Mindful, Day 330, Fall Wonders

The leaves I picked a few weeks ago have curled up into wonderful sculptural formations. They are very fragile but from every angle they are beautiful.

Mindful, Day 328-329, Holiday Treat

Beginning to get in the holiday spirit. Got a beautiful poinsettia today called Jingle Bells! How perfect is that? I like the pink and white splashed leaves. Looks like the leaves were tie dyed with red dye.

Mindful, Day 327, Sky on Fire

Last night the sky was on fire at sunset. And it all happened in the blink of an eye. I am glad I looked out the window at the best possible moment. And as much as I am not a winter fan those stark, leafless trees made the view of the sky possible!

Mindful, Day 326, A Wonder

When the last of the leaves fell off the maple tree last week a VERY LARGE wasp nest was revealed. So large that it totally encompassed a branch and some leaves. It is so beautiful! The pattern of the
"paper" looks like it was marbled. I just want to keep looking at it, inside and out. What a wonderful creation.

MIndful, Day 325, Eyes Forward

I am mindful today of the various traditions that Larry and I bring to our marriage.These nutcrackers (and there are many more) were collected by Larry during trips to Europe in the 19603-1980s. Some of them were from East Germany before the fall of the Berlin wall. They always make me smile when I put them out because of their fanciful costumes, assorted facial hair and stark eyes. Christmas is coming!

Mindful, Day 323-324, Giving Thanks

I am mindful of how precious it is to spend time with family and friends. And this year we had a small group for Thanksgiving which was good - there was time to talk, laugh and eat pie together.  And as much as I am not a big fan of cooking on most days I do like to prepare and cook for "events". I am proud of this beautiful apple pie - and it tasted good too!

Mindful, Day 322, Broken is Beautiful

I saw this image online today. In the Japanese tradition of kintsugi, broken things are repaired with gold (or silver) joinery, so that the repaired object is even lovelier than the original — and the breakage and repair becomes an important part of the object's history, rather than something to disguise. The idea that adversity could make something (or someone) more beautiful, and that old things have a history that makes them rich and valuable, is a lovely and deeply comforting one. In this image from Chris Liljenberg Halstrøm, a cracked floorboard, filled with hexagonal shaped pieces of wood turned on end, becomes an eyecatching design detail. I love this concept and keep finding new iterations of it. 

Follow the link below to see more examples.
broken-is-beautiful-kintsugi-makes-broken-things-even-better-

MIndful, Day 321, Ice Effects

We went to see Cirque du Soleil on Ice yesterday. It was so interesting to see how they  use the lighting system and GPS to create such wonderful effects on the ice. This photo shows the skater writing The End on the ice. And throughout the performance the patterns and effects on the ice kept changing and it was fascinating to watch!

Mindful, Day 320, Some Things Never Change

At the baby shower yesterday the biggest hit for the littlest kid was the big empty box to play in. I remember this from my own childhood and my kids and here we go again! It's fun to see imagination and curiosity going on.

Mindful, Day 318-319, Raggedy Ann and Andy Memories

I went to a baby shower today for one of my nieces and her Mom and sister had made her a set of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. These are very special. My Mom made about 80 sets of Raggedy Ann and Andy doll during her life for all of her daughters, granddaughters, cousins, nieces, friends, and friends of friends. To see the tradition continue after her death is sweet and brings back lots of memories.

Mindful, Day 317, Starry Lights, Starry Nights

Getting the Christmas lights ready to put up on this cold day. I love seeing the white lights like little stars during December. It seems to help me through this dark time of the year to have that glow around the house. This year I am putting up a cluster of star lights for the first time. I will post a photo of that tomorrow after we finish getting things sorted out!

Mindful, Day 316, Holiday Card

 This photo of frost-rimmed leaves and berries might become this year's holiday card! I need to learn more about why frost catches the edges of objects so perfectly.

Mindful, Day 315, Sepia Landscape

The prairie in fog and frost looks like an old sepia photograph. This may become a new iteration of my Prairie Night Sky art quilt. I almost want to see frost again today just to take more photos!

