The Season of Gratitude

No longer can I deny that winter is upon us! Windy & snowy, today’s chilly air is dancing with bright sunshine… a typical New Mexico crazy weather day in the tiny village of Des Moines here in the northeastern corner of Union County in the enchanting state of New Mexico.

I’m keeping warm drinking delicious organic, fair-trade coffee as I sit here at the computer, which is next to the propane heater in the studio. The new radiant solar heating system is not yet installed, the process stalled by parts-on-order, so I am grateful to have the current heater now. I am looking forward to it becoming a back-up source rather than the main source and eventually not needing it at all. That’s years down the line but as sustainability is a goal for Studio C, bringing solar energy into the gallery is a step toward making the dream come true. In the mean time I am wearing warm sweaters and winter woollies rather than turning up the thermostat.

Mary Ann Louden will be here tomorrow to teach her StarFlower art. We have plenty of room so call me to sign up. She’ll be here 10:00 am – 3:00 pm and so too, I hope, will you.

Coming up next weekend is our second annual Live Poetry! ~ A Show of Gratitude. Sharon Niederman will be reading new poems and fiction and excerpts from her books, which will be available for sale. She will be happy to sign books of hers that you already own so bring them with you…. maybe mark a favorite passage and she can read it for us all! Sharon will share the Studio C stage with Roni Duran, her student at New Mexico Highlands University. Roni also studied with my husband Tim Keller at Raton High School. This makes her a star in our eyes and we look forward to hearing her work.

I am thrilled to present my sister Karyna Cragin, a gifted musician, songwriter and vocalist who will bring her beautiful and heartfelt music to the studio.

There will be door prizes too! You must be present to win so be sure you come out to Des Moines for this event.

Showing through November 23rd, The Upper Right Corner, Tim Keller’s show of photography; come by the gallery to witness his vision of stark, vibrant, compelling images taken from within a 50 mile radius of Studio C.

Coming up in the gallery:

Small Works, Local Flavors ~ A Holiday Show Small works and holiday gifts.

Coming up in the community:

The Des Moines School presents a Holly-Day Bazaar to raise funds for the school library Tuesday, December 2nd in the school gym from 3 pm to 8 pm during and after the Des Moines vs. Clayton Basketball Games. Individuals and groups are invited to participate by buying and/or selling goods and/or activities. Ten percent of proceeds go to the Des Moines School Library.
Studio C will be there with coffee and chocolate. Are you interested in setting up a booth or table? Send me an email and I'll forward it to Betty and Janet.

The Folsom Museum invites you to check out their new website for the new annual fund raising event: The Capulin Volcano marathon: 
www.capulinvolcanorun.com. The dates for the 2009 run will be published in the next couple of months so be sure to bookmark the site and check back frequently.

Studio C is the place to see the work of local, regional and guest artists and artisans. Curious about what we have in the gallery? Give me a call and I’ll be happy to give you directions to the gallery or give you a phone tour.

My mission for this blog? To keep you informed about goings on at the gallery and in our wonderful community. Why? Well, let’s just say I love to share our good news!

See you soon~ Send your friends and family ~ Shower your inner child with Love!

Christina

Creative Change!

It is finally getting cold and the holiday cheer is sprouting up in all kinds of places.
StarFlower ~ Tin craft by Mary Ann Louden~ Come by Studio C tomorrow, Saturday November 8th, for our first StarFlower workshop from 10:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. Participants will learn this special craft from master artisan and local luminary Mary Ann Louden. Mary Ann will give you all the information and tricks you need to make regular tin can lids into art. I predict you'll reuse your lids rather than send them to your local recycle transfer station. (If you have one… and if you don’t then please work to make one happen in your community. Call me if you are in the Des Moines, New Mexico area; we need your support!) The fee for Mary Ann’s class is $15.00. We'll be giving this workshop again on Saturday November 15th. 575-278-3517 to register

Tim Keller's show, The Upper Right Corner, continues through November 24th so be sure to stop in to see his beautiful photographs.

Thanksgiving is soon here! This brings thoughts of our great country and the small band of courageous people looking for freedom from tyranny and their story of how they braved a difficult and uncertain ocean crossing to land at Plymouth Rock. They were blessed to find a community of Native Americans willing to help them learn to survive in their adopted homeland. As we come together to celebrate the community that these forebears forged in their transformational quest for a new and better nation let us reflect on collaboration. I bet we can all agree that sharing a meal with friends and neighbors is an effective way to build community.

