colorful

November 27, 2021

Artist Unleashed

The four-footed one has found her inner artist. She may have thought of herself as the artistic type, but today she managed to show the world her skills. Well, maybe not the world, but undoubtedly Beloved, myself and the neighbors. Especially the neighbors, who, thank goodness, enjoy her work.

It started early in the morning when my neighbor dug out his paint cans to add color to the shed he finished building. The four-footed one was the project supervisor during the building phase and naturally needed to continue overseeing things to the end.

So she snuck through the gap in the fence to inspect the cans and brushes on the ground. After all, the four-footed one isn’t the kind to shrug off her responsibilities.

At some point, between the paint leaving the can and the shed getting color on it, the four-footed one opted to do a close inspection of the chosen color. She may have become a bit too involved in her work, to the point of paint getting on two paws and part of an ear.

No one noticed until the four-footed one completed her masterpiece. Footprints dotted parts of the rocks and cement pad in exciting patterns. Here and there, some lovely arcs of color jointed the prints, no doubt the paint from her ear.

While she may be an artist, the four-footed one isn’t interested at all in cleaning herself up after her sessions.

January 13, 2021

You Can Tell

You can tell we aren’t locals by the way we carry our groceries. We put our groceries in the bags which we have in our hands. Sometimes we hold them in our arms depending upon the weight and such.

If we are heading down to the local market, we tend to put things in our knapsacks, which we carry on our backs. If those get too full, it leaves hands free to have other items.

The locals here tend to have the groceries wrapped in brightly colored cloths, which they then carry on their heads. I’ve never been able to balance anything on my head, so this always fascinates me. The women seem so elegant with their posture, and then these beautifully wrapped groceries balanced perfectly on their heads.

It is rare to see the men carry groceries, but when they do, they use bags that hang down their backs from a band they wear around their heads. These are beautifully woven bags with intricate designs and colors. From what I’ve seen added to these bags, they are of sturdy construction, supporting a considerable weight.

So yes, when we go shopping, we stand out for the non-locals that we are.

August 20, 2017

In Between or Middle Magic

There is something magical in those days before the shift from one season to another.  Sometimes it is the bubbling sense of relief as you come out of one season and look into the upcoming one with hope and wild intentions.  Sometimes it is with a touch of sadness or longing as you peer into the next season, feeling as if you never got to really enjoy the one that is now leaving.

This morning, as the four-footed one and I were out on our ramble, I felt the touch of fall in the air.  A coolness and sharpness to the air went along with the full apple trees and suddenly all grown up rabbits.  Summer is sliding quickly away now, the heat of the day’s slowly slipping into a cooler time.

I’m  not really ready for fall yet, I decided as we walked past someone’s incredible flowerbeds.  The flowers standing out as bright, brash colorful splotches against the dulling grass, now more golden than green.  It isn’t just the colors that I will miss as summer disappears.  I will miss the whispered warmth of the sun trying to kiss my skin while I dance back to the shade.  I will miss the incredible birdsong that greets me in the morning.

Yes the fall, at least around here, will have its own burgeoning colors.  The trees shall be wrapped in gold, orange or red before the leaves finally fall to the ground below.  And then the trees, their bare limbs waving in the cold wind, will act as a reminder that we are heading into the barren and dead time of winter.

The four-footed one though seems to enjoy these moments when we hang between two seasons, neither too hot nor too cold.  She finds new smells, new friends to make and each familiar place has acquired something a little different.  She bounces into each day with enthusiasm and joy.  She fears not letting go of one season for another, instead she lets each moment be a whole new adventure.  Today’s adventure for her wasn’t the weather, it was discovering fallen apples in places where she could sample them with ease.  And sample them she did!

May 4, 2016

Intoxicating Cheer, or Flower Power

I agreed to go to the market because I was feeling great and hadn’t been to this market in a while.  Unlike food markets or clothing markets this one is strictly flowers.  You can smell it, in a good way, before you even see it.  Partially because it’s tucked down a little alleyway around a corner.

Nothing can bring sheer glee like a riot of colors and perfume from flowers.  It’s intoxicating.  And because it is so intoxicating, by the way why on earth are there no warnings about over consumption here, I felt a need to bring some of that loveliness back home with me.

That in, and of itself, isn’t a sign of intoxication.  However when a person ends up with more flowers than she has arms for and is still looking for “just the last few”, clearly an intervention of sorts needs to be staged.  Now.  As in impromptu if you must, hold her wallet if you must, but do not let this woman near any more flowers.  No matter how much she begs and pleads, no matter how lovely the flower is that she is currently point to. No my dear friends, do not give in.  Drag her kicking and screaming if you must.

Needless to say I had two very full arms of flowers to be purchased, much to the amusement of my friend who had asked me to come along.  She had only one, small, flowering plant easily held in her hand.  And of course smelling and seeing all the flowers, well it can wear a girl out.  Exhaustion can set in.  And you still have to make it home with your flowers.  Somehow.

My friend knows this about me so after I paid she took some of the intoxicating scents into her arms as we made our way slowly back home.  We talked about where to plant which flower, what colors might go well together and so on.  Of course upon arriving at my place I put the flowers down, provided them with a much-needed drink before I opted to collapse.  Planting and such would have to wait.  At least until Beloved made it home.  He might have the energy.

You see I spent all my energy at the market and getting back.  I always forget I have to come back. I always forget to pace myself, especially in places like that.  It’s as if lovely flowers, wonderful smells and so on make me forget I have lupus.  Or rather allow a pleasant diversion from it.  And then of course it hits me that I’ve spent energy too quickly, all in one place etc.  But it’s totally worth it.  Because seeing those flowers, well how can I not be cheerful even on a bad lupus day?

How do you maintain normal and cheerfulness with your chronic illness?