Simple Joys

I know it has been awhile.

I have felt the emptiness inside of me.

It is sunny today 

and I brought home some

lovely pink primroses for our garden.

A very tough project has been completed.

Sigh....

A friend is battling cancer,

...with Grace.

I painted all day 

just for myself.

Pure joy.

Plant

So that your own heart

Will grow.

Love

So God will think,

"Ahhhhhh,

I got kin in that body!

I should start inviting that soul over

For coffee and

Rolls."

Sing

Because this is a food

Our starving world

Needs.

Laugh

Because that is the purest

Sound.

--Hafiz

Soul Surfing

This morning I got up early and drove to Tomales for my painting class with Jeanette Le Grue. I hesitated about going because lately I have been in a painting slump.....of sorts.

But I pushed myself out of the door while the sun was still asleep and the moon was out.

The beauty of the pink sky just before dawn almost made me drive off the road!  Then came the orange sun that turned the golden hills a lovely shade of copper.

OK.

I was nervous.  Anxious.

High drama.

Would I ever be able to paint again?????


I made a deal with myself.  I won't drink too much caffeine on the drive there so I won't get too high strung in class and I can focus on painting.

I can do this.

Good deal.

Jeanette Le Grue's home & gallery

Right?



I'll be calm and just absorb all of this wonderful knowledge that is being shown to me.  Jeanette is an incredibly gifted teacher and sweet as can be.

The day was frosty and beautiful. The little yellow school buses were just returning from their morning drive when I pulled up in front of the studio.

The Studio

The old water tower now used as a workshop and guest house

After Jeanette's demo we began to set up our easels and painting supplies.  During class I heard several other painters letting out deep sighs as they tried to tackle today's project. One painter was ready to give up painting for life because it just wasn't coming to her "fast enough"!

Why then did this please me?

My guess is that I just needed to know that I was not alone, wallowing in my pity party.

I perked up instantly.

My painting began to improve immediately.

I was even humming (in my head).

After class I was so thrilled with the painting.....and with myself.....well, just because!

I drove to Dillon beach afterwards to take a long walk along the water.

It was warm and there were lot's of people on the beach as well as surfers enjoying the waves.

 On the ride home I drove through the countryside and what do you think I saw on Friday the Thirteenth? 

 A Highland Cow?

Yup!

Gracie - Jeanette's guardian in the studio?

Yup!

A Camel?

Mmmmm.......?

YES....there is a camel in the Tomales countryside!

Enjoy your Saturday and I hope you find lot's of little treasures in this wonderful,

funny world we live in!!

Today I have two quotes for you because.....well..... because today I just "stayed" with my insecurities and fear.  They didn't gobble me up.

“A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us. ”  - Pema Chodron

“Surfing expresses ... a pure yearning for visceral, physical contact with the natural world.” -- Matt Warshaw, Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing

Diablo

This afternoon my friend Jill and I spent the late afternoon at the peak of Mt. Diablo. We needed some "alone" time to talk about "life".....

Mt. Diablo - Winter 2009

The observatory on top of Diablo

We were not sure what to expect on our mini road trip because the sky was getting hazy when we left our homes at 3 pm. 



We have both lived near the base of the mountain for many years and when returning to Walnut Creek from a long trip, it is always a comforting site to see the mountain rising up from the growing suburbs.




But today "she" out did herself....

A spot of sunlight shining on the SF bay

The Golden Gate Bridge (center), Treasure Island (left) and the Farallon Islands (top left)

A sea shell in the stone blocks that built the observatory

A Sun Dog

Near sunset with the sun reflecting in the SF Bay & the Pacific Ocean in the background

View driving down Diablo looking toward the Delta

 

 

Some Mt. Diablo history....

Mount Diablo is sacred to many California Native American peoples and according to Miwok and Ohlone mythology it was the point of creation.

