Walking with the Sandhill Cranes
A bit of a distance from my mountains is the delta of the Fraser River. Across this rickety little bridge is a small island full of organic farms and the George C Riefel Migratory Bird Sanctuary.On this drippy winter day I drove out there to see something spectacular, special and rare.
Walking thru the sea of mallards, the occasional American wigeon, wood duck, teal and moor hen, along the paths being serenaded by red winged blackbirds, chickadees and towhees I came to the objects of my affection.
The glorious and elusive winter visitors, the sandhill cranes.I knelt on the ground and stayed with them a while.
Then I walked thru the sanctuary and found all 11 birds. I made a small video to share with you all.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS1dimZNg4QIf you're anywhere around the Lower Mainland, I encourage you to make your way here to walk with these magnificent birds before they fly away.
Cookie, Stefanie's drawing challenge
Stefanie says "cookie is a nice word, isn't it?"Oh it SO is!I've done so much of the painted cookies in the past, that I decided to do something completely different.So when is a cookie not a cookie, but still is? When it's a little silver cookie necklace.Here is a little fortune cookie with a fortune to keep you happy and lucky all the time you wear it.
I had something in my mind, and as usual, I took the approach of, "how hard can it be?"I cut out a small disk of silver, which I then bent and hammered out and bent and hammered out about a half dozen times. (yes, that is a hockey puck, we are Canadian after all :D ) Anyway, turns out, bending a small silver disk in two opposite directions is bloody hard! But, after heating it red hot, it became a bit more pliable for a few seconds, but that was enough to get a good bend.Then I cut a little fortune in which I engraved, "Love is" one one side and "you" on the other.
Then I punched holes and soldered jump rings and chain, and pickled and filed and polished and polished and polished.And then I got a certain freckle faced girl to model it for me.
I'm really happy with it.Come visit Stefanie over the weekend and check out other cookie enthusiasts, and please pardon my absence till Monday afternoon, I'm getting out of town to a friend's cabin for our Thanksgiving weekend and will not have internet, but I'll be around just as soon as I get back into town. Sending big chocolate chip cookie hugs your way. :D
Hello from Sunday night...which is turning into a Monday morning post again!
Boy oh boy what a glorious, heart-warming, soul affirming weekend I've had.I must say that I'm on top of the world! :DAnd wish to send out a great big THANK YOU to the almost 500 visitors to my garden.After this weekend, each and every one of the 500 wonderful, gentle, garden and art loving souls I chatted with, my fellow artist assigned to show in my garden - the talented Jackie Miller, the incredibly talented musicians - The Land Of Deborah (Saturday) and Justin O'Donohue's Jazz Trio (Sunday) - who entertained, the volunteers who sat curbside for five hours each day and explained the lay of the garden, my wonderful neighbours who not only showed up early to help me set up and lent me tables and chairs, but also came by both days to chat and support me, and of course, The North Vancouver Community Arts Council who judged my garden and then my art worthy of being seen, will stay in my heart for ever.And an extremely warm and grateful THANK YOU to all the people who bought my paintings and my photo greeting cards. Thank you for claiming the paintings as your own thru heartfelt memories and experiences. I hope they continue to bring you joy and brighten your lives for many years, and I hope my greeting cards bring smiles to everyone they are sent to.
My natural predisposition is to be nervous about my artistic talent and my mood spectrum is usually full of misty skies and churning seas, but having strangers...now friends...exploring the garden, marvelling at my crazy planting schemes, laughing at the corkscrew hazel branches as cat deterrent and seedling protectors, asking for eventual cuttings, taking hundreds of photographs, exploring my paintings, asking for painting technique related tips and how-tos, saying such lovely things about my art, stopping with cups of green tea and amaretto or coconut cookie in hand and, in one case, sitting cross legged on the brick circle under the saved apple tree and meditating for 30 minutes, was the greatest personal gift for my heart, which stayed sunny and warm all weekend.
I met so many like-minded people. I was paired with two other artists, (one of whom couldn't show at the last minute), so the weekend became a two woman show! But the lovely Jackie Miller, who I only just met but am sure to adore forever, brought a great amount of paintings and colourful flags to the show and we were just fine. I also feel in love with Deborah, who was slated to entertain on Saturday. I took a video of her performing Skyfall for me as a request. (Linking you up at the end of the post). You must have a listen to her soft, perfect voice, and she has some downloadable music on her website!!Go grab it...I'll wait.
You all know how lucky I am to have Chloe by now, but I have to tell you that that sweet child of mine stuck with me for the whole weekend, being cup washer and cookie plate refiller, banker, manager, supporter, promoter and, in two cases, publicity spokesperson for a taped interview and the local newspaper.How much do we love her?
She did get a second or two to smell the roses too.
I couldn't believe when I looked over the garden on Sunday morning and found a new saved iris had opened and it was completely different from the other five saved varieties. This one is pure, clear amethyst!Oh, and I have to tell you that game after game of tic tac toe was played. That game board was a big hit.
