Posts in Category "Nature"

Daybook: 12 February 2015

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Thursday, February 12

Outside my window… The sunlight, wide and warm across the field, mixes with patches of darkness from the clouds. The atmosphere has that clear, hopeful brilliance of coming spring but the snow, which gives the appearance of melting, belies the thermometer: it’s a mere 22 degrees!

In the kitchen… In the evenings I’ve been making hot chocolate for mum and myself.  When your work is always nearby, it’s the perfect incentive to call it a day and pick up a good book.

I am creating… copies of Pauline Baynes’ style of pen and ink, practicing my own style of miniature drawings. Her thoughtful details on such small scale are captivating!

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I am reading…
“The Bird in the Tree” by Elizabeth Goudge
“Morning and Evening” by Charles Spurgeon
“Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown

I am thinking… about adding color to my blog design

I am visiting (online)…
The thought-provoking Audio Library at the CiRCE Institute
The oh-so-delightful Read Aloud Revival Podcast
and
Karen Andreola’s blog, “Moments with Mother Culture

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Around the house…
Dad is finishing up remodeling the bathroom, and mom has started the spring cleaning.

I am looking forward to…
a St. Valentine’s event this weekend with the girls!

A moth sighting

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This last Saturday afternoon my mom discovered a visitor on our red raspberry bushes . . . a nearly-3 inch wide Eumorpha pandorus moth.  We’ve never seen this kind before, let alone one so large on our property.  So it was quite a surprise to find this fellow patiently waiting for dusk.

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Because there aren’t any conservation concerns for this moth, I considered keeping him for an insect collection.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I prefer my specimens either already dead or happily alive.  When I checked on him that night, he had already taken wing.

“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2).

Spring is here!

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Many of the buds seem to have appeared overnight; a sweet reminder that God’s mercies are new every morning.  It’s rainy today, and there may be snow tomorrow, but I’m so glad to see these little hints of what’s to come!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 2:22-24

Spring in the Studio

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Summer Sweetness, part 3

As I wrote this post, I realized that there’s much to be said about fields and clouds and sunsets. They become a surprisingly large part of a person’s life. Since I’m sure you all can relate, I’ll be as concise as affection will allow and let these few humble pictures tell the rest of the stories for themselves.

↑ The Southwest view from the back yard. This is where we watch storm heads roll over us.

The North, north-east view from the backyard. It’s spacious for everything from large gatherings and a garden, to walking the dog and general delightfulness.

This next view is the North, north-west sky from our front porch. From there, one evening last summer, a dramatic sunset (not pictured) looked like a fleet of Viking ships sailing up to a rocky shore. Yes, it did, and it was probably the most grand cloud scene I’ve ever mentally recorded in my life so far (does anyone else do that?). This is also a good spot for watching local fireworks.

So that’s a glimpse of what the summer sky looks like around here. The weather’s always changing and therefore the clouds, but it’s always beautiful and it’s always home. : )

 Now, let’s welcome Fall, shall we?

Summer Sweetness, part 2

‘Bout time for part two, eh?
Here’s a look at our garden over the summer —

Raised beds have been working well for us. They are so easy to weed!

Earlier in the summer we had lettuce for salads. More vegetables have been coming on — onions, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes. We have yet to see how the Brussels sprouts and cabbage will end up. The green beans and zucchini didn’t do well, but everything else has been a lovely addition to our diet.

These little dears are trying as hard as they can to get on, and brave they are! The cosmos towered beside them but didn’t bloom very much, so I think we come up with a way to set things right. ; )

And the spaghetti squash has been a bit over-eager and seems to really like our lavender. (The lavender has since been set free.)

Thanks for stopping by our garden! God has blessed us with good earth, plenty of sunshine, and rain,. Part three will be a snippet of the beautiful sky, our beloved expanse above what we call home.

Summer Sweetness, part 1

One of the things I love about drawing children “from my head” is not only imagining them up, but putting the first simple strokes on paper and finally getting to “meet” them. Seeing that their little personalities are really real. At least to me. ; ) These two rosy-cheeked dears make my heart go pitter pat — meet Georgie and Henry.

 

"Gathering Autumn Joys"

There’s a new piece of art in my Etsy shop!

Gathering Autumn Joys

“Gathering Autumn Joys”
© 2010 Breezy Brookshire

A traipse through the woods on a crisp Autumn day . . . breathing in the scent of dew on the turning leaves . . . collecting bright berries and goldenrod . . . and discovering a new friend.

Click here to order your own print of “Gathering Autumn Joys“!

Shop Notice: I’m switching my prints to a new printing system, so the prices will be a little higher than the previous prints. The new prints are very high quality, but the older ones are still good quality and will remain $15 each.

Touches of beauty in { and outside } the home

Mrs. Fuentes wrote an excellent post on home culture, and it made me reflect on what I remember as a little girl, and how the home culture that my mother made affected me. I particularly thought about our backyards, and how much they were a part of our lives and homes.

My memories are filled with the foliage from the backyards, fields and woods I played in. Anything living and green in or near our homes has had a small, special nook in my heart, where I’ve kept fond memories of inspiration and delight collected over the years.

A vegetable or flower garden has also been a source of delight: there is so much beauty and wisdom to glean here.  And the eagerness to help Momma poke marigold seeds into starter trays, or pulling baby weeds from the freshly rained-on earth, had almost as much influence on my lifelong affections as the books I savored.

The sunlight on the trellis reminded me of something so simple: The trellis next to the garage, with its honeysuckle trickling upward, is a full leafy vine, and plain most of the year. But just after summer comes, all the little yellow and white ladies’ gloves shower down. At night when I walk the dog in the moonlight, a soft breeze will waft by with a sweet and gentle aroma from the tiny flowers. Our backyard really is that beautiful, and as much a part of our homes as the cozy rooms inside.

“There is nothing in all the influences and surroundings of the home of tender childhood so small that it does not leave its touch of beauty or of marring upon the life. . . . Wherever a child grows up it carries in its character the subtle impressions of the home in which it lives.” – J.R. Miller, in Home Making

Spring will be here soon!

I saw three robins at the library this Tuesday, and soon the daffodils and grape hyacinths will be showing their delicate shoots.  All the snow and ice will melt, and the oak tree will be covered in little bright green buds! The wind will turn sweet and warm, and I’ll walk bare-foot in the grass again.