feathered friends ...

I have a little white china bowl that sits on my Sparrow Studio altar. A gift from my son Alexander a few Christmas's ago, it is in the shape of a nest with two little sparrow's sitting on branches.

Inside, I have tucked an assortment of found feathers gathered as I've walked through woods and forests and beaches. Some, have been given as gifts from friends and a few very special ones were from my grandsons, my wildlings. 

Whenever I switch lenses on my Nikon and put on the Macro lens, I find I walk around the house afterwards zooming in on all sorts of objects. I am always amazed when I view the photos of the beauty in the simplest things. 

"If you want to fly,

give up everything

that weighs you down"

"Stop the words now

open the window 

in the center of your chest

and let the spirits fly in and out"

~Rumi~

some of my 

feathered friends

enjoying today's treats

xx

 

All the windows of my heart ...

Another beautiful snowfall and after an afternoon of baking, the kitchen is warm and toasty and smells amazing. I've poured a big cup of tea, slathered some raspberry jam on a hot out of the oven raisin and walnut scone, moved the pillows around just so and got everything ready for a little window gazing , journaling and reading. 

Morning ritual ~ candles lit, meditation, journaling.

Looking into the garden, I noticed the feeders were low and could hear chirps coming from the tall cedars that line the back of our garden. As much as I love the snow, I always worry about the birds and squirrels. I gathered up some walnuts, dried fruit, sliced some fruit, and two big scoops of seed and headed out to the garden. It won't take long for it all to disappear. 

And while I watch the snow as the wind blows it from the branches, and the birds find their way to the feeders,  I'll jot down some "things to do" in my journal. I've been collecting jam jars so I can send family & friends home with little bouquets of flowers this summer, I want to create some bohemian style bird feeders from a box of mis-matched china I have, work on a new shade covering for our garden swing, hand stamp some spoons, create some jewelry from a few pieces of beach glass & as always, lots of ideas for paintings.

"All the windows

 of my heart

I open to the day"

~John Greenleaf Whittier~ 

 

Paint Palette

When I walked into my little Sparrow Studio this morning, I thought how pretty my well used painting cloth looked hanging up. Holding on to all those splashes of colour and memories of so many paintings. There is hardly a spot that doesn't have paint on it and I think maybe it's time to move on to a fresh cloth. Now ... what to turn it into? Maybe a paint brush roll, or a cushion cover for my studio.

~Different is beautiful~

"I found I could say things 

with color and shapes

that I couldn't say

any other way"

~Georgia O'Keefe~

 Happy Saturday

xx deb

Quiet January mornings ...

I've been easing into January.

Sketching, painting, journaling, feeding the birds, reading, playing my ukulele, baking, cooking lovely pots of soup and vegetable filled stews, listening to music and taking long meditative walks.

The weather has been cold and it's not unusual for a flake or two to fall as I walk.

Once home from walking, I put on a pot of coffee, light some candles and jot down my "walking thoughts". For the past few days, there has been a gorgeous Cooper's Hawk sitting in a tree. I hadn't spotted him, but his song had me searching the trees for him. I've seen many hawks - even in my own backyard, but had never heard one's mating song. Simply amazing! 

January always seems to represent new growth and new beginnings and I have a few jam jars with cuttings in them. I love to see the roots swimming in the water. 

The beginning of a new plant! Exciting.

January has been a month of crows! No matter where I walk, there is crow chatter to be heard.

One of the most magical moments for me however was spotting two crows sitting in a tree. I watched as they chatted and then, put their foreheads together and sat that way for a few moments until one flew away. It was a moment I will never forget. I knew they would become a painting.

~Just between Us~

All the subtle gestures

that speak louder than words

between like-minded creatures

like us two birds

~deb dunn~

"Your imagination

is your preview

of life's

coming attractions"

~Albert Einstein~

 

January walk ...

Happy New Year!

"Our goal should be

 to live life

in radical amazement ...

get up in the morning

and look at the world

in a way that takes 

nothing

for granted"

~Abraham Joshua Heschel~ 

Began the New Year as I do every morning ... with a lovely, peaceful , early  walk. 

The air was fresh and crisp, squirrels were busy looking for food (Maple keys seemed to be a favourite)  spotted a Cooper's Hawk and gorgeous, enormous Great White Owl and a chatting parcel of Crows .  All entertained me as I walked.

Archer, while slowing down considerably, and giving us a few "scares" is still eager to go out. He is my faithful companion, my velcro dog, and such a treasure.  It  gets chilly when you walk at this slower pace, making stops constantly,  and I dress both of us accordingly. Archer has a lovely quilted red coat and for Christmas, our grandsons gave him a personalized kerchief! He looks so handsome in red!

When we returned home , I made a large mug of tea and headed up to my little Sparrow Studio. I wanted to paint this first January walk.

So I penciled my thoughts down on the blank piece of paper ...

Every day

it's him and me

bonded together 

as close as can be

Over the years

we've covered some miles

his quirky ways match mine

bringing laughter and smiles

The love I have for him

is hard to put into mere words

although "I love you, you're so special to me"

is a phrase daily he's heard

I've watched his coat turn

from get black to icy grey

slow, quiet walks replace

days of runs and play

Each season we walk

brings a different view

I can't think of seeing it

with a sweeter dog than you!

~deb dunn~ 

"Life is available only in the present.

That is why we should walk in such a way

that every step can bring us

to the here and now"

~Thich Nhat Hanh~