The panorama from Mt. Diablo is all the more impressive considering the mountain’s relatively short elevation 3,849 of feet. Two reasons for the views are the mountain rises very abruptly from its surroundings and the land surrounding the mountain is nearly flat.

From the summit on a clear day the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Rage, Mount Lassen and Mt. Shasta may be seen.  Half dome in Yosemite, about 125 miles away, can be viewed with a telescope when the atmosphere is exceptionally clear. It does boast one of the largest viewsheds in the Western United States and it played a key role in California history. Countless peaks in the state are taller, but Mount Diablo has a remarkable visual prominence for a mountain of such modest elevation. Its highly recognizable form and looming presence over so much of the bay, delta, Central Valley and good viaibility from the Mother Lode, all key regions during the Gold Rush and early Statehood. This made it not just a well-known visual touchstone but one of the most important landmarks for mapping and navigation.
"In the end it will always come down to you. It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

Pink Champagne

Ringing in the New Year!

I'm kicking off my shoes and wishing you an incredible 2012. 

Hoping it's one filled with love, peace, joy and clarity!

I am watching "An Affair to Remember" tonight while writing this post before heading out to a get together with friends, old & new.  Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr are drinking Pink Champagne.  It brings back so many memories of years gone by. I love old movies.  It drives my boys crazy.  I don't know what it is but maybe simpler times and sweet endings.

OK, I'm sappy.....

But this morning I am looking forward....with clarity.....and a deep desire for a joyful new year!

Life is so rich.  Hold every moment close.

Mendocino in my twenties...

"New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights."  ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

Endings and Beginnings....

Yup....2012 is almost upon us!

For me, this last week has been one for reflecting on what transpired during 2011. 

All of it...the good, the bad and the in between are equally important because they are all teachers in this journey we call "life"!

I have also thought about what changes I hope to see in my life in 2012.  Not huge, drastic transitions but small steps that lead to bigger, more permanent change.  Some of these shifts are very obvious and others need a little deeper thought.


 

Just now while adjusting a load of laundry in the washing machine, my son asked why it was "clonking and moving like it was....what makes it do that?"

I replied "I placed a rug in that load and now the machine is out of balance."

Mmmm....what was my one little word for 2012?   Balance.

Made me think about things, even laundry, going out of balance and how other things need to overcompensate for that lopsided and wobbly part of life.

 

Today is a cold,
gray day
and a good one
for meditating
on what is in
& out of balance
in my life.

 

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”—Mary Oliver

Morning Has Broken....

"Morning has broken, like the first morning.

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning.

Praise for them springing fresh from the world." 

- Cat Stevens

Merry, merry....

 
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.”

   -- Max Ehrmann  (Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life)

One Little Word for 2012

In January of 2011 I chose a word to integrate into my life and that word was "intention". 

I loved having a single word that I could chew on and spit out, keep it in my pocket and ponder over. 

It is very different than making a New Year's resolution.  You don't HAVE to do anything.  But you end up wanting to make subtle changes.  That's why OLW works for me! 

Over the last few months I have been "trying on" several different words for the upcoming year. 

A few weeks ago the word "simplify" felt like it was my word. 

Mr. B and I tend to hold onto everything we ever owned and I don't even think we have been able to walk through the garage in over a year. 

Well, several of our boys have moved back in and out and back in again.  They also use the garage for storage of things they don't need right now. (Boy's if you are reading this, you better come over soon and clear out your things before I get out the Bobcat!)

OK - That's another whole story.  Moving on.........



I loved everything about the aspect of "simplify". 

But then three day's ago another word popped into my soul and I knew it would be my new word for 2012.

B A L A N C E.......

It's where I am at in so many aspects of my life. 

Physical............

Mental................

Emotional................

Spiritual..............

Financial.....................

Social............

Ellen in Monterey

I have always tended to be a black & white sort of person. 

You know, hard to see the gray areas - of which there are so many!  

It's either life or death ........hey - there's a lot of gray in between there!

