Monday's Musings

Yesterday while we were sitting outside enjoying the beautiful day, I became aware of an incessant chirping and discovered a baby robin hopping along the side of the deck calling for his mother.  This little fledgling was one of the cutest little things I ever laid eyes on.

We were concerned for his welfare and waited anxiously for one or both of his parents to return, but to no avail.  Finally, Keith decided to place him in the large honeysuckle bush hoping that the nest was buried unseen, deep within the branches.  Well, fiesty baby robin was having none of that!  He immediately jumped back down to the ground to continue his quest.

As twilight approached, we became more concerned that we hadn't seen any adult robins, and baby was blindly hopping into "stray cat territory".  As he ventured into the neighbor's yard, other birds began to go crazy with chirping.  There were grackles, sparrows and cardinals grouped together in the trees, all anxiously flying about in what sounded to us to be a warning.   Sure enough, we spotted the cause of all the commotion - a stray cat!

Much to our delight, we spotted baby robin's mother.  She placed herself between her youngster and the cat, swooping down (just out of reach), and acting as a decoy for the cat.  Keith also ran some interference, making the cat vacate the premises, and we were happy to see Mom finally land on the ground and carry a snack to her baby.

Watching Mom risk her own well being for her baby made me think about how moms of every species go to extraordinary measures to protect their young.  I know a lot of people would argue that humans are superior to all other species, but mostly, I just don't think we're all that different.  And that's my Monday's Musing.

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Weekend Journal

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I taught preschool.  One of the things I enjoyed most was reading to the children, and two of their favorite books were Tikki Tikki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel , and Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.

I learned earlier this week, that Maurice Sendak died, and I reflected once again on that wonderful story.  If you're not familiar with it, ask your favorite 5 year old - I bet they have a copy!  I have a copy of that book here, too, but it is somewhere.  My boys never tired of it when they were that age, and I read it to them many times as they had their pre-bed snack.

As I played with my paints, randomly applying color, words, and lines, these creatures emerged and they reminded me of Maurice's characters.  Funny how the subconscious works!  I recall a line in the story about Max, the main character: "He roared his terrible roar, and gnashed his terrible teeth."  (Max was misbehaving and his Mom sent him to bed without any supper).  I've GOT to find that book and read it again!  In the meantime, thanks to Maurice Sendak for a great and memorable story.

I continued to experiment with this new style and I'm really beginning to make it my own.  I didn't realize how blocked I'd been feeling.  The inner critic NEVER wants you to roam into new territory:  "It doesn't look like what you've been doing".  "What if no one likes it?"  "Are you sure you want to try something so different?"  Blah, Blah, BLAH!  Call me a rebel!

I think creativity is a bit like dieting.  You must constantly change your diet to trick your body into thinking you're not really loosing weight - or something like that.  I think you have to trick your creative muse into using new techniques and materials in order to embrace true expression.  Otherwise, aren't you just copying yourself over and over again?  What do you think?

Well, that about sums up my journaling for the week.  I've been planting vegetables and flowers, and I've been enjoying the birds at the feeder.  All's right with the world in my neck of the woods, and I hope that you can say the same thing!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Beautiful tulips from my " Madison daughter", Heather

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me. 

Maya Angelou

Heart cookie made "with love, not calories", by Heather

From my heart to yours, Happy Mother's Day to YOU, Phenomenal Woman, and to all the Phenomenal Women that you celebrate on this day!

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Tuesday Tips & Techniques: Pages for Planning

Well, it's that time of year again!  It's time to visit the nurseries and dream of the paradise I want to create for the summer.  It's time to pull out the seed packets and make a garden plan for the vegetables.  I was going to pull out a piece of scrap or copy paper, when it occurred to me that it would be much more fun to plan on something pretty - and why not put it in my daily journal?

It doesn't have to be a big deal!  Slap on some acrylic or watercolors to get rid of the white paper.

Add a border that reflects the mood of what you want to plan.  Nothing says "outdoors" and "food" to me more than black and white check!

Add some imagery around the border that also reflects what you're going to plan.  Here, I've added a few vine-like swirls, some peppers, and names of vegetables that I like to plant.  A few "gems" of paint to add a little sparkle, and I'm ready to start planning my garden.

Now I can take my journal outside and plan my garden among the birds visiting my feeder.  I could have planned my garden on blank paper, but doesn't this look much more inviting?  

