I guess it's no surprise that I have nature shots instead of artwork to show, but yesterday was a superlative day for wonderfulness.

the damselfly

the little black bug

the monarch caterpillar eating what's left of the deer's milkweed breakfast

Posies that grow in a ready-made bouquet

a peek at the pond through the woods

a perfect mallow blossom

My favourite swag of blackberries still ripening

And the 1st blackberries of the season - which I gobbled up immediately

............................................

Now, later that same day, meaning last night, it began to rain a little.  But then...

More wonderful than I can say. 

A day of extremes in the weather as the air pressure moved from a thick humidity and ominous cloud cover, with scattered rain and sun, to an absolute clearing this evening, without a cloud in the sky.  I caught this wonderful skyscape before supper. Oh look, there's our woodstove chimney in the bottom left corner.

During the course of the day I began to see a pattern forming : grids and spirals

Sometimes subtle

                                 

Sometimes overt

    

I remembered that these phenomenons of geometry in nature are called Fibonacci or fractals.  Check out these exquisite spirals in nature

Then there was the usual odd assortment of characters I keep discovering with every venture out,  like this  Idunno whatitis.

And this lovely thingy

And still the echinacea continue to amaze me with their brilliance amidst the wild pink mallow.

There is such an infinite amount of miraculous beauty in this precious world of ours that sometimes I find myself quite overwhelmed by the wealth of it.  It's as if my eyes have opened for the first time.  And I wonder how I could ever make anything with even half the beauty of a weed or stone or blade of grass.... But I am overdue to try my hand at something new and so I hope my next post will delight us both with it.

Love and Blessings

I'm starting to realize what a creative outlet this blogging has become.  I look forward to it with as much anticipation as any other creative experience; the photography and writing for publication have surprised me possibly even because of the limitations I've set myself.  Perhaps there is a clue there as to where I go next.

 The northern sky at sunset as I walk on Friday evening

 

The blackberries are coming along

As are the Echinacea and Shasta Daises and Lamb's Ear

Sunday morning brought us more temperate weather and some serious cloud cover.

Bejewelled cobwebs

Magical Indian Pipe Fungi

                                                                           Damselflies

If I knew I was going to post so many nature shots I might never have pursued this blog, never having perceived myself as a nature photographer.  Maybe this is Wally's influence rubbing off, or maybe it's a new form of creative exploration disguising itself as procrastination.  Either way, I'm fascinated with the results.  Consider the possibility that there may be messages in each diversion, a new potential to uncover.


                                                              Breathe and feel this moment

It's been a little while longer than I expected getting back to you.  Like this little white spider- she really wasn't more than 1/2 inch long- I had seized up, not realizing my capacity for creative change.  The spider represents the female energy of creativity and the message that we are infinite beings that can weave patterns of intricate and simple beauty in our lives.

This little spider belongs in the garden.  I found her in a bowl of raspberries and pink clover that I was sorting through in the kitchen. She was so upset with her circumstances that she popped out two white eggs the size of seed beads that surprised me so much I forgot to take the picture.  Eventually she unravelled herself,  but didn't seem to know where to go,  so I set her on a blade of lemongrass and sailed it down to a bed of thyme. If that isn't a metaphor for what I've been going through I don't know what is.  

So in light of that, may I say that anytime we find ourselves all bunched up and run out of creative responses, let's get ourselves back to the garden - or to put it less figuratively - back where we belong.

It's been well over a week since I last wrote to you.   I hope you have been able to find some comfort throughout all this heat.  There is a definite cooling effect as we come home from our trips to town and enter the ameliorating shade of the forest.  Today I ventured out from under this last week's mantle of heat  for a walk before an impending storm that never came.

                    In Canada we're inclined to talk about the weather, even more so if you're rural.

This is the eastern sky this afternoon.  You'll be seeing more sky shots in the future as I'm fascinated by the clouds that give the sky character and atmosphere (oh! a pun!).

The rain fell with a vengeance last night, but only the angelica seemed to take it hard.

My bug jacket really paid for itself today as I roamed through the wet foliage collecting raspberries while the mosquitoes tried to make a pincushion of me. Thank goodness they never found the hole in the knee of my pants!

Pellargonium- the Martha Washington geranium- is a bright light on the darkest days.  While it buds and blooms, I'm working towards a show next week that has kept me from regular postings.  But soon I will be back to explore my creative depths and share with you.

                                                            Creative buds and Peace.

Ta-daa!  

Flowergirl of the Rising Heart

With all my good intentions to proceed with freehand machine embroidery, I was compelled to hand stitch this piece. It evolved with a life of its own, as I wished .  There is the joy in the handmade that leads you down a path you've never been.  Over the years it's been suggested that I reproduce my work, for all kinds of good reasons, but it would turn what I love to do into a job, and goodness knows there are enough jobs to do in life.  Besides, there is an organic mystery in the unique, at least if it has merit. Ha, ha.

Angelica archangelica

And here is that picture I promised a few weeks back of the angelica at its full height, well over 6 feet.  Who knew I'd be posting so many nature shots?  One of the many happy surprises this experience has brought.

Wishing you a sweet joy to fill your rising heart