That Spring Walk We Took

As she strolled along the wandering gravel path, off the main road through the small town, she gazed at all the old buildings that had been abandoned and were being swallowed up by nature again. The man-made structures were slowly falling apart while nature's vines, trees, and bushes were tightening their grip, closing in and suffocating what was left of a time long ago. Her dog pulled her along excitedly, the smells of spring awakening him from his long winter respite indoors. It occurred to her that these exact buildings were a metaphor for her. As she was getting older and fighting the remnants of disease inside her body, she felt inclined to be swallowed up by Mother Nature, a place where she felt loved, warm, and cared for. It was a place she could forget her pain and worries and focus on the gentle breeze on her face, the bird songs ringing in her ear, and the shocking spring green filling her vision. The air was fresh, crisp, and rather humid free for Maryland. It was healing, this air....


Thanks to all who have messaged and checked up on me.  I am doing relatively well and will update health information soon for those interested.  For now, please enjoy the above story with the digital painting, That Spring Walk We Took. I hope you like it. On a business note, I will be revealing 5 new-to-print art pieces on Friday, June 17th, at the Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace. Four out of the five pieces are 1/150 limited editions and the fifth piece number is 2/150 because the first edition of that piece has already sold. Check out the details for the reception below...I hope you can join me and the other artists:

Thanks for being patient with the lack of activity on the blog. I'll be honest...I have my hands full right now with homeschooling the twins, end-of-the-year school events for my junior in high school, and a college student who is barely home between work and a girlfriend! In addition, I have been spending as much time outdoors as I can in my new organic garden along with the regular outdoor chores that come along this time of year on a small farm. I really am missing posting and am trying to schedule in time to write more frequently.  Have a great day!  xo

The Season of Failure

A digital painting of maple seeds, helicopters, if you will,
waiting for the right time to flutter to the ground.

The season of failure is the best time

for sowing the seeds of success.

~Paramahansa Yogananda

It's always difficult to remember this when you are in the depths of struggling. I had a really difficult weekend and was feeling physically and emotionally ragged for a few days. The good news is, I have superpowers and am in total control of my emotional well being. I have the powers of hope, optimism, faithfulness, gratitude, and distraction to keep me in check...to keep from falling too far into the black hole of self pity. I have found that managing expectations has a lot to do with my emotional state.

I'm a go-getter, type A. Always have been and always will be. I don't like that my physical condition limits my ability to accomplish things in the time scale that I set for myself. This weekend I had a list of things I wanted to do with my family to enjoy Mother's Day. I wanted to plant my organic vegetable garden. I wanted to go to a local outdoor market.  I wanted to take a walk at one of my favorite birding spots. I wanted to get the house scrubbed and sparkling for the week; the laundry cleaned, folded, and put away. I wanted to visit my mother-in-law and spend time with extended family. I had my own honey-do list in my head a mile long. And then Lyme happened. What I mean by that is the disease reared its ugly head unexpectedly, as it so often does, and symptoms came crashing to the surface, causing me pain, shortness of breath, lack of energy and patience. All of my plans came to a screeching halt.  The list had to be scrapped. Abandoned. 

And then the self pity sets in...you know how this works...when things don't go your way you do it too.  The "when am I going to get better for good" questions start seeping in, sowing doubt and frustration. Agitation leads to anger and then the feeling of uselessness drowns me. This go-getter Type A person does NOT like to feel useless.  The spiral goes down from there...down, down, down.

What I have realized is I need to start managing my expectations of myself. I need to give my body permission to tell me it needs rest. I need to cut the list apart and distribute it among days, not just hours. 

Easier said than done, though. 

The season of failure is the best time for sowing the seeds of success... Just like the maple tree in my back yard, which produces hundreds of thousands of helicopter seeds just hanging on waiting for the right wind, I have to take failures like this weekend, wrap them up and give them wings, allowing them to teach me more about myself...allow them to sow ideas and strategies for future success.

Easier said than done, though. 

But you already knew that. 

xo

Spring Chirper

I took this earlier in the spring when the leaves were just popping out.

Anyone know what kind of bird this is?

Every day I am thankful for the amount and variety of birds I have here

on These Nine Acres.

Their song, their presence, their activity makes me very happy.

It is the simple things in life that make me smile.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of our military members

who have paid the ultimate price for my personal freedoms.

Please remember them today.

xo

Spring Cow

A View from the Driveway

I am so very grateful that spring is here

and there is even a hint of summer in the air as well.

After the long, difficult winter,

spring is a most welcome visitor.

School is coming to a close in a few weeks

and that means I get to spend much more quality time with my kids.

My older two will be doing their own thing...

working, hanging out with friends, etc.

but I still have two little ones 

and I plan on making this a summer to remember for them.

This will be the first time they are not either in daycare or school

and I have them all to myself for the summer.

I think a few road trips might be in store for the family...

Have a beautiful day.

xo