Art Festival and Nourishment of My Soul July 29, 2013

Artist at work

Those are panoramic photographs on the right

Lots of people!

Metal art

I took a nice, much-needed trip to a festival in the mountains. Seeing the beautiful artwork of others really inspired me. It also made me feel great about my own work. Sometimes I feel like my work is so…untalented…not good enough. I know people TELL me it’s good, but you know how that goes; these people love me (or at least like me and must see me regularly). After seeing the art for sale….that people were BUYING, I feel like my work (some of it) might actually sell in the right market. So I’ve decided to try it. I’m going to complete as many pieces as I can, then sign up for a booth at a local festival.

As for my trip, it helped to clear my head. I’ve been in a fog the last few weeks. Not really depressed, just existing. I’ve just watched the hours turn into days. Now I feel ready to do something. I have a purpose again.

I’m including a few pictures of the festival. It was great! I sat on the sidewalk, eating Thai food, listening to a local band, and watching the people walk by and thought what a wonderful life it would be to travel to various festivals and sell art you lovingly crafted. That fits my ideal lifestyle! I met such interesting people and had great conversations about art and life. My soul feels nourished again.

Today’s Adventure January 19, 2013

Today was a day of exploration of a seaside town. J and I decided to get away, just the two of us. We walked the historic district, and I took some (hopefully) great shots of the buildings.  I spent an hour in a local used book store! We enjoyed a great cup o’ Joe at a local shop, walked a river walk section of town, and had lunch at a local burrito restaurant. The weather was perfect for our day! J was in good spirits, so it was very enjoyable spending time with her. After lunch, we went down to the beach and took pictures.  I discovered a little sound side park with beautiful twisted trees. All-in-all, it was a wonderful and relaxing day!

 

The Unvarnished Truth of Me November 24, 2012

Hi again. It’s me, Rainey. I have missed your daily support and encouragement as I traverse through life, but I felt the need to pull back for a while. I could lie, and tell you I just got really busy, and things were going great, but that would wrong. You deserve better from me; you at least deserve the truth.

I stopped blogging for the same reason that I have, all of my life, suddenly stopped calling close friends. It’s the same reason I broke up with one or two of my old boyfriends. It’s also the same reason that, when I got married, I moved to a new town and recreated a brand new life, leaving behind everyone and everything I used to know and love. So here it is, the unvarnished truth of me:

You got too close. And you cared about me.

It’s what I do, you see. I run when anyone gets close enough to see the cracks in the veneer or to care about me at all. I will give you a piece of me, a glimpse inside, and then I pull back and run for the hills. I don’t mean to hurt people, but I do. I don’t know why I do this, and I don’t know how to make myself stop.

I bared more in this blog than I have ever told anyone in my entire life. Actually, I am super surprised that I let so much of my soul peek out before I ran. I guess the blog masked me enough that I felt some safety in allowing my true self to show. But I have only shown you glimpses. There is so much more, so much bad and good, ugly and light, humor and horror. So much more is hidden so deep inside I don’t even know what is in there anymore.

So. That is the true reason I have been gone for so long. I’m not sure yet if I have the courage to return, but I hope I do. I have missed you all dearly. And that is also the unvarnished truth.

Just For Fun July 23, 2012

Just for fun, before I go to bed, here are a few chuckles…

That’s a joke; like I would even run!

Serving a little truth today!

Bahahaha! I could just see some old lady’s face if I said this!

Yeah, that would be MY luck!

NOW I remember why I need therapy! 🙂

I Need a Laugh Today July 21, 2012

I thought it might do me some good to start with a laugh today. Hope it helps us all!

Yes, yes it does…

The look on my face should say it, but just in case I will wear this button.

This makes me giggle…every time! (And I hear it in the Red Bull voice-over)

Dogs: 5   Human Dummies: 0

Accident? I think not…

How I have felt the last three days…

Summer Through the Lens July 20, 2012

A doe was kind enough to stop for a photo.

A field of happiness!

Stopping for a quick sip…

I wonder what lives here?

Watching the sun sink into the trees…

Time for a snack!

A rainy summer day…(sigh)

I love the ease of summer days. Earth dresses in lush, vibrant colors and nature peeks out of every corner. Animals stop to say hello and the world is wrapped in a heavy warmth that lingers in my bones.

For the Shits and Giggles File July 19, 2012

Okay, today’s Shits and Giggles file is a link to “The 50 Cutest Things That Ever Happened”. I found it through my daughter, S, who posted it on her Facebook page. It was the first thing I saw when I woke up this morning, and it had me giggling and laughing like a lunatic! What a GREAT way to start my day! I hope it tickles  your funny bone as much as it did mine!

WARNING: Contains extreme cuteness of animals and some with animals and babies. proceed with caution! 🙂

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/the-cutest-things-that-ever-happened?sub=1675184_440492

Simple Things July 15, 2012

There are  many simple things in life that make me smile and fill we with happiness. At times, these little things are what help me through really rough moments. Here are a few of those things:

• Flowers, but especially daisies; they are such happy flowers!
• Dogs and cats…really ANY animal
• Hummingbirds drinking from the feeders I have out
•  A clean kitchen sink…weird, I know, but it makes me happy!
• Fresh sheets (dried outside, of course) on my bed
• Turning on the radio and hearing a GREAT song
• A cool shower after a hot day
• Seeing leaves fall in autumn
• Being near a body of water…ocean, lake, creek…
• Looking at beautiful art
• Rain…I LOVE a rainy day
• Old buildings…they have such history!
• SNOW
• Sitting by the fire pit on a cold day
• Getting a message from someone special
• Capturing a great photo
• Reading a good book; one that leaves me with a satisfied feeling when I finish reading it

What are some simple things that make you happy?

Sun and Water: A Haiku July 8, 2012

The silver water
Dances around my fingers
In the summer sun

Drop Me in the Water July 1, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ar2VHW1i2w

I am going camping! We found a great campsite by the lake. For the next nine glorious days, I will be burning lounging in the sun, swimming in the lake, and sleeping reading in my chair. Meals will be take-out grilled only. I love camping because it strips away all the distractions and lets me focus on finding my center again. I hope I can teach J (my daughter, see earlier posts) to use this time to nurture herself and refocus as well.

I have no internet access there, so posting and commenting will be limited. I will check in when I can, though, because I have grown to realize how much blogging, and my fellow bloggers, actually mean to me. Talk to  you all soon….

HUGS ~Rainey

PS I am not going to Canada (I wish) but the auto tags included it anyway. WTF??