A Strange Haunting.

When I was in college and because I was an artist, I wanted to be very edgy.  I learned about other religions and tried some out, did transendental meditation, yoga, ouji boards.  I firmly believed back then in re-incarnation and actually did a couple of past life regressions. I'm not too sure what I believe in anymore. I kinda don't want to come back as anything or anyone else when I die. However.......
In February our 16 year old cat, Buster died.  I had him laying on the couch next to me and I was gently patting him.  It was his time. I wasn't particularly emotional about his passing and the next day I wrapped him in a clean towel, put him in a box and buried him outside my daughter, Roxanne's window.  He was her cat.  That night we had a big storm.  The wind was howling and rain was pelting my window.  Then I heard a cat meowing. It wasn't loud, just a soft meow.  The dog heard it, too and jumped up looking out the window.  We both kind of held our breaths and listened.  "Oh my god!" I thought, " I buried the cat alive!"  The dog and I waited, listening, but finally fell back to sleep.  In the morning common sense kicked in and I knew that the cat was not still alive but we did wonder if he was haunting us just a bit.

Now I have a little brown bird that wants to come into the house.  He started pecking at the kitchen door so much so that I hung a cloth over the window so he couldn't see himself.  I thought that he, like Narcissus, had fallen in love with his own reflection. But the bird found other windows to peck at and fly into.  He hangs on the ledges knocking on the glass and trying to get in.  So now I'm starting to think that my little Narcissus is the re-incarnation of Buster the cat.  That's just ridiculous, I know. On the other hand, it is spring and perhaps Narcissus is in love with our dog.  Nature is a strange and mysterious thing.

Ghost ship

My early morning bus run takes me to a place called Crystal Springs.  It is a leisurely drive (because the speed limit is 25 mph) and it winds around the water's edge.  There are all sorts of wild life to see: blue herons, eagles, otters.  The other morning I was going to wax poetic about the 4 sea lions I saw resting on a dock / float until a kid threw up on the bus.  That was a mess!
Yesterday morning as I was first approaching the shoreline, I spotted an aircraft carrier coming through the morning mist.  It was heading towards Rich Passage on its way to Bremerton where there is a large navel base. The ship was too far away to take a picture but at 7:00 in the morning, shrouded by fog, it looked like a ghost ship.  I tried to slow down so that the kids on the bus could see the ship closer but it was still too far away.

 As I rounded the bend I noticed this gun boat (on the left) which was escorting the ship to Bremerton.  It was travelling at top speed headed toward the fishing boats that leave the area at this time of the morning. The boats all slowed down and the gunner approached themone by one.  It was interesting to see.  The crews of each boat were all on deck.  The fishing boats were told , apparently to stay put until the aircraft carrier passed.  They did.

 The children on my bus and I really enjoyed that morning.  An hour later when I drove the route again for the older children, the ship had passed through and disappeared once again into the mist.

Finding your passion

When I was a teenager I was full of angst. Every feeling was magnified, every thought was passionate.  Things either were or they weren't. There was nothing gray, only the bright colors and noise of fireworks in my brain. I would get angry easily and cry often and my mother would ask what was wrong.  "I'm just trying to find myself!" I would shout. Mom would, in great frustration, say "Why are you looking so hard? You're right here!"
These many years later I am still looking.  I think many of us are trying to discover where our passion lies and what we want to do with our lives.  I envy those fortunate few who have found the perfect job, the ones I read about who say, "I can't believe I get paid to do this." I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to be when I grow up.
I've known for many years that my main passion is my family.  They are my center and my heart. The house is quiet now, however, and I am searching for that one thing that will give me wings.  The trouble with creative minds is the turbulence of ideas.  They flood my mind and I bounce from one wonderful idea to the next never landing on any long enough to give it focus.  I get bored easily. I think it's because I am so intelligent......but maybe I'm just not disciplined.

I have decided to make hats and see if I can sell them on Etsy.  This morning I was making flower pins with which to embellish them.  I worked for about 2 hours which was about an hour longer than I was comfortable and then I decided to write this blog. Well, we'll see if this newest idea flies. 








These flower pins are about 3", have sparkling fiber integrated throughout and a crystal center. A feather gives them just a little more pizazz.

The flowers attach to a party hat made of vintage fabrics. The hats are reversible so it's like having two hats in one.
You could also wear the pin on a lapel or put it on a headband, so really it's like 4 things in one!

It's fun to make the flower pins,( for awhile).  I like the finished product.  Anything costumey and glittery makes me happy.  I think we all like to dress up sometime, that's why Halloween is so popular.

More on the hats later, but for now I'm on to something else.  I have to clean up my mess.