{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 …


Thursday, August 27, 2020

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

Monday, August 24, 2020

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

Thursday, August 20, 2020

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 

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

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~ 

Thursday, August 6, 2020

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 

Sunday, August 2, 2020

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