Studio C will celebrate the second annual Show of Gratitude on November 22nd. This will also be the night for Live Poetry! with our featured artist, New Mexico author Sharon Niederman, and spotlight artist, musician Karyna Cragin. Of course, starting off the evening will be the open mike, giving you the chance to shine! This month there is no cover charge and we'll share a potluck dinner as my way to thank everyone who has supported Studio C. Studio C will provide the turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. You are invited to bring your favorite Thanksgiving dish to add to the feast. Please call so we know you are coming then get out your pen and paper, paints and brushes, musical instruments and create something you can share on the themes of gratitude and gratefulness.

I encourage you to take some time this weekend to celebrate your own creativity in a way that brings you renewed energy. Make a commitment to honoring your life and your community by growing your imagination and your personal truth.

Come by Studio C and share your inspiration with the wonderful people who gather together to share and experience a collective reverence for the good that comes when people communicate with courage, respect each other and recognize the sacred in each other. Did you know we have a piano here, waiting for players to play? We do!

Studio C is so pleased to be able to offer our community a place to gather in the pursuit of artistic excellence. Remember, the C is for creativity, and Studio C is Where Creativity Grows!

See you soon~

Christina

Happy Halloween!

Coffee is up! Come on by and enjoy a cup for free while you visit, then buy a cup to go or a pound or two or three of our delicious organic fair trade whole beans home so you can wake up to a freshly ground cup of gourmet coffee in the comfort of your home. After all, what is life for if not to enjoy the bounty that we humans are all blessed with… especially if no humans, animal or nature have been abused in the process of getting the bounty to you!

Step into the gallery this weekend to see our current gallery show: The Upper Right Corner ~ Photography by Tim Keller. All images are archival prints framed under museum preservation glass with white mats and a simple black wood frame. Last week’s opening reception was a wonderful success! Thanks to everyone who came to share in our excitement. The show will be up through November 24th and we are looking forward to having you stop in to see the work.

Today is the day for all the little goblins to run around in costume and collect candy or smart snacks, depending on the givers’ inclinations. Personally I’m opting to hand out toothbrushes. Not really. But next year that's what I plan to do!

Speaking of toothbrushes, being an ArtSpace out in “the middle of nowhere”, I have decided to add some practical items to our shelves. Toothbrushes and sturdy leather work gloves, and some fancy show gloves are coming in the future. I am here to serve travelers and our community and I’ve been listening when friends make suggestions. You can’t read your poetry well if your teeth are fuzzy, and a great pair of gloves makes all the difference in bending wire, barbed or not, as well as those fancy nights out on the town. Support our local economy, our local and regional artists and organic, fair trade products that help our planet by supporting humane economic growth and environmental stewardship. I appreciate your support and look forward to growing the business into a destination gallery here in Des Moines. Shop at Studio C and you will help make that dream a thriving reality.

Date change: my report to the Union County Community Development Corporation will be Wednesday, November 19th at 6:00 p.m. That is a week later than I stated in my update last week, which I will be updating with the correct date. Please update your planners and let us know you are coming.

Speaking of changes, I am thrilled to be adding a solar radiant heat system to the gallery. Nate Green and his brother in law Kyle are pouring cement thermal mass blocks with flexible pipe running in them. They’ll be installed against the inside cinder block wall in our two galleries and the studio/classroom. A solar panel will go up on the roof. Water will be heated by the sun through the solar panel then circulated through the cement panels. Once the system is up and running we expect the building to be kept much warmer than it was last winter. This is phase one of my plan to have Studio C retrofit to be able to produce all the energy that it needs to function. You may find us in a bit of a mess when you stop in but don’t let that stop you! Nate and Kyle predict the system will be completed and turned up by late next week. I’ll keep you posted!

Mary Ann Louden will be giving two workshops on making tin can lids into “StarFlowers”. Saturday November 8th and Saturday November 15th. Each workshop will be from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Studio C in the studio/classroom.

