The Elusive Blue Bird of (my) Happiness

Before writing today, I apologize to those readers who frequent my blog. I have two reasons for not keeping up.  One, is that I fell doing house maintenance and got a mild concussion. If you haven’t had a mild concussion, you might not realize that mild doesn’t mean gentle! Headaches, wooziness, and a few other symptoms kept me away from bright lights, phones, computers and loud noises. The second, is that I may write this blog, but the words are “given” to me. I don’t know if they are words from God or from one of his angels – but I do know that I am not a writer.  I typically answer questions with yes or no, and rarely do I elaborate.  I wasn’t being given those words.  Here is why I believe this: I had felt God was telling me to do something, and I kept questioning it. Is this really God telling me, or is it my own disappointment in the event. It isn’t costing me much and, hmmm, yes my pride wanted to show off my work. See God gave me my talents, and I wasn’t using them the way He wanted me to.

 

Now, the rest of the story of the elusive blue bird.  Past readers will remember that I received a fine camera, with a 30x zoom.  With that camera, I felt I could capture all kinds of wonderful pictures.  We live on a small lake of 5-8 acres.  Now around here that is a manmade lake. I would have called it a large pond. Anyway, we get lots of ducks, Canadian geese and occasionally a blue heron.  Ahh, that is my elusive blue bird!

 

My first attempt to capture that bird on film, he (or she) hid behind a tree and all I captured was the head. As I crept closer trying to get a better angle, up he flew across the pond.  I wasn’t able to get any closer with my zoom, and he blended into the background.

 

A second attempt, two weeks later,  I tried to snap from my deck doors.  Thinking that all I had to do was zoom in, I managed to get a close up photo of two wonderful deck posts of my railing and the heron sandwiched in between hopelessly blurred.  I couldn’t get a second shot, because he rose up and was quickly hidden by the leaves on the trees.

 

Now, I have to add this so you realize how I have tried to capture this wonderful creature!  I look out my dining room window and, yes, I believe it is back.  Hurriedly I get my camera, turn it on, and zoom it in. I creep out the porch door, silently pushing open the screen door. Raising my camera and focusing in, I realize that what I have seen is not the blue heron – but a small branch that has had leaves fall on it in such a way as to give it a head and body if looking from a distance.

Oh well! Perhaps I had better stick with my paint brush!!

May you be blessed this Thanksgiving as you bless others!
Rhonda

More Bird Stories

Last week I spoke about our redbirds. This week I want to tell some more bird stories.

It is so amazing to watch nature as it takes care of itself. We have had an abundance of tiny frogs.

Living near a small lake increases our wildlife.  Yesterday I was surprised to see a hawk on the ground under one of our Leyland Cypress trees.  I suppose it was after the frogs.  It reminded me of a few years ago when we also had an overabundance of frogs.  My DH saw an owl perched on the post of our deck.  He came every morning for a few days and then was gone, and so were the frogs.  I only got one glance at him but he was majestic. 

Speaking of my DH – one day at work he stepped outside for fresh air. Evidently there was a bird’s nest nearby.  The male flew in front of DH and proceeded to walk about in a circle as if he had a broken wing.  He was protecting his mate and possibly offspring.  He remained until DH went back inside. 

Am I enamored with God’s nature? Absolutely!

Today I want to share a work in progress.  It is titled: Jesus – the same today as yesterday. Jesus is sitting upon a rock surrounded by youngsters.  What you see today is 3 of the children – a boy who had gone fishing, a girl with a basket of apples and another boy with an untied red sneaker.  It is painted on a cypress knee.  I have been painting these for several years but stopped and now am “seeing” the images again to paint. I use the bumps, gnarls, and overall shape to determine what is painted.  See my post

A Day of Learning on June 3, 2011 for another example of a painted knee.

 Thank you for coming by.  I hope my words lift your spirits. 

Have a blessed day – and please leave a comment!

Redbirds Make Good Model

As an artist I often watch nature for images to paint. We have a family of Cardinals who have been with us a long time.  I first noticed them when they robbed the dry dog food we had set out.  We have a Lab and an Australian Shepherd and neither were concerned with the birds taking their food.  I suppose both dogs knew the birds would take little.  Since then, we have set out birdfeed year-round.  I had always put out feed during winter when ice and snow covered everything.

As I have watched them I noticed some facts.  The male takes care of the female.  It has been so wonderful to see how the male and female relate.  The male will fly down either to the food or a nearby area making sure the coast is clear for the female.  Sometimes he retrieves the food and feeds it to the female.  I have seen the male hop among the branches to be sure the way was safe for the female to feed the young. Once I saw 3 females land on our deck, the male went to the food and gave it to one female.  She then fed the other two.  I don’t know if these two were their offspring or visitors as the two looked almost as large as the female.  

Photo from:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/cardinal/

While watching I compared them to human behavior and what a great model they make to follow.  So caring for each other.  Isn’t this a great example of following Christ? Loving and caring for others.  Watching over them.

Since I don’t have a painting of Cardinals right now to share and our temps have been in the 110 heat index, I thought I would share a painting to visualize some coolness!

Have a blessed day!

