Apache Tears...

What a beautiful way to end the day here in

South Carolina. This sunset just took my breath away.

I think it was Spirits way of compensating for a day that started

out not so good. I planned a trip to Charlotte to pick up an

 Apache Tears stone and stopped to fill my gas tank on the

way. A guy in an old beat up Ford F150 backed into my

Tacoma....the end of his bumper hit right behind the passenger

 door on the drivers side. I'm sure you can guess who's vehicle 

was damaged. When I saw him start to back up I blew the horn

and if he had stopped then he wouldn't have hit me...but...

he didn't! Sure wish I'd already picked up that stone.

"Apache Tears are strong stones for spiritual grounding and they are

 also powerful for psychic protection. They will raise your ability

 to recognize the approach of menacing situations, where you may be at risk.

 Like other types of Black Obsidian... they will absorb negative energy.

 This makes Apache Tears powerful tools to cleanse your auric field of negativity."

I hope his insurance (it looked "iffy") will pay to fix my truck...but if not...

I can live with it....sure doesn't look nice...but it runs just fine...

Thank you Spirit for protecting my loved one and myself.

Miller Goodman toys.......

Miller Goodman toys............

forget the kids....I WANT THEM.....

true time........

“I know this much: that there is objective time,

 but also subjective time, the kind you wear on the inside of your wrist,

 next to where the pulse lies. And this personal time, 

which is the true time, is measured in your relationship to memory.” 

~ Julian Barnes

 

 

on this cold... rainy... winters day i am remembering a

gentle soul who listened to my dreams and held

me through the night.... 

 

art by jeanie tomanek

the promise of renewal....

winter has its own kind of beauty...

it's a time for showing ones bones.

i am much comforted by these silent sentries

around this place i call home. 

the skeletal trees with their adornment of nests...

the butterfly bush under the bird feeder that 

gives my little ones a sense of security...

the rattle of the dried leaves from the flowers 

that some would have pulled by now

but i like to have them share my winters with me.

 

this desiccated queen annes lace reminds me of the

moon...with a galaxy of stars arcing outward. But

most importantly...it reminds me of renewal...

new life from the precious seeds clinging to its

heart....

 

a heart should always carry within itself

the promise of renewal...

 

Earth Prayers..

Mother Earth has provided everything in your life; the food you eat, the air you breathe, the clothes you wear, the home you live in. She is the Divine Mother manifest in her most majestic form. We can never say thank you to her enough.

Today your intention is to offer your prayers to Mother Earth throughout your day. Using your breath, and an offering from nature, your prayers will begin to restore your alignment with Nature and all things of the Universe. This readjustment of righting your relationship to yourself and your place in the world is known by shamans as ayni. Ayni resides in your heart. There is a deep ease of being at home, at one with everything. Offering your prayers in this way begins to bring you into ayni, the longing of your heart to return home.

In different traditions tobacco, flowers or cocoa leaves are used to hold prayers. Today you will find something in your own kitchen or native surroundings that will work for you. Grains like rice or dried beans, fresh or dried herbs, flower petals, small leaves, organic sugar, seeds, nuts or raisins are some of the things you could use as prayer offerings.

Every good prayer starts with a thank you. As you offer your prayers hold a sense of gratitude, love and appreciation for Pachamama. Let your prayer be one of thanks for the glory of the day, for the beauty Pachamama offers so abundantly, thanks for the warmth of the sun on your face, the blessings in your life. Allow your prayer to be an authentic of the calling of your heart. Release your prayer offerings back to the Earth.

an excerpt from A Structure For Spirit

wise words from Karen Chrappa on this crisp monday morning....

Whisperings.......

yesterdays sunset...

i felt its beauty in my bones.

the ancients whispering...

all is right with your world.

Willie Drews.......

willie drews home...

one of the places i go to

soothe my soul....

Hello 2013.......

Wishing each of you a happy, safe and artful 2013!

Love in a Forest

decided to have some fun with the "volcanic" ClayBord ....

boy loves girl....

i love the sanctity of my studio...

small pleasures....

....sigh

Whew..........

***GRINCH ALERT***

DON'T GO ANY FURTHER

IF YOU AREN'T PREPARED

FOR A LITTLE  LOT OF WHINING.....

Things have been....shall we say....a wee bit stressful around Casa Jody lately!

I'll begin with my job...I have worked for the Sheriffs' Office here in my county

 for thirteen years. We elect a new Sheriff every four years. At the end of each

four year term we automatically don't have a job....even if the same Sheriff keeps

the office. We have to reapply just as if we've never worked there. Well...we have

a new Sheriff taking office this January so I may or may not have a job next year.

Needless to say that put a crimp on Christmas.

Next....my oldest daughter moved into my already small home with her two children...

my thirteen yr old grandson and ten yr old granddaughter...until she can get her tax return

(something that's NOT looking promising here in the States any time soon!) and

find a place of her own. Talk about a MAJOR change for me....I feel I've been

displaced in my own home.

