Snow storms & Soup . . .

With a snow storm brewing yesterday I decided to make soup for supper.

Soup is always a good idea!

I had a chunk of cabbage left over from making veggie cabbage rolls , so cabbage soup it was!

6 simple ingredients - celery * carrots * cabbage * onion * a tin of tomatoes * and veg cube is all it takes to make a pot of delicious soup

"A home is a place

where a pot of fresh soup 

simmers gently on the hob,

filling the kitchen with soft aromas

and filling your heart

and later your tummy with joy"

-Keith Floyd-

"Soup is the song of the hearth . . .  and the home"

-Louis P. De Gouy-

All the veg shavings go into a container for our garden bunnies ;-) 

While the soup was simmering away, I put the macro lens on my Nikon, gathered up bunnies dinner dish of  veg scraps and had a little walk around our garden to take in all the beauty.

The gift of snow hearts scattered throughout the garden waiting for me to find them . . . 

each one different and unique 

bunnies tracks 

the pussy willow are beginning to burst but it will be a while before we can get a ladder outside to cut the branches 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is on

February 18-21

All the feeders are filled but this storm & high winds has kept them away with the exception of a few Dark-eyed Junco! Hopefully we will have visitors soon.

 Happy Weekend!

d xo

Happy Valentine's Day . . .

Wishing you a very

Happy Valentine's Day!

&

sharing some of my favourite quotes and photos from my corner of the world xo

"Beginning the day,

I see that life is a miracle.

Attentive to each moment,

I keep my mind clear like a calm river.

Waking up this morning, I smile.

Twenty-four brand new hours before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment

and to look at all beings 

with eyes of compassion"

-Thich Nhat Hanh- 

"The things that matter most in our lives

are not fantastic or grand.

They are the moments when we touch one another

when we are there in the most attractive or caring way"

-Jack Kornfield-

"Cooking is like love.

It should be entered into with abandon 

or not at all"

-Harriet Van Horne-

"I can never get a cup of tea large enough

or a book long enough

to suit me!"

-C.S. Lewis-

"May no gift be too small to give

nor too simple to receive

which is wrapped in thoughtfulness

and tied with love"

-L. O. Baird-

"We need not think alike

to love alike"

-Francis David-

"We loved with a love

that was more

than love"

-Edgar Allan Poe-

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart"

-William Wordsworth-

"There is no remedy for love

but to love more"

-Henry David Thoreau-

"The holiest of all holidays

are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart,

the secret anniversaries

of the heart ..."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

"I was always a lover

of soft-winged things"

-Victor Hugo-

 

Nordic poles along the pier . . .

I had a few errands to run yesterday afternoon & brought my Nordic walking poles along with me in the van so I could stop off and have a nice walk along the Hamilton waterfront.

It was cold and windy, but so invigorating & perfect for blowing out all the cobwebs! 

The path was clear and made for wonderful walking . . .  and that view! For a winter and snow loving girl , who could ask for more? Not I!

"I prefer Winter and Fall,

when you feel the bone structure of the landscape,

the loneliness of it

the dead feeling of Winter.

something waits beneath it,

the whole story doesn't show"

-Andrew Wyeth-

"It is the life of the crystal,

the architect of the flake,

the fire of the frost,

the soul of the sunbeam.

This crisp Winter air is full of it"

-John Burroughs-

Bundled up happiness xo

 

Hello February . . .

"If Candlemas day

be sunny and bright,

Winter will have another fight;

if Candlemas day 

be cloudy with rain,

Winter is gone

and won't come again"

-Darkovan-

Hello February . . .  grey skies & a cloudy and rainy Candlemas day here in my corner of the world. . . no shadows to be seen by Wiarton Willie who predicted an early Spring although we are bracing for another snow storm this afternoon.

"Be a lantern to yourself and a refuge.

Draw close to the light within yourself 

and seek no other shelter"

-Buddhist Wisdom-

Happy Candlemas Day

Excited that my 1st exhibit of 2022 will now be both in person and on- line with easing of restrictions in place! The first of a few exciting shows ;-) 

The "Time" themed art show can be viewed  in person at The Art Gallery of Burlington now until March 9th.

"Time Flies"

"We form a circle

there is wisdom in our wings.

Flying over this blessed creation

a gathering of more than mere twigs & string.

Reminding us of the place 

where we began

as we return, timely

in a wingspan.

-deb dunn- 

Thoughts jotted down on the canvas in pencil before I began to paint. 

Daily moments always seem to find their way woven into my paintings and Time Flies was no exception. Before heading into the studio to start this painting with a "time theme" I had been in the garden filling up the feeders on a very windy morning.  Between two of our cedars was a tiny, fallen nest. The words "we form a circle, there is wisdom in our wings" came to me and the painting flowed from there. Though I could never paint anything quite as spectacular as a bird can create with their nest, it is a favourite subject &  my humble way of paying homage to our feathered friends. They bless us year after year by nesting in our garden & filling it with joy, inspiration and song! 

Available for sale in person at the Art Gallery of Burlington 

and on line.

8" H x 8" L x 1.5 D

Lots of layers & detail. . . 

