The Joy of Color

As an artist, I love color - it stirs up such a visceral reaction in my soul, and certain colors elicit different moods and states of mind.

I was unprepared for the explosion of color and artistry that greeted me when I recently went to the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with my husband.

A huge glass sculpture greeted us when we entered the museum's new wing,

and above us was a row of gorgeous, lighted glass windows.

Room after room was filled with beautiful collections of colorful blown glass sculptures,

as well as beautiful, luminescent chandeliers!

But my favorite room was the one in which the entire ceiling was a glowing glass canopy!

The day left me drunk with color! 

A beautiful experience!

Connecting

"Good morning, Rosie!'

"Good morning, Angus!"

Smart Kitties!

For the Love of Trees

I love trees and always have.

The interplay of branches and leaves

to me, is so lovely and artistic.

When I was in my 20's (long ago!)

I wrote this little poem after walking down a tree lined path:

"Tree stuff is all around me: 

I am touched by the mist

of sun flecked green,

and a lattice-laced arch

 screens skyward before me

as I make my way through
 this 

tree heaven."

I think Joyce Kilmer put it best , when he wrote, in the poem " Trees"

"Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree."


I often take photos of trees when I have my camera with me,
and these are some of my favorites:

And I love to depict them in my fabric artwork:

Trees are always uplifting and beautiful -

Nature at her best!

Pink Puddles

This flowering tree at the end of our driveway

brought such beauty to a dull day!

It sprinkled pink blossoms everywhere,

and created pink puddles when it rained!

Little Me

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

                                                 Socrates

I was one of four children, and, along with my brother Joe, was labeled "serious".

My older sister Carol and youngest brother Andrew were the funny ones.

It's hard to be labeled at a young age, because you tend to believe the title,

and take it on as your role in life.

Yes, I was sensitive, a bit introverted and definitely shy,

but today I tend to feel protective toward that little girl

and love her for her sweetness.

And now I relish my sense of humor,

which was always there.

Some Things That Make Me Laugh

I like silly things, like kitties who stretch into funny positions...

Photo taken in Tuscany one year ago

children who like to mug for the camera....

posing with a giant gelato cone in Rome...

or trying to hold a squirmy cat (my sister's).

I think I've said it before on this blog -

Laughter is the best medicine!!!

Family Time

So grateful to have had our daughter Kate home this past weekend.

We walked by the lake...

visited our favorite restaurant...

spent family time together....

and talked late into the evenings.

A quietly memorable weekend.

I'm grateful.

Hope in a Pot

Hydrangeas are my favorite perennials,

and I have a beautiful Endless Summer hydrangea

in front of my house.

For Easter, my sister gave me a new hydrangea plant

in a 4" pot, ready to be planted. I'm planning to put it

in the back yard where I can enjoy it from my porch.

I'll think of her whenever I see it.

Opening Up

So many possibilities in life -

It's a matter of being open to them.

"Life's a journey, not a destination."

                                          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Easter Joy

A day of renewal, growth, and hope:

May I keep those words

in my heart today.

Being Pampered

Tonight dinner was entirely made by my husband. It could have been pretty much 

anything and I would have loved it, but it was delicious ravioli.

He always comes through for me when I'm a bit down. I'm so blessed.

Porch Joy

A sunny afternoon,

forsythia blooming outside,

restful patterns of light -

I love my porch!

Love Shines Through

A gift, a smile, the love of a friend.

Precious.

Laughter ~ The Best Medicine

Yesterday was a very overcast, rainy day. I knew that I needed to go grocery shopping, so I got myself ready for my least favorite task, preparing myself with reusable grocery totes and a pile of coupons. Before hitting the supermarket, I stopped at a local card store and browsed for Easter cards. People came in and out of the store with wet umbrellas, and the tone was generally quiet and subdued.
Then, from the opposite side of the store came the sound of very loud giggling, which quickly escalated to unchecked chortling and breathless laughter. I could feel my mood brighten and the corners of my mouth turned up, and before I knew it, I was laughing too.
The laughter was coming from two little children who were sitting in a corner on the carpet while their mother shopped. Their laughter was so pure, so silly, it was hard to resist. They were cracking each other up with who-knows-what, but their giggling was rich and continuous, and very sweet.
I loved it.

Laughter is a stress reliever, picker-upper, mood enhancer, spirit lifter, and worry soother.
More than ever, I'm going to notice and hold dear the funny moments in life.

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

                                                                                                     e.e.cummings

The Joy of Yellow

This morning, the first thing I noticed when I looked out the window was how nicely our hedge of forsythia bushes was doing! Spring is just getting started here in New England and the forsythia heralds the new season like nothing else can!

There are also some daffodils in the front garden...

and in the house I found a few more cheerful yellow objects:

I thought about the sun and its warmth, yellow daylilies that bloom during the summer, my bedroom walls when I was a young woman, sunflowers and yellow squash. I remembered fields of sunflowers I once saw in southern France and a yellow plaid dress I had when I was 13. 

I'm glad I noticed the forsythias.

Getting Started

Although I'm not the most consistent blogger, having already created two blogs which I routinely neglect, I felt the urge to start a third blog after reading about Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I had been feeling a bit melancholy lately. Spring is the season when my 89 year old dad started to decline four years ago. He had slipped into dementia and spent the months from January to May going in and out of the hospital and rehab and was not himself at all. It was hard to watch, since he was such an intelligent man and had become quite paranoid, but my mom, then 84, was a tower of strength and managed his care and brought him his favorite home made chicken soup, and her supportive presence every day. Since she didn't drive, I was by her side most of the time.

Then the unimaginable happened. While Dad was in the hospital, doing very poorly, Mom suffered two aneurysms. It seemed like the end of the world. She had surgery, but had lost the sight in one eye, was very weakened and spent almost 2 weeks in the ICU. While she was there, my father died, and she could not be there for his funeral. A few weeks later, while in rehab, my wonderful mother, and best friend, died also. In the course of one month, my brother, sister and I had lost both of our parents.


Yes, I was fortunate to have had my parents for so long, but their deaths, so close together, left me crushed and bewildered. After 4 years, I'm doing much better, concentrating on the happy memories and moving forward with life. But every year, when I feel spring coming, gloomy feelings stir within me. On the one hand, I absolutely love springtime, but on the other, the warmer air and new buds bring a sense of sadness.


SO, I've been looking for ways to boost my mood and be more positive, not only at this time of year, but in general. I've decided that it's up to me to do this for myself, and the purpose of this blog is to document the little moments that often go unnoticed - moments of joy, delight and sweetness that are part of everyday life. I want to raise my consciousness of these moments and make them important. I hope to include sketches, photos and perhaps quotations. Many thanks to Gretchen Rubin for inspiring me. I'm hoping this will be a very uplifting journey, both for me and whoever reads this.