Spring Colors

I can hardly be contained inside my studio these days.  The colors of spring are calling me. And so, while in my studio I have resolved to try to capture some of these outside colors in a 'Garden Cottage'.

The design drawn -- I've written (in pencil) the various shades of floss that I want to use.

The door is attached and the fun has begun.  Although I'll never capture the true nature of the colors and beauty outside my window perhaps when finished it can be a reminder of all that I have to be thankful for during this time of the year.

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into." - Henry Ward Beecher

Ms Clean!

A couple of postings ago I showed you my desk corner.  Shall we call it the 'corner of shame'? Recently I spent a good afternoon going through each and every little bit that was piled there and here is the result.  I know now exactly what I have and of course the fun part what I might need for future projects.

In the last posting I didn't show you these hanging shelves - I mean a person can embarass themselves just so much.  But take my word for it they were 'piled' high with papers of all sorts.  Quite a hodgepodge and a terrible mishmash considering that everything was all mixed up.  That was then, this is now...

Yes, joy can be found in a bit of organization.

"Find joy in everything you choose to do.  Every job, relationship, home...it's your responsibility to love it, or change it." - Chuck Palahniuk

"Timepiece"

You never know where a bit of thought and meditation might take you.  This time it took me on a walk through 'time'.  

Using the door symbol I thought about walking through it, either inside or out, just as we walk through time all of our lives.

Numbers can rule our lives -- and if not rule them they certainly play an important place in our everyday activities.  I've come to think of time and numbers as a tool we've used to enhance civilization.  When there are large numbers of us we must have some way to control it all -- thus we keep time and we count the days.

As for me -- my studio work often takes me away from time.  For a bit of each day I am lost in ideas, thread, fabric and color and I treasure each moment (while not counting it).

"What then is time?  If no one asks me, I know what it is.  If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know." - Saint Augustine

What A Mess!

I have boxes designated for 'things and stuff'.  I have jars which show the 'things and stuff'. I have drawers in which to store the 'things and stuff'.  I have shelves which actually hold 'things and stuff'.

But there is a corner of my desk that defies any organization that I might practice. Underneath it all is a metal basket which I put there to hold the items that I might be working with at any given time.

But then there is this.  I can hardly see the basket, and like a tidal wave the 'things and stuff' are spilling out over the edges.  They are piling up on top of each other.  And of course anything I might need is buried deep within this pile.

As I 'glean and gather' it all gets put in this same spot.  Oh well, its spring and perhaps the spring cleaning bug will bite me and I'll get it all nice and organized - or not!

"Exactness and neatness in moderation is a virtue, but carried to extremes it narrows the mind." - Francois Fenelon

A Journey Through Time

My hands have been moving as I meditate on 'Time'.  Drawings have been made.

Colors chosen and beginnings begun.

Moving steadily along.

"Patience and time do more than strength or passion." - Jean de La Fontaine

Fourth Month Meditation

My meditation this month is 'time'.  It fills our days.  The sun comes up, the sun goes down, the earth rotates and the universe continues moving through time.  As humans we have managed to 'manufacture' a lot of our time.  We have rules for it, we try to tame it, even change its parameters twice a year.  We worry about having too much time on our hands or not enough time in a day or a month or a year.

Recently I had the opportunity to take a drive with my hubby where he was to attend an a half day meeting.  It was held at a beautiful lodge in the mountains but it turned out to be a grey, rainy, wet day.  I settled myself in a chair, opened my book and started to read.  I had a cup of tea beside me, my book and a beautiful view.  I wasn't 'filling' time while I waited for the meeting to be over.  I was letting go of time. There were no errands to do, no deadlines, no responsibility I had to fulfill.  Just a block of unregulated space and I realized how seldom I allow myself that kind of freedom.

A word such as 'time' is literally a never ending source of meditation and thought for me.

"Meditation is the soul's perspective glass." - Owen Feltham 

Then and Now

Not so long ago -- this was the scene in the garden.  

The flower pots showed no signs of their spring selves and this poor butterfly wondered what all this cold white stuff was...

Today, as I walk out the door I'm greeted with this beautiful white bloodroot  flower - shyly still closed up.

As the sun starts to shine so does this lovely, ethereal flower.

The phlox is in full bloom, even a little earlier this year than last and already spreading rapidly.

Each season has its beauty but after being an 'inside' creature for this past winter, I'm happy to celebrate spring.

"I am going to try to pay attention to the spring.  I am going to look around at all the flowers, and look up at the hectic trees.  I am going to close my eyes and listen." - Anne Lamott

Today I'm Thankful For...

...tea and chocolate.  Each day I begin with a large cup of hot tea.  I turn my 'bubble machine' on and wait for the water to boil.  I place my 'Jasmine Green' tea bag into the cup and pour the hot water over it.

Oh how I love my tea -- its almost like the deep breaths that I spoke of in an earlier post. Time stops for a moment, I breathe in the aroma of my morning tea and wait until it is cool enough to sip.

In the afternoon I switch flavors to "Rose White" - a most delicate flavor and aroma. It takes pausing to appreciate it, and with pleasure I spend a few quiet minutes in heaven.

I have another guilty (well not so guilty) pleasure with my afternoon tea.  A square of dark chocolate.  Chocolate with other flavors in it such as lime and sea salt.  Chocolate that is grown organically, and with the health of the workers kept in mind.  Chocolate that I can only get at stores such as Earth Fare or Fresh Market.  They are as dear as gold and much more valuable to me.

Each day, I have many opportunities to be thankful but tea time is an especially rich time for thought and thanks.

"Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things." - Chaim Potok