Mark your calendars for our November Live Poetry! The date is Saturday November 22nd. Sharon Niederman is our featured artist and will be reading new poetry and also from her books. We have added her books, A Quilt of Words, Return to Abo, and The Santa Fe and Taos Book from the series Great Destinations to our shelves and she will be signing that night too. My sister Karyna Cragin will be in the spotlight. She is an amazing musician and vocalist and is working on an act with a friend. I am not yet sure if she is bringing her friend or doing a solo. This will be the second annual Show of Gratitude and will again be a potluck event with no cover charge. Studio C will provide the turkey and all the trimmings so bring what ever you love to have with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Last year’s event was just wonderful and I am so pleased to be able to build on such a lovely beginning. This is my way to extend my thanks for the support that everyone has given Studio C over the year.

With that note let me sign off by quoting Lynne Twist, “ When you are in the house of sufficiency you live in a state of perfect ecstatic gratitude.”

In Creativity,

Christina

The Upper Right Corner

Hello!

Studio C is proud to present our new gallery show: The Upper Right Corner ~ Photography by Tim Keller which opened yesterday. We feature Tim in his first ever show of photography. The gallery is filled with Tim’s vivid images from the northeastern corner of New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. Tim's artistic vision is rooted in the land, the people who have worked to make a living on it and the spaces that happen as time passes.

Last night’s opening reception was a wonderful success! You simply must come see the show! We sold two pieces last night and I dare say you too will want to purchase a piece. Add to your collection or maybe start the collection of art by New Mexico artists that you’ve been thinking about. We are here to serve your art needs and appreciate the business you bring to our community. The show will be up through November 24th.

You can see one of Tim’s photographs, Ford Flatbed, hanging in the branch office of the Farmers and Stockmans Bank here in Des Moines, New Mexico. Studio C has a primo space in the office to hang art work from our currently featured artist. I am fortunate to work with Angela Garcia Lucero at the bank to make this happen. Much thanks goes Angela and the Farmers and Stockmans bank for working with Studio C. They give our featured artists a place to hang that lots of people see and, we hope, will want to come to the gallery to see more.

Today is the day for The Fall Harvest Festival and All Things Pumpkin Party, our partner project at Sunny Hill’s Rainbow Ranch; 3:00 p.m. to deep in the night there will be fun activities, food, story-telling and poetry, and stargazing. Bundle up in layers and stop by Studio C on your way. You’ll be in our area and will want to pick up some coffee, chocolate, gifts and art to bring a sparkle into your home. When you shop at Studio C you are supporting our local economy and our local and regional artists as well as organic, fair trade products which help our planet by supporting humane economic growth and environmental stewardship. You really can’t go wrong!

It’s official: my report to the Union County Community Development Corporation will be Wednesday, November 19th at 6:00 p.m. I’ll be presenting a distillation of the information I picked up at the recent International Conference on Creative Tourism in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I spoke to Ruby Dorsey Gonzales about inviting interested community members to which she replied, “ The more the merrier.” Interested? Give Ruby or me a call so she will know how many people to plan for in addition to her board.

Some of you will be coming out to tell your tall tales tonight and will be wearing your Halloween costumes. Good for you!!! We are going to try to elicit some real scary tales from you… stories from your life, that were really scary, that you lived through. We tested the idea out last night at the reception and heard a really scary tourist story dealing with Palenque’s tomb in Guatemala.

So, see you later, see you soon, see you making creativity and art a part of your life!

Be Happy!
Christina

A Chilly Breezy Day

Hello!

I was just about to sit down to write my weekly update when I realized my sunny day sandals were not keeping my toes warm and that it is truly nippy in the studio! Since my intention is to live a sustainable and green life I'm going to run home to get some socks and a sweater so I can sit down comfortably and give you the news from Studio C this weekend....

Much Better! Now I can really appreciate this fall day and reflect on upcoming events at Studio C while saving on propane when it is not yet necessary.

This weekend our show of artwork from our summer programs of Summer Art! and Places of Wonder will come to a close. This show comes down after Sunday. We'll be hanging The Upper Right Corner ~ Photography by Tim Keller and opening the show with a reception for the artist on Friday October 24th from 4:30 to 6:30. Tim will be giving a free mini-concert to begin at 5:30. We will be serving refreshments and celebrating Tim's first ever gallery show of his photography. Photography is his new passion and Studio C is honored and privileged to launch his career as a fine art photographer. I invite you to come out to Des Moines to join us in celebrating this wonderful new beginning for Tim. Some of you may wonder at the personal way I am speaking of Tim... since he is my best friend and husband I simply cannot help it. His show is gorgeous and I cannot wait to share it with all of you and all of the wonderful travelers who stop in the gallery wondering what they will find at this art gallery in the middle of nowhere.

