Of Rafts and Feasts

In remembrance, 
       I find thanksgiving.
In remembrance, I find a feast.

It's in big things, like remembering
rough stones that have lined my journey,
and seeing them smooth some of my sharp edges.
Like the poets, I count the ways.

I count that it's been over one year since I had a stroke
and heart surgery,
and here I am,
heart-strong and feet-steady.
Playing soccer.
When I remember, there are skeins of thanksgiving
woven into this heart.

Six months since Winnie’s leg, the worrisome spot,
the relieving news, the surgery. 
There are not enough words for this kind of thanksgiving.

This is life. There will be stormy days for all of us.
But remembrance is my feast.
thankfulness is my life raft.

I find thankfulness indeed when I count the big things.
And I find joy in the small.
 
Like when the wind pulls umbrellas
and makes us think, just for a moment, that we might fly.

Or in gathering leaves.
Reading books.
Lighting candles.
Twirling till we’re dizzy.

Holding hands.
Hugs.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
I am thankful for you.
Thankful that we share this earth,
with all of our colorful, quirky differences.
What a feast!

Books!

Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson, ill. by Pamela Dalton

Pilgrim Cat by Carol Antoinette Peacock, ill. by Doris Ettlinger

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Psalm 23 illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson

 

Do You Mask Merry?

 
We like to masquerade in these parts.

Especially when learning our Pacific Northwest animals.

 

Especially when all fuzzed up about pumpkins and costumes.

 

I started with a few sketches, 

the kids made their own beautiful batches, 

and Voila!

Wildebeests, unite!

Need a quick costume this week?

I'm offering a few freebies for your personal or classroom use.

 

 

  {Please note that these images are my original art.
    They're not to be sold or passed off as anyone else's work.
    Thanks!}

To use, just drag the image to your desktop,
print on card stock,
color at will!

Crayon, colored pencils or watercolor work just fine.
We also tried gouache and acrylic gel medium, for hoots.

Birdie asked if she could change her name to Owly-Whoo.

When you finish all that lovely color,
cut out and fix for wearing! 

Our salmon puppet has a popsicle stick taped to his back.

 

Did you know sockeye salmon turn red when they spawn? I did not. 

The wildebeests told me. 

I guess this means they are learning something in the midst 

of my art diversions.

Yarn or ribbon is an easy tie for the masks.

Hey, anything for a party, right?
Anything for a printable, coloring, educational, masquerade party!
That's right. We mask merry around these parts.  

Happy hoots!

Books!

S is for Salmon - Hannah Viore

123 Moose! by Art Wolfe, ill. by Andrea Helman

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray, ill. by Kenard Pak

North - The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration, by Nick Dowson, ill. by Patrick Benson

A House in the Woods by Inga Moore

Leaves  by David Ezra Stein

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, ill. by Jane Chapman

Once Upon a Memory by Nina Laden, ill. by Renata Liwska

Kiss Goodnight by Amy Hest, ill. by Anita Jeram

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

 

 

In Season?

They say each season has a rightful place:

A time to scribble,
A time to paint.

A time to read good books,
A time to dream up new ones.

A time to craft words,
A time to delete.

A time to face the music,
A time to dance in the face of it.

It's the natural breath of our days -
The ups and downs of waves. 

Summer rushed to Fall a smidge too soon in my neck of the woods.
 
Birthdays, school starts,

First wiggly teeth,
Rounded hula hoops of doings.

Responsibilities loomed.

Do you ever drag your feet ?

I soured up a few days
kicking my heels against time and tides,
and then I remembered...

What of all the sacred moments today ?

What am I missing with my eyes shut tight against change?  

Here is the good news: 
Gratitude mends easily.
It always starts with today.

And thankfulness is magic. 
It turns straw into gold,
turns dirty dishes into a sacred space.



Farewell summer!    Hello Fall!

It's simple, right?
To find joy, we breathe.
In and out. 
   
And if breathing means working hard at a task today,
then may we find beauty under the stones at our feet.

Or if it means taking a ramble in the woods,
then let the leaves turn,
let the fruit fall
and find us with open hands.

"Nobody else but the rosebush knows

how nice mud feels between the toes."  

 - Polly Chase Boyden

 

 Book treasures that make me smile in all seasons:

The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Inga Moore
Firefly July - compiled by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
    Lindbergh - The Tale of a Flying Mouse, by Torben Kuhlmann
    The New Arrival by Vanya Nastanlieva

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Odd, Weird, and Little by Patrick Jennings