earth laughs in flowers

mjd - 2015

emerson personified the earth

and told us that it laughs in flowers.

with our eyes and heart open 

we also bear witness to it

dancing in leaves

singing in whistling winds

dreaming in clouds

creating in the webs of spiders

sheltering in oaks

and

soothing in falling rains. 

how fortunate we are to be alive. 

mjd - 2015

homage continues

mjd - 2013 - linen leaves with stitching

no matter what the medium

i am drawn to leaves.

mjd - 2013 - linen leaves with stitching

their fragile strength

and beauty

mjd - 2013 - linen leaves with stitching

their most important role

in the life cycle

mjd - 2013 - linen leaves with stitching

i breathe in 

and i am connected to the trees

i breathe out

and i am connected to the trees. 

you too.

in ever so many ways,

we are all connected.

(but that is a topic for another post!)

the pregnant pause

light of knowing - mjd 2013

a season that blazes 

to catch our attention

encouraging -
no, demanding -
mindfulness 

a pregnant pause

between death

and the secret life that dwells

in an acorn.

we bear witness 

to balance

and impermanence.

does the chill air that physically wakes us
after the warm breezes of summer

force us to 

rediscover

remember

or just deeply know?

it is
with a sigh
that moves through the upturned
corners of your mouth,

the knowing 
that is 
coupled
with quivering joy

that the path is lit. 

the cool grey skies
of late november
are no match 
for the final
flickering
flames 
of autumn...

but this is no contest... 

the sky's job is to be the sky
the leaves' job is to be the leaves

and by the simple presence 
of the other
each becomes more...

kinetic

while the world is ever in motion, on this blustery autumn day that fact is gloriously apparent... leaves falling like rain, dancing along the road, flying overhead, forming piles that we sink our feet into...

'climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

the winds will blow their own freshness into you,

and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.'

~ john muir

potential

humans and acorns

vary in size, shape and color

all contain greatness.

a week later

found on my walk -

the fragile strength of a bee's wing

the oak tree hidden inside of an acorn
the return to earth promised by rusted street sweeper's bristles


prevailing thought on life and after hurricane irene: grateful

saturday afternoon emily and i went to the boardwalk to check the building sea, view the preparations...

the winds blew, rains soaked, flooding occurred, tornadoes appeared... for us, power outages, flooding, fallen trees... lucky... water in my basement - grateful... i was so sorry to learn about the damage done in new england... how so many didn't (why would they?) have flood insurance... and so i hope that fema helps them... 

a view of the ocean side of the bridge at the inlet where the river i live on enters... the apartments across the street are 2 and 3 stories high... i believe this was taken by the bridge tender... 

thinking on kindness...

'it is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned 

with the human problem all one's life

and find at the end

that one has no more to offer by way of advice

than 'try to be a little kinder'.

~ aldous huxley

feeling the long exhale of autumn... the acorns are falling, the trees are indicating the approach of their imminent show, nights are cooling... 

vibrant

'autumn turned brightly,

a running flame through the mountains,

a torch flung to the trees.'

~ faith baldwin

'vibrance' bracelet... like looking up through the fiery leaves into the crisp blue sky... 

'balancing act' earrings play upon the idea of fragile strength... soft, hand dyed fibers wrapped around fused, weathered and hammered copper rings... 

'the invariable mark of wisdom 

is to see the miraculous in the common.'

~ ralph waldo emerson

like wisdom buried in the depths of your being, yours to know if you lay down your fears and open yourself to it... earrings made from copper discs, hammered, textured, patina-ted and wrapped with sterling wire and pearls... 


don't forget to check the love my art jewelry blog on monday for our next giveaway...  

my favorite

i try to be open, to appreciate something about wherever, whenever i am... 


but autumn is my favorite - today is rainy and blustery, leaves are changing color... the rain and wind look like i feel... but sitting down to work soothes me... fall is a reminder that time is fleeting... i almost feel as if autumn reminds me of just how fast time does pass... trees filled with colorful leaves soon empty... leaving bare branches behind... and as i savor every moment, still it races by... life's like that... so if time is going to go ticking along anyway - at least find yourself at attention ~

'every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree.'

~ emily bronte

thank you lisa - for the beautiful fibers that are just perfect here and will be reached for over and over again - 

flaming color

'october's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter.'

~ nova blair

'autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains,

a torch flung to the trees.'

~ faith baldwin

every one has a strength, something they do exceptionally well - i really feel that erin at every heart crafts has the market on leaves... it took me so long to get one because i just could not decide which color i wanted to work with... & when it arrived i was instantly overcome with a feeling of needing to place berries near to it... deep red/oranges... evocative of the season... and so i did... 'autumn's fire' features berries of lampwork glass, carnelian, ceramic and pearl... soldered rings in copper and sterling are connected with forged & paddled double ended sterling bars... vintaj brass chain with its warm brown color is paired with a length of lavic & picture jasper beads (there are so many jasper names)... 

'delicious autumn! my very soul is wedded to it,

and if i were a bird i would fly about the earth seeking 

the successive autumns.'

~ george eliot

a small antiqued bird charm nestles in amongst the cluster... 

hope the season is beginning to show itself in your part of the world!

72*, overcast & breezy - perfection!

'autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower'

-albert camus

keep close to Nature's heart... 
and break clear away, once in awhile, 

and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. 

wash your spirit clean.

-john muir

i woke up this morning to incredible weather... the smog was lifting from my brain and i had ideas that i could clearly work on... i will never dispute the magic of summer, associations with free time & relaxation... but for me, nothing beats autumn... there is something about it that invigorates & awakens me... this necklace, 'autumn cleansing', was meant to be simple... a resin maple leaf pendant from artbeads.com, lampwork glass from mika at pinocean & some great spiral headpins from rocki at rockis supplies hang from vintaj brass, copper & sterling antiqued chains... 

'to receive everything, 

one must open one's hands and give.'

- taisen deshimaru

'finding your center' earrings feature tierracast copper henna'd hands, lampwork glass from mika and vintaj components... these green beads are soft, warm and representative of the heart chakra... green represents harmony/balance, compassion & generosity...

'when you get there, there isn't any there there.'

- gertrude stein

'transience' earrings feature carved bone skulls given to me by a friend... they remind us of the impermanence of life, the gift of the present moment... skulls hang from vintaj components...

i am truly enjoying every moment of this day... 
hope you are too!