Stop in today or tomorrow and enjoy the student show and plan to come back on Friday for Tim's opening.

Next weekend is a truly exciting busy weekend starting with Tim's opening on Friday. Saturday the 25th brings us to the second and final event of our first Fall Harvest Festival, the All Things Pumpkin day at Rainbow Ranch in Folsom. I hope you'll stop by Studio C to pick up some yummy endangered species chocolate on your way to Rainbow Ranch in Folsom where the pumpkin fun will be going on all day long! There will be:

Food, fun, and games for all ages
Pick your pumpkin from the pumpkin patch!
You can carve or decorate it right here!
We will have pumpkin cookies for you to decorate too!
Lots of fun activities:
Pumpkin-chunkin, -rolling, and -carrying contests; sack races;
giant bubble making; apple bobbing, and more!!!
On the bonfire:
We will be roasting fresh ears of corn, chilis, hot dogs,
marshmallows, & s’mores.
bbq hot off the smoker with all the trimmings, and of course pumpkin!
(A meal ticket is only $5.00 for adults. Kids eat free!)
Around the bonfire:
Studio C’s “live poetry” and open mike night!
Bring your musical instruments, poetry and tall tales to share!
Wear your Halloween costume if you like...
At dark there will be stargazing!
Hosted by the Folsom Museum.

Then on Sunday October 26th, we also have a half-marathon run for you at Capulin Volcano National Monument! This event is the first of an annual event sponsored by and raising funds for The Folsom Museum.

For more details visit the website: The Folsom Museum

These two events will be annual events from this fall forward. I invite you to tell your family and friends about them and to bring a guest with you. We are excited about growing these community building events. Your participation this year will help us to get off to a great start.

Finally, if you are local, tune your radio into FM 93.9 KRTN Enchantment radio RIGHT NOW! The best live country radio show is on: Little Sharon's Country Cafe, hosted by Sharon Niederman. She brings out the best of real country in a friendly and familiar style that is worthy of gathering with friends and family to listen for two hours of pure musical bliss. Saturdays 2:00 - 4:00 pm... come on out to Studio C where we always are listening to Sharon's wonderful introductions and local news. Tune in from your home, office, shop or car or come on by... whatever you do, TUNE IN! You will be glad you did and be hooked just like I am.

So, that is it for this week. Call me with questions and be creative in all you do. Remember, we are all born creative! Honor this truth in your life and you will see your world expand in joy and wellness.

See you soon!

Christina

Weekend Festivities: Artist Reception for Students & Fall Harvest Festival & Street Fair

Hello Friends and Neighbors!

It is a blustery, perfectly broody fall day here at Studio C in Des Moines, New Mexico. What is it like in your neck of the woods?

I've been so busy taking care of last minute details for our festival Sunday that I was not able to write my update yesterday so finally I'm catching up with my weekly update.

In the gallery our student work is bringing smiles and wonderful conversation with our visitors. I'm still working on some last minute display so there will be even more to see tomorrow when I put out the chips and salsa, sweet breads and brew up a pot of our wonderful big bend coffee roasters organic fair-trade coffee. I'm looking forward to seeing you between 1:00 and 4:00 tomorrow; earlier if you just can't wait! The gallery is open on Sundays from noon to four so do come at noon if that suits you better. Don't forget that I am happy to open by appointment so if you are not able to come during regular hours Friday & Saturdays from 10:am - 6:p.m. and Sundays noon - 4:p.m. then give me a call and we'll work out a date & time that works for both of us. I love to open up for you and your friends!

Tomorrow is our first ever Fall Harvest Festival and Street Fair. I've ordered up a miraculously sunny, warm and still day but, just in case the weather forecasts are right we'll have several vendors set up at Village Hall. Both sites will be sending visitors to each-other.... it's just a two block walk on Broadway Avenue which just happens to be NM State Highway 64/87 also. Wear your yummy fall warmers and add some steps to your walking plan. You'll enjoy a wonderful community event and add to your health all at once.

Notice in the photo that there are two dates for our Fall Harvest Festival? We are kicking things off here at Studio C on October 12th. We anticipate that you will want to come back soon so we are having another party at Rainbow Ranch, where Sunny Williams has an amazing garden and has been bringing produce from on Sundays here at Studio C in Des Moines, Capulin Country Store in Capulin, the First Street Market in Raton and the Trinidad Farmers Market in Trinidad, Colorado just over Raton Pass. Tomorrow will be the last Sunday that Sunny will have her fresh baked breads, produce and beautiful flowers here. Think of the All Things Pumpkin Festival as a final fall festivity to celebrate the wonderful bounty of the summer that is just past.

