be happy

be happy, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

Why not?
Life throws so many wacky things at us, tries to kill us, seems to delight in our misfortunes... but, that's the way it goes. So I have learned to seek silver linings and ignore (as best I can) the inevitable turd in the punch bowl.
So far 2010 has been a series of calamities, garnished with some truly heartbreaking events for me personally and also in the world. But through it all I have seen the most amazing evidence of love and compassion. And that is a beautiful thing.

making progress

Today I worked on my new studio space and it is starting to come together!
I still have lots to do (and a piano to sell!), but I've made a lot of progress.

I am so grateful for this place where I can create.
Tomorrow the kids will be back at school so I hope
to make great strides. If you're in the neighborhood
feel free to drop by and help me move some more supplies! ;)
xoxo~Dale

I love parrots

I love parrots, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

I only have one, my quaker parrot, Mojo, but I think parrots are amazing!
Mojo has a great vocabulary and a very distinct and engaging personality. I love his chatter, his "quaker squawk"~ not so much! But between Mojo and my daughter's sweet parakeets (Alice and Conrad)
our house is filled with birdsong and sass. And it makes me smile!

It is a beautiful morning here in suburbia. I am moving my studio downstairs and it is coming together! I'll be glad when the "heavy lifting" is done and I can start to pretty it up! I am looking forward to working in this great space that is flooded with delicious morning sunshine!

I am so grateful for this day. I am thinking of Martin Luther King and his work and message.
Hope springs eternal!
Love one other, my friends!
xo~Dale

just breathe

just breathe, originally uploaded by Sea Dream Studio.

My studio is in limbo right now. I have a piano to deal with before I can move in. And I hesitate to embark on any projects until I am in my new space. But I really need to create. I need to go to that quiet place inside where the world retreats a bit and I begin to feel peaceful.
Making art soothes my soul in a way that is so natural and sweet that it feels nearly preordained. There is a feeling of clarity, of rightness that I find to be one of the truest joys of my life.
My heart breaks for the suffering in Haiti, for the family of dear Tina, for all of the brokenness in the world.
And that is why I need a moment to make something beautiful, to remind my heart that flowers still bloom by dusty roadsides and mothers hold their babies like the wondrous gifts they are. I need to think about love and hope and the kindness that binds us all to one another.
Tomorrow I will create and be filled with gratitude for the privilege of knowing my heart's safe harbor.
xo~Dale

sunrise, prayers and money...

It is a beautiful morning in suburbia. But for the people of Haiti this day is one of despair as they are faced with the aftermath of a 7.5 earthquake. Please pray for them and if possible donate to the American Red Cross international relief fund

Also musician Wyclef Jean's blog has a link to donate to his Haitian Relief organization through your cell phone...
http://wyclefjean.wordpress.com/

This extremely impoverished island nation was still rebuilding after being hit by 4 major hurricanes in 2008. Their infrastructure is sketchy. Housing is ticky-tacky and the people struggle in the best of times. This is a tragedy of major porportions. Even the money you might plan to spend today on lunch, a new blouse or a manicure would help. If you live in the United States the odds are you are living a better life than these people.

Count your blessing and pay it forward.

xoxo~Dale

yes, yes, yes!!

Oh, I am sooooo glad that I bought the 3 year warranty for my laptop! While it is being repaired I have a great loaner... basically the same m0del I have, but a newer version. I could just keep this one. Really, it is pretty much identical except this one has Windows 7 and I have Vista (damnit!).
So, now perhaps I can get busy. Computer problems are such a time suck.
I am way behind on moving my studio crap.
BUT, above all I am happy that it is warmer and I am alive and spring is getting closer every day!
It's all good!
xo~Dale

breathe deeply...

So, my laptop has mange or TB or something. It is acting like a fool, throwing up blue screens and ugly messages. And I love that thing like a real live baby! Just got off the phone with HP (they have great suppot!). I am 9 days out of manufacturer's warranty... HILLARIOUS, huh!!?? But (and I can't believe I am going to say this) thankfully it is a hardware issue and should be covered by my extended warranty purchased from Frys... The thought of LEAVING my laptop for them to repair is giving me hives, but I must soldier on. So, I am off to Frys, a very dangerous place for a gadget gal like me! I could live there... and actually might while they work on my baby!

We are having more reasonable weather, so I am not dreading going out. That cold snap was insane. Very tough for mermaids and small green parrots! Mojo and I were way out of our tropical comfort zone!

Hope your day is laden with sunshine and fully functional electronics!

xo~Dale

I'm just sayin'...

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

~William Barclay

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/

a little dream for a cold day...

Like most of the rest of the country, the Dallas suburbs are in a deep freeze.

Our skies are clear and as blue as a mountain lake, but the wind is howling

and it is so very cold! So my thoughts stray to this scene... the coast of beautiful

Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. I know that today it is in the 80s there (it

always is), the water is calm and the sand is white. I have walked this beach... and will again.

It eases the chill of this winter day to remember the quiet beauty of this place

and to know it is there, warm and tranquil and I will return to this enchanted place.

I will.

perception...

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
~ Lao-tzu

Ah, how we perceive the world so colors our journey.

And can we alter out perceptions with attitude?

I think so. It is, in fact, the only thing that we hold

any real sway over in this life.

Perhaps I do not choose my path, but I do choose

the song I sing as I go.

life goes on...

No matter what, life does indeed go forward.

Today has been a day of reflection.

I am thinking of Tina's family and how they are coping

with their unimaginable loss.

And I am considering how important it is to live your life well

and fully and to be in a state of appreciation

for each day. All of our experiences bring us

to where we are at this moment. Regret is futile.

I am grateful for my life, for the sad and joyful moments

and all of the uneventful days that are a joy themselves

with their beautiful, reliable ordinariness.

And I am grateful for the people who touch my life.

Life goes on~ as it should, boldly and recklessly, reverentially and with predictability.

It goes on, unfurling before us like a pathway in a dark forest

or a wide swathe of beach that skirts a turbulent sea.

We have no other way to go, except with open hearts,

forward, always forward.

Farewell, dear one...

Tina Wright, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend and artist passed away early this morning after a brief, fierce battle with cancer. Tina was a precious person, so full of life and joy. It is nearly impossible to imagine her gone from this earth. If you are a praying person, please remember her family at this time.


And, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of Heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun. ~William Shakespeare

back to reality...

So the holidays are basically over and soon we return to real life. My kids have Monday off of school, so they are still in the laid back mode. Christmas is packed neatly away and my new studio space is almost ready. And it is January, my least favorite month. But, I am no longer a person who hates winter. I have decided that it is absurd to despise an entire season, so I will look for silvery shadows and the stark beauty of bare branches against a winter sunset. I will move my studio and fix it just right. And before you know it the trees will get that sweet, fuzzy look and the days will grow longer. Spring comes early in Texas. Thank you, Mother Nature!
Hope 2010 has begun well for you. Stay warm and dream sweet flower-filled dreams.
xo~Dale