Things to Celebrate

The Maine Senate race is in turmoil right now....but I remain hopeful things will turn out OK. There is so much to be concerned about in our country and the world....so it so important that we celebrate and find joy in the things that land in our day. 

I'm celebrating these tiny mushrooms today. They are popping up all over our yard...and doing great things for the soil.....helping break down decaying matter.  When I pick one....I toss it into the woods and it becomes food for the animals or gets composted into the forest floor.

I'm celebrating two new rain lily blooms today. A couple at a time are coming pretty regularly now and that makes me happy..

I'm celebrating a busy bluebird house as mom and dad go in and out....feeding the babies inside. It's so much fun to watch.....and really hard to photograph. Today they were trying to ward off a couple of bluejays that were getting too close. It was interesting watching these small birds defend their home turf. 

I'm celebrating my son Sam who turned 37 on Monday. I'm also celebrating Kelly who decorated their campsite for the occasion. Don't you love the birthday sunglasses! We're having a family birthday party on Friday. I just love it when we gather.

And finally....I'm also celebrating this beautiful gifted handmade booklet from Candy G. 

It's full of pockets and pouches holding snippets, poems, and fun things that I can pay forward...and use in my own projects. Thank you Candy for giving me one more fabulous thing to celebrate today. 

The Shared Love of Birds

The birds have been an absolute joy this winter. About half dozen bluebirds or more continue to come to the feeder by the patio every morning for breakfast. They are a delightful part of my morning ritual.

This morning we had some unfamiliar visitors at the feeder in the woods. The regulars were there too...titmouse, chickadees, cardinals, doves, and a few woodpeckers. The new visitors looked a bit like finches....but they were way too big and the coloring was a bit different.

With the help of the Maine Birds Facebook group I belong to I learned they are Evening Grosbeaks....a declining species in the Eastern U.S. I was quite taken with lovely conversation  between eight or ten of us online....all because of our shared love of birds. Community is an act of resistance. 

In The Middle

Consider the possibility peace is seeking you too, and the fact that you are searching for each other means you will both be found. Lori Hetteen

Paul was the family elf today and took our packages to the post office...I'm eternally grateful for his willingness to stand in line. I had a flurry of house chores this morning...and early this evening I'm going to an art show and Marita's birthday party. 

Sandwiched in the middle....I'm taking a deep breath and going to sit at my puzzle table with a cup of tea...and maybe even take a nap. I'm certain peace and I will find each other. 

The morning sun as I fed the bluebirds their dried mealworm breakfast. They come within seconds of me putting the food out.

Daily visits from the bluebirds bring me so much joy. There can be as many as 5 or 6 at a time at the feeder and the birdbath.

I moved the bath, which I heat for the winter, and this feeder closer to the patio for the winter. We can see the birds from the living room couch during happy hour...and I can see it from my puzzle table. 

One Day At A Time

"How do you do it? said night. How do you wake and shine?  

I keep it simple, said light. One day at a time."  Harry Baker

One of my mail goals today was to make and get a birthday card in the mail to my sister-in-law Alyson. It needed to be creative and unique....just like her.  

Last year I made her an itty bitty bird book that fit inside a matchbox and included photos she had taken of curls in the gardens in her neighborhood.  Alyson continues to love birds....I'm still cutting birds from a bird book she gave me.....and she had given me a little pile of stamps that she had acquired from her grandmother.  So I put the two together along with scraps of this and that and made her a snippet roll birthday card wrapped around an old spool.

(The link above is one side of the itty bitty bird book....and this is the other side.)

The paper on the top and bottom of the spool was cut from the liner paper from an old book. I thought it made for an attractive vintage label.

I glued the snippets on a strip of adding machine paper and did two stitch lines to make things more secure. I included stamps she gave me that she had gotten from her grandmother.

I glued one end on the spool....and stitched a piece of silk ribbon to the other end so it could be tied for closure. Finally....I wrote a little message on the back.

