Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears

*

the sound of rain

Last night's rain made for a happy garden this morning.

"Your story is everything you have seen,  done, and lived

up to this point.

You're the only one with your story

and your distinct point of view.

And I believe your space,

your home, should reflect all the unique and beautiful facets

of what makes you, well, you"

~Rebecca Atwood~ 

for my eyes

*

looking through some of the weeks beach walk treasures

"The sea can do craziness, it can do smooth,

it can lie down like silk breathing

or toss havoc shoreward;

it can give gifts

or withhold all;

it can rise, ebb, froth

like an incoming frenzy of fountains, or it can sweet-talk entirely.

As I can too, and so, no doubt, can you, and you"

~Mary Oliver~

for my mouth

*

jam making

blueberry

and

peach

"Slow down.

Savor your blessings.

Give thanks for the harvest of life"

for my soul

*

yesterday it was National Dog Day

which of course, in our home, is *everyday*

Love this sweet soul more than words could ever describe.

He savors every moment of every day!

"The dog puts his cheek against mine

and makes small, expressive sounds.

And when I'm awake, or awake enough

he turns upside down, his four paws in the air

and his eyes dark and fervent.

"Tell me you love me", he says.

"Tell me again".

Could there ever be a sweeter arrangement?

Over and over

he gets to ask.

I get to tell"

~Mary Oliver~ 

"Consider soulmates

to also be

in the form of

friends and animals

the wind, the tides

the planets

pieces of art

and the moon.

Great love

lives everywhere"

~Victoria Erickson~ 

for my hands

*

painting some of the beautiful stones picked up on lake walks

sitting in a basket just waiting for the muse to speak ... 

this one was smooth on one side and rigid and bumpy on the other

& became a wild pony like the ones seen and loved in England. 

"I know artists whose medium is life itself

and who express the inexpressible without a brush, pencil, chisel or guitar.

They neither paint nor dance.

Their medium is Being.

Whatever their hand touches has increased life ...

They are the artists of being alive"

~Frederick Franck~ 

for my feet

*

go barefoot!

taking off my sandals and digging my toes into the warm sand

walking along the lake ~bliss~ 

"Follow, follow the sun

and which way the wind blows

when the day is done

breathe, breathe in the air

set your intentions

dreams with care

tomorrow's a new day for everyone,

a brand new moon, a brand new sun"

~Xavier Rudd~ 

~happy Thursday~

d xo

Routine but never predictable ...

for the love of beach/sea glass

"If there is magic on this planet

it is contained in water"

~Loren Eiseley~

driftwood * beach glass * feathers

found treasures walking the beach

I think beach/sea glass is my birthstone

The moment I walk this path towards the water, 

I feel all the weight

I may be carrying on my shoulders

lift ...  Each walk may be different, but one thing is the same ... 

~ this is my place of welcoming bliss~

It was a very hot and humid weekend and the week has begun just as warm

but by the water, there is such a beautiful breeze ... 

"I have seafoam in my veins.

I understand the language of waves"

~Jean Cocteau~ 

A spot to sit , sip some water and just *be*

"Be the ocean.

Be ever changing but always the same.

Be simple and transparent with an entire world

deep down inside.

Full of odd and interesting creatures.

Be calm.

Be still.

But let yourself get wild and lost in a storm from time to time.

Have many homes on many shores

and be slightly different at every one.

Let people in.

Let them feel free and surround them with every bit of your being.

Ask for nothing in return.

Take in sharp rocks and the broken glass and return them back

as beautiful treasures.

Be routine but never predictable.

And be so loved 

that people spend their days sitting by your side.

Be free and vast and be deep and powerful.

All the while being completely moved

by something greater than yourself"

~Michael F Dubois~ 

***

Happy Monday

d xo

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears

*

the happy sound of bees buzzing around the garden

"If you could just stop all the stories for a minute about what is happening

and why and go outside and listen, you would hear the Mother calling.

Step away from all the online this and that, the arguments and the agendas.

Put your hands in some dirt. Lift your eyes to the sky. Press your body down into

the earth's body and give up all your foolish notions of control.

Relinquish these ideas of what and whom you must conquer. These are your

poisons now. And if you can't go outside, stick your head out a window and drink

in the fresh air; look up at the clouds and the stars and the moon.

Find a tree somewhere, or a flower, or a blade of grass, and even over the distance,

connect your heart to it. Send it your prayers and receive Hers.

Let Her remind you of the preciousness of this life, the immediate intimacy

of each breathe, each moment. Listen and remember Her.

Listen and love Her.

Touch Her, feel Her, breathe Her, smell Her, thank Her.

This is your return.

We have gone so far astray, but to come home is this simple.

Return.

She is calling you.

Return"

~Jessica Hesser~

for my eyes

*

this week, there have been so many monarchs in the garden

they love the purple larkspur

"better to live my own destiny imperfectly

than to live an imitation of somebody else's"

~Bhagavad Gita~ 

for my mouth

*

I know I say this every Summer, but we have such amazing, fresh produce in Ontario!

So grateful for our farmers and staff that are growing and picking the peaches, apples, cherries  etc ... 

This week,  I've boiled corn on the cob and enjoyed it with herbed butter * made apple cobbler * sliced peaches on yogurt with homemade granola ...

After this morning's bike ride, I enjoyed a lovely juicy peach from the snack bowl.

