calm / patient

L - Nikon

"Be patient with yourself and with others. "

- 54 precious keys to happiness

bounty / illumine

solo post - L

I had 3 apples... I was going to paint them – then I saw the recipe for Apple Crostata... no more apples to paint. SO I went to the market and bought some more fruit and those wonderful sunflowers I shared yesterday. This morning I arranged the items I bought and now I have an abundance of photographs and good starts for at least 3 paintings. One of the compositions really excites me. But first I just had to get outside.
The temperature was perfect so I decided before painting that I should get some exercise. So off I went to Big Trees Forest for a nice hike in the woods. Well I can't go for a walk in the woods without my camera but for the sake of exercise I should have left it at home. I kept seeing things I just couldn't pass by. I was stopping every few yards to take a photo. So my hike turned into a leisurely stroll. You know when you slow down enough to "see" – there is all kinds of beauty around us. (To make me feel like I was actually getting some exercise I decided to walk the trail 2 times instead of just once). The walk did me good even if I didn't get my heart rate up.

Nature is man's teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence. ~Alfred Billings Street

Once home, I set to work trying to decide which "set up" to start painting. My mom always said, "Begun is half done." Well I'm glad to say, I am more than half done now. Yeah. It's been a good weekend.

I talked to T – she hasn't totally abandoned the blog. She and some friends went to a corn maze this weekend and she said she took some photos. I can't wait to see them. First she said she had to do marine environment homework and start on her next design project. I'll wait - patiently. : )

patience / hoping

“Beneath the crisp and wintry carpet hid A million buds but stay their blossoming And trustful birds have built their nests amid The shuddering boughs, and only wait to sing Till one soft shower from the south shall bid And hither tempt the pilgrim steps of Spring.” -Robert Bridges

This little bird (and more over here), sitting in her nest, beak opened in song, makes me happy just to look at her. I keep feeling like spring is just around the corner. Patience. /dorm life is great and everything - i love living in really close proximity to my good friends - but having a house would be fantastic! i have an opportunity to look at a house with three of my close girl friends and i am beyond excited - our own furnishings, our own rooms, our own bathrooms! we might even get a front porch. we'll see how it goes, wish us luck [:

10am / 5pm

trying to be patient until she joins me again

10am - This morning when I was eating my oatmeal, I noticed the backyard was full of robins. It looked like the leaves were jumping there were so many of them. So I went outside with my camera to see if I could capture them - of course they flew away. But there is always something outside to take a photo of - these 3 little sweet gum balls for one. I found out they make a good fire starter that burns blue, so I'm collecting them for my winter fires.
5pm - still working on my printing dilemma. I took another set of files to have printed at office depot and they are still too dark in areas, whereas on my epson printer they are just how I want them. But I feel like I am going to have to get some of these cards printed outside of printing them at home because the epson ink is expensive. So here I am tweaking yet again - using channels and selective color adjustments. It's fun in a way but its tedious. Does anyone know of a good source for printing bulk quantities of greeting cards?