Try A Little Wilderness

I am always so happy when my four-footed (and sometimes six- or eight-footed) neighbors stop by for a visit! This morning I've seen Chipmunk and Dragonfly, in addition to Crow, Wasp, Grackel, Butterfly and Wren.

A few days ago I happened to see Rabbit and was able to snap a few secret photos while she nibbled on grass and clover in my back yard.

Big Bunny decides where to hop next

Animal Totem excerpt courtesy of:

http://www.cathyginter.com

Rabbit: The rabbit totem is an instrument of magic and good luck. Her gifts are spontaneity, alacrity and agility. Likewise, her path guides us to go forward with positive anticipation, for rabbit brings success to all endeavors. Rabbit is also a symbol of reproduction and abundance. The lesson is to create joy and faithfulness within our friendships. Finally, rabbit teaches us to overcome our fears as we take a conscious leap into new territory.

 

Big Bunny enjoys a late afternoon feast

The other day I also saw Hummingbird (always a delight) and I see my own Cat(s) every day, of course!

Wait - don't leave, Big Bunny...

Whenever I see these wonderful creatures, I am reminded that we are all One and I am amazed at how adaptable a species can be, including our own. Although Rabbit's life is much harder than mine, we still have much in common as we hop from one location to another in search of safety and sustenance.

Playing With Glass

Tub Number One half full of sea glass treasure...

 I was recently gifted a large amount of sea glass by someone whose family has collected it for years.

Although I have been sharing it with friends and co-workers, there is still a lot left, so...

Tub Number Two is half full as well with more sea glass!

I'm trying to make as much sea glass jewelry as possible! 

Here are a few recent creations...

Brown sea glass pendant with copper wire and Czech glass choker

Clear sea glass pendant with Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearl on satin cord

Green sea glass pendant with Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearl on satin cord

Green sea glass earrings with freshwater pearl and glass beads

 As you can see, the sky's the limit - so enjoy these lazy, crazy summer days and look for these and other items on Etsy soon (yeah, I know - I've been saying that for a while now - but soon, I promise!)

Fireworks in the Rain

After being so hot at home all day long, it is now nearly 10 pm and we finally got some rain - it is 10 to 15 degrees cooler already! There was a few minutes of rain, a bit of thunder, a little lightning but far off... and I can still hear fireworks going off here and there - everyone seems to enjoy the noise (I, while understanding the patriotic need for noise on the country's birthday, actually loathe it - it is very annoying because I can't read, can't listen to music, can't relax - the pretty ones don't make as much noise as the, um, noisy ones that are created just for the sake of making noise)

Stormy weather...

But I am happy about getting the rain! I wish it would storm like crazy right now - but I'll take what I can get!

Yeah, Whatever

For whatever reason, Google's Blogger has changed the "comment" notation at the bottom of the post - now, instead of it reading "0 comments" it says "No comments" - so. whereas I used to feel sort of "eh" about no one commenting, now I can feel truly insignificant when I see no one has commented... again... for the millionth time.

Today isn't a great day - it's hot, the friend I had made plans to visit has cancelled on me, everyone else is off doing something with someone, my husband is working (the food service industry is alive and well) and it's ninety degrees and we have no air conditioning.

But I'm still soldiering on - things will be fine after a glass of wine (my back is still bothering me, but I refuse to let it get the upper hand).

Enjoy the fourth of July - Happy Birthday, America!

The ultimate "fireworks" display - a Space Shuttle launch (2008)

Twenty-Twelve's Sizzling Summer Solstice

Green Man, Rosslyn Chapel (Wikipedia)

Green Man, Rochester Cathedral, Kent, UK (Wikipedia)

 Today is a scorcher here in New England - hot and humid, yet green and glorious because we've been fortunate so far with a fair amount of rain and cool-ish temperatures - it's time for me to invoke the ancient power of the Green Man to encourage all my plants to grow like crazy!

 

Magnificent mugwort - such a wonderful "weed" - is growing wild again everywhere!

On this day, I'm content to putter around the house doing laundry, washing dishes, making jewelry, watering plants, trying to figure out a way to honor the Summer Solstice... perhaps pulling some weeds and planting some herbs would be an appropriate act of appreciation for abundance?

Enjoying the vividly vibrant colors of summer

Hmmm - so would sipping a wine spritzer with lots of ice... watching a favorite movie... making more jewelry... opening up my art journal and drawing a personal mandala to bring about abundance... oh, yeah, NOW we're talking! Enjoy today, the longest day of the year, and may you have pleasantly sweet dreams tonight, the shortest night of the year ~

My own personal Green Man

Made these amethyst & glass beauties this morning

Happy Summer Solstice!

 

 

There And Back Again

A strange effect from tracks reflected in the window

 I decided to take a train ride at the end of May and went home to Florida to visit my mother and brother - I stayed for 12 days and celebrated my 59th birthday there - I managed to see a few people I knew - relaxed and took lots of photos...

...here's a few of the things I saw - all aboard!

Giant palm tree through the window on the train

After arriving in Florida, the three of us had lunch beside the St. John's River

Sneaking up on one of the 9,000 alligators that live in Lake Jesup 

Looking out at Lake Jesup from Black Hammock Adventure Park

Another view of Lake Jesup that includes a huge bird's nest and a blue heron

The sun, like a giant blood orange, finished setting over Lake Jesup

Florida is a beautiful place, if you know where to look and you don't mind driving fifty miles there and back again...

http://www.theblackhammock.com/

(All photos: TJB Googins 2012 ~ HipstaMatic app on iPhone)

Fairy Garden & House: Phase Two

I went to the dollar store yesterday after work and there were all these little ceramic houses sitting on a shelf next to the check-out line - I've thought about buying them before, but I decided the time was now, so I got six of them (two or three different styles) and when I got home I created... THIS.

Two rubber frogs and a clear quartz crystal were added

A neglected flower pot that was sprouting some false carrot (otherwise known as Queen Anne's Lace) provided the place to build a little diorama featuring the ceramic house, some white stones for the front walk, tiny terra cotta flower pots I bought years ago (one has little clovers planted in it) and some other landscape features, including a quartz cluster, a golden rock that says "Believe" and some garden critters: two froggies and a flutter-bye.

Close-up of the little flowerpots and a boulder: "Believe."

It's so cute - the pot sits on a small pedestal right next to our front step. The ceramic houses are quite small - nothing like the ones I am hoping to make, which would be several inches high/wide/deep, perhaps even a foot or more - but they work very well for a "fairy garden in a pot" sort of thing, as would a small wooden birdhouse, I suppose.

Then there are the special touches: twig furniture, acorn dishes, whatever I can find to make the scene as "authentic" as possible.

I put up barriers to protect the fairy garden/cemetery from weed-whackers

I'm not sure why I am so caught up in this... I am just going to go with it and see what happens - perhaps I'll discover something important about myself... It's interesting, though, that there are two movies coming out that deal with the Snow White story ~ !

Illustration by Kate Greenaway (Dover clip art - free sample)

As for me, I still have children's books from my childhood and a few that I discovered as an adult: "The Hoogles and Alexander" (a wonderful story about a giant rabbit who takes two children to a magical world where they learn valuable lessons about life, love and friendship); several books of collected stories, nursery rhymes and fables, accompanied by wonderful old illustrations; the entire Harry Potter series; "The Spiderwick Field Guide of Magical Creatures"; "Eloise Goes to Paris"; "The Child's Book of Wonder"... and so on. 

Perhaps I need to go back in order to go forward!