Middle May Musings....

I can hardly believe it's the middle of May already.

Mother's Day was wonderful  here,

hope it was for you too.

We are finally getting a bit of rain,

and my Sage on the side of the house shows it.

The saying goes....

when the sage blooms like this,

you will receive rain within three days.

This time it was true.

 I planted a passion vine on our new fence.

It's already blooming.

This is one of the blooms,

and it has about 5 more buds right now.

But there is some kind of caterpillar on the vine.

Anyone know what this is?

My poor hibiscus only blooms one bloom at a time.

It was trampled on and eaten on before we got the fence up,

so I guess it's good that it's even alive.

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As far as what I'm reading now....

well... I was reading

Living on the Spine,

but it gets pretty graphic (sexually) several times in the book,

so I've put it down for now.

I'm not a prude or anything,

but I was expecting something else from that book.

I thought it was about her adventures of living in the wild.

I guess I better read the reviews better next time.  LOL

It's not a bad book, just different.

Some of her words about the birds and the mountains are like poetry,

so I do enjoy that part about it.

Oh well....

Now I'm reading

Still Here

by Ram Dass.

He wrote it after he had a stroke,

so it is pretty interesting so far.

_________________

I'm getting ready for an online class,

given by Jennifer Rizzo.

The class is how to make your own

Santos Cage Dolls.

Starts May 27th, if you are interested.

Should be lots of fun.

And it's only nineteen dollars.

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Hope you are enjoying your May days!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

This and that...what I'm reading and oobleck science

This and That

What I'm reading.....

The Last American Man

by Elizabeth Gilbert

author of Eat, Pray, Love

(one of my favorite books)

This book is a true story

of an original man

named Eustace Conway.

He has lived for thirty years,

and still lives today, in the Appalachian Mtns.

 He is an educated true nature lover,

yet a man with faults.

Gilberts portrait of him is very well written.

http://turtleislandpreserve.com

to find out more.

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Did you ever make OOBLECK?

We used to make it when I was a kid all the time.

I was always amazed at how it worked.

I loved science of any kind.

You might want to try it too!

Kids love it!

Here is the recipe....

Mix one part water to 2 parts cornstarch

It's as easy as that.

You might be asking...

well what is oobleck in the first place

and why is it so amazing.

Oobleck is a type of non-Newtonian fluid called a dilatant.

If you slowly lower your hand into oobleck,

 it will sink,

but it is difficult to quickly remove your hand

 (without taking all the oobleck and its container with you).

If you squeeze or punch the oobleck,

the starch particles will not move out of the way quickly,

 so the oobleck will feel solid.

We used to roll it into a ball in our hands,

then stop rolling and it turns back into a liquid.

You can roll it into a rope and quickly break it,

then suddenly it turns into a liquid again.

Pretty neat.

You can actually run across a pool of oobleck,

then when you stop running you will sink into it.

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Well, I'm on my way to Cuero,

the wildflower capital of Texas.

I hope the drought has not been too bad up there.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

 

Old book page wall art

I've seen old book page wreaths in stores,

and I love them.

I already had an old book

and was using the pages

 to create mixed media art.

I used the rest of it to make this

flower/wreath below.

I just used what I had...

a piece of foamcore board,

an old book, and

a pinecone for the center.

I just tore the pages from the book,

rolled them into cones,

and hot glued them onto different sized circles

that I drew on the foamcore.

I used at least a hundred cones for this one.

Then I hot glued the pinecone in the center.

Doesn't take long really,

once you get used to making the cones.

Also be sure you have a good hot glue gun.

Mine quit working in the middle of this project

and I had to manually push the glue through the gun.

This project can be done many different ways,

and I'm sure there are plenty of how-to's

to be found.

Try making one yourself,

and let me know how it turns out!

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Tea and Books go together

A Vintage Tea Party

by

Angel Adoree

is the next book on my list of books to buy.

I also recently ordered

Centering..in pottery, poetry and the person

which was recommended to me by Cheryl Dolby.

Visit her blog to see what books she herself has written,

( I think I have them all )

and to see the sculpture and other beautiful things

she creates.

 http://healingwoman.blogspot.com/

Happy Tea Tuesday!

This morning I'm reading

while I am having a cup of

 gunpowder black tea from India.

The little tiny rolled balls of tea leaves

explode when the hot water hits them

and exposes the large tea leaf.

  

Don't you think tea and books go together?

What are some of your favorite books?

I'd love to add them to my list.

Visit our host Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

and the rest of the tea bloggers

for more great Tea Tuesday posts.

Each one has unique and beautiful things to see

and to read about.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Starry Night Tea and Renoir

I'm off on a road trip,

but have scheduled this

for Kimmie's Tea on Tuesday.

Yes, I took my tea along with me.

I'm having  Starry Night Delight tea

by Zen Granny.

You can find her on Etsy.

Her name is Debbie Gibson,

and happens to be a friend of my sister.

 She makes wonderful tea blends

from her own herb garden.

I thought this tea was fitting,

because our road trip includes

the McDonald Observatory

at Ft. Davis.

The night sky in west Tx. is like no other.

By the time you read this,

I will be headed home

 after painting 'plein air',

 in beautiful west Texas.

