"D" dreams, delays, determination

Waiting for a DREAM to unfold is an interesting journey full of twists and turns - ups and downs - back and forths and eventually going full circle.

photo by Pepper Beaumont

 Along the way I have had plenty of opportunity to practice patience (again)..... 

by rock island designs

to trust that things are unfolding just as they are meant to.....

TRUST illustration by Danita

...and to remember that timing is everything.

print by Valentina design

While I wait the important thing to remind myself of is to be present and to TRUST that my life is in Place!

print by Artzink

So remember.....

photo by Magalerie

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d338e636f758eefddb5f197/trust-that-your-life-is-in-place?ref=pr_treasur

My Sweet CW

On the July 1st long weekend we came home from the market to find a sweet baby bird sitting quietly in the grass in our front yard. Little did I know that my life was about to change. 

 Instantly I fell in love with this tiny little being as he looked up at me mouth wide open wanting to be fed. My mothering instincts instantly kicked in to full gear. 

First I needed to find out what kind of bird this was and then how to begin to look after him. We got the bird books out to start looking for a bird with orange tips on its tail - turns out we had a fledgling cedar waxwing - a bird I was not too familiar with. It seemed that he had likely just left the nest, full feathers - but unable to fly and no parents in sight to look after him. We waited several hours to see if any cedar waxwings appeared on the scene -  but nothing.  Reading on the internet I learned that cedar waxwings mainly eat berries and insects - thank goodness there would be no digging for worms! We also read that   feeding wet kitten food would provide him with the protein he would need since baby birds grow at an incredibly fast rate. Cedar waxwings are known for being voracious eaters feeding several times an hour. We found black and red raspberries in the backyard, choke cherries down the road and local blueberries which he enjoyed, but  CW's very favourite thing to eat were sliced grapes - peeled, even better. 

The first couple of weeks were spent feeding CW many, many times a day. The dogs were jealous and I didn't get much work done - I really did feel like a Mom. Initially we set up a screened tent in the yard with branches for CW to start practicing his flying skills. He loved to be encouraged to fly from branch to branch. At night he would sleep in a bird cage in the bathroom - safe and warm in a nest we found in the yard. Luckily once dusk falls birds sleep through the night until daylight - and then the feeding begins again. I discovered a wonderful website called Wild Bird Watching which became my main source of guidance to help raise CW. Several people had written in with similar experiences of finding,  raising and then releasing cedar waxwings. After reading the advice of rehabilitators I learned that the next step for CW was to condition him to being outdoors over the next several weeks. We built a large cage with several branches, a dish for food and water, and cedar branches for protection from wind and to provide a sense of being in a tree - a super deluxe bird condo complete with Jazz music playing in the background which he really seemed to enjoy! 

 We placed the cage on our back deck under a roof and just outside the living room patio doors. We constructed a large netted area around the cage so that we could then leave the door to the cage open and CW could fly in and out. We camped out next to him in the mainfloor bedroom so he wouldn't be alone and we could keep our ears tuned in. Even the dogs were hanging out with him - laying at the patio door  keeping him company. Several weeks passed and we had quite a routine going. CW was definitely a part of the family. He would be so excited to see me in the morning - chirping away as he waited for his food. I would leave food in his dish and wire branches of choke cherries to the cage but he still preferred to be hand fed - never tiring of those peeled grapes. He enjoyed a daily bird bath - such a joy to watch - especially that crazy hair do!

CW loved watching and listening to all of the bird activity going on in the trees around him. Every once in a while we would hear a cedar waxwing calling and CW would talk back. We told them to wait - that CW would be joining them soon. Our goal was for CW to eat on his own and to be conditioned to the elements before we would release him. After 6 weeks the time was approaching. I felt excited and happy for CW but also great sadness as I had grown so attached to this beautiful being. What a lovely connection we had developed. He was so playful, trusting - sitting on my shoulder - picking at my hair - sleeping on my arm - we were happy being together. 

What an incredible experience to spend this time with a wild bird. What a gift to have the opportunity to nurture and raise a little creature that otherwise would likely not have survived. 

CW flew off one afternoon after 6 weeks of living with his human and dog family. It's been 2 weeks now and I still have the occasional tears in my eyes and lump in my throat. He hasn't been back to sit on my shoulder or to eat grapes but I do think that he is hanging around close by. We talk back and forth often then he flies off with other cedar waxwings. They are hard to spot but we hear them in the trees. Soon they will migrate. I will miss my friend CW. He has taught me much - to live in the moment - and to love fully knowing that you have to let go ..... I am blessed. Enjoy your adventure CW.

"C" is for courage

For the letter "C"

I had originally planned to

write about the topic of colour.

aerial view of tulip fields in Holland

But the word courage kept popping into my mind. It seemed that the topic was finding me. So I decided to spend a bit of time contemplating the word courage.






The first thing that came to mind was the
cowardly lion, my first initiation to the
notion of courage, or lack of.

Cowardly Lion by Appel Jar

With colour still on my mind... I wondered if courage were a colour what colour would it be?

First thought - orange.  No, not grounded enough.

Red. Too strong, heavy...too much power.

Purple - yes.

Panama Pacific Waterlily by Linda Geeztoo

Purple, the perfect balance of red (groundedness and strength) and blue (clarity and openmindedness). To act with courage one needs to feel grounded and anchored - yet one also needs clarity, openess and a willingness to be guided. 

