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We had a day at 70 Degrees!  It was only one, and the breeze was chilly, but it was 70.  Tonight it is 39 and the wind has been howling for a couple of days here on the hilltop.  Though the fields of wheat are green, and the farmers are still sharing their odiferous fertilizing with us, the chill is still present on the land.  Planting here isn't traditionally done for spring until after Mother's Day, so a bit longer.  We live in a farmers' world, and what we experience is a natural circle of transition to transition.  We live within the world of nature.

My old cherry tree in the front yard is covered with blooms, doubled and tripled blooms in varying shades of pink.  The red tulips at the front door are blazing on their tall stems.  Jonquils and daffodils  all around the yard are doing their best to out-do each other.  Sleeping decorative plants are waking up, and I even have a couple of early iris budding out.  Grass is a deep emerald green, and a run across it with a mower transforms it to a rich velvet carpet.  The roses along the fence are lushly leafing out and promise beauty ahead.

I'm reusing some landscape timbers and putting an occasional post in the ground on the perimeter of my yard. I love to attract birds to my hill home, and I feed them, but there are not a lot of underbrush opportunities for building nests.  I ordered bluebird houses for the posts, knowing that bluebirds living in the yard would be nice, but chances were that other birds would live in the houses, too. Two older houses were already claimed by a family of sparrows that have been here with me since I moved in.  They are prolific and have raised a number of clutches, and they are very vocal. They don't seem to mind living close to me, and seem very happy.  The newer houses, all four, have been claimed by barn swallows, sparrows, and possibly a blue bird couple, but it's hard to tell as they are at the edge of the yard and hard to see.  Talk about "if you build it, they will come"! 

Add to these my fat squirrels, the occasional chipmunk, and the many field mice, the rabbits and groundhog under the shed, and I have a bustling community of life here.  My dogs and I are welcome here. We have a place in this world. I can grow here, put down roots, and blossom in my new life.  

My creative life is growing too.  I have been painting for about 40 years now.  There have been forays into other types of creating -- glass, carving, jewelry design, and even a bit of pottery. Last summer, I began again to work in clay, exploring it and putting real study in using the material. I've experimented with different clays, different glazes, different shapes and sizes, functional and decorative pieces, high and low temperature firing, and a lot in between!  How rewarding it has been!  Creating figurative pieces is like creating a fictional character, with a story of life and abilities. Sculpture pieces are becoming powerful expressions. They bring me peace and joy when I roll out the clay, and carve designs, when I put glazes on fired bisque, picturing in my mind how the finished piece will look. (There is a big chance you will be surprised when you open the final kiln firing!) 

As time goes forward, I have no idea where my creative journey will take me.  I'm working on painting at locations around my community, practicing my painting skills.  I'm drawn almost every day to my clay studio, to touch up a work, to fire a load in the kiln, to clean and organize.  Like touching a loved one as you pass, I touch the pieces , feel their smoothness, or the chill dampness in a drying piece. As gardeners stoop to smell a rose, I lift a piece to admire the glaze in the light. 

Bring on spring. Bring on the creative journey. Bring on the life I have chosen. Bless each day!