It's remains hot. Heat warning kind of hot. Our last stop at the bridge, we saw a small group of people playing in the river, building a small damn, digging and searching in the mud and water and moving about. They had a Frenchie and a Pug and looked to be having such a relaxing time.
The owl was sitting and the crows were flying, twigs in beaks, because...a pair of crows were building a nest! I had a feeling that they would be doing this soon, due to our last visit and seeing them landing on the top of the bridge.
I finished all of my weaving and stitching and Power Stick making and mailed them off. This was a super special time of making and gifting.
A pentagon in a circle symbolizes harmony, balance, and the protection of the five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) unified within the universe. Historically used by Pythagoreans for health and identity, this symbol often represents the microcosm, connecting humanity to the cosmos.
And I did some research...
about finding one's "True North", in the spiritual sense. You can read some HERE (just the beginning of the story - no subscription, but confirmed my thoughts).
I really enjoyed this kind of storytelling and the symbols that arose.
I'm also still working in my mini glue book. Where my weaving and leather stitching and Power Stick making is deeply infused with deep meaning, the gluing is just for silly fun. I've dug around for papers to use for "background" and started two new little books. Very relaxing.
First the background, then the layers...
The piece with the two chairs is unbelievably old. I'm glad it has finally found a new home. I'm not sure if this page is done. I may add some words.
The weather apps report 82° right now. Thursday and Friday we will be under a heat advisory when it gets up into the low 90° 's.
A musical rewrite (work in process). Maybe you will get a kick out of my evening self- entertainment! 😂 Listening to a you tube commentator, this song came to mind. The parody came next!
This stitching is done. I'll share the front side soon. I found that I do have a bit more leather, which makes me glad, as my resource to purchase more has not been available for a few years. The vendor who sold this at Pow Wow pre-pandemic, has not been there since. Anyway, now I can move on to the next parts.
I took apart the two name holders I'd hung onto for so long...things I was proud of - presenting at an ECE conference and two week-long training sessions, all prior to 2009.
I've been thinking about a post of Dee's where there was a question regarding "things you are proud of".
While at the week-long training, I created my own unique plastic name holder by beading and braiding. It was a good way to relax in the evenings after a long day of gathering and learning new information. I hadn't remembered there was my 'vegetarian' meal ticket, a business card and fortune tucked inside. Funny. I saved the pieces to repurpose them somewhere else. We'll see.
At any rate, I keep returning to that thought "things you are proud of"...and wonderings regarding what those things are. I don't think I am done with this idea yet.
A new tradition was borne a while back, a weekly short drive after grocery shopping. Just up the road to where freedom lives.
Today it was bright and breezy, 61 degrees. The grasses, the ridges and the tree tops were undulating. Even the pattern on some Milk Thistle looked to be undulating too.
I was tempted to sing "green, green (amber) waves of grass (grain)!
Screenshot from an episode of Brokenwood Mysteries Undulating road and power lines! I can't stop seeing it!
So many flowers dance and sway...poppies, lupines, tiny daisies and another yellow flower...along with the rusty orange of witches hair - lighting up the far off hillsides and the roadside at our feet.
I did a lot more stitching, which was (of course) undulating as well! More stitching, weaving and paper play to come.
What do you notice again and again? Does it last for brief periods or does it extend over time?
There's all kinds of creativity, yes? Yes. I found this lil video the other day and was so enamored. Aren't her creations and collections wonderful? I of course thought of Saskia and everyone at The Dwelling. I think this is such a fun kind of play.
Below is my kind of play over the past few days. I really like the story here. For those of you who don't know, the two stitched pairs between the mountains and the water are my symbol for "friendship" - which I created based on the American Sign Language (ASL) for that word.
What kind of creativity do you like to view or create?
At the bridge today, I was surprised by how much the riverbed had changed since we were there on October 10th. Where once we could see gobs of green growth over the water, we now see the river flowing and lots of the riverbed exposed. We had a big rainstorm on the 14th, and today we could see how washed out things had gotten.
Right away we saw a coyote meandering through the riverbed...strolling through the water...back and forth. It looked very healthy - at a good weight and all.
After the moments of trying to stay informed, I escape to videos like these. Art, nature...peacefulness. I escape to making something or another. I give (leave) gifts, which not only brings me joy...but hopefully spreads that joy around a bit. I find ways to get through.
I had gathered red, white, and black tid-bits to make this art stick. After working on it a bit, my energy for it ran dry. So, I added some more bits for the making and left it with an offering for the whoever finds it to continue on. The other side of the larger tag reads "Free Enjoy", as usual. I hope it brightens someones day.
There was a woman at the bridge today, arrived when we did...she took a small journal and stood out in the brush, facing the bridge. I couldn't be sure, but it looked like she was sketching what she saw. I wonder if she saw the coyote down there? On our way out, as she walked in front of us, she paused to look and the plant life and to pick up a leaf. I kind of wished the lil art stick had already been planted, as she seemed like one who could appreciate such things. Anyway, I do hope it is found and embraced.
