Life is Better with Pink Birds

It’s Friday.  Time to gather my scattered life and join the collective reporting some of the magic, some of the wonders, and even a few of the sticky spots of the week.  Do join The Scattered Life Collective – it’s always fun to peek into each other’s worlds.

out the window:   I’m enjoying the sunshine and peaceful loveliness as seen through my living room windows.  Earlier this week our neighborhood got a notice from our natural gas utility that sometime in the next few weeks they’ll be doing some major overall to the gas lines at the street connection level which will mean lots of trucks and work crews, and I imagine lots of noise.  So I’m savoring every moment of delicious quiet that contains only beautiful birdsong.

on the menu:  In continuation of the month-long birthday celebration tonight we getting together with my brother and SIL for a visit to our favorite pizza place.  You may not be aware of this but Chicago has the best pizza of anywhere in the universe, and we have a charming little restaurant within walking distance of our house.  Do I lead the good life, or what?

good things:

• I love when people leave comments on my blog posts.  Not just because it’s nice to know people read what I write – I certainly DO appreciate their effort and kindness.  But I also find out the most wonderful things.  This week I learned of the existence of pink birds!  How could I not have known this amazingly wonderful fact?! 

Cindy McMath of Pink Bird Studio clued me in about Rosy Bourk parakeets. Swoon!  Google some images and see what I mean.

• Although not fully pink, still gorgeous are Rosy-Faced Lovebirds.  My cousin, Candace Porth, recently posted some photos on her blog Glenrosa Journeys.

• As part of my summer project Creative Cauldron I like to start each day in the studio with a quick task or two to kind of immerse me in the creative process before heading off into whatever direction calls me that day.  So to that end I’ve been playing in a couple projects. One of them is creating a Spirits of Joy vision book with daily course prompts from Hannah Marcotti.  Here’s a peek at the journal I’m creating. 

I’ve often used various Moleskine journals over the years, and I actually like the one printed with gridded pages for lists and notes.  But it was only recently I discovered instead of the plain brown kraft covers I’ve been using, they also come in colors.  So I bought a set of these with plain pages and am using one for this vision book where we’re gluing in images ripped from magazines. The pages are plenty strong enough for glue stick and writing although probably not for washes and wet work.

• Receiving a fun art postcard from Mo in England as part of the Pay It Forward Art Making project.

reading:

I love birds.  And I love pop up books.  And because the universe is such a delightful benefactor it arranged for me to receive a pop up book about birds for my birthday.  How fun is that?!   Funny Birds by Philippe Ug.  It’s utterly charming and I love it.  It matters not that it only has about a dozen words, I’m totally counting it as the book I read this week.

watching:

As part of my summer Creative Cauldron project I’ve been immersing myself in as many creative things as I can think of, and one of them is looking at other creative folks and other creative expressions.  This week I saw two films I’m recommending.

Jodorowsky’s Dune.  Director Alejandro Jodorowsky dream was to make a film version of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune.  Although his film was never made it wasn’t due to lack of visioning or immersion or creative genius by Jodorowsky.  He had a psychedelic cosmic consciousness version planned and enlisted the collaboration of other visionaries, including having Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger signed on as actors. 

I’m sorry his version didn’t get made, but I think he has lots to say about following your dreams, being true to your vision, and inspiring others. 

It makes me want to read Dune again, although I swear I’m not adding another re-read to my pile that contains way-too-many yet-to-be-reads. But there was so much about that book I loved and still think about,  including the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

The second documentary, Muscle Shoals, is a chronicle of a phenomenal recording studio in an obscure place in Alabama that brought forth an extraordinary variety of rhythm and blues and rock and roll artists.  Just the list of artists is impressive in itself, but what really captured my thoughts was wondering about the magic of places that are such fonts of creativity.  People talk about the power of Muscle Shoals –  the Native people of the Yuchi nation call the Tennessee River there the river that sings.

listening:  I can thank my dear husband Pete for bringing this tune to my attention.  It’s now a firmly established earworm and I’ve been singing it all week with a grin pasted on my face.  It’s Pete sung by Dinah Washington.  I can only find it on Spotify but here’s the link if you want to listen.  But here’s the gist:

“I’ve got a man – his name is Pete.  He’s awfully good and oh so sweet.  He’s not the kind you usually meet.  He loves me so and I love Pete.”

I’m willing to admit you might not be as delighted by this as I am, but that’s probably only because you haven’t met my sweet Pete. But to balance things out so you don’t get a sweet overdose, let me send you over here to listen to an amazing ice concert by Irkutsk.  Who knew?

favorite word of the week:

assonance  (AS-uh-nuhns) – noun: The use of words with same or similar vowel sounds but with different end consonants.  Example: The o sounds in Wordsworth’s “A host, of golden daffodils.”

While I suppose it’s a useful concept for poets, I’m not sure this is an easy one to work into daily conversation.  I wonder about these kinds of words – who decides a concept needs to be named and then does it?  I’m fascinated by that.  I want to meet the creator of assonance.

Of course it’s not only dictionary-included words I love.  This week I heard another made up word that I’m most definitely including in my vocabulary and you can bet I’ll be bandying it around.  I’m not entirely clear on its original meaning but how can you not love the word rocketude?  I’m defining it as the proper attitude regarding rockets which is that they are awesome and we should all have our own.  Soar more!

on the wish list:  Judy Robbins’ linocut print Raven Clan

out and about:

• Love this story.  What story have you been telling yourself that has kept you limited?

• Jamie Poole’s art is extraordinary. Look carefully as it’s created with text!

• A dear friend is exploring a new body of work and in discussing it she mentioned another elaboration might be to embroider some of it.  Oh dear, she’s planted another seed idea!  She’s awesome at doing that – I cannot have a two-second interaction with her without coming away with at least ten kajillion wonderful inspirations.  Thank you TL!   But in any case, the embroidery idea reminded me of this curated group of gorgeousness.

I’m going to call it a wrap there.  Your turn.  What’s been sparkling in your week?  Even if you’re not a fan of embroidery, what might need a bit of embellishment in your life right now?  Have a favorite purchased journal you like using?  A favorite pop up book to recommend? Have a song that makes you laugh in delight?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.