a clean house are too numerous to mention, however after the chores are done I allow myself to get to the fun stuff. Yes, I did mention I am obsessed, right? Confession time, cleaning, while hard work, allows me to vent my frustrations, meditate (yes, meditate) or lets my mind wander aimlessly. Taking care of your home when done with mindfulness can be positively spiritual. In addition to other responsibilities you may have, making your home a haven from the storms of life is an utmost priority.

We often make resolutions at the beginning of a new year that are often "discarded" before said year is off to a good start. I prefer the discardia idea of getting rid of things that no longer work for you. Toss the archaic thinking and embrace the new you. I stick little notes everywhere. One thought that I love comes from William Shakespeare "to thine own self be true" Amen to that Brotha! I once saw a skit where the lady was carrying a bucket in each hand and she was being very selective about what went into those buckets for the day. Do we really want to carry around a bucket full of anger, irritation, petty annoyances and so on? I would rather carry a bucket full of laughter, love and joy. Even those words sound lighter! Lighten your load, clean out your heart and mind while you are cleaning your house! Happy Spring Cleaning to You or Happy Discardia My Friends!