Bees, An Elephant, and Dressing for a Book

I’ll do a double dose of reverbing tomorrow, but today being Friday I’m playing in Cynthia Lee’s Scattered Life Collective and inviting you to take a peek into my week.

out the window:  It’s already dark now – I’m late posting today.  Eyes to the sky though.  We’re coming up on a full moon.  Often known as the “Cold Moon” or “Long Night Moon.”

on the menu:  Alsatian Noodles.

good things:

• Glorious toasty warm heat thanks to a new furnace.  Having our heat go out on a holiday weekend was not the most fortuitous of circumstances, but I can honestly say that I’ve never been more pleased to work with a company on a home repair project.  Everything from start to finish was easy peasy, entirely grace-filled, and fast!  By Monday afternoon we were shedding sweaters and gloves and feeling the warmth.

• Flower arranging.  I had a lovely autumn bouquet for Thanksgiving and as some of the flowers have slowly faded, I’ve been able to rearrange the remaining blooms several times.  It’s like getting a new bouquet each time.  I’ve got the current arrangement in a small terracotta pot.

• Jamie Ridler’s Design Your Year Planning Day 2015  class.  Today I spent several hours in a group opening up to what wants to come forward in my business next year.  What fun, and some delicious surprises.  I love Jamie – she speaks my language and holds things the way I do, and it’s always a delight playing with her.  While I have my own always-evolving rituals of planning and designing for the upcoming year, I couldn’t resist signing up for this session.

• And something I treat myself to each year – Amy Palko’s  My Word Goddess Reading.  I’ve sung Amy’s praises many times here – she’s brilliant and plugged in and all-round fabulous with a real gift for connecting with goddess energy.  My reading arrived today and I can say without hesitation I’m thrilled and delighted with the goddess I’ll be journeying with next year.  And of course the word(s) offered perfectly confirmed the word that has been showing up as my guiding star for 2015.  Because that’s how things work in the magical world we live in!

reading:

• Einstein’s Business: Engaging Soul, Imagination, and Excellence in the Workplace by Dawson Church.  I can’t say I recommend this, but I was definitely expecting something different so no doubt that colored my opinion.  It’s a book of essays by various folks, some well-known, some less so.  But rather than being inspired I found reading it to be tedious.  I still don’t know why I kept at it to the end, but when I finally closed the covers, I realized I won’t be doing that ever again.  I hereby declare no more finishing books that I don’t like.  Can I hear an amen to that?  In any case, I’m giving this one a floriography rating of a handful of Candytufts which stand for indifference.

• On the other hand I was charmed by my kid’s book choice of the week – The Memory of an Elephant by Sophie Strady and illustrated by Jean-Francois Martin.  An oversized collection of wonderfulness starring Marcel the city-living elephant.  This gem rates a full bouquet of Forget-Me-Nots, because elephants never do.  And I won’t soon forget Marcel.

watching:  A bit of peaceful loveliness.

favorite word of the week:  It was love in first site when I stumbled upon gypsysilhouette.com, but when I found this word there, I swooned.

desiderium (noun): an ardent longing, as for something lost. From latin dēsīderātus — a separation from the stars.

projects I’m loving to support:

• We have such a long way to go as a society with regard to loving and accepting our bodies and shifting the collective paradigm to honor and celebrate diversity in all its sizes and colors.  So I’m passionate about supporting those taking this on, and here’s a Kickstarter project I’d love to see get funded.  I Am What’s Underneath – True Style Is Self Acceptance.

• I’m also passionate about Bees, and I’m always on the lookout for projects supporting them.   This odd little project, 1000 Bees,  has captured my fancy – the development of an app that showcases and celebrates the diversity of bees across the globe.  While I’m definitely not in favor of the capturing and pinning of butterflies and insects that was so popular generations ago, the truth is that there are extensive museum and research collections with just such specimens that are never seen.  This project tackles uncovering 1000 specimens and offering info about them in what looks like a really beautiful showcase. I’d love to see this funded in an effort to get bees even more into the public awareness and help add fuel to the movement to save them.

on the wish list:   Winter doesn’t officially begin for weeks yet but it certainly feels like it has.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a garden by Stephanie Lemay to wear around your neck?

out and about:

• Another body positive message this time courtesy of Andrea Schroeder.

• These Odyssey Works performances truly fascinate me on so many levels.  Too bad my introverted, reculsive lifestyle makes me an unlikely candidate, because I would so love to be a selected participant.  Wouldn’t you?

• You know I love books with enclosures and secret treasures and all manner of wonderfulness hidden inside.  How fabulous is this gem from 1883?

• When earlier this week my fingers and toes were getting frosty from lack of heat, I probably could have used these instructions.  Moonwalking.  Finger Tutting. And what about this one – when your fingers get too cold too open the wine bottle, use your shoe.

• I love Valerie Buess’ art, but especially this book.

And there you have it – a peek into my week.  What about yours?  What’s delighted you?  Been in contact with any bees or elephants?  Found any dresses in your books?  Or books in your dresses?  Opened any wine in an unusual fashion?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.