Frozen over

For the past 2 nights the temperature has dipped to18 degrees. That's very cold for our area.  I thought winter was over.  It's late February and we have about 3 weeks to go before the official end of  winter, but really! Outside everything is quiet and the colors are muted.  Even the green grass has a gray look to it. We are expecting a bit of snow tonight.  As often happens, however,  the areas around us get the snow and we stay in a pocket of dry. They call it "the bubble". Two days ago, the cities to the north and south got 6 to12 inches of the white stuff.  We got a trace. It's a little disappointing because I enjoy a nice snowfall once or twice a year.  This bitter cold is something else.  I have a warm fire burning in the wood stove and my brother and I are going to hunker down and do some watercolor painting.

When the pond below my house froze over, I took a picture of it and did this painting.  These are exactly the colors I refer to when describing winter here.  The grays, brown and blues, so muted and soft. This little elf's name is Ione. She doesn't come to visit very often, only when the the temperatures drop to freezing.  She brings icicles and snowflakes and breathes the magic that is winter.  "You can walk on water!"

Jane Austen

One of my favorite stories is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  I've read the book a dozen times since my youth and have watched the movie many more times.  I enjoy most of Jane Austin's books.  I like her flowery language and how she depicts the strange manners of her time.  I call them strange because they are so unlike the customs and mores of today. It is difficult for us to imagine belonging to the world of 1800.  The art of living was so very formal and restricting, even the clothing was constraining.  Yet what have we given up for "freedom" and comfort?  

I certainly miss the wearing of hats!  What a wonderful fashion statement. There was such an art form to them:  the hat, the ribbons, the flowers, the feathers, the hat pin, the hat box, the milliner and the store.  Hats were given as loving gifts and both women and men wore them.  Up until the 1960's people still wore hats in this country.  I envy present day England because women still don interesting and elegant hats.

Gloves were another marvelous addition to their wardrobe. They were made of fine leather or beautiful cotton and lace and often were elegantly embellished.  There were short, long, riding, dancing, walking, gardening, half and no fingered gloves.  The term "fitting like a glove" came from that time as gloves became like a second skin. Gentlemen did not touch the ungloved hand of a lady in public so when a man and woman met skin to skin, I'm sure it was quite pleasurable. There is a cultivated look to gloves that I miss.

Yes, women wore corsets and long heavy skirts which I do not covet, but when I look at the clothing of today I am ashamed at where we have ended up. Sweat pants and cut off jeans are an embarrassment of fashion. Exquisit silks, chiffons, wools, muslims, and embroideries have been replaced by polar fleece, denim and knits. We now dress for comfort but what we have given up is disheartening.  Style will change, I know, as it always does and it will be interesting to see where it goes.  I can't imagine that ladies will ever again wear long skirts and bonnets, but who knows?  At this point, I believe the ruffians have won and it will be a long battle back to refinement.

Fishing boats

I drive a school bus for the Bainbridge Island school district.  It's a really great job and pretty easy until the kids get on board.  At least that's the joke at the bus barn!  I like the children I carry.  They come aboard with all sorts of baggage:  backpacks, musical instruments, baseball cleats and bats, lacrosse sticks, basketballs, science experiments, and my favorites, plants they grew in class to take home to mom.  They also come aboard with other baggage:  pets that died, parents who travel, divorce.  One little girl told me that she recoginized me and "didn't I used to be married to her dad?"  I've done this for so long now, that I have seen my kindergarteners graduate from high school. Kids come back and say, "didn't you used to be my bus driver?"  I think that's good, at least they still remember me.  I have great stories, but I'm sort of like a priest and can't tell any of them because of confidentaility.  (I'm not certain that's true, but I like the sound of it.)
One of the perks of my job is the scenery.  This picture I took with my cell phone this morning. Not to worry, my bus was stopped!  It was at 7:15 and the fishing boats were leaving port on there way to the south sound.  I'm not sure what they were after but some sort of salmon were running.  I love watching the boats racing through the water.  You can sense the comraderie even from a distance.  The skies were gray, the sea was just starting to churn, but there was anticipation in the air.  What a morning!

