Tucked Away

Recently I've been like this little house, tucked away and hidden in the woods, but it's time to make an appearance!

This weekend I have craft/art show in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. It is an outdoor event and I will use my canopy tent for the first time.

I have more products than I had before. I now have, in addition to my matted frameable 5 x 7 size greeting cards, I have matted prints, 4 x 6 size greeting cards and packs of cards as well as a new series of design images I call, "Flower Kaleidoscopes."

And, I also have some jewelry! I've made glass tile pendant jewelry from my photography and images. They are in various different sizes and are very cute (if I say so myself :).

 
In any case, as long as the weather holds (fingers are crossed!) it looks to be a fun and exciting show and I hope to see you there!

Simple But Spectacular

Spring is definitely here and the earth (in my part of the world at least) is coming alive once again. I love it when this happens.

We have the color of bursting buds breaking free which is so refreshing and rejuvenating. Everywhere I look there is either the bold and beautiful color of a blossoming tree or the less obvious subtle hint of color adding intrigue to even the simplest things...

A Realized Flower

I look at this flower and see a finished product. She is successful and accomplished and proud and happy with the work, persistence and patience she has put into becoming who she is.

This lone flower stayed focussed on her dreams and hung in there when the leaves overshadowed her and she felt small. She took that quiet time of hiding in the shadows to learn more about herself, and what she wanted, and she always remained facing forward so that when the rays of the encouraging sun eventually came her way she was more than ready to let them nurture her to become everything she had imagined.

The confident flower even has some perspective now to know that those leaves around her, the leaves that were putting her in the shadows, were also protecting her from the harsh elements. Harsh elements that likely could have weakened the young bloom beyond repair if she had been forced to face them before her right time.

This flower I see is strong and secure in herself in the present moment but yet she realizes that she also must be thankful for the shadows of her past.

Pink Pelican

I am lucky enough to be spending some time in Florida this winter and I have been taking my camera everywhere I go. You can see more shots at my Flickr site (see the side bar) but I'll be putting some up here too.

Enjoying the Day

This is a photo I pulled out from last summer when I was in Washington, D.C. The relaxing duck was sunning herself under the arc of a rainbow of sorts....

Sweet Reminder

Just a little sweet reminder that Spring is on its way!

The Balance of Winter

Maybe one of the reasons I feel so out of balance during the winter here in Northeast Ohio is because it is so lacking in color. The bright colors of sun, flowers, grass and sky that keep me grounded in the summer are gone. Instead, our winter is mostly just a steady hum of brown coming from all the dead leaves, grass and resting trees.

But when it snows the perspective changes. Within one good snowstorm the mood turns dramatic. The landscape then takes on a unique combination of contrast between the white snow and the dark green and black colors of everything else. It becomes a fusion of dark and light and it becomes much more simple in its presentation.

It is at that moment of understanding that I am reminded of the bigger scheme of things. That the contrast and drama I see in a winter view may be the opposite of what I see during my most grounding summer season but it is precisely the contrast between the winter and summer months that gives me a sense of the larger balance of the opposites in the cycle of the seasons. I then realize that it is only with accepting that larger balance that I will truly feel my most grounded of all.

Nature's Ballerinas

Softly, delicately, floating in the wind....

The Serenity of Transience

It's a curious contradiction to me that the most aggressive of winter storms can bring the softest sense of quiet stillness to my mood.

It takes me to the reliable metaphor of snow "blanketing the earth" and bringing with it a sentiment of safety, security and rest for all that lies underneath the blanket.

The purity of that safe place underneath the blanket, and that transient safe moment in time which only lasts as long as the blizzard is fresh, is serene respite from the challenging stretch of winter months and my usual mood of detachment from my least-favorite season.

Migrating Toward the Sunset

"There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds... There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter..."

-- Rachel Carson

Here Comes the Sun

So many exciting happenings are underway for me here in Northeast Ohio. At the top of that list is that I participated in my very first craft show last weekend!