And....in the middle of all this my MacBook Pro died....leaving me without Photoshop CS5

and all the other software I use in my art!!!! It's the logic board....the mother board in a PC.

And no....of course...I don't have anything backed up and no reinstall CDs for the CS5.

I do keep all my art and images on a jump drive so I've got that.

So now I need to decide if I should invest $500 to fix a six yr old laptop or put that

towards a new one and HOPE I can salvage my software and data from the hard drive.

Not a decision I'm prepared to make without knowing I have a job January 1st.

In the meantime I've pulled out this thirteen yr old PC with all its' quirks just to

be able to do anything.

Soooooooo....I found myself at home alone...WONDERFUL....WONDERFUL...

and decided to make a little art to soothe my soul. I grabbed a ClayBord and began

layering plaster...gesso...and paint. After an hour or so as I started a new layer

the whole shebang slid off the board leaving me with this:

Note to self... stick to the wood panels for this kind of art....another lesson learned! 

 Oh well....I can start over now with the layers since the clay is gone.

 And working in my studio.......

 it really was good for my soul!





Zentangle #4

blind contour drawing of owl...zentangled...

scanned and printed on watercolor paper

then added a little color....

yes...i'm definitely liking this!

Zentangle #3

still zentangling.......

Zentangle #2

I'm soooooooooo....addicted!

I can see these made into PNG files for my digital art.....

My current obsession.....

 Zentangle.....my current obsession........

Down the Rabbit Hole.........

My friend Dottie has a group meeting every Tuesday night in her studio.

It's  been called 'The Gathering Place' for as long as I've attended.

We are an eclectic bunch....young...old...artists..writers...healers...

energy workers...energy readers....

We have the most wonderful meetings with topics from all our

different interests discussed ...usually with a little art..and always

much love and laughter.

Our meeting tomorrow night heralds in a new format.

I'm not sure exactly what the change will be other than

the name...it will now be called 'The Rabbit Hole'.

On hearing this last week my mind immediately went

to Ingrid Dijkers tunnel book based on Alice In Wonderland.

So....I've made one for Dottie to celebrate our

new direction.....sorry for the poor lighting!



pockwatchies and sunbeams.....

sunday's walk....

aho neighbor...

pockwatchie?

surrounded by the whispering trees...

wrapped in the loving glow of grandfather sun...

all is well with my soul this bright

sunny sunday....

How have I frighted thee....

"O sleep, O gentle sleep,
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,
That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down
And steep my sense in forgetfulness?"

~ Shakespeare

sleep eludes me of late....

be it the moon...the ghost of 

my ancestors visiting each night...

or just all the aches and pains of 

this old body...it appears sleep

has been "frighted" from me...

desperately seeking sleep....

(owl element by eenas creation)

mizz unconventional does thanksgiving.....

i have more to be thankful for than anyone would

care to read about...so...let me say how thankful i am

for my new cookbooks!

I just got Home Made and Home Made Winter by

yvette van boven.....such LOVELY books.

the recipes and the photos are to die for!

everything is fresh...made from scratch...

even how-to's for making your own

cheese...butter...yogurt...and sausage.

i'm looking forward to trying some of her

soups...breads...and flavored butters on

the upcoming winter days.

being the unconventional person that i am...

my thanksgiving meal was a spinach quiche (my

own recipe) with creme fraiche and a little
spinach/artichoke spread on the side. and for
dessert i made her white chocolate coffee. i
 improvised some and used chopped white chocolate
 chips and a packet of starbucks via...ready brewed

iced coffee. i put the heavy cream with a 

spot of sugar and vanilla in my "magic

bullet" to whip up the cream. had this

wonderful concoction and a couple of 

key lime cookies to top off my meal.

YUM!

being the glutton that i am...now i'm

waiting for Home Made Summer...

due out next may.

and let me also add that among the

many things that i count as blessings

are you....my "cyber" friends.

sending each and every one of you

healing and peaceful energy this

thanksgiving day....

aho...

loopty loops among the stardust....

today finds my space cowboy much on my mind...

this day he earned his permanent wings...

sending hugs and kisses his way as he

loopty loops among the stardust....

singing over the bones....

La Loba…..

Wolf Woman…

sing your sweet souls voice over these desiccated bones

and bring them back to life

before they become powder

and are stolen by the wind…

i am much in need of a

singing over the bones…



Thanks Veterans

Happy Veterans Day!

to all of you who have

served our country....

THANKS!

out of sorts.......

 
 please accept my apologies for being such an awful blogger....

i've been out of sorts....

things have been a little too "heavy" in my world lately.

i know in the grand scheme of things there are those far worse off

than myself....among them the poor Sandy victims.

we all handle stress differently....my way is usually:

long walks...

quiet reflection...

silence...

silence...

silence...

sometimes the burden of always being the one expected

to spin lead into gold becomes overwhelming...
no one sings my life like Van...

