Sundays are good for…
…Going to the park. Thank you to whoever left all their sidewalk chalk in the picnic area! It made for a fun impromptu drawing session.
Saturdays are good for…
Lying in the shade on a hot day with a book.. Except I never got any reading done. Too many sights and sounds and smells of spring to take in. I did, however, have my sketchbook with me, and jotted down lots of new ideas that I’m excited to get started on.
Live Bald Eagle Nest Cam – Decorah, Iowa
Holy moly.. This Is Amazing. The most exciting bird watching experience I had this year was totally accidental: I was pulling my car up at a parking spot at a nearby lake and found a bald eagle sitting in the tree just in front of me. It flew off out of sight and then came right back to the same spot and circled around a few times before flying off to the north for good. It had a huge wingspan, and when it took off the first time, all the other birds, geese included, scattered.
Ahh, April
March flew by and suddenly it’s April. Time to put winter’s wear to bed and wake up to spring’s reminder that it’s time to get my tail in full-gear because starting in May (and especially June), I’ve got art show after art show pretty much through October. And it’s all good. Many new things to come during April.
First Day of Spring
Three perfectly good ways to enjoy the first day of spring:
1. Relax in the sun on a blanket at the lake.
2. Take advantage of any and all photo taking opportunities in nature.
3. Enjoy a slice of leftover cherry chocolate birthday cake.
Three perfectly good ways to ruin the first day of spring:
1. Spill oil based wood stain on one of your more intricate original paper cuttings.
2. Venture too far into the sticks with flip-flops and camera and observe 3 foot long snake slither by inches away from your feet. Run too fast to take a picture.
3. Knock over your glass of milk and as you try to catch it, somehow throw your new iPhone in the glass with milk before both pour out all over your pants.
Two Wolves (A Cherokee Parable)
An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…
A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
“One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
“This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old chief simply replied, “The one you feed.”
It’s all in the details.
Words of Wisdom from Epictetus
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
Wabun, The East Wind
Excerpt from Song of Hiawatha, by Henry W. Longfellow:
Young and beautiful was Wabun;
He it was who brought the morning,
He it was whose silver arrows
Chased the dark o’er hill and valley;
He it was whose cheeks were painted
With the brightest streaks of crimson,
And whose voice awoke the village,
Called the deer, and called the hunter.
Lonely in the sky was Wabun;
Though the birds sang gayly to him,
Though the wild-flowers of the meadow
Filled the air with odors for him;
Though the forests and the rivers
Sang and shouted at his coming,
Still his heart was sad within him,
For he was alone in heaven.
But one morning, gazing earthward,
While the village still was sleeping,
And the fog lay on the river,
Like a ghost, that goes at sunrise,
He beheld a maiden walking
All alone upon a meadow,
Gathering water-flags and rushes
By a river in the meadow.
Every morning, gazing earthward,
Still the first thing he beheld there
Was her blue eyes looking at him,
Two blue lakes among the rushes.
And he loved the lonely maiden,
Who thus waited for his coming;
For they both were solitary,
She on earth and he in heaven.
And he wooed her with caresses,
Wooed her with his smile of sunshine,
With his flattering words he wooed her,
With his sighing and his singing,
Gentlest whispers in the branches,
Softest music, sweetest odors,
Till he drew her to his bosom,
Folded in his robes of crimson,
Till into a star he changed her,
Trembling still upon his bosom;
And forever in the heavens
They are seen together walking,
Wabun and the Wabun-Annung,
Wabun and the Star of Morning.
Thursday Morning Coffee Spot
When you feel like you’re losing track of your mind, it’s good to have a place to go where you know you can get it back. Thank you, gravel roads.