The rain, the rain

Yesterday was particularly stormy.  The rain just kept coming.  The run-off ditches were close to overflowing and I think with another hour or so of that rain we would have seen some flooding. With so much water, the ground gets saturated and the old trees become waterlogged.  And then the wind started to blow. The result, of course, is that the waterlogged trees get too heavy for the saturated soil and fall over often taking out powerlines with them.  Nature also does a great job of pruning her trees.  Large and small branches were being trimmed from the trees with suprising speed. And, yes, the power went off.  I was in the process of writing this entry when the lights went out, so I went to bed only to be awakened by a large flash and a long period of rolling thunder.  That was great because we don't get thunderstorms here very often.  The dog got very nervous and hung at the window for awhile just watching and whining. I only experienced one more flash before I drifted into a sound sleep.

This is a script page for my book, "Little Do We Know". Originally I wanted it to introduce an elf named Brook and have him wonder if "one more raindrop will overflow the world". When it rains this hard, I often question that myself. My critics believed the thought was rather frightening and that small children reading the book would worry about it. I'm not convinced as I believe kids think about that kind of stuff all the time and just need a chance to explore their fears out loud.  Discussion with an adult is usually helpful.  I remember on Mr. Rogers, the PBS television show, he would talk about such things like going down the bathtub drain after a bath.  He would discuss that many children fear this prospect but would assure them that it was impossible to fit down the drain. My own kids worried about that when they were little.
I like to talk to children.  I find them interesting and funny and their grasp on the world around them is enlightening.  I think we should all try to talk to kids a bit more.  But then, I'm a school bus driver so it's part of my job.
I keep meaning to mention: please visit my daughter-in-law's blog. janemarieblog.com  She is a remarkable photographer and posts pictures of a beautiful baby.  She is very talented at all sorts of things and is quite funny as well.

A cord of wood

The wind storm came and went.  It rained so hard at times I could barely see to drive and the roads were covered with so much wind debris that it was quite dangerous.  The power stayed on and I have woken to a beautiful clear skied morning.  The sunrise will be (in a very literal sense) awesome!
While I was out collecting wood for my stove, I came across this little man.  His name is Oakly.  He lives in my wood pile. 
To those who don't know, a cord of wood is measured 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet, and according to the Germans, it should be stacked loose enough for a mouse to enter but tight enough to stop a cat from following.
Oakly's packpack is empty. I wonder what he carries in it?  I keep looking into the crevises between the logs to spy that mouse. I'll bet they are friends. Maybe Oakly collects seeds and nuts to feed the mouse.  He looks kind.

When the lights go out

This time of year we get a lot of wind storms. Today we are supposed to have such an event.  I've been watching my barometer drop and so I am beginning to believe the weathermen.  We live in such an unpredictable area, however, that often the storms go around to the north and south and miss us completely.  That is due to the mountains on the east and the bodies of water that surround us.
I am going to prepare for the wind because we probably will lose power if it blows.  There are so many  trees here that could fall against the power lines and even if they don' t fall, their branches can break and create the same havoc.  I will bring in wood to make sure it's dry enough to burn in my wood stove.  Then I'll put out the oil lamps and candles and make certain I have matches near by.  I will test the flashlights and finally, I will find a good puzzle to work on.  I really like it when we lose power.  It feels like we're pioneers living in the wilderness.  Two days without electricity is my max, though.  Then it just gets tiresome!

This little guy is named Edison.  He looks like he is made out of wax, but he's just blending in.  Edison shows up when the power goes out. He reminds us to enjoy the quiet, get out a puzzle or board game, and slow down.  I love the soft glow that surrounds him. Candlelight is lovely. Edison amuses me with his quizzical face and tiny pipe.

