Tuesday
This morning I took a few minutes to sit in the garden with a hot cup of Irish tea as I listened to the wind in the bamboo and watched autumn leaves falling upon the dew soaked grass beneath my feet.
It’s hard to believe October is already upon us and that means the holidays are lurking just around the corner. Where did the year go?
These days it seems our lives move at the speed of light and most of us can barely keep up. I often wonder where we are hurrying to? Why are we rushing around trying to cram in as much as we can into one day .. one week .. one year?
What’s the hurry? It seems we have become a society that wants to live our lives in quick, rapid sound bytes. Are we in danger of missing the whole point of living?
Of course the other side of this equation is the tremendous guilt we feel when we slow down, and do nothing because many of us feel it’s wrong to just be still and stop doing.
Could it be that by being so rushed, distracted and preoccupied with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we may be inadvertently settling for a mediocre version of what our lives could be.
If you get the chance to see the movie “Koyaanisqatsi“, I highly recommend you do so. The name of the movie comes from a Hopi Indian term which means life out of balance. It’s a beautiful but sad commentary on how we are no longer connected to the natural world, and how we have built a world that now exists to support the artificial one in which we live.
Happy Equinox
Today is the Autumnal equinox. It’s officially Fall. Equinox literally means “equal night”, and from here on out the nights will grow longer as we head towards winter.
September is a month of changes, we’ve had our summer fun, the night’s grow cooler and it’s almost time to bid farewell to the warm weather.
It’s also the time of year where I often find myself reflecting over what I have gathered and seeded over the past months. I take stock of what the seasons have yielded so far, the hopes and dreams which were sown in the beginning of the year.
What have I harvested?
What wisdom have I garnered so far this year?
I also ask myself what lies fallow, uncultivated? However, I recognize that sometimes dreams need a period of incubation in order to come to fruition, and remind myself that all fields must lie fallow for a season or they become infertile, a wasteland.
Today I am thankful for all the blessings in my life, including family and friends.
Autumn Leaves
I Love a Rainy Day!
The pregnant dark clouds rolling in, the soft sound of rain hitting my studio window and our dog lying next to me create feelings of warmth and gratitude for just being alive.
I believe it is so important to wake up, stop doing whatever we are doing, just step back and take a deep breath. Life is a gift!
It’s Friday, the end of another work week and we are both looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend.
My husband’s idea of a perfect rainy day is a white chocolate mocha with a mini chocolate cake. These cakes are so tiny and so delicious. Yum!
Mini Cake for One
He decided to eat only half and save the rest for later.
Mini Cake Filling
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” -Langston Hughes
“Rain showers my spirit
and waters my soul.”
-Emily Logan Decens
Neti Pot
I had to replace my Neti Pot yesterday, it had served me for a number of years and had so many little nicks and cracks I had to finally replace it.
I went to our local Health Food store and found this little gem. I thought about getting a plastic one but I decided on another ceramic one. I love the color!
Neti Pot
Here is a recipe for a Nasal Sinus Wash.
3 heaping teaspoons of pickling or canning salt.
Do not use regular table salt!
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda.
Mix and store Dry in a separate sealed container.
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Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt-soda mixture to 1/2 cup lukewarm distilled or filtered water. Stir to dissolve and use.
Here is a site that has information on how to use a Neti Pot.
If your not into making your own Sinus Wash, try using premixed packets from your local pharmacy.
Work In Progress
Today I was able to work some more on the Tui collage/Mixed Media piece. I added some more collage components and painted in some leaves along her neck area.
Hopefully tomorrow I will have some extra time to work on it.
Tui – Mixed Media – 8 X 10 inches on canvas
“Creativity comes from awakening and directing men’s higher natures, which originate in the primal depths of the uni- verse and are appointed by Heaven.” – I Ching quote
“He who possesses the source of enthusiasm will achieve great things. Doubt not. You will gather friends around you as a hair clasp gathers the hair.” I Ching quote
Angels & Pomegranates
Yesterday afternoon my husband showed me this beautiful shadow on our living room wall… Wow!
I grabbed my camera and took some photos. The shadow was cast by a metal angel sculpture hanging on our front door.
Angel Shadow
Another shadow cast above a mirror
Later when I was watering the garden I noticed all the fruit on our pomegranate tree. It felt so peaceful to be standing beneath the canopy of this old tree as the sunlight played hide and seek among her leaves.
I felt like a little girl who had somehow found a secret magical kingdom. I closed my eyes and the sound of the traffic dimmed as I inhaled the sweet fragrance of roses mixed with jasmine wafting by. For that instant the outside world disappeared and my senses became more heightened and finely attuned to the sounds and smells of this small garden tucked away in the heart of a busy city.
When I opened my eyes again I saw this small pomegranate. I took a photo of it to remind me of how truly wonderful and magical life is and how very special these moments are when we take the time to pay attention to the natural world around us.
The sun was setting as I left the little girl beneath the pomegranate tree in the garden. My much older self closed the garden gate and returned to the everyday business of life.
Pomegranate
TGIF Fudge Brownies
TGIF fudge brownies on a Friday afternoon is the perfect way to end a work week… Just ask my husband!
My husband loves chocolate so I decided to bake up some fudge brownies for him. The moment they started baking he came out of his office asking me what that smell was, and as soon as they were done, he was there with plate in hand.
Fudge Brownies
“Fudge is made by chocolate angels.” – Alexis F. Hope
“As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.” – Sandra Boynton
“Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious!” – Jessi Lane Adams
In The Studio
It’s another day in the studio and I am working on a new collage/painting. For the theme of this painting I chose the I Ching hexagram Tui which represents happiness, joy, success, and good fortune.
The trigram Tui also denotes the youngest daughter and is symbolized by the smiling lake which is associated with freshwater in low areas: rivers, lakes, and marshes.
I began by prepping the canvas and then sketched the face below to represent the young daughter then glued the face, Tui symbol and the moon to the canvas.
I decided on a palette of cobalt blue, turquoise, primary cyan, and burnt umber, mostly trying to stay with yin colors which are said to bring about healing and relaxation.
Tui #1
Tui #2
Whew! This is what I have done so far. Tomorrow I will take a fresh look at what I’ve done so far and begin fine tuning it.
The Searchers
I read this quote today on Leah’s blog Creative Everyday, and loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.
Bodega Bay
I
“Some people do not have to search,
they find their niche early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned.
They do not seem to ask much of life,
sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously.
At times I envy them,
but usually I do not understand them.
seldom do they understand me.
I am one of the searchers.
There are, I believe, millions of us.
We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life,
hoping to uncover its ultimate secret.
We continue to explore ourselves,
hoping to understand.
We like to walk along the beach,
we are drawn by the ocean,
taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty.
We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well.
Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter.
To share our sadness with the one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know -unless it is to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself,
for everything beautiful it can provide.
Most of all we want to love and be loved.
We want to live in a relationship that will not impede
our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls.
We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers,
lonely souls who dare ask of life everything good and
beautiful.”
From “There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves” by James Kavanaugh
Great Weekend
The Totoro Project Auction at Pixar Studios on Saturday evening was a huge success and we had such a great time! The art work was incredible and they sold everything. Congratulations to everyone!
The next day we decided to go out to Bodega Bay for lunch. We took some pictures and even did some sightseeing. It was so relaxing!
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
The Antique Store – Photo by Rose Arizmendi
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
“The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.” – Henry Beston