forty-one welcomes me with rainfall and poems of the sea

 

It also welcomes me with a chipped tooth (photo not included).

hello there

In January I spent four weeks in a hotel at the base of the Santa Catalina mountains in Tucson where my mother had back surgery, and each day those mountains lifted me up. Bud and Rave came to get me when it was time to come home and we took a short side trip to the red rocks of Sedona. I made an early morning pilgrimage to the cathedral where I have been many times since I was a girl, each time moved by the depth of nature's beauty around me. We drove home in strange snowdrops on Valentine's day and picnicked on scrumptious "I can't believe this is really gluten free" carrot cake along the way. 

Since then I have been moon camping in Malibu in a green VW bus, the ultramarine night aglow and my loved ones by my side. Bud read This Side of Paradise aloud and my thoughts drifted like firedust. I fell asleep to the rush of waves and rustle of sycamore leaves. I awoke to morning coffee and the combined nudge of sunshine and a dog ready to look for squirrels.

 

Recently I spent a few rainy days in the Pacific Northwest gathering with a small group of creative women I adore. Each morning I sat in the wicker rocker at the edge of my bed and peered out the window incredulously at the bald eagle nesting in the branches of a nearby fir. Poetry, painting, the flicker of candlelight, and laughter long into the night...

How are things in your corner of the world? I'd love it if you'd leave a link letting me know what you've been up to.