Mistakes

Mushrooms appear readily in the damp grasses in my yard. I have friends who know all of the varieties of mushrooms that grow in this region. They forage for them and cook with them.  I don't do that as I am always certain I would guess wrong and eat one that makes me too small or too large (think Alice in Wonderland). Or that it would be poisonous and I would just die.  Either option doesn't sound fun, so I paint little people dressed in them.
If I were going to costume a mushroom fairy she might look like this.  I love her lichen hat and sleeves and the dead leaf that is her bodice I think is cute.  Her wings look like moth wings.  All in all however, her skirt looks cumbersome and would thunk when she walks. Poor little thing! How can you be graceful and quiet when you "thunk"?
If everything you created as an artist or artisan turned out perfect, you would be lucky indeed!  Art is about experimentation and taking chances. I often fall on my face.  I learn from my mistakes and try again.  This young fairy has sat in the back of my closet for a very long time.  She's not my favorite but I do wonder what she is thinking about.  She seems awfully pensive.  I hope she's not worried because she's been in the closet for so long.  Maybe I'll hang her up and let her have a look around.

A Resting Place

Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees, and other times you can't see the trees for the forest.  It all depends I suppose on how much is going on in your life.  Today I feel overwhelmed and the forest looms large in front of me. I can't see the details, just this huge expanse of green. I'm not sure I will be able to pick my way through it.

There is a glade I want to find, however, so I have to concentrate and lead the way.  Once large trees grew there but they came to full maturity and a storm eventually took them down.  Now the glade has filtered sunlight and the fallen heroes laying on the ground are fertile beds for young ferns. It's very quiet there, and when I come up on it I always stop and listen. I watch for deer and owls and squirrels. I walk gingerly among the old and new growth and observe how the young trees are making their way to sunlight. I love this glade and I used to come here with my husband. It is and will always be a very special and resting place.

The Moss Jacket

In the parts of the forest that are dark and damp, moss grows on the tree limbs and drapes like laundry hanging from a line.  In the Olympic National Forest crews of people collect the moss and sell it to nurserys and flower shops.  It is wonderful to add to baskets and flower arrangements. When it's dried, the moss is light and colorful and holds water well.
As I walk through the woods, however, I find the look of it very spooky.  It seems enchanted and somewhat foreboding.  I can understand why the "Twilight" series takes place near this area. Perhaps vampires lurk nearby?
When my daughters were involved in ballet and because I know how to sew, my services as a seamstress were required.  I first started just sewing costumes, then began designing them, then became the head of the costume department for our local ballet company.  It is a great passion of mine to design and construct costumes.  I love the feel and texture of beautiful fabrics and I like to make the costume become part of the dance. Silk flows so beautifully and moves with the dancer. It is such a joy to watch.

My love of costume design inspired me to create my flower fairies. This one I call "The Moss Jacket."  She is wearing a skirt made of tulip petals.  Her jacket is the moss that hangs from the trees in the forest. It is light and airy.  She just blew a kiss to someone.

My Winter Fairy

In late summer the squirrels strip the fir trees of pine cones. They throw them onto the soft earth with a repetitive thump.........thump.......thump.......They then start collecting them, taking the pine cones back to their nests to store for winter.  They must be very tasty as my dogs seem to enjoy them, too.  The result is, that there are hundreds of pine cones left on the ground.

Dried pine cones can be used for many things.  You can put cinnamon oil on them and scatter them in your home as scented air fresheners. You can paint them silver or gold and display them as Christmas decorations.  You can use them as fire starters.  I don't do any of those things, but I do like to do paintings of them. I like to get lost in the depths of the spikes. I love the subtly of the colors. I enjoy how the light plays softly around the edges.

I like to imagine a world filled with fairies who wear the accouterments of nature. I see them dressed not only in flower petals, but moss and berries and, well, pine cones.  This little lady I call the Winter Fairy.  All the flowers are gone so she dresses in winter's garb.  I like her wild red hair with fir branches poking out, and I like her little shoes. I think she's really quite fashionable.