Fox On the Run

On the way home this evening, in the early winter darkness of the day, I noticed a fox run across our path as we drove along. How unusual to see this beautiful wild creature so close to human civilization.

Creation

I have been working on a gown for my daughter. I created a dressform from duct tape and poly-fil.  I expanded a pattern 8 sizes smaller than her on tracing paper.  I fitted it, folded it, redrew it....I'm marveling at the beautiful sheen of material that I purchased at a deep discount from a bin of discontinued fabrics...this will be a beautiful gown.

There is something so very organic in creating with your own ideas, your own hands.  It doesn't matter if it's dressmaking, cake decorating, drawing, painting, beading, quilting, furniture making, metal working, or even writing...

It starts as a small thought, an idea, and it grows and transforms into something that is YOURS.  It takes us back to a time of self-sufficiency and serves as a reminder of the skills and arts lost to us that our ancestors relied upon for their day to day survival.

Sleet

Come to me, frozen pellets of rain...
We need the freeze to keep balance.
Without it, the pollen and the insects will be out of control again this spring and summer.

Inner Peace

You can not control the people around you, only the way you respond to them. 

:-)

Sleep

Sleep...it comes at the most inconvenient times.

I awaken to the black screen of a laptop that has given up on me and sent itself into the same hibernation that claimed my consciousness while my fingers still rest over the keyboard...

What was I typing...?

Setting Sun

Today, I noticed the sun just lingering right above the horizon outside where I work.  I notice the sky each evening over the nearby golf course.  I don't know what it is about the horizon over this golf course, but the sky is always breathtaking, even on cloudy gray days. I seldom see the sun rise or set from my home due to the landscape and close proximity to my neighbors' homes, so I truly appreciate the beautiful and magnificent display of color that greets me after a long day at work.

Comprustration

I am 3 days out with no stone to post...then I get home tonight and my laptop won't boot to Windows, finally get it restored, and it kept all my REALLY important stuff but it completely REMOVED all my installed programs, email, bookmarks, etc.

My stones are frustrated tonight. I'll try to catch up tomorrow.

Smells...

Today, I spent time in a wood shop - set construction for a local high school musical.  It has been many years since I stepped inside a room like this.  The smell of saw dust  transported me back to junior high school when I built a cutting board, a checkers set, and a jewelry box.











A favorite smell is that of wet pavement when it first begins to rain...it reminds me of playing on the street in the rain as a child.








The smell of Avon's original Skin So Soft reminds me of my grandma.









The smell of C & S Market Italian roast beef reminds me of every awesome birthday meal I had until I moved to North Carolina.

The smell of GoJo reminds me of my grandpap and dad when they worked on their cars.

The smell of leather fills me with warmth and comfort.

The smell of citrus lifts my spirit.

Smells are very complex, with their attachment to memories and moods, and yet they are really so very simple.  In looking for inspiration for our small stones, we observe the world around us, paying particular attention to audible and visual stimuli, but the scents of the the world around us are often taken for granted.  Smells can conjure up some of the strongest moods and clearest memories even after decades have passed in their making.

Not Yet...

I noticed the little green buds of my jonquils are pushing their way through the surface of the ground and reaching for the light of the sun.  

It's too soon for them to awaken!  

They are obviously quite mistaken!

It's early January, not March....

Go back to bed little ones!

So...

What I carry in my heart
Brings us so close or so far apart
Only love can make love
          - Peter Gabriel, That Voice Again

Winter Symphony

A beautiful symphony of birdsong greeted me as I stepped outside… And the sun felt warm upon my face on this chilly January morning.  

The Quiet Room

The air flowing through the heat shaft is a low hum of white noise...

An indiscernible muffle of voices pass outside the closed door...growing 

louder...louder...

softer....softer....

Footsteps above, accompanied by creaking floorboards...drawing nearer...then fading away...

My room of quiet solitude is not really quiet after all.

Aural Garden

Headphones on.                            

              The music plays. 

The stress of the day slowly drains from me as my mind wanders and soars outside this tired body. 

Caress my ears.  

               Ignite my spirit. 

Take me to that sacred place, my aural grotto, my secret garden, where I escape from this realm, if only for a little while.   My time there is never long enough. 

Don't Forget to Wash Behind the Ears

I hear familiar slurpy sounds, like those that Boodah makes as he grooms...he is meticulous, I suppose, like all cats. Lick...lick....lick....lick....the steady rhythm breaks the silence of the room.

Bandit rolls onto his back, belly exposed and ready for a rubbing.  I reach to tickle the soft warm fuzz of his tummy when I realize that he has managed to convince Boodah that he is entitled to a grooming as well!

Spoiled little dog.

Family Ghosts

I gaze in fascination at this card mounted photo. As my fingers trace along the tattered edges, some are worn smooth, almost polished from age.

Two girls - one with boots, one barefoot.
Two women - one holding a baby.
Two dogs - one large, one smaller.
Two men - one with a bottle, one in his socks with a glass in hand.
Two doors - two homes.

It is between 1900 and 1910 - The hair styles and attire affirm that period.
Ringer/washer, wooden tub, wicker basket - it is "wash day" - typically Monday.
 
But that is all...

These plain looking people are my ancestors....but I can not identify them. I only know what archived records in dusty dockets tell me. These ghosts don't speak.

...and this house today looks so very ordinary.

Nasal Pressure

Face hurts.  Teeth hurt.  Nasal passages swollen again, and yet somehow, liquid still drips like a leaky spigot from my nose. How can this be???

I take a tissue, ball it up on either end and shove each end into both my nostrils. So glamorous.

I haven't had a sneeze free nor booger free day since May last year.  Neti pot....take me away!

Time Stand Still

How quickly the day goes by...

In my youth, a day would last so much longer.  Weeks dragged on forever. Christmas, birthdays, the last day of school and beginning of summer were a lifetime away....

Now a week...a month...they fly by...so quickly...too quickly.

Funny Hat

I have a funny hat.  

I like it a lot.  

I like to play with the dangling tassels. 

Maybe it was meant to be worn by someone half my age, but the critter on my head is older than me, and really, I'm just a big kid at heart. ;-)

My Baby Boy

My faithful little friend sits by my side, his head tilted and his eyes big, round, and wide....he knows that every bite I take brings him closer to the last bite, which I always save for him. 

Hello big wet nose and barrage of licks all over my face!  Would you like some of mama's coffee too?