Philosophers Stone

Van Morrison

Out on the highways and the by-ways all alone

I'm still searching for... searching for my home

Up in the morning... up in the morning ...out on the road

and my head is aching... and my hands are cold

And I'm looking for the silver lining... silver lining in the clouds

and I'm searching for...

and I'm searching for...

the philosophers stone

And it's a hard road... it's a hard road... daddy-o

when my job is turning lead into gold

He was born in the back street, born in the back street... Jelly Roll

I'm on the road again and I'm searching for

the philosophers stone

Can you hear that engine

Woe... can you hear that engine drone

well I'm on the road again and I'm searching for...

searching for the philosophers stone

Up in the morning... up in the morning

when the streets are white with snow

It's a hard road... it's a hard road ...daddy-o

Up in the morning,...up in the morning

out on the job

Well you've got me searching for

searching for... the philosophers stone

Even my best friends... even my best friends...they don't know

that my job is turning lead into gold

When you hear that engine... when you hear that engine drone

I'm on the road again and I'm searching for the philosophers stone

It's a hard road... even my best friends ...they don't know

and I'm searching for... searching for...

 the philosophers stone.




(hidden vintage digital elements)

made of stardust......

rebel n : one who rebels

opposes or disobeys authority

she refused to live by the rules set forth by society

choosing instead to follow the words whispered to

her by the ancients.....words for which there is no

human translation...a primal language...felt rather

than heard....telling her...

you are made of stardust...

gathered from all your past lifetimes...

shine... 

a boxy, insecure, wise ass, introverted doodler

here's a cold hard fact...

i'm a doodler. yep...a doodler! pretty much 

every paper..envelope..calendar..whatever.. is covered 

in doodles. case in point.. a scrap from my desk at work.

i'm not alone...there's even a doodlers anonymous.

evidently doodles can be analyzed just like handwriting

a quick search on google turned up these interpretations:

- Doodles of people tend to reflect the writer's self-image or body image.

- Doodles of houses can indicate how secure-or insecure-someone feels.

- Pictures of animals can show sensitivity to others' needs or feelings.

- Pictures of boxes can indicate organization and structure.

- Abstract images with lots of lines and angles can show that the person is a very

 critical thinker (being able to go from Point A to Point B), whereas abstracts that

 are more curved can show warmth, openness, and flexibility.

- Flowers can indicate growth and development-or its lack!

(One thing to consider: Are the flowers alive or dead?)

- Heavy pressure can show strength, decisiveness, and determination.

- Large doodles may be done by someone who is extroverted and

likes attention. Small doodles may come from someone who can

 focus well, has good motor coordination, and is more reserved.

so my body image is "boxy"....hmm sounds about right..

TWO houses...REALLY insecure!

an owl isn't really an animal but considered "wise"...wise ass? ..yeah

i do see some "boxy" shapes....my square self is organized!

lots of angles AND curves.. my thinking appears a little ac/dc

there's some heavy pressure in there...determination...i gots it!

all this on a 4 x 6 inch scrap paper so... introverted....absolutely!

(which reminds me of a GREAT article by Eli Bishop on introverts.)

who knew doodling could be so informative.....

Ten Words and One Shot

who doesn't love a peek inside an artists space?
here's a glimpse inside my humble studio....and yes....it's pretty much
always this messy ( i spend LOTS of time looking for stuff!)
and that old beat up recliner is where i greet the morning
with a cup of joe or sit and gaze at the stars on the nights
i'm not doing a little porch sitting. it's my favorite spot
inside my home.

 

i ran across the blog  tenwordsandoneshot .
"Ten words to outline and one shot to give you an idea."
that's the concept. it lets you get into the mind and workspace
 of some very creative people.

i love Stampingtons magazine...Where Women Create for the same reason.

as C.S. Lewis said: "we read to know we are not alone".

i'm thanking the cyber gods for giving me the opportunity
to find my pack!



drifting.......

a Haley Morris animated film:

"a drifting man struggles to pull objects from the roiling sea below him

and scrambles to keep the objects from slipping through his fingers." a

representation of the progression of alzheimers disease inspired by

morris's grandfather.

alzheimers is such a cruel disease

robbing the person of their memories

and their loved ones of the person

today i am remembering my mother

whom i lost a year and a half before

she passed

sending kisses and hugs on the wind...



another rainy monday...

"talkin' to myself and feelin' old

sometimes I'd like to quit

nothin' ever seems to fit

hangin' around

nothin' to do but frown

rainy days and mondays

always get me down...."

i'm sitting here having a cup of joe

and nursing a throbbing finger (i stabbed myself

with a pair of scissors in my studio last evening) as

i prepare to head out into this

cool...rainy day to call on a few folks

with bigger problems than mine. with times

like these burglaries are all too common in

our little part of the world. their loss of valuables

is nothing compared to their loss of security.

we can't always find the thieves and return their items

but my goal for the day is to try and put a smile on

their face and hopefully ease their fears.

i hope you're warm and safe this crisp fall morning.

this public servant is sending up prayers for those in need.....