autumn ramblings 1

the second day of autumn. 

usually this time of year is about the autumn dance. alas i find my thoughts, my moods, my actions, to be quite rambling these days, this year. 

and so the decision, instead of my autumn dance, to share ramblings.

our summer has been so filled with sunshine. still the sunshine continues. as i love the light, so need the light, i will not complain. i will attempt to spend time outdoors to enjoy. i will attempt to sit in the light and see if i can slow these random thoughts and actions. i will attempt to remember to breathe deeply, to let the ongoing stress release. some days i am more successful.

today we took advantage of the sunshine, the west wind, the heat. we went to a favourite place, closer by, to do a short afternoon hike. was going to call it a stroll, but quite hilly, quite wild. and i wore my boots. blundstone.

 so much more like a hike. even Billy got tired. 

we are getting older. yet we still love to hike. i also continue to love doing photos of the autumn season.

*******

Finding the following words, compliments of the quotation loving Kitty Ackerman Armstrong, to bring me to a place where I can try to move from the ramble jumble into a more meditative landscape.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you - beyond that next turning of the canyon walls." ~ Edward Abbey

some Easter creations

 from nature

  from natural dyes and Martha inspiration

from acrylic ink, magic pencils, Misty and Milliande inspiration

 

and  this work in progress with magic pencils again and Toulouse-Lautrec inspiration

*** please click on any of the pictures to enlarge ***

links for today
~ Martha
~ Milliande
~ Misty
~ magic pencils
~ Sennelier ink
~ Toulouse-Lautrec

a different autumn dance

this years dance of autumn
was so different

there have been so many
major transitions in my life
the past number of months

I thought this autumn
would be more calm
more art filled
more peaceful
more creative

but not.
instead filled with more arrangements
more meetings
more phone calls
ensuring peace
and safety
for those I love


still nature danced
all about me
in the familiar stride
which nature takes


my own dance
felt fretful
sometimes near frantic
sighting as impossible
this slower
stronger

dance of self


yet here I am
taking longer
courage filled strides
filled with the knowledge
accomplishment
pride
peace

if only for a moment
still certain
almost always
in self
in courage
in knowing the joy
of the dance


regardless

THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS:
I am so very excited. I have put my very first video on youtube. I had so much fun making it. I hope you will take a few minutes to watch it. I would be very pleased. As always, any comments are very gratefully appreciated. I should point out that the windyangels on youtube is not me. I'm known as windyangels4u.



You can find "Don't Cry for me Argentina" on The Romantic Guitar of Liona Boyd.

As some of you know I was encountering some challenges again later last week. I was also feeling kind of tired with this ongoing attempt at cleaning our basement and my art room. I decided I needed to do some art. I needed to do something simple. While cleaning I had come across a studio scrapbook with "durable manila paper". Unfortunately it had met some water along the way so every page has a stain at the top left side - no matter. I will choose to call these journal pages even though the pages are large (35.6 x 27.9 cm).





I decided to do a video surrounding the piece because I had many ideas to go along with it and I had written a poem in my head also. Perhaps the main reason, however, was the fabulous compliments that my friend Karen has been giving me on my collaged boxes. Ah, I should not fail to mention suziblu who first gave me the strong desire to create an art video. If you have not seen any of suzi's videos I would strongly advise you to take a moment.

Those same boxes and my hand carved stamps had created interest from two new parties ~ Valerie and some folks at the Bliss Guild. I was very honoured to have them comment on a previous post. Other dear friends to comment on that post were Suze, Susan and Janet. I am also pleased to announce that a friend I discovered online, from Saskatchewan, has started a new blog and has invited me to put a link on my blog. Welcome Lisa. Lisa does fabulous photography.

Leah never ceases to amaze me. Not only is she the creator of creative every day 2008, she also leaves frequent comments. Thanks Leah.

I cannot close this post without noting that I have been very privileged to have the fabulous Liona Boyd look at my blog and very kindly permit me to use one of her songs on my video. I am deeply honoured. Thanks Liona. Here's the link: www.lionaboyd.com/ I found the following video also on youtube. "Moorish Dance" is from The Spanish Album.





I would like to close this post with the words "I LOVE ART".

Angels be with you,
Wendy

BRRRR.
It's been cold. It's been cloudy. It's been snowing.



I, well, I have been dragging my feet. I could be doing this and I could be doing that, but, sigh. I haven't been doing much of anything. I suppose if I took inventory I could think of a few things, but once again the grey skies would desire to pull me down.

That's alright. I love Christmas. I love creating.



Now that I've got my table and floors all spread out with supplies, I guess I'll trip over it if I try to go anywhere : ) And, I remember. I found the book in which I had done some gluing. It was under a stack of other books to weight it down. I had forgotten what was there. I lifted the books - tah-dah. YES! I can make a very unique - umm - surprise.

I'm still dreaming on, and investigating etsy. In the meantime I discovered this afternoon I've been blogged. That was very cool. My art on top of the writing seems to be catching. First one of my pages was chosen for the button of the flickr "journal junk" group. On the weekend I was asked if the same button could go on the new "journal junk" blog. Whoo-hoo. And now this new avenue. I love it. Thanks Isabella.

The weekend may not allow much time for creating as our St. Peter's Chorus concerts are tomorrow night and Sunday afternoon. This takes time and energy but is something I definitely love to do. Here are a couple of the numbers we'll be singing. We don't do them quite so well, but do very fine, considering.
Hosanna
Prayer of the children:



For now I must remember, remember to take time:

Those Crazy Kids... for photo Thursday at CaC

Our daughter Cat at breakfast this morning:



Our kitten Blue at the same time:



And our dog Billy who loves to be playful at any opportunity possible. I should learn from him:



I also want to share this day a very special video I found which is meant especially for Melba but I think we can all be inspired by it.

Angels be with you.

Dreaming of spring: As I think of decorating my dream jar I am dreaming also of spring. I took these photos about noon today. On one you see a heap of snow beside the trellis. We have a long driveway. There are still a few inches of snow piled on it but some of the snow has been shoveled into the backyard.
Billy doesn't mind the snow, especially when he has his fave toy. He actually loves the snow except when it gets stuck in his paws.
The other two pictures show the place on our driveway where the greenhouse gets set up temporarily and one of the benches which goes inside of the greenhouse. For now the skis seem more appropriate but hopefully sometime in April the greenhouse can be set up. One of the reasons I love the greenhouse is I can just go out there to "be". The poor plants which are cramped into a tiny room in the basement under grow lights just spring back to life, it seems, when they are placed in the greenhouse.
Sigh, dreaming of the day the green house is set up again.

Billy:
We are at the farm for a few days, have been since Christmas Eve day. There is so much I want to tell you. There is also much I want to do and NOT do. And so, you must be patient with me.

One of the advantages of having snow is that we can do cross country skiing. The weather has been fabulous for it. The dogs love to come along. The first day, Billy got frustrated and we had to bring him home and have him stay in the house. He was sinking in the snow too much and didn't know to walk in the trail. I think he was just too excited. The second time he came along. He hates to miss any fun. The usage of the trails by the dogs is not really beneficial. The trails get kind of wrecked but the dogs don't always stay on them. Some places the snow is not so deep and they do their own investigating.

Now I need to think about that cheesecake I was planning for supper. And I think I need to make new ski trails. We had some snow and wind day before yesterday. I suspect I'll be doing a new path. It's kind of hard work but someone has to do it. After I make it I can go flying on it the next time.

Till later,
Wendy,
With huge hugs to all. Wishing you angels all about and the time to pause to feel their presence.