The Sense of Sound

I tend to seek out quiet, silent places these days.  Soft conversations with friends, music in my studio background, and the natural sounds that accompany me while walking up and down the hill each day.

Sound can be beautiful.   The sound of music, the sound of your child's first spoken words, the whispers when awed by something wonderful.

Sadly we have created a very NOISY (I'm yelling that you see) world.  People shout, they don't talk.  Strident voices report the hellish news each day.  Horns honk, radios blare.  There are motors and engines and loud noises everywhere.

We have all these holidays each year celebrating this person or that person- which in turn creates more noise because there are 'special' sales on that day or noisy fireworks or parades.  I wish we could have one day - 24 hours  - of silence.  It would never be fully silent for nature makes its own sounds.  From the bird call to the rustling under the leaves. Perhaps we could even hear the tinkle of a small stream.

But the stars would come out in silence, the sun would rise in silence and our lives could be pursued with only the natural noises that speak to the essence of our life. 

"Soon silence will have passed into legend.  Man has turned his back on silence.  Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation." - Jean Arp

"Sew" Unlikely

"What do you think you are doing?"  (I don't know why I still ask this question).  "I'm going to operate this machine.  You spend hours in front of it so it must be good mustn't it?"

"I doubt if you even know how it works for if you did you would know that the needle is sharp and could stick you and you not only need to operate the needle part you must make the pedal below go up and down".  "Aha -- so if I were to sit here and operate the needle you could make the pedal go up and down."  (hmmm this one has an answer for everything).

"No, it has to be a coordinated action done by one person.  I'm sorry to tell you that this is sew unlikely to happen that you might as well admit its impossible". 

"Yikes!!  Please don't use the "I" word in front of me, or any other Unlikely as it is banned from our language as being a useless and negative word".

I admired his spirit so much that we compromised and I made a nice place for him over on one of the fabric bins. He'll be in on all the action that way and won't be taking chances with sharp needles.

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default." - J. K. Rowling

The Sense of Smell

Every time I open a drawer in my bedroom there is that slight scent that takes me outdoors on a sunny day walking through fields of lavender.

In mid-afternoon I stop everything, if I can, and take up a small square of dark chocolate.  I break it in four pieces letting the scent speak for the taste I'm soon going to have.

How many beautiful scents can you think of?  Some of mine are new moan grass, herbal teas (any kind *smile*), sun warmed pine needles on the ground, anything sweet baking in the oven.

Sometimes a memory from the past comes flooding into my mind with just the slightest scent that represents that time.  

"Nothing is more memorable than a smell.  One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains." - Diane Ackerman

"Totally" Unlikely

Just so you know what I'm putting up with...here is a picture of a decorative birdcage complete with its painted bird and faux bird's eggs.

That was then, this is now.  My birdcage has been taken over by "Totally".  There she sits, perched on the nest apparently waiting for the chirp of new born baby birds.

I explained to her, very gently I might add, that it is totally unlikely that these 'eggs' will ever hatch because they are not REAL!

Obviously, she is taking no heed of my words (a very definite trait of the Unlikely's I might add).  So there she sits.  I do hope that she has a LOT of patience.

"With love and patience, nothing is impossible." - Daisaku Ikeda

Our Five Senses

Once again the 2 am Boogey man appears.  In my case he isn't there to scare me but to flip the button on my brain so that all the gears and cogs and whatever else is in there are running at full speed --meanwhile my body says "go back to sleep"!

My thoughts wandered into the world of the five senses:  sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste.  Aren't they wonderful?!   They basically help us survive in a world that isn't always very good for us.  They also give the gift of all the joys our world has to offer.  Without one or more or all of these senses our lives would be quite different.

Sounds like heavy thoughts for the middle of the night but you know me, the 'good' stuff usually outweighs the bad stuff.

Please bear with me while I spend a little time, thought and words on these five gifts of life that we have been given...

"Observe, record, tabulate, communicate.  Use your five senses.  Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell, and know that by practice alone you can become expert." - William Osler

"Really" Unlikely

Oh dear!  Who is this sitting atop a heavy drill atop the work table in the garage?  Of course we had to have a conversation because if this drill actually started up it would vibrate "Really" right off the bench onto the floor.  Pointing this out was something "Really" did not want to hear.

So once again - I had to compromise with one more Unlikey by promising him that he could watch the next time the drill was turned on.  Of course I cautioned him that it wouldn't be me who turned it on -- I am averse to any heavy duty machinery (and by my definition pretty much anything other than an iron or sewing machine falls into that category).

"Okay", said "Really" - "Just let me talk to your husband he'll understand".  Hmmm I might have to eavesdrop on that little conversation.

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right'.  Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - George Herbert

A Spring Morning

As each season arrives I think to myself 'this is my favorite time of the year'.  Then as the season goes on I get tired of the snow or the heat or the whatever...  I guess I just love the changes of the seasons. Here I am on a spring morning.  The picture above was taken from my kitchen window - looking out at the tops of the trees in their vivid bright green foliage.

Starting out on my walk - I stop at the end of our driveway to savor the irises and flame azaleas all in full bloom.

As I walk up the hill I surprise both a squirrel and a rabbit.  Usually they dash off as soon as they sense I am near, but these must have know that I had no ill intentions and they sat pretty still.

Looking up into the sky I stood still looking at the burgeoning clouds, which threaten a sprinkle or two and the blue sky behind the clouds.

This is the time in the forest where I can actually see something through the trees as they haven't all leafed out.  Its the best time ever with new leaves, new flowers and young animals savoring this spring morning.  

"I need the seasons to live to the rhythm of rain and sun." - Sophie Marceau

"Somewhat" Unlikely

Our front door entry area sports a number of gee-gaws that we like to look at.  One morning I noticed an addition to the collection.

Upon asking her what she was doing up there she told me that she wanted to be the 'entry sentry' and that this seemed like a perfect place in which to practice her vocation.

I had to break it to her that most of the coming and going is at the back door.  She didn't seem deterred.  "If you don't have much traffic here that's all the more reason you need me.  Some undetected person of malfeasance might sneak in".

I didn't bother to tell her that it is not only 'somewhat' unlikely but most 'positively' unlikely  that she could actually deter any intruder.  She might have told me that she 'snuck' in so why couldn't someone else do the same?

"The thinkers of the world should by rights be guardians of the world's mirth." - Agnes Repplier

Are you being...

silly enough????

This is a Curly Girl Design card - which I just had to have and now sits right in front of me while I visit with you each day.

Its a good way for me to keep my life in perspective.  I hope all of you have a wonderfully fun and silly day today.

"If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done." - Ludwig Wittgenstein