The wonderful thing about these events is the community cooperation that is happening. Tomorrow's event is sponsored by The Farmers & Stockmans Bank, Rainbow Ranch and Studio C with help from Des Moines Village and Des Moines School Rural Revitalization Initiative. Our event on the 25th brings in partnership with the Folsom Museum in Folsom, New Mexico and the Trinidad Farmers Market. I've attached our flyers for both events with details. As you can see, there is so much our community has to offer... we are proud to show it off this October and looking forward to growing the event with more and more participation amongst our community members.

So, that about does it for this weekend update. Till tomorrow!

Stay warm and cozy,

Christina

Weekend Inspiration @ Studio C

Fall is in the air and the gallery is full of wonderfully weird creations made by students in this summer's Found Assemblage class in our Places of Wonder program, taught by Inge Bobek and sculptures made in our paper-mache sculpture class in our Summer Art! program, which I taught. See what our students created with things found on a day of wandering Rainbow Ranch in Folsom and plain old newspaper and flour paste and paint, all made right here in the classroom at Studio C. I'm still wrangling student work in from the egg painting class. If you're a parent or student reading this letter please call me and let me know when you can come by this weekend to drop off your work. Thanks! We will celebrate the students on Sunday October 12th from 1:00 pm -4:00 pm with a reception for the artists. Please come out to show your support of these wonderful students' creativity!

On the same day we will be holding our first Fall Harvest Festival and Street Fair at Studio C here in Des Moines, New Mexico brought to you by Vital Roads, Studio C and The Farmers & Stockmens Bank. Everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the fun and even to sell your crafts, art, services, and even your garage sale items... just bring a blanket or table to set up your goods on and plan to man your table.... or just come see what your friends and neighbors have. We'll have games and a costume drawing contest, and start a new community mural and it is FREE! It is the first day of our Harvest Festival Days....The second day to mark your calendars is Saturday October 25th for our Fall Harvest Festival “All Things Pumpkin” Party held at Rainbow Ranch in Folsom, New Mexico from 3pm - 9pm. We'll have more games, food and fun all afternoon and evening. Also, Live Poetry! will be gathering around the campfire that evening at Rainbow Ranch. Everyone is invited to wear your Halloween costume and tell your scary stories in the light of the fire. We may even give out prizes for the most original, scary and best impersonation costumes... let me know if you are interested in this idea!

Thanks to The Farmers & Stockmens Bank for their generous support of this new community event!

I know you don't want to wait that long to come by the gallery though! I have wonderful hand-batiqued, tie-dyed t-shirts that are perfect for these festival fall days. Come by this weekend, mention this email and I'll give you a 15% discount on these wonderful shirts!

Don't forget our Farmer's Market on Sunday. Come by for fresh produce, home baked breads and other goodies brought to you by Sunny of Rainbow Ranch in Folsom. She is here from 10:am - 3:pm and always has a variety of good foods to choose from.

I am just back in the gallery after attending the last day of the Santa Fe International Conference on Creative Tourism where I heard Becky Anderson speak to growing economically through place based creative and harvest based enterprise through trails and tours. She was warm and inspirational. If you are interested in her work check out this website: http://www.handmadeinamerica.org/about/mission.php
I want to thank Ruby Dorsey-Gonzales at Union County Community Development Corporation, Angela Garcia Lucero at The Farmers & Stockmens Bank, and the Village of Des Moines Council for their help getting me to Santa Fe. I'll be reporting back to the folks at UCCDC and will be happy to share my experience with you too. If you'd like to know more about the conference, check out this website: http://www.santafecreativetourism.org/

Studio C is open Fridays 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, and Sundays 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. Stop in for a visit and find something wonderful to go home with. Our organic, fair-trade coffee is always fresh and the endangered species chocolate continues to satisfy!

We have free wi-fi for our customers now!

Well, that does it for this week's news... call me if you have questions... or better yet, come by the gallery for a great cup of coffee, some chocolate and a fun place to be.

Thanks again to KRTN: Enchanted Air radio for their generous support!

Be Creative and have Fun!

Christina

Indian Summer Day

Hello!