The Chisos Mtns. are beautiful

this time of year,

and Santa Elena Canyon is always gorgeous.

The ride from Lajitas to Presidio

is one of the most beautiful in the U.S.

 I so enjoy the beauty of the desert and mountains.

We stayed at

Upstairs at the Mansion

in Terlingua.

The book I have been reading

in this desert quiet,
while enjoying my Starry Night tea, is

Luncheon of the Boating Party

by Susan Vreeland.

It was on the NY Times Bestseller list awhile back.

A book that looks into the Impressionist movement

of the famous artist Renoir's time.

Quote by Renoir....

"The work of art must seize upon you,

wrap you up in itself

and carry you away.

It is the means

 by which the artist

conveys his passion.

It is the current

which he puts forth,

which sweeps you along

in his passion”

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Come on Spring!

After that last cold snap,

we are now back into the 70's and beautiful weather.

Yesterday I was out planting seeds in the garden.

I already have lettuce coming up

from the seeds I planted prior.

It sure felt good to get my hands

in the dirt yesterday. 

Gardens inspire me in my fiber art

and also my watercolors.

One of my favorite garden books

is called

Simple Pleasures of the Garden: Stories, Recipes & Crafts from the Abundant Earth

by Susannah Seton

The book is separated into seasons

and filled with interesting information.

There are also quotes throughout the book and

these are some of my favorites.

You can use them in many of your projects.

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of

winter lies a miracle...a seed waiting to sprout,

a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. 

And the anticipation nurtures our dream.

---Barbara Winkler

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,

Exhilarate the spirit, and restore

The tone of languid nature.

--William Cowper

In the garden every man may be his own artist

without apology or explanation.  Here is one spot

where each many experience "the romance of

possibility."

--Louise Beebe Wilder

Even if something is left undone, everyone must

take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.

--Elizabeth Lawrence

A happy life, must be to a great extent a quiet life,

for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true

joy can live.

--Bertrand Rissell

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Your Inner Compass

An article by Owen Waters and some photos I took.

I ride my bike every morning.

After my ride today I am preparing for

Hurricane Alex's arrival,

hopefully far enough south of us,

so as not to do much damage here.

Your Inner Compass

by Owen Waters

my bike

The Nature of Change

One constant that you can count on in life is change.

Change exists because life is in motion, and motion is one of the three aspects of the original consciousness that underlies all of Creation. Everything in the universe springs from two complementary aspects of consciousness - thought and feeling – set into motion.

The existence of motion as one of the fundamental components of Creation guarantees that change is continuous. The point of life is to experience infinite variations of expression of the one underlying consciousness, Infinite Being.

the front of my hat

Changes in Your Life

Major changes in life are rarely easy, but our very reason for being is to work through changes and experiences in life.

Today, changes are being accelerated by our being in the global transformation called The Shift. Many would say that today’s changes are intense to the point of becoming chaotic. In physics, chaos is a temporary phase between one natural state of harmony and its transformation into a higher form. The transition phase between the two states becomes very choppy until the higher form is reached.

Today, we are in the storm before the calm.

We are so beset by change that it can become hard to discern what changes are important and what changes are just societal noise which has little bearing on the real paths that we need to tread through life. It is here that a sense of inner direction becomes an exquisite asset.

Navigation Through Life

Your purpose in life is an ever-unfolding saga. Like a journey across the seas by boat, your journey through life is made safe and direct by the use of a compass. In this journey, you have a built-in compass that helps you navigate in the most appropriate direction.


That compass is your sense of innermost joy. As an expression of your inner being, like a compass, your innermost joy points the way. When you think about the one action you could take right now which would move you towards the most long-term inner joy, you are seeing that course of action which is most connected to your inner being.


Because destinations in life are reached in steps or stages, your inner compass can actually point in seemingly different directions on different days. The key is to realize that the one task you can best address at any given moment is the one which is most aligned with your innermost joy.


Each step on a journey is different; yet, all steps lead to the final destination. If you are inspired to do one thing today and to do something different tomorrow, it is because those tasks are both steps along the pathway to the desired destination. Trust in the timing of your inner guidance. It’s wisdom comes from the part of you which is your connection to the universe and to Infinite Being.

Be attentive to your inspiration and the ideas that it brings. Make a note of these ideas as they occur and, in retrospect, you will be amazed as to how insightful they were.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Petals Book

My Bricolage Petals Book is finished!

I just love it!

Caterina did such a great job

teaching me new techniques.

Please go see what other classes she is offering this summer.

http://caterinagiglio.blogspot.com/

I love flowers,

so when I had the chance to make an upcycled,

altered book, on the idea of the flower petal,

I jumped at the chance.

The photo above is on the front cover of my book.

I made the flower out of fabric

and silk flowers.

Then I added a little faux diamond bead for the center.

This page  has some hand stitching and a flower cut out.

It is raised for depth, which I love.

This page has a pressed flower,

that I found in one of my old journals from

my trip to Italy, a few years ago.

It also has some vintage lace,

and the whole thing is raised off the page.

You can also see the blanket stitch

that I put around this page.

Each page is collaged, stitched

and more...

creating a different flower(s) for each page.

There is a total of 8 pages (4 sections) in the book.

Just think, this went from a plain old catalog,

to something beautiful.

Thanks Cat!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne