Yesterday was surprisingly cold and windy.
Cold rain. BIG wind.
Unexpected. The need for a fire. So I did not have much to work with inside and most of the kindling outside... wet. But I began , very small, carefully. I had a few twigs and made some cardboard logs from my recycle bin. And managed to get a good enough burn to add a few logs I had inside here. It became warmer. I smiled to myself with satisfaction. That I did not have to turn the heat on. That I spent the time to try.
It felt unusually long, this winter. The season as it revolves around me and the personal season I carried. There was a heaviness I haven't felt in a long time. It's funny how working on paper has made me realize some of the same buried feelings from way (way) back when I was just working on paper. This one was a redraw of an old drawing from the early 70s. I just wanted to paint. To get the feeling back. It was a long dark day as I tried to ease into a sense of it. Needs a bit of tweaking but I did give it a name. I will call it Wake Up Call. A new feeling really.
This morning... Oh Maggie! sing
Maggie is glorious as are all blooming trees but she holds such majesty. Watching trees bloom, the transition from stark, denuded branches to the slow emergence of green leaves to bud formation then slowly, one petal emerges then another until the bloom is complete, is awe inspiring as well as comforting, a ritual that allows brings magic
The old apple tree in front of our place dances in season and I dance with her. We have very strong winds here in New Mexico and it does not take much for blossoms to float down and cover the ground.Each one, a perfect unfurling of softness and strength…I like to think that we are the same, adjusting to the seasons, to the years, to life…
yes, what falls away becomes a carpet in some ways, a softer path…
Maggie is a blessing indeed; existing to bring your mind out of winter and into Spring. The older I get the longer winter is.
Once at a campout in the pouring rain I made the fire with flint and steel. Psychologically the same as getting up the nerve to light a pilot light but with a greater sense of accomplishment.
Now you’ve got me considering rubbing two sticks together…😂
Building, lighting that match, seeing dancing flames, FEELING WARMTH COME. Comforting❤️.
I so enjoy building a fire…🔥
Beautiful fire & painting! Materials & processes bringing back feelings . . . yesterday I was organizing some fabrics, etc for a class I’m going to take. Hadn’t touched some of those materials for a long time. I decided that it’s okay when your stash brings tears to your eyes!
Yes, perhaps that’s what it’s for!
this Tree….SO SO Beyond Beauty FULL
Yeah, she’s a comfort. Bloomed multiple times last season with all the crazy weather. She goes with the flow…
Getting the feeling back. Nice!
And Maggie…listened to it with my own birdsong in the background.
Me, too!! So lovely to hear lots of birds together!
Always harmony!
Layers of song!
Frogs have awakened in our pond. Phoebe has returned. Earth knows what she is about.🌎
Yes, it is all singing.
Time has been a trick this season for sure…a bit never ending really. But, like you said – when it gets in your mind…
Anyway, I love the happy colors of the painting and seeing your tools and workspace – dreamy 🙂
My mama’s Magnolia trees were white…pink is such a pretty version, newer to me.
I colored tiny flowers and stones last night. Very soothing.
xo
I’ve been distracted from myself, better now.
Fire here, too, yesterday, and maybe today as well. I need to restock the inside wood today, hopefully before the rain comes. Love the painting and the birdsong. A cardinal woke me up with the sun this morning. 🙂
Yeah, just preparing to bring in a stash…
Got a resident cardinal here by the porch…woke me up too.
Oh! Tra La La! Sing! SING!!
‘Tis Spring!!
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Tis!
Your fire looks warm and cozy for stitching or painting! Maggie has pretty blooms 💗 All the magnolias around here have large white blooms pink would be nice.
Yeah, she is a beauty, but petals have begun to drop already. Enjoy it while u can!
I saw a video online yesterday of someone making magnolia leaf pickles.
Yeah, they do have a ginger like scent…
Yearn a bright fire (beautiful) and more bird song. I miss them, my new spot the offerings quite quieter from nature I had. Perhaps my wake up call, plan one day to move on yet again.
I plan to move actually, eventually.
Yes, it did feel like an unusually long winter. Even here in Arizona. And the short days, and the long nights.
It’s harder when it gets in your head…
To return to that feeling. I understand. I miss my childhood art lesson days…in the basement of the art teacher’s old house in Maryland. I cannot recall her name, or even her face. It is sitting at a big table with others around, mostly faceless adults, and choosing the object to draw or paint. That feeling of hard concentration and holding the pencil. The quiet. The peace.
See what you just inspired, Jude?
how memories are layers and how image might form by looking through them.
Good morning! Maggie is magnificent! Different ways of making fill us up in different ways I think… Much love!
Yes! And releases us…Backatcha!