Shadow Shot Sunday...Beauty Again...

sometimes
we walk dark paths
unknowing
shaded by
inner doubt
and sorrow
what if
we strolled
into the light
of inner self
and saw
beauty

what if
down every lane
we walked
fearless of
shadowed corridors
awakened
we walked
in beauty again
awakened
we walk

in beauty again



s.wilson


You guessed it...SSS...go there for more creepy fun on this Halloween Day...everyone have a wonderful creeped out eve, as ghosts and goblins of Halloween past fly 'round your world...

Rain, rain, go away...

What to do on a rainy day...it's 62 degrees this foggy AM...

Well...you look around for projects to create...VOILA'...
it's a bench...harvested from a pair of sweet chairs that the caning had been removed and I happened to have a board that fit it perfectly on top, just add an old feed sack and it's perfect for
any foyer or porch...or whatever...

Don't remember how lucky I was to find this local bag, but this is my hometown and a business long gone, but remembered, cause they used to sell baby chicks...awwwww...

So now, we sit and dream and wait for the sun...

Autumn...why we live North...

Sumthin' 'bout the seasons
I hear...
when you're born
'n raised in the Nor'lunds
it stirs your blood
the changin' of a season
the leaves rustle in the air
it's different
it beckons you
to solace

unlike any other
you feel the calm
as winter gives
chance to pause
and reflect
what you breathed
in the spring
and toiled in the summer

Autumn
my love
always beckons
home
crisp apple scents
in the air
books await your owning
fires cuddle memories
of a child
and the leaves
in your hair


s.wilson

I heart feedsacks...and foggy morns...

The fog settles
into my weed patch
and blankets
my hometown
and this
is just
the way
I like it...
invisible
to my eye...

I heart the country...

OK...I think I'm out of my slump and into a more productive mode...be afraid...pity the poor dog grooming customer that has to wander through my piles of fabrics and rows of furniture in various stages of completion.

However, I think they are getting used to the bizarre look of my home/studio and the organized disarray. However, I usually get wonderful comments from those that are new to 'the Pink Chateau'...and I believe some wish they had the courage to live in such a odd 'PINK' palace.

I love every rickety inch of it and never have to worry about keeping up with 'the Jones'...ha! New pieces of feed sack covered furniture...sorry I'm so slow Gina...it's the fickle artist in me...

Ahhh, the good life...

BLISS...and Autumn...

Talk about BLISS, isn't this just the cutest lil' settee...SWEET!

This lil' church pew is sold...and LOVE the fruit picture...

Tis the season for mummies and spooks...and black!

Fiddle Fern candles and scorpions...eeeeeeeeee...

...as Sister's Garden and Bloom enter into the Autumn scene with golden glow and rich umber accents...enter 'the Fall'...visit before the snows fly...

Shadow Shot Sunday...Do You See

do you see
the ripples
in the pools
of light,
brief torrents
wash sentiments
into fading
rings of life,
extinguished,
reality plucks
old promise
from round softened spheres
of looking glass mirrors
do you see
your future here...
these gazing globes
tell certain fears,
what if the rains
of golden years
were lost in moments
and shed as tears,
will rings of hope
reappear
do you see
me waiting here,
reflection in
a shaded
mirror.

s.wilson


My the weeks are flying by, wasn't it just yesterday we played SSS with friends...shadows this week were hard to come by, as rains again flood the rivers of Iowa, but if you believe in rainbows and light...a shadow follows...

It's Sunday in Australia you know...

Let's hear it for the squirrels...

t

We all enjoy our lil' furry friends, the squirrels, that have been out and about with gusto these last few months, hence the term squirreling it away...then once again in the spring my yard will be filled with seedling walnut trees from the intrepid planters forgotten stores. Always hiding more than required, it's a constant chore cleaning up their harvests.

But how cool that Nature hires these lil' 'nuts' to do all the planting for her. However, The Candle Shed has been busy making squirrel feeders for their lil' buddies, called 'Squirrel in a Jar'...how cute is that...I thought I'd better get one home ASAP to let the games begin. Scratchy loves conversing with these little tempters...one false move and they're mine...ha!!!

All you do is fill the jar with seeds and nuts and the lil' heathens will role around in the jar for your viewing pleasure...what a hoot!

Also the shed has concocted the cutest blackboard message board...black board birdhouses for your kitchen counter or wherever you need to get the message out there...SWEET!!!

The brainiacs never rest at 'The Shed'...

Down country roads...

