Even the air was green

    

 This morning I went for an early walk in the forest.  The day was new, the sun still low on the horizon when I noticed there was a strange green glow about the forest. The color was radiating from every branch and bush and rising like steam. Even the air was green.  I could feel an energy in the woods pulsating and happy and I thought the woodland fairies were so excited they were flitting from tree to tree. I walked for a bit wondering about this strange phenomena when I realized that the new spring growth was causing this amazing color. On the ends of each little fern or moss was a tiny bud of brilliant chartreuse yellow.

The new buds on the little bushes held morning dew that magnified the green.   The moss, dripping from the branches, sparkled with new growth. The whole forest was alive with this color and I thought about my mother who used to say that God's favorite hue was green because he made so many things that color.  For all those who think that a brilliant chartreuse yellow is too garish, look to nature because it is everywhere in the spring. I am so glad that spring is finally here.

This brings me to another memory....

 One year, I was designing costumes for the Nutcracker Ballet in a local production.  The Artistic Director asked me to do dresses for a new group he called the Holly Fairies a dance that opens up the 2nd act.  Others were thinking green and red, but I decided on white silk dipped in this very color of chartreuse. I wanted the young dancers to look fresh and new with clean graceful lines. I put clear crystals on the bodice that sparkled like dew under the stage lights and let the silk flow dreamily around the girls as they danced. Another costumer, Sue Lund, did their headpieces using this color with darker greens in the holly leaves and red berries. The head pieces pulled it all together. I thought the costumes were so rich and beautiful.  Nature is a good source for inspiration.

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.

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!