Here are some quotes and images I came across that spoke to me about courage.  

It Takes Courage by local wisdom cards

courage by skel design

Courage pastel drawing by Minerva Grace

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.  

Alan Cohen

Be positive, patient, and persistent print by Truly Vera

There are times in life when we all need a little courage. So take a deep breath of purple and try again tomorrow.

"B" is for Birds, Buds and Blue Skies

"B" is for Birds, Buds and Blue Skies.

Chickadee Art Print by Art2ArtColorado

Blue Skies and Buds by Lesley Blayney

One of my favourite things about Spring is the return of the song birds. I love waking up to hear the first bird start singing, usually before the sun comes up. A single voice at first - then others joining in the chorus.

Such a peaceful and hopeful beginning to the day.

Art Print Robin There Is Always Happiness 

by gaylemontayostudio

Close your eyes and listen.

Amongst the new arrivals are red winged blackbirds, northern flickers, juncos, starlings, yellow and purple finch and of coarse the robins.

Red Winged Blackbird Print by Tammy Gravina

Northern Flicker greeting card by anagrampress

Pillow case Starling by Mirthquake

Black Eyed Junco, Limited Edition Print by badbird

 Last Spring we had the joy of watching a couple of Robins nest and then raise their young right outside our living room window.  It was such a delight to watch them grow from such tiny fragile chicks into  chubby active youngsters who barely fit in their nest. What an experience to see them finally make the leap from the branch to the ground and then wait and watch and wait for them to finally learn to take flight. Amazing! This year they have returned to the same nest - lucky us!

This Little Bird by RetrospectPhoto

Woolly Bird Nest and Eggs by woollysomething

Handmade Birds Nest With Felted Baby Robin by mountainhearth

Springtime Red Red Robin on Fence by CreationsAnew

"B" is for Beautiful

"A" is for Airstream

One might think that writing a blog is easy. I can sometimes find it a challenge to focus on a single topic since I often have so many ideas. To simplify I decided to use the alphabet as the foundation for guiding what I would write about in my blog.

Hence we begin with the letter 

"A" is for Airstream. 

Vintage Airstream Sunset 8x10 photograph

Lately I've been spending a lot of time daydreaming about what life would be like traveling the continent in an Airstream trailer with Robin and the dogs. For several years we have been wanting to plan a roadtrip across Canada and the U.S. with no schedule and no itinerary - living in the present, guided by intuition and spontaneity - a magical mystery tour.

 

Courtesy The Dude Abides Vintage

So the story goes like this. We travel where the road leads us shopping for cool vintage treasures which we then sell on our online Camp Ho-Ba-Chee shop. The perfect way to combine our travel adventure with our business dream. In our modern wireless world this dream is VERY possible and VERY appealing.

The Airstream would be our dream home away from home. The model I love and see us in is very swank, modern, and sophisticated - a perfect fit for my current mid mod leanings. With heat, air, shower, queen size bed, luxury appliances, tv, internet, a dining area doubling as an office, and on top of that an incredible panoramic view - all of this tastefully crammed into 25 feet.

Pictured above is the model we want. It's Airstreams "International" Designer Series by Christopher Deam. If you're interested here is a link to a Ted Talk where Christopher speaks about redesigning the Airstream.

We have this same photo on our visualization board - so stay tuned!

Vintage Airstream Living Reflections 8x10 Photograph

Who Loves Rhubarb?

Just posted my lastest Etsy treasury called Ready for Rhubarb. It presents a delicious array of work from artists as far away as Aukland, France and Wales as well as San Diego, San Francisco, Denver and Jersey City to name a few. 

I love the colours in Rhubarb - the fresh greens and the gorgeous pinks - such a beautiful combination. My favourite way to eat rhubarb is in Dorothy Ferguson's rhubarb custard pie - a slice of heaven! I also enjoy a bowl of fresh stewed rhubarb still warm - a perfect spring tonic.

Share what you like about rhubarb....

Treasure Hunting

Yesterday was my Birthday so we took the day off
to go treasure hunting. Knowing that it would be a
long day ahead with not much time for stopping, we decided to start the day off with breakfast at our local diner called Honey's. A couple of coffees and the breakfast special prepared us for the adventure ahead!

We decided to make our first stop LEGACY - Vintage Building Materials and Antiques in Cobourg. If you have never been there you have no idea what a cornucopia of architectural salvage awaits you. Wrought iron railings and gates, every kind of door imaginable, windows, door handles and knobs, lighting, bathtubs, and even the kitchen sink.

Here you will discover the unusual and the obscure as many of the pieces come from overseas.
A great place for inspiration. Once we win the lottery and start building our dream house we know where we'll come to shop for unique architectural details.

Come on in and take a tour with us.

Isn't this the greatest door handle! Details like this abound.

A feast for the eyes at every turn. 

These are just a few highlights 

that I'm showing. This place 

truly is overwhelming.

Couldn't you just swim in this blue?

Beautiful!

Magical!

A bitter, displaced Walmart greeter missing since the 80's. I guess she was a little too intense for Walmart. 

Our tour lasted a good couple of hours. We explored every nook and cranny from the dank basement (ew), to the dusty rafters, the creepy taxidermy section (double eww), as well as the back forty. Having left no stone unturned we loaded up the truck and we moved to Beverly .... 

Hills that is .... 

Swimming pools .... 

Movie Stars!

Part II to be continued.....