"Add your own treasures" & "May every knot, twist of the braid...every button or bead hold peace, health and love"
Last, but not least...I added some 'compassion' to the word cloth, as I am still considering what Beth from Still Life Pond questioned about empathy VS compassion. Something I want to ponder long term.
I have recently looked back to Bridge & River photos from last year at this time. Man, what a difference! It is so green right now (and these pics were from before our big rain storm of the other night!). last year at this time, there were wide swaths of bare earth in the river bottom. As of now, it is mostly covered in green growth. I'm curious to see how the rest of winter goes.
-If you want, check the left sidebar for Oct-Nov 2024. What a trip.
Lee Walters channel for more darling sheep videos. Florence evidently does not like to share that rock with the resident cat! haha
A new rock noticed at the bridge. I was fascinated with the two types of rock as one sample. The dark, blackish end on the right held crystals glittering in the sun.
BELOW:
This video showed up. I was mesmerized. A cat that likes kayaking? A silent, loving communication between human and cat? Gorgeous nature on the water, an area I'll probably never see in real life...yes! Sign me up. I had a hard time choosing which one to put here for sharing, they are all so relaxing and intriguing.
Whiskers in the Wind: Louis’ Kayak Adventure & Curious Cabin Exploration
LINK 10:29 minutes Then I came upon this one below. I was entertained and inspired. I tried to think of 30 different kinds of art to do. I thought it would be fun to try different kinds of making, but know that I may only try one or two.
What do you think? What would you like to try? Is it in or out of your comfort zone?
I'm compelled to finish some things up...and give them away. Why? Why am I so compelled to use up, let go of, send on...? What has been 'clearing clutter' for an abundance of years, which morphed into my version of 'Swedish Death Cleaning'...which has now morphed, widened to encompass just being done with so much stuff...or just is a continuation of the same old thing? How can I possibly have anything left to dispose of? But, I do.
I am tired of stuff, which I find fascinating, since I've always loved treasures. Even now, I can see spaces holding bits and bobs (as the saying goes) and want to look and look for hours. I've said such a thing on many blogs. I love the treasures! I think what has happened is that it feels like an unfinished task, that I am compelled to complete. So be it.
I had decided to complete (not truly possible) the precut strips for the Power/Metta words and then move on to actually making the sticks themselves. This would allow me to focus on a particular task and then inspiring an "opening up" of creative thinking once the simple task was done. One could think that this would make them all the same, assembly line like...but No, this was not so. Each strip of words is unique due to: the tea dying of the cloth appearing as one of a kind, the words not in the same order or the same, the order of colors applied changed each time and the edge stitching implemented in a different color each time.
Some of them had a word or two changed completely, some did not have room for the "May You Claim Your Power!" at the end. Which I decided was absolutely fine...do I need to TELL people or Wish that for people? How bossy! Some of them had corrections to the alphabetical order when noticed & others left the mistakes in, as they went unnoticed! The new ones still need to be ironed, but there are now 5 Power Words lists and 1 Metta strip (plus the one already added to a stick a while back). Next I get to play with making the sticks 🙂
As I colored the words, new words/phrases came to me: Act, Build, Comfort, Grieve, Lose, Repair, Require...
Each word comes with many meanings depending on the context, so as I colored, I also considered the many ways each word could land with someone, depending on their frame of mind. And of course, I came to the realization that the list could be never ending (depending on one's frame of mind with the word Poweritself!). Some sort of 'life' project, eh?
I have never had an interest in lace making...but the ASMR on this one was cool. 🙂
It was a 13 lizard, 2 crows and 1 hawk kind of day. The river getting swallowed up by the happy growth of lush green. PoohSticks will have to wait for Fall or Winter.
His word is added to his cloth. Another "Tick" of projects to complete. I have to say that it was great fun collaborating with him on this piece. He chose the colors, the numbers of strands used (all 6), the font and to leave the diaper company stamp showing. For something so simple, I really, really enjoyed it and am glad I will get to see it in use around the living room.
As far as the "ticking" off of things in my head...I saw a video recently about a group of people that came together to finish the quilt/crocheted or knitted blankets of loved ones recently deceased. I was so touched by their volunteering to do this for families and reflected on how important this must be for them, all of them. One clip showed a woman searching for a particular stitch on her loved one's crocheted blanket. She turned the blanket over and over in her hands until, there it was, the last stitch marked with a heart before the volunteer continued of to make the blanket whole. Isn't that lovely? For a moment, I humorously considered how so many quilters/stitchers are known to be working on more than one thing at a time or have bins and stacks of UFO's!! haha What would get finished then? Oy.
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What do you want to complete, clean out, be done with?Which things do you not really care if the remain incomplete?
