{Posted from} Home

The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest ~ Sir Thomas Moore ~


hOMe is where the heART is …


Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Eating together ...

I don't think I've ever made as many pizza's or loaves of bread as I have in these past few months!
Once I was able to find large bags of flour and yeast again there was no stopping me :-) 
Thankfully, walks with Archer in the morning &  6 mile bike rides in the evening  are part of my day too! 
We added an extra "zoom family cooking show" last week and  met  again on Sunday morning at 11 am to make vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing to celebrate a family birthday. 
Because I was going to have the oven on anyway
I decided to make a loaf of  raisin/orange bread. 
(I almost added banana bread to the mix, and then thought … too much) 
So now, on the kitchen counter you will find...
a whole wheat and molasses loaf (just enough left for a couple of sandwiches)
a loaf of raisin/orange bread (a few slices have been cut for toast & marmalade)
ten vanilla cupcakes
small square of cornbread (just perfect for this afternoons pick me up with a cup of tea)
The temps have been rising here and in order to keep the house cool this weekends pizza was made on the bbq… 
It was the best one yet! Tasted just like it had been baked in a pizza oven with a fabulous dark crust.
Sitting on the garden swing as the pizza baked, I put a few peanuts out along the deck railing and spent that time watching the birds enjoy their treat. 
Sweet dining companions.
***
We don't need to explain our love.
We only need to show it. 
Onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, green olives
Oh yum!
"Food for the body
is not enough
there must be
food for the soul"
~Dorothy Day~ 

Monday, June 29, 2020

strands of a web... holding us

"The day will come 
when you will review your life
 and be thankful for every minute of it.
Every hurt, every sorrow, every joy, every celebration,
 every moment of your life will be a treasure to you
for you will see the utter perfection of the design.
You will stand back from the weaving and see the tapestry,
and you will weep at the beauty of it"
~Neale Donald Walsch~ 
***
I love reading about traditions , folklore, mythology and culture .
 I once read about weavers leaving little gaps in their weavings to let the soul out.
Gaps found in  their woven blankets were not 'flaws' but tiny little soul spaces … Oh how I love this! 
I  think of this when creating my *wild weavings* 

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears
***
the power of music!
I love my ukulele & carve out a little bit of time daily to practice.
Every time I hear a new song on the radio I think "hum... I wonder if I could play that on Moonlei (my uke's name)?" 
And that's exactly what happened when I heard "I'm Ready" by the fabulous Sam Smith & Demi Lovato 
"You can't play music
and be mad at anybody.
It'll show in your heart"
~Dickey Betts~ 

for my eyes
***
this sweet cherry tomato plant that sits in the sun on the deck
a gift from my precious grandson... every time I sit outside with my tea and look at this plant I think of him xo

for my mouth
***
I normally bake a whole wheat or a rye bread
but this week it was French white with a gorgeous crust.
Last Friday's "family zoom movie night" was Paddington Bear and I had such a craving for 
marmalade afterwards :-)
This bread was so yummy toasted with marmalade.
Tomorrow's family movie is Wallace & Gromit
ahh … salad :-)

for my soul
***
put the kettle on … 
morning * noon * night
every day
because
a cup of tea is always good for the soul 
for my hands
***
lino cutting
I've had some sheets of lino sitting in my craft cupboard for a while now.
Not as lovely to carve as my usual lino (which was like cutting through butter).
I started off with tiny little Olive Oyl arms which I think will look more like Popeyes when I'm finished :-) 
And since I haven't purchased any art related supplies in months & will soon need to … a little humour … because a sense of humour & seeing the bright/light side of things  is always a good thing!!! 
for my feet
***
grounding/earthing 
walking on the grass, barefoot, in the rain
((bliss))

reflecting on the week
***
Come Let's Speak
of our souls
let's even hide from
our ears and eyes

like a rose garden
always keep a smile
like imagination
talk without a sound

like the spirit
reigniting the world
telling the secrets
uttering no word

let's get away from
all the clever humans
who put words in our mouth
let's only say what our hearts desire

even our hands and feet
sense every inner move
let's keep silence
but make our hearts move

the mystery of destiny
knows the life of
speck after speck of dust
let's tell our story as a particle of dust
~Rumi~ 

Monday, June 15, 2020

whatever is good for the soul ... do that.

Sunday drive sweeties
***
Driving along a beautiful serene stretch of land yesterday, reading Turtle Crossing signs so looking out for them :-) when we spotted these sweet little heads.
Pulled the car over and I got out (thankfully, I had my camera … I had left it at home the week before and came across so many lovely country scenes that I would have loved to have taken pics of).
Oh, seeing this family of Geese and 5 little goslings was good for the soul.
Life goes on … 
***
"I would rather be amongst forest animals
and the sounds of nature,
than amongst city traffic
and the noise of man"
~A.D. Williams~

Saturday, June 13, 2020

to please my eye ~ to please my soul ...

