On my Way!

It's a great day to drive down the Columbia Gorge with my car packed full of "stuff" to move to Richland, Washington to help care for Grandma Bolles and put down some roots. After seven months of wings, my heart needs a home. To find a place to paint and write and garden a bit, listen to my music and have friends in for dinner.....ahhhhhhh, home!

"I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part." ~Shirley MacLaine

Putting down some roots....doesn't mean giving up your wings.

"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around." ~E.L. Konigsbur

In the restless moments of not knowing what

is in store, what are the best decisions you could make right now,

or think of what you want that would be for your highest and best use…..

or what is God’s plan for who you really are in this time and place.

You must remember…..

There is an invincible summer beneath every winter’s snow…..

seeds and tendrils of new growth lie beneath the ground

covered with the deadened mulch of the past season….

there is new life.

You must ask…..

What is next that will bring me great joy and help me create

the newness of another day filled with purpose and meaning?

Who am I becoming that will help me contribute all I have to offer?

How can I build on the foundation of goodness and love?

You must allow…..

Your heart to be open, your past forgiven, your blessings appreciated…

your wounds to heal and your power to create acknowledged.

The still small whispers of the angels will guide your path, ignite your passions, clear your vision and always be with you on this journey.

And, so it is!

Quote of the day!

"I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes." ~Sara Teasdale, The Philosopher

Perhaps this is the best advice for today and these times of financial contraction and economic upheaval. Everything changes and the best we can do is make the most of all that comes in the moment and the grieve not or clutch at all that goes. The garden teaches us this....the seasons and their cycle.....growth and rest....rampant blooming and quiet rootedness.

March is spring's bride!

They tell me that mid-winter March in Portland becomes the bride of rain….bulbs peek their heads out to embrace the light while hyacinths adorn the bridal path. Pansies repeat the vows…I do, I do, I do! New growth swells with the hope of spring, fed by the drops of water that collect on every branch, dripping with expectation. The crystal rings of dew shimmer against the green lace moss and nestle safely in the arms of pine boughs. This passion will not again succumb to drifts of snow, for the incandescent kiss of scented blooms are waiting to explode. The wedding gown of softest green is veiled against a misty sky that occasionally with a fleeting show of sun’s ray, burst into virginal clouds of frothy white. Ahhhhhh….spring is wedded to my gardener’s heart.

Happy First Birthday Gracie!

Mom's Rooster!

Once in awhile you paint something that is designed for someone special and it comes off the brush with ease. This one is for Grandma Bolles and her "rooster" phase. She gave me her oil paints and although I'm a watercolorist......the rooster was a success as a first experiment with oil paints. Err....err....err....err!

We were meant to hum....and sing and dance!

There is a time that you depend on yourself as the center of gravity…..and still keep the time-honored truth that we really do need each other. At that point…..your deepest realization that you can trust yourself, is when you begin to trust others. Developing trust is not blind faith in the Universe, God or the garden fairies…..it is a divine inner strength coming from experience that you can handle what comes at you with the grace and dignity of the powerful human spirit that you are. The resilience of the human spirit is immense….the power of the human heart is immeasurable. The recent movie, Slumdog Millionaire is a tribute to our resilience. How much can we love? How kind can we be? How strong is our resolve to make the world a better place than when we came? And always….it is a choice to be loving, kind strong and resolved to create beauty, invoke hope, be grateful for our blessings, building trust wherever we go and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

But, there are times when as humans we get discouraged, forget the words to our song and just have to hum. One of my favorite songs is We Were Meant to Hum. The beauty of this journey is that often times we meet wonderful people who know the words and even when you cannot remember them…..sing them for you until you can. These are the human spirits that help you remember how strong you are…..not by rescuing you or by fixing you or by doing it for you…..but mouthing the words for you to hum along until the music fills and inspires you.

Yes, we were meant to hum and sing and dance….and celebrate this journey together. I think the response to the last election was a glimpse of the huge yearning to trust again, to hope again, to celebrate this journey together as irrepressible, resilient powerful human spirits. One strong human spirit reaching out to another to share the strength makes us all stronger…..and the beat goes on….the heart beat of partners who commit to love, the families who stand by one another, the neighborhoods that create a sense of community and a nation that builds a society that values the needs of the human spirit above all else.

Jerry's Geraniums!

Geraniums with a view!

Mark and Jerri's Country!

Mark, Jerri and I went exploring at Succor Creek on the border of Idaho/Oregon and it is rugged Owyhee Canyonlands......breathtaking and inspiing. Love being out their viewing things through artist's eyes.

The view of the Snake River right out the living window is awesome.....Mark and Jerri are at home.....waaaaay out in the country.

Owyhee Lake......gorgeous study in reflections and beautiful even with a winter's palette. You might say this is nature's garden.

Owyhee River with February willow brush and sagebrush colors. Awesome colors of ochre, burnt sienna and alizaron crimson.....I feel a painting coming on.

Jerri in her temporary studio with the best chair in the house!

Geraniums in February!

Wow!  I've discovered geraniums in February on the border of Idaho and Oregon....now that will get rid of the winter blahs!  Just to catch up.....I'm visiting my son Mark and wife Jerri's new place in the country on the Snake River in Adrian, Oregon.  Beautiful and comes with a greenhouse.  I was assigned the job of dead heading the geraniums which I accepted with glee.  Pink, red, salmon, white geraniums filled the shelves.....leftovers from last summer.  When I looked up from my delighted occupation.....there was the Snake River floating by reflecting the misty haze of blue, pink and lavender of the winter sky.  Ahhhhhhhhh.....happiness is a greenhouse on the river!

More happiness on the way.....this is the week of first Thursday at the Lisk Gallery in Boise and friends gather.....and a grandson too.  First Thursday is a gallery hop in downtown Boise, rain or shine, winter or summer and always fun.  If you want to check out the web site and what's going on..... www.liskgallery.com   

Have a wonderful week!