Pickerel Painting

Pickerel Frog

Painting can transport you to another place. It's such an engrossing activity - one in which I lose all track of time. Mixing colors to get just the right hues is so fun!

I enjoyed my latest effort, pulling in deep shades of red, green, and blue to highlight the center of attention. My latest watercolor pictures an alert pickerel frog sitting among fallen leaves and dense vegetation. He appears to be calm, but also ready to jump to safety if provoked. During winter time, these frogs survive the cold, harsh conditions by hibernating. They won't come out of their dormancy until March or April when it's warm again and food is becoming more readily available.

So glad this little guy sat still long enough for my friend to get a good snapshot and for me to enjoy painting his portrait :)

Ka Pow

Return of the Red Lion Amaryllis

After a day of errands last Saturday, Kevin and I treated ourselves to dinner at a Thai restaurant. I ordered a yummy tofu and veggie dish with a nondescript name and Kevin ordered the special of the day - Ka Pow - a super spicy entree, with a cartoony name. It definitely attracted Kevin, and with his love of spicy foods, and cartoons!, it was a winner :)

Kevin's dinner entree's name is also the perfect description for the second coming of my amaryllis flowers. This is the first time I'd ever tried to bring an amaryllis bulb back to life. After it finished blooming last year, I followed through with all the necessary steps to encourage it to bloom again. These steps included cutting back the spent flower stalks, keeping the remaining green leaves well watered and the plant indoors until it was warm enough to place it outside on the patio for more intense sunshine. Right before the first frost last fall, I cut the leaves back and put the potted bulb in the shed. A few weeks before Christmas, I removed the top layer of soil around the dormant bulb and replaced it with fresh soil, brought it indoors and watered it. By Christmas it had sprouted again. Like magic, it went through the same progression of growth as it did last year until today when it's blooms opened wide into giant, shiny, red, eye-popping flowers - Ka Pow!!!

Reflections on a Gift

This Christmas, my daughter Desirae gave me a beautiful river stone carved into the shape of a heart. The stone, smoothed to near perfection by the waters of the river from where it was gathered, was further transformed by the hands of a craftsman or woman into the heart I now hold in my hands.

This lovely heart stone carving was created by an artisan in Haiti...

Haiti so ravaged by earthquakes and hurricanes, with so many people left homeless and desperate simply to survive. After so much had been taken and so much misery endured, this token from Haiti, which traveled so far, stands as a tribute to the spirit of the Haitian people.

To face such trials and tribulations, to continue to reach out and believe in a better tomorrow, to create, send, and connect to the world with this universal symbol of love...I can only say more than touched my heart!

In this new year, may we all remember our interconnections with one another and may we all reach out in love...as did the Haitian artisan, who knew not where this heart river stone carving would ultimately end up, but most surely knew it would resonate with a profound message.

Thank you, my sweet Desirae, for such a special, meaningful gift!

Wintry Weekend

Whitetail deer roam the ridge

We awoke to a world of white this Saturday morning. A little more than an inch of snow had fallen overnight...nothing compared to what other parts of the country have received, but enough to surround us with a touch of winter-wonderland. With a white backdrop, it's easier to make out our herd of deer as they traverse our woodland trails. In the photograph above, a line of deer, barely perceptible unless you take a pretty close look, silently move along single file on their way to the goldfish pond, hoping to lap at the watery edges of the mostly frozen, crystalline pool to satisfy their thirst. They can get aggressive with one another in their quest for a few precious sips. The other day, one of the largest does kicked the tiniest of the herd in the butt so that she could get to the best puddle. Survival of the fittest is often not kind!

A view of our cabin tucked behind the snowy banks.

So far this winter season, we haven't gotten entirely snowed in, but more snow is forecast for the coming week. Winter always seems to find a way of lingering longer than you think she might. She isn't the lady who knows when to leave! Before the first sweet breaths of spring arrive, I'm sure winter will put on more displays ~ winds gusting, temps plunging, and, perhaps next time, a thicker blanket of white to cover the earth and slow our pace.

A Prayer

A Prayer

By Max Ehrmann

Let me do my work each day; and if the darkened hours of despair overcome me,

may I not forget the strength that comforted me

in the desolation of other times.

May I still remember the bright hours that found me walking over

the silent hills of my childhood, or dreaming on the margin of

a quiet river, when a light glowed within me and

I promised my early God to have courage

amidst the tempests of the

changing years.

Spare me from bitterness and from sharp passions of unguarded moments.

May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit.

Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such

as shall keep me friendly with myself.

Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars.

Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself.

Let me not follow the clamor of the world,

but walk calmly in my path.

Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am; and keep ever

burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope.

And though age and infirmity overtake me, and I come not within sight

of the castle of my dreams, teach me still to be thankful for life,

and for time's olden memories that are good and sweet;

and may the evening's twilight find me gentle still.

This beautiful passage by Max Erhmann, was shared with me by a precious friend. Though we've never met in person, Julie, my pen pal of the past five years who lives "across the pond" in the United Kingdom, has touched my soul with her most generous, giving spirit. This timeless prayer seemed to me to be perfect to post at this time of year ~ may it lift your spirits and be a gentle reminder to keep hope, faith, goodwill, and love alive within your soul.

Season of Warmth and Light

Jasper enjoys the tree

It may be cold and gray outdoors, and the winter solstice, our shortest day of the year, is just around the corner ... but this time of year is one of warmth and light, comfort and brightness. It's a time to think of loved ones, those who share our daily lives and those who have passed, but live on in memory. It's a time to cozy up near the fire with a warm cup of tea or hot cider and cuddle under quilts and blankets. It's a time of candlelight and glittery decorations that lift our spirits no matter how hard the winds blow and how chill the air. It's a time for giving thanks for the gift of life itself.

Since I was a child, the holiday season has been such a special time ... a magical time of excitement and joy. As an adult, I feel more grounded at Christmastime and now experience it as a gentler, more spiritual time, but it's ever still as magical. A quote of Vincent Van Gogh's comes to mind that he wrote about love and how over time its aspect may change, but not it's essence. As the years pass and we age, the holidays take on new and different meanings, but the season will always carry us through the darkest days of winter with its warm glow.

Wishing you a warm and wonderful holiday season.

Peace to All.

Tulips in November

More accurately, this blog title should read, "Planting Tulips in November." I was thrilled that the weather has stayed warm enough that I could get outside today and plant the Darwin Hybrid tulip bulbs I purchased over two months ago.

Opportunities to plant my tulip garden had come and gone, and many days that would have been good for planting were not good for me. The immunosuppressants I need to take to keep my body from rejecting my new kidney also make me a target for the germs going around in this cold and flu season. I've already succumbed to three colds and had many a day when my body rebelled the idea of digging a garden.

Luckily, today was not such a day! The weather was in the low 60s and perfect for planting. With trowel in hand, I put about 30 tulip bulbs into the ground, watered them and covered them with nutrient rich organic soil, followed by a layer of leaves.

Come springtime, I hope strong and healthy tulip shoots will push their way up through the soil, grow tall and bloom in the vibrant mix of colors promised. They'll be a welcome sight, especially after the stark, gray days of wintertime...a lovely gift for this day spent planting.