a visual taste of fall.........

 how wonderful....and magical... to walk out this

morning and see my world blanketed in fog.

 my mind immediately went to breezy...crisp

fall mornings.

 fall always evokes an excitement in me...

 flowers curling up for a long winters sleep....

 unlike these poor souls... burnt crisp from this brutal

summer heat.

 even with the mugginess of this sultry summer morning...

 i could feel the breeze from a multitude of  sighs...

from flora and fauna...

 earths creatures....

for this visual taste of fall.....

Styling and profiling..........

     

I just had to share this...

I went by Earth Fare to pick up a

few things and passed this stylish pooch.

I wasn't close enough to get a really good

picture....but...check out his goggles!

As it turns out....he was headed to Earth Fare too

so I got to compliment him on his finery!

Joe Cool!

The man who was my father.....

The man who was my father made his life transition yesterday. I spent the day in curious contemplation……mulling over the few scenes we had played out in this lifetime. He left when I was three and only made brief forays back into my orbit over the years….no “daddy’s little princess”….no “picking me up when life’s lessons knocked me on my ass”….no “beaming with joy over my fine children and grandchildren”……

At my final visit he lay in his deathbed…a frail shell of a man...oblivious to my presence with a drug induced sleep…and I searched my soul for forgiveness …that fragrance that violets give to the heel that crushed them….

and it would not come……….

it saddens me to know my inheritance will be

the sickness of long thinking.......

Faeries in the garden...

Faeries in the garden

on this sultry summer morning....

Happy Monday!

 



Story of the Day

I just love Story of the Day......

I've had MANY of these moments!

Yes....I have been!

WOW..........I can't believe how lax I've been with my blogging lately.....well....really with everything! I don't know if it's been the day after day of upper 90's and 100 degree weather or what...but....I've been pretty much worthless! Summertime in the deep South......ya gotta love it!

I started eating Paleo last weekend and have spent tons of time looking up recipes to try. What's Paleo....it's been described as being 'caveman style' of eating. Basically it's meat, fresh veggies, some fruits and nuts. I have stopped eating sugar...dairy (except butter)...legumes...and gluten. I've been eating this way for a week now and have been very surprised at how easy a transition it's been. The best thing so far is that I never seem to be hungry. Will I stick to this.....we'll see.

 I needed something different...bright....and cheerful... for my computer background so I downloaded a calendar  from Geninne's blog. You should check her out.....LOTS of eye candy! Love your July calendar Geninne!



Hope I can get myself out of this "slump" soon. It's supposed to rain here all weekend and I was hoping to do a little hiking. Might be a good time to stay in and try to conquer that sewing maching sitting in my studio!

Happy Weekend Everyone.......

Bruno Torfs

Bruno Torfs

magical...

A Chicken Tractor on Steroids.........

I spent this afternoon getting ready for "the girls"....

If you remember back in March I posted pictures

of a chicken tractor I wanted a friend to make for me.

Well.....this is it.....

on steroids....

It's technically still a chicken tractor....

it will just have to be moved with the truck each time

instead of wheeling it around by hand.

I think "the girls" will be happy at any rate!

Mmmmmmmmm......

Quiche....!

Dumb Crook Story....

We had our own 'dumb crook' story today......

There were about twenty five of us standing around

on the side of a back road waiting to complete our

yearly obstacle course drivers training that was

set up down a side road. There was a large sign placed 

at the side road stating: Sheriff's Office Training.

Most people driving by slowed to see what was

going on....a few slowed down and asked if

 they were supposed to stop...

...and then along comes this little dude who

stops...rolls the window down...and says:

"I don't have a license." I'm guessing he didn't 

read the sign and thought it was a traffic stop.

To top that off when we ran his name through

the system he had outstanding warrants.

Talk about having a bad day....

Did we have a big belly laugh over this?

What do you think........

of mysteries and magic....

ol'  mr bluebird appeared to be the recipient of his mates

wrath this morning. her scolding was so loud i went outside

to see if something was bothering their nest.

i guess she was a little upset that her 'chillrens' breakfast

was late......

"we speak of mysteries in our squawks

and magic in our chatters.

if you would slow to natures ebb and flow

you would hear what really matters."

~madeleine walker

blessings......

 i spent some time at the creek meditating today.

it's a wonderful solid rock creek bed that looks like

a mountain stream. i always find great comfort there

and feel enveloped by the power of the rock.

 this beautiful creature graced me with her presence.

her color is magnificent....

 according to Ted Andrews in Animal Speak:

"the dragonfly represents the power of light.

life is never quite the way it appears...but it is always

filled with light and color. dragonfly can help you see

through your illusions and thus allow your own light

to shine forth. dragonfly brings the brightness of

transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision."

 this little water snake eased out to see what i was up to.