Here's C posing for the newspaper photographer.
Sunday's entertainer was Justin O'Donohue and his jazz trio. They were absolutely wonderful.
I found out that Morgan, while she loved being underfoot or stretching out in the garden, absolutely hates the sound of the big base. What's up with that?
But when the band took a break and went into the garden for some tea and cookies, Morgan skulked around the instruments and devised a plan to take back her patio!
But finally she settled on the warm pebbles behind the chives and went to sleep.
So then, by 8pm, after treating ourselves to a sushi supper and after washing the tea cups and tea pots, I walked into my silent garden, thanked all my plants, watered the poor, hardworking lawn, and cut a fragrant rose bloom for my bedside table.
And Morgan curled up on the patio basket and went to sleep in the last of the evening sun.
Here is a link to Deborah singing "Skyfall" for me, (which I was dying to hear again because I was engaged with some people when she sang it first). I put it on YouTube and Vimeo to make sure you there are plenty of options for you to hear her lovely voice:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaA_Z_JNtVU&feature=youtu.behttps://vimeo.com/97090306
Here we are at Friday random again!
I feel so bad when I read all your posts and see all the snow! My poor winter-trapped friends (Except for you lucky ones in California, Arizona, Florida...Spain...etc). But for all my Eastern friends, it's so lovely here and I almost hate to admit it, C and I are hiking the mountains each chance we get. The snow is melting making lovely, fresh, cold streams of pure, clean water. (Don't hate me, I've got spare bedrooms :D )
And just as I'm telling everybody how beautiful it is here, last night C comes running into my bedroom saying, "Mom! Mom! You've got to come look out the living room window!".........Now that's random!
Yesterday, I pulled up to a red light and C shouted, "A CARD!" and jumped out of the car picked the card up and jumped back in again just as the light turned green. We have this fancy that sometimes the universe sends us a little message and that playing cards carry divination messages. I know this is about as silly as healing and energy crystals but...whatever...it's harmless fun. So according to our silly pet website, the 10 of hearts she found tells her: good luck and success is with her. This is good because here she is studying one of the three 40 page readings for her midterm. (By the way, she's wearing the iron pyrite stacking rings I made for her. I chose the iron pyrite specifically because it brings vitality, creativity and strength...according to C's crystal healing book) :DWhat are we like?
I walked into the kitchen today to see the contents of the cardboard and catnip scratching box ripped up with a great, big hole thru it, right out of it's holder, and bits of cardboard and catnip all over the floor, with one satisfied Morgan sitting in the narrow box.Morgan 1Box 0
So who can study while there's a hockey game on, and if it's the gold medal Olympic women's hockey being streamed on CBC TV...and you have to be on the internet studying anyway...Well, C's face was priceless watching the last period plus the intense overtime, that I took about 70 photos of her. Then I had to make this little one minute movie to entertain you. :Dhttp://youtu.be/WnMnREYDK0wSharing all the random with Nancy.
Raided a poor roadside hazelnut tree, which was bothering no one at all
C and I actually went out to get some fresh air and a break...me from working, C from writing term papers, and we decided that what we needed at home were some flowers...and apples...and, come to think of it, we were running low on bananas and C had a craving for a loaf of freshly baked cinnamon raisin loaf from the local bakery. (It's just the best all toasted and warm with cold salty butter melting into it...mmm)Anyway, off we drove, up the hill and past a little green space. There are tons of green spaces in and thru Vancouver. They are connected to parks and filter under highways and are designed to let the creepies and crawlies (everything alive up to and including raccoons, squirrels, skunks, etc), and the OH MY GODS (bears, coyotes and cougars) Move thru the residential neighbourhoods in relative safety. These green spaces usually follow creeks, some of which might serve as spawning creeks, and are semi-wild and uncultivated with indigenous vegetation and the odd path or stairway for people.So this particular one we passed had some great hazelnut trees with awesome branches and I stopped close by and walked back to cut a good sized branch to take home.
I'm telling you, life of wild vegetation raiding is so much simpler without my daughter the nature policeman around! She didn't want me to cut a branch too close to the road...in case...of what?...I never did find out...but, to keep her happy, we trekked deep into the green space and down some stairs. Then I spied a good branch except it was about ten feet up. So we jumped for a close branch and pulled and then jumped for a closer branch and pulled some more and slowly lowered the good branch down to cutting level and I took the shears out of my pocket and clipped that branch down! Hooray! Then, to make my child happy, I had to secret the shears back into my pocket before we got back to the road.