It is a perfect Indian Summer day here in Des Moines, New Mexico. I am looking forward to a weekend full of fun. There are many new things to see and do here at Studio C ~ArtSpace & Gallery.

I am in the process of hanging our Summer Art! and Places of Wonder student art this weekend so the gallery will be full of wonderful youth art.

Tomorrow evening is Live Poetry! and we are stepping out. Some of us are meeting here and carpooling up to The Mandala Center for the Fall Evening Concert with Randi Whitman, flute; Eileen Terry, piano; and Valerie Powell, soprano. Others will drive directly to The Mandala Center; we are trying to conserve our gas on this outing. We are even picking one of our regular guests up along the way. There is a donation requested for the concert, after which there will be a wine & cheese reception, so bring some cash and enjoy something different while we support another wonderful business in our area.

I am currently fundraising for a new art program at Des Moines Schools called Art Plays Its Part! The normal $3.00 cover for Live Poetry! will again be split 50/50, after proceeds, towards this fundraising effort. Live Poetry! has raised $54.50 with the last two shows so far. We thank you for your generosity and will keep you informed about our goal.

Sunday we hope you will come by for fresh produce, home baked breads and other goodies brought to you by Sunny of Rainbow Ranch in Folsom. She is here from 10:am - 3:pm and always has a variety of good foods to choose from.

Studio C is open Fridays 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, and Sundays 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. Stop in for a visit and find something wonderful to go home with. Our organic, fair-trade coffee is always fresh and the chocolate continues to satisfy!

We even have free wi-fi for our customers now!

Come on by and sit a spell!

Thank you for supporting your local economy!

Christina

Ode to Frida Kahlo ~ Detail of Mask

Mask, originally uploaded by Jaguarposa.

I have finally set up my installation Ode to Frida ~ A Prayer for Joyful Dancing.  It is in Studio C and awaits word from Raton Arts & Humanities Council... I've submitted it for entry in their annual Women in the Arts Show. My husband Tim has taken beautiful pictures of it... 

In the meantime it dances in the quiet of the gallery.

One Ton A Rock!

Four Hours Later.

Lower back resisting every move,
Arms akimbo,
Legs unsteady.

The olives helped.

I moved one ton of rock today. By myself.

Tomorrow we chop wood.

We'll load the truck bed that the ton of rocks I hauled yesterday from the now closed rock mine rested in while I slept the sleep of one who is up till 3:am, working the late shift, sleeping deep into the world's morning. Today, in four hours I unloaded it all. Forty three years old. No shrinking violet when it comes to back breaking labor. Not I.

Tomorrow we head for our land. The truck bed will return loaded with wood we have chopped together.

We will eat spaghetti thanks to the sauce you made today while I moved rock and pulled weeds. While you cooked you harvested tomatoes and pumpkins and laid down tarp on the remaining dozens of green tomatoes so tonight's predicted freeze will not turn them to mush before I have a chance to roast them. For The Sauce. Red chili sauce. Red gold. My newest culinary achievement... Those green tomatoes will ripen too thanks to our efforts.

A ton of rock to fill in and complete my Eye of The Universal in my garden's zeroscape.

Nine loads of sand and road bed moved to fill in low spots under the clothes-line, in our drive and where I attempt to recreate the feeling of a dry stream bed. Countless weeds and grass no longer growing where rocks lay. They have been moved to the two new compost heaps: Cosmic Compost. Heaps!

You have fed me your divine gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with steamed broccoli and baked yams. The martini was a fine reward.

Now I stretch in candle light.

Our yard is nearly ready for it's winter rest.

One ton of rock later I am headed for mine.

Blessed Be!

Dessert & Remembrances

The night was sweet and The City fun to be in. Darcy took us to a favorite coffee & dessert bar to treat us to after dinner sweets and more conversation...

The waiter in the bar who made my almond float brought back the memory of floats I used to draw all the time when I was a teenager~ His voice a deep Romanian visit to dark and opulent times, somehow reviving my vampire awareness. Almost as if the vampire, in living forever, holds the keys to the human culture. Preserving memories for us that we can not be trusted to remember thanks to our selfish nature and short attention span. Or perhaps our need to forget when the worst has become reality...

Violence and oppression living next to sensuous luxury that invisible slave labor produces... it continues does it not?

And so we arrive, the I that is we, arrives at ancient memories... & dreams are revived.

Dream: Model ~ Make beautiful clothes ~ Paint passionate visions ~ Nurture creativity in others ~ Believe in miracles... Discover!

