"...love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Kahil Gibran I came home from vacation secretly guarding myself from the fact that one of our dogs was ailing and likely would not rebound. We have had many basset hounds in our lives, and a few unfortunately … [Read more...]

Don’t hunt for trouble, but look for success. You’ll find what you look for, But don’t look for distress. If you see but your shadow, Remember, I say The sun is still shining But you’re in the way. When you think about a seed, it can be rather tenacious. Buried in hardened soil, … [Read more...]

This one goal—choosing a step and sticking with it—changes everything. Scott Reed I ran on many errands today, but one particular one to a craft store gave me pause. It was a pretty ordinary activity in which I was buying paints and buttons. I gave it no particular thought but … [Read more...]

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. ~Anne Lamott There is a certain little world that exists in Merlin’s Garden. It seems untouched by the world in which it lives. There is the unrest in Iraq. … [Read more...]

If we look closely along the journey of our lives, we might identify moments of divine intervention. Interpretations can cross all faiths. How or why these moments come about, I do not fully understand. I just know they can be answers to or reminders of powerful pleas or … [Read more...]

Today I went on a series of journeys to respond to my growing love of painting. Between art supplies and plants I have a challenge with stuff (however illuminating that stuff is!) just like my husband has with cars and clocks. I was impatient to get home and begin exploring my … [Read more...]

Aeoniums are monocarpic, meaning they have “one body”. They grow, make flowers, produce seeds, and die. It’s a beautiful method of flowering.  It is also a manner of describing life. I love the Aeonium.  They are Merlin’s plants and they dot the landscape of our southwest … [Read more...]

    Life is amazing.  Live it to the fullest.  Stay as long as you can.  Valerie Harper                  Today I transformed an old pie safe with paint and images of those that bless my life daily -- hummingbirds and flowers.  If I played it safe, I would never have … [Read more...]

Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you see nothing more to add.  Camille Pissarro  There is a certain terror that can arise when faced with a blank slate.  It could be your life plan before you, or lack thereof, or a small, but very real work challenge.  … [Read more...]

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” ― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah I sat across the table from my beautiful … [Read more...]