I'm not sure she reads the blog....so I think it's OK to post this.  But Alyson...if you are reading this.....HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!  Here's a little glimpse of what's on its way to Denver. I know you have mastered the art of taking one day at a time!

Imagine

This spring seed puzzle was all finished on Margie's table today.  

I celebrated seed season last fall....but spring is actually seed season too!  So this puzzle is very timely....and it was so pretty sitting on the coffee table.  

I'm actually starting to imagine spring.

I've had a focused...and busy couple of days...so no time for art.  But some quieter at home days are coming....and I've got plans!

But late this afternoon I spent some time going back through some of my collage posts looking for ideas and inspiration....and these are some of my favorites.

This wreath was quite a project....and maybe one of my all time favorite in the end.  

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/life-of-its-own.html

A birthday card for Alyson during my torn paper flower kick!

I do love touches gold touches....and the addition of stitch.

 

I ended up being quite fond of these little plant pots....

and this one made from the edges of gelli prints!  I like the simple doodle focal point....and the combo of straight stitch and zig zag.

Then there was all the birds.

I'm going to get back to birds at some point.  I love the birds!

Except for the bird....this whole collage is from one Ethan Allen Flyer.

Collage....can be anything that you can imagine!

At some point soon....it's time to start imagining collage again!

Lunch Guests

I was pretty excited to finally catch a hummingbird snacking on my new "hummingbird's lunch" plants.   

They're such sweet little birds....and such sweet little blooms!

I'm enjoying this little corner of the patio....with the rain lily buds coming one after another....

along with the rest of my early summer blooms. Life is good on the patio for us and our lunch guests. 

I wanted to share these new coasters from Jody, my friend and neighbor.

They remind me a bit of my green starburst card....I love the mix of wool....fabric...and stitching. Jody's handwork is amazing!  

The circle coasters fit right in with my current puzzle.  This one is just the right mix of color, challenge, and manageability.....and I'm enjoying it quite a lot.  

The puzzle is called "Pebbles"....and the artwork is by Melissa Sweet.

I looked her up....and I was smitten!  Melissa is an award winning children's book writer and illustrator is actually from right here in Portland, Maine!  Her lettering and artwork are whimsical and thoughtful....and full of inspiration.  Here are a few images from her Instagram Page....which I spent quite a bit of time scrolling through.  

https://www.instagram.com/melissasweetillustrator/

This one's for you Paul.

These are two of Paul's favorite things too....

and he just rode to the library today!

Simple Things

I'm celebrating a few simple things today....like dirt under my nails...and this tiny little dandelion seed head no bigger than my thumbnail.

There's something completely fascinating about a dandelion gone to seed. Some people see them as a nuisance...others see them as a thing of beauty.

And still others see them as a clock.

When I posted the photo of the dandelion field a few days ago Kate commented that she was teaching her 18 month old granddaughter about dandelion clocks.  I'd never heard of that...so I looked it up.  Fun little tidbit to know!

Paul and I didn't realize at first that the bird on the right was a toddler....I wish my photos were clearer. We watched the dad get a beak full of dried mealworms from the dish and feed the youngster.  Pure and simple happy hour entertainment right in the backyard.

I had my first swim this morning....the water was refreshingly cool....

and I'm grateful to be back to this simple early morning routine.

Yesterday's post about my son calling lupin "bluepins" got Dotty thinking. Her son's version of helicopter was "hopicopter." Love that! We all know a few....those precious renditions of real words that come out of the mouths of babes.

In addition to bluepin....here's a few more Shupe favorites:

nesturnaut....restaurant

bisgetti....spaghetti

therchuther....each other

mimi....excuse me

Birds and Blooms

At some point I'll get back in the studio....but for now I'm finishing up Condo Board chores and duties...and continuing to focus on all things spring.  I did put my orange Rainbow Connection card in the mail to Tracie yesterday....and I can't wait to see what everyone came up with.  I had fun with mine...and will share what I did once I know Tracie has gotten it.