Procrastination

Even though I enjoy painting I find that I put off doing it. Sometimes I let guilt that I should be doing something more productive or dutiful get in the way.  That is just an emotional feeling.  Most times I don’t have the something else to do. So instead of facing that feeling and trying to delve into it, or being more disciplined,  I find myself playing cards or mahjong on the computer.  And sometimes I find myself surfing the net looking for the special inspiration I think I need. Often, I have items stacked that I plan to paint “someday”.  Why not today.  Why not right now?  What is holding me back?

Maybe it is that I don’t feel I deserve the happiness I receive through painting.  Maybe I think that my paintings should be a source of income, and then I would have the “right” to spend time doing it. Maybe I am just not appreciating the talent God has given me.

There are a lot of “maybe’s” in life.  Are you letting the maybe’s get in your way of enjoying God’s gifts to you? Do you feel you don’t deserve happiness? Ask God in your heart today.  Let Him be your shining inspiration!

 Have a blessed day!

Signs of Summer

Most people watch for robins for signs of Spring.  I watch for hummingbirds and dragonflies for signs of summer.  Something about the size of these little creatures delight me.  Also, I am delighted to see the lightning bugs!  They sparkle the night.  Butterflies are so delicate and have such wonderful colors.  God made creatures great and small, but how much more I enjoy the small ones! 

BUTTERFLIES IN FLIGHT 

Have a Blessed Day!

WHAT A TESTIMONY OF FAITH

The past few weeks have not been easy for some people. In fact, as you know from news, the storms have wreaked havoc with losses of property and lives.  Joplin-ites have shown a wonderful testimony of faith that should be shown on every news channel and spoken from every preacher's mouth. The scenes I have seen of people pulling together to help each other speaks volumes of their faith.  Only one who has experienced such a deep loss could feel their pain.  Yet I see victory in their efforts and of those who have responded to give them aid.



How often do we allow the inconveniences of life interfere with our faith? If we allow minor disruptions to cast doubt, what would we do in a situation described above? Or, in spite of despair, do we continue to trust God? Only you can answer.

Be Blessed!

SEEING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

As an artist I often see what isn't there, until I have painted it. Much as someone may stare at the clouds and see images, I see what isn't yet on the canvas.  Sometimes what I see isn't what actually gets painted!  Maybe it is that I try to see too much or that the image I conceive is beyond my ability to paint.

I thought of this as I looked out my window and saw these trees. I saw a shape that my husband didn't see even though I tried to point it out to him.  He said we see things differently.  Here is a photo of the trees. Do you see an animal head?  I saw it and when the wind blew the whole head and neck seemed to react going back and forth.  It didn't break the shape!

The image is in the center of the photo. Yes, those are Christmas lights still up in May. :)  We call them party lights, they are white and blue and create a soft glow.  Try this image: (click on images to enlarge)

My highlighting efforts didn't show up much, but the head is outlined with a circle.

Sometimes what I see in my own work as imperfections, such as too bright, too dark, not the right shape, others see as a nice highlight, the dark balances the light, and just as in nature there is no perfect shape.

This abstract of flowers isn't exactly what I had envisioned. Sorry for the glare, I took the photo at night and needed the flash.

In life, events aren't exactly as we plan either. God has our life planned and we don't always see the overall picture. He doesn't let us know what is ahead.

He doesn't judge by outward appearances either. He knows our heart. He sees things differently!

PS: I don't always know what I am going to post, until I get a "Hint".  So bear with me as I try to post on Friday - but sometimes I don't see the message!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope I give you something to think about each week.

God Bless You!

Spring is a Wonderful Time of the Year

How I love Spring! The new growth of leaves on the trees hides the bareness of winter. Lawns sprout up with wild flowers -- wild violets, Easter flowers, little buttercups, tiny little daisies -- yes I know some call these weeds especially when in the lawn, but to me they represent the newness and freshness of the Spring.  God's promises of what is to come.

Dogwoods are blooming.  The magnolia is beginning to show buds. The red maple is shining and showcasing its blooms.

Some say that when Spring is in the air, so is love. My love for my family is always present. And so is my love for God.

A watercolor I painted. I hope you enjoy my small messages and my paintings!
Have a great day!

God's Gift to You

Many of us know the saying "Your talent is God's gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to Him." 

Is art my "talent", or is it my desire? Maybe my talent was to be a good mother and wife. Maybe my talent lies in my bookkeeping skills that keep my bills paid, or spotting good "sales" that keep my bills low.

Aren't these all talents? Does one talent pre-empt another?

What if you feel your talent isn't appreciated by others? Does that mean you have no talent in that area? NO! Being appreciated by others is a good feeling, but is that honoring God? Using all of your talents is honoring God. That's all. It is between you and Him.

Let all of your talents shine! God Bless You!

H.A.L.T.

Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired -
Before making any decision, stop and think with this little word, HALT, especially if you are feeling stressed out, hungry, angry, lonely or tired.  It is easy to allow our emotions to affect our decision-making and often that is not good! It has really helped me in the past and present.

Actually, I really am a homebody. And, now, most of my decision making involves what to make my husband and myself for supper and more importantly what color do I paint next!! I love to experiment and am always looking for more ways to dabble.

Yesterday I accepted an invitation to go photo-shooting with a friend. We drove about photographing buildings, trees and whatever hit our fancy. It was a great outing! And really put me in the mood to paint!

Here is an old barn that I did on location  on one of our earlier jaunts!

Thanks for stopping by - Have a great week and do some exploring!!