Talent honored with discipline and time.

I belong to my dreams, the instrument of their making. Becoming, I make real what cellular memories have left quietly steeping.

Skies and blood orange fire in the sky~
A vision of healing. A quest for redemption~

This day of Our Lord (*Be SURE to make the o in Lord with a female peace symbol!)
Wings of desire unfurl~
Mariposas emerge from struggle after deep slumber and fill the air with exuberant flights of nectar search.

The discovery theirs~
Light on Surprised Delight.
Blossoms satisfied...

These memories live on. Dreams persist.

Blessed BE!

Finding Icons

Inspiration, faith, sacrifice, and work ~ all self-oriented and a necessary ingredient of success; the Nazi's boiled it down to Arbeit Macht Frei... Chilling, exactly because it was forced on penalty, and more often than not, reward of death.

A comment, or observation, perhaps a question.

Self-awareness, discipline, and motivation. Can we be free if we pursue our dreams with work?

As a young person, can one even know the value of self-motivation? Did Mozart, or Bob Dylan, or CatPower understand their process and work it? Does it just flow for some who are gifted?

For me it has taken mistakes and reflection and second and third tries to know I missed something good because my eyes couldn't see, past internal dramas, the Path beyond.

Still I struggle to see ahead. My internal drama constant though experience brings wisdom. I begin to see opportunities along the way. I strive to catch them when they present. I'm finding that faith carries me from one disappointment to the next day's chores and a renewed effort at creating dreams into reality.

So, these petunias in the red pot sitting in the no-longer empty white wrought-iron stand give me comfort even as I lick the wounds of past tumbles and disappointments. Something in the purple and pink blooms I brought home whispers in my Soul: The day was a success even if you are too wounded to see it now.

Another day.

Let time pass. Watch the wither and fade of summer blooms bursting fresh everyday. See that in pulling yourself together you become a new person. Not afraid to let go and cry, strong enough to pick up your own pieces and make the days count. You will know yourself to be a potent and skillful person in even more difficult situations when they occur.

Arbeit Macht Frei
Freedom is a Struggle.
Fight the good fight.

Bare Feet Not Arms

She is running again. Not running from herself but finding the strength at her core. Wise child born calm in the midst of creative struggles. She runs for reason. Wisdom feeding on the manna of self-discovery.

She is finding her way. Leading the way for those wandering, wondering, willing to run.

Blessed Be!

Daughter Dear

My heart aches for your love.
My womb mourns your absence.
My eyes long for your smile.
My ears yearn for your laughter.

My mind knows your strength and intelligence.
My voice sings you to sleep, gentles your fears,
Celebrates your Soul.
You and I are one,
Cherished Child.

My heart misses your imagination.
My womb remains unused in this life
Waiting for a kind & peaceful world to bring us into being
Mother & Child.

My eyes see you in the innocence of others.
My ears delight in the chatter of children I meet.
My mind is ready with wisdom to share with any who will receive.
My voice is strong and sure as I encourage them to be all they dream,
to take time to be a child, to laugh and play and eat vegetables.

I am childless by choice and my heart is happy.
In motherhood I've not found my way.
In Life I've found Joy.

My heart glows with maternal fire.
I cast its light & warmth freely.
When it is felt and shared, Dear Child,
My Heart is warmed with Your Love.

Blessed Be!

Precious Kisses

He still remembers kisses~

Precious is there for him freely bestowing her Darling with kisses, with love in her eyes he responds to her with smiling eyes and pursed lips.
Precious kisses and Darling remembers
* the love at first sight
* the unwavering loyalty
* the Joy of this family
Darling remembers his Precious's kisses.
His mind had lost so much
but this one golden truth remained:

His Love is True.

Rest in Peace Daddy.

Blessed Be!

Reflecting...

Reflecting on being adrift...

Referring to myself as a bit of bark, worn down by caress of water's edge and the grasp it had on its branch of origin... Would an analyst say I lacked self confidence, or had far too much modesty? I think I've finally shown some humility... Not a seeded limb, to take root and sprout another tree, I am a barren bit of bark.... But maybe the shape is such that where it lands an artist will pick it up to use in creative expression. Maybe, the lay of the land will hold it cradled till time and space cover it in mud, and centuries later, when waters return, there will lay an ocher-red piece of petrified bark, magical and warm to the touch...

