Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sketching Outdoors

 
When sketching outdoors I travel light.    This little bag holds everything that is needed. 

It is always packed and ready to go.      







The small case holds a 5X7 mixed media sketchpad, a set of basic watercolors with palette, a brush, pencil, micron pen, a handful of watercolor pencils, a few folded paper towels and two 35mm camera cases.  They are filled with water.   A pencil sharpener, an eraser and a tiny spray bottle complete the contents.   


If I am going to be out for a bit I take this small fold up chair.  It has a built in knapsack.   A lunch a thermos of coffee...  
 
   
 and a snack for my two companions fits inside nicely.
Thanks for stopping by.  I enjoyed sharing my sketching ensemble with you. 
 Have a blessed evening!   

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Journaling

There are many types of journals one can keep.   There are some that record the happenings of the day.   Others may contain your dreams, and thoughts.    Whether  private or shared they are a wonderful way of marking the passage of time.       
Over the years I have kept a variety.   When I was young there were those that were locked with a key.   They are gone now lost somewhere in the past.
  
In  high school one of the English courses required students to keep a daily journal.   It too is no more.
 
What has been kept and stored are my prayer journals.   They are filed away in a safe place.   Over twenty years I have written down daily prayers.   They are important to me...words not only of praise and joy but also concerns...personal and for others.   When I look back over these pages they encourage me.  They show me how God works.  
 Certainly there have been requests that have gone unmet.  Questions that may never be answered on this side of life.  
 
Who will read these prayers when I am gone remains a mystery.  Perhaps within the pages there may be a word, a thought, or even an answer for someone else seeking Him.  
For now though they are a recording of a life's journey.   

                                                              
                                     Thank you for stopping by.   Have a blessed evening !

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Daffodils

With spring's arrival the daffodils begin to
bloom.  Cheerful visitors that are so welcome.   They come in many varieties.  There are fragrant ones, trumpet,  butterfly, miniature, small and large cup.   Some are yellow, white and even pink.   They wear such interesting names...
Spellbinder, Pheasant's Eye, Mt Hood.

A favorite past time of mine is gathering them to bring indoors to sketch.    A side view gives you a glimpse of their frilly centers.   My sketchbooks hold pages of these lovely harbingers of the season.



They are very easy to grow.  Not the least bit fussy.   Even the fancier ones seem to thrive in almost any situation.
 
 
 Over the years my beds have become rather crowded with different species.   It seems when the catalogs arrive in August my head says "no more".  My heart says "these would look lovely somewhere in the garden."   The heart wins.  When spring comes I am glad it did! 


Thank you for taking some time to visit.   Hope you enjoyed the daffodil tour .   Come back soon.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

A Wonderful Prize

Today in the mail I received a wonderful prize.  Diane from Always Crave Cute sent me this lovely book by Clare Turlay Newberry.   Diane's blog is always the best.   She is one of my treasured blogging buddies.    If you have never been to visit her please do.  You will have a wonderful time seeing all the cute treasures she shares.  She has a lovely Etsy shop with great vintage items that are sure to bring a smile.

The story of Smudge captured my heart.  Any of you who visit regularly know I love kitties.

One of the beautiful drawings in the book was of Smudge's father Buster.    


His colors are so vibrant.  

Here is Smudge's Mom Muff.  












This book will be placed on the shelf with all my other treasured ones.   Hope you enjoyed seeing my prize.   Have a blessed day.    Thank you Diane for bringing me such joy!     

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Reflections

These reflections caught my attention early this morning.  Still water is a lovely place to find the mirror images.  With just the right light one can see them well.

They not only exist in nature.  They are also found in a relationship. 


Today we celebrated my mother's 75th birthday.   It was a special occasion with all of us gathered around the dinner table.  Laughter, gentle teasing, talk of local happenings, and opinions on various issues made the conversation rich.

For a moment I pondered how much my mother's reflection could be seen in all of our lives.   Her gentle goodness, love and generosity shines a wonderful light into each of us.   The life she has so richly shared with her family is reflected back in the love we have for her.

Time moves swiftly.

I heard Mom say "I don't know how I got to be 75."   I had the answer .   She got there by loving us each and every day in her special way.   

Bless you for letting me share my day's reflections!   Have a wonderful evening.     

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Autumn's Labor

 

Isn't it amazing how spring delivers the fruit of autumn's labor.  In the fall bulbs are planted.  To all appearances there is no life.

Several months later gorgeous blossoms appear.  A wonderful site for the winter weary souls.
  





 
 These minor bulbs are Glory of the Snow.    Here in the woods they have naturalized so well.



The birds have helped in the work of spreading them throughout the garden.

There are several types of tiny blooms that seem to like their home here...they carpet the ground beneath the daffodils and tulips.  Every year there seems to be more.  They make a show for a few short weeks and then disappear.  I never pull them out because they make the woodland floor so welcoming. 


Thanks for letting me share a bit of my autumn's labor.   Hope yours is blooming as well.   Have a beautiful day!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Garden Fever

Every year I manage to catch garden fever.   It comes generally in the spring and remains through the end of May.  It could linger into June.  

The symptoms are always the same. There is a need to dig...pull up weeds and plant something that grows.  If these requirements are not met it leads to a serious situation.

One gets very grumpy and down in the dumps.

Thankfully rough hands, tired back and sunburn  will lead to a quick recovery.

Yesterday I received my first dose of medicine.   It was a lovely day for digging and weeding.
Some extra help showed up.
      Unfortunately my way of digging and hers differed a bit.   Together we managed to get the job done.   

After a long afternoon of work we took a break.

A bit of reading for me...










for the help some down time with a friend.










I hear that this garden fever is very contagious.   Please be careful this is the season for it.    If you happen to get it just let me know and I will send you someone to help!

Have a blessed week.   Thanks for the visit.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Signs

We found some precious signs of spring today. 
They came slowly this year.   Nonetheless they have started to arrive.
 
There was even a blossom or two to sniff.
 
 A beautiful blue sky was so nice to see.  The honking geese could be heard overhead.    The peepers were even letting us know they were awake.   When they start to sing I know spring has finally come.  
 


The woods look sparse now.   Soon it will burst with new life.
 





Thank you for stopping by.   I loved sharing some signs of spring with you.   Hope you are seeing some too!

Sow

 It is the time of the year when I begin to sow seeds for the coming season.  Discovered a different method on You Tube...they call it "...