What do you need to make plans for this week or month?  Graduation parties, weddings, vacations, holiday parties?  Take the time to create a welcoming environment for your thought process.  You deserve to pamper yourself in this small way, and besides, you won't have to roam around the house wondering where you've put your list - you'll know right where it is!

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Weekend Journal and Monday Musings

IMPROMPTU

adj.

1. Prompted by the occasion rather than being planned in advance: an impromptu party.

2. Spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous: a few impromptu remarks. See Synonyms atextemporaneous.

adv.

With little or no preparation; extemporaneously.

n.

1. Something, such as a speech, that is made or done extemporaneously.

2. Music A short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style.

And so went the weekend and the "Weekend Journal".  Impromptu was the definite theme over the last three days!  There was an impromptu picnic dinner at the beach, impromptu (and much needed) trimming and mulching of landscaping, and an impromptu cookout with my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.  I even squeezed in some impromptu art, and yes, here is your impromptu, combined Weekend Journal and Monday's Musing post!

The week was no less busy with planned activities, such as the graduation celebration for the women of the SMART (Single Mothers Achieving Real Triumph) program.  Dr. Charleyse S. Pratt, Director of Learning Communities Programs and Partnerships at Cleveland State University was the inspirational, guest speaker for the event.  I was deeply moved by both her story of achievement and her no-nonsense perspective of life and education.

SMART PROGRAM

It always gives me an enormous amount of pleasure to facilitate the end-of-year art project with the women of the SMART program, and this year was no exception.  I met with them several weeks ago for the art workshop where they made flower magnets illustrating the "seed of change" that prompted them to go to college.  After sharing their story with us, they each ceremoniously placed their magnet on the magnetized painting that I was commissioned to create three years ago. After the ceremony, the painting is returned to it's home in the Women's Center and all of the blossom magnets (from the previous years, too), are hung.  It's always a heartwarming, uplifting tradition.

My heartfelt congratulations go to each and every one of these women who have successfully completed their first year of college!

HOLMES COUNTY

Keith and I celebrated our April 30th, 35th wedding anniversary in the Holmes County area - where the world's largest Amish population lives.  We spent Friday and Saturday nights in a fantastic log cabin that we really enjoyed. It was so good to get away, and it was so peaceful there that I quite frankly, did NOT want to return home on Sunday.  Here are some of the many images from that weekend.

The first stop - Cindy's Diner.  Looking out the window while we await our burgers and fries.  We love this little diner!

The cabin where we stayed, Harvest Cabin.  It's one of the two cabins at Fields of Home.  This cabin has a loft where there's a toilet, hot tub and bed.

A typical Amish meal.  I don't think any further explanation is needed for this photo!  This was our meal at our favorite restaurant off the beaten path, Beachy's.  We had an incredible dinner buffet at Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen, too.   How good was it?  There were as many horses and buggys as cars and a 45 minute wait.  Worth every second.

Our view from the front porch of the cabin.  I could have watched the horses grazing all day long.

Photo by Keith

Photo by Keith

More photos from the surrounding area.  The beauty of Holmes County really makes me speechless.  I never missed the Internet for one second...

Photo by Keith

Photo by Keith

ART AND ORIOLES

Meanwhile.......back at "the ranch" my life is sadly devoid of horses now, but not to despair - the orioles have returned right on schedule! They arrive promptly on May 1st, and I flee to the store to get grape jelly.  I haven't gotten any pics yet, but I did create a journal spread just for them.

Well, I think that's about all for today.  The sun has come out after a cool, drizzly day, and I hear the orioles feeding.  Speaking of feeding, it's also time to think about making some dinner.  Has anyone seen Mrs. Yoder around here?

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE

Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Journaling Ideas

There are a multitude of ideas for journaling; however, even the most creative of us occasionally fall short when it comes to new ideas, or we get into a rut by using recurring themes.  Here are some of the sources that I use for my journaling inspiration.

FAVORITE PLACES

THE WEATHER

NATURE

SPECIAL OUTINGS

FOOD!

POETRY, SONG LYRICS, NEWS HEADLINES

MEMORIES/FAMILY/FRIENDS

ARTISTS THAT INSPIRE ME

These are some of my favorite resources when I'm not journaling intuitively, trying new techniques, or documenting what's on my mind.  I hope you are inspired to to try any of these resources that you may have not have tapped into yet!  What are some of your favorite resources for art journaling?

CELEBRATE * LOVE * CREATE