The poppies were a cheery face in the gardens.
Some of the spring flowers smell like grape koolaide--like these purple irises.
Smell the spring beauty. Feel the warmth. Take it in moment by moment.
And just like that it's summer.
6-24-2021 Catalpa tree blooming on the East Winona Lake path.
Close up of a flower bunch.
The whole tree in blossom. Sweet fragrance, sweet view.
Tara is resting a bit before playing the mandolin. She is sitting on the pillow with the mandolin.
She played the mandolin and then needs to clean her paw. (I missed the photo of her playing.)
Norris is hanging out inside a paper bag.
He was in there for awhile; he needed a big stretch!
Is it time to eat? He's wondering.
When Tara's not playing mandolin, she's hanging out in my studio. She likes this fabric that I was preparing for a border. This cat has good taste.
What are your cats or animals up to?
The sun is setting on the Mississippi River near my home. I walk through the neighborhoods to see and smell the water, the plants and the animals that make their home here.
The sky and clouds change the color of the river.
Pure blue sky makes pure blue river.
I see cloud reflections on the water. Are they clouds making a happy dance on the water?
The vastness of the sky makes our land feel small. Is the vastness inside of us?
This Rumi poem intrigues me:
"You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop."
And though living near the Mississippi River is not the ocean, it is a vast and mighty river that is home to many. Maybe we are not a drop in the river, we are the entire river in a drop.
Enjoy exploring your neighborhoods. What will you find? Can we raise the energy of joy with our eyes, ears, noses, minds wide open? I want to try.
This is a lookout from the Quarry on Holzinger Trails on April 25. Not too much green yet.
Here's we're at the Quarry, Dawn, Jamie and I.
On May 2nd a few more friends joined us: Jamie, Marcus, Kyann, Dawn.
May 16, 2021 the greens are filling in.
Jamie, Dawn in back and I
May 31, 2021 Memorial Day--The tree leaves are growing and filling in.
Blue tips on this black butterfly.
Maiden hair ferns.
Lots of leaves are full of green.
The Mississippi River was calling me and this is the place. This is a little backwater and the thin strip you see beyond is the main channel.
I applied a temporary tattoo to get ready for the ritual. "Head up, wings out."
The river called to me to do my claiming sacred creativity and committing to her/me. I found a place that was dappled in sunlight yet under some trees on the back waters of the Mississippi River on May 6, 2021. It called to me: this is your place.
I took out of my pack a dress to do ritual and a butterfly cape to wear. When I looked down beside me, there was a skull—a deer had been here a long time ago and only her skull was partly showing out of the leaves. The skull looked peaceful and like a good sign that I was in the right place.
I laid out a colorful cloth that I’d made many moons ago that said, “Art is the Way.” On the cloth I put a candle, a taro deck a small journal to write or draw or paint. Some paints.
I called in my guides and ancestors: my mother, grandmother and all who loved me to be with me and guide this sacred time. Then I called in the power of the four directions. I wrote my intention for the ritual and then let it go with burning—laying aside the leaves to make a small fire—not too big because it had been quite dry and I wanted to honor the space and not harm it with an out of control fire.
I pulled the card the “Three of Pipes.”
“It is time to await opportunity expectantly or wander seeking pieces of the dream.
“You may have periods of melancholy due to the intense uncertainty in your life right now. Flow with them. Watch them pass.
We (Spirit and you) will reach fulfillment on the path Creator has laid before you. Trust enough to take the first step Let yourself be guided by dreams and visions.
Look for signs.
Trust you Inner Response
Follow that wish calls you to the deepest level; respond to that which creates all-engrossing enthusiasm.
Let the Universe lead.”
I left an offering of a rock with a heart I painted on it.
I danced and sang by the river.
And as I closed and thanked the directions I gathered my things. My first step out of the ritual was with Intention. That step felt as light as a bird taking flight. I was on my way.