For some time now I have been creating "frameable greeting cards" from the photos I take. (See here: www.photocardart.com). I have been showing the cards to friends and family for feedback but I had never brought them to the general public. Going from a repressed and stunted photographer/artist to one who shows her vision to the outside world has been a long journey to say the least. One that has taken years (if not a 40-year lifetime) to unfold.

But I am beginning to feel that the light at the end of my tunnel is the sun coming up. I am following its light and warmth and I am trusting that a creative identity is something right for me. And it all started with flowers so this gorgeous gerbera daisy feels right to represent my shining sun...

Sweet Presence

This delicate autumn budling is only a few millimeters in size. Really, she's *that* small. But nevertheless, she rises every gradually darkening fall day and faces the adventure of change that is ahead of her with all the presence and willingness she can contain.

Trustingly, she sweetly says, "Yes" to the day and, "Yes" to the coming changes, and even, "Yes" to the imminent cold temperatures of winter she knows are not meant for her.

The little budling knows only that she is here *now* and, without worrying about the coming chill, she simply and willingly says, "Yes."

Hiding Out

This little acorn was tucked so far under the wilting grass, weeds and retiring meadow flowers that I almost missed her. What a shame that would have been!

The little nut looks to me like she is biding her time until she can become snow-covered and so nestle herself in the ground to start hibernating and gestating for the coming spring when she will emerge as a baby tree.

She looks to me as if she is trying to disappear -- not so that she isn't seen, but so that no squirrels capture her before she reaches her truest moment. She knows that her special destiny in time is not yet here and she knows that, "laying low" is a strategy she can use to help her survive until then.

She is retreating from the spotlight now so that she can gather her forces and prepare for her most authentic entrance of all...

Autumn Bounty

Autumn is at its beginning edge here in northern Ohio. It's a season I don't usually enjoy because I don't like the colder temperatures and in addition, summer *always* feels too short to me. I typically feel a dread when fall comes since it portends the soon-to-follow wintertime and the cold temperatures and gray days have always been my enemy.

But in my journey to develop more acceptance of my life I am working to see the autumn glass as half-full. That means seeing the sights of autumn through eyes that say, "Yes" instead of, "No."

With that thought in mind I ventured into the countryside this past week and stopped at some local markets which were overflowing with, what this year I made the active choice to see as, autumn's bounty.

I must say, it was beautiful...

Ready To Go

Our baby Robins are ready to fly. There are two of them this year. They have been eagerly eating everything their parents bring them so that they can gain strength and become independent.

Yesterday the baby birds were perched on the edge of the nest like this all day long, so that we thought they would leave yesterday, but this morning they are still there. They understand that the process needs to take its time and to rush it would not be in their best interests.

I am endlessly fascinated with the individuation process. To start out strong, competent and independent is not what is expected in the natural order of things.

It's O.K. to be young and hesitant and even fearful. The right time will come with sincere preparation, intention and patience.

Doing Her Thing

Amidst the confusion, and even chaos, of the ever-changing world around her, she holds steady to the only thing she truly knows -- being herself.

On the Path to a New Day

Going with the Sway

No worries. No problems. Everything's gonna be alright...

Those are the thoughts that I imagine this little beetle is having.

While the wind is blowing and the tall grasses are swaying to and fro the beetle isn't very concerned. Up and down it continues to go about its business while the world outside of its intention is doing something else...

An Abundance of Flowers

The little green bug is back! He (somehow this guy is a "he" for me) was resting quietly planning his next adventure when I found him. I can *quite* relate to him.

I move in such ebbs and flows. I take action and then rest, take action and then rest. In the past every time I rested I worried that I might never take action again since somehow the resting period can feel "wrong" if I let it.

But as I am growing more into myself I am learning that the resting is an integral part of the action. And even, it's not a necessary evil part of the action but an *absolute necessity* part of the action.

Of course the little green bug knows all that without having any stress of outside expectations. He follows his instincts and does what he needs for himself so that he can keep moving on to the next flower and the next and the next...

Tender Embrace