Hunting Island

It is camping season again! The sheets have been laundered, floor swept, refrigerator filled and we are on our way. The first trip this season is to Hunting Island where we spent a week with temperatures in the high 80"s down to the low 40's. But we were at the ocean, at the beach, so who cares about the weather. The following photo was taken of our breakfast table the first morning...colorful and impressionistic and the coffee was very fine!

Just a short walk from our camp-site to the beach.

Our anniversary dinner at the 11th Dockside Restaurant in Port Royal was magnificent. Married 44 years; we greatly enjoyed the view, the company, and OH YES, the food!

Ah, the sparkle of the ocean and those funky little shore birds....

I just couldn't resist taking this picture with my new camera and zoom lens.

Fence Fish

One of our many projects in The Art Room at Triune Mercy Center is designing and painting wooden fish. I've been through my house, garage, and shed looking for scrap wood that could be used and came upon a discarded piece of wooden art that I had painted many years ago. It was a large rectangular piece of pine painted with brightly colored flowers and had no current home in my house. So, I got out the jig saw and a marker and cut out this fun fish which now sits along the back fence. And I love it!!! I love to re-purpose. It is so much more exciting and creative to see and think beyond what is or has been and participate in the discovery of something brand new...out of what was. I thank God that I am continually being re-purposed. How static and boring to remain who you were when all the wonder and awe of what could be is just waiting for fresh sight!

Purple Sweet Potato Biscuits

It all began with an innocent ride to the Happy Cow, a sign in the window declaring the arrival of Stokes purple sweet potatoes from North Carolina, a mystery novel mentioning a southern favorite of sweet potato biscuits, and a Paula Deen recipe for succulent sweet potato biscuits found on-line. The results were wild looking, but quite tasty!

Mixed with flour, butter, sugar, and baking powder, this is the true color as it sat on the lightly floured bread board.

Sweetly cut out with a juice glass and ready for baking...

Steaming hot and fresh from the oven. The verdict is in...delicious!!! That is, oddly colorful and delicious.

Signs of Spring

I just bought my first gardening magazine of the year. I bought this one because I have decided to go along with the fact that we are in a drought and plant accordingly as opposed to my usual way of complaining so much when I have to water my sun scorched, dried up garden. This magazine has lots of ideas of what to plant that needs no water (or sunlight). It is called "Flea Market Gardens" and the idea is to fill your garden with colorful cast-off funky stuff that requires no seasonal care. I am so excited! And with this new eye, I just saved a cast-off makeup bag on its way to Goodwill by re-purposing it to hang on my garden gate giving a bold splash of color to my February beige garden. I am also looking at a large coffee maker that no-longer works. Hmmm, just might make a good container for cactus!

Forsythia in the Wings

Last week I cut 3 branches of forsythia from my back yard. The stalks looked dry and lifeless, but I hoped that by putting them in warm water in a sunny window that they would sprout buds and blossoms. This morning I discovered several unfurling buds and immediately had to write my joy and observation:


GOLDEN DROPLETS OF SUNSHINE
CASCADING DOWN LEAFLESS TWIGS
TWIGS THE COLOR OF RAW UMBER
AND DRIED NUTMEG

BEGUN
YET
WAITING

FOR THE NEXT
SWEET/WARM/TEASING BREATH
OF SPRING
TO RELEASE THE CATCH

LAUNCHING THEM
FULL-BLOWN
FULL-THROTTLE
WIDE-OPEN
FULL-FACED
IN RESPONSE
TO THEIR CREATOR

sweet Spirit
breathe on me
as well

poem in transition

The Winter Poem (following post) just seemed to grow and grow and I didn't know what to do with it. It seemed full of energetic yeast, expanding out of my reach or grasp. So, I wrote about this experience and drew and colored and stamped it into a picture:

Winter poem

WINTER IS WAITING
NO
WHAT I MEAN TO SAY
IS THAT
WINTER IS
A TIME PERIOD/SEASON
OF WAITING

SO
DO WE WAIT IN SORROW OR REGRET
OF YESTERDAY
OF WHAT WAS OR WASN'T
OR COULD HAVE BEEN

DO WE WAIT IN FEAR OR DREAD
OF THE UNKNOWN
UNANTICIPATED
UNEXPECTED

OR
DO WE RISE UP
ON TIPPY TOES
FACES TILTED
IN PLEASANT ANTICIPATION
WHILE READING SEED CATALOGS
RIGHT ALONG WITH SACRED SCRIPTURES

COUNTING ON
BANKING ON
RENEWAL
RESURRECTION

IRIS AND DAFFODILS KNOW
THEY HAVE NO FEAR
OR REGRETS
SPENDING WINTER
SNUG
SECURE IN LEISURELY ASSURANCE
THAT ALL IS WELL

AND ALL
SHALL SURELY
BE WELL