...Not quite Sprung yet.

Nothing too recent here....but I am working on it, really.

Go the right sidebar and find some older posts and articles...and artwork from the past.  I will try to get back here with something new...ASAP!

Thanks for stopping by.

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Below you will find posts from LAST year.  Sorry...I have have had writer's block. 

Pre-HoliDaze

(A new music player SHOULD appear right there...on the left, over my smiling face.  It might take some minutes to start.  The first "Charlie Brown" piece is all messed up and NOT what I meant to upload...so...you can listen to it in it's spottiness or fast forward to song #2! I tried to fix it, but Internet connection tonight is really slow...and HOURS later, I have finally pressed "publish".  So...no more tweaking tonight!)

Autumn left late this year...

with so much mild weather...and plenty of time to do some fun things all the way through early December.

A lot of movement...and GRATITUDE this Thanksgiving....

Lisa Marie, performing at "GRATITUDE", a unique blend of music, dance, singing bowls and more; created, directed and made possible by Janiece Jaffe.

And even on Dec. 1 it was not quite wintery yet....BUT...

.... it was not warm enough to change our plans for mulled cider.

Doesn't that look pretty?  And it smelled even better!!

Then....there was a wedding....

And after looking for a traditional "Bride & Groom cake topper"....

we decided to be more original.

With my trusty scissors I was able to top this Delish Carrot cake (yes, I made it, as per the bride's request) with a pic of the REAL Bride and Groom.

Oh...and on another night...Tony and some friends stopped by for my Special Spinach Quiche.

(Try saying that 5 times...very fast ;-)

Some decorations have started to appear...

Even in my little room...at the bottom of stair...

It just so happens that a couple bags of books and a small box of Chrismas Decorations would not fit in the car when I left Bloomington.

So.....I was able to retrieve some pretty-corny-sentimentalness from my friend, Jan who was guarding them with her life. ;-)

That's all I've got for ya' now.

The above post was in progress and I had more fun stuff to share...but was distracted by life and then....

by sadness and disappointment of the "worldly events".

Just trying to keep one foot here and one foot over there...

beyond the illusion, is a lot of work, as many of you know.

Well... I found a new music player, that sort of works.

Hope it helps to lift everyone's spirits...and also moves you to ponder  in your deepest heart...how precious life is.

.

I will try to update with pics while I am away visiting my three little Yule-tide elves.

I can't think of anything better right now than watching Kid-Holiday movies and baking cookies.

I cannot wait...more than ever...to squeeze their little cheeks...

in my very Italian Grandma kinda' way.

See you soon....

LATE AUTUMN

 FINAL HARVEST

                      

As well as the final harvest of fruits off the vine...

and some delicious Autumn wine...I have participated in many things that will warm my heart throughout the winter

Janiece holding wine ;-)

.

A friend and myself indulged in.... 

(Brenda holding cups ;-))

Oh...OK, well what WAS in those cups before we took the picture was a SALTED CARMEL PUMPKIN LATTE'.  The guy at Starbucks informed me when I ordered it that it was one or the other...A salted Carmel OR a Pumpkin.  I told him I must have read it on line as if it was one ONE ridiculous, yummy, incredible, unbelievable libation. I obviously looked excited...or maybe desperate and disappointed, because 

he said 'well, I guess I could combine them both in one cup".   YES!!!  Oh my.

~~~

I spent a few minutes on ALL SAINTS DAY here:

Celebration of lives at this altar is very moving.

 So many mementos,  pictures and notes left for those who had crossed over, mostly from this past year, but there were some that have been gone for awhile.  

So, I left a note for my friend...;-)

~~~~

This weekend closed with some eclectic music at the beautiful Namaste'.

I only took a pic or two, because I wanted to take a short video.  Unfortunately, the dim lighting was bad for snapping...beautiful mood in the room, though.

Here is at least a small snippet or two...put your glasses on.

 OK...that's it for now.  More soon!!!

Just checking in....