Yes or no.....how about "I'll think about it"? 

Clean or dirty, open or closed, happy or sad.
Friend or enemy.
On or off, up or down.
Well, you get the picture. 

Life has so many beautiful, gorgeous gray's.....

Try to look for the lovely gray's in your life.  Just for today!

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. " --Thomas Merton

It's the Little Things

Looking for the "little things" in my life, has helped me to slow down this season.

Like......


Finding a rose that is still blooming this late in the season.


Enjoying the smile from a stranger and returning it to another person.


Feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.


Finding a "lucky penny" and placing it in my shoe.

Turning on the lights for our Dickens Village and Christmas Tree.

Lighting the logs in the fireplace and curling up with the doggies.



Watching "The Bishop's Wife" for the ----well let's just say for many times.  Or "It's A Wonderful Life" for even more times!

Enjoying Holiday cards from friends and family.

Hanging a heart ornament that Mr. B and I bought in Taos almost 30 years ago.

And finding out that a friend of mine bakes 70-dozen cookies every year.....and I don't!!!

Wow!

Yep you read that right.

Seventy-dozen!

Let's do the math....mmmm...that would be 8 hundred and 40 cookies!


I'm wondering how many pounds of buttah......?


Yeah....it's the little things and a good chuckle!


"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music - the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." --Henry Miller

Tree Day

I had a full day yesterday.  From 6am until 10pm, I was gone from home.  I drove to a painting class in Tomales, then worked at the Gallery in Lafayette, came home to change clothes just in time to return to Lafayette Gallery for a Holiday Reception in the evening. 

This morning Mr. B and our oldest son Andy left for the country for a few days but before they did, I asked them to pick out a Christmas tree and place it in it's stand so I could begin to decorate while they were gone.  

Can't you just smell that wonderful pine tree?

Oh yeah..... Andy and Tyler had to take 352 Christmas boxes down from the attic. (Jon - you lucked out this year!)


Actually, I think I have consolidated it down to 68 boxes now.  But I'll have to ask them because I have actually double numbered several (10-20) boxes so that they wouldn't give me such a tough time about my hoarding problem.  N-e-e-d h-e-l-p - s-o-o-n-!


So today (with my new "Enjoy the Holiday's" theme) I began to put lights on the tree. I put on some old fashioned holiday music, fed the songbirds, turned the tree to it's best angle (but there was no one to say - "a little to the left..... no forward...... no back a little more, more......no, not that way, the other way........no the other, other way.......honey, this is the best tree ever!)

The first 3 strands of lights where burned out and the rest were so tangled that I couldn't keep with my "Enjoy the Holiday's" theme unless I ran down to the hardware store to purchase several new strands.  So several hours later, I began the music again and began to light the tree.

I ran out of lights half way through so had to head back to the hardware store. 





 It felt a little like "Groundhog Day.....if you know what I mean?

But I was in a great mood - remember "Enjoy the Holiday's" theme?  I whistled while I drove Mr. B's new car to the store to pick up a few more strands.  Well I whistled in my head.

I wore my flip flops.  Beautiful weather today......Fa la la la la......


The cashier said "Weren't you here earlier?"


Me  -  "Yes sir-ree....I just needed a few more strands, ho, ho, ho!!!"

Whistled (in my head) all the way home.


Finished lighting the tree, put out some decorations around the house and began to put ornaments on the tree.  After 5 hours, I decided that if I really wanted to "Enjoy the Holiday's", I had better call it quits for the day and pick up tomorrow where I left off.


I love hanging each ornament and remembering where Mr. B and I bought it or who gave it to us.  I remember our economic circumstances when I hung the ornaments we bought or made early in our marriage.  They were hung with paper clips because that was all we had.  They are still attached. 

Sweet memories.  Warm, cozy memories. 

Hope you are enjoying your December?

"Well,"said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. - Winnie the Pooh