MIndful, Day 314, Frosting

Everything was covered in frost this morning. The Queen Ann's lace is as beautiful now as it was this summer!

MIndful, Day 312-313, A Finding

I love this dried branch, especially against the old boro fabric.  They just feel good together.

Mindful, Day 311, Play

At last a little time to play in the studio. So this comes from doing a rubbing of the cut lines in my table top protector. Over time they have created there own composition without any help from me. I want to play with this some more and see what it might become!

Mindful, Day 310, Courage and Renewal

Today, I am mindful that this kind of writing from the Center for EnCOURAGEment and Renewal is what I need to see past the horrific things we keep doing to one another in this country.

And it happens again. And it happens again. And just when we think it cannot possibly happen here, or here, or here, it happens again. Here in America, our crisis with guns and violence has so many complicated aspects to it, all of which are worthy of exploration. But for now, I just want to sit with this question: Where do we find courage, hope, and renewal in the face of the unimaginable? The voices and images from the church shooting in Texas took me straight back to another major shooting that happened in a church in 2008: in a UU church in Knoxville, Tennessee. The circumstances were eerily similar: an enraged ex-husband taking his anger out on the faithful innocents. When he charged into the church with his guns and bullets a children’s choir was singing the song from Annie: “The sun will come out, tomorrow…” And, in the face of that horror, it felt like it would never come out again. There is no easy prescription for what it takes to step into the next day with any sense of hope. Especially with evidence of the human capacity for violence bombarding us almost every day. I do know what helped the folks in Tennessee get through: The love shown to them by their community. Not just the members of their own church, but people from all faiths and walks of life coming together to offer comfort. It is just this capacity of people to set aside their differences that ultimately signals the dawn that will come the next day.

To shorten a poem that is well-worth reading in its entirety: “A Vision” by Wendell Berry: If we will have the wisdom to survive, to stand like slow-growing trees on a ruined place, renewing, enriching it, …. the abundance of this place, the songs of its people and its birds, will be health and wisdom and indwelling light. This is no paradisal dream. Its hardship is its possibility. Where do you find courage, hope and renewal each day? In faith and in courage,  Terasa Cooley Executive Director www.couragerenewal.org

Mindful, Day 309, The Last Hurrah

The last flaming leaves are falling fast. Just so beautiful and so fleeting.

Mindful, Day 308, The Afterglow

 Just as the sun is dropping below the horizon (much too early) a V of geese comes flying by. I will never understand - they are all heading north when it seems like they are meant to go south. But even given that confusion it is a beautiful sight against the afterglow from the setting sun. 

Mindful, Day 307, Peaceful Buddha

Every week at yoga I get to look at this beautiful face of the reclining Buddha. I am photographing the face many times to get the perfect shot for a new stitching project. Especially with the dim light in the yoga studio the face glows softly.

MIndful, Day 306, Amazing Violet

Ivy leaves still continuing to change color - now an almost a see through violet to green. These leaves on the front of the front of the Starline building continue to transform and amaze me.

Mindful, Day 305, Fun and Frolic

Bright pink decorations are swinging from the light fixtures today in preparation for a big 70th birthday  celebration tomorrow for a wonderful friend. Fun to plan, fun to prepare and tomorrow should be a blast.

Mindful, Day 304, Red, Blue and Grey

 These bright red stems and blue berries are all that is left of the ivy on this wall! Amazing how intense the colors are even when the leaves have fallen away.

Mindful, Day 303, Lists

Some days it is all about the lists. Things to do at home, at the studio, to develop a workshop, to get at the store, errands to run, etc. etc. At least writing the list gets the repetitiveness of remembering out of my head. And there is satisfaction in crossing things OFF the lists!

MIndful, Day 302, Powerful PInk

My daughter, Rachel, gave me this orchid back at the beginning of September. It is still blooming like crazy and I think the pink color is getting more intense every day.  It is amazing to me that we think of orchids as fragile, delicate, hard to take care of plants. Instead, they are long lasting, pretty much do their own thing, and if you are patient, will bloom again the following year.  This orchid lights up our dining area and brings a smile every day.  Thank you, Rachel!