 "It's we who breathe, in, out, in the sacred . . .  On branches close to the nest"

-Denise Levertov- 

Happy Tuesday

d xo 

Connection . . .

At the end of the season, I always like to take cuttings from my plants .

All they need is a little water in jam jars & a sunny window  where they will sit happily and grow nice strong roots.

I  repot a few to bring indoors to over-winter and treat as indoor plants. One of my favourites to do this with are geraniums. Red geraniums are a favourite in our garden (and a wonderful Hummingbird magnet). This one is especially happy indoors, sitting in a sunny window!

"At the root, making art

is about connection.

Connection with yourself,

connection with others,

connection with the earth,

connection with the cosmos,

connection with flow state,

connection with life force,

and connection

with what it feels like to be

fully alive and free

in your own skin, and heart.

This is how 

we are meant to feel

and how we thrive.

Keep creating in the face of everything.

Just keep creating"

-Victoria Erickson-

I've been painting more with palette knives than brushes this month . . .  I absolutely love them and find myself reaching for them first as of late!

The horse and nest were done quickly using up left over paint after a painting afternoon.

I need not look very far for painting inspiration.

Sparrows at the feeders and beautiful birthday flowers on my kitchen table make for the loveliest models.  I was talking to my son and daughter and we all agreed that we were looking forward to Spring.  Not one of my "favourite" seasons normally ... I love Winter and Autumn and savour every moment of the cooler seasons  , but Spring brings with it the opportunity for us all to be together for "family picnics" something we found was a wonderful way of all being together "safely" through Covid.  A nest holds so many sacred emotions - home * birth * renewal* creativity * faith* LIFE

Still deciding whether I will mat and frame this painting or mount on a cradled wood panel and varnish.

 And a little whimsy because this made me smile . . .

I "find" hearts *everywhere* but this was a very sweet find as I sprinkled out a few Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips!  I shared the love :-) 

Happy Monday

d xo

The first week of January . . .

Easing into the New Year with lots of lovely long, serene walks.  The temps have been cold, with everything from snow, rain & high winds, but no matter what the weather, it's all perfect for blowing out the cobwebs :-)

Tiny little paintings as well as some larger sized ones have already been created for upcoming exhibitions. I thought it would be nice to add a little hand painted tag to packaging of originals. . .  and I just love painting nests!

Comfort food for Veganuary . . .  my take on cabbage rolls . . .  cabbage, lentils, celery, onion, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, roasted tomatoes - YUM

"Everything we are,

everything we feel and fight

and fear and then embrace; every fibre

of muscle and being and heart.

And why shouldn't it take everything?

What are we saving ourselves for?

Let's spend ourselves completely on living the day we are given.

And then sleep deeply and dream ourselves into tomorrow

renewed and blessed to do it all again"

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer-

Winter trails * Winter love * Winter fun

& sharing some lovely quotes xo

"Be grateful for all the moments gone but look forward to all the moments coming.

It's time to follow your heart more, darling.

To be even more daring.

To compromise so much less, to not settle when things don't feel in sync with your heart.

Let the coming year be the one where you really listen.

Where you truly listen to your heart

and spread your wings.

This is your life, so go, live it true, even from today darling.

Even from today"

-S.C. Lourie-

"You're like a little wild thing

that was never sent to school"

-Mary Oliver-

 "I held my breath as we do sometimes

to stop time

when something wonderful

has touched us. . . "

-Mary Oliver-

***

happy Sunday

d xo 

Hello 2022 ...

 Happy New Year

I love the month of January for so many reasons . . .  a month of celebrations . . . a new year *  birthdays *an anniversary * winter :-)

"Here everything is so wholly what I consider beautiful.

In other words, there is peace here"

-Vincent Van Gogh-

 

"Maybe in any art

you have to be wholly you

in the context of whatever you're doing"

-Mariel Hemingway-

"Thought that can merge wholly into feeling,

feeling that can merge wholly into thought,

these are the artist's highest joy"

-Thomas Mann- 

While finding/reading these quotes a few weeks ago, my 'guiding word' came to me.  As it has in past years, it began appearing over and over in unexpected places. 

"There's that word again" I would think . . . often smiling as I saw it, for I am never completely sure if it's "the word" until it appears over and over :-) Another word came across my path that I had never heard before but loved the meaning of - susurration which means the whispering or rustling of. But it only appeared once.

Wholly - adverb

entirely; fully

utterly unconditionally

I'll carve out a little time this afternoon and sit with a hot cup of tea and art supplies and  begin to journal a page to honor my guiding word. It's snowing outside as I type and there is a lovely soft layer of freshly fallen snow that looks so pretty. I love when I can see all the little markings left behind from garden visitors in the snow. Tiny  little foot prints from our garden bunny show me where he has walked and is staying safe (behind our potting table which is where we suspected). We make sure that he, like the birds, have food available and the garden is filled at the moment with cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, a carolina wren and sparrows, a sure sign that more snow is on the way.

 And one more quote to share that I will add to my journal page . . . 

"Nothing is wholly obvious

without becoming enigmatic.

Reality itself

is too obvious to be true"

-Jean Baudrillard-

Thank you for stopping by. 

Have a wonderful day!

d xo