Just Chillin'

Song - Classical Chillout - Pachelbel, Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Janacek, Bach, Handel

My son's dog Chewy just chillin' on our bed in the morning light.....sweet.

"Live in the sunshine

Swim the sea

Drink the wild air."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just Fishing

So sorry if you receive this twice but I accidentally posted this on my painting blog instead of my personal blog!

Song - Belted Kingfisher sound

Monday morning I woke to a gathering of Cedar Waxwings on the bare tree in our backyard creek.  Since the sun was behind them I had trouble getting a good photo.

But trust me, they were Cedar Waxwings with their beautiful eyeliner showing.....

On Tuesday, as the sun was setting, a Belted Kingfisher landed on the same tree and posed for about 20 minutes. You can spot him right?

  He even stayed there while I ran inside for my camera and found a better spot to photograph him from. 

 Mr. B and I hear them all day long going up and down the creek looking for fish but it is rare for one to sit this long.

Thanks little guy as it was a good way to end my day!

"Nature always wears the color of the spirit"

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking for a Home

Song - Oak Titmouse Spring Mating Call


Last year for my birthday I asked Mr. B for a birdhouse that we could place on a light post near our side lawn - which happened to be where our son & daughter-in-law got married.  He chose the one below.....

Now this is a cute little birdhouse in a rustic sort of way that felt a little too rustic for a wedding site.



And here is the one that I chose below.  I love it with it's gleaming white base and copper roof.  It also has holes on both sides and a partition in the middle so that two families can make homes there....kind of like a bird condo!

Well, I have never seen a bird near this house and just in the last few weeks a little Oak Titmouse has been trying to lure a mate into Mr. B's rustic house.

He/she sits on top of the birdhouse all morning and sings her/his little heart out. Then she comes back in the afternoon to do it again.  It's very dear.

And in the last few days she has decided to check out the inside to see if it's suitable for a home.

I am hoping it is!

I just love it when my husbands is right......mmmm...

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,

 for beauty is God's handwriting." 

 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Confusion in My Garden

Song - Harvest Moon by Neil Young

Fall has arrived in Northern California.  The squirrels have busily gathered the acorns and the trees are just beginning to change color.....although some are undecided if it truly is Fall or still warm Summer days or maybe it's already Spring!

I have Azaleas and Iris and Narcissus blooming which usually bloom in the Winter & Spring.

And the wall of Limelight Hydrangea that I planted for the wedding are beautiful!

Some plants are slowing down and going inward for this time of season.

Within two days, I could see the change of color in a new Maple we planted last year.

However my Dahlias are still hopeful.........

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." 

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sip, Don't Gulp

While looking at a blog the other morning, I came across this statement - "Sip, Don't Gulp".  I think the woman who wrote this statement was using it in the context of drinking and eating as it was on a long list of things she wanted to accomplish.  Since I have been playing this message in my brain, it has taken on a more personal meaning.

Sip, don't gulp.....life.

 I realize that I tend to "gulp" a lot of things.  When I sip life, it tastes sweeter and I am more present. It can be little things like watering the garden.  I tend to turn the hose on full blast, turn the nozzle onto "Jet-Blast" and blow my little plants away.  It's fast and it gets the job done.  But when I "sip", I turn the nozzle to "sprinkle" and suddenly I feel my body relax.  I enjoy the task at hand.  And I am sure my little green garden is a much happier place.










I turn the heater or air on too high, I want that car in front of me to go a little faster (or a lot faster),  I want the computer to go faster, I rush through dinner, I want the traffic signal to hurry up and turn green,  I want it all and I want it now!  I think part of that is this generation.  No patience.  We are used to fast food, fast service, fast internet, drive thru banking, instant gratification.  Hurry up and move onto the next thing.



But remember what happens when the electricity goes off for a while on a stormy night?  At first you may be indignant and irritated.  As you find the flashlights and light candles and place them around the house, things start to calm down.

The family huddles together in one room, talking and listening to the storm outside.  Maybe playing cards or a board game.  No other noises.  A calmness surrounds.  Suddenly all of the lights come back on, a radio blasts, several TV's fire up and the computer bubbles to life.  Everyone goes back to what they were doing but I know I am not alone in feeling disappointed  that we have lost that "connection".

A gentle reminder...

 

Sip, don't gulp. 

Intention.  My word for the year.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Briones Park

I am taking a month long camera class ( http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/ ) and our assignment today was "Looking Out".  Getting outside, no matter how cold, rainy or snowy it might be and enjoy nature.  I was busy framing paintings for a new show so I procrastinated on my assignment but by late afternoon, I realized that the weather was not going to change and I had better get out there before dark!  I drove out to Briones because I love the wide open spaces there.  The trees were covered with moss and fog was creeping over the hills.  I was happy to be outside!

Briones Regional Park - Lafayette

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it within us or find it not."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Getting Un-stuck!



Narcissus



Iceland Poppy



The last two days I have been working on several new paintings for two new gallery shows.  When I am under pressure to complete something in an allotted time, my creativity doesn't flow naturally and I find myself constantly distracted.  Yesterday I struggled all day long and ended up painting over the portrait that I had been working so hard on!  So I woke up this morning with a new attitude.  I decided that I would take some breaks during the day and before I began to paint, I would have a game plan.  What a surprise, it was a much better day!  I took a break first thing this morning and walked around our yard looking at and enjoying nature.  Then I took three deep breaths and planned what I needed to do to resolve some issues with my paintings.  At noon, I took a lunch break and sat in the sunshine coming through the studio window.  Later in the day as the shadows got long, I went outside again with my new camera and shot some photo's of my garden.  It was interesting that most of the plants that are blooming are white.  Is that because I tend to gravitate towards a white & green garden design or is it because of something in nature where more white plants flower in the winter?  Mmmmm....I'll have to investigate! 



Snowdrops



"The earth laughs in flowers" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.