"they represent rebirth...resurrection...initiation...and wisdom.

snakes are symbols of change and healing. they have speed

and agility....so those who have snakes come into their life

will usually find the changes and shifts occur quickly and are

soon recognized and defined. when snake comes into your

life you can look for a rebirth into new powers of creativity

and wisdom."

and tadpoles.....these little frog babies....

frogs have an ancient mythology about them. being

amphibians with links to the water and the land...they

are often associated with the magic of both elements.

they represent transformation through water and sound." 

light...new vision...creativity...wisdom...

transformation through water and sound...

aho....i am blessed...

the birds and the bees......

I had two of my young grand daughters.....five and seven years old....for the day today. We spent the morning inside playing and chatting. I got them a couple of brown paper bags with handles and let them color them before lunch promising them a "nature adventure" after they ate. 

They had baby carrots and broccoli to dip in ranch dressing with their lunch so when we started our adventure I took them outside and let them each pull a carrot from the garden and explained where carrots came from and how they grow. I told them how broccoli grows above the ground and carrots below. We went around the garden smelling all my herbs....rosemary....lemon thyme...mint...basil...and regular thyme.

As we walked around I showed them the honey bees on the clover and told them to watch where they stepped so they wouldn't be stung or kill the bees. I explained how the hive looks and how bees make the honey for their winter food. Later I let them taste fresh honey. I took them to the butterfly bush and showed them the bumble bees and explained the difference. They wanted to pick a flower off the bush and I let them each pick one explaining how they should only take one so the butterflies and bees could have food. I also told them to always thank the things in nature when they picked something or found a gift like a bird feather.

As we walked around they filled their bags with gifts of lichen...nut shells...little shiny rocks. We found a bird nest and I gave it to one of the girls and got another from the house for the other.  We sat on the porch for a while and watched the birds at the feeder and a pair of bluebirds making trips to their house to feed their babies. I explained how male and female birds are colored differently so the male would attract the predators and the female could get away. I told them the names for the birds at the feeder....cardinals...finch...and nut hatches.

When we came back inside I gave them each an old wasp nest to add to their "prizes". Both had picked up a stick to carry back inside so I got them each a feather and tied them to their sticks with streamers of multicolored yarn to make "fairy wands". We spent the rest of the afternoon granting wishes and sprinkling imaginary fairy dust on each other.

When their mom came to pick them up she asked me if they had behaved. I told her they had and we'd had a good time. I looked at the girls and said "We learned a lot didn't we?" Both gave a big YEAAAAAH! I told them to tell their mother what they learned. The oldest piped up and said......."We learned about birds and bees....." Well......their mom looked like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Her head swung around towards me....she placed her hand over her heart....her mouth fell open....she had a look of horror on her face....she was speechless! I burst out laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes. When I could finally stop laughing I started telling her about the honey bees giving us honey and the colors of the birds....... Once that was clear she had a good laugh too. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on my daughters face!

fantastic fungi........

about paul stamets

via fungi.com

I'm gonna whine a little here...
i DO NOT like this new blogger format.
sometimes it takes FOREVER for the type to show
up and it wouldn't let me scroll down enough to change
the color of my link..........
just saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Juliette of the Herbs

Juliette of the Herbs

Juliette de Bairacli Levy

http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/8638/Juliette-of-the-Herbs

beautiful film......

beautiful person......

when.......

The Four Original Questions:

WHEN did you stop dancing?

WHEN did you stop singing?

WHEN did you stop being enchanted by stories?

WHEN did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?

My Addition:

WHEN will you choose to begin again?

♥ ♥ ♥

~lore raymond

 



Fairy Gardens.......

Don't you love when you find that "special" garden center....

the one that has things not found in the big box stores?

Dearness Gardens is my go to place. When I want to

treat myself...it's either books or something from Dearness.

My oldest daughter made her first trip there recently and

saw their Fairy Garden. She was simply twitterpated!

It's been there for years now if that gives you an idea of

how pricey it is. Sooooo.....being the good mother that I

am....I've made her one for her garden.

The moss will continue to spread to cover the pot. The house

I ordered was actually a toad house with no door so I cut out

a door...burned some lines and a window with a wood burner...

stained...sealed...and glued it to the house. I cut the birdhouse

from a scrap of wood and painted it to match the house.

I think she's gonna like it......

This is a picture of the one at Dearness....

I'd really like to have it too.....but....$$$$$$$!

scorpio full moon.....

so....did you celebrate the Scorpio Full Moon last night?

i drummed with a group of healers on land that was

part of the Catawba Indian Reservation. The energy

was off the charts!

this is a picture of the energy from my fingertips....

 a closeup of my fingertip.....

here's a little information about the Scorpio Full Moon

from Jim.....

"we work on ourselves in order to help others...

but we also help others in order to work

on ourselves."

~pema chodron

be kind to mother earth....

namaste...

Tiny Houses

                         yes.....please!


http://tiny-themovie.com/

http://tinyhouseblog.com/tag/christopher-smith/

the beauty of pollination....

wonderful.......

who are you.....really?