I picked up two baskets of peaches so I can make some peach jam (to spread on freshly baked corn bread .... Oh yum)

for my soul

*

laying on the grass and looking up at the trees

~for me ... a necessity~

this week I had the urge to walk the woods ... be amongst the trees...

the silence, the scent (especially after the rain), the sound of leaves blowing in the wind, birds joyfully singing

After a good tree hugging (thank goodness no social distancing is needed amongst the trees!)

I felt so good.

Wrote a poem which turned into a painting

~listen~ 

for my hands

*

the flowers are beginning to turn in the garden and soon I will be cutting and bundling them up to dry.

I have a few "drying racks" in my home, but thought I'd make one for Sparrow Studio.

I used a lovely old piece of driftwood I had ( it looks like a snake or mermaid :-) as it has a definite

shape and is lovely and gnarly and twisted and looks as though it has weathered more than a few storms. 

for my feet

*

bliss ... walking along the lake

any concerns/worrisome thoughts/stagnant energy/ dissipates as I carry my sandals and 

the soft warm sand welcomes me back!

happy feet xo 

"You fall, you rise, you make mistakes,

you live, you learn. You're human, not perfect.

You've been hurt, but you're alive.

Think of what a precious privilege  it is to be alive ~ to think,

to breathe, to enjoy, and to chase the things you love.

Sometimes, there is sadness in our journey, but there is also a lot of beauty.

We must keep putting one foot in front of the other even when we hurt,

for we will never know what is waiting for us just around the bend"

~Ritu Ghatourey~

Think Grow Prosper 

World Elephant Day ...

August 12* 2020

Happy World Elephant Day

"Elephants love reunions.

They recognize one another after years and years of separation

and greet each other with boisterous joy.

There's bellowing and trumpeting,

ear flapping and rubbing. 

Trunks entwine"

~Jennifer Richard Jacobson~

Small as an Elephant

What a wonderful quote and so fitting for the times we find ourselves living in. Missing so many people and longing for those reunions of boisterous joy!!

Happy World Elephant Day 

What isn't there to love and celebrate about an elephant!

I heard about a documentary film called Akashinga : The Brave Ones on the news this morning.

It is about a group of women rangers who have been specially trained to protect elephants, which are  an endangered species from poachers.

 Later, I watched the trailer for the documentary which looks amazing.

Huge love and respect for this group of women who  as one said "they are like my children"!! 

"I pledge to support a world that protects elephants, wildlife and their habitat"

"Only elephants

should own ivory'

~Yao Ming~ 

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

for my ears

***

lots of rain this week 

and a couple of evenings where the sky was black

and the roar of thunder and lightening could be heard

for my eyes

***

sunglasses ... always for these sensitive green peepers 

for my mouth

***

had a craving for french fries this week

and a 10 pound bag of potatoes in the pantry :-) 

Bless this food

before us

Family

beside us

and the 

Love

between us

oven fried (making them a bit healthier)

crispy on the outside and fluffy soft inside

sprinkling of salt and fresh black pepper and a splash of vinegar

yum!

for my soul

***

watching the woodpecker and sparrow sharing a fresh block of fruit and nut suet

"consider soulmates

to also be in the form

of friends and animals,

the wind, the tides,

the plants,

pieces of art,

and the moon.

Great love

lives everywhere"

~Victoria Erickson~

for my hands

***

after 4 months of being on hiatus ... my Etsy shop is once again Open for business. Yeah!

I've been busy re-stocking the shelves, trying to decide which items to add (since they had all expired). Sprinkling sparrow seeds all through the shop to guide you ... 

Worked on this print yesterday - I've yet to add it to my shop - but I will.

I had this pretty little frame in the cupboard and slipped the print inside.

It now sits on a cupboard in our powder room. 

for my feet

***

In this house... we dance in the kitchen

((always))

***

moved this long hand hooked runner to the kitchen

and my feet love it!

So much nicer to stand on while doing the dishes than the hardwood!

It's been in lots of different spots throughout the house over the years from upstairs hallway to my studio, but all 3 of our labs loved to pull at it before laying down so I think it will stay in the kitchen.

"And those who were seen dancing

were thought to be insane

by those who could not hear the music"

~Fredrich Nietzsche~ 

***

Happy Thursday

 xo d 

National Coloring Book Day ...

I can hardly believe that it's been almost 5 years

since my Illustration Soulful Whispers was chosen as the cover for 

The Coloring Studio

Premier Issue

"Artists are just children

who refused to put down their crayons"

~Al Hirschfeld~ 

some of my other illustrations are scattered throughout the 112 pages of pure inspiration.

Coloring is our first primal art form... bringing back childhood memories of simply picking up a crayon and creating.

It's one of my favourite pastimes to do with my grandsons.

I remember when The Coloring Studio hit the stands and my grandson Hayden was sitting across the art table from me. We were coloring and chatting away and he said "I told everyone at school that my LaLa is a famous artist :-) ... you can see her art on the magazine The Coloring Studio". He paused for a bit and then added , "one of the girls said 'she is?' and kissed me... thank you LaLa" ;-D 

"You can't use up creativity.

The more you use,

the more you have"

~Maya Angelou~

travelling suitcase for taking out into the garden...

coloring book, pens, paper, stamps ...

creative minds

are rarely

tidy

got creative with some of my illustrations

and turned them into coloring cards

I hope you carve out some time today to celebrate 

national coloring book day ... 

sharpen some pencil crayons & color ...

inside and outside the lines

which is what I will be doing on this very rainy Sunday afternoon! 

~happy August, happy Sunday~ 

d xo