after a few days of heavy rain and wind
some of the peony became water logged and heavy...
once the sun came out, most of the stems straightened up
but a few were still lying on the grass
I snipped these off
(giving them a good shake as they are usually covered in ants)
made a little bouquet for the kitchen table
peonies & picket fences
((bliss))
 lovely  crumbled garden lady
was a gift from friends & next door neighbours
who passed her over the fence when they were moving to B.C.
she is treasured
"I grow plants for many reasons.
To please my eye
or to please my soul,
to challenge the elements
or to challenge my patience,
for novelty
or for nostalgia,
but mostly
for the joy in seeing
them grow"
~David Hobson~
~happy Saturday~
d xo

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears
***
sitting beside my garden pond listening to the gentle flow of water
"listen to silence
it has so much to say"
~Rumi~
for my eyes
***
hummers in the garden
they are pure magic with feathers
"we should meet in another life,
we should meet in air,
me and you"
~Sylvia Plath~
for my mouth
***
tiny jam tarts (two bite)
to have with afternoon tea
sitting by the pond
watching the hummers ;-)
***
"Would you like an adventure now,
or shall we have our tea first?"
~Alice in Wonderland~
for my soul
***
finding and collecting feathers.

Coming home from a walk with Archer, a black feather was laying on my lawn.
A black feather is a wonderful sign ~ black absorbs light and traps negative energy and is considered a symbol of protection, spiritual wisdom and magic!
for my hands
***
this is where I'm at with the 20" x 40" canvas I started a few days ago … 
I've been taking photos along the way (I don't always remember to do this, and it's a lot of fun to look back at a picture and see all the phases, changes and layers it goes through).  Once I add the eyes the painting seems to come to life & keep me company as I paint.
Archer hasn't been feeling his best these past few months, I think the huge change in our "normal" routine has troubled him. He has always had long walks & off leash time in the woods and our walks now are shorter and more structured. I know he is picking up on my energy as we walk too.
 I hadn't planned on adding a black lab, but this morning , that's what I felt compelled to paint … Lots and lots of layers and details will go into just painting Archer :-D   
for my feet
***
biking
it's something I absolutely love!
CYCOPATH
noun: a person suffering from chronic bike riding disorder with abnormal urges to ride and feel free
(saw this online and it made me smile)… so true!!
I miss long bike rides along the lake,
picnic packed and tucked into my bike basket 
 but trying to get in a few miles every day just pedaling around the neighbourhood. 

reflecting on the week
***
"Tea, I drink that.
Sage, I burn that.
Mantra, I speak that.
Intention, I set that.
Universe,
I trust that.
Love, I am that"
~Ivry soul~ 

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

to be a peony ...

thank you little ants
thank you rain
***
... this was the garden at 7:30 am
Archer and I had just returned home from our morning walk
and everything looked so fresh after a heavy rain.
 I grabbed my Nikon and took some photos
knowing once the sun came out that they wouldn't look like this much longer.

And this was the garden at 11 am
big fluffy pom poms 

***
To be is a blessing
To live is holy
~Santana~ 

Monday, June 8, 2020

A new canvas & moon water ...


The full Strawberry moon on the 5th and 6th was a beauty!
It's light streaming through the windows of my little Sparrow Studio.
As always, I had my jar(s) of fresh water set out along window sills ready to absorb it's magic.
I'm fascinated when I look at the crystal clear water once the moon has taken over it's properties & it has a very different quality when you paint with it.
I've had this very large stretched canvas tucked between my art cupboard and bookshelf for a while now just waiting for the muse to set it free.
And then … just like that … I stumbled across a word
*Aparigraha
a - non
pari - from all sides
graha - to accept 
Combining the 3 - aparigraha : not taking more than you need.

It didn't take long for  thoughts of release  &  being in the present moment * appreciation for what we have * going with the ebb and flow of life

Even though it's 20" x 40" , I approached it the same as I would a smaller canvas or piece of paper...
writing down the "story" … some poetry … a few quotes … 
"not all storms 
come to disrupt your life,
some come
to clear your path"
The words will of course be covered by layers and layers of paint (and maybe even some paper)
but they will be forever a part of the painting
It's so beautiful outside today, that I think my morning will be spent out in the garden
 with my canvas , paints & moon water *  
listening to the birds (I have some very happy Robin's singing and splashing about in the bird baths) 
~happy Monday~
xo d

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears
***
I could hear the beautiful song of the Robin getting louder the closer I got this afternoon as I walked around the garden ...
almost hidden, there she was sitting in the trumpet vine 
(can you spot her?)
for my eyes
***
changes in the garden daily
this will be the first Summer that I haven't visited a garden nursery.
this year, it will be enjoying what is already planted.
How ironic that my 2020 "guiding word" was *be*  … just let things be! 
for my mouth
***
I love making soups
and my vegetarian version of a traditional French onion soup is super quick, easy and delicious
& if you light a candle while slicing onions you won't even cry (much) ;-D
for my soul
***
watching Archer enjoying the garden...
he has been slowing down on our walks and having a hard time doing stairs of an evening
my lovely 'old boy' 
to see him act like a puppy on a warm afternoon is good 
for both our souls

for my feet
***
foot on the gas petal 
country drive
just what my feet needed
a nice walk along a country lane
and meeting these sweethearts along the way

for my hands
***
sewing some cute bohemian hair wraps
***
"to succeed in life,
we must stay within our strength zone
but continually move
outside our comfort zone"
~John Maxwell~