The birds

Our new guest has become part of our family.  I think he will stay, I hope anyway.

He is a rescued, tame Canadian goose we took in at the end of January.  He was weak, skinny and very cold.  He can't fly and now has a new home.  

He follows me around the garden, he is lovely, just lovely.

Our neighbor gave us this chicken house last fall.  I put on the window and the nesting box.  I still have some work to do, a coat of paint, a better latch...  so far it is working out great.  The nesting box keeps the eggs so clean.

It only took me a few hours to make two nesting boxes this size.  My idea worked!  I think knowing how to sew helps so much in the construction of any project.  It is all the same idea, creating a three-dimensional, usable object/garment from an idea or prototype, just a different medium... 

Easy to open, easy to clean.

The girls.

The "big" chicken house.  We made it a few years ago out of salvaged or leftover wood and found windows.  It has a bigger box, there are four nests in this box. 

Sista lookin' out into the sun.

Bandit, our rooster.

The gift....

Another Aha moment...

On the way to my doctor's appointment I felt overwhelmed by the idea that my intuition was trying to speak to me.  I feel like I need deep attention from myself for myself.  I always have so much running around inside of my head that I can't quite make out what I am hearing.  It feels jumbled, inaudible, and I think, "slow down, sit quietly, listen."  I have been feeling that impulse for some time now - sit, breathe, Vipassana.... but yet,

.    

I raced to my appointment, grabbed a magazine, it opened to an article written by Jada Pinkett Smith.  I was inspired, it was almost as if I was directed to read it... a sign post.  I love when that happens.  It was about her Aha! moment.  It went something like this.... 

"I was...so stuck in the idea that taking care of others was the way to create good relationships. As a result, I tried to micromanage my world.  One day I was so overwhelmed I thought I might be crushed under the weight of all the responsibilities I'd taken on...when I started meditating that morning, I felt...Surrender or explode. All of a sudden, I was released. 

I realized that by doing less, I can be more."

I felt it. I knew it.  It was the message I was trying to tell myself,

 the whispers I wouldn't listen to.  

Do Less and Be More... 

Take care of myself, stop worrying about everything and everyone else.  

Wouldn't I rather play with my son, on my violin, or sew a purse, plant some food?  

What is it that I really need, every day, to be more whole?  What does my husband and child need from me to feel fulfilled?  What do I need from them?  What is my purpose? 

Big questions, I want to boil it down to the root....

Spring is here, chives, oregano, daffodils, melting snow, have a good one...

Scraps of wool...

My "penny rug" purse.  

Felted scraps of wool from past projects.  

Over dyed and pieced together.

Lined with my old kitchen curtains...  

Deconstructed structure, raw edges and wonderful frays.

Love...

" The world is waiting for you to Open. Open your heart, let love flow in and out. Let love be your motivation in every action. Let love be the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning and the last thing before bed at night. Let love fill up your body, every cell, until it overflows out into the world, touching everything.

Let Love be your gifted ability; it is what you are meant to do. Every moment take Love one step further in some way, let it grow and grow. Love is endless, as is your ability to express and experience it. There is no limit, no rule, no one way.

The more you Open, the more Love will teach you, fill you, emanate from you. Do not wait. Start Now.

Have Courage, Intent, Willingness. Let Love be the Truth you represent, the tool you carry, the vehicle that brings you to every new step. "
Sent to me by a friend....  thank you.

Message in a bottle

I wonder who dipped their pen into this ink well?

It is from the 19th century.  Can you image the stories?

So beautiful, yet so simple.

The treasures we find....

Life is good...

Fresh, lovely, organic, fertilized, happy eggs.

Creativity from grief.  I painted this canvas drop cloth for my son.  

He wanted a dino island.  He told me that he can now play knights, Norse myths, pirates, marine mammal rescue, croccodile tamer or fairy world.  He is in seventh heaven today.  

Small effort on my part for one happy boy.

The removal of another layer.  New, energy efficient windows.  

A room with a view.

Namaste... Peace be with you