NATURE as inspiration

This being the month of Valentine's, I found this quite appropriate, and lovely:

"LOVE is a canvas furnished by Nature
and embroidered by imagination."
-- Voltaire

Ah, LOVE.

Mark knows how I love France, and so he's planted plenty of LAVENDER on our property ... which has now spread wildly. I love that man!

The nifty little book "GET A LIFE: How to Be Happy ... no matter what's happening" (by Pat Farrell) had THIS to offer as a treatise on the subject:

"Connecting with nature, no matter how you do it, is a wonderful way to regain some balance in your life. When you feel stress or overwhelm, find a place in nature that allows you to let go of the pressure to be anything other than exactly who you are. This could be in a forest in the great outdoors or leaning against a tree in the middle of the busiest city.

The more of your senses that you can involve, the more centered you will become and the more anxiety you will be able to release. Go to a park nearby and see the forest green leaves silhouetted against the cornflower blue sky. Hear the murmuring of a babbling brook inching its way over the rocks worn smooth from the insistence of the water's flow. Listen to the birds chirping and squawking in their own conversations. Take off your shoes and feel the grass or the cool moss-covered earth beneath your feet. Smell the bouquet of freshly blossomed honeysuckle climbing over a fragrant myriad of blooming bushes. Hug a tree and feel the lifetime of growth between your arms. Allow your senses to be overwhelmed with the delight that you are experiencing in the moment.

The more completely you are able to experience nature, the more quiet your mind becomes. Leave the chatter of trying to figure things out and just "BE". Quiet the mind and feel the oneness that you experience in the solitude of nature. When you can feel God's presence, just be quiet and enjoy unity with the Source of all joy."

WOW. There's no way I could have said all THAT any better than Pat -- WOW, Wow, wow ...

Mark's ZEN stacks are scattered throughout the yard ... and yes, that is a skull nestled in there ... our way of honoring the sheer naturalness of living with this much space ...

On Monday, after my art class, I drove up our drive and snapped off a handful of photos of OUR slice of heaven-on-earth, OUR sanctuary ... and so a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to my husband Mark for all his hard work & loving care of our property.

I hope you enjoy the piece by Pat Farrell, and the photos by ... me.

-- Davielle