What makes a country girl...

Was always that unusual child, the tomboy, the adventurer, loving the rides to the country, my Mom still does. Always a new world to explore, the family vacations...I might as well have been flying to the moon, it all was a wonder to me.

What did we ever do without digital cameras, now I can absorb all I see and lose myself in their memories each and every day with the chatter of a keyboard.

Always wanted to marry a farmer...to be surrounded by kittens and chickens. I was lucky to have shared 20 years with a farmer, not living on the farm, but it was across the street, the family farm, the homestead, the parents...just like back in the day.

I surrounded myself with my dreams...I collected eggs in my nightgown, soothed my Grandsons fears when the turkeys chased him back through the screen door...GRANDMA!!!
Collected peacock feathers, white and blue, that my strutting peafowl scattered 'round my yard, refilled the cement pond for my gathering flock of mallards, laughed at the antics of the gosling Canada geese and butchered chickens 'till my hands bled...life was good...

Married to a woodsman and conservationist, trips to the wetlands were frequent...sporting black and brown chamo makeup all over my face, I dutifully follow 'the man' turkey hunting in the wee hours of the dawn...did I mention we were married in a duck blind on the opening day of duck season...all decked out in chamo at the end of the dock, I awaited his return to shore... where all the fellow duck hunters had gathered in their duck boat blinds...there was a 21 gun salute when 'the man' said 'I do'...let's crack the keg...and fun was had by all...

Blizzards and heatwaves never stopped the travelers down these country roads, there were pheasant and white tail to be seen...and the winds and the leaves, tall prairie grasses saluted our passing and an occasional skull was discovered in the ditch...a reward for tenacity...

All times I remember as a funeral leads 'the man' home...
as I drive the back roads, watching...alone...

Hey, what about me...I'll go for a ride...

Come on Scratch git in the truck!!!

Good for what ails...RETAIL THERAPY...

EEEEEEEEEEEE...I heart my job!!!

Yup, the therapy that soothes the soul...went to my favorite haunt, you know the one, if I told ya I'd have to kill ya, yeah, that one...picked up a few goodies, talked to my friends...hey Mark and Liz, got your soap ready...then it's back to the shack to play with my new toys...eat your heart out TOT!!!

I see the sun briefly peaking through the clouds this AM in Iowa, a high of 76 is supposed to grace our area before the rains move back in...but...life is good and I wanna get all the goody I can out of it...so have a great day everyone and thank you all for your kind words.

Ne'er a love lost...

'Al' M. Wilson

Many say they don't do personals on their blogs, but if you know me well, you know that I say it like it is. I feel that's how we get to know each others lives...it makes it personal and we become sisters of the soul in a virtual world....then friendships grow no matter how far our lives are apart, we feel each others sorrow and joy.

Yesterday I was given the sad news that my ex-husband had passed unexpectedly from complications of pneumonia. He moved on Sunday evening, but the strange thing to me was, Scratchy and I took a drive down the country lanes Sunday morning, the ones Al and I used to drive all the time. I drove by the back of his house and the piece of property I still own next to his. I drove over the levee and looked at the Mighty Miss, just like we used to do, past the fields he used to deer hunt, always looking to see if his truck was in the field in front of the deer stand that my Grandson shot his first deer out of...was this my last drive with him...I like to think not... I'll think of him every time I drive those lanes.

For the last month, I've been dreaming of him, crazy, mixed up dreams of sadness, regret and relief. Some marriages go by the wayside, but the memories stay in our hearts, the good times and the bad...we just move on, but always remember.

Farewell dear friend
we are only separated
by dimensions
as love lingers
eternal
in hearts
we know not
what futures brings
we can only live
for today's journal
to write of paths past
yet knowing
they will cross
again and again
in fields of dreams
I'll walk these paths
again and again
writing memories
in the book
of love
I'll remember
again and again
your face


s.wilson

Sweat Equity...

My daughter Piper and I have been rearranging her shop for the last 3 days...ARGH...talk about the domino effect...I got the disease from my Mother, Piper got it from me and now we are seeing signs of our Grandson being afflicted...the REARRANGERS...we are never satisfied with our displays and are constantly tweaking...

However, in the retail biz, this is necessary, as you are needing new looks to show new inventory...or fake out the old...it really works though...PLUS...you have renewed interest in the store when you walk in in the morning and see the new displays...all is good in the world of retail again...BRING ON THE HOARDS!!!

