Peacock Feathers

I have a vase of peacock feathers in my office behind my monitor. They are about 30 years old; my grandmother raised peacocks and picked up the feathers as they were shed. I got a small box of them for Christmas one year. It’s probably old fashioned to have a vase of them; decorating with them was more popular in the Victorian era. I like them because of the memories they evoke and their beauty. They draw me in because they have an exotic aspect:

• They have ‘eyes’
• Their color changes depending on the light (because the color is structural - like many butterfly wings)
• They are very long

So - today I am celebrating peacock feathers.

Around our (Maryland) Yard in September 2012

September is the winding down of summer. I have onions blooming - a brilliant display over the lemon balm cut back last month. The insects really were enjoying the flowers.

The dahlias are still blooming profusely but sometimes one just dries out to look more like a sculpture than a flower.

The mushrooms are still growing around the old oak stump. The ones on the stump itself just get bigger and bigger. The puff balls a little further way on the mulch grow and then the puff opens to send spores out to grow other puff balls. It seems like we always have new pristine white one somewhere in the mulch around the oak stump while the older ones still disperse more spores when the wind is just right.

And finally - a feather in the grass. It must have come from a good sized bird. Since it was the only one - I’m assuming it was from molting rather than a death.

Previous Months: August 2012, July 2012, June 2012, May 2012, April 2012, March 2012, January 2012 

May Doodles

The slideshow below is a selection of doodles from May 2012….using other pens and papers than previous months (when they were all done with gel pens on black paper). The May 2012 group is on all kinds of paper and cardboard - some gleaned from the recycle bag - and pens (felt tip, highlighter, ball point). They are also grouped: colonies of creatures, feathers, mazes and shells. The feather doodles are the largest group - probably because I spent so much time watching the heron nest cam!

Colony of creatures 1

Colony of creatures 2

Colony of creatures 3

Feather 1

Feather 2

Feather 3

Feather 4

Feather 5

Feather 6

Feather 7

Feather 8

Maze 1

Maze 2

Maze 3

Maze 4

Shell 1

Shell 2

Previous doodle posts:

April 2012

March 2012

Initial

Achieving a Room of Your Own

Virginia Woolf wrote “A woman must have … a room of her own if she is to write fiction" in her book A Room of One’s Own. It turns out that most people need such a place where they can be entirely themselves and by themselves - whether or not they want to write fiction. We need it for spiritual renewal and deep thinking…to be fully aware of our life…to center and be resilient to the surprises life brings. It is the place for study and contemplation…for planning…for doing things we want to do by ourselves without constant interaction with anyone. It is our own personal cave.

How do you achieve a room of your own? Here are some ideas: 

• Identify space.
  • Optimally, this space is an actual room that is just for you all the time.
  • Next best is a space that can be yours for designated parts of the day - any day that you want it. This could be a corner of your bedroom while your spouse is enjoying their own cave somewhere else in the house. It could be the kitchen table when everyone else in the household is away from home.
  • Another option is a public place where you will be alone even if there are other people around. It doesn’t have to be an actual room to fulfill your ‘room of your own’ requirement. It could be a kiosk in a library, a park bench, your car parked at a scenic overlook, a booth in a diner. It is a ‘virtual room of your own.’ Maybe doing something like this occasionally is worthwhile to give oneself new perspective.
  • Furnish the space in a way that supports what you want to do there. It could be a computer, good lighting, and comfortable office chair. It could be lots of surface area for art projects. It could be a rocker recliner and television. Will you go somewhere else for food or do you want food available in the room?
  • Think about the view from the room.
    • What is it like at night…during the day? I like to have plenty of lighting for at night but generally only have the small desk lamp on rather than all the lights. I like the glow of candles and the shadows in the corners. During the day I like to have a great view from the window visible from where I sit.
    • Items in the room that don’t have function but make it appealing to you are important too. I like glass boxes for paper clips, peacock feathers, and wind chimes hung from the mini-blind frame. On the walls I have Georgia O’Keeffe posters, a white board and some metal sculpture.

Remember - your room will be unique to you. Where it is and what is in it must be tailored to fit perfectly with how you want it be. It doesn’t take a lot of money; it does take thinking about what you need and want.