Bright Red

or
The Blue Boat
or
Dark Bark Lonely for Color
or
Enlightened Beetle


When i started my blog i did not plan to use photos. Now i feel kind of at loss without a photo. I hope you hang in here with me, well you don't have to.
My story today is not that interesting, but with the photos, i didn't take, there would at least have been some color. bright red and bright blue.

The weather is beautiful again, i do love these warm spring days and spend most of the day outside. Doing some spring cleaning, and the usual.
In the afternoon Kip comes over to show us something that happened in the last few days (i was in town).
You might know that i said that our place is quite sheltered. Kip has some property out here, the next lot over (kind of). His land is a natural meadow, but he cleared it some more, so it's probably 10/15 acres open. Now it turns out the wind can roar there! His cabin was lifted of it's footings and the boathouse completely destroyed.
And yes his beautiful bright blue wooden boat.. definitely damaged, laying on it's side. very sad.

I keep walking, loving it, but longing for color. (oh i remember now, i did see some bright red earlier, the cap of the Northern Flicker shining brightly in the sunlight, but that was not the bright red i was going to talk about.)
The mountains are still pure white, and the forest doesn't even have a shimmer of green.
Don't get me wrong, it is all lovely. And at the end of my walk close to home, i get a surprise. I come upon the biggest standing dead poplar i have ever seen. :)i like this. It's bark is what i use for my paintings. I run home to get a chisel and hammer to peel it off carefully. Carefully to try to get the widest pieces possible.

Ahhh as i peel of the bark, there it is, i am taking away someone's home. The most incredible bright red beetle. And here in this land devoid of color that is something. (i did wish i had my camera, you would have liked him too)

At home i work my pieces, they are going to be something!
And i look up what kind of neat beetle i have seen.....
hmmmm i am very disappointed with it's name, it is
-Flat Bark Beetle-. How? Why?
to console me it's Latin family name gives me some hope, that it is a special beetle.
It is Cucujidae
dae - is used by all insects (i think)
that leaves us with cucuji
cucu - cuckoo
and to at least certain people in India, ji - is an additive given to you when;
You have come to realize your true Self. (right?)
So there you go this beetle is an - Enlightened Bird - i knew it.
(i made this up) (oh you guessed)

Lapland Longspurs

The joyful singing these mornings comes from the Lapland Longspurs. You can listen to their song on this website, which i linked in the column on the right, under delights.


They are a common bird. And when you are from the states, you tell me, that's where they live in the winter. Now they are on their way to the Northern Coast to nest.

Here in my skies, they sweep through in great flocks. landing also in my yard (how fortunate i am, that they find me every year)to feed on the ground. And to delight me with their beautiful song, when they sit high in the poplars.

Last night we were talking in the yard, all was quiet now, and suddenly they sweeped over in one movement. Followed by a small hawk of some kind.

The snow is all gone again, elfin creek, running as wild as it will be.

golden crowns

I forgot to say yesterday, that there was a Golden-crowned Sparrow in the nettle patch.
Now, i hear lots of birdsong, everybody is delighted, like me;
2 inches of snow fell last night.
:) why does snow always make me happy? Today it's the whims of Nature, i love it when it tricks us. 'Moisture' they call this kind of shower in Camrose Alberta, i like that. And here that helps melt the ice on the lakes.

purple gemstones

i know

it's just

there's a

whole lotta love

right around my very own rock

uhum

I am having trouble displaying my 'gems'. what is that, i do allign everything to the left, but somehow, it doesn't want to go there? words appear on the right side of the photo. any suggestions?

nettles

The stinging nettles are coming up! they are tiny.

my garden is big.

Too big for me to look after, i promise i will look after my nettle patch.
Last years i was more interested in hiking about, this year even now my hands stained with paint, i am painting.
My thing is, i don't have much will power, i can only do things i really want.
And then when i feel low, like this morning, i cannot do a thing.
so how does a nettle come out of the half frozen ground as little purple treasures? "man i gotta get out this town...." (I loooooove this music of Beth Hart, i am listening to now, many days now)
Anyway i came somehow out of my low, and i don't really know how. It's like Nature in springtime.

I will post some crystals i found today, above here, the way blogging works.
The nettles are who i am, the gems are how i feel.

and when you want to read more about the good things nettles have to offer go here.
nettles

Et Tu Bruté | GEIST | Fact & Fiction Made in Canada

Et Tu Bruté | GEIST | Fact & Fiction Made in Canada