your love.

I read Soule Mama’s post this morning and it made me feel peaceful.  As I was reading of how her children view seasons, years and time I remembered similar discussions Adam and I had when we were little. We got such a kick out of calculating how old (ancient and crumbling) we would be in the year 2000. It seems hard to believe that we did grow up and not only hit that year, but it’s been twelve more years since that milestone.

It takes many years for a tree to bear fruit, but when it does….we’re so glad to have planted it. We don’t refuse to eat its offerings because they didn’t come sooner, yet  it is so much fun to put in peas or lettuce and know that with a little attention, we will have salads in a matter of weeks.

Her post made me think about how important it is to have projects and plans….long-term and short-term. Something always in the soil so to speak.  I like the instant win I feel when I make a mirror or a wallet or a journal, but I also know that my time spent writing is valuable and someday all those pages filled with words that seem so disjointed in the moment will someday reach their blossom time and I’ll be so happy to have written them.

I have been writing more these days and finally added Morning Pages back to my daily routine.  I realized that writing is more important to me than anything and yet I am afraid of it.   I think it is because I have always known it is what I am meant to do….I have stories to tell and it scares me that somehow I won’t tell them well enough or worse…that they won’t be understood.  I am just beginning to let that go. I’m in the early stages of shaking off the fear.

I also think of how my weight has ballooned and my health has deteriorated and of how years ago, I didn’t think in terms of seasons. I wanted instant weight loss and health and it didn’t happen.  Now I am finally understanding that little seeds of self care may not pop out of the earth tomorrow, but they will break through at some point and I won’t be unfriendly when they do.  I can see the value in taking action and letting my current body merge with my future body slowly without the big impact I used to crave. I can be patient.

I am so glad for the internet…to think that one person’s blog post this morning opened up a whole world of thought in my studio while I sat drinking tea.

I know the picture doesn’t quite fit the post, but I did a search on etsy for blossoms and this popped up. Isn’t it great? I remember the song and it used to embarrass me, in fact it was the only song I requested the D.J. not play at our wedding because I didn’t want to be reminded of my own ample derriere that day or feel foolish if somehow I ended up being the only one on the dance floor when it was playing. Isn’t that nuts? Especially the part about me not wanting to feel foolish considering that I went full-out John Travolta on the dance floor with my friend Sandi when Stayin’ Alive came on.

Things have been busy, life has been full and yet sometimes I feel the need to empty myself out…to shake out the pockets of my spirit and brush away the tiny pieces of here and there or this and that I’ve accumulated along the way. I feel this way a few times a year, but almost always during early spring.

I am slowly coming out of hibernation.  I don’t want to be rushed. Nothing is worse than being jiggled, jostled, jolted or jarred out of a deep sleep when you want to keep dreaming, but on some level I feel the sun and know that now it’s time to get moving again.

I am lucky….I have two galleries/shops who want my mirrors and this is the week of shipping! Making the collages has been far more rewarding than I ever expected.

Isn’t the photo shown above gorgeous…it is by Karen Michel and I found it on Pinterest (a dangerous place to visit).

I decided not to grow vegetables this summer, but to plant a whole garden of flowers instead….I’ll frequent farmer’s market for my food and make beauty in my tiny plot of back yard.

Happy day and here is a thought…

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!

Sitting Bull

Today didn’t go as planned and I had a hard time getting into some sort of alternative plan groove. So, I made a journal. I am not saying I’ve found yet another “new thing” to make, but I had a lot of fun piecing this together from scraps and love how seamless the look is.

OK, so maybe someday Manitowoc will have a Japanese restaurant and a gourmet deli stocked with organic treats and a movie theater that shows matinees on weekdays. In the meantime, I may be making more journals.

I think I’ll go for a walk first.

Missing from the show and tell? Movie tickets, lots of laughs, a good friend and one perfectly gorgeous persimmon!

Such a bleak looking scene after what was quite a lively street at bartime.

Dawn:  When men of reason go to bed. 

Ambrose Bierce

This is the view from our little laundry room patio. Normally the tree blocks the site of the old Manitowoc Hotel & Bank so it’s nice to see it lit up.

This song is on right now…it puts me in a melancholy mood…a little emotional, but that isn’t such a bad thing. Not tonight anyway. Mark and Selkie are sleeping like babies and I’m reading, doing laundry and Spotify is meeting my music needs. Not too exciting for a Friday night, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

This was my solstice gift from Mark and wow…what a gift. The etsy seller worked hard to get it here on time and it is more beautiful than the picture shows. It has been in my etsy favorites for several months and finally holding it is practically a surreal experience.

Tomorrow night I plan to share pictures of my two solstice celebrations, but in the meantime here’s a little light for you and a reminder that you’ve got to let it shine every day of the year:

I’m making Persian nabat today. Nabat is basically rock candy, but it is grown in a tray and not eaten like candy and instead used in tea as a sweetener or to settle an upset stomach. Sometimes it is made with saffron and used as a spice in Iranian kitchens.  I’ve experimented over the years and today I decided to make vanilla nabat colored and flavored with organic hibiscus flowers. It will take a week or two to grow and then I’ll have a sheet of rose colored gorgeousness to break into pieces and give to friends.

I set aside a little of the syrup to mix with sparkling water.  Let me tell you…vanilla and hibiscus flower soda may be my new favorite. Not paleo, but a nice treat on a day that a friend happens to send you your own personal incantation for new insight. Sigh. It couldn’t have come at a better time or on prettier paper. On solstice there will be incantation candles burning and that’s for sure.

I recently found out that our local yoga center will be offering monthly kirtans in 2012. Wow! Way to go Manitowoc. I love kirtan and have not been to one in over a year. The center is one block away and I plan to become a regular on kirtan nights.

If you are unfamiliar with call and response kirtan, here is a video to get you acquainted:

I am still having some camera issues, but no matter since I have something to share. Look at what another of my productive friends is up to! I can personally vouch for Janice and the fun you will have every morning when her emails arrive! My favorite line in her is the one about the “tumbler full of surprises“!  I do hope you sign-up!

FACETS

A Gemstone Lover’s Daily Elixir

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