I find these kinds of things all the time. My eye is drawn to the odd shape, the incongruous detail. Bits like this are treasures to me. And now, to comfort me, things only Dad could know would delight me are turning up in my path. Dad is gone...

It's funny how many things directly related to his Being are in my path, popping up like in a pinball machine... Funny things that make me smile with the realization that Dad is everywhere! That he is able to comfort me with new skills. That he wants me to be happy.

His Boyceterous vim & vigah are restored 100-fold!!! (probably 100 to the millionth power!!!)

Still, my tears reveal how much I miss him.

Blessed Be!

Adrift

Adrift.

In process.

Transition in progress...

Like a bit of bark attached to its branch at the river's edge which has finally broken free after years of the water's caress, and the branch's hold.

Now it's free... Shaped by its dance with the water and its own grasp on the branch from which it grew ~released by time and gentle force of water's flow ~ now it rides, trusting, swirling on flowing surface of water.

Where will the Journey land it?

So, I twist this despair and relief and gratitude for Dad's release to Heaven into strength and vision. I know it will land me somewhere beautiful as the shape I float with is whittled and loved into being by Dad's loving, funny and intelligent care~ And, even as he walks his new path his Being is now expanded to walk with us as we gather in family to mourn our lost Daddy...

His light is cast upon my drift and will illuminate my Journey.

Blessed Be!

Lazy Tendencies ~The Waning

Lazy Tendencies ~The Waning

I observe that humans have a tendency to take the lazy way out. We grieve by sleeping and eating, even as that type of grieving yields only more to grieve for. We grow fat and despondent; things begin to fall apart around us and we wonder why, crunching away. I could easily go that way except for being on the cusp of a completely new me.

The new me is getting stronger and does not want me to go any further down the lazy path. There is a new fit tone me who wants to run, ride, dance, paint, create, and write in pursuit of my elusive dream!

I want to be running, writing stories, and illustrating ideas. I want to be with myself when an idea becomes a real thing to share with the world. The stronger more confident self is winning the battles more and more often even as these struggles wane... even my sad unsure self likes me better and is beginning to trust my choices.

So, run & contemplate the doubt of the voice, paint & contemplate the unsure strokes, ride and breathe life into the memories and stories.

I live so you can sing your songs.

Blessed Be!

Flowering Tears

Blooming.
Winter stems dry and pregnant with seed.
Clearing the land, seeds scatter everywhere.

No more laughter till tears glisten.
No more disagreement in philosophies
even as understanding deepened friendship.
No more looking forward to vibrant visits
over lunches shared.
Our potent circle of friends no longer hears your voice.

Did you not understand how much we loved your Soul?

Your heart ached so inconsolably that your husband,
family, and best friend could not convince you to stay.

So suddenly you were gone.

I breathed even as you lay taking your last.
From where I listened nothing would change.
Your intended outcome.
And so, Friend of mine,
And so many others,
You're resting peacefully now.
Your heart no longer aching.

I imagine you singing freely now.
If only I could hear
With these mortal ears
The voice I've just learned that you also sang with.

So much is lost.

January Full Moon Prayer

Let the corrupting force of money continue in its spectacular death. Let those who've put money above peoples' lives share in the vivid revelations. Let this death be swift and sure, and in its public end, ensure that evil is rendered powerless. Let those who've married power and evil be left penniless. Let them be clearly aware of their own bankrupt actions, yet let there be grace.

Let their clarity be infused with hope. Let these people see at last a path for doing good with the knowledge their wrongful actions and experience has left them with.

Let Our Mother Earth begin to know peace. Let me see in my own lifetime the manifestation of these prayers. Let my sadness never be more profound than my hope and my faith that prayer brings about miracles.

Let us all begin to see the smiling children as our own no matter what their color, what their birthright, no matter what country of origin.

And so ~ The month is begun.
And so ~ The month begins with hope.

Shall we each set about caring for the elements here in our own sphere of influence so that we create little miracles in our own lives?
Shall these miracles ripple in the ocean of Humanity?
Reflecting and returning, endlessly bouncing on miracles
Born of other hopeful and glad hearts?

I pray for fear of others to vanish. I pray to see hatred no longer set against skin color, accent, and language. Let instead, evil, violence, bigotry, and small-mindedness be hated. Let these things wither and die, transformed forever in the cosmic compost heap.

This is my prayer on this full moon this first month of this New Year.

Blessed Be!