My time with the big book is finished. Once I got the pages covered with paint it was not so difficult to carry on. I used enlarged photographs I had taken and that took up a lot of space. After that I just doodled a little bit, now I can pass it on. It was a rainy week-end and I was trapped in doors, a good reason for working on the book. Now that it is time to go back to work the sun has come out! I hope you all have a good week.

It is raining yet again, another good day for naps and reading books. I'm working on the big book -very slowly. My art girl friends have a large book we pass around and do collage or painting spreads in. There are 5 of us and each of us keep it about 2 months so it doesn't come around all that often but when it does my heart skips several beats. One to see the work that has been done and two to try and figure out what I'll do. It has been sitting with open pages on my dinning room table for the past 2 weeks staring at me giving me the "evil eye." Today I decided to work on it, just putting layers of paint down, getting rid of the white pages was freeing in itself. It is funny how white pages can be so scary. I have these collage sheets from Teesha Moore that I'm going to use and who knows what else. I hope you all have a good week-end and that you are doing something creative and fun.

I would like to think that every day I get up and learn a lesson that makes me a little better of a person then I was the day before. Somedays the lessons are easy to learn and others not so. I spent the past 3 days in the desert . It is a time of quiet and solitude. I talk little and see no one. Time was spent exploring the desert for signs of spring, seeing new out of old and something out of nothing. I see my time in the desert as a sort of prayer. My communication with my spiritual self and an outside source of power. All of it the ride down, the setting up of the trailer, the morning walks, the journal work is part of the process. Something negative happened this time to destroy my peace of mind. Towing the trailer through a storm-the little trailer was bouncing and shaking and I was afraid if I looked up I would see it beside me instead of behind in me the rearview mirror! Fortunately all worked out and we arrived at our destination without incident. This is a lesson for me in control, something I have to work on. I could not control the weather and I can't control my husband. I just had to sit and be. It is so hard to do. JUST BE.

It is a quiet night, my Friday. Having no one to call and talk to the phone is silent. Conversations were carried on earlier and all is well. Dinner is over, the news is watched and I'm tumbling over visions out of Japan. It has left me still, and thankful for what I have. I've been thinking about friends I have who are hurting. Life is full of good and bad. I've experienced sad and difficult things but am thankful now to have a life that is full of joy. Joy feels like a tender bud that I must protect against the viciousness of the world. I hope I can keep it nurtured and safe, treasured for the precious gift that it is. For I do know that it can be fleeting and feel blessed to have it. I hope that all you are safe and sound and doing well.

Come with me on a morning walk, it is a routine. It even occurs in freezing weather and light sprinkles, only heavy rain keeps it from happening-the daily walk. It happens after the shoulder massage and teeth brushing-the dog in our house gets treated well! Today was lovely, so I invited myself along, Penny was kind enough to have me. I love the houses in our neighborhood and decided to share some views with you. With blooming trees and little foliage it is easy to get good views. Penny leads the way though nearly blind she knows the route by heart and clips along at a brave little pace always having to be in the front of the pack. Don't you love the red doors? I hope you all are having a nice week-end.

I BELIEVE IN GOD, ONLY I SPELL IT NATURE. frank lloyd wright.

I've had a quiet week-end. Still coming down from my recent art retreat and resting from my work week. Yesterday I went to another bead show and it was wonderful. I'm preparing myself for a giant of all shows the Tucson Gem and Bead show that is in Feb 2012. A friend and I are talking about going to it. I really think that going to smaller shows to begin with would be a good thing, because it is overwhelming at first to go into an auditorium full of beads and gemstones. The one I went to yesterday had 120 vendors and I was in shock and awe. Spending several hours there I wandered around just touching beads and stones feeling the smoothness through my fingers, the cool touch and glassy finish. I am finding that I like the cut of the micro faceted gemstones they seem to catch the light and sparkle so , but they are always the most expensive! Today I'm dodging raindrops as I run outside trying to capture sparkling drops of water on beautiful fruit tree blossoms. It is raining and day that calls for a nap.

It was a lovely day, I went for a walk along the water front. Surprisingly the park benches and trails were empty. I was alone except for one or two lone fishermen. Sitting along the bank of the water I tried to blend into the grass and keep the birds from running from me. Watching the shore birds dip their heads into the water, gracefully lift their delicate little legs through the waves-it is easy to imagine that they do not like to get their feet wet the way they so carefully step. The sky was a faded denim blue not the bright blue of days past. Geese and sea gulls sang their harsh songs. The tide was high, salty air, the birds were feeding with intense energy. Just the same it was peaceful sitting there pretending to be grass and the minutes passed quickly. I forgot everything for a while but the sounds of water, birds and the land. A meditation of sorts. I hope you all have a good rest of the week. I am off to work for the next 3 days.