We've stayed cool at night...so the rain lilies and annuals come out during the day and in at night as they harden off and get used to the sun and wind.  It looks like Saturday we will finally have a turning point when it will be in the 50's overnight so I can finish planting and filling my pots.

I love walking the yards and neighborhoods this time of year....there's always something new to see.  

We have a couple of small lilac bushes in the side yard....and they are nearly at peak.  I walk by as often as I can and soak in the color and the smell.  

We've had an unusual visitor for the last couple days.  Mr. Tom Turkey seems to wander through during happy hour poking around the birdfeeder looking for a stray snack.  He doesn't stay long....but I'm not sure I want him or his friends and family around on a regular basis. He is a bit entertaining....and such a contrast to the small songbirds.  The bluebirds, however, are always welcome.

It's Complicated

A couple of days ago....Paul and I had a very special guest during happy hour...a Baltimore Oriole.

I am pretty certain I saw one just briefly last summer....but it's safe to say I've never really had a close up encounter with one...until now.

The intensity of the orange and the beautiful markings on the wings and tail were a sight to behold!  We couldn't stop looking.

He started off at the hummingbird feeder....then hung out on a tree branch for quite a while. We were surprised that he was giving us so much air time...it's like he knew he was in a place where he would be appreciated and admired.

 

Then he awkwardly flew to the ground and tucked himself into the shrubs along the side of the condo.  

At this point I was pretty sure he was injured.  I took a few photographs....almost feeling guilty taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't just fly away. What had been such a celebratory event...had all of a sudden become very sad....and complicated.

I put out a bowl of sugar water and tossed a piece of an orange his way...and finally left him alone.  He was gone the next morning so I can only hope that he was finally able to take flight.  But I also know the circle of life is complicated....and that another outcome was possible. But I am grateful for his beauty and still have hope for his future. 

Mothering is complicated too.....and I know just 

the right guy who spoke about that so beautifully.

Paul has a part time gig preaching for a small church in Scarborough while they look for a settled part time minister.  Preaching is one of the parts of of his job he loved the most....so he's enjoying it...and often times he knows just what to say.

This is what he shared with the congregation before their time of prayer:

Thoughts on Mother’s Day 2023

Blue Point Congregational Church

Rev. Dr. Paul Shupe

 

A few words about Mother’s Day as we enter into our time of prayer.  It is easiest always in the church on this day simply to adopt the advice that Thumper’s mother gave to him in the movie Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’.”  And so, we rightly note that everyone has a mother, adopt Thumper’s mother’s advice, and praise mothers and mothering and motherhood to the skies.

            But we all know, even if we’re reluctant to say so on a day like today, that all mothers are not created equal, and motherhood is difficult from the moment of birth to the end of life, and that along with days of great and lasting joy come days of challenge and confusion and uncertainty.  Then too, if we’re being fully honest, we must remember and share the sense of loss and exclusion felt by women who wanted to become mothers, but whose biology or sexual orientation or circumstance made that impossible for them . 

            It’s all very complex, this mothering thing, and so to set aside a single day to deal with all of it, well, it’s complicated.  And so today we’re going to pause for a period of silent prayer that is longer than usual.  I hope that you’ll use these precious moments of silence to ponder motherhood in its full dimensions, the joy and the pain, the hope and the fear, the plenty for many and the want for some.  Ponder the mother you had, or may have wished that you had.  Remember with gratitude all the love that you have received, and think once more about the lessons that she taught, or failed to teach.  Let us on this Mother’s Day not settle merely for greeting card schmaltz and Thumper’s mother’s enforced silence.  Let us on this day honor our mothers by seeing them fully, offering love and forgiveness and gratitude and hope, and by resolving to be the best versions of ourselves that our mothers could have dreamed of.