Beautiful Things

It's not yet Spring; however, the Azaleas are singing joyfully about the yard. Their beauty is enchanting.

Perhaps the March gypsy is playing about the yards these days.

We bought a gift for the birds to enjoy as the Spring is to come.

We also bought a feeder for ourselves. Our vintage, 30 year old left and this one we have now. This is a meal of curried potatoes and roti.

She is a pretty hearth for the home, isn't she? Oh, the potential....

One more thing. I had these pictures in a desktop file. I don't have the information on who took the pictures. I want to share these as an intro to Spring. I'll do it and if you know any information about the pictures, let me know.

These "works of art," or works of joy remind me of the mandalas the Buddhist monks do in the sand - in a small way. It is because of their temporal quality. I also like the somewhat Unitarian artistic missive. Art for All!!

I put my art outside sometimes. Do you? I like to hang a picture or a collage out on the front of the house or on a tree or the fence. Sometimes, a piece looks just perfect under the old oak. Of course, these are the pieces I don't need to sell.

I love to work on the pieces I don't need to sell. I love to collage with pieces that I have bought from other artists. Do you ever add to pieces that you have bought? Add collage on to them or painted your "extra" joy onto the piece? I do it with clothing I buy from others as well. I like to buy clothing art pieces from etsy. Beautiful pieces. But sometimes I have an extra cloth or ribbon I have to add. If I could crochet like below.......

My sister, Megan, crochets and quilts and sews most beautifully. Like magic, she works on four or five pieces in her small bohemian beach house by the sea. She had an etsy site, but she most lovingly makes her blankets, and quilts and napkins and washcloths and pillows and.... for her family and friends. Me included!!

I would love to do this to my bike. Well. I mean ask Megan to do this to my bike ;) Tom says, "What about the mud puddles?" He's such a realist.

Travel in joy.

Peace.

Brianne

The Lone Red Robin

There is a story of a saved Red Robin. I think I have told it before.

A cool, sunny February afternoon on a long rural road, Grissam, a Robin flew over, perhaps in pursuit of a better hunting ground for earth worms, or one of the last in line of flock formation. Whatever the reason he was flying over Grissam, he never made it to the other side because he got hit by car.

I imagine that so many Robins find themselves in the same fate. However, this one crossed paths with Tom. As Tom was driving home he saw a small Robin in the middle of the road, flapping oh so helplessly, not able to get airborne. Tom pulled over; stopped traffic, gingerly picked up the injured Robin and brought him home to our yard for a hopeful recovery. Throughout the day the Robin began flapping his wings with more vigor and before nightfall, he no longer was in the spot we placed him. We were pretty sure he had found the strength to fly into the tree tops.

Throughout that same season, we saw who we thought to be that Robin in our yard. He drank and bathed in the birdbaths; he sang his song from the branches of the oaks, in the back and front of the house. When Spring came, he left.

During these last three Winters since that fateful year, with the migration of the Robins, we have always had a lone Robin stay in our yard. He stays longer than the flocks of Robins that inundate our neighborhood with their jolly and song. He has the same behavior as that Robin that Tom rescued those many years earlier. And most interestingly of all, he is always all by himself. Is this a characteristic of a Robin, to be by himself? To be a lone Robin?

I was talking with Tom about it and we thought that Robins would only live one or two years in the "wild," so the Robin we see every year couldn't be the rescued Robin; it couldn't be, and is just a coincidence. However, I recently read that Robins can live 14 years in the wild. How exciting and touching to think that this could be that Robin that we nurtured back to health so many years ago. It is a wonderful story of man in nature, so we are telling it as true! Why not?

Here, I took a picture of him yesterday.

I call him Tom's Robin because 1. Tom rescued him, the Robin and 2. I love Tom Robbins, the writer.

Another story to tell of a loner is the blossoming of our Pink Tabelbula tree or what is often called a Pink Trumpet Tree. The tree is very tall and intermingles with the Crepe Myrtle, Maple and Pine tree.

The blossoms come after the tree has lost all its leaves in the Winter, so the barren tree will just begin to show these beautiful pink blossoms.

However, I do not know it is in bloom until I see the carpet of pink blossoms with the fluorescent yellow stamens that it begins to lay on the ground.

The tree is right by the front door, so the pathway into the house at this time of year is covered with pink flowers.

I took this picture of the flowers on the ground in front of the Moon Gate.

And, here is just a little pretty picture:I






















I've also finished a project I have loved working on. It is collage and I was able to use the new gel pens! I put the piece on etsy; if it doesn't sell, it will look good in my sun porch where I ended up putting the large crane piece that I made (Color My World). I talked about starting this "quilted" canvas piece on the post Color My World, as well. I like the piece hung without the side ribbons also.

Well, February is over. I colored my world in the ways that I had hoped. Now that it is March, I hope to add more light to my life. 

The Spring Equinox is this month; March 20th. For me I plan to make this the month of joyful life and love.

This is my March Gypsy. She will help me see through lightening up my life by unloading unnecessary burdens and "junk" that has wonderfully gathered around me but must go now. 

I'll plan my art around this concept. I'll plan my daily dance around this concept of light.

Merry March.

Peace.
Brianne