The leaves in Bloomington are still beautiful...although each day the trees are looking a bit more naked.  But what a beautiful Autumn it is.  I've been able to 'stretch time' since I arrived.  What that means is that I have done SO much...and yet, do not feel like time is flying.  Meaning...it feels like many things can happen during a short time period.  Kind of like when I would wait until right before I would have one of my CIRCLES, to get the house ready...and ..I would have cleaned, prepared food and created a beautiful space in an hour or less...moments before the people would arrive. And it couldn't have looked better....if I had started the night before. It's a gift...she said smugly. :-)

Anyway...one place I had been wanting to visit .... is a new place in town that SHOULD be the new 'hot spot'....

An Artist, Poet, clothing upcycler, herbalist and jam and jelly expert, Patricia Coleman (click on her name to read a fantastic article in local magazine),  has created an eclectic nook where it becomes obvious when you walk through the door...that Magic happens there.

  Patricia has made it possible to have both Coffee and Tea in the morning. Yes, of course  I tried it.  You have no idea...how scrumptious Coffee jelly is until you experience it..

There is enough wall space for local artisans to show their work...

Which includes some of her own...

With a a bit of handmade and gently used jewels and pinch of this... 

 and a dash of that...

And SO much more...

You can visit here:>>Patricia's Wellness Arts Cafe on FaceBook 

>>AND HERE!!

Hey...look at this incredible Dusk Sky I found...right outside the window of Namaste'. Notice all the little birds on the wire???

At times like this...I can't do much else but run for the camera and try to capture the scene. If I were REALLY Spiritual, I would stop with the snapping and simply BE IN THE MOMENT...but I can't help myself.  Capturing beauty is something I cannot seem to give up.

Even in a moving car.:-/

Oh well...sometimes the beauty is in the blur...don't you agree?

I call it BLURTY.  Not really. 

I have a lot more to post about...and many more pics...(not blury, either)...so I will be back soon-ish. I promise!!!  Given my past blogging record, I think I am doing pretty good.

Enjoy the rest of AUTUMN...

...cuz you know what's comin' next!!

Metaphorically Snapping

What IS that woman doing?

Did she drop something?

Is she picking up leaves?

Wait a minute....it's a little blurry..but....

I think she is puckering her lips....

OMG!

I believe she is gettin' ready to KISS THE GROUND!

Yep.

What a beautiful day.  Glistening leaves in the rain.  I felt like I was in a technicolor movie.

We went to the Monroe County Historical Society and saw some very cool old pictures and read some history about Bloomington at the "Bloomington, Then and Now exhibit".

A book will be coming out soon with old pics transposed over new ones, or vise-versa.

I  will post some of those sometime...it was difficult to good pics OF pics at the exhibit.

But the concept is great... especially since I have many times walked down a street...past a building or what was once a different building or home...and 'felt' a twinge of something.

Knowing more of the history with PICTURES of what was once there can be confirming at times.

But here are some other cool little scenes you may enjoy:

 Old kitchen scene, including a "Hoosier Cabinet" that I unfortunately

 cut out of the picture :-/ but look at those aprons!

I love this one:

Here is an old switchboard...

as a kid, I always wanted to work on one of those, just like Julie Holiday in "Bell Are Ringing".

I have a laptop instead.

Log cabin with real Indiana logs...spinning wheel and very intricately decorated rocker and linens.
Sorry the pic does not do it justice.

Apothecary chest. I was thinking...if I was a pharmacist (druggist, back then)...in a past life...OR married to one, (more likely) in the late 1800's..this could have been mine.  I may have touched those bottles!

Bear with me, I get a little woo-woo with antiques. ;-)

 Here is a stuffed bear that was once in a department store in Bloomington of the 50's-60's.

I liked it because it reminds me of Jesse the Bear  in Northern Exposure.

Some fans out there?

Look at this view.  it's just a street....could be anywhere...but it took my breath away.

And it almost did, literally.  I stopped in the middle of the street to take this picture. ;-)

Here is a weak attempt at this a beautiful church window...the light and angle was not conducive to good snapping.

Here is another one that I could not catch the colors and shapes  very well.  BUT...if you look closely, you can see the reflection of the tree branches that were above/behind me as I snapped. 

  I thought that detail was interesting.

A reflection of what is behind me...projected before my eyes...onto/through the window, transforming it into something totally different, new, pleasantly surprising.

SO BE IT.