We are trying to eliminate CHINA from our inventories, bringing in more hand-crafted artisans, you know...the locals...that's what it's all about...people helping people, what a grand scheme this is!

FRIENDS CANDLE SHED

Shadow Shot Sunday...Cottonwood...

I follow my scent
a journey
down ancient trails
I danced with wolves
brothers
sisters
clans
gone
mists of gray smoke
drift on woodland winds
silent wings
ancient canis
wild dog
wind spirit
ghosts
cottonwood clan
gone
lost souls
howl in the mists
I honor
spirit
the deathbed
is the way of it
in my realm
sorrow leads
as I walk
my path
to bay
at the moon
alone


s.wilson

To honor...the Cottonwood Pack of Yellowstone Park...all gone to white man's ignorance...6 adults culled and pups left to die alone...a total of 60 destroyed, when will it end.

Please send your protests through the Defenders of Wildlife ...help stop 'the man'!

There is ancient DNA in these eyes, my little wolf, with the heart of the beast...a sad tribute to something that stirs my soul on this Shadow Shot Sunday, please go here to see the other's shadows, it's Sunday in Australia you know.

A ho hum day...

You know, one of those days when you have nothing spectacular to write about...ahhhh, but you do...after all you live in a pink house...on the prairie...in Iowa, I guess you could say I have lots to write about.

Yes, a porch swing to contemplate the world, greenery all 'round(for now)and ambition to conquer the world...

yup...all in a day at the Pink Chateau, in a beautiful state, in a wonderful country, on a wonderful planet called Earth...did I forget anything on this ho hum day......

Will the White Gurlz ever have a home...

A day phoofing at the Amanas...aren't these just the coolest...

I heart old gold frames...and lots of white dishes and tarnished silver...

Well, if I know me, the wheels are turning...Lorie and I drove through Muscatine's downtown last night looking at all the vacant storefronts...and there are a bunch of them...but my heart just wasn't in any of them.

Wonderful old turn of the century buildings...but...too many bad elements. The downtown is making the mistake of allowing too many insurance, real estate and attorney's offices... AND BARS AND PAWN SHOPS...ugh...the parking is still a major issue too.

Sooooo...I think my earlier thoughts of building a pole building at the Pink Chateau, may be the best direction yet and with 6 acres, we could have flea markets and yard sales...so maybe the White Gurlz will settle down yet...more to come on that issue...

I'm sad...are you...

The other day in our local paper, I was stunned by this article...local man helps economy by hiring workers...he started his family farm with a dozen sows and now has 5000...yup, you heard me right!

This is how 5000 sows and their offspring live their short lives...so you can have your sausage and egg McMuffins...however they forget to tell you about the pollution these factory farms create and how many small family farms they put out of business. This meat is also unhealthy compared to farm-raised pork, the amount of stress put on these animal directly effects the standard of the meat...oh, don't let your local butcher tell you that all his cows eat is corn and it's the best meat...HELLO...cows are herbivores...they eat grass...try it, the taste is totally different and far leaner...you are being deceived by the beef growers of America...imagine that!

I don't eat pork, but millions do, how can you look at this picture with a clear conscience...I can't...

Yup...it's your Egg McMuffin again...buy local, from family farms, help support struggling family farms and fight to rid us of these Guantanamo's of the farmyard...oh and another juicy tidbit...did you know that chicken droppings are fed to cows in feedlots of factory farms...just thought you'd like to know...!

Just Google factory farms if you wanna ruin your day!
Buy local, it'll make your day...get to know your family farmer
you won't regret!

A Misty Maun...

“This benefit of seeing... can come only if you pause a while, extricate yourself from the maddening mob of quick impressions ceaselessly battering our lives, and look thoughtfully at a quiet image... the viewer must be willing to pause, to look again, to meditate.”


I borrowed this wonderful comment from Patty over at Crisfield Maryland, a retired photographer, she has the eye that many of us strive to achieve.

A misty morn on a hometown riverfront caught my eye...I'm frequently seen standing in the mists taking shots of my ol' man river...the Mighty Miss...the Mighty Muddy...now so polluted from industrial and farm run-off, the fish we used to love catching are no longer fit to eat, the shores now littered with used diapers and pop cans...how did we get so uncaring...?

We need to stop bickering about health care insurance and what a new president hasn't done, considering the load of crap he inherited and start believing in the real issue...global warming...what difference will it make to a dead and dieing planet...

Think green and think organic, it's the only way to save my view of this majestic river...click to enlarge and be there in the moment...