On the way up the hill I spied some lovely, fluffy wild clematis seed heads and carefully untangled a nice long piece and clipped that too.At home I got a cream pitcher, filled it with a little water and stuffed some plastic bags around the stem of the branch wedging it upright in the pitcher. Then, with C's help to move the branches, I carefully wove that clematis stem around so that the seeds wouldn't get dislodged and there you are! :)
I was originally going to hang some origami shapes from it but now I love it just the way it is with that little funny wooden bird perching on the mouth of the pitcher. But then, C folded a brilliant owl...so now I don't know what I want...lol :)
While we were at the village buying the flowers and cinnamon bread, we had a peek at a lovely little gift shop. This is what I found: These charming little animals under glass domes. I would love something like that on the mantle, but, these are too small, (only about 5 or 6") and in my opinion, a bit pricey at $15 for size and quality. So now I'm thinking how hard can it be to make some. I bet that with a thrift store dome, from an old clock or something, plus if I painted a creature...like a cheap plastic squirrel, I bet I could make this.Hmmm.
Joining a couple new link parties which I've never joined before: Party one is Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours and party two is Stacey at Embracing Change
round here
A quiet sun-shiny Saturday evening and I’ve been writing a list of things I tend to avoid at all cost until the very last possible moment. I tend not to write lists because, actually, they get way out of hand...like this one, but on the short list of things I avoid at all cost until the very last possible moment are:1) The gym2) Letting my mother know anything about:• My work• This website• My finances• My plans• My children’s plans• Anything personal actually3) Car repair4) Mowing the lawn5) Caffeine
Take mowing the lawn for example. I live in this lovely little neighbourhood which looks like something out of The Truman Show and a lawn is...well...expected. I don’t have a problem with lawns, lawns are fine, the only part of the lawn that I don’t really do is the grass part. Here, in the Pacific Northwest, it’s absolutely impossible to have a grassy lawn unless you use all sorts of chemical warfare. I walk past someone’s perfect grassy lawn and cross over to the other side of the road because I’m worried that I’ll breathe in the intense poisons radiating from those perfect 2” green spikes.I do green though.The way I see it, if it’s green and gets mowed, it’s lawn!But the neighbours drop hints of good lawn service people and every week there are companies leaving me pamphlets or knocking on the door to try to get me on their weed and feed schemes.For example, this afternoon’s convo:“Hello Mrs Homeowner, did you know you have weeds in your lawn? Look, there’s creeping buttercup and dandelions and plantain.”“Ms... Yes, actually...and gentian and violets and forget-me-nots. ”“You need to have our services and get rid of those weeds for a maximum of $45 bi-weekly, (plus tax)”“I like the weeds and I go out of my way to plant more; I actually planted those violets right there. But thanks for stopping by.”Problem solved.Not quite. Mom was here and overheard. Actually, mom was here and ran towards the front door first to make sure she had her share of the conversation.End result: problem solved but a bit more stress avoiding mom getting up in my business.This week, before I mowed the lawn, I sat down in it for a while and watched the bees getting drunk on the buttercups in the lawn and I had a little conversation with them and explained that I was very sorry but we are all living in this ‘hood and perhaps they could go visit the rhodos and irises for a while. Then I picked handfuls of buttercups and put them in vases in the house and also on the patio table so the bees could have their flowers for an extra day or two.Mom thought the buttercup vases were absolutely charming and asked for some of the flowers to take home.
Top on my other list, the list of things I need at all cost, (but that’s for a different post), is “PEACE”. Just one quiet day of solitude would be fine. When was the last time? I’m not sure.Made this quiet little video to look at and remind myself that I must find more peace. It’s here for you too: round hereHope you like it. Do you have a list of things you avoid at all cost untill the last possible moment? Tell me.
Down by the riverside
Found myself at the Fraser River in Delta with a couple of hours to kill on Wednesday. This was too good of an opportunity not to make a little peaceful movie. You can find it on the Media Tala Youtube website here: Down By the RiversideSorry about the pesky ad. It's because I've used some beautiful music by Agnes Obel.Here are a few of the images I used:
Finding peace
Yesterday, on a typical rainy and windy Pacific day, I walked down the path to the ocean with a heavy heart, eyes cast down to the soggy path. At one point I looked up and saw fresh green moss. A bit further, the forest opened up to the cliffs and there was the ocean. Often Sometimes I wake up with heartache, especially when I haven’t seen the people I love for some time (R). But then there are moments when the path opens to the ocean and heartache changes to peace and I understand that I can’t have complete control over my life or the things that happen to me. Sometimes I suspect that I can’t even have a very small fraction of control. Those are the times when I give up that burden and feel fresh like the green moss and open up like the path to the ocean, and I know in the depth of my soul that everything is going to be fine.I took too many photos which I wanted to share with you, so I put them in a little movie.the link is here:Finding peaceI hope it helps you to find peace.
Variations on a theme
Wednesday afternoon, magic moment on the sofa.Today I’m Homegirl, happily watching my daughters figuring out the ukuleles.Some day, if my girls are ever in a band, I won’t be one of those groupie moms hanging around backstage, black nails, red lipstick, grooving coolly to the jams (what is that anyway?). I’m going to hang out at home, probably with no makeup, in my T-shirt and jeans, and wait for spontaneousness to happen.
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Hang on a minute lads...
So, does everyone know we are completely mad about minis?
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